Best VGM you can buy on vinyl
As a record collector, I like to have as much of my favourite music on vinyl as possible, video game soundtracks included. Any gamers into their video game music or VGM may already be familiar with releases like the Street Fighter II LP set from Brave Wave records, or other classic game OSTs re-released on vinyl. They may be surprised to know that not only have more modern releases like Final Fantasy had their music released on 12inch, but also cult beat ’em up games like Streets of Rage can be added to their collection too.
Vinyl revival magazines such as the UK’s Long Live Vinyl have put out great guides for music-loving gamers out there, and there are a whole host of labels dedicated to putting VGM on wax: Data Discs, Laced Records, Ship to Shore Phono Co. and Ghost Ramp are just a few examples. Game and merch companies like Square Enix and iam8Bit have also got into the vinyl game, releasing limited edition LPs that go for big prices on the collectors’ market.
Some essential vinyl VGM releases include:
- Snatcher (Ship to Shore)
- MOTHER 1 and 2 a.k.a. Music from the EarthBound series (Ship to Shore)
- Crypt of the Necrodancer (Ghost Ramp)
- Miami Hotline (Laced Records)
- LISA - Music from Lisa: The Painful and Lisa: The Joyful (Ghost Ramp)
- Famicom Music (G.M.O Records)
- Shinobi 1 and 2 (Data Discs)
- Streets of Rage 1, 2 and 3 -Music from the Bare Knuckle series (Data Discs)
Missing from my collection are the soundtracks to SEGA game Ecco the Dolphin, 1997’s Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and the amazing grime-inventing soundtrack of Wolverine: Adamantium Rage, as composed by Dylan ‘Dogg’ Beale. None of these have been released on vinyl yet; Marvel Entertainment should really re-release that Wolverine music soon, especially now we have grime acts like Stormzy promoting the scene the world over. Until then, I’ll just have to make do with the digital version — but, as most record collectors would agree, physical is always better!
