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Alex-ABPerson / Crush40Site

The Crush 40 website - created entirely by the Crush 40 community!
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Add descriptions to discography #5

Open Alex-ABPerson opened 2 years ago

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

Create a complete list of Crush 40's entire discography, with a fan-written description for every single song, as well as some official descriptions from the band themselves extracted from the album booklets!

These are the songs that currently have descriptions:

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

This is a list of the songs in their discography - now we just need descriptions to go with them crush_40_credits.txt

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

An in-depth description for "What I'm Made Of...", contributed by ashe:

"What I'm Made Of..." is the second Crush 40 track on Sonic Heroes. Before the Title track was even composed, Jun had already made "What I'm Made Of..." earlier in development but was initially rejected by the team. Insisting that the song be used in the game, late into development he decided it would be used as the track for the final boss. A bit after Spring 2003, Jun called & informed Johnny about the track, who was in the middle of a camping trip with his family, and how it was needed to be written quickly. Inside of a tour bus' kitchen area, Johnny began writing the lyrics to the track, and by Summer 2003 an early demo featuring background vocals was completed. By Fall 2003, the track was completely finished."

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

An in-depth description for "Knight of the Wind", contributed by Michael:

The first Crush 40 song to be played in D Standard tuning, Knight of The Wind was written as the opening track for 2009’s Sonic and The Black Knight. It’s been a fan favourite since, with over 5 million plays on Spotify, and it’s easy to see why! The song perfectly blends violins into Crush 40’s signature rock sound, helping to slowly build the intensity for the perfect payoff in Jun’s incredible solo – and a stunning final chorus that has the violins play the main riff in the background. The song was actually re-recorded shortly after the game’s release, with a completely different rhythm guitar tone able to be heard on “Super Sonic Songs – The Best of Crush 40”, released later that year.

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

Open your Heart, contributed by ashe:

"Open Your Heart" is the main track of "Sonic Adventure" & the first "Crush 40" track (written before they even had a name). Production of the track seems to be dated around early 1998, with Jun making at least 7 different version of the track before settling on the final arrangement. Multiple demos of the final arrangement were made featuring different vocalist & mixing, the earliest available featuring co-composer Kenichi Tokoi on vocals. Most famous of all the demos is one featuring "Anthem" vocalist Eizo Sakamoto, which seems to have been recorded around Summer 1998. Eizo's demo would end up making it to prototypes of the game, & also performed the track live during the "SONIC Adventure Production Presentation" on September 1998. Shortly after, Jun contacted "Hardline" founding member & singer Johnny Gioeli to record the track, completing the track around October 1998.

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

This is a list of all the released EPs/albums/singles from Crush 40, written by Morris: crush40albumdescriptionsiguess.txt

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

This is list of every album featuring Crush 40 in it - not the Crush 40 ones, written by Morris: crush_40_albums.txt

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

Live Life, written by Michael

As the ending song of Sonic and The Black Knight, Live Life creates a perfect continuity from Knight of The Wind using a variant of the latter’s main riff. Bringing the violins back in full force the song proves yet again Johnny’s incredible talent for ballads, delivering one of his most soulful performances in any Crush 40 song – it’s certainly brought at least this author to tears more than once. Furthermore the lyrics perfectly convey the game’s message of living life to the fullest in the time you have; even though according to Johnny they were written in a hotel room mere days before the deadline!

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

A list of the lengths of every Crush 40 album, written by Morris: crush_40_lengths.txt

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

I Am... All Of Me, written by ashe

"I Am... All Of Me" is the main theme of "Shadow The Hedgehog". Originally, Magna-fi (who also wrote & recorded "All Hail Shadow") had written a track called "Who I Am" to be the game's main theme, but was excluded due to complications with the band's then label, Aezra. The game itself goes for a radically different approach in comparison to previous games (taking inspiration from the then-emerging mature game market), so Jun followed suit with a soundtrack focusing on Heavy & Industrial Metal. "I Am... All Of Me" stands out as the game & soundtrack's crowning achievement, being the first song the player hears during the opening cinematic, along with the final boss. Despite the game's polarizing reception, the track has become regarded as one of Crush 40's best, being a fan favorite & commonly performed during their live shows.

