Below is an article I think is very well written that brings up a good question. What are some overlooked tracks that you enjoy? Do you agree with any of the 10 listed here?
http://www.primaryignition.com/2010/06/11/ten-commonly-overlooked-final-fantasy-tracks/Ten Commonly Overlooked Final Fantasy Tracks
June 11th, 2010
By Justin Polak
Co-Founder, Ambassador to the Mushroom Kingdom
I’m huge fan of the Final Fantasy series. With the exception of the eleventh entry, I have played every title in the main series. To me, one of the biggest rewards from playing any Final Fantasy wasn’t the epic story, superb character development, or innovative battle systems, what I always looked forward to the most was the soundtrack. Nobuo Uematsu, among other composers, brought quite possibly the best video game soundtracks of all time to the table.
I could sit here all day and write the millionth article why “One Winged Angel”, among other fan favorites, are the greatest musical moments in video game music history. But what about those other tracks? Or how about the simple dungeon theme or the song that is played on the world map? Instead of examining tracks that are endlessly discussed on the message boards, I choose to focus on the lesser known tracks. Here are ten random overlooked Final Fantasy tracks,
10. “Blue Fields” (FFVIII) — I may not care for the eighth installment of Final Fantasy all that much, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t quite possibly the best world map music ever. Oddly enough, when I first heard it I didn’t like it. I thought it was sub par and dull. As time drifted on and on, I ended up loving it more and more. The relaxing nature of “Blue Fields” contrasts with the game, but it feels peaceful and natural during gameplay, and the piano version is even better! One of my favorite things to do is play it in my car on a dreary, rainy day.
9. “Crystal World” (FFIX) — The adventure is almost over, and you are only minutes away from confronting Kuja once and for all. A familiar tune starts to play. For the first couple of seconds it sounds like yet another version of the famous Final Fantasy prelude is about to emerge from your television speakers. Suddenly, familiar notes are being played backwards and off key. Instead of a beautiful melody kicking in, you are treated with a somber and depressing tune. Listening to “Crystal World” is the musical equivalent of looking at a photo negative, and that’s why I love it.
8. “Illusionary World” (FFIV) — Although the song is played in multiple dungeons, I always associate it with the Summoned Monster’s (or Eidolon depending on which version FFIV you are playing) hometown, presumably located where time flows differently than the outside world. It is in that particular setting which “Illusionary World” shines the most. There is a library in the town which lets you read descriptions of most of the Summoned Monsters that you can acquire. The track really sets the mood as legendary descriptions of the monsters are being read. Although it is short, I have always felt that it is one of FFIV’s best.
7. “Devil’s Lab” (FFVI) — Being a fan of industrial music itself, I was destined to fall in love with sheer awesomeness that is played within the Magitek Research Facility. A beat sounding like giant hammers being slammed against metal grating carries throughout the entire song. On top of that, mysterious electronic sound effects invade the song like passing machinery. Combine those elements with an absolutely beautiful melody and you have one of the most unique songs in the entire history of Final Fantasy. Did I mention how it fits the cold, technological atmosphere perfectly? Although I dislike it when songs are recycled in Final Fantasy games, it’s a damn shame “Devil’s Lab” was played in only one dungeon.
6. “Seymour’s Ambition” (FFX) — Played only once when the main cast confronts Seymour in battle, I have always wished that this variation of Seymour’s theme was his main one. The battle music perfectly sets the tone of the situation that Tidus and company find themselves in, and not to mention that it turns out Seymour is a villain, as easy as that was to predict—when I first saw him I shouted at my TV that he has “bad guy hair.” Though “Seymour’s Ambition” is more of a sinister sounding loop rather than a song, I sometimes find myself intentionally delaying the battle just so I can hear it that much longer. Not to mention the song features a creepy piano, and that’s always a plus.
5. “The Ancient Library” (FFV) — One of the coolest things about Nobuo Uematsu is that anyone could walk up to him and say, “Hey, I need you to write a song that fits the setting of an ancient library where monsters assault the player from book pages,” and he’ll do it as if he had years to plan for it. A haunting melody appropriately compliments scenes of poorly lit rooms, frantic researchers, and a seemingly countless collection of books. I also dig the quirky beat that molds the song together into a gorgeous shape.
4. “You Can Hear the Cry of the Planet” (FFVII) — This absolute masterpiece plays while Cloud and his friends are desperately searching for Aerith. She potentially has the power to save the planet from utter destruction, and she is all by herself. Oh, and a maniac with an incredibly long sword named Sephiroth is out to kill her so he can cause the planet’s utter destruction. Needless to say, it’s a tense situation. Good thing a song that embodies the meaning of tension is looping in the background! I mean, you know something awful is about to happen at the end of the day. It could be the choir voices in the song, it could be the wary synthesizer, or it could be the fact that there are no random encounters to interrupt the flow of the song. Or maybe it’s one of the last tracks played before a flower girl gets stabbed through the chest…
3. “Chaos Temple” (FF) — At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I actually find that the version in the remakes of the very first Final Fantasy outclasses the original in every way. The key difference to me is an excellent build up leading to the song’s main melody. The delightful piano fuses with a bleak violin as if the instruments are to never be manipulated without each other. I’m sure it’s obvious by now, but for me to say that I love this track would be a massive understatement. The fact that something this divine originally was composed for the NES really shows how well the song holds up.
2. “The Rebel Army” (FFII) — Again, it is amazing that a song that sounds so epic came from an era where music and sound effects in video games were severely limited. The hopeful yet desperate attitude the song carries helps warn you that a depressing journey is rearing its ugly head. The plight our heroes are about to dive headfirst into rests on your shoulders, and you are barely five minutes into the game! I also felt the regal tone drenched in the song almost felt like it should have been a main theme of sorts in the original Star Wars trilogy, which I am sure Uematsu was aiming for. Just like “Chaos Temple”, I feel like the updated version of “The Rebel Army” is light years ahead of its NES counterpart.
1. “Tower of Bab-il” (FFIV) — Imagine a tower where its foundations begin from under the earth and its peak is miles into the sky. Imagine within this tower lies technology centuries ahead of anything found in any kingdom across the entire planet. What you get is an uplifting, adventurous tune that makes you feel that there is something much bigger going on behind the scenes–especially since the villains have complete control of the tower. Both times you find yourself in the Tower of Bab-il, you have hordes of nasty enemies to deal with, and the second time your path ends with squaring off against the most powerful elemental fiend. It’s a good thing you have such a confident sounding song backing you up every step of the way! Whenever I think of FFIV, “Tower of Bab-il’ is usually one of the first tracks I automatically play in my head. Hell, I even recorded it on a cassette tape when I was a child I liked it so much.
I feel that all of these songs hold up quite well when listened outside of their respective games, and if you haven’t heard any of these wonderful songs, maybe you should give them a listen.
