Commodore 64, Tetris music

[@lankymaccrazyhair264]

This song is nearly half an hour long. For TETRIS. And it is on the COMMODORE 64. And that is freaking awesome.

[@tankgirl73]

If my tetris game went long enough that the song looped, then I knew I was having a truly epic game. Still the best video game music ever.

[@Zirgof]

Oh, you have not gone far in Tetris xD

[@mojothemagickcrafter7635]

Wow, the title screen make the game look like its a some sort of cosmic duel on the astral plane or some such scenario.

[@claudehebert3131]

Well, in a way it is, with the "tetris effect" making your brain continue to play even after the game is shut down :-)

[@mojothemagickcrafter7635]

Ah, I see. I'll need to look into that.

[@gatorhand]

reminds me of old impressionistic perfume commercials

[@forceinfinity]

Boy this seems to have become a lost art. Back in the day, songs like this gave a game its identity. I could identify many games by their tunes (This, Skate or Die, One Man and his Droid, Grand Prix Circuit, Last Ninja... the list goes on). I'm not ashamed to admit this, but I can't begin to tell you how many times back in those days when I parked a game just to listen its music.

[@Ballbusteress]

haha Sanxion - nobody remembers the game, while the loader tune is a legend

[@frankbuss]

@@Ballbusteress Right, great tune: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6Waqn2eYrOqhrs Was often stolen for other intros and demos.

[@wingman0736]

When I was twelve I would sleep to this music. Long live the SID

[@tommibluesky7025]

Me too.. :-)

[@shadowstar68]

This brings back sooo many memories. This was one of the best pieces of music on the C64 IMHO..

[@ArcadeMusicTribute]

for sure!

[@markowe]

Yep - and it gave the C64 version a totally different and special atmosphere to any other Tetris version. This is one of the rare games I played for hours, and the music was a big part of the reason why...

[@horaciogustavoborch1832]

R-type.... combat school... babarian

[@Jayteaseepiirturi]

Has a bit of a Terminator vibe.

[@OscillationLoop]

As a teenager, this music did things to me emotionally, that at the time I was unable to understand.

[@MaxQ10001]

Same experience. I listened to it for hours and days.

[@MrDazydude]

greatest game soundtrack ever. only played tetris for the music. LOVE IT!

[@GouganeBarra-u4t]

The melody that kicks in at 03:33 is awesome. It comes back after 19:41 minutes. The beat from the very beginning is also very captivating !

[@RetroDawn]

I could tell this was recorded from a 6581 SID once I heard the electric guitar digi kick in. Only way to listen to this and many other tracks, aside from a digi fix on an 8580 SID shortboard C64C/128DCR. Of course, that fix only gets you digis, and not the filter distortion and other differences that were often taken advantage of.

[@tobybridson]

Classic c64 music - one of my all time favourites…. I usually just leave it playing in the background.

[@medron]

I had this music on cassette back then so i could listen to it while going for a walk! Just great!

[@JarekArmada]

Thanks so much for this tune - brings back the best memories of my childhood days. Two dozens years later I have this one on MP3 to listen to in my car while driving... :) And yes, it is a masterpiece.

[@CasterMedicus]

Makes finding a parking slot easier, doesnt it? :-)

[@JarekArmada]

@@CasterMedicus Indeed, with the memories of calm and peace of the youth everything falls into place. :)

[@ikeyasector]

My first induction into Tetris and the best music I ever heard for the game. I was a Cold War kid. This still gives me goosebumps. Such a good score.

[@Alchimystic]

This tune is absolutely amazing, kind of hypnotic. Wally Beben has great tunes. This one, Total Eclipse and Hammerfist are my favs

[@kabuto2400]

I have been searching this song for so long it played in my hacked Wii but now I have a new version and this sounds nostalgic

[@shadowstar68]

Damn the first teris game I ever played, the music was just so good you could let the title play and forget about the game itself :) So good to hear this tune again.

