In General
The Final Fantasy VIII Sountrack took me completly by surprise. I thought it was going to be good, but not this good. Every track was sounded awesome. Instrumental almost. There's A LOT of tracks, too, 4 discs worth. If that's not good enough, it's packaging is fresh and unique. It takes the form of a hard-cover novel, and actually, that's kind of what it is. Included with it is a 20 page booklet with artwork, an interview, lirics and track listings. The cover is very abstract. Just the FF8 logo with some words below it. It looks very sophisicated. On the downside, it was very expencive ($80.94 plus an importing fee :P) and it's very rare to come by. Luckyly, I managed to snag one at Gamecave, and it only took 2 days to ship. If you're thinking of buying it, do it. It's worth it. Go to Gamecave and buy it. You won't be disipointed.
The Facts
size- 4 discs
composer- Nobuo Uemastu
realese date- 3/10/99
tracks- 75
music type- MIDI (But you'll bareley notice)
stuff included- a 20 page booklet, intreviews, artwork
Track-by-Track Review
01-Liberi Fatali- A fully orgestrated peice with Latin chanting. Wow, take Phantom Menace's Dual of the Fates and multiply it's coolness by 3. One of the best tracks. 5/5
02-Balamb Garden- When I first heard this, I was expecting military music, but what I got was a restfull, soft tune. It's okay, but I expected more. 3/5
03-Blue Feilds- Final Fantasy VIII's world map music. On first listen, it can be a little annoying at first. But listen to it more and you'll really begin to like it 4/5
04-Don't be Afraid- The battle music. This is one of the best battle tunes of any game. People say it sounds like FF7's but it doesn't. An instant classic. 5/5
05- The Winner- The victory music that plays after you finish a battle. It's been inproved A LOT sinse the demo. 4/5
06- Find Your Way- A spooky, dangerous sounding song. It's very good. 4/5
07- SeeD- Now, this is military!! It sounds like something from and old war movie. It's hard to explain. Listen to it in the MIDI section. 4/5
08- The Landing- The FF8 demo's opening music, which has been completly re-done. It's sounds a lot better now. 3.5/5
09- Starting Up- This one was in the demo, too. It sounds the same, though. But that's good. It's kind of a techno tune. 3/5
10- Force Your Way- FF8's disipointing boss music. It's not near as good FF7's. I mean, It almost sounds like disco! 2/5
11- The Loser- This game over track does what it should. Feel sad. 3/5
12- Never Look Back- The escaping music. It has a lot of action in it. It's very good. 4/5
13- Dead End- A short track that belongs to the demo FMV where Squall is running away from the giant spider mech. So it should be very dangerous and fast sounding. Which it is. 3.5/5
14- Breezy- A boring gitaur tune. 2/5
15- Shuffle of Boogie- If this was a character theme, it would belong to Zell. It sounds kind of like 50s dance music. 3/5
16- Waltz for the Moon- A waltz tune that plays when Squall and Rinoa first meet at a ball. It's suprisingly good for a waltz.. 4/5
17- Tell Me- an emotional track that sounds alot like the solar system model music in FF7 3.5/5
18- Fear- Garden's training ground music. It's slow and depressing. I don't know why it's called Fear.. 2/5
19- The Man with the Machine Gun- Laguna's own battle theme, a fast paced techno mix. People say it's annoying, but I like it. 4.5/5
20- Julia- a piano version of Eyes on Me (see disc 3) and not much more than that. 3/5
21- Roses and Wine- I think this a town theme. It's a bit annoying. 2/5
22- Junction- Because of it's name, this must be the tutorial music. It's nothing but harp and very short. I could have done without it.. 1/5
23- Timber Owls- A quiet, sneaky-type music. It's sort of happy, uh.. that's it. 4/5
01- My Mind- a slow, soft song with Eyes on Me thrown in. It's quite nice. 4/5
02- The Mission- A militaryish track with lots of drums in it, but the lack of beat loses it points. 2/5
03- Martial Law- A catchy, industrious track that plays in Timber. 4/5
04- Cactus Jack(Galbadian Anthem)- This one sounds exactly like a real national anthem, with lots of trumpets and such. 4/5
05- Only a Plank Between One and Perdition- Long name, huh? Well, this one sounds like Never Look Back, but better. 4/5
06- Sucession of Witches-
07- Galbadia Garden- It starts out like SeeD, but then it becomes slow and depressing, like Fear. I expected something better, but.. oh well... 2.5/5
08- Unrest-
09- Under her Control- It has this retarded tone that sounds like an untuned banjo.. come on, Square. What we're you thinking? 1/5
10- The Stage is Set- an urgent, fast paced track. It's okay, I guess. 3/5
11- A Sacrafice- This one reminds me of the Empire's theme in FF3(or 6) remixed and put in FF8. Okay, mabye I'm going a little too hard on it. It's actually very good. 4/5
12- Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec- A scary battleish track with more cool latin chanting. 5/5
13- Intruders- another quiet, sneaking track, only not happy. 4/5
14- Premonition- another sort of battle music, but boring. 2/5
15- Wounded- really, really short. with organ music. 2/5
16- Fragments of Memories- almost every RPG I've played has a music box track. This is FF8's. 3/5
17- Jailed- a dreary-but-still-slightly-happy track, it fits a prison. 3/5
18- Rivals- I guess this would be a Squall vs Seifer theme. It sounds like a fight is about to start. 4/5
19- Ami- a nice piano version of Balamb Garden. 4/5
01- The Spy- A jazzy, sophisicated track. It reminds me of really expencive car commercials.. 4/5
02- Retaliation- An FMV theme, very industrious. 3/5
03- Movin'- It's pretty much the same as Retaliation, only longer. 4/5
04- Blue Sky- Another FMV theme, it's a happy, fly away-type theme. 3/5
05- Drifting- a slow, sad tune with lots of chellos and violins. 3/5
06- Hersey- A pirate-type theme with lots of organ music. Nice rythym. 4/5
07- Fisherman's Horizon- Another town theme. It sounds like the Kalm Town music in FF7. Only this one spound much better. As all do compared to FF7. Nice work goes to the woodwind section for this one. 4/5
08- Odeka de Chocobo- What the...? There is absolutly no point to this one. Think the chocobo theme in Pong. You get the idea.
