ReMix:The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past "A Rose for Zelda" 4:17

By Tepid

Arranging the music of 2 songs from 2 games ( view all )...

"Princess Zelda's Rescue", "The Elemental Stars"

Primary Game: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo , 1991, SNES), music by Koji Kondo

Posted 2005-11-12, evaluated by the judges panel


So, after one of OCR's longest posting droughts in our fairly continuous, contiguous five years, which I thank ye kindly for bearing with us through, I'm back from Sin City, also known outside the realm of Frank Miller as Las Vegas. Stayed at the Luxor but spent most of my time at Mandalay for Devconnections. Met up with some truly superlative people and... well, as they say, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but there's a certain tax accountant from Connecticut whose tattoos I'm having an amazingly hard time getting out of my mind... yes... Back on track, though, and ready to roll: it's hard to be lukewarm about newcomer Tepid's Zelda submission, which has a tropical, strawberry daiquiri feel to it most of the time, but mixes in some shimmering, icier, verb-drenched electrics to create a soundscape that's both mellow and striking. Acoustic picked and strummed dominate the first two minutes, after the ocean fx intro, but Coldplay-ish background textures are employed at the two-minute mark, evoking a sort of "laid-back guitar ensemble with Brian Eno cameo". Some of the textures, especially the really quick strumming that fades in at 3'37" overtop reversed electrics, are particularly edible. Primary concerns from panelists centered around simplification of the source material (not necessarily an issue - it's better than using it verbatim, at least) and repetition. Brandon addresses aspects of this critique:

"Compositionally, I understand the claims that this is repetitive. The simple recurring strumming patterns and melodies team up with the waltz-time and limited number of instruments to make for a very static feel at times. There’s a lot going on though that makes up for compositional simplicity. The performance is absolutely nailed in the sense that the off-tempo strumming and picking add complexity rather than clutter, human variety rather than human mistakes."

Gray adds:

"The source material was short and basic, but this mix really captures the spirit of the original, yet takes it into new uncharted territory at the same time. The vibe and the texture of the mix is wonderful and like a rose, as it goes on the mix continues to bloom. The section especially at around the 2 minute mark was wonderful as the textures continued to evolve and expand."

I think the simplification suits the enhanced dynamics, textural work, production, and performance perfectly; had this been much more complicated, it would have lost the serenity and lullabyeish nature it possesses. There's a childlike sense of exploration and vastness that well serves the source material and the Zelda universe itself; a truly unique piece that's helping me come back down from cloud 9, Nevada, and will remain a go-to track for moments of reflection and chillin'. A cool mix from Tepid.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Crulex
on 2023-11-05 02:15:48

The electric guitar coming in midway after the opening was cool, because even though it was more powerful, it still felt peaceful somehow, which is crazy to me. A good relaxing take on two beautiful tunes ending on some nice sfx, both soothing and nostalgic.

avatar
Executor
on 2013-09-11 04:56:03

Beautiful, nostalgic, relaxing, and inspirational to the theme of Zelda. It feels like the ending shouldn't be there though. This is my favorite remix from the Legend of Zelda and one of my favorites of all-time.

avatar
K.B.
on 2011-10-15 20:06:52

This is the one that started it for me. Almost four years ago, browsing the highly rated tracks on VGMix, and being unimpressed by most, I eventually stumbled onto this. By the time the section at 2:00 came around, I was frozen in my seat, ears glued to my speakers; and by the end I knew that there was magic to be found in vg arrangements and that I wanted to find more. A few thousand tracks later, this remains a favorite.

The backmasking around 3:30 was a brilliant touch. It still sends chills down my spine.

I feel like I should say more, but I whatever I type seems to just bog this down with flowery nonsense. So, put concisely: this is one of the most beautiful and moving arrangements I have ever heard.

Thank you, Mr Schwan.

avatar
Seig
on 2010-07-10 03:02:27

This is easily my favorite remix on ocremix.org. I've listened to it for ages, but after having recently re-downloaded it, I too was driven to register just to chime in with others on how great this remix is. I can't use words to describe how much I enjoy this song, but if ever there was a song that could convey feelings that I could not express with words, this is it.

avatar
OA
on 2010-06-02 12:25:23

This is really peaceful and beautiful, with a great middle section. The ending drags a little, but I was really feeling this one overall.

This mix is a great lesson to me specifically that less can definitely be more when it comes to arrangements. Oftentimes I get so caught up in creating my own musical filigree that I forget that you can create something amazing with just some basics.

