4 out of 5

Label: Data Discs

Produced by: Shaun Crook (remastered by)

While Shaun Crook’s general m.o. for these digital-specific remasters – Crook had previously mastered all of Data Discs’ albums for vinyl – remains about the same, crunching out some of the “warmth” of wax to maximize for the compression of (likely) phone speakers and headphones, and for any audiophiles out there I’m sure I not only got that wrong but used words that make zero sense in this context, but all the same: pump up the beats, crispy-ize the synths, and level everything up or down to fit. There was a lot to work with on the SoR scores, since those spiraled across wild techno and experimental groove and so on, but less I could spot on, say, Shinobi III as a very distinct difference.

At the time of Shinobi’s review, I wondered if what I considered as the original score’s lack of theme prevented it from landing fully in either remaster; admittedly I’m going into Space Harrier with a ton of nostalgia, but as I mentioned in my vinyl review – that nostalgia’s not for the music, as I had no memory of it. I just get a much better sense of this game from the pace and style of the sounds (allowing that I’ve played SH, so there’s still bias).

Anyhow, that frame helped unlock a realization regarding Shaun’s approach: this is more like what I heard when playing the game; the lesser range of the music – kind of shrinking it, but also letting it be a bit tinny on the high end and round on the low end – mimics the 90s built-in speakers on the cheapass TV I had may Genesis plugged in to. The vinyl pressings expand the sounds beyond what we heard; the digital remasters, for some of us, are calling back to a very different time and vibe. So I lied, the digital remaster gave me nostalgia for the music; I feel like I suddenly recall these tunes, sitting back in the recliner we had, pushed up close to the TV.

I would go all five stars for that reason, but I’m knocking off a point for some confusion: the bandcamp page claims the arranged version of the theme is digital exclusive, but… it’s on my wax copy too? I guess they could be distinct, but I kinda sorta doubt that. Minus a point for getting me hyped over not-extra material.