This man has had impacts beyond what I think he probably realizes. A few years ago, we used the EverQuest maintheme for myself and best man to walk down the aisle at my wedding, played by a live pianist.
Every single day when i logged into the game a chill run through my spine with the 1st notes of the opening theme and still to this day it happens when i listen that music.
Composing all of the music prior to the PoP expansion is ridiculous, this guy is a legend. Don't get me wrong, there have been fantastic scores post PoP, but Jay Barbeau put out some of the most nostalgic bangers of EQ. Crazy to imagine he did most of it while being limited trying to accommodate MIDI.
This is absolutely wonderful. The authentic live piano of the songs in the interview with Jay leaves me completely mesmerized. Thanks so much for your hard work putting this together. This episode was completely worth the wait, me having asked about it prior. Long live Everquest!
At 14:50 Jay mentions he is proud of his work, he should be! It still take me back to 1999 today, nothing in gaming hits me like this music does. He is a true legend. The Temple of Marr music was always my favorite, it just takes you away to a far away place.
The Sea Theme and Bard's Guild themes always get stuck in my head after all these years. I haven't played EQ1 in 20 years and they continue to get stuck in my head. There are music boxes in EQ2 that play the original EQ1 city theme songs.... and they STILL get stuck in my head!
My favorite original piece of EQ music is, as boring of an answer as it is... the original theme. Every time that theme starts up, I just get hit with feels. I have several friends who know I play EQ but have never played it themselves, and a few months ago one of them sneakily put the EQ theme in his playlist of music he plays while we play board games, and as soon as it started, just those first two notes, I immediately perked up, ane he just laughed about it because of how instantly I recognized it and knew what it was. It's just that special to me!
Same here, Half Elf Bard, E'ci server. I remember the first time I Selo's all the way to Freeport at level 12, before Kith was a danger zone at night. My heart pounded so hard with fear of dying trying to get to Freeport and looking for my corpse. I died once in the Karanas by level 16 Bandits I believe and trying to get my corpse back. There was no macros back then to drag corpse.
The Qeynos theme will always have a soft spot in my heart, since I did most of my early levels in that side of the world (Qeynos sewers, BlackBurrow, Karanas, etc).
This is amazing! It brings tears to my eyes. I love his music so much I taught myself how to play the Kelethin theme on piano and posted it on UA-cam years ago. He said he wanted music that evoked emotion, was orchestral, and epic like a movie score and I think he nailed it.
I've been digging back into EQ1 lately and the first thing that hits you really hard is that super nostalgic music. Some of it as MIDI, some of it as MP3 now, but all of it so good. It's true though, MIDI, as simple as it is, is still capable of touching the heart and soul in a way reminiscent of long past days. MIDI just hits different, similar to the old 8- and 16-bit game console days. Question, would it be possible to do a similar episode for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes? That's one that hasn't been covered that much over the many years, and I understand that it might be difficult topic due to its history etc., but it deserves the love and praise because it's magnificent in its own unique way. If anyone can cover it with the love and dedication that it would need to do so, it's most definitely you @ Fading. Anyway, what a nice episode @ Everquest Show. Well done!
When i played in 1999, the music was incredible. added so much to the game. started gaming in the 70's, and the original EverQuest theme music is far and away the best. Neverwinter Nights would be second.
Sent shivers up my spine. I don't think I realized how much the music added to the atmosphere until this moment. I kind of regret voice chat becoming a thing. It breaks the immersion of the game world.
Thank you for this interview! Jay’s music and themes made Norrath feel like a world that had a history and culture. Very thankful for his contributions to my Everquest experience over the years.
Everquest music is among my favorite videogame music ever. My favs have changed during the years. I miss hearing boat song on the boats, underwater and ducking song ingame. Thank you Maestro Jay for the Masterpieces....and of course Fading for making epic content.
I love many of the EQ songs, but freporte.mid sticks out in my head. I'm pretty sure I first heard it in an RPG Maker 2000 project my friend was putting together, before I'd even played EverQuest. Thank you for the interview, and thank you, Mr. Barbeau, for sharing your wonderful work with us. Over 20 years later, it still lives in my head and I'm happy to have it there.
Thank you, Jay, for creating the music that made an already special game even more extraordinary. Every time I hear these tunes, I get a dopamine hit, remembering what it felt like to explore Norrath for the first time.
