What better way to start this off than with the class, Final Fantasy VII OST, composed by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu.

For Tracklistings, please visit Squaresound.com

For Rules, visit the Rules Thread. If you have any questions, please post them there.

Please use this thread for posting reviews only, for discussion please visit HERE.

So, without much further ado, let's get this show on the road:

Disc 1
Track 1 ~ Prelude

The Final Fantasy Prelude is easily one of the most recognisable tunes from the franchise, ranking up there with the Final Fantasy Theme, the Victory Music and the Chocobo Theme. However, despite being the part that's instantly recognisable, for me it's not the arpeggio that really defines the song, it's the accompaniment.

The strings, woodwind and brass instrumentation really help to bring the piece to life, and actually give the piece some real substance. The melody, while subtle, still does enough to drive the piece forward, and the harmonies, along with the synthesised arpeggio help to hold everything together nicely. The distinct differences in the sound also create a welcome contrast and it definitely sets the scene for the style in which future tracks on the OST will be heard.

It's certainly not one of the standout tracks, as ultimately it's rather simple - that doesn't mean it isn't effective though.

Score: 8/10

---

Twitter: @DarrylGU

Opening Bombing Mission

The song begins off quite and after a second or two you hear the violins playing quietly and they gradually get louder. The piece then properly starts when the chimes come in and play a simple but nice tune which the violins also play.

After that a synthesiser drum comes in which I found quite annoying. The piece starts to build up with more instruments coming in like the flute and oboe. After all that the piece starts to get a bit repetative and eventually reaches a climatic ending.

I would have enjoyed it more if there wasn't so much synthesiser used in it. Apart from that I really liked this piece of music.

7/10

P.s I wrote what I thought was a very nice review, then Myobi read it, deleted it and then re-wrote it with her musical training skills.

---

''Failure doesn't mean you are a failure... it just means you haven't succeeded yet.'' Robert Schuller

Makou Reactor

From the opening sustained tympani like sound we are instantly put into a tense mood. The opening melody is then introduced by the synthesizer. This short melody gets repeated throughout the whole song by the instruments in the orchestra. From the percussive chimes to the synthesized guitar. Throughout the piece, we are constantly being re-enforced with the beat of the drums as its volume is constantly changing between pp to a mf.

This composition is used to give the audience something to be wary of as it does go into very tense situations as this song is played out. Nobuo Uematsu is one of the few video game composers who is able to provoke a mood which is at times even more powerful than what you see in the visuals and he has shown this quite clearly in this piece.

This piece is very well made and I think it serves its role in the game very well

8/10

---

Anxious Heart

The beginning of the song sets the mood straight away when you listen to it. The song itself is a sad slow moving and heartbroken song. The song only has a few strings playing and piano but it still maintains interest.

It plays through a lot through the game and it suits Cloud well. The piece itself is not really recognizable as the Prelude or battle theme but still holds up to be a classic.

This is one of the few tracks l like from the game

7/10

---

Tifa’s Theme (Disk 1 Track 5)

The track starts quite slow and rather repetitive, however it sets a nice, mellow mood. I like how a new instrument is introduced, with a similar tune that mixes very well into the song. Also, the first part of the song is repeated after the second part to the song, but with a slightly different sound. The tune then goes back to the start and repeats over again. I also like how there is a quiet, continuous chime in the background throughout the whole song.

I like how this theme shows us another side to Tifa. On the outside, many see Tifa as a strong, confident person, but this theme tells us otherwise. We see her venerable side several times throughout the game where she goes back to her youth and memories. Tifa is a character who fights for what she loves and cares for most, and this theme tells us exactly that.

