Remembering the Super Mario 64 Original Soundtrack (OST)
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Back in the days of the Nintendo Power magazine, there was special merchandise that was exclusively sold to their loyal subscribers. For a number of years, every quarter, the Super Power Supplies catalog was distributed for subscribers to purchase exclusive swag straight from Nintendo. There were many collectibles available for purchase such as t-shirts, sweaters, console accessories, stuffed toys, and yes even soundtracks! It was a great time to be a Nintendo fan.
Video game soundtracks sold by Nintendo Power's Super Power Supplies Catalog (Source: gamebrochures / Tumblr)
Not only this, as an added bonus, they will regularly include Super Power Stamps in some issues of Nintendo Power that you can collect to save $1 per stamp on your purchases. This was basically their loyalty program of the 1990s, the predecessor of Club Nintendo and My Nintendo, which is what we have today. As an aside, My Nintendo is a grossly disappointing loyalty program in North America that has gotten rid of physical awards and provides mediocre discounts to Wii U and 3DS games.
One of the best items that I've got from the Super Power Supplies catalog, was the Super Mario 64 Original Soundtrack (OST) on compact disc. The soundtrack also came in a cassette tape version, but at the time CDs were already ubiquitous and you wouldn't want to listen on a tape that can easily get degraded.
I had to save up Super Power Stamps and then kindly ask my mom for money to pay for the shipping and handling costs. I do vividly remember filling out an order form and mailing it in, things that kids these days would find crazy in the age of online shopping and instant gratification. One thing I have to applaud is that unlike many companies at the time, Nintendo of America had an understanding of the Canadian market, and made it easy for people in Canada to order their products without red tape and surprise fees, and to this day they still recognize it as a separate market with its own needs.
After a few weeks, I received the soundtrack in the mail. The packaging is very basic, just a regular CD case with the Super Mario 64 logo on the front and a couple of Mario renderings. The CD itself had the list of all the tracks on the face.
The soundtrack had the music from every stage of the game along with a collection of sound effects. My favourites from the soundtrack are the "Metallic Mario" and Koopa's Road, better known as the "Road to Bowser" music. When listening to the tunes, it really makes you feel immersed into the Super Mario 64 game.
Full soundtrack list:
1. It's a me Mario!
2. Title Theme
3. Peach's Message
4. Opening
5. Super Mario 64 Main Theme
6. Slider
7. Inside the Castle Walls
8. Looping Steps
9. Dire, Dire Docks
10. Lethal Lava Land
11. Snow Mountain
12. Haunted House
13. Merry-Go-Round
14. Cave Dungeon
15. Piranha Plant's Lullaby
16. Powerful Mario
17. Metallic Mario
18. File Select
19. Correct Solution
20. Toad's Message
21. Power Star
22. Race Fanfare
23. Star Catch
24. Game Start
25. Course Clear
26. Game Over
27. Stage Boss
28. Koopa's Message
29. Koopa's Road
30. Koopa's Message
31. Koopa Clear
32. Ultimate Koopa
33. Ultimate Koopa Clear
34. Ending Demo
35. Staff Roll
36. Piranha Plant's Lullaby-Piano
Interestingly, the track names refer to Bowser as "Koopa" which is his Japanese name, usually these translation details aren't overlooked in official Nintendo products. However, we do see Toad used instead of Kinopio here.
As depicted, the soundtrack was also available for purchase in the "Store 64" promotional insert that was included with the N64 console as well. From my knowledge, the Super Mario 64 Original Soundtrack was only ever sold directly by Nintendo, it was never released to retail stores in North America, however it was released in Japan. Similarly, soundtracks for Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Odyssey were only released in retail for Japan, so if you want to get a copy, you'll have to go the import route.
Although soundtracks are a bit of a relic in time, the Super Mario 64 Original Soundtrack is definitely a nice item to have in your video game collection.
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