Team Fremont.com-Aural Fixation: A Guide to Arranged Soundtracks Review

Aural Fixation: A Guide to Arranged Soundtracks

One thing that for me has always stood out in the wonderful world of videogames is the sometimes amazing sound design and composition of music in most cases whilst tackling extreme technical restrictions. I don’t know about you but I still remember the early days humming along to classic games like Castlevania and Super Mario Bros. In Japan, videogame music is incredibly popular and often enters the regular music charts. The Japanese flock to Orchestral concerts playing classic stuff such as Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior right up to Zelda and Mario. One of the things that I love so much about video game music is the sheer diversity of styles and in some cases the creation of new styles of music. It‘s taken a while but finally the rest of the world is catching up with Japan and we are starting to see some Western releases seep through the net. Though there are literally hundreds of soundtracks out there for the collector, in this editorial I’m hoping to suggest some of my favourites and real standout albums that are really worth picking up focusing on arranged soundtracks rather than the original soundtracks. Of course describing these soundtracks goes only so far so I’ve included a few sound clips from each album to help show off some of the finer moments from certain tracks.

I think it only right to start off with my favourite franchise first and foremost. I’m talking naturally of the futuristic, hi-octane F-Zero series. For me the F-Zero games have always had really, really great music that fit’s the pace and styling of the games perfectly. The in-game soundtracks are nice enough for sure but what I think many probably don’t know is that there are some really kick ass remix soundtracks out there. The first being F-Zero Arrange which is an interesting album featuring a variety of SNES F-Zero tunes done in the Jazz style. That’s right Jazz. I have to say it’s pretty cool and really, really well produced. The CD is recorded using a real band with a compliment of instruments including; Sax, Keyboards, Guitar and Drums as well as various other forms of percussion. There are loads of great tracks on this album and the arrangements are incredibly diverse whilst keeping very close to the original themes. My favourite tracks on the album would have to be the theme from Sand Ocean and the theme from Whiteland. All in all it’s a top album and rare as hell, an awesome purchase all round but incredibly difficult to find so good luck.

Whiteland
Sand Ocean
Big Blue

Sticking with F-Zero I’m moving onto the awesome F-Zero X Guitar Arrange album. Now this one has to be in my top 10 albums of all time, not limited to Videogame music. It’s basically the rocking themes of F-Zero X on the N64 arranged for a Hard Rock band. We have some really, really great musicians on this one especially in the case of the drummer who has truly mastered the art of the skins down to a T. The guitarists also are really, really good faithfully reproducing the classic melodies from each track and building upon them with layers of screaming harmonies and ad lib solos. The soundtrack on the whole has a really fast pace in keeping with the racing theme and should most definitely have been used as the soundtrack to F-Zero GX rather than jumping to the rock techno mix that was used. Notable tracks include; Endless Challenge and Decide in the Eyes, with honourable mentions to Crazy Call at Cry and The Long Distance of Murder which are both blaringly fast featuring some truly insane drumming. Simply put, this is a must have album for anyone who likes Rock or F-Zero. To finish the album off is the staff roll music that was used in the game. In-game it really wasn’t that great but that was simply down to the limitations of midi rather than composition as the guitar arrange version proves. This is a stunning track featuring a full compliment off musicians including sax, keyboards, trumpets guitars, pianos and it really, really rocks so damned hard. Sheer Genius.

Endless Challenge
Crazy Call at Cry
Staff Roll

One of the finer aspects of the Videogame music scene has always been the Akumajou Dracula series (Castlevania in the western hemisphere). There are a vast number of soundtracks from the Castlevania franchise in a wide variety of styles ranging from Classical to Rap. Naturally, there are a wide selection of synth original version soundtracks dating back to the NES days but the best CD’s released from this series are the famous “Dracula Battle” series. 2 CD’s crammed full of immense Rock remixes of your favourite tunes such as Vampire Killer, Bloody Tears and Reincarnated Soul. Again this is a very high quality production with some really talented musicians. As with most Castlevania tracks this album has some really undertones in the music using those wonderful melodic minor scales that the likes of Yngwie Malmsteen became famous for. Between the 2 CD’s there are some great moments and the arrangements span most games in the series prior to Symphony of the night. Although it’s hard to pick some standout moments, I’d say that the two ballade tracks, Requiem for a Nameless Victim and Calling From Heaven are up there as is the opening track of CD1, Beginning and In the Castle, a theme used in Super Castlevania 4.

