494: “Sonic R’s Soundtrack Has a Life of Its Own” - Richard Jacques, The Sound of 90s SEGA - The Retro Hour EP494

The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

The Retro Hour

Technology, Leisure, Video Games

4.9 • 558 Ratings

🗓️ 21 August 2025

⏱️ 97 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week’s episode comes live from Retromessa 2025 in Norway, where we were joined on stage by legendary video game composer Richard Jacques. From creating music on a ZX Spectrum at age 11 to scoring iconic titles like Sonic R, Jet Set Radio, Headhunter, and Mass Effect, Richard shares his incredible journey through Sega’s golden years, live orchestras at Abbey Road, and the unexpected afterlife of a song that became a meme.

Richard's website: https://www.richardjacques.com/home

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
54:42 - Richard Jacques Interview

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Show notes

Sega Laserdisc Emulation Has Just Taken a Major Leap Forward: https://tinyurl.com/yc3t492v
The Settlers II Finally Settles on Amiga 29 Years Late: https://tinyurl.com/y5xjjyvh
Modder Builds Windows 98 Handheld Using Original Hardware: https://tinyurl.com/2v7j2y37
Happy 30th Birthday to Internet Explorer: https://tinyurl.com/452j77md
Parenting Like It’s 1999: https://tinyurl.com/2etae5m7

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Coming up on this week's show, a classic lands on the Amiga after 29 years.
0:06.3	Parenting like it's 1999.
0:08.8	And we chat with game audio legend Richard Jakes.
0:28.4	And the Retro Hour podcast is brought to you each and every Friday with our sponsor,
0:30.0	our friends at Bitmap Books.
0:36.5	Now, coming soon from there, actually landing this week, 50 indie games that change the world.
0:39.3	Now, this book is a real celebration of some of the most important titles from outside of the typical AAA studio system, including some retro style
0:46.0	games like Shobal Might, Dead Cells, early indie masterpieces like Super Meat Boy and Limbo. If you love
0:51.9	the indie game scene, this is a must read weighing in at more than
0:55.1	450 pages. You can check it out and the rest of their retro gaming collection at bitmapbooks.com.
1:02.2	And with our friends at replay events. Now very soon they're going to be heading over to Liverpool
1:07.2	for the very first time holding the Liverpool Gaming Market. Now, the Davey Diary is Sunday the 14th of September. If you haven't been to one of these events before, you can expect just obviously loads of light-minded people, loads of traders there as well, and pick up some amazing bargains. You'd have to pay for a postage of costs and all that kind of thing as well, obviously. So if you've got to check that out, the first ever Liverpool Gaming Market.
1:29.4	Link in the show notes or head to Liverpool Gaming Market.com.
1:33.8	Hello and welcome to the Retro Hour podcast, episode number 494, your weekly dose of retro gaming
1:40.1	and technology news with me, Dan Wood.
1:42.5	Me, Ashley Kingston.
1:44.0	And me, Joe Fox.
1:45.6	And a very warm welcome to the show.
1:47.4	No Ravi this week.
1:48.4	That does mean a nice to have Ash back on the show,
1:51.1	darling in from his very glamorous hotel tonight.
1:54.0	Oh, it's beautiful.
	...

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