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

Never Turn Back, written by Michael:

Never Turn Back is the true ending theme from Shadow The Hedgehog (2005). It features a piano intro on most releases, which is a separate song called “I Am… The Story is Over” from the game’s soundtrack, and really just a piano arrangement of I Am… All of Me’s chorus. Live, though, the song is sometimes played with a drum intro instead. The song represents Shadow’s commitment to moving on from the past and taking everything day by day, living in the present."

Is It You, written by Michael: "Is It You was Crush 40’s first original song to have no connection to a game. Released in 2009 as a bonus track on the best of album, “Super Sonic Songs”, it’s the only love song Crush 40 has ever put out. Johnny however is no stranger to the genre with his Hardline experience, and the result is a brilliantly catchy ballad with harmonies reminiscent of that band’s early material on Double Eclipse. "

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

2 Nights 2 Remember (by Michael) One of the few Crush 40 songs with no ties to a game – 2 Nights 2 Remember is the first song on the 2015 EP of the same name. The lyrics describe Johnny’s and Jun’s love of their concerts, and the thrill of performing in front of a crowd. It's no coincidence that the release includes many tracks from the titular 2014 concerts! The sheer energy of the song is perfect proof that the band can still rock just as hard without a game to draw inspiration from, and gives the EP one of the band’s strongest opening tracks.

Down and Dirty (by Michael) Letting Takeshi Taneda strut his stuff on a 5 string bass over Katsuji’s funkiest drum grooves, Down and Dirty is a fantastic song that shows the skill of every band member. This is especially apparent when it’s played live, with a building intro that allows each part to shine individually. Johnny’s passionate lyrics feel more akin to his Hardline material in tone, while Jun’s solo certainly deserves to be considered with his finest work – taking a slightly slower approach at times that lends greater focus to each beautiful bend and harmonic, but accelerating towards the end in a perfect build back up to the chorus.

Light of The Day (by Michael) Light of The Day is the slowest track on the EP, with an interesting and unique down-tuned twist on the rock ballad style which is difficult to compare to the rest of the discography. Johnny sings a message of support for any listener that needs it and has stated in the fan discord that the song sums up how he feels about Jun, the band and the community. The song’s meaning goes two ways – the listener is as much the singer’s light as vice versa.

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

Live and Learn (by Michael) Arguably the most iconic song in the entire Crush 40 catalogue – Live and Learn plays as the final boss theme in Sonic Adventure 2, as well as in the credits. Its unforgettable main riff is repeated in various forms at different points in the game, helping to build the anticipation gradually and make the moment it plays all the more special. Johnny has mentioned in interviews that he wrote the song about the experience of playing a game – having to learn to overcome any obstacle in your path in order to live. Yet its lyrics can easily be applied in the context of SA2’s story too, with new revelations and character developments for many of the main cast.

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

Big Mouth (by Michael)

The 2nd track on 2 Nights 2 Remember, Big Mouth starts strong with a more heavily produced feel than the title track. It merges more synths into the mix, differentiating itself from the rest of the EP with a simple driving rhythm part and uncomplicated drum fills. The simple instrumentals, however, contribute to Johnny’s vocal performance standing out more - particularly the energy he throws into the second verse. The lyrics describe the singer standing up to those who would put them down, maintaining their self-worth and confidence in the face of a perceived betrayal.

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

Seven Rings In Hand The song was originally recorded by Steve Conte for 2007’s Wii exclusive, “Sonic and the Secret Rings”, as the opening theme. You wouldn’t know it from listening to the song though – aside from the lyrics and rough vocal melody, Crush 40’s cover does not retain much of the original. Jun’s guitar part is far more complex, using a similar tone to the original mix of Knight of The Wind to great effect. There’s also more layering across the whole song, compared to the original where the clean part only appears during choruses. Perhaps due to that variety, and the addition of one of Jun’s finest guitar solos ever, the song feels dramatically shorter than the original despite only undercutting it by 20 seconds. And as always: Johnny’s vocal performance impresses, standing out as more aggressive than the original and immediately demonstrating the benefit of covering the song in a lower key.

