Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll Soundtrack (NES)

Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll Soundtrack (NES), David Wise, 1990

Among the original properties Rare launched on the NES and Game Boy, the Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll games must rank among the best, alongside the Battletoads franchise. Inspired by Marble Madness’ isometric perspective, Rare having also developed the NES port of that title, the developers concocted a joyfully bizarre, offbeat, and genuinely funny platformer. Its stars are a pair of snakes who must gobble up as many enemies as they can so that they are heavy enough when hopping onto the scales at the end of each level, hoping to be admitted to the next stage. Initially released on the NES in 1990, Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll’s playability and inventive multiplayer mode made it enough of a success to warrant a Sega Genesis port in 1993, which received equally strong reviews. Meanwhile, the Game Boy saw an original, somewhat more middling 2D platformer starring the same slithering protagonists.

The game’s name was, of course, inspired by the classic 1954 rock ’n’ roll song “Shake, Rattle and Roll”. As such, the musical direction David Wise’s soundtrack would take was clear from the outset. Wise applied his intimate knowledge of the NES sound chip to deliver a chiptune homage to 1950s rock ’n’ roll. Few other game scores, before or since, have sought to emulate early rock ’n’ roll so directly, and the Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll soundtrack was always bound to stand apart.

In fact, it turned out to be one of Wise’s finest NES scores. It is immediately easy-going and accessible — and, of course, tremendous fun. There is not a huge amount to analyse here, nor much that seeks to push the NES to its technical limits. This is a remarkably focused soundtrack instead, a lesson in the virtues of efficiency and concentration on essentials. Ultimately, the Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll soundtrack simply wants to entertain — and it does so brilliantly, ranking as Wise’s most melodic chiptune work.

Being a homage to early rock ’n’ roll, this is not a soundtrack of constant high-octane drive. Wise also foregrounds rock’s early connection to jazz in the elegant, infectious swing of “Title Screen” — stylings he would later revisit in more elaborate form on Donkey Kong Country. The cue’s melodies have one goal only: to be instantly catchy, and Wise delivers exactly that. “Level 1” and “Level 3” proceed along similarly bouncy, light-footed lines, while introducing what becomes one of the soundtrack’s most delightful staples: lively piano soli that inject fresh energy whenever they appear. Both cues offer straightforward melodic gratification, their shuffling rhythms carrying the music along to genial, toe-tapping effect.

“Level 4 & 7” is more overtly celebratory than the earlier tracks, featuring a convincing emulation of excitedly hammered piano chords. One might assume that Wise is simply following a formula on the Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll soundtrack, but his attention to detail is never in doubt. Listen to how the notes that make up those piano “chords” are set slightly out of sync, simulating the rough-and-ready thrill of a raucous live performance that values excitement over precision. Rocking harder by this point, the score then segues into the breathlessly entertaining “Level 5 & 8”. This cue pushes the soundtrack further into electrified territory with an effectively stuttering, offbeat rhythm and Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll’s wildest piano solo.

While Wise does an outstanding job of fulfilling his brief, he also does more than merely reference his historical inspirations. Two level tracks present twists on the rock ’n’ roll formula he otherwise deploys with such panache. “Level 2” is something of an oddity, as though it were trying to strip the 1950s rock template down to its essential ingredients with a more rudimentary, skeletal arrangement, only to top it off with a nasal, somewhat cutesy lead. It is unmistakably an experiment and reasonably intriguing, though it is harder to call it wholly successful.

“Level 6, 9 & 10” is far more convincing, even if it drastically alters the soundtrack’s mood. Its deep minor-key chords almost function as crisis motifs, while still retaining a link to the score’s rock stylings. The same is true of the insistent piano figure, nervously hovering above a bass pulse that swells and recedes. Then the piano grows ever more frantic and the bass notes climb higher and higher before crashing down to steamroller the other instruments with suffocating weight. It is hardly classic rock ’n’ roll, but “Level 6, 9 & 10” never loses sight of the soundtrack’s overall style either, allowing Wise to flex his creative muscles on a score that is traditionalist in outlook yet has few true stylistic peers.