Build my Cthuhlu Sountrack

[MortonStromgal]

So I'm feeling out potential games for a comeback to the GM side. One of the problems I have always had with Cthuhlu is I really dig industrial and goth music and I love the 1920s... I need music in the background because it helps me keep a rhythm going to the story. However I feel industrial and goth music distracts more than helps a 1920s genre. So what I am asking is list soundtracks/bands that will fit the 1920s so I can try it out and maybe find something that will inspire me. I have Louis Armstrong Greatest Hits and the Dark City soundtrack but I need probably around 12hrs of music total to run a awesome campaign.

[MortonStromgal]

Picked up Glenn Miller Greatest Hits and The Cinderella Man soundtrack today. Both seam to fit the bill pretty well but I still need more

[Drohem]

I am not so sure about horror/Cthulhu, but if you're into music as background for RPG sessions, then you should look into the artist Kitaro. He does like all the instruments and it's instrumental.

I used it for the background soundtrack to a Forgotten Realms campaign years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitaro

You might find some cool interesting stuff that would fit it your current campaign.

[MortonStromgal]

Well, it might work for Cthuhlu but dang I'm thinking it would work great for D&D, Shadowrun, Vampire... yeah thanks man!

[Zorastor]

Check these out for cool back ground music


REH Vol 1 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UPN6SLML
REH Vol 2 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6F45M0SZ
REH Vol 3 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=L0OIZJCZ
REH Vol 4 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RGHWI8GW
REH Vol 5 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WRJRDIES


REH Vol 6 "Solomons Moon" http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9ADS2YTU
REH Vol 7 "Cult of Mythos" http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UI5HZ9MP
REH Vol 8 "Atlantean Shores" http://www.megaupload.com/?d=U60BE313
REH Vol 9 "Flight of Esau" http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WKS86BEV

[cplmac]

If you like the Glenn Miller stuff, I would suggest some of the early Lawrence Welk also. That's providing you can find it.

If I am remembering correctly, in the twenties they had a lot of "gentlemen clubs" that usually had jazz bands playing in them. Just make sure it is the older jazz and not some of this new stuff that they are passing off now.

[amardolem]

King Oliver and Sydney Bechet are some names to look for, if your looking for that dixieland type sound, or you could try some scott joplin piano "rags"(ragtime). I don't think they will have alot of tension, the pop tunes of the day often had a positive message that might make a game more creepy, I think era-themed pop would be the way to go. I have a disc some where called "Songs of the relentlessly cheerful-pop tunes of the 20's and 30's" (yeah I know, bizarre) I can't find it or I'd post where you could get it. (you could always search "relentlessly cheerful" or "pop tunes of the 20's") or for throw some brooding classical like Wagner; Sigfried's Death and Funeral Music or (going way out there) Schoenburg; Pierre Lunaire or maybe some wandering DeBussy stuff -hope it helps

[amardolem]

I found the 20's and 30's album, and actually it was somewhat of a home brew so I'm unsure if it's available, I got it for contributing to a local listener supported community radio station (WPKN in Bridgeport Ct, I bet you can still get it there for a small tax deductible donation-they're on the web) But here's a link to a similar album (tho not as good) and you can listen to this...relentlessly cheerful stuff
javascriptpenRecsRadio('/gp/recsradio/radio/B000002W36/ref=pd_krex_listen_dp_img?ie=UTF8&refTagSuffix=dp% 5Fimg')

edit: that link didn't work...It's Nppers 20's album on amazon....

[agoraderek]

the ragtime and big band stuff is good for period atmosphere, but i've found some of the more obscure 80's industrial and more artistic norwegian metal stuff is good for a foreboding mood...

[amardolem]

there's nothing more annoying than typing a post and then having it disappear! ok, I'm right there with you, but the op said he wanted period stuff. I'm enamored of CelticFrost's MONOTHEIST at the moment. I just happen to have that odd 20's music, which in it's own ironic way is creepy. I read all of HPL and that was the era, I haven't read much of the extraneous mythos material, or played CoC, though I do remember my friends and I passing the original(!) around in high school to check it out, but we weren't savy enough to get a game together beyond our AD&D at the time. How is the actual game? Do you get that cosmic horror feeling?

I've been hunting around the net and I found Sound dogs to be a good source of mp3 sound effects...you have to pay for broadcast quality but the give the mp3's for free. I want to trie to use them during a game...you walk into a tavern? Backround noise and glasses clinking, your facing some insectoid monstrosity? Insect sounds..that sort of thing. I had the idea that if you came up with a program that would each have assignable macros for sounds and could have them all on a page and each one could be a one time play or a loop (assignable) like the macros on maptool (if you are familiar) - a bunch of buttons that you prepare and can click on during the game ...just an idea..I'm no programmer....oh well meandered off again....cheers, nd I apologize for the near threadjack

[MortonStromgal]

How is the actual game? Do you get that cosmic horror feeling?

Its a basic percentile skill focused system.
Its good at not getting in the way of the story but although it does have sanity loss I don't think it stacks up well against more modern games like Unknown Armies for horror feeling. I have not played or read Trail of Cthuhlu yet but I think for getting the feeling of horror across Unknown Armies does it best. The madness meter and the way they handle damage makes you avoid big nasty things. YMMV

[florent]

I'd suggest a few movie OSTs to use at specific moments:

-- name of the rose (suspense, mystery moments)
-- Bram Stocker's Dracula
-- Glory (for the "let's go fight 'em deep ones" moments)
-- Band of Brother (for the "we lost Joe and Jessica fighting the deep ones" moment)
-- Cotton Club

For period music, I go with:

-- charleston, ragtime music:
http://alephnull.net/20s/cdtracks.pl
-- free music from WWI period on the web: http://www.worldwar1.com/media.htm#info
http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/index.htm

[amardolem]

There is a human slaughterhouse
Up on the hill, the road is red
And those who ignore
And those who pretend
It does not exist
End up in its hall

My blood goes to work
I hear the howl

There is a grove of bleached bones
Where lupins vomit children's limbs
Taking all their liberties
With parts of human anatomy

And in the hollow of a restless soul
Lies no remorse and no disgust
Every kill is clean and pure
Every thought is
cleansed in growls, yeah

There is a grove of tortured forms
Where all is dark and deeds are foul
And those who ignore
And those who pretend
That the howl is a joke
Their children lie dead

My blood goes to work
I hear the howl

And then my blood just goes to work
And then I hear the howl
(There is a human slaughterhouse
Up on the hill
The road is red)

And then my blood just goes to work
And then I hear the howl
(And those who ignore
And those who pretend
It does not exist
End up in its hall)

And then my blood just goes to work
And then I hear the howl
Blood just goes to work
And then I hear the howl
Blood just goes to work
And then I hear the howl
Blood just goes to work
And then I hear the howl
And then my blood just goes to work
And then I hear the howl

[Nihilistic Mind]

Lustmord. Check them out.

[Mead]

Not exactly 1920s, but Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance has some great dark mood music. Check out The Mirror Pool.