ReMix: Final Fantasy Adventure 'Amanda's Tear'
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- Game: Final Fantasy Adventure (Square, 1991, GB)
- ReMixer(s): Big Giant Circles
- Composer(s): Kenji Ito, Nobuo Uematsu
- Song(s): 'In Sorrow'
- Posted: 2007-07-02, evaluated by djpretzel
Jimmy did an amazing job organizing and coordinating the recent OCR meetup centered around this weekend's Video Games Live performance. This involved getting a lot of different people from a lot of different places to the same place at the same time, more or less. One of those people was his wife Amanda, whom I was meeting for the first time. This piece, the latest in a series of FFA mixes BGC and Ziwtra have sorta coordinated between themselves, shares her namesake, which is kinda sweet. Sayeth Mr. Hinson:
"Here's another old tune I dusted off from the FFA project that fell through. (I promise, I don't have many more of these left). Did this one in late '04, perhaps early '05--not exactly sure. At any rate, I have since tweaked the EQ, removed the former FL Slayer and replaced it with some very 80's power-ballad-ish guitar lead (complete with whammy effect) using a different patch, and adjusted various other minor things--nothing too extreme. Basically, I spit on it, and then shined it up with my sleeve. I wouldn't call this my finest work, but I don't think it's going to cower too far in the shadows of any of the other mixes on the site. Melodically, the arrangement might not seem too drastically different. I remember at the time I made this, I wanted my main form of expression to be in the harmonies and countermelodies, as well as the instruments themselves. 1:03 is a good example of what I'm talking about."
Thing of it is, spit-and-polish BGC is still pretty damn good. This is more orchestral than his previous mixes, but still rocks the electronica beat. There are some fun tempo modulations, ethnic percussion infusion, and of course slick synth leads. The last, isolated piano note is an interesting touch, as are the very prominent ensemble pizzicato bits; good stuff. It's very late or I'd write a bit more; suffice it to say that the meetup was fantastic - in spite of myriad logistical snags, things went surprisingly well, largely thanks to Jimmy's coordination - and everyone present at my place, at the concert, at Burke Lake Park, and at IHOP this morning represented the best aspects of participating in this community. Great people, great times, great mix.
Discussion: Latest 14 comments/reviews; view the Yeah, this one's highly underrated. BGC's soundscape (past the
intro) is really light and airy thanks to the plucked strings and
oboe. During the faster part of the song the percussion is also
really good. I'm not digging the guitar though, I think that could
have been replaced with a synth lead and fared a bit better in the
end :?
Overall, a solid mix, not necessarily as memorable as some of Jimmy's other stuff but still worth checking out :-)
- Emunator on December 19, 2009
Overall, a solid mix, not necessarily as memorable as some of Jimmy's other stuff but still worth checking out :-)
- Emunator on December 19, 2009
Indeed, Bahamut. Severely underrated remix alert! Utterly dominates
the source, it does.
This strikes me as the first part of a suite. Or a prelude to an adventure (a final, fantasic one punhaps?). Not that this is an incomplete work, but rather it is a moving one that remains unresolved, evocative of something more to come.
Dig the earthy sounds; that is, the bowed string work and the tuned drums each have a distinctly... natural feel to them. Not that they're perfectly emulated, but their sound and usage paint an unfolding landscape of rolling hills with mountains in the distance. Or maybe AnSo nailed it and I've just seen one too many movies with stellar soundtracks - and that this track would fit right in place amongst them!
The keyboard, shimmering effects, flute, oboe, and whatnot all give this a delicate, uplifting feel. And plucked strings... always a fan. The guitar works well to offset this: it's short appearance gives a little power behind the music without drowning out the softer side. A view of the long road ahead, with appreciation of all the experiences to be gained in the journey but a resolute determination to overcome any roadblocks that might arise. Yep, soundtrack material right here.
Also, nice triangle!
(I hope I just did to this remix what Christopher Walken did to [Don't Fear] The Reaper).
- K.B. on December 3, 2009
This strikes me as the first part of a suite. Or a prelude to an adventure (a final, fantasic one punhaps?). Not that this is an incomplete work, but rather it is a moving one that remains unresolved, evocative of something more to come.
Dig the earthy sounds; that is, the bowed string work and the tuned drums each have a distinctly... natural feel to them. Not that they're perfectly emulated, but their sound and usage paint an unfolding landscape of rolling hills with mountains in the distance. Or maybe AnSo nailed it and I've just seen one too many movies with stellar soundtracks - and that this track would fit right in place amongst them!
