Search - Nobuo Uematsu :: Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Trax

Track listing

J-Man | 12/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Disc One (68:18)

1) Opening ~ Bombing Mission 3:59

2) Valley of the Fallen Star 3:36

3) Fighting Again 3:33

4) Ranch Boy 2:52

5) Rufus' Welcoming Ceremony 2:15

6) Electric de Chocobo 4:02

7) Honeybee Manor 3:53

8) Cid's Theme 3:11

9) Forested Temple 3:52

10) Fighters 2:47

11) Ahead on Our Way 3:44

12) Golden Saucer 1:59

13) Crazy Motorcycle 3:38

14) Cait Sith's Theme 3:34

15) Descendent of Shinobi 2:46

16) J-E-N-O-V-A 2:35

17) F. F. VII Main Theme (Orchestra Version) 6:28

18) One-Winged Angel (Orchestra Version) 4:26

19) Aerith's Theme (Orchestra Version) 5:01

"

The last 3 tracks make this a must buy

RicoLen | California | 08/23/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I normally am the type of person who just can't recommend buying a soundtrack that is comprised of mostly midi quality music, even if the music is really pretty good. However, this album isn't comprised solely of midi quality music. The final three tracks are performed by a symphony orchestra, and the choices of these three songs couldn't have been better.



One Winged Angel, is a scary song that gives Carl Orff's O Fortuna (Do a net search for an O Fortuna midi if you don't know the song by name) a run for it's money when it comes to extra-ordinarily powerful good vs. evil face offs. This song is as evil sounding a song as they come, but it's very beautiful. The choir singing the 'Sephiroth' chorus really added to it's power.



Aerith's Theme. Quite simply the most beautiful, tranquil, and awe inspiring song Uematsu has written. This song is at a calibre and class all it's own when it comes to Uematsu's music. Far and away the best song he's ever written. Whether you've listened to this song once, or a million times over you can appreciate the beauty of this song. Whether you consider video game composers as second-rate composers or if they're the only type of orchestral composers you'll listen to, this song stands out as among the best you'll ever hear.



The Main Theme of Final Fantasy 7. When you compare it to Aerith's Theme or even One Winged Angel this song doesn't seem to special, but that's only by comparison. This song is a very pretty, sweeping song that covers the overall feel of the game. It's at once beautiful in it's peaceful tranquility and creepy in it's moments of transition.



The rest of the songs on the album are pretty good really, in fact there are a number of songs that, if performed by the symphony orchestra that played these other three songs, would have rounded out the CD and made it one of the best symphonies you could buy. But they're only midi quality songs, and therefore lack in sound quality, and are written such that they can loop endlessly so have no definate ending. More's the pity.



But this is still a great album to have."

The last three tracks are great, but the rest are old news

SephirothXIII | Portland, OR USA | 08/12/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Most of the soundtrack is just midi-quality music, with the last three pieces being fantastic orchestral rearrangements. The midis are fairly good, having been chosen by their writer, Nobuo Uematsu, as his favorite songs from the game. Some of his choices I may not agree with, but still the midis range from good to great. Something else that I didn't like is that the midis are just ripped directly off the original soundtrack, and aren't remixed or anything at all. They aren't the main reason to buy this CD, though. The power comes in the orchestral arrangements.

The "FFVII Theme" is the lowest of the three, but is still a wonderful arrangement. This arrangement isn't actually a whole lot different or better than the original, but is still a little better. The piece has happy, dark, and eerie mood shifts throughout it, and is very well-written. Still though, after several listenings, this six-minute piece can get a little slow at times. This gets 4/5, "Great."

Nobuo Uematsu's flagship masterpiece, "One-Winged Angel" is brought to a fabulous level in this arrangement. It sounds, powerful, creepy, and wonderfully evil. The choir sings the villain's name between the lines of latin; "Sephiroth!" they sing, "Sephiroth!" The choir is more high-pitched than I would like, but it adds to the feel of this particular arrangement, which often sacrifices power for a different, more eerie sound. Usually this is better than the power in the original, but is sometimes worse. This choral/orchestral piece is one of the greatest songs you could find. It gets an "Awesome," 5/5.

"Aerith's Theme" is a wonderful piece in general, and this orchestral arrangement gives it a new sound and a new level of emotion. This tearful, beautiful piece is an absolute classic. The orchestra gets a little loud at times, reducing the emotion and making it a crash-boom noise-fest, but it stays quiter for the most part. The song is supposed to be a piano piece, so the orchestra was pretty risky. However, Shirou Hamaguchi's arrangement summons up a 4.5/5, a "Gresome."

The midis are good, but the orchestrals are definitely better, and are the main reason to buy this CD. I recommend it, considering its low price. Definitely worthwhile."