OCR01763 - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 'Forbidden Memory (of a Forgotten Dream)'

[djpretzel]

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

[Mr. Fox]

Sounds like something that could be in a Myazaki's film, which is great.

[DocsFox]

How is it that music can bring out such emotion? Why can this single piece of music bring me to the verge of tears?

Everything about this piece is amazing. A song I would want to go see an orchestra play live.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I tend not to like orchestral arrangements, but this is a real beauty. Nice work!

By the way, what did you use for the choir?

[windkirby]

Absolutely stunning! What is the sourcetune?

[Opterion]

Absolutely stunning! What is the sourcetune?
The source is the hidden palace zone. This was in Sonic 2, but the zone was never completed nor fully implemented. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_2_(16-bit)#Scrapped_Levels (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_2_%2816-bit%29#Scrapped_Levels)

As for the remix itself, I love this well-orchestrated (no pun intended) piece. From the instrumental arrangement to dynamics within, this is easily one of the most beautiful orchestral mixes I've heard.

[anosou]

This is good stuff. I would've loved some more brass like Shariq, but hey you can't get it all.

[SLyGeN]

How is it that music can bring out such emotion? Why can this single piece of music bring me to the verge of tears?

Partly the minor key tonality, partly the author's own genius at putting it together.

[DramaNoMore]

This track leaves me speachless. But I have to say this: This is dreadfully awesome. Enphasys on dreadfully.

edit: speech back. A long time ago, I used to listen to the source tune on repeat, amased by it's potencial. This remix is a dream come true for me. Many thanks!

[Random Hero]

If anyone read my info about the track, They would have read that I completed this track some time after my Grandfather (Staeben) died last year.
Well, not 10 minutes ago a found out that my other Grandfather (Roberts) has passed away....
just thought i'd pass this on.... cus I have no idea what to do with myslef at this moment.
:(

[YellowYoshi1]

Oh man, this song is gorgeous. You can just hear the emotion and feeling in the music, it's a very moving piece.

I'm sorry to hear that you lost another grandfather Random Hero, my sympathies out to you and your family.

[OA]

Great intro, the choir, timpani, and woodblock create a very lonely feeling.

Some of the string passages are great and well sequenced, and some of them seem a little rougher, but overall this is really nice, and decently humanized.

Stylistically I'd have never guessed that the source to this was from the Sonic series. You've done a great job taking it and making it your own.

[clarjon1]

Hey RH, I heard the 'demo' you had posted in the forums (at least i think it was yours) and I knew then it was going to be great.

I heard the 'original' incorporated right at the end there... Throughout out the song I had been listening, thinking it was familiar... then at about 3:30 I remembered where some of the stuff was from, and I just had to go to the 'demo' to get that imprinted in my mind, and go back and hear where you put it...

Beautiful peice, all in all, love it. Keep up the great work, and my condolences for your grandfathers' passings.

[Triad Orion]

Let it be known I did not like the original source tune. The Hidden Palace track in Sonic 2 felt very out of place, I felt.

But this? This takes a tune that I felt wasn't executed well and turns it into a thought-provoking, somber, atmospheric experience that is virtually unheard of for a Sonic game. Beautiful, full sound and a constant melancholy pervade the tune. It's something different, and it's done very well. The use of the source material itself was faithful, you expanded on it greatly, and it came out as something special.

You have my condolences for the deaths of your grandfathers. I understand the experience is rough, but this work can serve and celebrate their memories. I'm sure they'd be proud of that.

[Random Hero]

Hey guys.
Thanks for your kind words. Last week was a hard week and the support helped a lot.
And also, thanks for the kinda words about the song. I am temped to put up the earliest version of the remix to show you how far it came. It was very close to being abandoned altogether. Glad I didn't.
Ah, to hell wit it.. Just listen:
http://www.tindeck.com/audio/image/b/jcqu (http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/jcqu/Random-Hero---Hidden-Palace--untitled-)
L8r

[SirChadlyOC]

The best part about this song is easily the great use of dynamics. Especially in electronic music (as opposed to live orchestrated music) it's way too easy to create an entire song with no change in volume whatsoever.

On the other side, some orchestrated music can have too far of a dynamic range, so that when the orchestra is playing quietly, certain instruments and counter melodies are almost inaudible. Then, of course, they play the loud part too loud, leaving it distorted, and certain instruments and melodies are drowned out by other parts and melodies.

I love the dynamics in this arrangement because the range is significant without being excessive, and the overall effectiveness really shows off the emotion of the music.