The keyboard, shimmering effects, flute, oboe, and whatnot all give this a delicate, uplifting feel. And plucked strings... always a fan. The guitar works well to offset this: it's short appearance gives a little power behind the music without drowning out the softer side. A view of the long road ahead, with appreciation of all the experiences to be gained in the journey but a resolute determination to overcome any roadblocks that might arise. Yep, soundtrack material right here.
Also, nice triangle!
(I hope I just did to this remix what Christopher Walken did to [Don't Fear] The Reaper).
- K.B. on December 3, 2009
A Final Fantasy Adventure song by BGC with few reviews? What
blasphemy!
This is a pretty well done song - I love the upbeat mystique that characterizes the atmosphere.
- Bahamut on November 8, 2009
This is a pretty well done song - I love the upbeat mystique that characterizes the atmosphere.
- Bahamut on November 8, 2009
Exactly as I suspected, I've had no time to write nearly the amount
of reviews that I would like to. I'm lucky I have some free time to
write this following review. Hopefully I'll get less busy after the
Christmas season.
Big Giant Circles is one of my more favorite remixers, and this is one of his best. An excellent remix of an excellent source tune from an excellent game (with an excellent title, no less!), Amanda's Tear has some very good points.
I love the opening, and when the strings come in at 0:15, it's simply gorgeous. The percussion at 0:28 is very nice. Sorta distant but with some punch; it fits this style perfectly.
The melody from 0:34 to 1:02 is nice, and I like the synth-y running pattern all throughout. When the backup strings and everything else comes in at 1:02, this remix hits my personal favorite point.
This remix is mostly orchestral, and sometimes I find myself wishing it had stayed that way and not had the electric guitar at 1:43. I do like this other direction BGC took it, though. In fact, I like it better in some ways, although it certainly would have worked as just orchestra.
The electric guitar wavers on the held notes to a point that's juuuuust shy of being obnoxious. Any more and it would've lowered my enjoyment of the piece. I'm glad BGC knows when to quit.
I'm a sucker for a good turn, and the turn at 2:00 is no exception. I love it. So awesome.
When the guitar drops out at 2:11 and the violin takes the melody again, I must commend BGC for not having it hold that note for too long. Again I say, any longer would be obnoxious.
I like how at 2:39 most of the instruments have dropped and it's gotten quiet, and then at 2:53 the strings come back in. I really like the strings in this piece. They're gorgeous.
I don't know why some people think the ending is abrubt -- it seems very well thought out and a natural end result of the melodic line, to me. In fact, I like the ending quite a lot. It's hard to hear on low volume, but the piano notes near the very end (similar to the ones in the introduction) wrap up this entire piece for me.
Overall, it's a very beautiful orchestral/electronic remix that has some very beautiful points and is an enjoyable listen. Highly recommended -- 4.60 out of 5.00.
Reviews written: 3 out of 600+. :|
- The_Mighty_KELP on December 7, 2008
Big Giant Circles is one of my more favorite remixers, and this is one of his best. An excellent remix of an excellent source tune from an excellent game (with an excellent title, no less!), Amanda's Tear has some very good points.
I love the opening, and when the strings come in at 0:15, it's simply gorgeous. The percussion at 0:28 is very nice. Sorta distant but with some punch; it fits this style perfectly.
The melody from 0:34 to 1:02 is nice, and I like the synth-y running pattern all throughout. When the backup strings and everything else comes in at 1:02, this remix hits my personal favorite point.
This remix is mostly orchestral, and sometimes I find myself wishing it had stayed that way and not had the electric guitar at 1:43. I do like this other direction BGC took it, though. In fact, I like it better in some ways, although it certainly would have worked as just orchestra.
The electric guitar wavers on the held notes to a point that's juuuuust shy of being obnoxious. Any more and it would've lowered my enjoyment of the piece. I'm glad BGC knows when to quit.
I'm a sucker for a good turn, and the turn at 2:00 is no exception. I love it. So awesome.
When the guitar drops out at 2:11 and the violin takes the melody again, I must commend BGC for not having it hold that note for too long. Again I say, any longer would be obnoxious.
I like how at 2:39 most of the instruments have dropped and it's gotten quiet, and then at 2:53 the strings come back in. I really like the strings in this piece. They're gorgeous.
