Well, Final Fantasy VII is one of the greatest OSTs in my book. The only hindrance was that Square didn't maximize the PSX's MIDI capabilities. I guess they didn't really know how much it could handle until Xenogears and FFVIII. But regardless, the melodies and music in this OST are beautifully created. Unfortunately, this does have its tarnishes here and there, but it is to be expected.

This review takes a look at all the songs. The rating is its stand- alone value, which is probably lower than it should be. A high stand- alone value means it can define and sustain a mood, or really enjoyable to listen to.

DISC I

01 - Prelude (2:52) 6/10
This is a rather synthetic spin on the Final Fantasy Prelude, and not really too enjoyable. Even when the melody comes in, the synthesizer is way too obvious, and it just doesn't cut it.

02 - Opening - Bombing Mission (3:58) 10/10
This piece is rather divided into two parts. The first part is rather eerie, with a high-pitched bell ringing out the first few notes. The eerieness is increased as low-pitched sfx contrast to the bells. Then a crescendo into a little louder piece with synthesized strings, and then it quietens to the second part. A low piano? rings out the first notes, then a timpani. Then all of a sudden, bam! The piece becomes a full-fledged heart-pounding and raging. It's brass and the really low bass here, moving fast to make a nice urgent feeling. Well done. The transition is also worthy of note, done very smoothly.

03 - Mako Reactor (3:19) 5/10
This piece also starts out mysterious with low bass and piano? I believe. This piece, unfortunately, is ruined by the obscene synthesized strings. It's disgusting. This piece had potential, until the synthesizer. However, after the synthesizer hits the background, the piece is somewhat better with the choir and the toll bell.

04 - Anxious Heart (4:02) 9/10
Mysterious avenue, here. This starts out slow, with strings (real ones, i think) and a little sad too. Then a harp comes in, nice and slow, playing an eerie, melancholy. Then a flute joins it, intensifying these feelings. Then a light bell plays a few notes, rinse and repeat. Not bad at all.

05 - Tifa's Theme (5:06) 4/10
The synthesizer rears its obscene head once more in this piece. I can't even tell what kind of instrument is playing the melody. An accordion? Well, whatever it is, it's slow, with bells accompanying it. Then that thingy goes away and a flute, then a bassoon plays kinda the same thing, a slow melody. It gets boring fast because it is so damn long!

06 - Barret's Theme (3:27) 7/10
Don't have any idea what's playing here, but it's a nice and lively piece for a change. Sounds like a flute and bassoon, with heavy bass you'd expect with someone like Barret. It's a mindless piece, going really nowhere, perhaps that's what's interesting about it.

07 - Hurry (2:29) 10/10
A ticking clock in the beginning; a good prelude into a hurry-type piece. The melody is syncopated, which does enhance the hurry-ishness. The flute comes in and plays really fast every once in a while. And then it gets louder with the same fast beat and a string melody takes over for a while. Rinse, repeat. It's done very well, one of the best 'hurry' pieces I've ever heard. Really.

08 - Lurking in the Darkness (2:33) 4/10
Ach! My ears! That's a crappy synthesizer again! Everything but the hi-hat in the back is fake and annoying and crappy. It's really dissonant, and not really scary or mysterious or anything, just really bad. The melody is swapped between a clarinet and a flute, i believe. I can't tell, I don't really care either. Bad.

09 - Shinra Company (4:02) 10/10
Whoa, yeah. This is pretty jammin for a company. A really low handful of notes give the piece its ominous tone. Then a toll bell rings out the melody, exchanges it with an eerie choir. The snare drums significantly increase the effect. The melody itself is also really cool. This is one really good piece. I like it. Each instrument is so perfectly chosen: the drum, the toll bell, the choir, the bass.... it's another perfect piece.

10 - Fighting (2:47) 11/10
Wow! A great action piece! This doesn't start out like the traditional FF fight, which is kinda weird, but that's just as well! This piece jumps right into battle with a quick 4-triplet 2-double pattern. The brass then leads into the melody. And before you know it, you're in a whirlwind of brass and bass, spinning you around like mad. Do you feel it, Snake? The feel of battle? The clashing of bone and sinew? [/MGS] A superbly done piece, one you can never tire of.

11 - Fanfare (0:55) 2/10
The FF fanfare, or is it? It has an augmented ring to it, and it ends really weirdly in some disgusting fashion. I don't like it. Oh well.

