Philippe Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 Everybody loves Mussorgsky. Especially Walpurgis Nacht. What could be more appropriate an introduction to CMBB than a piece of music that essentially evokes scenes from Hell? Even if it is only alcohol-induced ruminations in the mist on a hill outside of Kiev. But there comes a time when you want to start CMBB to the sounds of something with a little more political punch. Especially now when that political punch has gone so far out of fashion. There's no shortage of German music around, including the forbidden stuff, some of which I've contributed to myself. But the eastern front requires something a little different from just another rendering of Die Fahne Hoch. So after much sturm and drang (and even some public humiliation) I dug out my sound editors and finally remembered how to use them. I am now the proud owner of edited and converted versions of the Soviet Anthem and a russian rendition of the Internationale that go especially well with the poster art that I'm using to replace the two intitial screens in the CDV version (and that I will post eventually). And these two wav files are of such high quality that they don't sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks when you play them inside the game. But that's the problem. Chorus after chorus of the Internationale takes up space, even after you convert it back into an MP3. And what many don't realize is that it takes even longer to upload than to download. And I have a dial-up. So my question is, is there interest in downloading my editions of these pieces, and if so, how big an MP3 file are you willing to suffer through ? To put that in perspective, St. John's Night on Bare Mountain (the current game introductory music) is about 10 Mb, so in MP3 format that would look something like 2.5 Mb. The full wav versions of the two pieces (all of the choruses) come in close to 40 Mb each after editing, or 8 or 9 Mb in MP3 format. I can reduce that significantly by cutting out a few choruses, but I'm reluctant to do so since CMBB doesn't seem to cut off the introductory music the way CMBO did. So if you think you'd like to indulge either your patriotic of Bolshy fantasies, please respond with a vote on the largest size download you'll tolerate. Please don't vote if you have no interest in having these two pieces. And if no one expresses interest it will save me a hideously long upload. So let the masses speak. Or yawn, as the case may be. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bone_Vulture Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 We could have watched 'Black Like Me' Instead we watched the big guns And everybody knows the words To "seasons in the sun" Could have had give Could have had take We could've made anything we wanted to make So we made 'Wheel Of Fortune' And all the popular songs We made a land where crap is king And the good don't last too long 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergei Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 What could be more appropriate an introduction to CMBB than a piece of music that essentially evokes scenes from Hell?Yeah, Rammstein makes for a great intro music for CMBB! It's perhaps unnecessary to include the whole song. Cut or fade out at some point after a minute or so. But have you checked that what you have in mind isn't already in CMMODS? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stikkypixie Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 Are you sure there aren't any of those files already around. I think i have seen the soviet anthem floating on some website somewhere. Best if you checked that out, could save you valuable upload and connection time. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphus Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 I love Mussorgsky, in fact I'd like to have a longer version of it to put in the CMBB intro. My kids love it too, my son spends all day singing it: Da-da-da DAH! Da-da-da-DAH! DAH! DAH! Alternative songs might be the Wolgalied as sung by the German Sixth Army in Stalingrad, or the Volga Boat Song as sung by the Red Army. BTW, where is the music file? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philippe Posted November 6, 2004 Author Share Posted November 6, 2004 One of the pieces that had made my shortlist was the Red Army version of Cliff on the Volga, a traditional song about national resistance to foreign oppression. [Truth in advertising: you probably have to be a Cossack to see it that way -- I think the foreigners in that song are actually Russians]. I had originally been under the impression that the two pieces that I mentioned were already posted somewhere. Maybe they were casualties of the Great Crash. The Anthem can indeed be found on another site, but if you download it and play it ingame you'll find that it is really part of a slavic uber-hamster mod. It's not enough to just find an MP3 that you like and expect it to work ingame after conversion to an MP3 file. You've got to change the properties first, and you also have to edit it. Ten seconds of empty hiss followed by a useless ten second introductory chord when the piece isn't going to play for more than a minute is not exactly my idea of a strategically targetted song bite. So in that context, my Soviet Anthem (not the 1943 version) and my russian Internationale (that almost sounds like russian music -- it's not, by the way) only exist on my computer. The question is, is there enough demand for me to justify the bother of uploading it. I listened to them again ingame and in fact they're a little bit too long. The anthem ends in the middle of the last word of the last chorus. Fading in and out is good multimedia but not so good for musicology. I can cut and splice imperceptiby, and both are several choruses too long even by the standards of someone who enjoys the relaxed pace of Russian masses and Indian movies. I'd be curious to compare this version of Bald Mountain to the Stokowski version. I heard his version of Pictures once and it was a real eye-opener. Rimsky-Korsakoff was a brilliant surgeon but not the absolute last word: there's room for alternatives. [ November 06, 2004, 02:08 PM: Message edited by: Philippe ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphus Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 I don't think I'll ever change from the Mussorgsky... it gives me a thrill every time I hear it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergei Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 Originally posted by murphus: I don't think I'll ever change from the Mussorgsky... it gives me a thrill every time I hear it. Oh, you've gotta give ABBA's Waterloo a shot! It totally beats everything else! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphus Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 Reminds me too much of the shabby 70s, but I have to say that I have every note of every Abba song burned into my memory. Too bad. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-trout Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 If you're interested in Soviet revolutionary music, try this site: Soviet Music http://english.sovmusic.ru/ I'm using The Saint War as a start up song, I got it off of their Top 20. It didn't take much to convert it to wave either. Looking forward to your poster art! [ November 07, 2004, 09:50 PM: Message edited by: ojoesama ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krautman Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 Some stuff from Wagner's "Götterdämmerung" (~"Dusk of the Gods") might be appropriate-the gods, at the height of their strength, challenge the Thursen/Giants, and the apocalyptic battle that will flatten Midgard and Asgard into a giant parking lot begins... His "Walkürenritt" (~"Ride of the Valkyries") is, of course, already in use (Robert Duvall's greatest words: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!") 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philippe Posted November 8, 2004 Author Share Posted November 8, 2004 That Soviet music site is inspiring indeed and the site is simply wonderful. I think it even has a baby Lenin poster in the art section. I'll stop before I'm overcome with revolutionary fervor. Wagner is an interesting alternative to German military music, though I'm of the school that thinks it unfair to associate him with the Nazi Germany. I have yet to find any good source files on the web, though I probably haven't looked hard enough. I'd be curious to take a look at any links. I've posted the two alternate introductory screens that I use at CMMODS in the CMBB section. I don't know how they'll look with some of the excellent interface mods that are out there, but they're certainly an improvement over corporate advertising. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FM Paul Heinrik Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 Change the intro music? Cool how do you do that? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krautman Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 Philippe wrote "Wagner is an interesting alternative to German military music, though I'm of the school that thinks it unfair to associate him with the Nazi Germany." That is true, Wagner himself wasn't really responsible for his offspring holding close ties to Hitler. However, his as well as Hitler's fascination in germanic myths led to the consequent instrumentalization of his music by the N.S. What about Richard Strauß? "Thus spoke Zarathustra" of course is already in use as well... But Nietzsche and his Übermensch idea, along with some of Heidegger's stuff, and of course Rosenberg's, contributed heavily to Nazi "philosophy". 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphus Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 Philippe, I have to compliment you on your excellent taste... I've just seen your intro screens on cmmods and I think they're excellent. By the way, don't hold back next time you're overcome by revolutionary fervor... let it all come pouring out! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philippe Posted November 13, 2004 Author Share Posted November 13, 2004 I've posted three sound files at CMMODS in MP3 format. Please let me know if they don't convert back correctly into wav files. At the last minute I decided that Stepan Razin and the Cliff on the Volga didn't quite sound right as introductory music. Instead I substituted Katyusha, a love song about a girl whose lover has gone off to guard the borders. It may not work either, but it's a wonderful piece of music. And if the group that sings it has a CD, I'd really like to buy it. One should keep an open mind about what does and doesn't work. Flying Il-2 combat missions with langorous unmartial-sounding folk songs playing in the background is a fascinating experience and a bit like watching a movie. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philippe Posted November 13, 2004 Author Share Posted November 13, 2004 I just remembered that some people think this song is about a rocket launcher. It's not. Here's a translation of the lyrics: Apple and pear trees were blooming, Fog crept along the river... Katiusha came out onto the bank, Onto the high, steep bank. She came out and started a song About a grey-blue eagle of the steppe, About the one that she loved, About the one, whose letters she cherished. Oh, you, song, young maiden's song, Fly out, follow after the clear sun And tell the warrior at the distant border-post That Katiusha sends him her greetings. Let him remember a simple maiden, Let him hear how she sings, Let him protect the Motherland And Katiusha will cherish love. Apple and pear trees were blooming, Fog crept along the river... Katiusha came out onto the bank, Onto the high, steep bank. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphus Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 I've listened to your music pieces on cmmods, Philippe, and I have to compliment you once more on your taste, the Katyusha piece is truly moving in the way of so many Stalinist-era ballads. I never would believe such a soft piece could be a tribute to a rocket launcher. But I stick with Mussorgsky as my intro music - my children love it so much. By the way, I've downloaded your Russian mine-markers and I have to say: Good Work! Even though it's illogical for me to see the markers in Russian (I always play as Russian, so the markers should be in German, assuming that the enemy were so courteous as to put out warning signs), it is nice to see them scrawled in chalk. I suppose I can say to myself that these signs were placed by my engineer units before they crawled up to deactivate them. Once more, great work. You are a great modder already. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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