This is one of the best Everquest videos I have seen. Thank you for producing this video. I always felt inspired by the EQ music. It added the atmosphere and character to each zone. The introduction music when we started the game was memorable and unforgettable. Just listening to the music is like bringing back to memory all the adventures we had in the original magical world of Everquest. So.e players like to listen to music from dvd music while playing, but I always like to inmerse myself in the experience of Norrath, and to do so, I used headphones or turned the volume up with stereo speakers. Thank you, Jay and all the composers that contributed with the music in the game world, and thank you to all those involved in creating EQ, The original player community in the game was amazing.
Fantastic episode!! Thank you so much. EverQuest music was a huge drive for me to go and discover the zones. I was always a game music geek and listened to the music when I was still in West Antonica and imagined the zones. I would aim to go to the zones I loved the music of and see for myself. So nice to learn more about the composition and inspirations.
A truly fantastic episode-thank you so much!! One teensy correction: the game credits list Sam Powell as the composer for Scars of Velious. And a couple really interesting facts Jay discussed in a different interview: Ruins of Kunark has no music because the dev team was scrambling to build the expansion quickly and just didn’t think about music; and the music for Shadows of Luclin was hidden in the game for 15 years due to a glitch and no one noticed!
Thanks for this amazing episode. As a heavy game music fan (in specific Nobuo Uematsu's Final Fantasy work) the EQ1 pieces are absolutely nostalgic and beautiful to me as well. As a Queens based Bard from 1999 my favourite is The Gates of Qeynos, every time I hear it it give me such an uplifting feeling. But absolute honourable mentions go to Bard's Guild, Kelethin, Sea travel, the Rivervale song and of course the main theme which I absolutely adore. As both the EQ and EQ2 OSTs are available on Apple Music (and Spotify as well I believe), I still listen to them regularly.
Music-wise, my favorite Barbeau track was always the main EQ theme (which was beautifully adapted by its spiritual successor the EQ2 theme), though in-game I always got a kick out of the old school Rivervale theme: halfling town was always so peppy. Once Romero took over, the PoP soundtrack as a whole was superb, though my faves from that expansion were the Plane of Earth and Plane of Time themes .🎶🎵🎶
I remember my first time playing when the game first came out. Epic! The music made all the difference! I'm seriously thinking of returning to the game.
Still listen to this and get goosebumps, its actually the most nostalgic soundtrack for me, kelethin and freeport bard guild tracks are incredible, the whole thing is but those 2 tracks hit me hard.
15:05 Not sure if its my favorite but I'm sure its one of the best one that is the most under rated. The vendor music. Sometimes I will just open the vendor to listen to it. Also, did classic steamfont have its own music before the revamp in 2005-2007ish? Also, Fading thanks for doing these interviews. This is great EQ history. Never remove these videos. Mr. Jay Barbeau if you are reading the comments. Thank you for the great music and memories over the last 25 years. Well done!
The vendor music was so soothing. It was something I'd also listen after a heavy raid and I needed to relax. It kinda reminded me of the shrine music in Ultima 4
Brilliant. They should really bring him back to do some tracks for the next EverQuest game. If they want familiar but remixed tunes, this is how you do it.
Since you’ve been able to find all these original creators I’d like to put in a suggestion for one more. I would really like to see one about Muse who made the original eqatlas site. Everyone who played the game back in the day used his (or her) maps and likely had binders full of them printed out. They were an essential part of the early game and I’d love to have the story behind them.
When ever I hear the main theme I am right away spirited back to 99 when I first saw a friend play this game in a net cafe... Before long we had a WHOLE table of EQ players heck we even formed our own 10 man guild to explore the world of Norath. I remember one day when we met up went inside and found three guys sitting at OUR table.. We just stode there right behind these three CS players and watched them for more then ten minutes looking at them getting more and more nervous until one of them asked what our problem were and we just said "You at our table" 15:11 MAIN THEME all the way! XD XD
i honestly stopped listening to the music in everquest when they "revamped" it. i prefer his original intro song that that went minutes for minutes due to the long load times rather than the newever version sounds fuller but is only like a 20 second loop. pass. give me the original late 90s version he composed in full any day.
QUESTION FROM THE SHOW : Which Original Piece of EverQuest Music is your favorite? Let us know! Is it featured here?
The ocean of tears boat music, market, and the song pulling into Freeport on the boat are incredible. Favorite hands down is kelethin's theme!
❤❤❤
I agree, Kelethin theme is pure nostalgia@@RpTheHotrod
Kelethin of course!
