I was having a good laugh with friends about TPiR\'s infamous \"fail horn\", and it got me thinking, what\'s your favorite fail (or win) cues from over the years? For the record I\'m more of a fan of a variation of the main theme, as opposed to just playing a portion of the theme or the stinger...
WIN:
-Sale of the Century (Perry maingame)...I\'ve always loved the bombastic \"Duh...duh...DAHHHHHHH!!!\" fanfare, complete with someone banging the hell out of the tympani. It was the perfect ending to wrap up the game, esp. after a very tense Speed Round when Jim breathlessly yelled out the champion\'s name.
-Millionaire\'s million dollar win. Another dramatic one, and perfectly compliments the exuberant atmosphere with confetti falling and the audience going crazy. To me, a moment like that just wouldn\'t work with the main theme playing in the background.
-As cheesy as it was, Face the Music\'s special intro used for milestone or $10,000 wins actually worked...but it had a weird marching band sound to it (like a fight song or something).
-I always thought the Woolery/early Sajak era puzzle cue had a nice groove to it. The closing notes of \"Changing Keys\" was okay but no Thicke cue.
-Password Plus (maingame)
-Press Your Luck...the synthesized sound almost seemed like it was out of a video game, which kinda fits the video game-like technology of the show itself
LOSS:
-TPiR fail horns...it\'s seemed to become the ubiqitous symbol for failure, both on the show and in real life. I suppose you could include, by extension, the abbreviated fail horn found on other Goodson-Todman games.
-Millionaire...the first time I heard a clean version of this back in 2000, it sent shivers down my spine. Still prolly one of the most ominous clips I\'ve ever heard.
-Second Chance...I always get a kick out of the wank guitar when someone hit a devil.
-Gong Show...the two-horn note, NBC buzzer, then \"wah-wahhhh\" sound.
-American Blockbusters...both versions honestly.
Liked Perry Card Sharks and FF cues
I always liked the two cues (also varations of the main theme) played on (Dawson and Combs) Feud, played almost in quick succession when:
a) the game was decided with the bank putting the team over the magical amount of 300 points*, and
b) saying good bye to the losing family and then bringing out the two people for fast money, sending one off, and then tossing it to commercial...
* I realize it could also be 200 or 400 but it\'s most commonly 300.
Liked Perry Card Sharks and FF cues
Seconded. I have a fondness for win cues that are snippets of the main themes (Feud and Card Sharks) or are the main themes themselves (Price and Match Game).
I like the Pyramid theme, myself.
For a win cue, I liked the 80\'s version better. For an intro/outro, I liked the 70\'s version.
For losing cues, I would say BB\'80. Did any other losing cues incorporate the theme in some way?
For losing cues, I would say BB\'80. Did any other losing cues incorporate the theme in some way?
History IQ.
Favorite win cues/SFX---
-Scrabble/SOTC/Dream House sirens
-TPIR bells/sirens
-SOTC\'s big win music cue
-Feud main game and bonus win cues
Favorite lose cues---
-TPIR, of course [and Card Sharks\' use thereof]
-Classic Concentration
I\'m probably missing a few here and there [as usual for these list threads!].
Did any other losing cues incorporate the theme in some way?
As for losing cues, how about LMAD\'s zonk horns?
Win cue: WWTBAM Million Dollar Win - for obvious reasons (:)) Also like the \"Russian Roulette\" bonus round win cue.
Lose cue: TPiR Loser Horns and the WWTBAM Minor Chord of Doom.
Winning Cues:
Sale of the Century\'s cue for winning the whole lot (minus the sirens).
Card Sharks (Perry)
$xx,000 Pyramid
Whew! (Especially after now hearing it in the clear).
Losing Cues:
Blockbusters (especially a favorite cue at GSC 8 -- 15 people at a sports bar having a contest about who can mimic the losing cue the best).
TPIR losing horns
Whew!\'s Times Uuuuup!
As snappy as I considered the think music from The Cross-Wits to be, the \"time\'s up\" buzzer seemed overly harsh. (Technically, I guess that buzzer is not a losing cue because it sounded before the team gave their answer.)
Not a win/lose cue, but I always enjoyed the Home Player Spin sounder on Press Your Luck.
