Worst Music?

[tyshaun1]

I don't mind the themes themselves. I've expressed this before, but I'd be happy if they simply played more than the same cue going to and coming back from every commercial. Match Game ends its theme the same exact way every time, and it sounds odd, like they're trying to make a square peg fit, if that makes sense.

I think I'm more bugged by this because the original themes had a vast library, or in the case of Card Sharks, both Perry and Eubanks's themes were long enough to where you could use a different part of the song as a cue. With Feud, they simply use the Combs theme, but use none of the other cues that would flow much better.

Stoker of "Mosher and Stoker" claims that they composed the entire set of cues for both shows, it's Fremantle who chooses not to use them.

[Clay Zambo]

I'm not a fan of the the "revamped" $100K Pyramid, Card Sharks, or Press Your Luck themes.
They sound like cheap old-school MIDI's of the original versions.

Which is interesting, because (at least in the case of Pyramid), there was a live horn section on the recording session.

[Loogaroo]

I'm not a fan of the the "revamped" $100K Pyramid, Card Sharks, or Press Your Luck themes.
They sound like cheap old-school MIDI's of the original versions.

YES THANK YOU I'M NOT ALONE.

Pyramid: gives the melody to the trombone instead of the trumpets, forcing it an octave lower which prevents it from standing out. Then there's that one measure in the B phrase that originally went "da-dum da-dum dum dum" (this is professional terminology here) but is replaced in the new version with an unresolved G that stretches out the entire bar. It's like writing an entire sentence and then leaving off the last

PYL/CS: Use actual instruments please. Or at least samples that sound more like actual instruments. And chords. Use actual chords instead of double-voicing the tonic one octave down.

[joshg]

I like the new Card Sharks theme as a theme for Joel McHale's Card Sharks. It's got a vibe to it that works for me better than the original would in the current setting.

Old Card Sharks and New Card Sharks... together at last! 

[Joe Mello]

I actually find the new CS theme to be endearing because it goes all-in on the clapping. The PYL theme isn't good, but an attempt was made, whereas something like The Wall doesn't really try at all.

[whewfan]

I've been watching Monty's BTC with the new episode additions, and when I took notice of the music played during the stunts, sometimes it was quite jarring.

[tyshaun1]

PYL/CS: Use actual instruments please. Or at least samples that sound more like actual instruments. And chords. Use actual chords instead of double-voicing the tonic one octave down.

PYL was all synthesizers and a drum kit for the original so it's no surprise that they'd do the same for the remake. That being said, it feels like they phoned it in outside of making sure they hit the main notes. I would really like to hear the entire theme they composed instead the first 10 seconds looped over and over, but I don't have much hope it would be any better.

[Stackertosh]

Chain Reaction Dylan Lane version 
Temptation (All New Sale)  The Theme song sounded like a 90s talk show.
Lingo Bill Engvall version the theme sounds generic and bland.
Family Feud- I wish they used more cues then the same 20 seconds.
The US Chase, The UK Chase music is amazing. I don't know why gsn decided to make crappy music . The music is terrible it sounds like stock music.

[PYLdude]

Any theme song where you can barely hear what’s being played is a big pain for me.

Pyramid had one of the worst. I mean, the show itself was kinda tossed together at the last minute (or had that feel to it), why not have a theme that sounds like someone’s just pressing random keys on a synth?

I knock the 1970s Let’s Make a Deal for that as well, even though the theme is pretty secondary.

[TimK2003]

Any theme song where you can barely hear what’s being played is a big pain for me.

I agtee with you on this point.  One example of this was TTTT during the psychadelic set era.  At this point they shot the show at the cavernous Ed Sullivan Theater.  You could barely hear the theme a lot of the time ‐- almost sounded like it came from the PA system inside the theater instead of a direct audio channel from the control room.

I don't believe that sound issue improved until they moved to the NBC studios at 30 Rock.

[Clay Zambo]

Pyramid had one of the worst. I mean, the show itself was kinda tossed together at the last minute (or had that feel to it), why not have a theme that sounds like someone’s just pressing random keys on a synth?

Do you mean the 70s version, "Tuning Up"? I'll give you it's not a model of melodic elegance, and there are some WEIRD growly sounds in there, but it doesn't sound like anything else that was on TV at the time, so I have to give it props for distinctiveness.

[Fedya]

I figured he meant Donnymid.  (If memory serves, the GSN version used an arrangement of "Tuning Up".

[BrandonFG]

I figured he meant Donnymid.  (If memory serves, the GSN version used an arrangement of "Tuning Up".

Correct, although I believe they occasionally used the Cobert theme from ‘82. The GSN theme sounded like it was composed on a Casio keyboard.

[tyshaun1]

Correct, although I believe they occasionally used the Cobert theme from ‘82. The GSN theme sounded like it was composed on a Casio keyboard.

I remember someone saying that they used the Cobert theme in studio, but used the Casio theme for air. Don't know why they felt the need to change it.

[chrisholland03]

Licensing?