Wood Elf Ranger for 25 years - there's only 1 answer I can give and it does not need be said! 😉
This man has had impacts beyond what I think he probably realizes. A few years ago, we used the EverQuest maintheme for myself and best man to walk down the aisle at my wedding, played by a live pianist.
Every single day when i logged into the game a chill run through my spine with the 1st notes of the opening theme and still to this day it happens when i listen that music.
All of us who got to share in this brief, beautiful moment in time sincerely appreciate Jay and his contribution to EverQuest.
Hoo boy... I'm getting that undeniable urge again.
Composing all of the music prior to the PoP expansion is ridiculous, this guy is a legend. Don't get me wrong, there have been fantastic scores post PoP, but Jay Barbeau put out some of the most nostalgic bangers of EQ. Crazy to imagine he did most of it while being limited trying to accommodate MIDI.
This music is a part of my soul now. Awesome to see Jay doing well. Qeynos Hills would be my favorite.
Wow, this is one of the best episodes yet. Thank you Jay for so many great memories.
This is absolutely wonderful. The authentic live piano of the songs in the interview with Jay leaves me completely mesmerized. Thanks so much for your hard work putting this together. This episode was completely worth the wait, me having asked about it prior. Long live Everquest!
Long live Jay Barbeau!
This man is a treasure. What beautiful music. I'll remember it for a lifetime! Thank you Fading!
What a legend, the scores were so ahead of their time.
At 14:50 Jay mentions he is proud of his work, he should be! It still take me back to 1999 today, nothing in gaming hits me like this music does. He is a true legend.
The Temple of Marr music was always my favorite, it just takes you away to a far away place.
The Sea Theme and Bard's Guild themes always get stuck in my head after all these years. I haven't played EQ1 in 20 years and they continue to get stuck in my head. There are music boxes in EQ2 that play the original EQ1 city theme songs.... and they STILL get stuck in my head!
Nothing beat the first time i logged into EQ on my Wood Elf Ranger hearing Kelethin theme and being simply enthralled by it.
They hired the right guy to make the music. Hot damn. He loves what he does and it shows.
My favorite original piece of EQ music is, as boring of an answer as it is... the original theme. Every time that theme starts up, I just get hit with feels. I have several friends who know I play EQ but have never played it themselves, and a few months ago one of them sneakily put the EQ theme in his playlist of music he plays while we play board games, and as soon as it started, just those first two notes, I immediately perked up, ane he just laughed about it because of how instantly I recognized it and knew what it was. It's just that special to me!
This is epic! Thank you Fading and Jay for this interview!
Qeynos will always be my favorite only because that's where my MMO journey started 24 years ago.
Same here, Half Elf Bard, E'ci server. I remember the first time I Selo's all the way to Freeport at level 12, before Kith was a danger zone at night. My heart pounded so hard with fear of dying trying to get to Freeport and looking for my corpse. I died once in the Karanas by level 16 Bandits I believe and trying to get my corpse back. There was no macros back then to drag corpse.
The Qeynos theme will always have a soft spot in my heart, since I did most of my early levels in that side of the world (Qeynos sewers, BlackBurrow, Karanas, etc).
This is the best vid i have watched online for a Long time! Love the music of my favorite MMO!
This is amazing! It brings tears to my eyes. I love his music so much I taught myself how to play the Kelethin theme on piano and posted it on UA-cam years ago. He said he wanted music that evoked emotion, was orchestral, and epic like a movie score and I think he nailed it.
Hey man glad you stopped by and commented. Still remembering clearly when I watched you play. How excellent to share this session. I love this vibe!
Brings back soo many memories listening to this music, now im sad 😞
Keeping the Ever in Everquest strong! Thank you for this vid
It' hard to pick my favorite EQ music but off the top of my head I always loved the Felwithe and North/South Ro themes.
This episode made me cry! Awesome!
Another fantastic video, really enjoyed it! Thanks for the great content you keep making. Kelethin theme is the one and only answer to your question.
I've been digging back into EQ1 lately and the first thing that hits you really hard is that super nostalgic music. Some of it as MIDI, some of it as MP3 now, but all of it so good. It's true though, MIDI, as simple as it is, is still capable of touching the heart and soul in a way reminiscent of long past days. MIDI just hits different, similar to the old 8- and 16-bit game console days. Question, would it be possible to do a similar episode for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes? That's one that hasn't been covered that much over the many years, and I understand that it might be difficult topic due to its history etc., but it deserves the love and praise because it's magnificent in its own unique way. If anyone can cover it with the love and dedication that it would need to do so, it's most definitely you @ Fading. Anyway, what a nice episode @ Everquest Show. Well done!
