Your A&A Soundtrack

[Admiral T]

How important is music to your A&A games?

Are you like me and my group and require background music while playing?

What do you like to listen to?

Do you have any ‘hype’ songs? Big battle songs? Victory songs? Defeat songs? Do you freestyle rap your purchases?

[CWO Marc]

A nice piece of “fightin’ music” is the first movement of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7, a.k.a. the Leningrad Symphony, which depicts the German invasion of the USSR.  The first movement usually makes me think of the Battle of Kursk, even though it hadn’t happened yet when the symphony was completed.

[Gargantua]

It’s funny that you’re posting this… I have been thinking about making a similar thread for a while.  What I was hoping to do was get a 10 hour playlist together :)

I’d like to suggest a traditional mix of classical / WW2 songs, but with a twist…  mix in some modern songs, that surprisingly… have some A&A connotations, whilst being simultaneously awesome!!!

For example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Eq2lk_fwA  -> Bom Bom Bom, by The Living things
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXh81JTt0ng  -> Money City Maniancs, by Sloan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzpWJx3I2DY  -> Ballroom Blitz, by The Sweet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsdawgd0azk  -> Ghost Division, by Sabaton

[barney]

“Ride of the Valkyries” has got to be in there somewhere :)

[Gargantua]

Regarding Bom Bom Bom - give it to 1:35 so you hear some awesome - and don’t watch the BAD video.

[Admiral T]

Wow,  thanks for that suggestion CWO Marc! I don’t know how that one went under my radar for so long!

For all you classical music fans, check out Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.” It’s a keeper.

10 hour playlist?  Haha, we all know A&A games last longer then that!

[Der Kuenstler]

I have Live 365 internet radio which has several WWII stations - we usually start off with that for a couple of hours and then wind down by going to a soundtrack mix of Saving Private Ryan, the Pacific, and Band of Brothers. I personally like a little opera but the other guys don’t, so I have to listen to that while playing computer games.

[LHoffman]

If we listen to anything, it is normal music. Stuff we are all into. Usual involves watching funny Youtube videos too.

I would feel a bit too fanboy-ish listening to WWII era music or pump-up “battle music” while playing. Not for me.

If I listened to anything resembling the above it would probably be Medal of Honor / war movie soundtrack type stuff. You guys ought to check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn99LiQq-PY    One of the best war movie soundtracks ever. Das Panzerlied is a bit over the top, but if you are feeling particularly in the mood for goose-stepping, there is nothing better to psych you up.

[General Veers]

I loved the themes for each country from the old A&A PC game, including the refined versions in the Iron Blitz expansion. Too bad I can’t find them (Iron Blitz version) anywhere on YouTube, and I have no idea how to extract them from the disc.

[LHoffman]

PERFECT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IatwoA00E0&t=112

I rescind it all. When I am blowing $#!% up I am blaring Hank Williams Jr.

[CWO Marc]

As a variation of the idea of having a ten-hour music compilation, one idea might be to put together, in the correct order for the major phases of the game, a sequence of tracks that would each be played (for inspirational purposes) at the start of the appropriate game turn.  In Global, for instance, an example would be to play “Denn wir fahren gegen Engelland” (“For we are sailing against England”) and “There’ll Always Be an England” at the start of the Sealion turn.

In an earlier discussion of game music, I think someone said that during their games they play, as low-level atmospheric background music, selections of 1940s songs intercut with wartime news bulletins and so forth, which is a pretty neat concept.

[wheatbeer]

@Gargantua:

I’d like to suggest a traditional mix of classical / WW2 songs, but with a twist…  mix in some modern songs, that surprisingly… have some A&A connotations, whilst being simultaneously awesome!!!

Hey Garg,
Iron Maiden has many relevant songs. Unless you hate classic metal, give “Aces High” a listen.

“Aces High” (written about the Battle of Britain)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF-U9VYALAQ

“Run Silent, Run Deep”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DU32myDHbM&list=RD-DU32myDHbM

“Mother Russia”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hycicmMfQdo

[Gargantua]

On Saturday we had a big game, and the culmination of that game was a final showdown between Russia and Germany.

As both players started to set the battle board, I fired up this short tune.  It was an instant classic (especially 0:55+), and now it’s a must for every  final battle preamble.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky_oRXhPPGE

Crank it up for effect. :)

This is what Axis and Allies is about!

[barney]

Ha Ha ! pretty good.
Surprised nobody has said Pink Floyd Dark Side.

[Young Grasshopper]

Rage Against The Machine and Axis & Allies… ALL DAY LONG BABY!

Here’s some sick concert footage from 93 to show you why they’re so awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhTzJ_Jee5I