Awesome Music / Crash Bandicoot

The original Naughty Dog games:

Mark Mothersbaugh and Josh Mancell (credited as Mutato Muzika) composed varied themes that gave the colorful world of Crash Bandicoot its own soul.

Crash Bandicoot

• Josh Mancell has outdone himself more than once, but what may be his greatest Moment of Awesome is when he composed "more-videogame-like" (as they had to be) tracks for the Japanese version of the first game (these) within one effin' day!
• The boss themes were pretty damn good, including that of the first boss, Papu Papu's. Unfortunately it's a short boss fight.
• Hog Wild/Whole Hog. The theme really fits with Crash's cartoony and zany nature, to the point some would say it's the franchise's most iconic theme.
• Toxic Waste. The level and its accompanying music stand out because of how different it is from the levels which come before and after it. The fast pace suits the level; you have to avoid and dodge barrels while running forward which makes it a thrilling platform experience. The theme's grungy, metal-inspired sound has inspired several metal remixes, such as this one.
• Generator Room. One of the darkest themes of the franchise. Perfectly fitting for a dark room filled with screens of Cortex's face everywhere, frightening than dark ruins or dark castle corridors.
• Slippery Climb. The music for this infamous level is a depressing, paranoid and dark tune much like the castle that Crash has to climb and frustrates the player.
• The Neo Cortex theme (unless you're playing the Japanese version in which case it's replaced with a different theme, but that one could also pass as crowning music depending on your taste) is one of many, and would inspire 2 and 3's equally badass Cortex themes. This one is the most sinister sounding one, and definitely suits the mood of facing the mad doctor one-on-one.
• The Great Hall/Final Credits theme. A triumphant and emotional song that perfectly fits with a well-deserved happy ending, after such a long and challenging run. Not surprisingly, it was the theme chosen for the final segment of Crash Team Racing's Scrapbook, in which Naughty Dog pays tribute to the people involved in the making of the games and bids farewell to the franchise, thanking the player for being part of this successful history.

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

• The title theme is probably the weirdest of the original trilogy, and it prefigures great adventures. On the other hand, the Japanese Crash theme is both happy-go-lucky and absolutely ridiculous.
• The "Warp Room" theme is perhaps the most recognizable map song in the series, and it's so pleasant that you will spend a little more time wandering around before entering a level just to enjoy more of it.
• "Turtle Woods" is a pretty chill first level theme.
• "Snow Go" captures the feeling of being isolated in a snowy area (and surrounded by rabid spinning penguins) perfectly. The Skull Road variant is mostly the same, but faster and more menacing, giving a good representation of the unfair difficulty of these paths. The former theme also has a great fan remix of it.
• "Hang Eight" is an exciting surf rock theme which goes as fast as the water in the rivers Crash crosses. The Bonus Round remixes it in a relaxing rock ballad.
• "Crash Dash" introduces you into a snowy place, but truly gives a sense of danger as well.
• Ripper Roo's theme is dynamic chaos, just like the blue kangaroo himself.
• "Bear It" is a funny and alluring theme for an obstacle course in the snow.
• "The Eel Deal" is simply rad. You'll get to hear it often throughout the game, due to the amount of sewer levels there are, and how they tend to be longer than most levels (and yes, for once sewer levels don't suck).
• The Komodo Bros' theme. The darkhorse duo of Crash Bandicoot 2 probably won't take too long to beat, but they make quite the performance.
• "Road To Ruin" alternates between mysterious and catchy.
• Tiny's theme is exciting and dreadful boss music, despite the synth bass sounding like a choral of burps. The good news is that you'll probably get to hear the full thing in-game since this boss battle can go on for a while, especially if Tiny decides to screw around and jump unpredictably, or you get bad luck with which platforms decide to drop. Yeah.
• "Diggin' It" starts as a happy-go-lucky theme before rocking out.
• N. Gin's boss music is a powerful and catchy tune with an aggressive bass line, and like Tiny's, you'll probably be able to hear the full thing more than once since it is a long and difficult boss fight with multiple stages.
• "Piston It Away" is a catchy tune with a subtly menacing feeling. The Skull Road remix amps up this impression.
• "Rock It" is probably the Crash Bandicoot theme which has spawned the most online remixes. For fans of this theme, the pre-console version (in other words, the true original version of the theme before it was ported to console to be implemented within the game) has to be heard. You could call this theme the PlayStation equivalent of NES Ducktales's 'Moon Theme'.
• Despite his "boss fight" being short and easy, Dr. Neo Cortex has a great theme that combines dread and panic, as the big head doctor is escaping with his Master Crystal.

