Spectrum Computing

Lately I was wondering about the tune playing in the menu screen of The Ice Temple. I think I heard it somewhere else, not a long time ago, certainly not back in the day.

Does anyone know its title? Or is it an original composition?

It sounds very sea shantyish.

How about this?

Chords and rhythm of the first few bars sound vaguely similar. However I surely did not hear it there, I played the Monkey Island series up to the third chapter.

Sounds like a warped Never Smile At A Crocodile!

It's Raggle Taggle Gypsy.



I had to ask a mate who knows about old folksy tunes like this. That was doing my head in! I'd heard it recently and I still can't remember where.

Thank you @R-Tape I suspected it was a traditional tune in fact.

Meanwhile, I found the version I most probably heard first. It was in Angelo Branduardi's musical score for State buoni se potete, a 1983 film by Luigi Magni broadcast on TV by RAI the following year. Which is actually earlier than 1987, when I first played the game.

R-Tape wrote: ↑Wed Aug 09, 2023 9:25 am I had to ask a mate who knows about old folksy tunes like this. That was doing my head in! I'd heard it recently and I still can't remember where.

Do me a favour and show him (or her?) this...



...or more precisely, the introductory minute or so where the theme tune is playing. This always sounded like it should have been an old folk tune of some sort...

TMD2003 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 09, 2023 4:55 pm Do me a favour and show him (or her?) this...

Have done, though I worried I've already done enough damage with that eyewatering beeper track on The Ice Temple!

He doesn't recognise it, but notes that it has an "AABB format so it could easily be folk music". Most likely loosely based on folk music.

That's how it sounds to my untrained ear too - general oldy worldy fantasy game folk music.

There I was also thinking it might have been something written by a 1970s proto-metal band that never quite flew onto my radar (e.g. Uriah Heep).

I'll bet the only thing to do is ask the programmers, if they're still around anywhere.