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

By Michael:

Fight The Knight Fight The Knight plays as the final… well, false final boss theme of 2009’s “Sonic and the Black Knight”, in your last showdown against King Arthur. An instrumental mix is played in your first encounter with that boss, building the drama when the vocal mix replaces it after a long training journey. The song has a repetitive structure that lends itself to looping for the duration of the battle, but it’s far from boring. The strings section complements that signature Black Knight guitar tone that ties so much of the game’s soundtrack together; with perfect dramatic pauses for Johnny’s chants between those powerful verses.

Through The Fire Through The Fire is used as the character boss theme of 2009’s “Sonic and the Black Knight”, playing in your encounters against Lancelot, Gawain and Percival. The song sets out an incredibly confident and almost intimidating tone from Sonic, fitting in with his acceptance to Merlina that he “can’t be the hero every time”. The song features very prominent bass compared to some of the other material in the game, but lacks the strings section that adds weight to its more climactic moments. This distinction helps to separate it out from the encounters with the story’s central villains, and further lends power to the main boss theme, “Fight The Knight”, used for King Arthur.

With Me -Massive Power Mix- While not used in Sonic and The Black Knight itself, Crush 40’s version of With Me was included on the game’s vocal tracks album, “Face to Faith”. According to Jun Senoue on Twitter*, it was even written before the version with All Ends’ vocalists that ended up being used in the final boss. It takes a darker turn than the game version – played in C Standard, 2 steps lower than its counterpart. Jun’s thicker guitar tone here also contributes to that heavier feel, using his baritone ESP VP “Shadow” for live renditions. Johnny’s lyrics encapsulate the central ideological struggle between Sonic and Merlina – to make the most of a limited life, vs existing in a hollow eternity – and his aggressive performance as compared to the All Ends version drives home that only one can come out on top. The song's climactic feel is pushed that little bit further by the chorus melody using Merlina's theme; which is heard throughout the game but now turned against the player.

Alex-ABPerson commented 2 years ago

Sonic Heroes (by Skankindead):

As the theme that plays over the intro of the game with the same name, Sonic Heroes is an outlier in Crush 40's early catalogue. Sonic Heroes is a bright and melodic song in a major key, in stark contrast to the final boss theme What I'm Made Of. It perfectly sets the tone of the upbeat game to come. Originally, What I'm Made Of was going to be the game's theme! However, Sega vetoed this, wishing for a brighter-sounding song - and thus, the song Sonic Heroes was born.

michaelward797 commented 2 years ago

Dangerous Ground (by Michael)

Dangerous Ground’s huge, theatrical intro provides the perfect link from Jun Senoue’s rendition of The Star Spangled Banner into the main body of Crush 40’s debut album, Thrill Of The Feel. As the shortest song in their discography, it doesn’t outstay its welcome but makes an incredibly powerful first impression for the band then known as Sons of Angels. With energetic drums, shouty crowd vocals (featuring Jun’s only vocal performance for the band) and a guitar part making full use of Jun’s Floyd Rose setup – Dangerous Ground is unforgettable. The band clearly think so too – having used it as the opener in the Tokyo 2014 2 Nights 2 Remember shows.

Alex-ABPerson commented 1 year ago

Sonic Boom (from MagiCarson08)

Originally performed by Pastiche, Sonic Boom is the opening theme of the American soundtrack of Sonic CD. Crush 40’s take on the song, which features Alexander Makhlouf of Cash Cash for some of the vocals, was first heard at an event fittingly named “Sonic Boom”. It was meant to celebrate Sonic’s 20th anniversary. Here the song was performed live for the first time, and the studio version would later be released on Sonic the Hedgehog CD Original Soundtrack 20th Anniversary Edition.

This song features some electronic elements in addition to the traditional hard rock elements. This is most evident in the opening of the song, as well as the robotic qualities of Alexander Makhlouf’s vocals. It also features a completely different bridge that focuses on guitar, whereas in the extended version of the original this part used more of the electronic elements. This ends up making this version a little over 30 seconds shorter than the original.