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[daTRUballin]

The first two Banjo games' soundtracks are basically universally praised and are considered some of Grant Kirkhope's best work. But what about Nuts & Bolts? I know the game didn't exactly turn out to be what Banjo fans were expecting, and many fans were turned off of the game because of that.

But when we're solely talking about the soundtrack, what did fans think of it? Did it live up to the original games' music? Was it disappointing? Considering much of the game was also composed by Kirkhope (Robin Beanland and David Clynick helped out as well), I find it kind of odd that it's not talked about much at all. I guess the game's general negative perception from fans of the series got in the way of their ability to enjoy or listen to the soundtrack without a clouded judgment?

Discuss.

 

[GearDraxon]

Absolutely love it. My wife is a huge Banjo fan, and we actually listen to the soundtrack for N'n'B on road trips.

 

[ZeroXZee]

I think it's awesome! Actually, I like it more than the Banjo-Tooie soundtrack...

 

[Nocturnowl]

For the longest time I really only took note of the remixed tracks which are pretty great.
Gruntilda Challenge
Spiral Mountain Shoutin'

But upon taking a closer look there's still some great new tracks tucked away in there (though a number of them still tuck in the odd wink and nod to previous tracks), not on the consistent level as Kazooie and Tooie but ones that nail the tone of the series with some jaunty orchestration. As a credit to Beanland, he makes plenty of tracks that I could easily have taken for Kirkhopes.

Nutty Acres Action
Exploring the Terrarium

 

[Jumeira]

Some of the best Rare music around.

 

[Hero of Legend]

Love it, especially Showdown Town. It showed me that Grant can still retain and modernize his style in an orchestra, even if I'm so used to and still prefer his N64/old-style.

 

[TheDinoman]

It's pretty good, and this is coming from someone who isn't really a fan of the game itself (love the first two Banjos though).

I remember it relying a bit too much on remixes and homages, though. That kind of stuff is fine for something like Banjoland, but constantly hearing renditions of old Banjo themes throughout the entire game was a little too much for me. Would prefer more original tunes.

EDIT: This track here is pretty fucking great though.

 

[Camjo-Z]

Banjo isn't Banjo without Grant Kirkhope, and I think his absence from a good chunk of the music hurts the soundtrack a bit. It's no surprise that the best songs in the game are the ones have his influence front and center (Showdown Town, Nutty Acres Jiggy Challenge, Banjoland) with the more dark, atmospheric pieces left feeling a bit out of place (Terrarium of Terror, LOGBOX 720). I also feel like it relied a bit too heavily on remixing older Banjo tunes - it can be hard for some of the new stuff to stand on its own when you're constantly being reminded of more iconic compositions.

That all said, it's still an amazing OST.

 

[hydruxo]

It's fantastic. I still think N&B overall is really underrated, especially the soundtrack. Love the Banjoland mashup of the old level themes too.

 

[daTRUballin]

It's pretty good, and this is coming from someone who isn't really a fan of the game itself (love the first two Banjos though).

I remember it relying a bit too much on remixes and homages, though. That kind of stuff is fine for something like Banjoland, but constantly hearing renditions of old Banjo themes throughout the entire game was a little too much for me. Would prefer more original tunes.

EDIT: This track here is pretty fucking great though.

Yeah, I completely agree. The soundtrack does rely a bit too heavily on nostalgia by remixing old tracks over and over. That always really bothered me. Compare that with Tooie where like 99% of the soundtrack is completely original.

 

[Bjoern the Smexy]

The soundtrack was very awesome. I live it. I mean, is still Grant Kirkhope, but okayed by an actual orchestra.
The game itself was pretty meh, though.