09- Where I Belong- Yet another mix of Balamb Garden. What is that? The main theme? 3/5
10- The Oath- I really like this one. It's hard to describe it, though. Oh well. It's good. 5/5
11- Slide Show prt1- Really old slide show music. I like the sound effects in it. I wonder where in the game it plays this? 3/5
12- Slide Show prt2- The same as before, only different! The second part's a lot happier than the first, but the sound effects are gone. 2/5
13- Love Grows- Much like My Mind(DISC 2), with Eyes on Me in it and everything. But it's not as good. 2.5/5
14- The Salt Flats- Sort of a snowey mountain theme, Wiht sleigh bells and a Parasite Eve like piano score 4/5
15- Trust Me- a slow, sort of cheery theme. Whit a little of Balamb Garden in it. 4/5
16- Silence and Motion- an awesome alienic, happy theme with cool little computer bleeps and whoops. 5/5
17- Dance With the Balamb Fish- Another happy theme with an underwater rythym. The only track with accordian in it:p 4/5
18- Tears of the Moon- Another FMV theme, it's a spacey, serious one with lots of harp. 3/5
19- Residents- This one reminds me of the the Magitek Factory theme in FF3(6) With machine/techno beat. 4/5
20- Eyes on Me- Wow, this one actually has vocals in it sung by the pop star, Faye Wong. It's a slow love song. And what's better, it's fully orgestrated and in English, Yeah! 5/5
01- Mods de Chocobo(featuring N's Telecaster)- A really cool 70's rock remix of the chocobo theme. Whith N's Telecaster(whoever that is) singing 'ooohhhh' Very cool. 5/5
02- Ride On- One of the coolest tracks in the sountrack, this is FF8's airship theme. My I say it's the best one ever made!!! 5/5
03- Truth- Kind of a slow theme that would probaly play after one of the characters reveal something shocking. There, I explained the best I could. 4/5
04- Lunatic Pandora- A pychodellic theme with anlienic tones in it. 4/5
05- Compression of Time- The music that plays during one of the biggest spoilers of the game, it's very surreal and also very fitting. 4/5
06- The Castle- Castle music. With organs, bells, etc. I heared that this is the music that plays in the final place where the final boss is. But it's a little too happy for that. Hmm.. 4/5
07- The Legendary Beast- It starts out like the boss music then becomes more dangerous. I never used to like this one, but now that I've really listened to it, it isn't that bad. 4/5
08- Maybe I'm a Lion- Sort of a hybrid of acient Japanese music and heave metal.. It goes together well. It's awesome. 5/5
09- The Extreme- The final boss music. No vocals this time, though. Oh well. Anyway, it starts out slow and after a while it really goes wild. I don't care if's it doesn't have vocals, it still cooler than FF7's in my oppinion. 5/5
10- The Sucessor- A quiet, slow piano theme. Chilling. 4/5
11- Ending Theme- THE most bueatuful peice of music ever composed. Fully orgestrated, it starts, with a really spooky violin solo, which flawlessly changes in Eyes on Me with Faye Wong singing and then continues the same way FF7's did only with real instruments this time, and just when you think it's over, Liberi Fatali begins. Why, even my PARENTS liked it! This one deserves more than a 5, it deserves a 6! 6/5
12- Overture- The very last track, this is what Balamb Garden should have sounded like, victorious and proud. 5/5
Liberi Fatali
Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec
Excitate vos e somno, liberi mei,
Surgite.
Ardente veritater
Valete, liberi,
Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec
Eyes On Me
Whenever sang my songs
My last night here for you
*Darling, so there you are
So let me come to you
Darling, so share with me
* Chorus
my fave disc- disc 4
my least fave disc- disc 2
my fave track- Ending Theme and Ride On
my least fave track- Odeka de Chocobo and Under her Control
DISC 3
DISC 4
Other Stuff
Lirycs
Composer/Arranger: Nobuo Uemastu
Lirycs: Kazushige Nojima
Latin Translation: Tarao Yamashita
Orchestration: Shirou Hamaguchi
Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec
Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec
Cunae non sunt.
Excitate voe e somno, liberi fatali,
Somnus non eat.
Invenite hortum veritatis.
Urite mala mundi.
Ardente veritate
Incendite tenebras mundi.
Diebus fatalibus.
Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec
Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec
Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec
On the stage, on my own
Whenever sad my words
Wishing they would be heard
I saw you smiling at me
Was it real or just my fantasy
You'd always be there in the corner
Of this tiny little bar
Same old songs, just once more
My last night here with you?
Maybe yes, maybe no
I kind of liked it your your way
How you shyly placed your eyes on me
Oh, did you ever know?
That I had mine on you
With that look on your face
As if you're never hurt
As if you're never down
Shall I be the one for you
Who pinches you softly but sure
If frown is shown then
I will know that you are no dreamer
Close as I wanted to be
Close enough for me
To feel your heart beating fast
And stay there as I whisper
How I loved your peaceful eyes on me
Did you ever know
That I had mine on you
Your love if you have enough
Your tears if you're holding back
Or pain if that's what it is
How can I let you know
I'm more than the dress and the voice
Just reach me out then
You will know that you're not dreaming
Pointlesness!