Crash Bandicoot Warped

• The title theme and its warp room variation, the theme for many a childhood and later a Bootstrapped Theme for the series in general.
• "Makin' Waves" is a groovy mashup of surf rock, pirate and racing music.
• "Hog Ride" is a dynamic rock 'n roll tune that gave every player the desire to race on a desert road.
• Dingodile's theme is as crazy as the flamethrowing hybrid himself.
• "Future Frenzy" is an oddly ominous electro track with a nice drum work and sinister synths.
• Like his Humongous Mecha, N. Gin's theme is bigger and better than ever. Too bad the repeated shots of both his and Coco's machines cover it...
• Cortex's theme in particular could be considered the most crowning music of the whole series, combining silly horns and marimbas with the sinister guitar riff. The pre-console version is a must listen.

Crash Team Racing

• "Start Your Engines!" truly invites the players to play a race from the very start.
• Tiny Arena. An oddly calm yet appreciated tune to listen to while you race through one of the game's toughest tracks.
• Dragon Mines. A very raunchy tune for Komodo Joe's level.
• The game's far lesser-known Japanese theme has a pedal-to-the-metal feeling that'll get you ready for racing! A vocal version also plays in the game's bonus video.

The post-Naughty Dog era:

Crash Bash

• The Warp Room theme WILL get stuck in your head.
• Crash Ball uses a zany, fast-paced techno track for the first Ballistix level.
• Polar Panic takes the usual Winter theme music and mixes it with what can be best described as a sort of Latin rhythm sound - the result is a fittingly madcap theme for the first Polar Push level.
• Pogo Painter - for the first Pogo Pandemonium level, an incredibly funky styled track that sounds like something straight out of a 70s disco club!
• Jungle Bash uses a cool, drum-heavy remix of the music from the Prehistoric levels from Crash Bandicoot 3.
• Papu Pummel mixes fast Tribal drumming with percussion and synth to create a frenetic boss theme as you duke it out with Papu Papu.
• Beach Ball uses a tense and energetic techno number that perfectly fits the level's underwater theme.
• Tilt Panic & Ring Ring uses an off-kilter carnival track that sneaks in some pretty cool jazz-style drumming at some sections, creating a track that jumps between frantic and cool to keep players on their toes.
• Pogo-A-Gogo & N. Ballism mix the themes of both N.Gin and N.Tropy from Crash Bandicoot 3, and the result is a catchy and quirky electronic track.
• Space Bash uses a cool dance remix of the Future level theme from Warped.
• Desert Fox is a whimsical military march-themed track, appropriate for the first Tank Wars stage.
• Bearminator is an off-beat, bouncy track that jumps between feelings of fun and danger for the second boss fight.
• Melt Panic & Drain Bash mixes rock riffs with some awesome synth notes.
• El Pogo Loco takes the theme from Polar Panic and puts it into a joyous Mariachi track.
• Snow Bash has an upbeat and mischievous tone that fits the Winter theme while sounding like something from an early Sega game.
• Dot Dash is actually a remix of Dingodile's theme from Crash Bandicoot 3, giving the original that extra kick.

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex

• Arctic Antics shows the game putting its best foot forward music-wise by being delightfully jazzy and upbeat while still fitting the level it’s in.
• Tornado Alley is a wacky hillbilly track that plays as you shoot down the tornado generators. Props to the banjo solo.
• Wizards and Lizards is awesomely creepy and suits being in a creepy castle perfectly.
• Compactor Reactor has a nice dark and mischievous feel to it.
• The water levels tend to have very good music. H2 Oh No combines it with a reactor level and one of the best underwater music tracks of the series, while Sea Shell Shenanigans has a nice relaxing New Age feel, and Coral Canyons has a more tense and atmospheric theme.
• Next Eternal Engine level, Fahrenheit Frenzy, has a great theme that might also be audible Nightmare Fuel, fittingly for a level inside a volcano.
• The last elemental lab, Weathering Heights, may just be the fan favorite with an awesome techno beat accompanied by heavy synths with an occasional strain to emphasize just how high in the sky Crash is.
• Cortex Vortex, the final level before you fight Crunch and Cortex, has the awesome effect of sounding like you're storming Cortex's base and the exit is merely the door to the final boss in Cortex's spaceship.
• Solar Bowler. Even more memorable since Crash is dancing with an afro-headed scientist to it over the end credits.
• Tsunami starts off an atmospheric Asian melody before breaking into a tense techno rave. Very fitting for a quiet little Japanese-centric level that suddenly breaks into a terrible flood.
• That Sinking Feeling; for probably the most awkward and least memorable flying level in the game, the music is incredibly catchy and befitting a dangerous, one-bandicoot airborne assault on a small fleet of battleships, with a pumped-up techno beat reminiscent of something you'd expect to hear in a Spyro the Dragon game. It's just a shame the level will probably be over before you get to hear the whole thing.
• Crash and Burn has an exotic feel with its intense Tribal Drums.
• Droid Void has a creepy ominous vibe that perfectly captures the feeling of being in outer space.
• Crate Balls of Fire is an incredibly frantic, fast-paced and epic theme that builds up nicely.

