The Ongaku

Mother no Ongaku pressed on vinyl and CD by Nippon Colombia

Jerry on
Mother no Ongaku pressed on vinyl and CD by Nippon Colombia
MOTHER director Shigesato Itoi's company Hobonichi Co., Ltd. organized the "Secrets of MOTHER 2" exhibition last year, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the launch of Super Nintendo role-playing game EarthBound.

The commemorative event took place at Shibuya PARCO's Hobonichi store, displaying design documents and handwritten notes, promotional materials and commemorative merchandise. A separate live performance of music, titled "Mother no Ongaku," was streamed from a studio in Tokyo on June 22nd of last year, featuring arrangements of "Pollyanna," "Eight Melodies," and other selections from the Super Nintendo game score.


A roundtable discussion also took place, with Itoi joined by composers Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka. This week, record label Nippon Columbia announced the release of the "Mother no Ongaku" album from the streaming concert, performed by Suzuki and Tonzura Mother Band. Preorders have opened at distributors CDJapan, Play-Asia, and PixelCrib in Australia.

The band features Suzuki and Wataru Sawabe on guitar, Tanaka on bass, Tomohiko Gondo on flugel horn, Yusuke Sato on keyboard, and vocals by Daniel Kwon and Miu Sakamoto. Suzuki's previously released "Mother Music Revisited" arrangement album is streaming on Spotify and Apple Music, also published by Nippon Columbia.

Role-playing games MOTHER (EarthBound Beginnings) and sequel EarthBound are both playable on the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service.


From the PixelCrib product description:
Originally streamed as a digital-only event on June 22, 2024, the commemorative concert “THE MUSIC OF MOTHER” - celebrating 30 years since the release of EarthBound (MOTHER 2) - is now finally available in a physical format!

This special performance focused on the music of EarthBound Beginnings (MOTHER) and EarthBound (MOTHER 2), featuring original composers Keiichi Suzuki (moonriders) and Hirokazu Tanaka, who delivered both live and remixed versions of beloved tracks from the series. The event also included a talk session with Shigesato Itoi, creator of the MOTHER series.

This release includes live recordings by Keiichi Suzuki and his specially assembled TONZURA MOTHER BAND. The accompanying booklet features an exclusive conversation between Itoi, Tanaka, and Suzuki—a must-read for longtime fans. The jacket artwork spotlights memorable characters from EarthBound Beginnings, as seen in the concert’s title visuals—making this a must-have collector’s item.
PixelCrib - "Mother no Ongaku" THE MUSIC OF MOTHER Vinyl

CDJapan - "Mother no Ongaku" THE MUSIC OF MOTHER - Vinyl / CD

Play-Asia - "Mother no Ongaku" THE MUSIC OF MOTHER - Vinyl / CD

Apple Music - Mother Music Revisited