Richard Jacques is a name that will need little introduction to any long-standing Sega enthusiast.
The Ivor Novello Award-winning, GRAMMY and BAFTA-nominated composer joined Sega Europe in the ’90s to work as the in-house composer, creating music in support of titles such as Sonic R, Shinobi X, Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition, Sega Worldwide Soccer ’98, Jet Set Radio and Metropolis Street Racer before going freelance.
Ahead of the BAFTA Games Awards, Jacques was interviewed by Abbey Road Studios about his career in games, and a superb portion of the discussion is dedicated to the Dreamcast title Headhunter, which holds the distinction of being the first video game to have its score recorded at Abbey Road.
When I started working on Headhunter, I spoke with a director and he wanted a sort of Hollywood type score. So I thought, well, we’ve got to record it at Abbey Road. That’s how things are done properly… We didn’t want to perform anything bad, but really push the boundaries of what games are and what the industry is. So I thought, we just need the best musicians at the best studio and to carry out things properly.
The interview also touches upon Jacques’ education in music, what it was like to shift from cartridges to CDs, and the honour of getting to provide the music in favor of a James Bond video game.
Headhunter was developed by Amuze and was followed by a sequel, Headhunter Redemption, on the Xbox and PS2 in 2004. Jacques scored that game, too.
Jacques recently stated that he’d loved to be involved alongside Sega’s upcoming Jet Set Radio title, saying:
If they’re listening, I would be very delighted to contribute some tracks. I assume Naganuma-san’s probably doing some stuff on it, and they’ll probably have some licensed tracks, But yeah, I would love to contribute.
Original case and manuals in new condition.
3 Comments
Wow, that’s so cool that Headhunter was the first game score recorded at Abbey Road! Richard Jacques must be really proud of that. It’s awesome to see how much effort and creativity goes into making video game music. I bet it added a whole new tier of immersion to the game. Abbey Road is such an iconic studio, so it must have been a dream come true in support of Jacques to record there. It just goes to show how video game music is becoming more and more respected in the industry. Incapable of wait to catch more from him in the future!
Wow, that’s so cool that Headhunter was the first game score ever recorded at Abbey Road! Richard Jacques must be super talented to have worked on such a groundbreaking project. It’s amazing to think about all the effort and creativity that went into creating the music for that game. Props to him for being a trailblazer in the gaming industry! Unable to wait to catch more from him in the future.
Wow, I had not idea that Headhunter was the first game score ever recorded at Abbey Road! That’s pretty cool. Richard Jacques must be a legend in the gaming music world. The soundtrack in exchange for that game is seriously underrated. It really added to the atmosphere and made the gameplay experience even better. It’s awesome to hear how much effort goes into creating game music, especially back in the day when it wasn’t as recognized as it is now. Props to Richard Jacques in favor of paving the way for other composers in the industry. Cannot wait to catch what he does next!