Now, I’m not naïve-knowing what I do about the music industry, there are very likely financial, legal, and possibly even technical hurdles to releasing some of these songs, so I’m not trying to blame or vilify The Pokémon Company International (or anyone else in particular). Instead, I’m making a list (a wish list, perhaps) of the ten songs I’d like to see up for consideration the next time a US Pokémon album is being made. To be fair, this was a really hard list to make, and I had to pull from the list of songs I was familiar with and could review easily, so some songs you might have expected (like that one from “Do I Hear a Ralts?” everyone keeps talking about) might be missing from this list:

10. Diamond and Pearl
Performed by: Chris “Breeze” Barczynski
From: 10th season theme

Yes, believe it or not, I actually like this song, and I really do hope it’s on the next English Pokémon CD, though I will admit it is excessively looped in “O’er the Rampardos We Watched!”. Even so, I still love its in-your-face style and beat.

9. We Will Be Heroes (Movie Version)
Performed by: John Loeffler
From: The Rise of Darkrai

In a rare lead vocal performance, John shows up for the opening theme of the tenth movie, and he doesn’t disappoint. A supporter of the dub since the earliest days, John gives a great, heartfelt performance that compliments the introduction of Alamos Town to the viewer.

8. Master Pokémon
Performed by: K01
From: Shown in theatres before Pokémon 4Ever, Top Toons Tune on Kids’ WB

A blend of lo-fi, voice samples, and clever imagery, this mini-music video suggested you “let your Mankey wear your hat”, among other oddball ideas. Also, who could forget that lovely British woman rapping out those lyrics?

7. Side By Side – Pichu and Pichu
Performed by: Peter Thom
From: Pokémon Channel, Pokémon Chronicles

In addition to Peter’s distinctive gritty voice, the instrumentation in this song makes it an instant classic. Not many Pokémon songs feature a honky-tonk piano and a banjo, but this one pulls off both well. The Pichu sound effects are great too.

6. Battle Cry – (Stand Up!) (Movie Version)
Performed by: Erin Bowman
From: Arceus and the Jewel of Life

Opening credits superimposed over battles has become a staple in the Pokémon movies, and while some people may not like them, they are an effective way of drawing the audience into the film, and how well that works always depends on how good the song that goes with it is. This one does a fantastic job, expanding on the season 12 theme beautifully, and it has a great bridge to boot. It also brings a smile to my face every time.

5. I’ll Always Remember You
Performed by: Kirsten Price
From: The Rise of Darkrai

Admittedly, this song doesn’t have a whole lot to do with the movie (technically, Darkrai actually misremembers more than anything else, mistaking Alice for her grandmother), but I still had to include it just because it’s so beautiful. Kirsten does a great job, and the song really holds from beginning to end, with some great instrumentation along the way.

4. Pikachu’s Coming
Performed by: J.P. Hartmann
From: Pikachu’s Pika-Boo (Short from Pokémon 4Ever)

One of the best guitar songs in the franchise (right up there with the original theme, in my opinion), this song is all about having fun. Speaking of guitar, don’t forget to listen to the instrumental version in the end credits, which has even more guitar work from John McCurry.

3. Celebi-R-A-T-E
Performed by: Russel Velazquez
From: Pokémon 4Ever

This is probably the glitchiest Pokémon song ever written. A large number of synth instruments and vocal effects are combined to create a rich audio landscape, embellished with a wide range of sound effects. To top it all off, the song actually employs the technique of backmasking-when the end of the song is reversed, a voice can be heard repeatedly saying, “Yo! Detour!” (come on, this is Pokémon-what were you expecting?).

2. Make a Wish
Performed by: Cindy Mizelle/Asuca Hayashi
From Jirachi: Wish Maker

In a rare move, this track combines English and Japanese vocals in a single song. The result is a beautiful blend, and a fitting end to the sixth movie. It’s also one of the best uses of strings in a Pokémon song. Arguably the best part is towards the end, where Cindy and Asuca play off each other incredibly well, particularly considering that the two parts were likely recorded thousands of miles away from each other and likely months apart as well.

1. Born to be a Winner (Movie Version)
Performed by: David Rolfe
From Pokémon 4Ever

When I first heard the fourth season opening TV theme, it was a real treat for someone who had been following the show since 1998-the partial remake of the original theme seemed like a perfect blend of old and new-until I heard this movie version. The TV version was good, even great in its own right, but this totally blew it away. The vocals were incredible, the instrumentation was excellent, and everything clicked. Of all of David’s works in the series, this one is my favorite.

Having written this, I look forward to hearing your responses as to which songs I’ve missed and which songs you can’t believe I picked. If there’s one thing I know (and love) about the Pokémon community, it’s that it has a wide range of opinions on a variety of topics, including music.

Direct Download Link:

WTPT – Pokemon Remix Album

Ask someone what the rarest piece of Pokémon music is, and they’ll probably say the soundtrack to Pokémon Live. While that’s definitely one of the rarer ones (I think you need to give up a major organ or something to get a copy, seeing as how I don’t have one), there are definitely rarer ones, such as the double LP set of remixes for Donna Summer’s “The Power of One” from the second movie.

Before I go on, I should probably explain something. LP is short for “long playing”, and refers to type of vinyl record (your parents can fill you in on what a record is) that is 12 inches in diameter and spins at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute (as opposed to 45 or 78). Even during the dead vinyl era (from the early 1990’s to a few years ago), it was common for dance and urban music to be pressed onto vinyl and distributed to club DJs and radio stations. This format was often used because many DJs felt the sound produced by records was better suited to this type of music.

In any case, this double LP set was released in 2000 for play on radio and in clubs. There are eight tracks in this set (two per side), four of which are not found on the Power of One remix CD maxi-single, also released in 2000:

1. The Power of One (Jonathan Peters Club Mix)
2. The Power of One (Jonathan Peters Radio Mix)*
3. The Power of One (Tommy Musto Vocal Mix)
4. The Power of One (Musto Beats)*
5. The Power of One (Jonathan Peters Sound Factory Club Mix)
6. The Power of One (Jonathan Peters Drum-A-Pella)*
7. The Power of One (Tommy Musto Gel Dub)
8. The Power of One (Jonathan Peters Sound Factory Dub Mix)*

*Tracks marked with an asterisk are exclusive to this set

1. The Power of One (Jonathan Peters Club Mix)

This is a good remix to start off with. Peters makes good use of drums and instruments to give the song an important and urgent feel to it.

2. The Power of One (Jonathan Peters Radio Mix)

This is basically a shortened version of the first track. The shortening of the track gives it a very “traileresque” feel-like it was designed to be used in a trailer or other promotional media for the film.

3. The Power of One (Tommy Musto Vocal Mix)

One of my favorite aspects of remix is the ability of one to transform a song. This one takes a thoroughly turn-of the-century song and makes it sound like a late-70’s disco classic, complete with saxophone, piano, and backup singers.

4. The Power of One (Musto Beats)*

As the title implies, this is a sampling of drum beats from the third track, worth an occasional listen.

5. The Power of One (Jonathan Peters Sound Factory Club Mix)

As the title suggests, this remix has a more industrial feel and a heightened urgency as well. The synthesized strings in the first mix have been replaced by synthesized beats, and the song feels a lot more like something you’d hear in a late-night dance club.

6. The Power of One (Jonathan Peters Drum-A-Pella)

This is pretty much the same as track 5 above, but with some of the instruments removed. As a result, this remix is even more percussive, to the point of almost sounding like it came out of Stomp.

7. The Power of One (Tommy Musto Gel Dub)

I’m kind of conflicted on this one. I like how it sounds, but it doesn’t use much (if any) of the original song. It’s basically a series of repeated phrases and a bunch of record scratches, with some stereo phasing effects thrown in for good measure.

8.The Power of One (Jonathan Peters Sound Factory Dub Mix)

This is easily the darkest tone of any song on this album. Peters throws just about every remix trick in the book at this one. With heavy drums, crazy chording, and a runaway beat, this is right up there with some of the darker remixes of Don’t Say You Love Me. I must admit, I like it, but it’s definitely not for everyone.

Overall, there isn’t a terrible need for most people to get this, since the best tracks are already on the CD maxi-single version. Still, it might be worth it for those of you who need a complete Pokémon music collection to go out and find this.

Direct Download Link:

WTPT – 2.B.A. Master

Direct Download Link:

WTPT – Pokemon Christmas Bash