Well, here we are with another Uematsu soundtrack, Final Fantasy VIII. This is the OST, Original Sound Track. In this OST, Uematsu goes way futuristic with his compositions, while still retaining his trademark ingenuity. But he smacks you in the head with full-orchestra pieces like Waltz for the Moon and Dance of the Balamb-Fish. He creates some nice, catchy tunes in these, but some of his pieces really fall flat. The card game theme. That's all I have to say for that.

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

1 - Liberi Fatali (3:03) 13/10
the bomb! the choir comes in slowly, chanting the ominous, haunting chant, I don't have to say what it is. Then the timpani and bass come in and start the pulsing; soon joined by winds and piano. Bass/tenor choir comes in, and is soon coupled with the alto/soprano choir. When the choir stops, the orchestra picks up, never leaving you any time to rest. The de/crescendos blend in beautifully with the mood. And finally, near the end, all this energy Uematsu builds up explodes into a frightfully suspenseful mix of choir, bass, snare, orchestra, and piano. Then back down, and slowly rising with the choir chanting, higher, higher.... then cut off by the orchestra at the last minute! And after what seems like an eternity of silence, a lone low piano note strikes, then strings come in for a bit with a timpani, and die off.

2 - Balamb Garden (3:30) 6/10
nice, peaceful, relaxed, but boring on its own. Well, you can't really make a dashing piece for a normal Balamb Garden. It's bearable, even while played again.

3 - Blue Fields (2:56) 4/10
overworld theme. kinda mysterious, sorta bland, conservative. Given Uematsu's previous successes with world map tunes, you'd think he'd do better here. Just some bass, clarinets, and flutes. They all come together to beautifully bore you.

4 - Don't Be Afraid (2:54) 10/10
kicks ass! great battle music by uematsu. Snares and the pulsing rhythm set up this piece perfectly to be dominated by brass, then strings. Brass and strings exchange melody fluidly while the bass line continues to pulsate in the 5/4 rhythm.

5 - The Winner (1:11) 7/10
traditional ff victory. Better than 7's, which Uematsu totally messed up, but still doesn't beat the SNES victory music.

6 - Find Your Way (3:48) 5/10
dungeon music. boring as hell, but its bearable when coupled with the game's mood. I don't think this is used that often, just in the Fire Cavern. Oh well, who gives a crap. It more or less sucks.

7 - SeeD (3:09) 7/10
once again, sucks stand-alone, but its one of the best military marches since ff4; goes well with the mission mood. Just the heavy snare and some winds.

8 - The Landing (4:35) 10/10
hell yeah! Starts out ominous with a heartbeat sounding bass, then strings, then a lone trumpet, then bam! right up in your face with a clean transition to the repeating melodies. Do i hear a bit of Liberi Fatali in there? yes, right in there with the snare and in between the powerful brass. The percussion does great in keeping the music moving.

9 - Starting Up (1:21) 8/10
worthy follow up to The Landing. Bit too short, though. Nice building up with the strings, then winds. Very pulsating, you can feel uematsu's heart beat, that's pretty pulsating.

10 - Force Your Way (3:54) 7/10
Uematsu follows up his main battle theme poorly with this boss theme. It's a decent boss theme, but it's not pulsating enough, it's too high pitched to create a sense of suspense. The rhythm changes too frequently in order to set into a groove, although it does create a nice variance.

11 - The Loser (1:28) 7/10
uh, i guess this is the game over music... nice transition into... there's the final fantasy theme, those arpeggios that have captivated every RPGer. Is that some choir person singing that solitary note? It's an A, i think... Just for those arpeggios it gets a decent score.

12 - Never Look Back (3:25) 8/10
yeah... this music is a good Run! theme. In fact, it IS played during various 'running' scenes. The orchestra hits set up the urgency quickly, then the drums join the bass line for a better suspenseful effect, and then the strings come with a melody. The pattern repeats with a slight variation. It repeats pretty quickly, though. Also, the song itself is kinda thin, there's not a lot of depth. I would think a suspense song would be louder.

13 - Dead End (1:15) 8/10
the conclusion of what The Landing started, also the ending to the Dollet mission. Very suspensful when coupled with the game, but i wouldn't be so sure about it going solo.

14 - Breezy (2:45) 8/10
The town of Balamb. Peaceful, relaxed, and quiet, just like the Garden. Not that exciting, though, but hey, it's Balamb. It's better done than the Garden theme, however.

