By Nelson Schneider - 12/14/13 at 01:56 PM CT
As I graduated high school and moved onto college, I had great dreams for my musical future. Not only was I the most talented musician (saxophone) in my entire high school, but I managed to convince the music teacher to let me compose a piece for performance during my final senior concert.
Unfortunately, college level music education quickly taught me that I was not better than anyone or anything. Faced with endless hours of singing and piano (neither areas of music in which I had any interest or inclination), I never saw a single true composition course, as those were reserved for those stout souls who managed to survive the first two years of what was dubbed the “Music Academy.” Needless to say, I quickly became fed-up with the whole situation, accepted a minor in music instead of a major, and switched to Humanities.
But what was it that made me want to study music in the first place? I certainly had no illusions of wanting to be the next Billy Ray Cyrus, Backstreet Boy, or whatever other piece of pop trash was popular in the 1990s. I never even listened to that stuff! Instead, I filled my head with videogame soundtracks. I wanted to be the next Uematsu or Mitsuda. Of course, as a Caucasian Midwestern America, my chances of becoming an elite Japanese composer were zero. But what moon-eyed, idealistic teenager ever let common sense stomp on their dreams?
I still love videogame soundtracks, but in recent years I have found most to be quite lacking. Where once there were consciously-composed, incredibly catchy tunes that would follow me around even when I wasn’t playing a game, most 7th Generation (and now 8th Generation) games feature utterly generic Hollywood-style soundtracks that slip in one ear and out the other.
Here’s a list of my five favorite soundtracks, including two from the modern era that manage to endure as heartily as their ancestors.
1. “Final Fantasy 6”
The magnum opus of Nobuo Uematsu was actually my first videogame soundtrack purchase. While there were other great games with great soundtracks that came before it, “Kefka’s Domain” was the first officially distributed Squaresoft game soundtrack available in North America. It was expensive and came on 3 CDs (despite being MIDI), but still managed to be completely epic. Out of the entire game, only one ‘dog’ track (“Devil’s Lab”) managed to sully an otherwise perfect listening experience, which Uematsu has yet to outdo.
2. “Xenogears”
Yasunori Mitsuda’s second major work (after “Chrono Trigger”) amazed me with its scope and quality. The improved sound available in the 32-bit era thoroughly impressed me after years of listening to MIDIs, even though most of “Xenogears’” soundtrack wasn’t actually orchestrated. I had to import the OST from Japan due to Western luddites not realizing there was a market for game music. Upon popping the 2 CDs into my player (which worked, since region coding wasn’t yet a thing), however, the “Xenogears” OST managed to become even better thanks to the addition of a live vocal remix of the overworld theme, “Star of Tears” – in English!
3. “Elemental Gearbolt”
Kei Wakakusa, a semi-prolific Japanese composer not limited to videogames, but also responsible for TV and movie soundtracks in his native land, provided 19 tracks for this anime-inspired, Nintendo-Hard light gun shooter. I never managed to make it past the third stage of the game, but the music in the first two stages impressed me so much that I imported the soundtrack CD (which was much cheaper than the OSTs for “FF6” and “Xenogears”). With the haunting melodies and ambiance of Wakakusa’s compositions, listening to the “Elemental Gearbolt” soundtrack is like being transported to another world.
4. “Rayman Origins”
Christophe Heral and Billy Martin collaborated to create the goofy, catchy tunes that fill this colorful platformer. I’ve never paid much attention to the ‘Rayman’ series in general, and I still wouldn’t consider myself a fan. Yet I somehow have the OST for “Rayman Origins” in my MP3 collection. I wonder how that happened? I still can’t get the “Glou Glou” song out of my head!
5. “World of Goo”
Is there anything Indie games can’t do? One of the two ex-EA developers who made “World of Goo,” Kyle Gabler, composed the 27 pieces of amazing music that accompany the goo-ball-sticking puzzle action and quirky cutscenes. Not only did he compose the OST, but Gabler is also credited as the game’s designer, writer, and illustrator. He’s truly a man of many talents, and I wish that I was as diverse a renaissance man as he. The best part, though, is that the “World of Goo” OST has been made available for free download – LEGITIMATELY – a number of different times, and is occasionally included as a bundled bonus with a purchase of the game.