12 - Flowers Blooming in the Church (4:59) 7/10
A nice slow version of what is to be Aeris' theme. A xylophone I believe plays the slow accompaniment while a flute plays a nice slow, peaceful melody. It changes to a clarinet a ways through the piece to play a different part. Sounds nice overall, but somewhat boring and repetitive.

13 - A Great Success (2:19) 8/10
Starts out soft, with random percussion, then some low notes. The percussion sounds like drums, and snapping fingers. Gives it a nice, laid back tone. Then, it's just percussion for a while until the low notes ring in once again. The percussion is what gives this piece a bit o' life, the cool, laid back theme of the Turks.

14 - Tango of Tears (3:22) 8/10
The synthesizer is pretty obvious here, but with the percussion here, it still provides a pretty cool, piece. It's not really laid back like the previous song, it's more ominous and eerie instead, just like the Midgar slums. Then, string notes build slowly on top of each other, getting louder and louder, and then stop, and the piece repeats. What's cool about this one is that the second time around, the song ends on the loud string notes.

15 - Debut (2:38) 10/10
Yeah! Another cool, jazzy, laid back piece. The percussion leads into the piece, just bass for now, and then a flute/clarinet come in to play the melody, a light, upbeat tune. After that ends, there's a little bass part, and then it repeats. It's really nice and laid back, once again, fitting its scene of Wall Market (and Rocket Town) perfectly. Wonderfully done.

16 - Honeybee Manor (3:52) 3/10
Ah, back to crappy, irritating pieces. An annoying accompaniment coupled with random insertions of percussion and shrill, mindless melodies all come together to wonderfully bore the hell out of you.

17 - Who Are You (1:24) 3/10
Ooh, eerie, creepy. Sounds like a synthesizer, but the weird effect it has suits the nature of the piece. In fact, that's all this piece is, a high-pitched synthesizer, repeating, over and over, in different keys. It's not fun to listen to, but it goes alright in the game.

18 - Don of the Slums (2:11) 5/10
Another (un)promising piece. Well, it's actually not that bad, I just don't know how to describe this piece. It's just weird. Yes, weird is a good word. Very weird.

19 - Infiltrating Shinra Tower (3:48) 9/10
This is a good infiltration piece. Nice, soft strings playing eerie notes, and then a good percussion beat comes in. The bass on the percussion sounds like a heart beat, and the high hat remains in the background, moving along the piece at a nice rate. Sometimes a low synthesizer comes in and plays some fast notes, increasing the tension in the piece. Nicely done.

20 - Still More Fighting (3:33) 11/10
A hard rock boss theme. Uematsu must have been inspired while arraning Matsueda's boss theme for Chrono Trigger or something. Starts out in A minor, goes to D minor, with electric guitars leading it off. Then percussion comes in to speed up the piece while a synthesized something blows through the melody. Then the second part, the synthesizer drops lower, the melody of this part is better, sounding more ominous, whilst the first melody sounded almost a little playful. But no need to fear, the electric guitars are there to drown it out. Not that it matters. This is a fun, awesome piece.

21 - Red XIII's Theme (1:28) 8/10
A nice short blurb. Sounds kinda ancient and 'ritual'-like, with thumping drums, the tambourines and a low pitched instrument of some sort, and a banjo sounding sorta thing. Then a few high bells play a few parts, and it repeats. Not bad, it does fit Red XIII.

22 - Crazy Motorcycle (3:36) 9/10
Whoo, another fast paced tune. Reminds me of CT's bike race, but better. These are really odd instruments. The percussion beats are fast and straight, keeping the pace. I don't know any of these instruments, maybe they're all synthesized. This is another piece you just have to listen to. But it's good. Really good.

23 - Holding My Thoughts in My Heart (2:13) 9/10
A nice slow tune to play. Strings are accompaniment, and the melody goes between a flute and a clarinet. The clarinet plays a pretty familiar theme... then it goes into bells ringing out some nice notes. Then a basson plays the clarinet, and then it goes back to the bells. Overall, a nice, peaceful song, done quite nicely.

