I don't remember that at all, and considering I only died unintentionally a little under a dozen times in all of that world (all but one of those times from going for a letter and failing: the last one was in the bonus stage) I'm pretty confident that there was SOMETHING you could have done. 

Do you always hold the jump button, rather than just tap it when called for?  Do you make a point of bouncing as high as possible off every enemy's head?  When banana trails appear, do you go for them?  Without knowing the precise locations I can't say what the signs were, but I promise you that there aren't any blind jumps, certainly not in that world.  I'm not saying the game's EASY, mind you, or trying to imply anything about you:  I'm just saying that the game is often tough but never cheap.  Just try approaching it with a more NES-era mindset.

I've played that, got up to about 8-2 or so and found a pattern i just couldn't crack, or something involving an invisible vine. I forget which. I've also played Magician Lord with a reasonable degree of success. Maybe i'm just an angrier person now than i was then :P

that giant fucking bat, I hate him

I tend to do the worst with the minecart/barrel levels, particlarly the barrel level in world 8. That level is just ridiculous, especially if you want to try and get the letters and puzzle piece. You're guaranteed to burn through at least 20 lives. I just prefer to have solid ground below my feet when I work my platforming skills.

Also, 7-k (the factory level) was a royal pain in the ass. Things get a lot tougher when there are no save points.

Alright. I beat those stages in the cave world legitimately. Aside from the stupid "tap only, do not push hard" jumps, mine cart is quite masterable, but whoever designed that Sonic screaming bat seriously needs to have their head examined, as they have conceived something so abominable as should be effaced from the earth immediately

Then i tore through most of the Forest like it was my job, proving that the bat stage is a result of poor level design because it exhibits irrational difficulty progression.

The main problem was either hitting the ground on the dive under them, or hitting them on the rise back up after dodging under it

Did anyone else see Mr. Game and Watch in 7-1?

The one where the giant bat chases you...I spent 80 lives and I ended up using Superguide

Yes. Kill the bat!

The hardest thing in DKCR is doing the levels (especially the cave ones) for the first time in two player mode. Loosing two lives at a time means a lot more Game Over screens.