Sonic Spinball comes on vinyl from Data Discs. That wouldn’t have been my first choice.

The record label Data Disc is celebrating its 25th anniversary – at least for the numbered releases. A very special game from SEGA was chosen for this big event of a small label. A title that delighted fans at the time, known for its brilliant sound design, which left a bigger footprint in the saga of the blue hedgehog than even Sonic 2 or Adventure. I’m talking of course… Sonic Spinball!

Wait, what, Sonic Spinball? The game that legend has it actively destroyed the Mega Drive’s sound chip to produce the infernal sounds tumbling out of the boxes in the options menu? That Sonic Spinball sounding like the audio out burping at you on some levels? Yes, that very Sonic Spinball.

Of course, this is all a very personal retrospective. At the time it didn’t bother us very much, the music seemed nice, even if it was strange that the famous Sonic theme was missing. Well, it was discovered very, very, VERY close to the end that the rights to this theme did not belong to SEGA, but that a member of the Japanese pop band Dreams Come True composed the music for the first few games (bass player Masato Nakamura, to be exact to be). With more than 50 million albums sold, this isn’t a band that can be sorted out with a quick phone call either, so the new Spinball theme was composed and implemented in a full two hours. In any case, composer Howard Drossin has internalized Sonic’s speed well.

In the end, Spinball is a special case of the series, it was then, it is now. I like the game, I like the music, but if you’re not a record collector but are buying specifically the things you want to hear, then you should listen twice here. And actually I would have imagined a Sonic 1 + 2 box set for the big number 25, but maybe that also has something to do with the rights for the music publication outside of the games, see what I just wrote. Also: At some point Data had to bring Sonic Spinball, they’re over it now.

As for the release, it’s Data Disc. We have a hard time believing that Sonic Spinball never sounded as good as it does on this pressing, which comes in three different versions: Limited Blue Transparent Pinwheel, Blue Transparent Only, and of course Black. Since the soundtrack isn’t particularly long – around 20 minutes – it was pressed as a 45, in the sleeve you’ll find the cover again as an art print and, as always, there’s an OBI strip around it. The price is 24 British pounds, which is currently around 29 euros. With shipping, you end up with about 40 euros for the import, since Data thankfully takes on the duties for EU shipping.

It will be available from tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. If you would like access to the shop before 2:00 p.m., you should register quickly for the Newsletter (at the bottom of the page) Sign in. You can also order Sonic Spinball here. If you want to catch up on other classics: Reprints of Outrun and Sonic Mania will go on sale tomorrow, Streets of Rage, Space Harrier and a few others are still in stock.