DISC II

01 - Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII (6:29) 13/10
Now, this is an amazing piece. Starts out in G major, but still remains eerie with the organs and slow strings. The last of this part cadences down to the main theme, in E major. Slow string block chords fill the bass line, and string takes the melody. All string so far, sounding very peaceful and nice, creating a nice, beautiful portrait as the flute takes the melody now, an octave higher, still with the block chords. Then the song slowly flows into the second part, smoothly. A piano takes the melody, and winds with the accompaniment. It still sounds amazingly beautiful, with random interjections of a variation of the melody. Then it builds up into the main theme again, very grand, flush with brass. Then even grander and more majestic still as it changes to G major, only to fall slowly downward into an eerie, ominous E minor key. This part is very different here; the melody is very subtle in its manner. Block chords fill the bass line again, with eerie arpeggios interrupting the slow, haunting melody. After staying at this level for a while, it builds up into a more forceful piece, complete with percussion. Then it slowly starts to calm down, softer and softer, until it returns, once again to the main theme. Amazingly beautiful. A wonderfully done piece. Oh yeah, this is Cloud's theme.

02 - Ahead on Our Way (3:44) 6/10
Well, it's certainly quite difficult to follow up such an awesome piece, but this song doesn't try too hard, it's a nice, quiet piece with an acoustic guitar and a few winds, including a flute with the melody.

03 - Goodnight Until Tomorrow (0:10) 3/10
Um, goodnight, I guess. Not exactly my favorite. Too short.

04 - On That Day (3:13) 8/10
A slower, more melancholy representation of the Main Theme. I assume this Main Theme is most probably Cloud's theme. Done with strings, with a harp or piano playing its rolled chords from time to time. Very nicely done, and a good mood enhancer as well.

05 - Farm Boy (2:51) 5/10
A nice, homely piece on the farm. Uses country style instruments, a banjo is perceptible, but a country instrument does not a country song make, apparently. Still, it's a nice playful melody, but not really that great.

06 - Waltz de Chocobo (0:34) 7/10
A piano rings out the typical waltz accompaniment, and then the bass plays a weird countermelody to the flute/synthesizer chocobo melody. Then there's a little buildup to the ending. Quite comical.

07 - Electric de Chocobo (4:02) 2/10
Uematsu horribly fails with his electro-experimenting stuff here. The percussion and the "new" instruments are just annoying. Plus the synthesized organ or whatever is a really bad-sounding instrument, and just lays to waste the Chocobo theme. Gack!

08 - Cinco de Chocobo (3:00) 7/10
Like the title implies, this is in 5/4 time, taking the bass from classic jazz (Take Five comes to mind) The melody is played very upbeat and jazzy by a clarinet, and its done very nicely. Uematsu wasn't afraid of tweaking the melody here, and his little gamble paid off well. Nicely done.

09 - Chasing the Black Caped Man (3:04) 3/10
Nothing sucks more than a not creepy piece that tries to be creepy. It would have worked, but 2 main things are wrong: the song is too loud, and the melody is played by some awfully synthesized flute or clarinet or something. The accompaniment is done alright with xylophones and a few soft winds.

10 - Fortress of the Condor (4:00) 6/10
A rough military march. The brass is quite dissonant here, and the bass creates quite a strict beat. The beat is broken sometimes in a flash of energy as the brass spin out in some other melody. It starts off pretty bad, but it recovers quickly to become quite an attention-getter.

11 - Rufus Welcoming Ceremony (2:14) 7/10
Another military march, but more fanfarish and well, welcoming. Another simple bass march pattern, with the drums supporting the bass. The brass carries on the melody with brief interludes by flutes. At times, the melody stops, and the drums will carry on a little solo before rejoining the brass. Almost sounds like an anthem.

12 - It's Difficult to Stand on Both Feet, Isn't It? (3:31) 8/10
This is a wacky song. The bass is really odd, and this whole piece is indescribable. The drums keep the beat, and the... 'whatevers' that play on syncopated beats accompany. The melody is played by a rather playful set of brass and flutes. Really weird, but a good weird.

13 - Trail of Blood (4:13) 5/10
This does a good job of 'creepy', though it seems to be very repetitive with just strings. In fact, the notes themselves seem to blur together after a while and just disappear into the background, which doesn't really produce much of an effect. Sometimes some percussion will interject as if to pump life back into the song, but that frankly fails.

14 - J-E-N-O-V-A (2:32) 10/10
This is 'creepy'. Very nice. A fast beat is set by the drums as the light arpeggios seem to rain down into the piece. Brass starts it out, leading into the melody, played by some strings, I believe. The brass plays a quick, punctuated countermelody, which complements the rather slowish string melody very nicely. The brass takes over for a while, and then returns to the beginning.

