{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox album
|title = ''Minecraft - Volume Alpha''
|release = Album
|author = [[C418]]
|date = March 4, 2011[{{TWON|3640895338|Minecraft - Volume Alpha by C418|March 4th, 2011}}]
|genre = Ambient
|length = 58:50
|media = LP, CD, digital download
|discogs = [https://www.discogs.com/C418-Minecraft-Volume-Alpha/master/801496 801496]
|link =
* [https://c418.org/albums/minecraft-volume-alpha C418's Website]
* [https://c418.bandcamp.com/album/minecraft-volume-alpha Bandcamp]
* [https://music.amazon.com/albums/B004R9ADKM? Amazon Music]
* [https://music.apple.com/album/minecraft-volume-alpha/424968465 Apple Music]
* [https://deezer.com/album/9236757 Deezer]
* [https://ghostly.com/products/c418-minecraft-volume-alpha Ghostly Records]
* [https://open.spotify.com/album/3Gt7rOjcZQoHCfnKl5AkK7?si=aOBq3zMgToOjNGEYKlHEuA Spotify]
* [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nPwih5Pmf7hBVCT6-MxmQNLaAIP0zYXTk YouTube]
* [https://music.youtube.com/browse/MPREb_rSyGxmolG93 YouTube Music]
}}
'''''Minecraft - Volume Alpha''''' is the first ''[[Minecraft]]'' soundtrack album by [[C418]], first released on Bandcamp on March 4, 2011. It features all 14 of the tracks that have been in the game since [[Java Edition Alpha|Alpha]], plus 10 bonus tracks, for a total of 24 tracks and a length of nearly an hour. The second soundtrack album, ''[[Minecraft - Volume Beta]]'', was released on November 9, 2013.
__TOC__
== Official description ==
''The OFFICIAL soundtrack of the critically acclaimed multi award winning indie block game!''
''Features 15 additional soundtrack exclusive minutes of music you haven't heard before!''
''Features Cat! In STEREO!''
''Features CD quality music! No more extremely low bitrate youtube videos of the soundtrack!''
''Features a high quality image of the album cover!''[{{Cite|url=https://c418.bandcamp.com/album/minecraft-volume-alpha|title=Minecraft - Volume Alpha|website=Bandcamp}}]
{{-}}
== Track listing ==
{{C418 agreement}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" data-description="Track listing"
!{{Tooltip|No.|Number}}
!Title
!scope="col"style="width:150px"|Filename in ''Minecraft''
!Length
!class="unsortable"scope="col"style="width:200px"|Track preview
!class="unsortable"|Description
|-
|1.
|"[[Key (song)|Key]]"
|key.ogg{{only|JE|short=1}}
nuance1.ogg{{only|BE|short=1}}
|1:05
|[[File:Key.ogg]]
|This song plays in [[badlands]], [[desert]]s, [[dripstone caves]], [[flower forest]]s, [[frozen peaks]], [[grove]]s, [[jagged peaks]], [[jungle]]s, and in most [[overworld]] biomes.
|-
|2.
|"[[Door (song)|Door]]"
|—
|1:51
|
|Serves as a continuation to "Key" and only available on the album.
|-
|3.
|"[[Subwoofer Lullaby]]"
|subwoofer_lullaby.ogg{{only|JE|short=1}}
hal1.ogg{{only|BE|short=1}}
|3:28
|[[File:Subwoofer lullaby.ogg]]
|This song plays in [[badlands]], [[desert]]s, [[dripstone caves]], [[flower forest]]s, [[frozen peaks]], [[grove]]s, [[jagged peaks]], [[jungle]]s, [[meadow]]s, [[snowy slopes]], [[stony peaks]], and in most [[overworld]] biomes.
|-
|4.
|"[[Death (song)|Death]]"
|—
|0:41
|
|Only available on the album.
|-
|5.
|"[[Living Mice]]"
|living_mice.ogg{{only|JE|short=1}}
hal2.ogg{{only|BE|short=1}}
|2:57
|[[File:Living mice.ogg]]
|This song plays in [[badlands]], [[desert]]s, [[flower forest]]s, [[jagged peaks]], [[jungle]]s, [[meadow]]s, [[snowy slopes]], [[stony peaks]], and in most [[overworld]] biomes.
|-
|6.
|"[[Moog City]]"
|—
|2:40
|
|Only available on the album.
|-
|7.