I was having a good laugh with friends about TPiR\'s infamous \"fail horn\", and it got me thinking, what\'s your favorite fail (or win) cues from over the years? For the record I\'m more of a fan of a variation of the main theme, as opposed to just playing a portion of the theme or the stinger...
WIN:
-Sale of the Century (Perry maingame)...I\'ve always loved the bombastic \"Duh...duh...DAHHHHHHH!!!\" fanfare, complete with someone banging the hell out of the tympani. It was the perfect ending to wrap up the game, esp. after a very tense Speed Round when Jim breathlessly yelled out the champion\'s name.
-Millionaire\'s million dollar win. Another dramatic one, and perfectly compliments the exuberant atmosphere with confetti falling and the audience going crazy. To me, a moment like that just wouldn\'t work with the main theme playing in the background.
-As cheesy as it was, Face the Music\'s special intro used for milestone or $10,000 wins actually worked...but it had a weird marching band sound to it (like a fight song or something).
-I always thought the Woolery/early Sajak era puzzle cue had a nice groove to it. The closing notes of \"Changing Keys\" was okay but no Thicke cue.
-Password Plus (maingame)
-Press Your Luck...the synthesized sound almost seemed like it was out of a video game, which kinda fits the video game-like technology of the show itself
LOSS:
-TPiR fail horns...it\'s seemed to become the ubiqitous symbol for failure, both on the show and in real life. I suppose you could include, by extension, the abbreviated fail horn found on other Goodson-Todman games.
-Millionaire...the first time I heard a clean version of this back in 2000, it sent shivers down my spine. Still prolly one of the most ominous clips I\'ve ever heard.
-Second Chance...I always get a kick out of the wank guitar when someone hit a devil.
-Gong Show...the two-horn note, NBC buzzer, then \"wah-wahhhh\" sound.
-American Blockbusters...both versions honestly.
I loved the Gong Show loss cue.
I thought that we would never hear the Millionaire million dollar loss cue on the show, but we heard it on Ken Basin in 2009.
Brian
Not a win/lose cue, but I always enjoyed the Home Player Spin sounder on Press Your Luck.
On PYL, I always got a kick out of that PING when one contestant passed their spins to another. It sounded a lot like the \"No Smoking/Fasten Seat Belts\" chime on certain commercial aircraft at the time.
As snappy as I considered the think music from The Cross-Wits to be, the \"time\'s up\" buzzer seemed overly harsh. (Technically, I guess that buzzer is not a losing cue because it sounded before the team gave their answer.)
I don\'t know exactly what they used for that buzzer, but our fire alarm in my dormitory back in the day sounded exactly like it. Considering how often we heard that friggin alarm go off due to prank pulls and too much \'smoking\' in the rooms, I always wished the alarm would be as short as the Cross Wits buzzer.
As for losing cues, how about LMAD's zonk horns?
Win: the Whew! win klaxons.
Loss: the Blockbusters losing horns.
WIN:
- Break the Bank \'76 theme playing when someone, um, breaks the bank.
- Tic-Tac-Dough win, both short and extended (for bonus game and car wins)
- Card Sharks \'86 match/Money Cards win. On the other hand, I liked all the cues for CS \'78 (includes the ones I named for \'86, plus the shorter game win signal...that theme song made some great cues)
- Hot Potato game win cue, and bonus/match win (same melody but different pitches)
- A series of the CBS \"dings\" are always nice. Also, the NBC \"chimes\" (not THOSE chimes, you hear them on CS and MG/HS, for example, when someone wins a game/match/bonus)
- Password Plus match win, I wish we had a clean version of that (and the music that usually plays when they go to Alphabetics)
- Super Password match win
LOSE:
- Dream House loss at the golden doors, though that is mostly because of the sing-along invented for it way back when, in the ATGS days.
- Doesn\'t signify a loss of the game/match/bonus, but the Password Plus/Super Password illegal clue alarm.
- The Whammy horn too, and the cartoons of course.
- Ditto on the Villains\' \"TIME\'S UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!\" (this isn\'t somehow included on the TVPMM disc, is it?)
- Blockbusters \'87 Gold Run loss (also a sing-along moment: \"YOU\'RE-A-LO-SEERRRRRRRRRR!\", if I remember correct)
As for losing cues, how about LMAD\'s zonk horns?
Right on! I especially like the ones from the mid-1980s version.
This. And as such, you\'ll love this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc4pPDf4U2A
Win: Both versions of the big win cue on $ale.