15 - Continue (0:36) 8/10
No! Game over! Actually, it's not a bad game over piece at all. Actually worth commenting on. Strings and bells lead into the arpeggio, played very nicely, just like the original. Makes me want to die to hear the music! Or... maybe not.

16 - Costa Del Sol (2:27) 9/10
Yeah! This is a nice, laid back piece. Very awesome. Starts out with the acoustic guitars, and joined by some jazzed up percussion, leads to the melody played by some bells, then a flute, a very nice and relaxing, resort-ish type melody. Blends in even better with the scenery. The music almost paints a portrait of a nice little resort by the beach with beautiful chicks and whatnot...

17 - Mark of the Traitor (3:31) 4/10
This is actually a slower, more melancholy rendition of Barret's theme. Takes a while to catch it though, because it's not really an attractive piece. It seems pretty filthy, but I suppose it fits the town pretty well. Random instruments pluck at dissonant melodies here, but it doesn't really give much of an effect.

18 - Mining Town (3:00) 4/10
See above. The accompaniment is really annoying, and even louder than the melody, which also isn't really that great.

19 - Gold Saucer (1:58) 7/10
A nice playful theme. Very theme-parkish. Yes, it literally paints a theme park, with all the rides and carnival stuff and games and whatnot. I think all the instruments in this are synthesized, but that actually kinda adds to the 'cheesiness' that afflicts all theme parks. Not badly done, fits the place well, but gets boring to listen to after a while.

20 - Cait Sith's Theme (3:34) 10/10
Now this is jazzy! Awesomely done. The bass is nice, a little steppy, with snapping fingers accompanying it. The melody is played by a clarinet (Uematsu's good with jazzy clarinets apparently). It's countered by a synth instrument of some sort, done well. This is really a nicely done piece, really jazzy and awesome. Well done!

21 - Sandy Badlands (5:32) 10/10
Although extremely long, this piece is very nicely done. It's nice and slow, giving a desolate, exotic feel of the desert, stretching on for miles. The percussion's random noises almost sound like the sounds of the desert; one of them sounds similar to a rattlesnake. Acoustic guitars play the accompaniment in arpeggios with a synthesized flute as the melody, which rings out the desolate tune. After while, here's another treat: strings take over and really send chills through you with their few haunting notes, and then reverts to the flute. Awesome.

DISC III

01 - Cosmo Canyon (3:36) 8/10
A definite ancient feel here. Loud, low tribal drums and some kinda bass guitar. Then in comes a flute with a nice, ancient-sounding melody. Sounds pretty good so far. And pretty realistic too. Fits the "ancient" theme perfectly. Then some strings come in and support the melody, giving it more depth. I can also hear traces of an electric guitar in there. It builds up more and more with some percussion before repeating. It is no surprise that this is a fuller version of Red XIII's theme.

02 - Life Stream (3:36) 6/10
Mystical, ephemeral are the words that come to mind. Simple notes ring out from some bells, with strings playing a few extended notes, and a timpani echoing in the background. The song is kept very simple. Nice and simple, but it loses its aura after a while.

03 - Great Warrior (3:24) 7/10
A slower rendition of Cosmo Canyon and Red XIII's theme. More melancholy and sentimental as well, as it accompanies the appropriate scene. It does a good job too, with just a guitar, bells, and some drums.

04 - Descendant of Shinobi (2:45) 5/10
Yuffie's obnoxious theme. Playful and perky, just like Yuffie. A big turnoff, just like Yuffie. At least Uematsu fit her personality, if nothing else. It's just a flute with a bit of accompaniment whistling out a playful melody. See if you whistle that frickin' tune after she steals your materia...

05 - Those Chosen By The Planet (3:16) 10/10
Oh baby, oh baby. This still gives me chills everytime I listen to it. The toll bell and the bass drum create an eerie backdrop beat for the choir. Even though it's synthesized, still, the first time I heard that choir, chills ran through my spine. And to this day, it still achieves a similar effect. Amazingly done. Whoo.... *shrudders*

06 - The Nightmare's Beginning (2:58) 5/10
This is just a guitar playing. Plays a rather mysterious melody, but it ends there. For the most part its just a mundane Vincent's theme.