15 - Shuffle or Boogie (2:05) 1/10
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! The card game theme. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

16 - Waltz For The Moon (3:02) 9/10
Whoa! This is the Eyes on Me theme, played rather outlandishly by a full orchestra in 3/4! This is ingenuity at its pinnacle. It's amusing to hear a rather comical waltz version of the rather sad Eyes on Me. Hehe...

17 - Tell Me (3:26) 5/10
Hmm.. when is this? Oh yeah, after the waltz. Heh, go figure. Ahh.. there's a familiar theme, the 'reminiscent' theme. It's kinda boring. I guess it's supposed to be a mood enhancer, but it doesn't stand that well on it's own.

18 - Fear (2:26) 1/10
Uhh, isn't this the training center music? It's not very fearful, just sorta bland. Really bland. So bland, I can't write any more.

19 - The Man with the Machine Gun (2:51) 10/10
Yeah!! Laguna's battle theme! This is a great, pulsating piece, with the drums and the pulsing bass in the background. Although it is kinda high-pitched, it's still a great piece of battle music by Uematsu. Why couldn't Uematsu have done better with the boss music?

20 - Julia (1:25) 9/10
a complete piano solo! Uematsu never fails with a solo piano, and Julia is a nice rendition of Eyes on Me. Just another song that's too damn short. Still deserves a 10, from a piano player. This is played when Laguna sees the 'piano girl' in Deling City, Julia.

21 - Roses and Wine (2:20) 5/10
Umm, this is one more of Laguna's flashback themes. Not something really enjoyable, its too slow. It's probably better as a mood enhancer.

22 - Junction (1:39) 5/10
grrr... this is okay the first time, but it really gets on your nerves when you're stuck in the deep sea research lab fighting L100 monsters.... blech... too mysterious and bland for my liking.

23 - Timber Owls (2:51) 2/10
Grr!! This sucks!! It's stupid and it sucks! What is that, some ticking clock? And what, a jack-in-the-box? All coupled with some stupid bells and other crap. Ahh!! It's almost as bad as the card game theme!

DISC II

1 - My Mind (3:14) 4/10
Uhh, Rinoa's theme, I believe. I don't know why it's called My Mind, and I don't know why it sounds so anticlimactic. Probably because Uematsu slowed down Eyes on Me slower than is humanly possible.

2 - The Mission (3:38) 9/10
yeah!! Uematsu scores again with a mission theme. This one starts out in a whole different way than The Landing, with strings and synth building up into the repeating theme. The transition is much quicker, though. And, whoa! the second time around it adds some more synth instruments to build up, then back to normal.

3 - Martial Law (3:48) 3/10
The Timber theme. What is this supposed to sound like? Or have an effect? It's just notes. Doesn't create any particular feeling. Maybe boredom?

4 - Cactus Jack (1:32) 5/10
ummm, this sounds like the Galbadian anthem. why is it called Cactus Jack? whatever... sounds kinda dumb, stereotypical anthem, not much heart into it, but i'm not a big fan of anthems. Except the former Soviet Union's... =)

5 - Only a Plank between One and Perdition (2:26) 8/10
The orchestra hit nails you in the face, before settling in an ominous string melody. Then the guitar takes over as a continuation of the theme. The bass and drums keep the pulsating rhythm an action piece deserves. But once again, it seems kinda thin, like Never Look Back.

6 - SUCCESSION OF WITCHES (3:20) 9/10
Ooohh... THE haunting chant followed by THE haunting melody. The flutes and high chimes strike a piercing feeling; just knowing the theme and what's coming. The soprano choir also enhances that feeling. It's even better as a mood enhancer. Better than it being stand-alone. I guess its just the fact that it seems to have been designed for a scene rather than alone.

7 - Galbadia Garden (3:39) 5/10
Attempts to sound military in the beginning and ominous at the same time, but then lapses into a mysterious sort of theme with the maracas? and the choir? I can't really tell what they are. Blech. It's not really bad though. Just bad enough.

8 - Unrest (2:38) 4/10
Oh, this is the 'oh my god' theme. Oh my god, did you see what just happened? Uematsu took a truck and crashed it into a wall while composing this! But I guess it is, once again, designed for a scene rather than stand-alone.

9 - Under Her Control (3:32) 8/10
Yeah, the Deling City theme. Jazzy and relaxing with the guitars and the xylophone as the melody, then the trumpet takes the melody. It repeats quite a bit, but hey, it's still pretty cool.

