Russell Lieblich
Encyclopedia
Russell Lieblich was a game designer, programmer
and musician
who first came to prominence for his music for Activision
and Intellivision
games, as well as doing the Commodore 64
(C64) music translation of one of LucasArts
first titles, Ballblazer
. He graduated with a Master's Degree
in Music from UC San Diego.
Lieblich was one of the first to experiment in the realm of music/rhythm-oriented gameplay with a game he designed called Web Dimension, and then with one of his most popular works, the music for the cult game Master of the Lamps
. In the game, programmed by Peter Kaminski, music (a series of great "psychedelic rhythm and blues" songs) has a very important role. His work spans over 30 game titles.
A well known musician/composer from the demoscene remixed Lieblich's C64 version of the Ballblazer music with a Beastie Boys
vocal track, producing one of the most popular tracks featured on Remix64.
He died on January 26, 2005 after a heart attack
outside his home on Long Island
, New York
, at the age of 53.
Game programmer
A game programmer is a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebase for video games or related software, such as game development tools. Game programming has many specialized disciplines all of which fall under the umbrella term of "game programmer"...
and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
who first came to prominence for his music for Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
and Intellivision
Intellivision
The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"...
games, as well as doing the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
(C64) music translation of one of LucasArts
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
first titles, Ballblazer
Ballblazer
Ballblazer is a 1984 computer game created by Lucasfilm Games . It was originally released for the Atari 8-bit systems, such as the Atari 800 and the Atari 5200. It was also ported to other popular platforms of the day, such as the Apple II, ZX Spectrum , Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Atari 7800, and...
. He graduated with a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Music from UC San Diego.
Lieblich was one of the first to experiment in the realm of music/rhythm-oriented gameplay with a game he designed called Web Dimension, and then with one of his most popular works, the music for the cult game Master of the Lamps
Master of the Lamps
Master of the Lamps is 1985 video game by Activision. The game is an Arabian Nights-style adventure.-Description:The hero, a prince, must reclaim pieces of his crown from an evil genie. The gameplay consists of two parts. The first is a flying carpet game in which the player must maneuver through a...
. In the game, programmed by Peter Kaminski, music (a series of great "psychedelic rhythm and blues" songs) has a very important role. His work spans over 30 game titles.
A well known musician/composer from the demoscene remixed Lieblich's C64 version of the Ballblazer music with a Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
vocal track, producing one of the most popular tracks featured on Remix64.
He died on January 26, 2005 after a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
outside his home on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, at the age of 53.