Crash Nitro Kart

• The game starts with a bang with its main theme, a high-octane, thrilling tune to get your engine running.
• Jungle Boogie is a light-hearted yet quick tribal theme, befitting Terra.
• Fenomena's tracks all stand out as some of the most catchy tracks in the game. Out of Time is zany and strange (fitting the strange architecture seen throughout), Clockwork Wumpa lives up to the clockwork part with the sounds of clocks ticking and bells ringing in a delightful harmony, and finally Thunder Struck finishes the world out with a booming track that suits the storm raging through the race track.
• The final stage, Hyper Spaceway, is an intense tune that amplifies the tension of racing Velo.

Crash Twinsanity

• If there's one thing every Crash fan loves about Twinsanity, it's the soundtrack kindly provided by the acapella band Spiralmouth, whose quirky charm still shines through after all these years. For instance, N. Sanity Island gets a bouncy, almost Banjo-Kazooie-esque theme.
• The first boss, Mechabandicoot, has a tense rock track that pairs nicely with Cortex's pre-battle banter.
• Cavern Catastrophe is a dynamic rock theme that fits the chaos of Crash and Cortex fighting while falling deeper in the depths of the island.
• The music for River Rollerbrawl is... hard to pin a specific genre on, but it definitely fits the ridiculous tone of the rest of the game.
• Worm Chase features an absolutely hilarious arrangement of Strauss' "The Blue Danube". Likely the funniest track in the game!
• Iceberg Lab theme is a cool and strangely appealing track for an isolated iceberg.
• Uka Uka's battle theme is a hard rock track perfectly befitting a ticked-off ancient god of evil.
• The music for the Rusty Walrus chase is Spiralmouth's own take on the first section of Felix Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture, providing a frantic, madcap theme for the stage.
• N. Tropy and N. Brio's battle theme is a funky track featuring copious use of the words "boing" and "ribbit".
• Boiler Room Doom is a trippy and menacing theme which gives a serious sense of dread about the nature of the Academy of Evil.
• Rooftop Rampage gives a fittingly badass theme for Nina's first level, in the form of what can only be described as acapella heavy metal.
• The music when you arrive on Twinsanity Island is an effective sinister choir track that raises the player's wonders on what they will find on this forsaken place.
• Rockslide Rumble's music is fast-paced and intense, almost sounding like something out of Dreamcast-era Sonic the Hedgehog.
• Twinsanity Island is a Dark Reprise of the N. Sanity Island theme with more of a hip-hop feel to it.
• Ant Agony is the level before the final boss, and it sounds the part.
• The Evil Twins theme takes acapella to badass proportions.

Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced

• The Warp Room Theme has become something of a cult favorite version of the main theme by those who've played the game.

Crash Tag Team Racing

• The soundtrack for Tag Team Racing is a collaboration between ACapella band Spiralmouth and video game composer Marc Baril. The blend of orchestra instruments and mouth sounds provide a soundtrack that matches the game's especially weird and cartoony atmosphere perfectly.
• Tiki Turbo has epic Pirates of the Caribbean-style music that goes from triumphant to tense to ominous depending on your position in the race.
• Astro Land features a tune that starts off with a bouncy little techno space theme that then turns into a grungy and surprisingly ominous sounding industrial beat that sounds like a cartoon Nine Inch Nails.

Crash of the Titans

• The introductory Titan Spike has one of the most multilayered Titan themes, with the only constant being the crazy-fast jungle bongos.
• Boss Fight is an incredibly intense theme that's quite fitting for the hectic food chain bosses of Titans. Once you've jacked them however, it switches to a slow-paced yet satisfying theme befitting their lumbering and powerful figures.
• Turf's Up, a popular theme for when you surfboard on Aku-Aku.
• On a more atmospheric note, there's Roast in the Machine as a quite sinister level theme filled with relentless sounds of machinery.

