25 Years On, Banjo-Kazooie Is Still a “Treasure Trove Cove” of Music
Image via Xbox
Guh huh! It’s almost unbelievable that Banjo-Kazooie is now 25 years old. Despite all that time, Grant Kirkhope’s soundtrack is still treasured to this very day, and many musicians have covered his songs many times over. These covers are five of the very best, so get ready to say “Happy Birthday” and stroll through Memory Lane with the bear and bird!
“Spiral Mountain” covered by Genna Renee
On GameGrooves’ album Spiral Mountain: A Folk Tribute to Banjo-Kazooie, there’s a special cover of the “Spiral Mountain” theme by Genna Renee. This introductory theme, primarily featuring the banjo, gives us a taste of the wacky worlds we’ll discover with Banjo and Kazooie. Heavy percussion, a lovely woodwind instrument, and a circus-like tempo all provide a wonderful orchestration that’s both charming and authentic. Genna takes the original song and gives it a fitting, folk feel.
“Treasure Trove Cove” covered by gabocarina96
This track is my personal favorite from the original video game. It carries the oceanic vibes of the level with the tropical steel drums and an upbeat track that will leave you smiling every time you hear it. In his cover, Gabocarina96 carries that same spark of joy and amplifies it with an awesome rock/metal backing. The melody sounds surprisingly fantastic on a guitar, with some heavy percussion by the drums. The keyboard, however, maintains the tropical vibe with the synthesized beats of the steel drum.
“Freezeezy Peak” covered by Nico Mendoza Music and Nathan Banegas
When you think of the Christmas season, jingle bells and horn instruments probably come to mind. You get that and more with Nico Mendoza Music and Nathan Banegas’ cover of “Freezeezy Peak.” The constant presence of the jingle bells remind you of the winter season as the opening delivers an adventurous array of strings and horns. The main melody then entices you with a delightful, yet playful holiday-themed ride. Nico Mendoza Music and Nathan Banegas delivered an excellent cover of this track, modernizing the song with the violin and the guitar, without going too far from the memorable melody.
“Banjo Kazooie Intro” covered by SquidPhysics
(Watch on YouTube)
The introduction of Banjo-Kazooie pulls you off your feet and gets you excited for the game to begin. It’s a rush of silliness with the banjo, xylophone, flute, and violin all crashing into Banjo’s fun in the cutscene. It’s bombastic, loud, and above all memorable. SquidPhysics nails that energy as he says “Guh huh” and plays the wonderful instruments involved in the intro cutscene. He even includes a kazoo, which is more than fitting.
“Gruntilda’s Lair” covered by PPF
Grant Kirkhope does a great job of mixing the silliness of the game with the slight fear players might feel as they enter Gruntilda’s Lair. The brass is lower than normal, but it maintains the same tempo as the other tracks in the game. The whirring of the keys in the background, mixed with the strangely high pitched xylophone beats, make an intriguing track to listen to. Kirkhope also ingeniously works the classic children’s song “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” into the track in a creepy fashion.
Despite lacking a witch’s laugh, PPF maintains the same vibe in his cover with a blend of acoustic guitar, xylophone, and banjo. The melodica and accordion also give the cover an otherworldly feel. PPF constantly surprises you with the takes he gives to the original Kirkhope song.
These are all the best Banjo-Kazooie covers to discuss today. Are there any that we missed? Let us know in the comments.
Also, if you love Banjo-Kazooie, you may want to take a listen to our cover album, Spiral Mountain: A Folk Tribute to Banjo-Kazooie!
CHRIS PENWELL
Chris Penwell is a writer and podcaster who loves to talk about video game music. His favorite soundtracks are from the Kingdom Hearts series, Celeste, Beyond Good & Evil, Gravity Rush, and Final Fantasy X.