Fervor Records at Center of Sonic The Hedgehog / Michael Jackson Musical Mystery

Fans of the 1994 video game Sonic The Hedgehog tie Fervor Records to long standing musical mystery involving the iconic game and the King Of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Video game pioneer, Sega, originally tapped Michael Jackson to contribute music to their flagship Sonic The Hedgehog franchise. Jackson’s involvement has been shrouded in mystery with some fans believing Michael’s song Who Is It served as the inspiration for Sonic’s Ice Cap level, while others attributed the inspiration to Smooth Criminal. The singer’s pending legal woes and conflicting opinions regarding the sound chip in the game system caused Michael to step back from the project but his musical director, Brad Buxer, remained on the gig. Over a decade earlier Buxer was part of the popular New Wave outfit, The Jetzons.

Enter Fervor Records who acquired The Jetzons catalog in 2008. The label uncovered several unreleased tracks in the archives and re-packaged the cult masterpiece as,The Complete Jetzons. Die hard Hedgehog fans discovered The Jetzons’ 1983 song, Hard Times (from the Fervor release), as the obvious basis for Sonic 3’s Icecap level. This dismisses Jackson’s involvement by directly tying Brad Buxer to the much debated soundtrack. The discovery has spread like wildfire on the internet prompting multiple Hard Times/Sonic mashup re-mixes and audio wave analysis. YouTube, gamer boards and blogs continue to light up.

Sonic The Hedgehog now celebrates its 20th anniversary. A re-mastered version launched as an app for both Android and iOS earlier this month. It will also roll out as a new animated series slated for Fall 2014. The Complete Jetzons is available at digital e-railers worldwide.