Advantage - Advantage
by Daniel Cressey
published: 11 / 4 / 2004

Label:
5 Rue Christine
Format: CD
intro
Oddly compelling debut album from California punks, the Advantage, which consists entirely of cover tunes of old Nintendo games
For many a schoolboy the ultimate object of desire was not the latest blonde movie star but Nintendo’s plastic box of a game system: the NES. It looked rather like an 8-track cassette player and having one stuck under your TV – preferably with the ‘Duck Hunt’ light gun - was to a 10 year old then what a Porsche 911 is now to ageing business men. What really set the NES apart from its rivals was the crack-like addictivity of the games. They were simple, repetitive, colourful and they had really, really, really catchy tunes. Now the Advantage from California (where else?) have decided to cash in on the public’s childhood bliss by releasing an album consisting entirely of covers of old game themes. Like the NES itself it’s fearsomely addictive. The sane response to 26 tracks of 8-bit computer game theme covers is ‘that could get a bit dull’. But if you remember playing the games then you may find it hard to turn the damn thing off. Featured here are Mario, Zelda, Bomberman, Metal Gear and many more, all with their insanely chirpy hooks and deceptively simple melodies. ‘Megaman 2 – Flashman’, the first track, is a great song and it drags you in. While this album does flag a bit in places it’s quite hard not to listen to 'just one more'. Before you know it you’ve listened to the whole damn thing and bought an old Nintendo on Ebay. Of course if you never played computer games then avoid this like the plague. But then if you never played you won’t have had a clue what I’ve been talking about. Poor you: you wasted your youth.
Track Listing:-
1 Megaman 2 - Flashman2 Double Dragon 2 - Stage 2
3 Goonies 2
4 Bubble Bobble
5 Bubble Bobble - Shark Skeleton
6 Wizards And Warriors - Intro
7 Bomberman 2
8 Bionic Commando - P.O.W. Camp
9 Super Mario Bros. 2 - Underworld
10 Super Mario Bros. 2 - Overworld
11 Contra - Snowfields
12 Zelda - Fortress
13 Batman 2
14 Megaman 3 - Dr. Wiley Stage
15 Double Dragon 2 (Story, And Boss Music)
16 Castlevania 3 - Epitaph
17 Ninja Gaiden - Mine Shaft
18 Mario 3 - Underworld
19 Blastermaster - Stage 2
20 Ghosts 'n' Goblins - Intro
21 Ghosts 'n' Goblins
22 Castlevania - Stage 3
23 Marble Madness
24 Metal Gear - Jungle
25 Contra - Boss Music
26 Castlevania 3 - Evergreen
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