Vats of Goo

Vats of Goo is an ambient music track composed by Mark Morgan for the Fallout and Fallout 2 soundtracks. The track is available as a part of the Vault Archives compilation. 
==Appearances==
Vats of Goo appears in Fallout and Fallout 2, where it can be heard on various occasions:
* In the Fallout intro.
* While the Vault Dweller is inside the Mariposa Military Base.
* While the Chosen One is in Broken Hills, Vault 13 or the Sierra Army Depot.
==Behind the scenes==
* This track is based on Brian Eno's "Alternative 3," the main theme of a 1977 mockumentary of the same name, in which humanity attempts to terraform the moon after the earth is rendered uninhabitable. "Alternative 3" is available on the album Music for Films.
** Composer Mark Morgan said he was given a CD with no information as reference for what Interplay wanted, and sampled those tracks directly. He also says some of the music in the published game was given to Interplay as demo materials.Michael: In an interview, Timothy Cain [creator of the Fallout series] said that he likes dark gloomy music and is a big fan of Aphex Twin. Some Fallout compositions are quite similar to work by Aphex Twin - were you influenced by Timothy's tastes?
Mark: When Interplay was thinking of using me for the game, they sent over some music that they liked and wanted me to do something similar as a demo. The CD they sent me had no titles or artists’ names, just a few pieces of unidentified music. I gave Interplay what they wanted and I think they must have used some of my demo in the final game. At the time, I wasn’t familiar with the work of Aphex Twin. To me, it was just my interpretation of what Interplay asked for.(https://archive.ph/SuGg9)
* The track includes a very short Morse code message: -. . .-- ????? (NEW ??? (scratches))
* Beginning with Fallout Tactics, the main themes of each Fallout game all function as homages to Vats of Goo. All main title themes have been composed by Inon Zur.
** The three-note death motif in Fallout 3 is based directly on its own main theme. However, the three-note death motif in Fallout: New Vegas resembles the three-note strings motif from "Vats of Goo" more closely than anything else.
*** On the track Atom's Whisper from Fallout 4: Music from Far Harbor & Nuka World, the vocalist begins by singing the Fallout 3 death motif followed by the Fallout: New Vegas death motif, then repeating both, before the melody progresses.
** The noire fanfare which heralds the Mysterious Stranger is Vats of Goo.
** The score from Point Lookout frequently invokes and broadly resembles Vats of Goo (but was not composed by Zur.)
** The original Fallout 76 main theme begins with two notes resembling Vats of Goo, then hesitation as the orchestra swells, before resolving into an original motif. As it resolves, the Tactics motif plays quietly.
*** The theme for the Nuclear Winter update begins similarly, but resolves into the Fallout: New Vegas death motif before the orchestra swells. It's also preceded by a single echoing note, like the original Vats of Goo.
** A 7-note Mothman motif is shared by the Wise Mothman emote and the Mothman cuckoo clock CAMP item, and can be heard upon completing the Mothman Equinox. The melody evokes "Vats of Goo" and resembles the simple synth accompaniment from Atom's Whisper.
* In the Fallout 4 add-on Far Harbor, the music heard in the Nucleus closely resembles Vats of Goo performed in Gregorian chant, accompanied by chimes. Both tracks consist of monotone panned droning and echoed ringing sounds, periodically interrupted by a short rising-and-falling motif. This track is absent from Fallout 4: Music from Far Harbor & Nuka World and has no given title. 
** If played simultaneously, they synchronize and resonate appreciably, though imperfectly. This can be heard here. 
** In Vats of Goo, a siren can be heard throughout. The same siren can faintly be heard beginning at the 1:30 mark in the Nucleus theme. The separate clips can be heard here.
** The final bar of the Nucleus theme distinctly resembles a particular bar at around the same point in Vats of Goo. When these bars are played at the same time, the siren from Vats of Goo synchronizes and resonates with the ambience of the Nucleus. This can be heard here, though the effect is difficult to discern without stereo headphones.
== References ==
Non-game
Category:Vault Archives tracks
Category:Fallout soundtrack
Category:Fallout 2 soundtrack
fr:Vats of Goo