Imaginarium

Description

Imaginarium is a double disc set featuring 70 tracks taken from the soundtracks to the video games The NeverHood, Skullmonkeys and BoomBots. These soundtracks were composed by Terry Scott Taylor of Daniel Amos, The Swirling Eddies and the Lost Dogs fame, and the 2CD was released on DreamWorks Records ‎in November 2000, in co-operation with Stunt Records. At Christmas time four years later Imaginarium was re-issued with new artwork by Douglas TenNapel, new pages of liner notes by Terry Taylor and eight bonus tracks. (One of those bonus tracks is the theme to GeekDad, which marks the first time that Taylor’s son Andrew appears on one of his father’s recordings.)

June 4, 1996, DreamWorks’ first PC CDRom video game entitled The NeverhoOd (a claymation video game by Doug TenNapel) is released for the Sony Playstation featuring what would become an award winning video game soundtrack composed by Terry Taylor. In 1998 Taylor composed the music for a Sony Playstation game called SkullMonkeys, the sequal to The NeverhoOd. Playstation Magazine called the theme music, “The best game music I’ve ever heard.” December 2, 1999, The Neverhood’s BoomBots video game by Doug TenNapel is released for the Sony Playstation. The game features more music from Taylor.

If you are one who thinks John Denver is the peak of musical creativity, read no further. For the rest of us, what you are about to read will boggle your mind and challenge your sense of reality, but I swear on a stack of sausages that it is true. A few years back I reviewed an album called The Neverhood, an award winning collection of songs from the PC game by the same name. That was no ordinary video game music. It sounded like clay, malleable dixieland blue grass on steroids. This album sold out rather quickly and now goes for over $50 on eBay. The creative brain that brewed this concoction also created music for two subsequent games, Skullmonkeys and BoomBots. Now, for the first time since the birth of Jerry Springer, the music from all three of these games is available on two jam-packed discs. My earlier review of The Neverhood is available on this website as well, so I’ll not repeat it except to say that these psychedelic blues songs will soon have you singing along with «Homina Homina»!

The second CD of the set contains 26 Skullmonkey songs and five from Boombots. Taking the “monkey” theme into another dimension, many of these almost instrumentals have a strong jungle beat. But variety is key here. Out of the 26 songs, you get almost 26 different styles of music. Yessum, everything from alpine accordions in 3/4 time with yodeling to wigged out chipmunks to theremins to belly dancing shuffles to spastic ragtime to … well, you get the idea.

Lyrically, this album is much like the first with many nonsense non-sequitur ramblings and few actual “lyrics,” though after a few listens, you’ll know every grunt and incoherent utterance. «Elevated Structure of Terror» drove my brother Joel to literal tears with its mumbled, drunken lyrics amid Tim Chandler’s amazingly inventive bass playing. And then there’s «Psychedelic Boogie Child», the 70s disco song full of wahwah pedals, shag carpeting and lava lamps. Speaking of bonus levels, the amazing bonus level song, imaginatively titled «Lil’ Bonus Room», finds Uncle Terry urging the purchase of multiple games because “I get residuals for every game that’s sold.”

Both CDs are headlong hurtles into reckless fun. In addition to their old man, both of my boys love these songs. No one is immune from the infectious insanity that, like a good Bugs Bunny cartoon, contains enough ear candy for kids and yet has jokes only adults will get. [Jason Hoffman, Whatzup, 2001]

> Apple Music

2CD tracklist:

Disc One – Neverhood

1-01. Klaymen Shuffle
1-02. Olley Oxen Free
1-03. Everybody Way Oh!
1-04. Rock N’ Roll Dixie
1-05. Cough Drops
1-06. Skat Radio
1-07. Lowdee Huh
1-08. Klaymen’s Theme
1-09. Operator Plays A Little Pingpong
1-10. Jose Feliciano
1-11. Homina Homina
1-12. Potatoes, Tomatoes, Gravy And Peas
1-13. Triangle Square
1-14. Dum Da Dum Doi Doi
1-15. Southern Front Porch Whistler
1-16. Confused And Upset
1-17. The Neverhood Theme
1-18. The Weasel Chase
1-19. Pulling Of The Pin
1-20. The Battle Of Robot Bil
1-21. Klogg’s Castle
1-22. Time To Goof Off
1-23. Klaymen Takes The ‘A’ Train
1-24. Low Down Doe
1-25. Gargling Drummer
1-26. Resolution #8
1-27. An Elf Sings His ABC’s
1-28. Thumb Nail Sketch
1-29. I’m Thirsty, I Need Wah Wah
1-30. Sound Effects Record #32
1-31. The Laughing, Crying, Screaming Masses
1-32. Sound Effects Record #33
1-33. B3, B.C.
1-34. Coffee And Other Just Desserts
1-35. Spring Has Sprung
1-36. Chiming In
1-37. Scary Robot Man
1-38. Playing Pool In Outer Space
1-39. Down In The Mines

Disc Two – Skullmonkeys & BoomBots

2-01. Skullmonkeys (The Theme)
2-02. Incident At Skullmonkey Gate
2-03. She Reminded Me With Science
2-04. Monkey Shrines
2-05. Hard Boiler Eggs
2-06. Sno, Yell “Oh!”
2-07. Monkey Brand Hot Dogs
2-08. Elevated Structure Of Terror
2-09. Death Garden Jive
2-10. Pineapple Mine Fields
2-11. Life Among The Weeds
2-12. The Secret Egg
2-13. Monk Rushmore (Presidential Funky Monkey)
2-14. Sour Head Hauksa Loukee
2-15. Beep Bop Bo Shards
2-16. Castle De Los Muertos (The Plate Ees Hot!)
2-17. The Incredible Divy Run
2-18. The Worm Graveyard
2-19. The Evil Of Engine Number Nine
2-20. Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
2-21. Sub Standard Pirate
2-22. Psychedelic Boogie Child
2-23. The Lil’ Bonus Room
2-24. Musical Fruit
2-25. Musical Fruit (Edit)
2-26. BoomBots Bonus Song
2-27. Klogg Is Dead!
2-28. Funkybots (The Boombot Theme)
2-29. Boombombs Away!
2-30. Sister Soulboom
2-31. The Last Thing We Never Said

Note: Available at Bandcamp: https://terryscotttaylor.bandcamp.com/album/songs-from-the-neverhood-volume-2-skullmonkeys-boombots

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Imaginarium, 2nd Edition CD Artwork, 2004