Evangelion:1.0 You Are(Not)Alone

The soundtrack, like the film is a revamp of the original series, and I am soooo glad they did. Though I liked the first soundtrack, it never really clicked for me. This is a proper film score in every sense. It has well written and executed pieces, with lots of strings, booming percussion, and the odd bit of chorus stuff too, especially the star track Angel of Doom. There are recognizable pieces, plus the odd new one, and they all rock!!! Honestly folks, don't think about it, just buy it. Also, see the new film too if you can, a-ma-zing! This is an album for classical buffs, people who appreciate real symphonic music. I just wish the Hikaru Utada song Beautiful World was on the album too. Oh well, guess I'll have to find the CD single for under 15 bucks, lol. As it is, this one will set you back at least 25, if you want a non-bootleg. Hope this review was helpful. Later folks.

*I review both 1.0 and 2.0 here, and frequently compare the two.
*I'm going to assume you've seen the movies they're from, so there will be slight spoilers if you haven't seen them.

Okay. Let me start off with a little background about my experience with soundtracks. I've owned TONS--from Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings) to John Williams (Star Wars); from Toshiro Masuda (Naruto) to Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy); from Akira Ifukube (Godzilla) to Jun Senoue, T. Ohtani and gang (Sonic Adventure 2). All of them have had their diamonds, along with the coals. Up until I bought these two tracks (Evangelion 1.0 and 2.0), the long-time reigning king was Nobuo Uematsu. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to tell you he's been dethroned. There's a new king in town: Shiro Sagisu.

*Regarding 1.0:

This track is shorter than the first, but that doesn't necessarily make it worse. In comparison to 2.0, it definitely has more mellow, piano-oriented tracks ("Rei-Opus" IV and V; "Cruel Dilemme" I, II, and III; "Crepuscule - Tokyo III"; among others). If you HAVE to pick between one or the other and like these kind of tracks, this may be your clue as to which one to get (it's also cheaper). However, it still, of course, has its share of epics ("L'Attaque des Anges" and, the champion, "Angel of Doom").

*Regarding 2.0:

This is definitely my personal favorite between the two. Some of my favorites include: "Destiny," "In My Spirit," "At The Very Begining," "Kyou no Hi wa Sayounara," "Les Betes" (not to be confused with the track with the same name from 1.0; the version in this album is basically what happens when you put that one on steroids). But my all-time favorite is the song during the ending scene: "Tsubasa wo Kudasai" ("Please Give Me Wings").

Which brings me to a few issues some people have brought up. Some people have said that two songs don't fit their scenes very well, claiming them to be soundtrack dissonance. The first is "Tsubasa wo Kudasai," which plays during the ending scene. This song, I say, fits the scene perfectly. In all of my experiences with soundtracks, I honestly couldn't think of a song more beautiful/fitting for the scene. The other is the song that plays when Unit 03 (with Asuka inside) is being eviscerated--"Kyou no Hi wa Sayounara" ("Today is the time for goodbye"). This one, however, I believe did not fit the scene too well. A sadder, more depressing piece should've been used. And the fact that the time between these two instances of soundtrack dissonance is so short does not lend well to their cases.

The other issue is that there are duplicate tracks. This, simply stated, is false. In most of these cases of duplicity, one track is actually a demo version (AKA unfinished version) of the final cut. It's interesting to see how one song changed from said demo to the final product. Also, there are two versions of the songs "Tsubasa wo Kudasai" and "Kyou no Hi wa Sayounara." The first versions are the normal versions you hear in the movie. The second versions are tributes to "Sound of Music." One is not more or less complete than the other--the tribute versions are just very interesting versions that are different without radically altering the original.

*Together:

It's amazing to go back and see the difference between now and back during Neon Genesis Evangelion. Some of the tracks you'll recognize and say "HEY! I know this song!" Although now, they're better than ever (undoubtedly thanks to improvements in Shiro Sagisu's skill as a composer, as well as a vastly improved budget).

Between these two tracks, I've had dozens--if not over a hundred--hours of replay value. The songs are deep, inspiring, uplifting, touching. (Personal recommendation: Pay special attention to the lyrics of "Tsubasa wo Kudasai." It's one of the most beautiful songs you'll ever hear.)

I wasn't to sure about this album the first time I listened to it as it's mainly comprised of recycled music from the TV series and earlier movies. Ok, so that's a little unfair as Evangelion: 1.0 is a retelling of the first six episodes of the original series so similarities in the musical content was inevitable. So after that initial disapointment and a couple more listens I've really come to enjoy this Album.

I say album as this isn't strictly a soundtrack, well it is but it omits certain peices of music and presents the rest unedited so it's really an opportunity to hear the music as intended by the composer. This is great on the one hand, affording the listener the chance to listen to Shiro Sagisu's music freed from the constraints and rigours of film editing. On the other hand you are missing a few pieces of music from the film and others sound different in their unedited form. The most notable deletion compared to the later released original soundtrack, is the lack of 'beautiful world' the song that plays over the end credits. This isn't a major omission and seeing as this is 'music from Evangelion: 1.0 by Shiro Sagisu' it feels appropriate but it's a nice song and suits the end of the film perfectly, so it's a bit of a shame it isn't on this album. All of the crucial themes are here and any missing pieces of music aren't to noticeable and are mostly re-recorded versions of themes from the TV series. It's a bit of a toss up between this and the 'origianl soundtrack'. I bought this a matter of months before the release of the other so was a little peeved having the less complete version. Looking back on it now and having the other version to compare it to (picked up very cheaply from another site) it's still quite nice to have both but in no way esstential.

Anyway, on to the music. The album opens with the very familure 'L'Attaque des Anges' which accompanies Shinji's first encounter with the third Angel and the subsequent attack by the SDF. A nice piece, virtually identical to the original TV series version but with a few variations and a richer orchestration. It still gives me chills and posses a more unrelenting quality to it this time and with greater bass. 'I'll go on lovin' someone else' is next up and sounds to me like a new theme but could be a variation on Shinji's theme from the original series soundtrack volume one. The next few tracks comprise the launch of Eva unit 01 and it's battle with the third angel. All of which sound quite simular to previous versions but again with richer orchestration and greater depth.

'Cruel dilemme II' is a beautiful track that really captures Shinji's isolation and accompanies his attempt to flee Tokyo 3. Once again it's a slight re-orchestration of an older theme from the TV series (and from earlier in the film itself) but sounds great.

One criticisim of this CD is a certain amount of repetiton, Rei's theme makes repeated appearences as does 'the longest day' in numerous variations. This only becomes a problem toward the climax where different versions of this theme appear one after the other and becomes a little tedious. This approach eventually yeilds results as 'Bataille decisive' morphs from this theme to the classic Eva theme to dramatic effect.

Two new themes 'Lucifers cry' and 'Angel of doom' are brilliant editions to the Eva cannon. Both revolve around Shinji's encounters with the fifth angel, one his initial defeat and evental victory. 'Angel of doom' is by far my favourite on the album, partially because it's new but mainly because it's a beautifully epic theme, expertly capturing Shinji's fear and deaftisam in the face of overwhelming odds and eventual heroic resolve. Awesome.

All in all a very nice album, looses a star for a bit of repetition and the use of old themes (which really can't be helped) but overall a very nice soundtrack.