Great stuff.

avatar
Mtlbro
on 2010-05-02 14:24:08

I like the electric guitar layering near the end of the synth interlude (?)

very beautiful

avatar
Ronnon
on 2010-03-30 11:48:25

This is absolutely amazing! Thank you SO MUCH! Please make more!

avatar
Tom Dickinson
on 2010-02-17 20:50:50

Signed up just to say how much I loved this. It's probably my favorite remix I've downloaded from this site. Truly great job giving this old tune a new flavor, and I love the Golden Sun--very subtle.

avatar
Emunator
on 2009-09-21 02:36:19

I thought I'd already commented on this before... strange.

One of the most poignant, thoughtful, and meaningful remixes on the site. From the moment the song starts, you feel swept away into a journey of emotions and contemplation. It's rare that a song has the power to completely capture my attention and actually allow me to get lost in the music. I don't have the eloquence of some of the other posters in here, but some of the assessments have been spot-on about how emotional this track is.

Personally, I like the SFX at the end - it feels fitting, since the entire track is so engrossing and captivating, that there be some sort of release at the end of the song that sends you back to the real world again. It may not have been executed in the right key, but it still feels like a satisfying conclusion that brings you back down to Earth after the song had done such an amazing job of taking you away to someplace else.

avatar
Legendary Hero
on 2009-07-21 14:43:21

beautiful simply beautiful. I love this and i have never nor do i thinki ever will hear a remix of this song better than this!

avatar
42
on 2009-03-02 21:23:50

:shock:

This is amazing; I can't believe I haven't heard this yet.

Hearing Zelda's theme on guitar is astoundingly beautiful.

If you haven't heard this yet, shame on you. Go download it now.

Mournful, longing, love-filled, saddening, remembering the happy times.

This is the kind of mix that can soften anyone up inside.

avatar
Marmiduke
on 2009-02-23 01:30:42

It definately thrusts Zelda's Lullaby into a Wind Waker style, even though Zelda's Lullaby already had a great Wind Waker treatment in the Wind Waker. But thankfully, it comes in much more focused here, great guitar work.

The melody shines brighter than ever in the initial portion of the mix. When the sound gets bigger and the electric elements come into it, I was a little thrown. The transition isn't 100%, although I didn't really notice it at all on my second listen. And I felt the narrative of the piece was a little disjointed. Zelda's Lullaby is a peaceful, reflective song after all, and I didn't really get the full connection between the acoustic and electric sections. With big sounds come a lot of different emotions: sadness, elation, love, hope, defeat. I can extract all of those from the music, but I'm confused as to which, if any, fit with the song. A stronger establishment of concept may have helped here.

That's a minor gripe though. The samples were irrelevant but I liked that they were there anyway. Overall, strong work on a track that deserves a lot of love.

avatar
Ryu2Wolf
on 2009-01-06 22:43:07

Damn, this sweet! Never even thought about using guitar for Zelda and it's... it's... so beautiful! Great sound man!

avatar
XiaoXiaoNeo
on 2008-10-28 21:07:36

This has to be my favorite mix on the site. I love this song so damn much. Everything is just so relaxing and emotional all at the same time. Guitar effects were AMAZING. I especially love the big buildup starting around 3:00, and then at 3:28..................it's one of my favorite musical moments of all time. The reversed guitar and piano intertwine in a tragically beautiful way to create this feeling that you were just about to grasp someone's hand, and then you're falling into nothing. Incredible. Leaves me with chills every time. Outstanding work Tepid.

avatar
Duo
on 2007-05-03 15:58:11

This is an awesome and gorgeous piece of music. It giives me a moving yet mildly depressing feel, as though a great adventure had come to an end and yet nothing really changed to make the world better. A solitary emptiness.

Nonetheless, despite how much I love this piece, the quality seems mildly lacking in a couple parts. No big deal to me, but it is there.

Sources Arranged (2 Songs, 2 Games)


Primary Game:
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo , 1991, SNES)
Music by Koji Kondo
Songs:
"Princess Zelda's Rescue"
Additional Game:
Golden Sun (Nintendo , 2001, GBA)
Music by Motoi Sakuraba
Songs:
"The Elemental Stars"

Tags (3)


Genre:
Ambient
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Acoustic Guitar,Electric Guitar
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Legend_of_Zelda_A_Link_to_the_Past_A_Rose_for_Zelda_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,232,041 bytes
MD5:
80a9c9a63f9e671df9fa83e749c1f154
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
4:17

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes