Okay, once and for all...

I love the Jap soundtrack all except for Palmtree Panic.

 

I prefer the US version over the Japanese one.

 

Whilst I do like some of the tracks from the US soundtrack, I still prefer the track from the Japanese/European version.

 

I love the Japanese/Euro OST while the American one makes me want to stop playing.

 

For crying out loud, ICEknight, it's not that bad.

US plz.

 

It DOES make me want to stop playing, I'm not lying.

 

I say the Japanese soundtrack is the best because the Past, Future and Good Future music are remixed from the Present tunes and, due to the fact that the PCM Past tracks remain untouched in the US version, the new tunes don't fit well.

 

Well...
Due to issues beyond my control (lack of a Sega CD, not keeping up with the Sega CD emulation scene), I didn't get around to playing Sonic CD until earlier this year. I played through the whole game a few times with both soundtracks, and I have this to say:

The US soundtrack reminds me of the music in Sonic Adventure 1 and 2. This isn't a bad thing, but I prefer the Japanese soundtrack for the reason that I'm about to get to.

The Japanese/European soundtrack, to me anyways, sounds more like the music from the Sonic games of that time. It just...sounds more early 90's video games-ish, to me, if that makes sense. I slightly prefer this soundtrack, but they're both good in my opinion.

 

The Japanese/European, by far.

 

To me, the US track is better. Maybe its because that's the one I've known for quite some time. Sure Tidal Tempest is ackward, but the other tunes in there are actually pretty good, or at least not half bad. The Japanese/European soundtrack is good too though, don't get me wrong, but I find the US one more enjoyable. Besides, beachy/water-park style songs do not fit in Palmtree Panic, Quartz Quadrant has like, French style music, Stardust Speedway sounds like I'm on "the wrong side of the tracks", and the boss song is downright creepy. "Work that body yea, come on now! Work that body yea!". With the Special Stages, it depends what version I'm playing. If its the SCD/PC ones, I'd prefer the US song, since the stages move slower. But in Gems, the stages are a lot faster, so I'd prefer to hear Japanese song.

Just my opinions.

 

I think the Japanese soundtrack beats the shit out of the US soundtrack easily. The US one just doesn't sound like music you'd associate with a Sonic game, or any game of that era. I think it was designed more to show off CD audio in a game, instead of focusing on fitting to the game it was intended to. And I agree with ICEKnight, it makes me stop playing as well. I bought Gems Collection, played it once, and I've not played it on there since. Instead I went and bought myself a MCD with Sonic CD and I play this now instead. 1 or 2 tracks on the US soundtrack are good, but it's let down by the others, and the fact that they never bothered to update the past music for the US.

And as for it saying "work that body, yeah" in the japanese boss music, to me it sounds more like "Work it Sonic, yeah" but I don't think it's important. The boss music and end of act music on the US soudtrack just sounds like it was randomly thrown together.

 

What do you mean? I don't get the reason why you say the Japanese soundtrack is the worst...

 

Well, that was the whole point of the game designers... I'm sure nobody would like it had SEGA of America changed Sonic's speed so it wouldn't be too difficult to control.

 

Japanese/European. I put the songs from it on my MP3 player, whereas the American one had me stop playing the game.

The continuity between the tracks in each zone is nicely done, and the tunes are a lot more fitting. Plus, the final boss music is possibly my favourite Sonic tune ever.

 

Quite a lot of people say that the Japanese soundtrack is rubbish because the past, present and future of every zone is a veriation on that zone's music. I'm sorry, that's a bad thing? I think that's a rather clever thing, to take a peice of music, and to make one feel like the past, one like the future and one like the present. The US soundtrack just sounds like someone took a really bad rock album out of a CD case, threw the tracks on and hoped it worked somehow. Oh and, if you want to talk about being lazy, IMO leaving the past tracks the same as the Japanise version is cutting corners. I mean who visits the past anyway, right? Sonic CD's US soundtrack as a result lacks consistancy and just feels thrown together.

One song I like from the US soundtrack, Sonic Boom. Toot Toot Sonic Warrior is worryingly adictive also though, even though some of the pronunciation of the english words are on par with All Your Base (the entire Jap soundtrack butchers the English language at one point or another). That said you forgive it simply because it is a kick-ass tune. I first heard that tune on Green Hills zone for Sonic 2 Master System.

 

I stick with what I said before:

I'd also add that the one downside to the Jap soundtrack is that if you listen to all the Bad Future tracks in a row, you will really start feeling like you're in a gay disco >_<

 

Resorting to the "IT'S GAY" argument? Cripes!

 

The US soundtrack doesn't even feel like it's video game music (I mean, just listen to the boss "music"). The Japanese soundtrack has much better tracks that fit nicely into the game in my opinion.