The Super Mario Bros. 1-3 Anthology

[DeadAwake]

Hi, all.  I was wondering about this album I came across online.  It claims to be a 3-disc set, but I don't think it exists in the real world... Can anyone shed some light on this?  Here's the track list:

1-01 Main Theme & Overworld
1-02 Underworld
1-03 Underwater
1-04 Castle
1-05 Starman
1-06 Level Complete
1-07 Castle Complete
1-08 You're Dead
1-09 Game Over
1-10 Game Over 2
1-11 Into the Tunnel
1-12 Ending
1-13 HURRY
1-14 HURRY (Underground)
1-15 HURRY (Underwater)
1-16 HURRY (Castle)
1-17 HURRY (Starman)
1-18 HURRY (Overworld)
2-01 Title Theme
2-02 Character Select
2-03 Overworld
2-04 Underworld
2-05 Starman
2-06 Sub-Space
2-07 Boss
2-08 Bonus Game
2-09 Fanfare
2-10 Miss
2-11 Wart
2-12 Boss Victory
2-13 Game Over
2-14 Ending
3-01 World Map 1 (Grass Land)
3-02 World Map 2 (Koopahari Desert)
3-03 World Map 3 (Sea Side)
3-04 World Map 4 (Big Island)
3-05 World Map 5 (The Sky)
3-06 World Map 6 (Iced Land)
3-07 World Map 7 (Pipe Maze)
3-08 World Map 8 (Dark Land)
3-09 Overworld 1
3-10 Overworld 2
3-11 Underwater
3-12 Underworld
3-13 Warp Zone
3-14 Starman
3-15 Warp Whistle
3-16 Music Box
3-17 N-Spade
3-18 Toad's House
3-19 Fortress
3-20 Hammer Bros. Battle
3-21 King
3-22 Airship
3-23 Koopa Kid Battle
3-24 Victory Fanfare
3-25 King Restored
3-26 Course Clear
3-27 You're Dead
3-28 Game Over
3-29 Bowser Battle
3-30 Ending

All tracks are music straight from the game--no remixes or live renditions.  Is this an actual release or some fan-made concoction?

[MEGAߥTE]

Looks unofficial.  There was no US release like that, and a Japanese release wouldn't have ordered the games like that (and it's missing SMB2J music).  Also, there's no reason for 3 discs; they'd fit on one with room to spare like: http://www.themushroomkingdom.net/mania/albums/scdc00360

[DeadAwake]

Thanks, MEGAߥTE!  That more or less confirms my suspicions.

Oh, and the fan who made this took the liberty of looping the songs an extra time or two.  At just over 80 minutes, the whole set has a good flow to it... so I thought it'd be a nice addition to an mp3 player.  I'm pretty picky about tags and was hoping to find an official track listing for comparison.

May I provide a link?

[Chupperson Weird]

Wait, they use 3 CDs for 80 minutes?

[Luigison]

Get the Famicom Sound History Series: Mario the Music that MEGAߥTE linked.  I got it from play-asia when they had a sale.  You should be able to loop the music however you want with your mpg player. 

[DeadAwake]

Wait, they use 3 CDs for 80 minutes?

Well, I think it's safe to wager that this compilation wasn't designed with any medium in mind--'cause it's totally virtual.  At the same time, the 80-minute mark can't be a coincidence... I mean, it can be, but... That's the max a single CD can hold, right?

Thanks for the tip, Luigison.  That's a good point about looping:  Why waste the disk space?  At the same time, it's nice to just hit play and leave the album on auto-pilot.  Eh, I'm torn.

[Chupperson Weird]

CDs can actually usually hold more than 80 minutes. That's just the maximum time defined by the standard.

As far as looping, the standard for game music is two complete loops of the music and then a fade. People making home rips frequently disregard this.

[Luigison]

Oh, I always thought it was originally only 74 minutes based on Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and later extended to 80 min.  You are right though. 

[Chupperson Weird]

Yeah, the standard originally was 74 minutes, now it's 80, but they can still hold more.

[David]

CDs can actually usually hold more than 80 minutes. That's just the maximum time defined by the standard.

As far as looping, the standard for game music is two complete loops of the music and then a fade. People making home rips frequently disregard this.

The "Standard" is two loops... the problem is that some folks doing game soundtrack rips hold to that religiously regardless of the music's composition, structure, style, or length.

No, I'm not perturbed.

[Chupperson Weird]

The only time I'll really say it's okay to deviate is when the piece has a definite beginning or end, or if the programmed loop contains two full statements of the form with a small bridge leading back into the first statement of the form again. In that kind of situation I think it's permissible to do one loop only.