Lose: The fail horn and BB \'80\'s horn.
A couple favorite win cues that I don\'t think have been mentioned yet: The Scrabble Sprint win cue, and the endgame win cue from Tomarken\'s Wipeout.
Some of my favorite win cues are as follows:
TTD\'7x-Both versions(especially the one where a player wins a car, it gets a double-loop).
LMaD\'84(the end theme of \'7x Split Second)-When someone wins big at the Door#4 wheel or when Monty Hall announces the value of the Big Deal.
$ale of the Century Lot win cue-There\'s no denying this was my favorite $otC cue.
WWTBAM M$ win cue-Great way to emphasize excitement & relief after answering the final question for all the marbles.
Scrabble-Not just the main game win cue, but when the Bonus Sprint was won, it was a treat to hear.
The Joker\'s Wild(CBS version)-I always wondered how they managed to use some silly clown-type music for a 5-time champion, but it was cool to hear it.
Now, the losses:
WWTBAM M$ Minor Chord of Doom- Truly the epitomy of failure.
Hollywod Squares\'86-Nothing\'s worse than hearing the sputtering car engine & the \"nana nana na-NA!\" effect. Also, in H^2, when a player failed to open the safe, a wonky \"wha-wha-wha-WHA!\"was used.
Blockbusters\'80-Hearing those horns certainly takes the sting out of hearing that time\'s up buzzer.
Remote Control Game Over siren-You know you\'re in a basement & not an underground bunker when someone has to go.
Not exactly a win cue, but I always have enjoyed the cut of music Sale played when someone went to play the Winners Big Money Game. It gave the essence that the contestant was going to do something special.
Yes, that and the cut when they opened the shopping area. The Reg Grundy shows had some great orchestral-type music.
As I said above, using the part of the CS78 theme with the horns when someone went to the Money Cards was another good one, it made the round seem like an even bigger deal, with a sense of urgency. The trip to Bonus Island on Bullseye had the same effect.
I also mentioned the Alphabetics music.
Joker\'s Wild eventually got some good cues for contestants to went to face the devil...the Bullseye music and the one used in the last Barry season(s) and the first Cullen.
The strings piece that played when a new team of challengers would be revealed on Collyer TTTT. And of course \"Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-baaaaaaaaaaaaa!\" from the Moore/etc. version.
Simple but effective one (with the lights dimming): the drum roll setting up the bonus round in \'80s WOF?
Back to win/loss cues, someone mentioned the losing SFX for HS86\'s bonus game (also heard on Just Men!)...the game win cue was also very good too. Compare the actual show and its style to the Marshall version if you must, but you can\'t deny that Davidson\'s had some GREAT music. Not to say hearing the snippet from the Marshall theme(s) to signify a win there was a slouch in that department.
I also liked Classic Concentration\'s game win cue (I think they used it for game and match alike).
I mentioned hearing the BTB76 theme when someone got the three money bags. Hearing the Match Game theme when someone wins the head-to-head also had a great effect, and one more party-like to go with, well, the whole show.
I liked both of Hit Man\'s front game wins...had that \'80s video game vibe to it that the show was going for. Can I count the board setting \"music\" for the Triple Crown here too?
I\'ll agree (X gets the square) with the sample of Big Wheels signifying a puzzle solve on NBC WOF. Not to discredit the last three notes of Changing Keys (the ORIGINAL recording only!), though.
The Million Win and Million Loss cues from Millionaire have been mentioned ad nauseum so far, but I\'ll give a nod to ALL the win and loss cues from that show. The way they pitch up the farther along in the game you are was a really clever idea.
One that hasn\'t been mentioned might be the ONLY good cue from US DoND: The million win cue. I\'m still trying to find a cut of that in the clear.
One that hasn\'t been mentioned might be the ONLY good cue from US DoND: The million win cue. I\'m still trying to find a cut of that in the clear.
I agree, although I\'d say the music package wasn\'t half bad...a little repetitive but catchy. Anyways, yes, that\'s a great cue.
As much as I couldn\'t stand the NBC version, I will say that the celebration, with the music and everyone going nuts was awesome...it was one of the few moments from that show that seemed natural instead of manufactured. I always thought the models running to congratulate the winner was a nice touch, kinda how the British contestants mob the winner there.
