S.S.T. Band

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S.S.T. Band
OriginJapan
GenresRock, jazz fusion, video game
Years active1988-1993
LabelsPony Canyon
Scitron Digital Contents

The S.S.T. Band (エスエスティーバンド) (Sega Sound Team)[1] was Sega's official in-house band from 1988 to 1993, specializing in rock versions of Sega arcade game themes for Japan-only compilation albums and festival appearances. Consisting of six musicians who worked in Sega's sound department at the time,[1] the band included keyboardists Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Katsuhiro Hayashi, and Kimitaka Matsumae; guitarists Koichi Namiki and Jouji Iijima; bassists Sachio Ogawa and Shingo Komori; and drummer Takehiko Tanabe. Kawaguchi and Komori left the band in 1990 and were replaced by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi on keyboards and Masato Saito on bass, respectively.

Usually, some of these albums that were released would consists of two especially recorded versions of the game soundtrack and the rest would consist of the game's original soundtrack. After the group split, the members resumed work on Sega projects. Mitsuyoshi composed the soundtrack to Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA and the two installments of Shenmue, while Matsumae would be involved in Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter 3.

Although the original group disbanded in 1993, in 2011, former members of the band reunited under the name "Blind Spot", still regularly releasing albums and performing concerts as of 2021.[citation needed]

Discography[edit]

All titles are released through Pony Canyon unless stated.

Studio albums[edit]

Year Title Featured soundtracks
1988 Galaxy Force —G.S.M. Sega 1— Galaxy Force, Altered Beast, Out Run, Space Harrier, After Burner
Power Drift & Mega Drive —G.S.M. Sega 2— Power Drift, Phantasy Star II, Space Harrier II, Altered Beast, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, Super Thunder Blade, Scramble Spirits, Dynamite Düx
1989 Super Sonic Team —G.S.M. Sega 3— After Burner, Out Run, Turbo Outrun, Super Monaco GP, Tetris, Golden Axe
1990 Hyper Drive —G.S.M. Sega 4— G-LOC: Air Battle, Golden Axe, Sword of Vermilion, Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom, Super Hang-On, Bonanza Bros, Line of Fire, Alien Storm
1991 Formula —G.S.M. Sega 5— G-LOC: Air Battle, Rad Mobile, GP Rider, Cyber Dome Super Shooting System, Laser Ghost, Shining and the Darkness
1992 Blind Spot Original music

Compilations[edit]

Year Title Featured soundtracks Notes
1989 Mega Selection -G.S.M. Sega- After Burner, Power Drift, Galaxy Force, Space Harrier, Space Harrier II, Fantasy Zone, Out Run
1991 Mega Selection II -G.S.M. Sega- Super Hang-On, G-LOC: Air Battle, Turbo Outrun, GP Rider, Golden Axe, Power Drift, Sword of Vermilion, Bonanza Brothers
2003 Back in the S.S.T. Band!! ~The Very Best~ Out Run, Space Harrier, Galaxy Force, Power Drift, Super Monaco GP, Turbo Outrun, G-LOC: Air Battle, Super Hang-On, Rad Mobile, Fantasy Zone, After Burner, Strike Fighter Released under the Scitron label
2018 S.S.T. Band -30th Anniversary Box- Various Box set

Standalone game soundtracks (GSM 1500 series)[edit]

Year Title Notes
1990 After Burner Contains two arrangements and the original game soundtrack.
1991 Strike Fighter
1992 Out Run Contains three arrangements and the original game soundtrack.

Live album[edit]

Year Title Notes
1990 S.S.T.BAND LIVE! —G.S.M. Sega—

Videography[edit]

Year Title Notes
1990 S.S.T.BAND LIVE! —G.S.M. Sega—
1992 GAME MUSIC FESTIVAL ~Super Live '92~
1993 Game Music Live '93 Natsu ~Kounin Kaizokuban Cassette~
2006 S.S.T.BAND LIVE HISTORY Released under the Happinet label

Band lineups[edit]

Name Stagename Native spelling Instrument Year
Hiroshi Kawaguchi Hiro 川口博史 Keyboards 1988–1990
Katsuhiro Hayashi Funky K.H 林克洋 Keyboards 1988
Koichi Namiki Mickey/Pretty K.N 並木晃一 Guitar 1988–1993
Sachio Ogawa S.O 小河幸男 Bass 1988
Kimitaka Matsumae HARRIER 松前公高 Keyboards 1989–1993
Takehiko Tanabe THUNDER 田辺健彦 Drums 1989–1990
Shingo Komori BURNER 小森伸吾 Bass 1989
Jouji Iijima GALAXY 飯島丈治 Guitar 1989–1993
Masato Saito TURBO君 斉藤昌人 Bass 1990–1993
Hisanori Kumamaru SPLASHくま 熊丸久徳 Drums 1991–1993
Takenobu Mitsuyoshi R三郎丸 光吉猛修 Keyboards 1991–1993
David Leytze Mandalazu デヴィッド・ライツィー Keyboards & Lead Vocals 1994

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "S.S.T. Band". Sega Retro. Retrieved September 24, 2016.

External links[edit]