TFG1MIKE 365 – 2024 Day 138 – BEAST MACHINES SOUNDTRACK!

Hello Music Fans it is I, TFG1Mike… You Are Now reading TFG1MIKE 365! The idea here is for me to write something, anything, once a day for 365 days. From January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024. In my 138th entry of 2024, it’s April 17, 2024, and I’m gonna be writing about a surprise soundtrack drop by Hasbro! They secretly and silently released 10 tracks from BEAST MACHINES!!!! I have been waiting for this soundtrack for 25 years since the cartoon debuted in 1999!!

You can get this on any music service you use, but I prefer Spotify, so that’s the link that’s here! As I said there are 10 tracks here, they call it BEAST MACHINES: THE ALBUM. Now I’m not complaining, but I do wish it was the full score to the entire show, including the main and ending title track. Which was Leftfield’s Phat Planet. You can hear the full version of the song HERE! And Of course you can see the differences in the sound as to what Hasbro and Mainframe used for the BEAST MACHINES Intro right HERE! 

However what I was hoping for is not what’s actually here. What is here is composer Robert Buckley’s music for the epic novel that was the BEAST MACHINES cartoon. Mr. Buckley (at least on Spotify) is credited on every track except track 1. They do the track credits this way:

Transformers

Transformers, Robert Buckley – I find this to be very strange, did Mr. Buckley not work on the first track which is “Pursuit”….?? I think he would have.

Anyone will know if you’ve read any of my soundtrack, and/or score write ups here at The GCRN, I live through music. I live to hear the music of a tv show, cartoon, film, or video game outside that specific piece of media. I have always loved soundtracks and scores. I’m not going to list all ten tracks and then break each of them down. At least not here, I might do that on a future podcast episode though. 

What I am going to do here is tell you that Track 1: “Pursuit” and Track 4: “Megachase” are the main themes when you hear any Maximals or Predacons in action! Track 5: Dark Times, I feel like this is when Rattrap went to Megatron for “NOISEMAKERS!” That’s what it sounds like to me. I love the heavy, yet calming sounds of this track. Yes it is dark and ominous, but there’s just something about it… It is kinda soothing. 

Track 6: “TANKS” This is the music we remember watching Tankor and his tank drones hunt down the Maximals!!!! I FRIGGIN’ LOVE THIS!!! That dark, yet upbeat opening of the track…. it then flows into the main tune we know. In the middle there’s this whole section that I don’t even remember hearing in the show. Even though I know it is in the show. This might be my favorite track overall outta the 10 tracks, but I might have more favorites. 

Track 8: Underworld is all about following the Maximals deep into Cybertron’s underground. If I remember right this was the track that they used in the show for when plant eating machines were after The Maximals and the organic core. You’ll notice that I’m kinda jumping all around this score, talking about tracks out of order, but I’m doing that on purpose, because I’m listen to the score as I write this. So if I hear something I wanna write here, I am focused on that specific part. 

Track 10: “The End” Well that’s all she wrote folks! Optimus and Megatron are ascending into the Matrix and The Well Of All Sparks! 

Tracks 1, 2, and 3… Pursuit, Optimus, and Megatron respectively… Damn man, they are all just so good. I like the Optimus track, but THAT MEGATRON track…. THAT is BEAST MACHINES for me! It’s that heavy very ominous tone, that dun dun dun… kinda sound and feeling. Megatron has arrived, and I can hear David Kaye in my head talking as Megatron! Around the 1:01 mark the tune has go so high energy, it then takes it back a notch to be slow and very sinister! And the way that it fades ionto the dark at the end, it just gives me goosebumps of excitement! I love how Mr. Buckley has arranged this music, it is probably gonna be my album of the year for 2024! 

What are your favorite episodes of BEAST MACHINES & What is your favorite track from this release? Sound off in the comments!!

Join me tomorrow as I’ll be writing about something!