Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack (UK Import) [Import]

I love this album, in fact the only problem with the Final Fantasy 7 soundtrack is undoubtedly it's primitive synthesized production values. Well, they are primitive compared to the soundtracks to FF8 onwards, but still a lot better than many other PSX game soundtracks out there. I need to get this in perspective though, as FF7 came out quite early in the PSX's history, and at that time, it was impossible to fit too much data on the discs, so the music had to be produced to rather lower specifications than may have been preferred.

This is not to say, however that it is not COMPOSED well, because in this department, it excels. More than any other Final Fantasy game since, you will hear fans continually praising the unforgettable themes that appeared in this adventure. Covering 4 discs, a lot of the emphasis is on industrial reactors, pollution, and war. Most of the music on disc one has a gritty, "battle alert" feel to it, with the actual random battle music itself being the best of all, a terrific rollercoaster of fanfares and urgent sounding riffs that make it still my favourite battle theme of the whole series. The music of the slums and the decaying towns continues for most of discs 1 and 2, although disc 2 begins with the famous world map theme, sometimes also listed as the "FF7 Main Theme". This is a great, airy, reflective track that really puts you right back in the game no matter how long it's been since you played it.

But when I play this album, I'm always in a hurry to get to disc 3 because it opens with one of my favourite tracks of all, which is "Valley of the Fallen Star". I think this slow moving, tribal beat-lead tune is the most evocative of all the game's location themes, it so aptly matches the setting that it accompanies, plus the reprise (used in the game when Red XIII discovers the truth about his father) underscores such an intensely emotional moment that it gives me goosebumps every time I play it. However, most fans of the game have been united in their vote for the most emotional track of all, and that is, of course, "Aeris' Theme" . Composer Nobuo Uematsu can surely be proud of himself in creating a piece of music that is imprinted on so many people minds. Of course, it accompanies the part of the game that EVERYONE always speaks about when they reminisce over it's impact, so that's of little surprise! This achingly sad composition has taken on almost legendary status now among fans, which threatens to swamp it's humble simplicity, but once you hear it you'll know why.

On to disc 4 then, and by the time you've battled your way up to the hardest parts of the game you'll have heard plenty of contrasting music, including the casino style "Gold Saucer" theme, the sunny calypso lilt of "Costa Del Sol" and the cartoonish cuteness of the Chocobo themes. Disc 4 contains the tracks that accompany the most challenging battles of all, and the final "point of no return" in the game leads you into a fantastic clutch of musical themes. There's only really one that has gone down in history though, and that's "One Winged Angel", the music to the last battle of all. Almost shocking in intensity when heard in the setting of playing the game, this doom-laden track has but one message in it's strident chords..."You are SOOOOOO Dead!". A demonic sounding theme for an apocalypse is how I would describe it...once heard never forgotten.

I only hope buyers of this CD have first heard the music it contains while playing the game. To experience "Aeris' Theme" or "One Winged Angel" on a CD player without knowing first what they mean as part of the game experience would be a tragedy. Although that said, they both do stand up as impressive compositions in their own right. Final Fantasy 7 fans are so fortunate to have a soundtrack of this quality available...it means revisiting the game can be done at any moment just by playing the music, and the excellence of Nobuo Uematsu's vision means this CD has been a firm favourite with fans around the world ever since.

If you haven't played the game, then the music might not be as enjoyable, making a 3.8/5. It all depends, but it's good no matter what.

At the time the game came out, this was Nobuo Uematsu's best work (now it is defeated by multiple other soundtracks of his). However, its impressive quality and sound remain excellent. All the tracks are midi-style (thus reducing their score), but are still very good. One problem with this soundtrack is that only half of the tracks are actually something you would want to actively listen to. The rest are boring or poorly written fillers. The good half, however, range from good to awesome. These are some of the best pieces of the soundtrack:

"One-Winged Angel": AWESOME! This is easily one of the greatest video-game pieces ever written (defeated mainly by its future variations), and one of the greatest pieces in general. Despite being synthesized, the instruments sound almost real, giving this orchestral/choral song much more impact than the others. Speaking of the choir, it sounds awesome and powerful. They proclaim the villain's name between the lines of latin; "Sephiroth!" they proclaim, "Sephiroth!" My heart started pounding and I could feel the power billowing up in me the first few times of hearing it (it was on surround-sound speakers at a pretty decent volume, but still. That's a queue for you to do the same!).

"Cid's Theme": It's the theme of a spitting, hairy, redneck; his good, emotional side, that is! It sounds cool, powerful, and emotional. Sort of orchestral and military-sounding.

"J-E-N-O-V-A": This piece is hard to fit into any category, but it sounds electronic, and sort of dramatic and desparate (sort of). It's just cool, trust me.

"Special Battle/Still More Fighting": Also hard to categorize, this piece has some VERY fast keyboard work, and an interesting upbeat, jazzy (a little) sound. A great, though different, battle piece.

"Credits": This wannabe orchestral piece combines multiple themes from the game to make a very epic and dramatic piece. Very well-written, and an excellent close to the game.

Though midis, this soundtrack is still cool, tearful, and powerful. Nobuo Uematsu proved himself as a professional musician with this work. Definitely worth the buy (though there are better things for less. "FFVII: Advent Children" soundtrack, "FFX Original Soundtrack," to name a couple)

At the time Final Fantasy VII was being played by my brother I always had this music around in the apartment. Although I didnt really play the game a lot myself I enjoyd the amazing Story and Cutscenes at that time with my brother.

This music brings back a lot of these old memories and gives a positive feeling when its playing. Today my kids even enjoy the music although they have never seen anything of the game. It is a good mixture of relaxing classical music songs and quicker music typical for Computergames of that time. I dont know if it is enjoyable music for somebody who never played the game, but for the fans of final fantasy VII its definately a nice thing to listen to this music and remember the magic moments when plaing the game!