The wait is over. After nearly 30 years, the soundtracks for The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour are finally being released in their entirety.

With a haunting, atmospheric richness so perfectly and elegantly complementing every moment of exploration into the ghostly mansion of toymaker Henry Stauf, these complete works by George “The Fat Man” Sanger, now take the listener on a dreamy and nostalgic journey back to the pioneering days of DOS and CD-ROM.

Often constructed upon brilliantly designed leitmotifs, the work as a whole is a dazzling, otherworldly, and constantly shifting chimera of multiple musical styles ranging from jazz, classical, and orchestral, to tango, surf rock, progressive rock, experimental, and calypso. Utilizing an architecture of evocative, compositional excellence, the eclectic influences are woven together seamlessly into a warm, familiar blanket of highly refined and regal sophistication. Vibrant, organic, colorful, and complex; every track is a multilayered marvel; showcasing just what was possible to create using MIDI “back then” when the unique technology and its unbridled sonic fidelity reigned supreme—spearheaded by people like The Fat Man.

Placed beside the overly minimalistic film scoring style of modern video game music, the truth that this work represents a lost art becomes sadly clear. They simply “don’t make ‘em like they used to.”

To me, the soundtracks for The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour are not only The Fat Man’s magnum opus but also the absolute pinnacle of the golden age of MIDI-based video game composition. It’s time they were finally released in their complete fullness.

--Curt Tuckfield

***

Of course, first and always thanks to Cindy for saving my life, and getting me to a point where I could find the space and heart to make this project happen.

And oh, thank you so much to ALL the fans of the game. You solved these puzzles alone in the dark, or sitting on your parents' laps, or in marathon sessions with your best friends. You overcame soundcard issues and you sat through long load times and overburdened computers, you endured the taunts of Henry Stauf, and beating him saved yourselves and countless innocent souls. This is for you.

Thanks to Team Fat, my ideal workmates: Cowboy Composers and trail buddies Joe McDermott, Dave Govett and "Prof." K. Weston Phelan, and the legendary structural, promotional and textural work of Linda Law and Teresa Avallone.

More recently, Curt Tuckfield, you really came through, and I am so glad you were there with tireless work and deep insight, to help me focus the intent of this release on what matters most--delivering what's meaningful for the FANS--the PLAYERS.

Speaking of which, deepest thanks to Superfans Curtis and Scott Tuckfield, Joseph David Grabko, Shane Hunt and Steve Cartoon for nagging me over the years and even decades to do this release. They found MIDI files for me on the internet where I was missing them, they helped me find the best versions, helped identify inconsistencies in MIDI playback, and created a track order that would feel complete and make sense to folks who put those hours into playing the games.

And I can't enough thank the games' producers, Graeme Devine and Rob Landeros. Graeme has been a best friend, looking out for me and pulling me up since the day we met, and I shudder in weak moments to think of where I might be without him. And Rob has re-emerged as a real Artist's Artist, a pal and a pleasure to hang with.

And so many more of you. Brother Dave, always there when a drum needed playing or a song needed writing...and...

Enough of this. In the words of Rob "Henry Stauf" Hirschboeck...

WELCOME TO MY HOUSE!!

--George "The Fat Man" Sanger