10 - The Stage is Set (3:41) 9/10
Yes, the stage is set for a nice mood enhancing piece. Rather militaristic like SeeD, but also carries a nice melody with it as well. The second time, brass countermelody joins the string melody, and then takes over for a while, creating an overall nice effect. Even better in the game.

11 - A Sacrifice (3:28) 7/10
Another Witch song. Rinoa gets wasted by Edea. Also goes along with a nice FMV. Still not as good as the next song, which can actually stand alone. The fake choir and fake instruments don't help. Or is that a clarinet? Whatever.

12 - FITHOS LUSEC WECOS VINOSEC (4:35) 10/10
Yeah!! This is the best! Along with the parade FMV. Despite the celebration going on, it still produces a rather eerie melody with the Witch theme and the thumping drums in the background. Uematsu is almost ironic here, using percussion that is normally celebratory in such an ominous piece. THE chant adds to the effect.

13 - Intruders (2:33) 6/10
Ah, the Missile Base theme. Or is it the Deling Sewers? Whatever. The sewers. Soft bass and a somewhat loud synth. Unfortunately, the bass is the melody, not the synth. Gets kinda boring after the repeat.

14 - Premonition (4:38) 10/10
Edea's theme, I believe. GASP!! Great use of the organs to build up suspense. And then, bam, right into the haunting flute melody with the percussion and bass keeping up the tempo. It builds up some more into a string melody with a tambourine and timpani adding to the fast tempo. The melody line is still lilting and slow. Uematsu also decides to use some de/crescendos here, and it pays off.

15 - Wounded (0:55) 3/10
pretty short. probably goes with an FMV. Ah, yes! This is the ending of Disc I. Pretty boring, just a high-pitched organ. Uematsu's trying to sound ominous with a high-pitched organ? Geez, this stinks. Thank goodness it's short.

16 - Fragments of Memories (3:15) 4/10
another boring Laguna flashback song. It's just too bland, even if it is meant to sound reminiscent. i don't feel any emotion in this piece. That high-pitched waltz bass doesn't improve it any.

17 - Jailed (3:51) 5/10
Rather sinister, clever piece. This is in the Galbadian jail theme. It's not a particularly exciting song, but it goes along well with the scene.

18 - Rivals (3:32) 5/10
This is a good mood enhancer, usually in scenes with Seifer and Squall. It's bearable halfway through, but it gets too repetitive after a while. There isn't any volume difference either, it maintains the same level throughout and relies on dissonance to produce emotions, which really isn't too fun.

19 - Ami (4:37) 8/10
Hey, not bad! You'd expect this to be slow, but Uematsu moves it along at a decent pace for a somewhat slow song. After the piano, strings and flute add on for a better song overall. Then it goes into a variation of the Balamb Garden theme with just the piano. I'm sure it's even better in the game. Only the lack of volume changes holds this song back.

DISC III

1 - The Spy (3:48) 8/10
Laid back, jazzy music, sounds like spy music. Not bad. Uematsu gives it a jazzy feel with electric guitars and the high-hat, and then assigns melody to the synthpiano, and strings. Whoa, and then the melody goes to some other synth instrument, a synthviolin? Not bad at all.

2 - Retaliation (0:48) 8/10
fast paced, quality action music. It's just too damn short, though. Whoa... breaks halfway through, seems like the action settles down. Yeah, this probably goes with an FMV, probably the one where Galbadian missiles approach Balamb.

3 - Movin' (5:20) 8/10
pretty ominous in the beginning. oh yeah!! This is one of the Balamb Garden scenes, maybe the Garden fight scenes. Balamb vs. Galbadia. Uematsu does a great job. He transitions well from slow to fast about 1/3 in the song. And then back slower. It goes well with the game, as different sections of this song deal with different scenes; part of this goes with an FMV. It gets to repeat a bit too much, however.

4 - Blue Sky (0:46) 6/10
odd... starts out carefree, then builds up with brass to become more grandiose. Goes with the Balamb Garden flying FMV, I believe. Too short to stand on its own, though.

5 - Drifting (2:58) 6/10
Sounds pretty sad. Also pretty boring. This would go well with some tragedy in the game, or some painful realization. The drifting of souls, I presume. Nothing but strings in this song. Which isn't half bad.

6 - Heresy (4:12) 4/10
The organ. That's all it is. An ominous sounding organ. Heresy to my ears.