[@alexanderbeck320]

In some cases I turned on my C128, loaded Tetris, turned off the TV and just listened to the music

[@lawrichai]

OMG :D Never thought I would hear this again in my life... I used to spend hours in front of this screen just to listen to the music! Thank you, whoever you are, for alloying me to enjoy this piece again!

[@keremsanatel4228]

lawrichai I remember that it was also playing during game too.

[@bushkilla7348]

@@keremsanatel4228 game wasn't the best though and most remember it for the music and this image

[@funkydozer]

I fell asleep to this music playing tetris into the early hours on more than 1 occasion. Sometimes i didn't even play, just listened. Truly mesmerizing. Reminds me of the Moomins (polish version). The only other memorable C64 soundtracks I remember were Shadowfire and Thrust.

[@dktrrtkd8232]

Thanx Wally Beben, Nothing better stuck in my head for 20 years ...

[@TubeYouber]

I heard this for the first time a few days ago. I'm obsessed.

[@Alchimystic]

Absolutely brilliant and hypnotic tune. Still today, despite not being the original Tetris song, this is the one the game triggers in me. There are 2 other tunes i love from Wally Beben; Total Eclipse and Hammerfist

[@andrej4323]

a have played it on my 128 long into the90's, long live commodore

[@koskorax]

It's a 14kB file. Anyone notice the UNREACHED ratio of song length and file size?

[@RickinBaltimore]

I remember growing up I'd play this for the music alone.

[@Sonicjr1980]

Its possible im sick, but i have this Track on my pendrive in my car, and I listen it often. :)

[@skyrunnerbc9635]

No, you are not sick, you just like a good piece of music. =) I was 12 years old when I first played the C64 Version of Tetris. And I liked the music instantly. It creates a special atmosphere for the game, especially with that title picture. And it made an impression that lasts until today. Just listened to it. Im 41. =)

[@V8AmericanMuscleCar]

Great tune!! I spent a lot of time playing this game mostly just because of the music.

[@slayerslayerowicz4484]

i think that because of that tune I listen to death metal :) the part that kicks in at 3:00 was a killer riff back then , why am I so old God damn it :)

[@thierryolmedo3503]

Me too !!

[@perihelion7445]

I've had it in my Car before and I plan to do it again. You're normal 👍

[@GuyAPerson]

Rush - 2112: 20:33 Genesis - Supper's Ready: 22:50 Pink Floyd - Echoes: 23:35 *Wally Beben - Tetris: **25:40*

[@supermariofan772003]

Thomas Detert - Gordian Tomb: 32:00

[@frankbuss]

I don't hear any same melodies from the songs you quoted in the Tetris song, except that they are all awesome and epic long, too :-)

[@GuyAPerson]

I was only commenting on length, not saying they're similar songs

[@frankbuss]

Ok, I misunderstood this, because the lengths of the other songs are clickable links in the Tetris video :-)

[@GuyAPerson]

Ohhh, yeah that's unavoidable on KZbin sadly

[@StCreed]

I thought I knew all the C64 music but this one still surprised me - in a good way. Epic piece of music!

[@jetpackman01]

As someone who is familiar with "Korobeiniki" being Tetris's theme, I have to say this is fantastic. It's much more melodic than the Russian folksong and surprisingly slightly ambiguous in tone. I love it!

[@phoenixcrown9966]

@@LarsTragel-zh7ei Debatable.

[@annethym2219]

I never started the game til I finished listening to this music.

[@MariaSorianoE]

Thanks for sharing!! Reminds me of many nights spent playing Tetris well beyond bedtime. The music really made the game!

[@cfjruth]

C64 SID music rocks hard. This track rocks the hardest.

[@TheAliEker]

Ortaokul ve lise başlangıç döneminde en çok dinlediğim müziklerden biridir. 43 yaşıma geldim hala dinlerim. Çok basit bir teknoloji ile yapılmış olsa da duygularım üzerinde büyük etkisi vardır. Nedense huzur veriyor bana...