Kelethin theme, for sure. One of the songs inextricably linked to my childhood.
Logging in screen music always got me pumped
He actually played a tiny bit of this during the interview, but with editting and the small amount of it, it didn't make the final editing cut
God Bless Jay. 🙏
When i played in 1999, the music was incredible. added so much to the game. started gaming in the 70's, and the original EverQuest theme music is far and away the best. Neverwinter Nights would be second.
Loved the man's work. 👏
I hope this man realizes his music is the soundtrack of so many of our childhood dreams and escapes.
Sent shivers up my spine. I don't think I realized how much the music added to the atmosphere until this moment. I kind of regret voice chat becoming a thing. It breaks the immersion of the game world.
Thank you for this interview! Jay’s music and themes made Norrath feel like a world that had a history and culture. Very thankful for his contributions to my Everquest experience over the years.
Everquest music is among my favorite videogame music ever. My favs have changed during the years. I miss hearing boat song on the boats, underwater and ducking song ingame.
Thank you Maestro Jay for the Masterpieces....and of course Fading for making epic content.
Main Theme and Kelethin track!
Thank you Jay for injecting life into the music… great episode!
Ahh the music! Gives me all the nostalgic feels. It was nice to meet you in Freeport a couple of nights back. Thanks for all you do!
I love many of the EQ songs, but freporte.mid sticks out in my head. I'm pretty sure I first heard it in an RPG Maker 2000 project my friend was putting together, before I'd even played EverQuest.
Thank you for the interview, and thank you, Mr. Barbeau, for sharing your wonderful work with us. Over 20 years later, it still lives in my head and I'm happy to have it there.
Anyone remember "Birth of the blues" when near the plane of knowledge pub?
So i found the original audio for it. It was just part of some royalty free track. Unfortunately, the video is no longer available.
This man is a genius. Love all your EQ work!! My favorite BY FAR is the bazaar theme!
Thank you, Jay, for creating the music that made an already special game even more extraordinary. Every time I hear these tunes, I get a dopamine hit, remembering what it felt like to explore Norrath for the first time.
This is one of the best Everquest videos I have seen. Thank you for producing this video. I always felt inspired by the EQ music. It added the atmosphere and character to each zone. The introduction music when we started the game was memorable and unforgettable. Just listening to the music is like bringing back to memory all the adventures we had in the original magical world of Everquest. So.e players like to listen to music from dvd music while playing, but I always like to inmerse myself in the experience of Norrath, and to do so, I used headphones or turned the volume up with stereo speakers. Thank you, Jay and all the composers that contributed with the music in the game world, and thank you to all those involved in creating EQ, The original player community in the game was amazing.
There are lots of episodes of The EverQuest Show! If you're looking for more EQ videos, be sure to check out the rest!
The music was wonderful in Everquest! When I hear the Qeynos music, I feel iike I'm home.
EQ music is something special for sure. 😊❤
Qeynos theme is my favorite by far!
Fantastic episode!! Thank you so much. EverQuest music was a huge drive for me to go and discover the zones. I was always a game music geek and listened to the music when I was still in West Antonica and imagined the zones. I would aim to go to the zones I loved the music of and see for myself. So nice to learn more about the composition and inspirations.
Love Jay’s music. Talk about how good it is on my stream all the time
A truly fantastic episode-thank you so much!! One teensy correction: the game credits list Sam Powell as the composer for Scars of Velious. And a couple really interesting facts Jay discussed in a different interview: Ruins of Kunark has no music because the dev team was scrambling to build the expansion quickly and just didn’t think about music; and the music for Shadows of Luclin was hidden in the game for 15 years due to a glitch and no one noticed!
Jay is a LEGEND of LEGENDS!
Great interview. I was 13-14 when I started playing EQ and the music was one of the most memorable part. Truly awe inspiring.
Excellent episode! I really enjoyed hearing the Rivervale theme played by hand.
Thanks for this amazing episode. As a heavy game music fan (in specific Nobuo Uematsu's Final Fantasy work) the EQ1 pieces are absolutely nostalgic and beautiful to me as well. As a Queens based Bard from 1999 my favourite is The Gates of Qeynos, every time I hear it it give me such an uplifting feeling. But absolute honourable mentions go to Bard's Guild, Kelethin, Sea travel, the Rivervale song and of course the main theme which I absolutely adore. As both the EQ and EQ2 OSTs are available on Apple Music (and Spotify as well I believe), I still listen to them regularly.