7 - Fisherman's Horizon (3:32) 6/10
This is another slow, dreamy, sleepy town theme. I'm not sure if this is the exact length or not of the song. But I doubt it makes a difference.

8 - Odeka de Chocobo (1:17) 5/10
Whoa, this is NES quality chocobo music. Or Uematsu's crappy techno experiment. Only because it's the chocobo theme does it not get a 1. Phew, it's over. Grrr, I hate this song!! It's catchy in its simplicity. Grr.. I hate it so much!! Gotta hear it again. AAHH!!!

9 - Where I Belong (3:41) 5/10
Ami with some weird sound defect that makes it sound like it's older. It's essentially the same song with a weird sound defect thingy that I don't really know what it is.

10 - The Oath (3:27) 8/10
This is like some valiant, heroic music. I've heard it in Esthar, I think. It can't be though. It's a nice song, with good strings and oboe to the melody and harmony.

11 - Slide Show Part 1 (1:24) 3/10
A Slide show? It does sound like a reel in the background. And some deep piano? What is this used for, dammit? I don't remember any slide show crap. Whatever. What, it breaks.. oh, I get it. Funny man, Uematsu. Goes to part 2.

12 - Slide Show Part 2 (1:48) 4/10
Part 1 breaks into Part 2. Cheesy piano music, sounds like the FF6 Colosseum.Yeah, it's gotta be the Colosseum! Grr... Uematsu strikes out with the piano this time. I have no idea what this is for. I remember no Slide show or anything.

13 - Love Grows (4:30) 9/10
A nice, slow rendition of Eyes on Me. With a horn, then a flute, then oboe, then clarinet, all exchanging the melody. All 4 then join to create a pleasant, relaxing melody. Bleh... why did he repeat it again? That was dumb. Now it'll seem like it's dragging the second time.

14 - The Salt Flats (3:38) 9/10
odd use of choir here. creates a nice effect with the piano. sounds like an exotic, yet desolate place. which is exactly what the Salt Flats are. Nice and slow; creates an eerie effect.

15 - Trust Me (3:14) 4/10
This is played during Laguna flashbacks. Grr, those xylophones or whatever are annoying. The wind melody doesn't help any. It's bearable, though.

16 - Silence and Motion (5:49) 9/10
Whoa, weird stuff here. The percussion adds a real futuristic feel, just like Esthar is. Yes, this is Esthar's theme. Totally new stuff Uematsu has here. You can literally picture the bustling city. It's indescribable. A totally new listening experience.

17 - Dance with the Balamb-Fish (3:41) 10/10
I don't see why it's called this, especially since this is the Space Station theme. It's a fun song, light, bouncy, no weirdass percussion either. Complete orchestral instruments, even though its synthesized. You just can't get enough of this song! It's great.

18 - Tears of the Moon (1:14) 6/10
The Lunar Cry. A heartstopping event, accompanied by heartstopping music. This is a great mood-enhancer, building, building, building, then bam! Wait, that's not an explosion, it returns back to normal volume. Anti-climactic, if I may say so.

19 - Residents (3:10) 2/10
Grrrrrr, this is soo damn familiar, and I can't remember what scene it accompanies. Yes!! The Ragnarok! When ya gotta bash all the Propagators! Yeah, I hated that music. It wasn't music, just a bunch of abstract notes and noises that somehow got onto the OST.

20 - Eyes on Me (5:37) 8/10
Eyes on Me. A nice melody, often sweeping to and from grandness with aid from brass and percussion. It's a great mood enhancer, and a nice song. JapanPop hits the US!! I wish I could say more about the song, but it's quite simple, even with its length. A bit cheesy at times, though. Sorry, Uematsu.

DISC IV

1 - Mods de Chocobo (2:26) 8/10
yeah! the chocobo theme with guitars! and killer percussion too! Jazzed up, fun, and carefree. Are there any more ways in which to screw around with the chocobo theme? Guess we'll have to wait for FF9....

2 - Ride On (3:04) 8/10
What the hell? Grr, i hate flutes. What is this for... ahhh!!! There it is, the Ragnarok Theme. ahh, that's better. Geez, the intro sure sucks though. The airship theme is still kickass as always.

3 - Truth (3:42) 6/10
Ah, Edea's house. This is a good mood-setter for the certain segment of the game. I wouldn't be too sure about it standing alone. What is that instrument? Some sort of harpsichord? The melody is nice however.