[@omarmukhtar1317]

aynı yaştayız kardeşim. Eski commodore ve amigacılardan olmalısın. Ben kadıköy uğur elektronikten satın almıştım bu oyunu. Bunu ve blue max'ı. Çok selamlar.

[@teenspirit1]

@@omarmukhtar1317 o 43 yazdığında 2016 idi, sen aynı yaştayız yazdığında 2019. Yani sen şu an 48 mi oluyorsun 45 mi?

[@yildiraytenk8353]

@@teenspirit1 Ben de aynı yaştaymışım. Al da çöz bu problemi bakalım ;)

[@nvu1972]

OMG this music brings back so many fond memories back in my commodore 64 days lol.... Very nice Frank! Thanks for uploading this!

[@horaciogustavoborch1832]

Unforgetable!!! Inolvidable amigo... años en mi mente la melodia quedó grabada

[@rschmidt9495]

One of the best C64 music intros. My other fav is the intro to Jetboys.

[@zvenzzon00]

This is the fucking best SID tune ever!

[@KingofPotatoPeople]

It may be sad to admit, but when I was in the zone playing this, with this music, I felt like I was some sort of god battling in a higher dimension!

[@presterjohn7789]

Going through various C64 soundtracks I like and this is definitely one that belongs on my list. Others: Bomb Fusion (the second main track, not sure if it comes 2nd in the SID), Beyond the Ice Palace, Speedball, Driller, Delta, a couple of Last Ninja, one Last Ninja 2, Lord of the Rings (I know it is the worst rip off of Basil Poledouris's Flesh & Blood, but it is a good theme), Cybernoid II, Supremacy, Fairlight, International Karate, Golden Axe (of course; probably the best game s/t of the era), and... maybe controversially, but I played a lot of Labyrinth as a kid and I do like the SID versions of a couple of the tracks from that OST.

[@NihilQuest]

2:57 hmm... that's weird, it's like a sampled distorted guitar. I'm hardy expert on SID but that sounds different than what I'm used to on C-64.

[@Mnnvint]

It is a sampled distorted guitar. But it's played back using a glitch, so if you had one of the newer SID chips (the 8580, standard in Commodore 128 and 64C) it would be virtually inaudible because they fixed it.

[@petergordon810]

Kind of an insane hidden masterpiece, honestly. This version is best played at 1.25x speed. What really mind boggles is the syncopation.

[@robsrectangle]

Is it better at 1.25x speed?

[@petergordon810]

@@robsrectangle I've tried it at 1.25, 1.5, and 2 (and of course normally)< and find 1.25 best.

[@gewinnste]

I'm so happy there are others who really like it and it's even got cult status. When I was 10 or 11 I told my sister on a family holiday how epic the music of Tetris is and that I can't wait to be home to listen to it again. When we got back and I showed it to her, she sad I'm an idiot and this tune is crap (XD in hindsight, but back then it really got to me).

[@perihelion7445]

I felt the same way about it, people to this day still don't get it as to how I love it. You're not alone, a lot of kindred minded people out there, I'm one of them 👍✊ I'm with you on this.

[@gewinnste]

@@perihelion7445 Thanks for your kind words 😊

[@TheKeithEllis]

While sat here at work I started tapping my desk while waiting for a report and it was the exact beat of this song, still lodge in my brain after all these years. What an amazing tune, would love to hear a modern take on it.

[@jackrock4131]

Legendary game and music, thanks!

[@engelbertstrauss9850]

For sure not the best version of Tetris, but probably the most interesting and the most atmospheric one.

[@object404]

Holy cow, Frank! Your C64 port sounds rockingly awesome!

[@LiorIPSC]

This is a good recording! Nice filter settings there.

[@HugoTheSavant]

This is some Mozart level stuff.... on an old, nearly forgotten video game. Impressive!

[@GregDaniel78]

This is class. I really loved this and it was played it some years before the Gameboy reintroduced Tetris to the world (I remember trying to convince GB owners I had the game before them!) This music is one of Wally Beben's best. Fantastic! :)

[@rinner2801]

They might as well have made the C64 just for this. It would have been enough.