|"[[Haggstrom]]"
|haggstrom.ogg{{only|JE|short=1}}
hal3.ogg{{only|BE|short=1}}
|3:24
|[[File:Haggstrom.ogg]]
|This song plays in [[badlands]], [[desert]]s, [[flower forest]]s, [[frozen peaks]], [[jungle]]s, [[meadow]]s, [[snowy slopes]], [[stony peaks]], and in most [[overworld]] biomes.
|-
|8.
|"[[Minecraft (song)|Minecraft]]"
|minecraft.ogg{{only|JE|short=1}}
calm1.ogg{{only|BE|short=1}}
|4:14
|[[File:Minecraft.ogg]]
|This song plays in [[cherry grove]]s, [[grove]]s, [[lush caves]], and in most [[overworld]] biomes.
|-
|9.
|"[[Oxygène]]"
|oxygene.ogg{{only|JE|short=1}}
nuance2.ogg{{only|BE|short=1}}
|1:05
|[[File:Oxygene.ogg]]
|This song plays in [[badlands]], [[desert]]s, [[dripstone caves]], [[flower forest]]s, [[grove]]s, [[jagged peaks]], [[jungle]]s, and in most [[overworld]] biomes.
|-
|10.
|"[[Équinoxe]]"
|—
|1:54
|
|Serves as a continuation to "Oxygène" and only available on the album.
|-
|11.
|"[[Mice on Venus]]"
|mice_on_venus.ogg{{only|JE|short=1}}
piano3.ogg{{only|BE|short=1}}
|4:41
|[[File:Mice on venus.ogg]]
|This song plays in [[badlands]], [[frozen peaks]], [[grove]]s, [[jagged peaks]], [[jungle]]s, [[lush caves]], [[stony peaks]], and in most [[overworld]] biomes.
|-
|12.
|"[[Dry Hands]]"
|dry_hands.ogg{{only|JE|short=1}}
piano1.ogg{{only|BE|short=1}}
|1:08
|[[File:Dry hands.ogg]]
| rowspan=2 | This song plays in [[badlands]], [[frozen peaks]], [[jagged peaks]], [[jungle]]s, [[stony peaks]], and in most [[overworld]] biomes.
|-
|13.
|"[[Wet Hands]]"
|wet_hands.ogg{{only|JE|short=1}}
piano2.ogg{{only|BE|short=1}}
|1:30
|[[File:Wet hands.ogg]]
|-
|14.
|"[[Clark]]"
|clark.ogg{{only|JE|short=1}}
calm2.ogg{{only|BE|short=1}}
|3:11
|[[File:Clark.ogg]]
|This song plays in [[cherry grove]]s, [[grove]]s, [[lush caves]], and in most [[overworld]] biomes.
|-
|15.
|"[[Chris]]"
|—
| 1:27
|
|Serves as a continuation to "Clark" and only available on the album.
|-
|16.
|"[[Thirteen]]"
|13.ogg
|2:56
|[[File:13.ogg]]
|Included as a music disc which can be found in [[dungeon]], [[mansion]], and [[ancient city]] chests, as well as being able to drop from [[creeper]]s killed by [[skeleton]]s.
|-
|17.
|"[[Excuse]]"
|—
|2:04
|
|Only available on the album.
|-
|18.
|"[[Sweden]]"
|sweden.ogg{{only|JE|short=1}}
calm3.ogg{{only|BE|short=1}}
|3:35
|[[File:Sweden.ogg]]
|This song plays in [[cherry grove]]s, [[grove]]s, [[lush caves]], and in most [[overworld]] biomes.
|-
|19.
|"[[Cat (song)|Cat]]"
|cat.ogg
|3:06
|[[File:Cat.ogg]]
|Included as a music disc which can be found in [[dungeon]], [[mansion]], and [[ancient city]] chests, as well as being able to drop from [[creeper]]s killed by [[skeleton]]s.
|-
|20.
|"[[Dog (song)|Dog]]"
|—
|2:25
|
|Serves as a continuation to "Cat" and included in [[Legacy Console Edition]] as an extension to that music disc.
|-
|21.
|"[[Danny]]"
|danny.ogg{{only|JE|short=1}}
hal4.ogg{{only|BE|short=1}}
|4:14
|[[File:Danny.ogg]]
|This song plays in [[badlands]], [[desert]]s, [[dripstone caves]], [[flower forest]]s, [[frozen peaks]], [[jungle]]s, [[meadow]]s, [[snowy slopes]], [[stony peaks]], and in most [[overworld]] biomes.
|-
|22.
|"[[Beginning]]"
|—
|1:42
|
|rowspan=3|Only available on the album.
|-
|23.
|"[[Droopy likes ricochet]]"
|—
|1:36
|
|-
|24.
|"[[Droopy likes your face]]"
|—
|1:56
|
|}
== Trivia ==
*The game's soundtrack subtly uses repeated [[wikipedia:Motif (music)|motifs]].