07 - Cid's Theme (3:10) 11/10
Very heroic. Snares set the somewhat militaristic, heroic overtone, and the brass and strings expound on it with what actually seems to be a somewhat melodramatic melody, like a valiant-failure kind of thing. So the two emotions kinda conflict here, heroic and valiant. They combine for a pretty damn good song though, I'll say. Very nicely done, and it really gives these two emotions out.

08 - Steal the Tiny Bronco (1:16) 7/10
Starts out with a little frilly flute tune with a bit of brass mixed in. Then it builds up into a rendition of the main theme, and Cloud's theme. Everything's fine until... the song takes a dissonant turn, now it's in a kind of panic mode, sliding down to its conclusion.

09 - Wutai (4:29) 7/10
Uematsu gets very ancient and you do get an Oriental feeling with this music. Tribal drums and a flute do the job here. It carries a kind of sentimental overtone here, like much of the pieces in this OST so far are turning out to be. Overall, not too bad a song, but its slow pace bores the casual listener.

10 - Stolen Materia (1:36) 5/10
Disgusting. Annoying. Discordant everything running amok, dissonant flutes, bass, accompaniment, you name it, as long as it sucks, this piece has it. Goes along perfectly with the scene. Good job, Uematsu. (You thought I was blasting this piece, huh?)

11 - Racing Chocobos (1:50) 2/10
An obscene synthesized track that has nothing to do with Chocobos.

12 - Fiddle de Chocobo (2:50) 3/10
Like it suggests, Chocobo theme with pure, 100% fiddle. It is rather amusing, for the, oh say, 5 seconds or so before it just gets annoying.

13 - A Great Success (0:47) 5/10
Hey, the original FF victory theme! Too bad it's only for winning Chocobo Races.

14 - Tango of Tears (0:49) 5/10
The original FF victory theme with a minor, dissonant spin on it, also more punctuated.

15 - Debut (2:36) 3/10
Geez, I can't help but notice that tracks 13-15 of Disc III have the same title as tracks 13-15 of Disc I. Except Disc I's tracks were good. This one really sucks. It's a pure woodwind song, with annoying bass and an annoying melody.

16 - Interrupted by Fireworks (2:50) 10/10
Ah, here's a nice, slow piece for a change. Very slow and ephemeral. It's just a piano with the nice, slow accompaniment, a few strings to build up the emotions, and bells with the melody. Ah, now it changes into a much fuller piece. Solid, deep bass supports the whole song now. A flute carries the melody. After a while the song repeats itself. Very nicely done. Something nice to hear for a change.

17 - Forested Temple (3:51) 6/10
And back to the mediocre, subpar Disc III. Of course, you can't ask for a lot out of this song: it does its job and provides a little creepy and mystical background with a guitar and a flute. Bass in the background does an ok job as well. It's these weird short plucky notes that keep appearing out of nowhere. Plus the melody isn't much. It's ok, but not good.

18 - Cry of the Planet (3:40) 6/10
Once again, like Forested Temple, it does its job with weird synth and a toll bell, and a bassoon too. But it's not a very enjoyable piece, really.

19 - Aeris's Theme (4:18) 11/10
Wow. Just, wow. A piano rings out the first familiar notes of her melody. Then, it's played in full by strings and winds, slowly and melancholily. An oboe picks up from here, singing its soft sweet melody to the backdrop of the piano, with strings slowly building up the emotion of the song. It climazes in strings and winds, then dies down to the oboe for a bit, before repeating. Wow.

20 - Buried in the Snow (4:51) 6/10
A nice little playful theme. Plucky strings are the accompaniment, with bells ringing out a melody. Other instruments hop on in the fun from here to there. Pretty much, this piece ends up nowhere, just like Barret's theme.

21 - The Great Northern Cave (6:06) 9/10
Oooh, this is an eerie piece. Really low bass ring out in the beginning. Then, a synth something rings out a really dissonant, eerie melody, still to the loud, low bass. It starts to drag after a while, unfortunately. In a bit though, a piano comes in and plays some notes. Then the synth thing and a synth choir comes in and does its stuff with the piano and loud bass. Then, some winds play bits of the main theme, and it repeats.

22 - Reunion (3:33) 7/10
Hmm, this is kind of... odd. There's the plucky accompaniment from 2 tracks ago, and bells playing a melody. It doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and it doesn't invoke any particular emotions, until... a flute kicks in with synth choir, which adds a lot of depth to the song and instills the supernatural tone that it's been lacking all along. Then it repeats.

23 - Who Am I (1:37) 5/10
Bass, a piano playing some arpeggios, and a synth something playing bits of Cloud's theme. Nothing else really happening. It does sound a bit creepy, but it really doesn't go beyond that.

DISC IV

01 - Shinra Army Attacks (2:57) 9/10
This song is fun. That's the best way to describe it. It starts out with a snare drum solo, kinda militaristic, then it jumps into full brass playing a march. It's pretty cool so far, and the percussion really adds to the march effect. It goes on in this fashion for a while. Then, winds kick in for a bit and make it a little amusing with their trills and totally does-not-sound-like-a-march sounds to the backdrop of a march beat. Then it repeats. It lacks in depth, but it's still enjoyable to listen to.

02 - Weapon Raid (2:52) 8/10
This is a good suspense thing. Strings start building up with percussion aiding it. After crescendoing, it climaxes and starts again. And again. Then it heads into brass that does the crescendoing. Then, well, what do you know, it has a toll bell and synth play the People Chosen by the Planet theme, you know, the creepy one. Rinse and repeat. It's not a very innovative song, but it gets the job done.

03 - Highwind Takes to the Skies (3:35) 8/10
The airship theme, as usual, rocks. After a little intro, it rockets into a heroic version of Cloud's theme with the full package. After a bit, I think it turns into a rendering of Cid's theme, or someone's theme, and then it repeats.

04 - A Secret Sleeping (4:17) 7/10
Ah, the underwater theme. And underwater, it does sound. The low, sleepy bass, and the plucky strings are back at it again. A flute sings out the nice, slow melody. Then it's the oboe's turn to ring out the same melody, sounding just as good. This goes on for a while until it repeats.

05 - Parochial Town (2:26) 7/10
This is a nice, laid back town theme. It literally paints a picture of the quiet, humdrum, oh-I-wish-something-interesting-would-happen-for-once kind of town. Unfortunately for the song, nothing interesting really happens.

06 - Off The Edge of Despair (4:15) 5/10
Yeah, this is a pretty despair-invoking piece. In the sense that, the accompaniment sucks. It's too loud, and too annoying. The melody is not enough to pull this piece out of the ditch. What a shame, because the melody is really nice.

07 - On the Other Side... (2:35) 4/10
Starts out with a peaceful guitar. And it stays that way, just a guitar. Well, there is a little bass to help punctuate a few notes. But that's about it. Pretty uneventful and pretty unemotional.

08 - Hurry Faster (2:57) 10/10
Well, it starts out as a rendition of the battle theme. Whaddya know. It's pretty good so far. Like the battle theme, its a whirlwind of, not brass but strings, and percussion. Nice so far, very nice. I can't really describe it, but it is a whirlwind, I'll tell you that. Pretty good job done here by Uematsu, but it's not as whirlwindy as the battle theme itself. Still invokes that "hurry" feeling.

09 - Sending A Dream (2:50) 8/10
This is a slower, more melancholy version of Cid's theme. It's just a guitar in the beginning, but then a clarinet rings out the theme, slowly and sadly, and some percussion is in the back aiding it along. Then it's the guitar by itself, and a bit of bass before the repeat. Good, but not as good as the original theme.

10 - The Countdown Begins (0:50) 5/10
Fast strings start out this piece, then low clarinets come in. Then toll bells and bass give it an ominous ring. Snare drums lead into a minor, dissonant Cid's theme, then fades off. Too short to be a real piece.

11 - If You Open Your Heart (2:47) 4/10
It's a harp playing the annoying arpeggios, and the flute playing the annoying melody, and the bells coming in with random interjections. This piece has no real cohesion, though each voice by itself may be decent, you just can't put them together. It sounds terrible and disconcerted.

12 - The Mako Cannon is Fired (1:33) 8/10
Militaristic and ominous. Snares give it the beat, strings give it the suspense, and bass gives it the eerieness. It culminates in that eerie People Chosen by the Planet theme. Then it stops. Then it starts again, completely different this time. Fast and hurryish, it ends, then a third part stops, kinda like the aftermath of a bomb. Slow, dissonant strings play the, how trite, Shinra theme, as if it were a last tribute to the company.

