The Music of Ren and Stimpy #6

I'm so glad that I've found this! Modest Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain.

Now this is a powerful tune! Again, this can also be found on an Earthworm Jim soundtrack - this time from the first game, a level called 'What the Heck?'. After the climax the music changes to elevator music occassionally punctured by screams of agony. Great level!



I can also remember that this is in a episode of Ren and Stimpy. You know, it might even be the episode in which Stimpy erases history but pressing an irresistible red button.

The Music of Ren and Stimpy #5

Richard Wagner:Ride of the Valkyries:



Used alot in cartoons -- notablity in the Looney Toons masterpiece 'What's Opera Doc?'


But then the tune is used in everything from Casper to Apocalypse Now ...

Returning to space with the 'Blue Danube Waltz' by Johann Strauss II. This is a classic that has accompanied various cartoon characters and, of course, 2001 Space Odessey...



Johann Strauss II 'Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka': sounds like running down a hill. Used in chase scenes everywhere: from the James Bond film 'Moonraker' and Tom and Jerry cartoons.

And now we are going into proper Tom and Jerry territory with Aram Khachaturian's 'Saber Dance' (from Gayane). It's about to get frantic! A classical mosh pit anthem.



Thus ends the frantics

SM

The Music of Ren and Stimpy #4

I am loving the waltzes at the minute! Moving on to Léo Delibes and the Coppelia Waltz. This is very Ren and Stimpy: smooth, gliding with bold flourishes and a brilliant ending. Closing my eyes I can see the ballet played out; the complex relationships between the moving bodies, the drama and the pomp - all of which can be seen in a good episode of Ren and Stimpy.

OK, if you have ever seen a cartoon and one character creeps up on an unsuspecting prey, they will have been accompanied by Delibes' 'Pizzicato'. When you hear it you will understand.



Speaking of pomp, we move on to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance Marches. EVERYONE will have heard No. 1. from some wedding or another.

Charles Gounod - Funeral March of a Marionette: Ren and Stimpy are walking. They walk over various challenging terrain: mountains, desertsm - perhaps as members of the Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen. Ren and angry as usual and Stimpy is trying to console him.



Edvard Grieg (we're in for some good tunes here!) - Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 - Anitra's Dance: agian, this is a great piece of music that would be played whilst dialogue is happening, like in the kitchen or somewhere. Really nice, really subtle fine art.
Grieg 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' A.K.A. the Alton Towers theme tune. Had a million covers - including a techno remix (which is probably awful) and by metal string quartet Apocalyptica. Heavy!
'Morning': a beautiful piece of music that has been and always will be used to signify the sun dripping into the sky, animals unfolding from the shadows and bushes and someone sitting up in bed and stretching.

The Music of Ren and Stimpy #3 / The Music of Earthworm Jim

'Funiculi Funicula' by Luigi Denza will be played at my wedding. No doubt. This tune signifies a proper knees-up-mother-brown. Other raving nerds will instantly recognise this from the 'Italian Medly' soundtrack of Earthworm Jim 2, level 'Puppy Love' in which Jim has to transport a small army of pink/purple puppies from one tall building to another using a giant marshmellow. More fun than you can shake an X-Box at.

See this played on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuDDvXJDwxQ



On researching EWJ via wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthworm_Jim_2#Soundtrack ) I remembered that the game also throws up some classics:

'See Jim Run, Run Jim Run' - according to YouTube comments this is Chopin, I'll get back to you on that..

and of course, the legendary 'Blind Cave Salemandar' soundtrack is Ludo: "Moonlight Sonata" 1st and 3rd movements

Not to mention the various Tangos and Polkas, the perfect soundtrack for gliding across abstract landscapes using snot as a parachute or fighting giant reanimated t-bone steaks.

What a rich cultural tapestry we weave.

SM

The Music of Ren and Stimpy #2 Tchaikovsky Special

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Ren and Stimpy use Mr. T A LOT, but there are some proper CLASSICS which are the staples of not just R&S but EVERY CARTOON EVER. You can tell I'm excited cuz I'm a-using capitals.

So: "Sleeping Beauty" (Waltz) is pretty much Disney's but it is a cracking dancing choon, a heady, blissful melody. Reminds one of cavorting in space.



Second is Swan Lake. Not sure where this comes in the ballet, but THIS ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph3h2IJAsgk ) just screams Ren & Stimpy just from the plucky intro. Again, another barn-stormer.

A Big Finally then is, of course, The Nutcracker Suite. If I could pick one piece of music to describe my memories of R&S, the 'Dance of the Reed Flutes' would be a seriuos contender. It is just matches the content of the show perfectly. You can imagine them in the kitchen with their Powdered Toast (!) as you listen to this tune. 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' is a bit over-done, but still a classic. Very Christmassy and mischievous. Again, the 'Russian Dance' is very Christmassy - probably more Home Alone or Jingle all the way than Ren and Stimpy in my book (anyway). Quite a good tune though; you can imagine everything spiraling out of control. To finish off the Tchaikovsky chapter we have 'Waltz of the Flowers'. Again, a proper tune that is a tad overplayed (?). A brilliant harp bit at the begining and a catchy tune that you will be whistling for days. It gets you waltzing around the room with the lamp imagining that you are in a ballroom. :)

For more Tchaikovsky tunes that are used in Ren and Stimpy see 'Music of Ren and Stimpy' ( http://wikibin.org/articles/music-of-ren-and-stimpy.html ) which is where I have stolen most of my information.

Whilst on the subject also check out this blog which started it all for me:

Secret Fun Blog - I found this whey-back-when I was at university. It was and still is the best thing ever. This guy is a true hero. If you are a Ren and Stimpy fan check it out!:

http://secretfunspot.blogspot.com/2006/11/ren-stimpy-production-music.html

The Music of Ren and Stimpy #1

So I was thinking about Ren and Stimpy - particularly the awesome music in it. There are some great links to it all which I will put up later, but I thought I would trawl through the mass of classical music used so brush up on the classics. Ren and Stimpy was an amazing program. Fine art and a cracking children's cartoon.

In no particular order:

#1 Camille Saint-Saëns: The Carnival of the Animals ("Aquarium" - a wonderland-style piece that reminds me of ice caves and "Fossils" - a fun, skeletal xylaphone piece that has the flavour of an early Mickey Mouse cartoon) brilliant music already!

#2 Johann Sebastian "The Big Dog" Bach: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (something you would hear at a wedding), Toccata and Fugue by Bach (Transelvania theme tune - brilliant, brilliant music)

#3 Luigi Boccherini - Menuet, from String Quintet No. 5 in E. ... also known as the Smarty Arty theme tune. Legend.

#4 Frederic Chopin: Funeral March -- who knew??

#5 Jeremiah Clarke: Prince of Denmark's March (a.k.a. "Trumpet Voluntary) -- again, very weddingy

Super Powers

This is an excuse to put a video on the blog really. I like the design. Like Ren and Stimpy, which is in turn a shout-out to the Hannah-Barbara style design.

The jokes are alright I guess. Constantly making fun of Karl Pilkington.



The Flinstones



Ren & Stimpy