Crash: Mind Over Mutant

• Pressureless Preamble, the main theme of the game. An upbeat, energetic rock track that many fans have admitted to jamming out to, and it's just the main menu theme!
• The Wastelands theme, a catchy-as-heck country-influenced theme appropriate for a good adventure or two.
• Big Fight #2, a battle theme that'll definitely get your head banging for some action.
• The second Rhinoroller theme, a whimsical and especially catchy tune that also plays in the intro for the game.
• Hero Titan Showdown, a foreboding track with a grunge-y intro that'll ready you for your fight against the elite Hero Titans.
• Regarding any sadly unused music, we have this short remix of the Crash 3 theme, appropriately titled "Theme of Crash Bandicoot".

The revival/remake era:

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

• Toxic Waste has become a pumping heavy metal track.
• Similarly, N. Brio's boss theme, with its added guitar riffs, became a memorable song, also fitting for his Nintendo Hard bonus levels.
• Eel Deal Death Route, a speedy track that really indicates frenetic action you're about to go through.
• The Komodo Brothers's boss theme is now a fantastic mix of heavy metal guitars, techno synths, sitars and orchestral bells.
• The Eel Deal/Sewer or Later/Hanging Out has a good mix of bass and pipes that fluctuates tempo quite effectively.
• Rock It/Pack Attack, generally considered close if not superior to the original. More impressive considering it is the most remixed track and potentially the most beloved of the original trilogy.
• Cortex's boss theme from 2. Matter of fact, same with the boss theme from the first game. And also the third. And even the hologram music from 2.
• Heavy Machinery/Castle Machinery retains the feel of the old with a few flourishes for the new.
• Warped has Toad Village/Gee Whiz/Double Header for a track that keeps the same feel but sounds fuller than the original.
• Future Frenzy/Gone Tomorrow is a lovely techno-influenced track with some solid drum work.
• Dingodile's boss theme takes the original and makes it more awesome, complete with guitars based on the song's rearrangement from the Dot Dash, Splash Dash, and Oxide Ride levels in, of all games, Crash Bash.

Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled

• Beyond the remixes of tracks from the original game and Nitro Kart, this game's original tracks for each new Grand Prix stage are also cool in their own right:
  • Prehistoric Playground from the "Back N. Time" GP is a truly hyperactive track that mixes the classic beats of Crash with a truly awesome guitar riff, perfect for a stage where the past and future collide (whether they want to or not).
  • Spyro Circuit from the "Spyro and Friends" GP is a remix of Mushroom Speedway from Spyro: Year of the Dragon, mixing in elements from the Reignited version while adding some percussion to the mix. Listen closely and you can even hear an auto-tuned Sparx singing!
  • Megamix Mania from the "Rustland" GP is a standout grunge rock piece not unlike Toxic Waste before it, perfect for an industrial post-apocalyptic race track.
  • Drive-Thru Danger from the "Gasmoxia" GP is an epic and foreboding track with a good use of theremin and guitar, fitting for the stage from the final Grand Prix.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

• Crash Compactor goes great lengths to fit in with the Hazardous Wastes' junkyard theming, while being infectiously catchy in its own right.
• Stage Dive is rock remix of N. Gin's theme from the second game, and it is incredibly catchy; no surprise, since the Boss Fight is a metal concert.
• Off-Balance sets itself apart from the other tracks by giving an otherworldly psychedelic sound to a haunting Eastern beat. The result is an insanely catchy theme like no other.
• Off-Beat is fitting, considering that even the level design is very music-themed. It's jazzy, upbeat and incredibly catchy, especially on the rail riding segments.
• Stay Frosty, the second snow level, brings out the big guns: incorporating elements of Cortex's fight from 2 and the beloved Snow Go theme for something new with a nostalgic kick that works perfectly.
• Out For Launch is a positively rocking tune that manages to capture the hectic feeling of an intergalactic space port into a funky piece of "space rock".
• A Hole In Space plays when you battle N. Tropy and his female counterpart. It starts out mysterious and almost menacing yet still epic and then it transitions into a cool electronic beat that manages to mix in N. Tropy's boss fight music from "Warped".

Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!

• Turtle Woods (Collection Run) doesn't even really sound like Crash Bandicoot music, as it uses a lot of rock guitar that fits more in a Sonic the Hedgehog game.
• Even the normal Turtle Woods music sounds great and even borrows the main theme from the first Crash Bandicoot game.
• The Great Gate (Collection Run) is now an upbeat and energetic mariachi tune.
• Beach Jungle (Battle Run) mixes the iconic title tunes from the original trilogy surprisingly well.

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