The show itself and the lead-up to the big win still sucked*.
*Esp. the outro to commercial...\"Will Tomorrow win the million dollars? Find out in __ minutes!\" As if they\'d go through all that and she doesn\'t win. :-P
How could I have forgotten the edit of Dig We Must that plays when someone spins a dollar?!!?
Two words: TIIIIIIIME\'S UUUUUP!
As for other cues, hm, let\'s see...
WIN CUES:
Millionaire
Pyramid (Clark)
TPiR (Clangs, whoops, Dig We Must, etc.)
Loss Cues:
See above
The losing horn
Whammy foghorn
If I can think of more, I\'ll definitely put them in.
How could I have forgotten the edit of Dig We Must that plays when someone spins a dollar?!!?
How indeed? One of my favorites. Akin to the ending from The Feud as Grand Game\'s intro. The more boisterous of the \'76 package (Dig We Must, Feud, Starcrossed, Big Banana, and Bean Stalker) are great high-energy pieces.
Win cue: \"Super Password\" main game. Seven notes that build that \"win\" feeling. Definitely better within the repetitive \"ding\" sounds, and especially nice to hear when somebody solved the winning puzzle unexpectedly.
For some reason I also liked the Las Vegas Gambit win cue in the main game.
Just about everything from $otc is really thought out. Add to the losing side the music when Jim was going over the missed questions in the speed-up round (first version). One of the few packages of music that I\'d still love to get ahold of, if it still exists. As for the Gong Show, I actually like the little tune played when sending a contestant off more than the actual gong.
Win: Both versions of the big win cue on $ale.
I recall someone within the last year or so finding the win music online either buried on the composer\'s site or part of a stock music package. I searched the Video & Audio Clips section for key words like \"$ale\"/\"Sale\"/\"SotC\" etc. but couldn\'t find the link. Does anyone still have this or remember seeing it as well?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQeQ4sFNtk8&list=PL5AE1A66C5F678BCD&index=4
Thanks for that link. So it seems like this wasn\'t just created for $OTC then, plus the instrumentation is different than the brassy music used for the rest of the show. Wonder if this was used for anything else. The music on the clip runs a bit fast as well, easily fixable though. Definitely cool to have a copy of this.
Win: Both versions of the big win cue on $ale.
Is the second version you\'re reffering to this, or something from the 1987 package that I\'m forgetting?
[media]youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=uqwgjOFeieI#t=102s[/media]
As for losing cues, how about LMAD\'s zonk horns?
This is another good one, both the 80s and current versions.
Also not really a \"win\" cue, but the sound effect used when a player would roll doubles on the 1978-80 run of High Rollers was always one of my favourites. Does anyone know if it was used in the 1974-76 run, too?
The win cues for the original Gambit are also high on my list. Then again, as a synth player and an electronica lover, Mort Garson is one of my inspirations. With the arguable exception of the closing theme (a very well constructed piece of music in itself but it didn\'t really fit with the overall spirit of the game, IMHO), all of the music on that show was brilliant.
\"buh duh, buh dum, HAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr!\" the ol\' losing horns of TPIR!!
Holy onomatopoeia Batman!
For me, I\'ll limit it to three for each.
Best win cues: Super Password bonus win cue, Millionaire million dollar win cue, Sale of the Century big win cue
Best loss cues: Hollywood Squares car loss cue from Davidson era, TPIR losing horns, Gong Show cue they played the contestants off with.
Also not really a \"win\" cue, but the sound effect used when a player would roll doubles on the 1978-80 run of High Rollers was always one of my favourites. Does anyone know if it was used in the 1974-76 run, too?
No. There was some repetitive two-note SFX that AFAIK was never heard on any other show.
High Rollers \'87- Bad Roll
CBS/NBC clangs/sirens (think there were separate ones, I believe. There\'s one you\'d hear on High Rollers \'78 or Treasure Hunt \'73, and the one they used throughout the 80s)
Win cue: the word solve cue from the crossword round on Scrabble. It\'s simple, fits the theme package, and just works for me. The Ellis (brothers?) were very good at composing the packages from $ale and Scrabble.
Lose cue: I don\'t know if it counts as a lose cue, but the current consolation music on Wheel after a player loses the bonus round is pretty nice. (BTW, if you lose the bonus round on the newest iPad verison of Wheel, you can hear the full cut in the clear.)