[@Jayteaseepiirturi]

OKay, I suppose there would be enough memory for a 25-minute soundtrack when the game is Tetris.

[@frankbuss]

The music and player is only 13539 bytes long: csdb.dk/sid/?id=3957 One of my favorite games, Archon 2, is 40 kB. Would fit both in memory.

[@LEOtube037]

Beautiful, genius, just great music!Thanks for posting! :-)

[@HuntersMoon78]

This tune along with Mutants and Turbocharge are just awesome.

[@tulenvakiproductions]

I loved the music and the screen on this. When I was reading for exams I usually put this on the background so I could listen to it while I agonize with the exam books 😃

[@healthybeautynutricioncoac4562]

Also It’s Not A Soundtrack It’s The Whole Song

[@fatihyilmaz-Gtr]

Thanks for upload 20:00 wait for this part while playing...

[@stefanoprada1101]

Mesmerizing.

[@kevinbaker4241]

This was my #2 ranked C64 game, right behind Commando and in front of Zig-Zag.

[@oldaccount847]

I like your "mockup" as you call it on your DIY cart. Surprised to see another person testing clearances and footprints the way I do.

[@V8AmericanMuscleCar]

OMG what a flash back!!!

[@johnathanwesleycritch5412]

Aside from maybe Space Invaders, Breakout, and Pac-Man, Tetris has to be the most cloned game in history (some of them official, some of them just knockoffs. Because of the music this has to be my favorite version ever. I still play it on the VICE emulator. It's probably in the top ten games that I play on it, along with the Last Ninja games, Maniac Mansion, and of course Impossible Mission

[@srdjannikolic962]

Last Ninja music and atmosphere is awesome too

[@RickinBaltimore]

I'd play this game as a kid, not to see how far I'd get but to just keep listening to the music.

[@danileibi2619]

Simply the Best

[@AldinsaurTheMemester]

2:56 is straight fire 🔥🔥

[@TheAliEker]

Awsome...!!!

[@wbl_unlimited]

Absolutely SLAPS

[@JoshuaRWorkman]

Well, that was a musical odyssey. I'm impressed.

[@DarrenFlinders]

This is the proper tetris music, not that crappy nintendo theme that people go mad about lol

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

Alexey Pajitnov is probably still living somewhere in Moscow possibly near to Red Square. The music should be Korobeiniki

[@1Thunderfire]

Calling Korobeinki a crappy Nintendo theme is unnecessarily harsh. For one, it was a rendition of an already existing tune and the success of the Game Boy version just got that tune ingrained into people's heads so it's the first thing they think of. This is pretty unique though.

[@pirategamer6630]

Calling Korobeiniki crappy shows you're just plain wrong (and possibly not musical at all). It also wasn't a "Nintendo theme". It's a Russian folk song made in 1860.

[@gringusgaming]

Its not crappy but there is something very different abt this that definitely feels more fitting

[@massproducedeva_]

You know that Korobeiniki is a traditional Russian theme, right? And I dunno about you, but I feel like this ain’t good puzzle music

[@williamarkwright1805]

Imagine this in Tetris 99

[@commodoreclub]

Capolavoro assoluto.

[@daxuss]

masterpiece

[@AtariBorn]

Great memories of this game. I played this as a kid back in the day and I remember the only thing I disliked about the C64 version was the auto drop. When you hit down on the joystick, the piece would fall all the way down instead of just speeding up like other versions of Tetris. Was there a way to speed up the fall without initiating a full drop?

[@alpayalkan365]

No

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

This is a game programmed in the CCCP at the height of the cold war by Alexey Pajitnov, what happened to the original tune? that starts of saying "I know your going to play this....."

[@TheLemminkainen]

Elektronika 60 is simple computer imma sure it didnt had music. This is maybe first Tetris at western word with music

[@RoachDoggJr2112]

This is Stoner Metal as fuck lol. Reminds me of Sleep

[@terrapin-yob]

the 7 people who disliked this... p.s this song is too good for tetris.