Begining
Bloody Tears
In the Castle

Another great soundtrack from the Castlevania series is “Dracula: New Classic” a unique and often chilling orchestra/electronic arrangement that mixes new styles with classic (just as the title implies). It’s a really haunting album that simply oozes with atmosphere and the sound mixing is simply fantastic especially for some of the synth effects used in certain tracks. There is also a wonderful arrangement of the Cave theme from Super Castlevania on the SNES which is simply tranquil. The arrangements themselves are really cool, a good example being the title track, Vampire Killer, which sweeps through several motions across the piece and sounds as good if not better than any professionally composed film score. It’s moody, gothic, chilling and moving quite simply the greatest version of this popular Castlevania track recorded to date. From my descriptions so far you would be forgiven for thinking that this is similar to the PS2 Lament of Innocence soundtrack but reality is further from the truth and this album stands head an shoulders above it. Other great moments in the album would have to include Dwelling of Doom and EverGreen which are both amazing pieces. I’m pretty sure this one is expensive if you ever manage to find it on Ebay but in my opinion it is money very well spent.

The Cave
Vampire Killer
Dwelling of Doom

Squaresoft have always been known for outstanding soundtracks and Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 2) is no exception. Whilst there are several great soundtracks for this game out there, easily the greatest and craziest has to be Seiken Densetsu + Arrange. This is probably the most weird and yet compelling soundtrack I have come across to date being that it is one long track rather than a selection of tracks. The album mixes several of the key melodies and themes from the game into a 40+ minute soundscape transcending the boundries of electronic and orchestral styles. There are several movements in the piece that help distinguish between each of the distinct themes from the game and the pace can change quiet dramatically without changing the overall tone of the album. One of the most memorable sections of the piece is “Angels Fear” the title theme from the game. The album as a whole is a great purchase should you be able to find it but due to it’s rarity you’ll probably pay a very steep price.

Seiken Densetsu 1
Seiken Densetsu 2
Seiken Densetsu 3

Final Fantasy Pray is the greatest vocal soundtrack I’ve ever come across thanks to the beautiful voice of one Risa Ohki who is able to sing in a variety of different languages for this … album. There’s a nice selection of tracks used here, including Tina’s Theme from FF6, Pray (Ending theme from many FF games), Motoya’s Cave and many more. The opening for the album, a multi layer vocal harmony making up the famous Prelude really sets the mood and quality for the rest of the album. It really is a beautiful way to arrange the song and if you haven’t already heard it you are most certainly in for a treat. There really isn’t a dull moment for the length of the entire album and it’s great to hear some of your favourite themes arranged in such a unique way. As mentioned, Risa Ohki does a wonderful job of singing songs in English, Japanese, French, Portuguese and whilst you probably won’t understand the words in the non English tracks, the sheer beauty of her voice and the strength of Uematsu-sans melodies make the vocal sound more like an instrument than a lyric. Standout tracks for me include, Nao Chora Manina, Pray, Once You Meet Her and Prelude. If there was only one Final Fantasy album that I could own this would be it, I never get bored and it’s very easy to get lost into the music. There was a follow up album to Pray called Love Will Grow. I personally didn’t enjoy it any where near as much as this masterpiece.

Prelude
Terra
Pray

This ends the first part of the feature, but rest assured, I'll be returning in the near future with the second part of the guide and possibly a look later on at the evolution of in-game videogame music.
Article By: Phil Haymes