That ending, amazing. Thanks for anything great episode!
Music-wise, my favorite Barbeau track was always the main EQ theme (which was beautifully adapted by its spiritual successor the EQ2 theme), though in-game I always got a kick out of the old school Rivervale theme: halfling town was always so peppy. Once Romero took over, the PoP soundtrack as a whole was superb, though my faves from that expansion were the Plane of Earth and Plane of Time themes .🎶🎵🎶
What a legend!
Oh and Jay Barbeau is pretty good too! 8P Thanks Fading and Jay, amazing episode.
I remember my first time playing when the game first came out. Epic! The music made all the difference! I'm seriously thinking of returning to the game.
Still listen to this and get goosebumps, its actually the most nostalgic soundtrack for me, kelethin and freeport bard guild tracks are incredible, the whole thing is but those 2 tracks hit me hard.
Thank you so much for another great episode! You're doing such a service :')
Fabulous episode!
15:05 Not sure if its my favorite but I'm sure its one of the best one that is the most under rated. The vendor music. Sometimes I will just open the vendor to listen to it. Also, did classic steamfont have its own music before the revamp in 2005-2007ish? Also, Fading thanks for doing these interviews. This is great EQ history. Never remove these videos. Mr. Jay Barbeau if you are reading the comments. Thank you for the great music and memories over the last 25 years. Well done!
The vendor music was so soothing. It was something I'd also listen after a heavy raid and I needed to relax. It kinda reminded me of the shrine music in Ultima 4
Brilliant. They should really bring him back to do some tracks for the next EverQuest game. If they want familiar but remixed tunes, this is how you do it.
great interview!
Home sick with the flu playing EQ & waiting for the EverQuest Show. LIFE IS ...OK
Since you’ve been able to find all these original creators I’d like to put in a suggestion for one more. I would really like to see one about Muse who made the original eqatlas site. Everyone who played the game back in the day used his (or her) maps and likely had binders full of them printed out. They were an essential part of the early game and I’d love to have the story behind them.
When ever I hear the main theme I am right away spirited back to 99 when I first saw a friend play this game in a net cafe... Before long we had a WHOLE table of EQ players heck we even formed our own 10 man guild to explore the world of Norath. I remember one day when we met up went inside and found three guys sitting at OUR table.. We just stode there right behind these three CS players and watched them for more then ten minutes looking at them getting more and more nervous until one of them asked what our problem were and we just said "You at our table"
15:11 MAIN THEME all the way! XD XD
That battle music was striking to a newbie!
Love this!
great video, probably the main theme
I love the EQ music!
Great job, amazing video!
OH! my fav music, West Karana Guard Towers, second verse. Makes me feel like a hero walking into the Qeynos gates with a sack of gnoll fangs.
The track shared between Toxxulia Forest and West Karana is my favorite. It plays in Toxxulia just across the shore from the Kerra Isle.
I still to this day throw on the EQ soundtrack while doing random things. My favorites are probably the Sea Theme, Akanon Theme, and Kelethin Theme.
So much nostalgia! Amazing interview! Can these songs in the original form be obtained somehow?
My favorite from the original is Sunrise Over Qeynos Hill
I like the music from Kelethin but there are other zones where I enjoyed the music a lot. I think Timerous Deep's music in certain areas is beautiful.
The "fan favorite" for me would be the vendor music
Qeynos is my favorite.
I love the halfling town music
Wow
Kelethin and Rivervale are my favorites
13:07 FTW!!!
Kelethin of course, but I’ve always enjoyed the merchant music too
OMG that iksar shirt u have is awesome, where did u get it?
Best episode by far btw
Rivervale is the best. Hands down. But they're all great.
Ak anon/south karana music is my favorite
Other songs are more technically impressive, but my first character was a halfling and that song is quintessential starter zone coziness
Go Nniki!
qeynos best song
Crystal would have to be my favorite
In the thumbnail I thought that was Steve Bannon 😂
Akanon / KFC Theme
i honestly stopped listening to the music in everquest when they "revamped" it. i prefer his original intro song that that went minutes for minutes due to the long load times rather than the newever version sounds fuller but is only like a 20 second loop. pass. give me the original late 90s version he composed in full any day.
freeport gates
OK fine I'll play the next tlp with music on