As part of their 50th anniversary celebrations, Atari has partnered with Microids Records to release a soundtrack selection on special gold-colored vinyl later this year.
Called “Atari 50 – Anniversary Soundtrack,” the record celebrates some of Atari’s biggest titles ever since they entered the video game industry in 1983. The remastered tracks are composed by Bob Baffy, and the vinyl features specific tracks from iconic Atari titles such as Yars’ Revenge, Quadratank, Neo Breakout, Vector Sector, and Haunted House.
Here’s the complete track listing:
Side A
Main Menu music
Quadratank – Battle
Quadratank – Menu
Yars Revenge – Main
Yars Revenge – Main alt
Yars Revenge – Menu
Side B
Neo Breakout – Vs Music
Neo Breakout – Level Music
Neo Breakout – High Score
Neo Breakout – Menu
Vector Sector – All levels
Haunted House – Title
Haunted House – Title Alt
Hated House – Secret Room
Image Credit: Microids Records.
The Atari 50 – Anniversary Soundtrack will be released on April 17 as a limited edition colored pressing. Depending on where you live, you may also see this release coinciding with Record Store Day. We’ve reached out to Microids Records to see if a standard black pressing will be sold alongside the colored pressing, and if the soundtrack will be available for digital streaming eventually.
Additionally, we’re also trying to confirm the price, as it is currently unannounced. However, online record stores seem to be pricing the vinyl at around $38 / £36 / €36, so expect a similar price upon release.
Here’s what Ethan Zoubek, President of Atari, had to say about the soundtrack.
“Programmers, game designers and engineers at Atari made significant contributions to the adoption and expansion of music and sound effects in video games. The Atari 50 Anniversary Soundtrack will be a fitting tribute to their work, and we are excited to collaborate with Microids to bring this celebration to vinyl.”
Microids Records also released a statement regarding their collaboration with Atari for this vinyl pressing. Frédéric Claquin, Vice President of Microids Records, said, “It is an honor and a privilege to collaborate with ATARI to breathe life into the music that has inspired entire generations of players. This vinyl release is a celebration of ATARI’s cultural and musical impact over the years.”
How is the soundtrack presented?
The Atari 50 – Anniversary Soundtrack has a simple yet elegant presentation. The vinyl’s outer sleeve is all black, with “Atari50” written in white and gold on the front. Meanwhile, the back has Atari’s slogan, “Futuristic Since Forever,” and the track listing for both sides. These are written mostly in white, but “Side A” and “Side B” are in gold. One thing to note is that the last track on Side B is currently listed as “Hated House” instead of “Haunted House”; it’s currently unknown whether this will be corrected upon release.
As previously mentioned, the vinyl itself is colored gold, and the spindle label bears the Atari logo on a black background. Photos provided by Microids Records currently don’t indicate whether the vinyl will come with a special inner sleeve or just a basic one. We also assume that both sides of the vinyl will have the same spindle label design, but we will update this section once we find out more from Microids Records.
