1980’s rock is one of the most recognizable genres. C64 tunes are equally distinct, if less well-known. Planning to change that are the FastLoaders, a rock trio who are blending sweet synths and amazing guitars to bring you the most amazing interpretations of classic Commodore 64 soundtracks!
Their latest album, C64 Rocks, is available as a digital download now, with a physical release coming on June 2nd, 2023. There’s even a launch party on the day at The Underworld, Camden, in London!
C64 Rocks is a triple album, arranged with the following tracks:
Disc 1
01. Ocean Loader 2 (Martin Galway)
02. Mission A.D. (Fred Gray)
03. Druid II: Enlightenment (David M. Hanlon)
04. Ark Pandora (Ben Daglish)
05. Platoon (Jonathan Dunn)
06. Supremacy (Jeroen Tel)
07. R-Type – Loader (Chris Huelsbeck)
08. Bruce Lee (John A. Fitzpatrick)
09. Black Lamp (Tim Follin)
10. Rambo (Martin Galway)
11. Ghouls ‘N’ Ghosts – Level 4 (Tim Follin)
12. Bombo (Ben Daglish)
13. Agent X II (Tim Follin)
14. Deliverance: Stormlord 2 (Matt Gray)
15. RoboCop 3 (Jeroen Tel)
16. Auf Wiedersehen Monty (Ben Daglish & Rob Hubbard)
17. Pendragon’s Legacy (Dave Thomas)
18. Storm Warrior Suite (Mark Cooksey)
Disc 2
01. Green Beret – Loader (Martin Galway)
02. Green Beret (Martin Galway)
03. Cybernoid II (Jeroen Tel)
04. Shadowfire (Fred Gray)
05. Katakis (Chris Huelsbeck)
06. Barbarian (Richard Joseph)
07. Nemesis The Warlock (Rob Hubbard)
08. Inside Outing (Wally Beben)
09. Savage (Jeroen Tel)
10. Batman the Movie (Matthew Cannon)
11. Ghosts ‘N’ Goblins (Mark Cooksey)
12. Target Renegade (Gari Biasillo)
13. Bionic Commando (Tim Follin/Harumi Fujita)
14. Monty On The Run – Highscore (Rob Hubbard)
15. Scumball (Tim Follin)
16. Rambo III (Jonathan Dunn)
17. Sanxion (Rob Hubbard)
18. Future Knight (Ben Daglish)
19. Firelord (Ben Daglish)
Disc 3
01. X-Out – Intro (Chris Huelsbeck)
02. Space Harrier (Hiroshi Kawaguchi)
03. Way Of The Exploding Fist (Neil Brennan)
04. Fist II – The Legend Continues (Neil Brennan)
05. Ocean Loader 3 (Peter Clarke)
06. Gauntlet III (Tim & Geoff Follin)
07. Hysteria (Fred Gray)
08. To Be On Top (Chris Huelsbeck)
09. Armalyte (Martin Walker)
10. Myth (Jeroen Tel)
11. Wizball (Martin Galway)
12. Commando (Rob Hubbard & Tamayo Kawamoto)
13. Fairlight Of Wizardry (Graham Jarvis & Bob Hartshorne (Clever Music))
14. Turbo Out Run (Jeroen Tel)
15. Firefly (Fred Gray)
16. Monty On The Run (Rob Hubbard)
17. The Great Giana Sisters (Chris Huelsbeck)
18. Forbidden Forest and Beyond (Paul Norman)
Here’s an excerpt from the press release:
“Reinvigorating C64 tunes from gaming classics like ‘Rambo’, ‘Commando’, and ‘Sanxion’, ‘C64 Rocks’ features 55 electrifying tracks arranged and performed by guitar virtuoso Jarle H. Olsen, powerhouse drummer Bjarte K. Helland and versatile keyboardist Kjetil Nossum. Their signature blend of massive guitars, lush synths and varied arrangements breathes new life into the works of pioneering composers such as Rob Hubbard, Martin Galway, Ben Daglish, Tim Follin, Fred Gray, Martin Walker, and Matt Gray.”
Starting life as a Kickstarter project, C64 Rocks is now a reality, and as you can see from the trailer, it is pretty jaw-dropping. We all knew those tunes were amazing, but to see them presented as classics all these years later, really underlines the impact of people like Rob Hubbard, Martin Galway, Tim Follin, and many others.
You can pre-order C64 Rocks on CD and signed CD (£29.99 and £39.99 respectively) or buy the download version for £19.99 via the same page (just switch the Format drop-down menu to “Download”). Frankly, if you’re paying for the digital version you might as well pony up for the CD copy and enjoy some physical media into the bargain…
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through those links. This comes at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!