Compose the ultimate old-school Dungeons and Dragons playlist.

Cafe Society
1

You’re playing Dungeons and Dragons with your buddies that you used to play with in the old days. And of course, in those days when you played D&D there was music going. So what has to be on the playlist?

The obvious of course: Led Zeppelin. Ramble On, Misty Mountain Hop.

And the also obvious: Blue Öyster Cult. Veteran of the Psychic Wars, Black Blade, Godzilla.

And the still more obvious: The whole Heavy Metal soundtrack. But I don’t want bands or albums, I want tracks. And so to pick three, it’s Heavy Metal, Mob Rules, and Heavy Metal/Takin’ a Ride).

Then you’ve got your Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. Number of the Beast, Iron Man.

So we’ve got a theme going here.

But maybe your adolescent gaming group didn’t listen to heavy metal as the soundtrack for gaming. But to make it on the list the music has to have some sort of thematic connection to D&D, somehow. I mean, maybe you listened to Taylor Swift, but you can’t just throw out Taylor Swift without justifying Taylor Swift. What’s the connection between the music and the gaming?

2

Tumblin’ Dice?

3

Dio, for sure. Holy Diver, Rainbow in the Dark, Man on the Silver Mountain.

Also, if you are going to have a basilisk, medusa, or cockatrice: ELO’s “Turn to Stone.” :smiley:

4

Rush: “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” and “The Necromancer”

Anything by any Viking Metal band ever.

5

“Rainbow in the Dark”? How many prismatic sprays can one party cast?

6

Color Spray. Spammable first-level spell. :smiley:

7

I guess “Dungeon Master” by Visigoth is as on-the-nose as you’re going to find :slight_smile: There are a bunch of RPG references throughout the lyrics.

8

I’m not really familiar enough with their music to recommend particular songs, but the playlist should have something from Kyuss – since they were formerly known as Sons of Kyuss, which was a direct reference to a 1E AD&D monster, from the Fiend Folio.

9

In the Hall of the Mountain King -Grieg
Flight if the Valkyries - Wagner
Mars, Bringer of War - Holst
Other tracks in the “Classical Thunder” collection
White and Nerdy - Weird Al
Most of the LOTR soundtrack (too many to list)

Brian

10

Beat me to it.

Jethro Tull: “No Lullaby,” “Minstrel in the Gallery,” or “Dun Ringill.”

11

Jesus, no, people, cod-rock metal is so cliche. Wouldn’t have it anywhere near my table.

My D’nD soundtrack is Aeon-era Dead Can Dance (Fortune Presents… is all about the whims of chance) and theDream Warriors.

12

Hadn’t heard either of those. They definitely would set the right tone. You’re too hip for D’n’D! :wink:

13

I was going to say the entire Uriah Heep “Demons and Wizards” album but the OP wants tracks only, so let’s go with the opener, “The Wizard”, and the closer, “Paradise/The Spell”.

14

Pretty much the whole Fly by Night album. “Rivendell”, Hello?

If you’re going to “The Necromancer” on Caress of Steel, you have to flip the record over to “The Fountains of Lamneth”.

That said, Farewell to Kings works well (up until “Cygnus X-1” anyway)

15

Anyone remember Manowar? My memories are foggy but include lots of references to medieval battles.

16

My group was a lot more mellow. My DM generally had Renaissance playing. Usually the albums Scheherazade and Other Stories or Ashes are Burning. The song “Carpet of the Sun” stands out in my memory.

17

It’s a cliche because that’s the way it really was. For some anyway. The group of guys I met in college used to listen to The Smiths and The Cure.

18

Where there’s a whip.

19

Heather Alexander with the March of Cambreath must be played for large battle:

or maybe this version with the Avengers:
20

Led Zeppelin’s “The Battle of Evermore” would be my top choice for such a list. It’s got a folk music sound, Tolkein-inspired lyrics and it was made by people that look as if they could themselves be D&D characters.