One of my favorite pieces, though repetitive at times, I’m giving it 8/10

---

Track 6 ~ Barret's Theme

The track opens strongly, with the timpani sounds helping to reflect Barret's strength, somewhat like footfall. Over the string chords, a playful and somewhat cheeky pizzicato violin tune is played, adding a pleasant lightness to the piece that contrasts well with the heavy percussion used throughout the piece. The woodwind section then takes over the tune with a simplistic overlapping call-and-response melody between the flute and the lower woodwind. A crash of symbals introduces the brass section (along with the snare drum) as the simple chord sequence changes to a rather more emotive one as the piece begins to reach its climax, in a small minor section. A canon is heard from the brass section, leading into a change of chords once again to the pieces climax, where the trumpet rings above the rest of the orchestra's minor chord. The lower strings play a quiet pedal point drone whilst the upper strings play a series of four dissonant chords, reminiscent of some of the other more downbeat pieces in the soundtrack. This is a huge contrast to the main tune of the piece. The timpani plays three notes to get the upbeat tune going again, at which point the whole piece is repeated.

The strong beat and sense of purpose portray Barret's character quite well, and the andante march tempo gives the impression that the piece is going somewhere. The simple yet enjoyable tunes contrast well, and the syncopated rhythms show to some degree an air of recklessness, which of course is a undeniable trait of Barret. Though the chord rhythms (and to some extent, the sequences) can be rather tiresome and repetetive, the piece is constructed well and the major tonality can certainly help put you in a happy mood.

Score: 7/10

---

Hurry

The piece starts with a metronomic pulse which is represented by a clock ticking and semi-quaver repeated notes of the pedal note of F. This serves as the back-bone for the whole piece. The main melody consists of synthesized woodwind like sounds playing a short pattern of a rising minor 3rd intervals and then falling down in semi-tones back to the starting note. This melody and the pedal note of F get shifted up a semi-tone to F# and then melody is then repeated, but instead of the minor 3rd jump from the top notes of F to G#, its F# to A.
After each play through of the melody, there is first an sustained string chord progression then a Piccolo solo after the second play through of the F Section. Note that the piccolo doesn't play a solo in the F# section.
In the middle section of the piece we have the strings playing a short progression which the top notes of the intervals are (A, C, B, D, C#, G#, C, F#, G).
The first section is then repeated again at the end which signifies that the piece is in Ternary (ABA) Form.

When you think of Final Fantasy 7, there are a few themes that stand out like the themes of the characters and such. 'Hurry' is a composition which really does stick with the audience and is very catchy and iconic to the game. You may find yourself humming the melody for some random moment as I have before. This sense of urgency in the music which is represented by the clock ticking just adds that much more to the game and makes it more worthwhile to complete the mission.

This is one of my favorite themes of the game! 9/10

---

Disc 1 Track 8 - Lurking in the Darkness

As with the majority of Final Fantasy VII (both it's soundtrack and general feel), a light hearted spin is given to a track that is played whenever you're in the slums, a darkened area or cave, etc. There's a shifty lilt to the percussion before you even hear the chimes and bass, which lets you know that Cloud and co are being a little bit shady. Even as establishing sustained strings come in, which create a tiny glimpse of eerieness to the location, they're quickly broken by a fingered bass that creates cheeky movement.

Lurking In The Darkness is a very simple piece with few layers and much repetition that still manages not to feel hollow, relying heavily on silence to do a lot of talking. It's low-key but it carries the player not only from location to location (the caves are just passages after all) but it almost feels like a palette cleanser which helps make the important events seem like they have an even higher dynamic. The nervous laugh which breaks the suspense so that it can set about building the tension again.

Final Fantasy VII is actually a rather depressing game. The world is pretty much caving in on itself and your protagonist is messed up/batshit crazy, but it's tiny details like this that make the game stray from that gritty dark feeling, and instead gives you a golden chocobo. Quirky and fun (imagine that Cloud decided to add the Pink Panther to his party), this isn't the most memorable piece on the OST, but it does the job which was intended for it.

7/10

---

Shinra Company
Time: 4:03

This song is pretty simple, with the same two notes being played though out the back round the whole time. However the song is quite good. It really has a mysterious and dark air to it, that really sets up how the Shinra Company will later act in FInal Fantasy VII. The song also excels in how it adds other instruments as the song moves on. The tune is excellent, and in fact, at some times rather catchy. This is one of those songs that really reminds you of playing the game, more-so than some of the other tunes in the game. This song does seem to get a bit repetative at times, but still manages to not get boring.
Score: 7/10

---