4 - Lunatic Pandora (3:29) 5/10
Once again, only good when coupled with the game. It's a bit of a burden to listen to on its own. Odd use of techno-style instruments. Uematsu, Uematsu....

5 - Compression of Time (4:35) 11/10
This is a haunting piece. I still remember the beginning sequence with all the save points... weird. The choir, bass, and techno-something couple nicely in the beginning. That's better, Uematsu. He does great work on not speeding up the piece while still making a suspenseful piece. Excellent, beautiful.

6 - The Castle (5:20) 7/10
yeah! Ultimecia's Castle theme. Starts out rather uplifting with the flutes, then bam! In come the organs with the demonic, sinister theme. Whoa, in with the B section, with some odd drum and a gunshot sounding something, and the organ. Of course, it gets really, really annoying when you're roaming around the castle searching for the 8 whatevers....

7 - The Legendary Beast (5:51) 7/10
hmm... what is this... ahh! Griever's theme. there are the familiar flutes. It starts out ominous with the ascending high strings and the bass into the bass-snare rhythm with the flutes in the minor keys. In comes Uematsu's odd percussion, creating a nice effect, though. Then the strings doing better than the flutes. Some synth instruments follow up with the melody. Ah, here comes the music change... Shockwave Pulsar... and back to the synth instruments, this time, a different melody. After a while, it goes back into the repeat. Nice overall, gets kinda repetitive.

8 - Maybe I'm A Lion (5:37) 6/10
Oooh, ooh, this is the Ultimecia+Griever battle. I remember this one. The percussion, toll bell, and the electric guitar set up the mood perfectly. Unfortunately, it spins off into some muted electric guitar melody which dies out. About 1/3 in the song there's a transition and you think it'll pick up, but nope. Too repetitive as well.

9 - The Extreme (6:46) 10/10
THE final boss fight. Haunting at the minimum. Starts out with THE chant, then goes into a piano and harp combination. Very chilling, especially when the melody and strings come in. Choir takes a nice back seat here, just adding to the suspenseful mood. Whoa! Bam, he comes out strong a quarter ways through with a bass guitar and strings. Tambourine in the background pulsates while the strings carry the melody. Then he piles on some more percussion, a piano, and synth! Then he quiets down, just a piano, drums, and choir, and then builds back up. All while keeping a suspenseful mood. Too bad that the haunting mood disappears after the first quarter. I would have loved for Uematsu to keep that going.

10 - The Successor (3:39) 8/10
Hmm, a piano solo? I don't think this was the ending. Ah, there it is. The first part of the ending, I believe. Non-FMV format. Still a piano solo? Very haunting. Uematsu always nails it with the piano. He spins off into Edea's theme here too. It just seems that the piano itself gets a bit overdrawn and laborious at times.

11 - Ending Theme (13:22) 10/10
Yup, this is the FMV part. This is a perfect mood creator. I can envision the despair in the first part; just the strings, joined by winds... Ah, 2:30 of the way in, comes Eyes on Me. I don't really like this song, but it's a great mood enhancer, contrasting to the despair in its hope. Then it fades away to the classic Final Fantasy Overture... ah, I remember FF1. Uematsu goes all orchestral with this portion while the credits roll, and the 'home video' of Balamb Garden is in the corner. Then, just when you think it's over... some other song comes up, a rendition of Liberi Fatali, wow, that's nice. You would think some fight was still going on in the ending sequence if you hadn't beaten it yet. And then, on to the final FMV, with the FF arpeggios in the background, a nice, peaceful melody.

12 - Overture (3:35) 6/10
This is the second part of the credits if I'm not wrong. Yeah. A military march. Shouldn't be called the Overture though if it's the closing. No wait, this is played in the beginning too! No wonder I liked it when I was watching the credits in the beginning of the game, but its kinda anticlimactic at the end. It would have done SO much better if it were in the beginning. This is a perfect 'overture', but at the end, it's too anticlimactic. Not the right way to close an OSV.

And now, for the most painful part:
I chose the top 10 songs of this OSV right here.

10: Dance with the Balamb-Fish
09: Premonition
08: Ending Theme
07: The Extreme
06: The Landing
05: Don't Be Afraid
04: The Man with the Machine Gun
03: FITHOS LUSEC WECOS VINOSEC
02: Compression of Time
01: Liberi Fatali

Well, that's it for my Final Fantasy VIII OSV review. If I had one word to describe it, it would be: dignitude. Just kidding. I wouldn't be able to describe it in one word.

END!
--Copyright 2001 Neel Shah