Game music of the day: the first PlayStation demo disc

Welcome to GamesRadar's daily blast of all things pertaining to the ever-growing field of game music. Each post will introduce new sounds, games, composers and fan-made remixes of gaming's greatest aural achievements.

May 14, 2010

Game: PlayStation Picks Demo Disc

Song: Launch

Composer: Tommy Tallarico

Above: Launch from PlayStation Picks

September9, 1995. It was an unspeakably huge day, one that hung around Nintendo's head like a noose for 10 years. The original PlayStation exploded onto the scene with a strong launch lineup and impressive new tech, enough to deflate Nintendo's hold on the market and eventually topple the once-unstoppable videogame giant. This entire legacy began the moment you fired up the packed-in demo disc and were greeted with this admittedly cheesy, but nonetheless rockin' guitar solo from Tommy Tallarico.

For the first time, there was a new console that didn't feel like it was going to go tits up in a year. One that didn't come from Nintendo or Sega. It was a whole new look, sound and feel, and even though it came from a perceived videogame outsider, the PlayStation made an instant and unforgettable mark from the moment it was released. Serious stuff, so maybe you should watch the actual intro to realize how goofy it actually was:

Above: Apparently made with PowerPoint Ver 0.4

I first heard the song on, obviously,September 9, 1995, but didn't realize it was Tommy T until years later, when I discovered his Greatest Hits CD collection. Today Tommy's best known forVideo Games Live, years of game music compositions and araging bonerfor all things Spider-Man (me too, Tom!). But no matter how many good deeds he does for game music, I'll always remember him like this:

Above: Yours free with any purchase of Bryce 3D!

Everyone Says Hi by David Bowie

Green Garden by Akifumi Tada

Control Station by Norgate, Kirkhope and Beanland

Title screen by Yasuaki Fujita

Versus Mode by Nagao, Tsukamoto and Hikichi