13 - Judgment Day (4:07) 10/10
Judgment Day indeed. Toll bells and percussion start it out, and then synth walks right on in. Sounds a bit bad in the beginning, but the song soon unfolds. The melody, played probably by synth brass, rings out a familiar theme... is it Cid's theme? No, Aeris's theme! Well, whaddya know! At least, parts of it ARE Aeris's theme, I am positive of that. It is a very good song, I believe. Very haunting and gives the D-Day type feeling.

14 - Jenova Absolute (3:59) 11/10
Whoa! Starts out almost like the battle theme, except a bit lighter. Then percussion leads it into a heavier set, but still similar to the battle theme. It still sounds really awesome. Then brass rings out the melody, then bam! No, it repeats itself again for a bit. Jenova's melody in disguise. But this really sounds similar, both in sound and structure to the battle theme. Weird almost. Then the B part starts with some strings playing a hurry-style melody, and then blends back into the song, and repeats. Awesomely suspenseful. Well done.

15 - Birth of the God (4:11) 10/10
I never really respected this song as much as I should. Because it is good. It starts out low with bass and low piano. Then strings and winds ring out the initial melody. It's pretty fast and upbeat, with bells and synth playing the melody now. It sounds kinda like pop music during that part, but maybe that's the percussion. Then another melody starts with strings, and damn that sounds familiar! Is that Dancing Mad from FFVI? Naw, can't be. It plays the Chosen by the Planet theme, which is pretty much the defacto Sephiroth theme by now. It gets pretty ominous from there until it returns to the pop-sounding part. The pop part irks me, but the rest of the song is stellar.

16 - One Winged Angel (7:18) 12/10
Whoa, wow. Brass and percussion play for a bit, then eerie winds, then back to the brass. This is best described as apocalyptic. It's truly grand, played by the full package. The percussion still plays the haunting quarter notes. Winds play quick-moving, swift notes, and strings jump in helping the brass with a full sounding melody. But now it's the choir taking full control of the song, and real choir, not that synth crap. So you've got the full orchestra playing haunting music, and on top of that you've got chilling choir chants. Oh baby, oh baby. What awesomeness.

17 - World Crisis (8:05)
Starts out nice and soft, then builds into a variation of Aeris's theme, before brusquely shifting into a suspenseful hurry piece. And that abruptly stops and plays Tifa's theme, better than the original theme itself, by a nice flute and some brass. Then it builds into Cloud's theme, the main theme. Then some dissonant arpeggios build into the "oh crap" section. Done very nicely indeed. Rivals One-Winged Angel. Right in the middle of this hubbub, Cid's theme appears for a bit, dissonant style, then the music slows down a bit into simple notes. Then Aeris's theme reappears in the form of bells for a bit. Back again to the "uh-oh" style. It's done by brass this time. Ok, it's getting a little drawn out here. Maybe it would be better with the video itself. Plays a bit of Sephiroth here. Wow this is a change. It's real quiet, and mysterious, the only instruments are a bassoon and bells, then Cloud's theme starts up again, then back to the "uh-oh" music. Perhaps the final turn the song takes, the mood changes to ephemeral. It's just a piano playing some notes, and strings slowly join. A toll bell with bass sorta add to the feeling of hope. Then, very grandiosely the same melody is played, kinda like "Yes, the good guys won". And then, the music ends in the same fashion that it started in the Opening ~ Bombing Mission track, with a bell ringing out those be all, end all, notes.

18 - Staff Roll (6:51) 10/10
Well, it's decent for a staff roll. Starts out march-style. It plays the Opening theme, that transition between the ephemeral and bombing parts of the song. Then it plays a version of Tifa's theme, I believe. Then another melody, nice and slow. But it doesn't resemble any melody, like ending music usually does. Ok, now it changes. This part is like the battle theme. Except its lighter. Ok, just kidding. And now it changes into Cloud's theme, Highwind-airship style. It changes keys and repeats. A slow string transition into, of course! The Prologue theme. Who could forget that inspiring melody way back from the first Final Fantasy? And it plays the Prologue theme till the end.

And now, the top 10:

10: Those Chosen by the Planet
09: Debut
08: Interrupted by Fireworks
07: Still More Fighting
06: Fighting
05: Cid's Theme
04: Jenova Absolute
03: Aeris's Theme
02: One Winged Angel
01: Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII

Man, that was tough. In hindsight, FFVII did have its dull spots, but Uematsu put forth some of his greatest hits right here. Overall, an amazing job.

END!
--Copyright 2001 Neel Shah