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So let's talk Theme Songs! Below is G1 Transformers (1984-1989).
Discuss favourites, memories etc - Sound off!





Season One

Season Two

The Movie

Season Three

Season Four





Headmasters

Super-God Masterforce

Victory

Zone

To me, nothing better captured Transformers than the intro theme to The Movie. The Season one theme song is very cringe worthy and naff today, but The Movie theme holds up. In a fiction based around war between Giant Alien Robots, one of which transforms into The Devil itself, how could Metal not be the most apt musical genre of choice for the series?
(Other eras and theme songs to follow)

The whole ost of the movie is epic but I've got a soft spot for the opening themes of the takara shows, I do love me some anime openings.

ZeroWolf wrote:The whole ost of the movie is epic but I've got a soft spot for the opening themes of the takara shows, I do love me some anime openings.

The first thing that struck me when putting these lists together was the tonal shift between Sunbow and Takara. Sunbow was never all that series with it's theme songs, but the Takara shows are so..barmy in comparison. Unsure if that's a good or bad thing

For obvious reasons Instruments of Destruction is my overall favourite of The Movie OST. Accompanies arguably the best scene in the entire film.

The takara openings are typical anime fare for their times though you should hear the difference between the American dbz opening song (the first one "Rock the Dragon") to the original Japanese one (titled "cha-la head cha-la" recorded when the show first broadcast in the late eighties)

Two words:

"TRANSFORMERS EVO."

Sabr wins...all hail Jam Project! (Though this song is still no hero, the theme they did for one punch man)

Part 2 : The Beast Era






(I'd actually forgotten that Beast Wars never altered the theme song in it's three series. So I just picked one intro at random.)



Beast Wars II



Beast Wars Neo



Beast Machines

The theming to the Beast Era was all over the place. The Japanese shows are seemingly at odds with the lore and tone of the Mainframe series. Much like Takara to Sunbow. Sounding off the Beast Era, although Beast Machines may be polarising from show to toys, the theme song is still strong even today.

Remember when Paul Oakenfold got brought in to do the Cybertron theme? Good times.

I'm really fond of the Armada end credits music. It sounds dated now but it was a nice rendition of the classic theme using what was a "modern" sound. "Modern" by 2003 standards, mind you!

The Unicron Trilogy is coming up next (along with Car Robots). I don't know if there is any variance between the US and Japanese ost, I'll note it if there is.

Beast Wars Second had two theme songs.

Sabrblade wrote:Beast Wars Second had two theme songs.

Please wait....





Thank You

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:The Unicron Trilogy is coming up next (along with Car Robots). I don't know if there is any variance between the US and Japanese ost, I'll note it if there is.

I would have recommended putting RiD 2001 with the Beast Era since it aired on the same block, Fox Kids, as Beast Wars and Beast Machines, and since Car Robots (but not RiD) is considered a part of the Beast Era in Japan.

I considered that but, much like Animated, I really think of Car Robots it's own thing. The links aren't strong enough thematically for me personally. Car Robots especially I consider Transformers: Gaiden. If Gigatron had actually been part of the Beast Era alongside the other main Predacon antagonists, he would be leading them (an idea I toyed with in my own writing).

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:I considered that but, much like Animated, I really think of Car Robots it's own thing. The links aren't strong enough thematically for me personally. Car Robots especially I consider Transformers: Gaiden. If Gigatron had actually been part of the Beast Era alongside the other main Predacon antagonists, he would be leading them (an idea I toyed with in my own writing).

It does fit thematically with Second and Neo, though.

Sabrblade wrote:It does fit thematically with Second and Neo, though.

Of which I have seen little beyond the pilot of BW2. I can only go by what I know. Watching Car Robots through a dial-up modem back in the day, I had no idea BW2 & Neo even existed.
Beast Wars=Mainframe Series, back then. Still does to me now really. A side-story was the first impression I got from Car Robots, so here we are.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:So let's talk Theme Songs! Below is G1 Transformers (1984-1989).
Discuss favourites, memories etc - Sound off!

Sunbow

Season One

Season Two

The Movie

Season Three

Season Four

Takara

Headmasters

Super-God Masterforce

Victory

Zone

To me, nothing better captured Transformers than the intro theme to The Movie. The Season one theme song is very cringe worthy and naff today, but The Movie theme holds up. In a fiction based around war between Giant Alien Robots, one of which transforms into The Devil itself, how could Metal not be the most apt musical genre of choice for the series?
(Other eras and theme songs to follow)

Why would you post both Sunbow season three and four?

They are the same theme song

Slight variance. To my ear, at least. Not that it really matters.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Slight variance. To my ear, at least. Not that it really matters.

It might be due to that particular Season 4 intro video not being of the best audio quality, coupled with all the new sound effects added to the mix.

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Slight variance. To my ear, at least. Not that it really matters.

It might be due to that particular Season 4 intro video not being of the best audio quality, coupled with all the new sound effects added to the mix.

I got to agree other than quality and the sound effects there’s really no difference in the song

If you’re going to judge them just by the sound of sex by the way, then you should add the season three variant opening and season five

As I have discussed in my own Beast Wars thread, given the ending to The Agenda, I assumed they would go all in on an Age of Apocalypse style dystopian alternate future. Alas that didn't happen but, via the PSOne BW video game and its own intro theme, is fitting for inclusion here as the alternative theme song to a Darker Season 3. Plus it is the only variant piece to Mainframe's BW ost. Enjoy!



The dark future born without Optimus Prime

Personally, I think that the BW is the best theme tune for repeated listening on TV. Other tunes are also good but get stale after a while. BW is also very dramatic.

For a good parody of cheesy 1980s toy-related cartoon theme tunes, see 'Toy Story That Time Forgot' (2014) - the Battlesaurs theme.