**For example, part of "Key" (at 0:08) appears to share a melody - in particular, a phrase that varies between 5 and 6 notes - with "Subwoofer Lullaby" (at 0:28 and 0:31), "Living Mice" (the 5-note pattern that repeats throughout the track, starting at the beginning, as well as the main melody of the track), "Danny" (at 0:03, 2:30 and 2:41, and 3:15), and most subtly, "Dry Hands" (It appears between 0:10 to 0:17, and it is really subtle, but those few notes are there, and they're also at 0:28, 0:37, and 0:45).
**At 0:26 of "Oxygène", a distant piano plays four notes, which can also be heard near the end of "Haggstrom" (during the part with the echoing reverse chimes, at about 2:21).
**The bouncing, descending melody being played by the chime instrument in the second half of "Mice on Venus" (at about 2:49) is also in the ending of "Haggstrom" (during the part with the echoing reverse chimes, at about 2:18).
**At 0:55 of "Dry Hands", there is a 5-note phrase that "Mice on Venus" also has (first appearing at 1:06).
**At 1:46 of "Cat", what sounds like an interpolation of part of the melody from the track "Minecraft" plays. The main melody throughout "Cat" also sounds like "Key".
** These are only a few examples of the likely many uses of motifs throughout Minecraft's soundtrack.
**The use of reoccurring musical ideas is a very common concept in musical composition. As with any soundtrack that uses reoccurring musical ideas, it's unknown how many of these apparent instances of motifs are intentional, because some of them are so subtle that they can't be discerned from coincidental uses of the same notes.
**Tracks from ''Minecraft - Volume Beta'' also use musical ideas from this album.
*The versions of the game's background music tracks that are on this album are actually slightly different from the original, in-game versions.
**Multiple tracks have been given transitions between them, such as the one between "Living Mice" and "Moog City", and the one between "Clark" and "Chris".
***The first three tracks are connected together, and so are tracks 5 and 6, 9 and 10, 14 through 18, and 19 through 21.
**All of the in-game tracks were apparently [[wikipedia:Remaster|remastered]] for this album, as certain instruments and sounds are louder or quieter or different in [[wikipedia:Timbre|timbre]] than they were before and the overall sound has a lot more clarity.
***The music disc tracks are in [[wikipedia:Stereophonic sound|stereo]], as opposed to their in-game versions, which are in [[wikipedia:Monaural|mono]]. It is likely that the in-game versions are in mono so as to make it seem as if the sound is coming from one single source (a [[jukebox]]) instead of from all around the listener.
****It is equally possible that either the stereo versions or the mono versions of the music disc tracks were created first. The soundtrack versions are either the original tracks from before they were mixed down to mono for the game, or remasters of the original mono tracks that intended to provide a more "complete" listening experience outside of the game. Which version came first could also vary from track to track.
**"Key" has an added note at the end that wasn't in the original as a way to transition into Door (the original version simply looped the last few notes as it faded out).
**"Subwoofer Lullaby" has less reverb, resulting in a noticeably more [[wikipedia:Staccato|staccato]] sound, and a glitchy ambient noise in the background at 1:03 is much louder in the album version.
**"Dry Hands" begins the same way as the original and then fades into a new version that uses a noticeably different, much less reverbed piano sound.
**"Haggstrom" is missing an ambient background sound that it originally had at 2:03, and it also has a slightly longer fade-out.
**"Oxygène" has an added echoing, whistling sound at 0:26 that wasn't there before.
*Some of the songs in C418's album ''148'' are remixes of songs found in this album.
*This album was nominated for Top Dance/Electronic Album in the {{wikipedia|2022 Billboard Music Awards}}.[https://www.billboardmusicawards.com/2022-winners/]
==Gallery==
Minecraft - Volume Alpha cover.png|Cover for ''Minecraft - Volume Alpha''
==See also==
* [https://c418wiki.absolutelywhizzer.co.uk/index.php?title=Minecraft_-_Volume_Alpha The C418 Wiki's article on ''Minecraft - Volume Alpha'']
* [[wikipedia:Minecraft – Volume Alpha|The Wikipedia article on ''Minecraft - Volume Alpha'']]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
== Navigation ==
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