Great work, Ryan, and condolences for your loses. Thank you for sharing this with us!

[JEV3]

If anyone read my info about the track, They would have read that I completed this track some time after my Grandfather (Staeben) died last year.
Well, not 10 minutes ago a found out that my other Grandfather (Roberts) has passed away....
just thought i'd pass this on.... cus I have no idea what to do with myslef at this moment.
:(

I'm sorry for your loss, I lost a grandmother to cancer recently who I had never had the chance to really get to know. I think she was quite close to my cousins though and I felt especially bad for those who were caring for her in the weeks just prior to her death.

However, you've been able to make this melody truly emotive, and it is long without being repetitive, dynamic while remaining memorable, and you've been able to really do the Hidden Palace theme justice. I'm very fond of atmospheric pieces, particularly when they bear a strong melody, and this one is sure to be marked as one of my faves.

[Martin Penwald]

Stylistically I'd have never guessed that the source to this was from the Sonic series. You've done a great job taking it and making it your own.

Ditto.

I really like the strings and the piano. My favourite part is probably the breakdown starting around 3:20.

[ladyspritzy]

If anyone read my info about the track, They would have read that I completed this track some time after my Grandfather (Staeben) died last year.
Well, not 10 minutes ago a found out that my other Grandfather (Roberts) has passed away....
just thought i'd pass this on.... cus I have no idea what to do with myslef at this moment.
:(

I'm soooo sorry to hear that... i know what losing a grandpa is like. you needs a over-the-web huh (jumps up, and glomps you)

Oh, and on topic with the song, i love it. tempted to make it bgm for an audio drama (could I have your permission for that? I know that sounds kinda wierd...) the dynamics are great, the transitions seemless, and the piece is overall gorgeous. I quietly disagree with all the people thinking that is needs more brassy instuments, because those create more of a lively/friendly sound, and that would clash with the overall piece. all-in-all, (bursts out crying, since i'm not in class now) I LOVE IT! (sorry, went fangirl for a second there. but I don't retract my statement.)

[Shadow Wolf]

Wow. Just... wow. I hear a lot of great stuff come from this site, but I have NEVER heard Sonic done like this. Gorgeously dynamic and moving. Beautiful work. My condolences on the passing of you grandfather. I only appreciate that you've taken all those emotions and forged them into a piece this moving. It's a true rarity.

[Random Hero]

I Stumbled on to these lyrics that Rampaging-Poet wrote for "Forbidden Memory" and posted on deviantart.com:

Ancient place, distant time, it feels so familiar
A marble hall, I sense I've been here before
Is it a dream I had long ago?
A dream...

I stand all alone now, no one
Comes to walk by my side
But where am I
As I walk through the night
So clear?

Ancient place I'm in, it seems not long gone
Distant time, I feel I've been here before
A vision thought forgotten
Of a time long ago

Marble hall, where I spent
Those long lonely years
Was it real? The cold,
The pain and the tears?
This hidden palace where I
Wait on my own?

A basalt maze and granite bars
To hold me down beneath the stars
A wondrous place, a gilded cage
'Gainst the barricade I rage.

Someday I'll be free
As the breezes
Someday, I will be there
Standing there by your side
Your side...

Am I here and trapped by my destiny?
Am I there and lost in my memory?
Was it a dream in memory's guise?
Did I escape to azure skies?
Was I ever stuck within that world
With nobody to hear me?
All alone in that hidden place
With nobody to hold me.

Notes:
List of times the verses/stanzas come in:
1st: 49 seconds
2nd: 1 minute, 23 seconds
3rd: 1 minute, 47 seconds
4th: 2 minutes, 10 seconds
5th: 2 minutes, 34 seconds
6th: 4 minutes, 20 seconds
7th: 5 minutes, 20 seconds

you can find the original post here: http://rampaging-poet.deviantart.com/art/Forbidden-Memory-100950608

I thought it was neat.
Ryan

[Lucentas]

A beautiful piece...I wish people would do symphonic/classical arrangements of Sonic music more often, I think there's a lot there that can be worked with but people tend to go the easier route and make something that more resembles the source.

Those are awesome lyrics, by the way.

[emora]

Just WOW! There's just so much emotion in this song I'm surprised I could handle it all. I really couldn't find a single flaw, besides the fact that it's not real instruments, but you did a really good job.

I'm not sure if this would ever happen, but I think this song should be played live. It would be epicly epic, but I think everybody in the crowd would cry from the sheer beauty and sadness.