[@trinity3631]

3:33 Heard the Runescape theme

[@thedaytontriangle3448]

Wow

[@tantrumania]

it was too much(i mean too good) for a tetris game.. it could fit for a very nice sci fi game like flashback or alien..

[@denismilic1878]

I drove my mother crazy with this song.

[@TheNelson2k]

FUCKING MAGIC.!!!

[@grzegorzkrawczyk611]

🖤🖤🖤

[@almo2001]

The SID chip only has 3 voices. This music often sounds like it has 6! Really amazing technical work. Really a shame it was not a good implementation of the game. The pieces were random colors! A good tetris player recognizes the available moves and next piece color.

[@LoveTessaD]

random colors would be great, tetris guideline colors get boring

[@almo2001]

No, random colors suck. As I said, you recognize the next piece without looking directly at it by its color.

[@televiciousgoober138]

Sounds like it's slowed down. The drums sound more drum like on my C64C. Maybe it's cuz I'm on NTSC or something.

[@frankbuss]

The slow speed in my video is right (or at least that's what the composer intended), because in the Tetris.sid file (High Voltage SID Collection) PAL is specified as the video standard.

[@televiciousgoober138]

Oh strange, I do like it sped up though. The Mirrorsoft version I have must be PAL as well. Glad it was running at all! :D

[@8_Bit]

​@@frankbuss Although in this case the composer did intend PAL, HVSC doesn't reliably dictate the composer's intention. The video standard setting is chosen by those who ripped the sid music out of the original game, not by the composer, and they can get it wrong.

[@brady_w904]

10:47 i could’ve sworn i heard this part from this wii mod… think it was usb something

[@glitchedblood]

it is indeed used for CFG USB Loader

[@brady_w904]

@@glitchedblood god…… to come to think of it i haven’t touched that in ages, i use usb loader gx now

[@MrPisster]

What is this? A Tool video?

[@MrPisster]

***** it was a purposely ironic statement to remark about the similar style cues. I'm 33, I respected it enough to search for it and compare it to my favorite band. Not sure what you meant.

[@claudehebert3131]

***** Yep, respect to simply the longest single-song ever composed for a game, directly on a chip, with not much other tools than an assembly language compiler and some DIY programs. These guys were no script kiddies.

[@belhassinetaoufik536]

i have c64 with datasette and diskdrive 1541 and final cartridge 3

[@TheNelson2k]

FUCKING AMAZING!!

[@CHLi-bu9wp]

Hi Frank I saw your MAX5712 code in the following URL, There is no output after testing, May I ask which link is wrong for you? thanks www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/best-way-to-amplify-a-sine-wave-without-distorsion/25/

[@DBenX]

L E G E N D A R Y

[@Zaedas1987]

THX..

[@televiciousgoober138]

I liked the fast version too so Tetris - Commodore 64 Music

[@diegomifits666]

It scared the living shit when i was a kid

[@UltimatePerfection]

Y'know, doesn't sound like Tetris at all. But it's cool anyway. Thanks for sharing, great music. May I know who's author of music?

[@glitchedblood]

Wally Beben

[@theunknowfinnishguythatliv9182]

try 2x speed!

[@protos34]

Když hudba dokáže udělat z primitivní hry absolutní skvost. Miluju to, a nikdy nepřestanu.

[@fuzzface100]

Brilliant music in this game. Just a shame that it's one of the worst implementations of Tetris on any platform. The 64 could do so much better.

[@UltimatePerfection]

No, I meant that Tetris music is usually some Russian folks songs put together. And I don't like GB Tetris, more I like Tengen one. And thanks for author info.

[@GoranOldmanvich]

To my bro from oneOone

[@shadyalien]

Is this just the title screen or does it play when you're playing too?

[@keremsanatel4228]

shadyalien It is just the title screen.

[@joeleitrim1006]

shadyalien It plays during the game.

[@RSwizard101vids]

Sounds like the Scape theme from RuneScape O_O