Rare is a video game developer located in Twycross, Leicestershire. The company was established in 1985 by Tim and Chris Stamper, founders of Ultimate Play the Game. During its early years, Rare was backed by an unlimited budget from Nintendo, primarily concentrated on Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games. During this time they created successful titles such as Wizards & Warriors, Battletoads, and R.C. Pro-Am. Rare became a prominent second-party developer for Nintendo, who came to own a large minority stake of the company. During this period, Rare received international recognition and critical acclaim for games such as Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark, and Conker's Bad Fur Day.

Rare! compiles tracks from four Crack the Sky albums from 1983–1990, two of John Palumbo's solo albums, and previously unreleased live and demo recordings. It was released in 1994 on CD.