I don't know why some people think the ending is abrubt -- it seems very well thought out and a natural end result of the melodic line, to me. In fact, I like the ending quite a lot. It's hard to hear on low volume, but the piano notes near the very end (similar to the ones in the introduction) wrap up this entire piece for me.
Overall, it's a very beautiful orchestral/electronic remix that has some very beautiful points and is an enjoyable listen. Highly recommended -- 4.60 out of 5.00.
Reviews written: 3 out of 600+. :|
- The_Mighty_KELP on December 7, 2008
This has "soundtrack" writtenn all over it. Would've worked perfect
in a remake of the game. The only thing I don't really like is the
guitar-lead, the vibratos are just.. no fun :tomatoface:
Otherwise, beautiful arrangement, great mood, good use of percussion and different instruments.
- anosou on December 6, 2008
Otherwise, beautiful arrangement, great mood, good use of percussion and different instruments.
- anosou on December 6, 2008
Yay oboe! This site needs more oboe, if you ask me.
Lovely melody, and a very nice listen. The write-up brings back good memories, too. Whether or not that helps this mix, I dunno, but if it does it's a good thing.
Guitar work is nice, the style seemed out of place at first, but now I'm digging it. Percussion also works very well.
Would have liked a little more out of the ending, maybe a quiet piano outtro. Overall great work.
- DragonAvenger on September 29, 2008
Lovely melody, and a very nice listen. The write-up brings back good memories, too. Whether or not that helps this mix, I dunno, but if it does it's a good thing.
Guitar work is nice, the style seemed out of place at first, but now I'm digging it. Percussion also works very well.
Would have liked a little more out of the ending, maybe a quiet piano outtro. Overall great work.
- DragonAvenger on September 29, 2008
Polished and varied, this mix exemplifies the sound I've come to
associate with OCReMix over the years. It's as though the site has
spawned a genre, but I digress.
A mix of ethnic and electronic percussion rounds out the bottum, with a melodic drum set pulling double duty as bass. layers of strings overhead weave a complex structure of gently shifting chords and...I'm making this sound like a savanah aren't I? Anyway, it's a good mix.
- Shael Riley on August 17, 2007
A mix of ethnic and electronic percussion rounds out the bottum, with a melodic drum set pulling double duty as bass. layers of strings overhead weave a complex structure of gently shifting chords and...I'm making this sound like a savanah aren't I? Anyway, it's a good mix.
- Shael Riley on August 17, 2007
This remix definitely has a RPG-ish feeling to it, i.e. it sounds
true to its origins. Which is nice; you don't get that too
often.
As was said before, the transition at 1:30 is pretty sweet. The song could've used more of this, as it is a very interesting change of pace and instrumentation.
- Martin Penwald on July 20, 2007
As was said before, the transition at 1:30 is pretty sweet. The song could've used more of this, as it is a very interesting change of pace and instrumentation.
- Martin Penwald on July 20, 2007
In many ways I like this better than your more recent mixes.
Namely, it actually feels like it would fit the genre - I could
easily see this being a part of the Final Fantasy 10 soundtrack,
walking the world... the game had nice world/culture design, and
its music reflected that, as would this.
- Nobbynob Littlun on July 6, 2007
- Nobbynob Littlun on July 6, 2007
Very nice laid back track. Always happy to see more FFA musical
goodness.:-D
Guitar was def a nice touch. I wish some of the transitions would have had more a thematic build-up but then again the track would loose some of it's subtle feel.
The sound quality is def good. The string work really added a lot of depth to the sections. Def my favorite out the recent flurry of mixes posted.
- avaris on July 3, 2007
Guitar was def a nice touch. I wish some of the transitions would have had more a thematic build-up but then again the track would loose some of it's subtle feel.
The sound quality is def good. The string work really added a lot of depth to the sections. Def my favorite out the recent flurry of mixes posted.
- avaris on July 3, 2007
I'm not familiar with the source tune, but this was still a really
nice piece. The transition at 1:30 really opens up the song, as all
these exciting little bits of percussion fly in and the guitar soon
afterward - as I was listening to the song the first time, I was
like "this could use a really cool transition", and there it was! I
feel like it winds down too soon afterward, but you certainly left
me wanting more.
- Palpable on July 3, 2007
- Palpable on July 3, 2007
The ending is a bit abrupt, but before that is some pretty awesome
work. Intro strings build the chords really nicely and transition
into the song proper pretty naturally.
Backing pizzicato strings and pitchshifting synths sound great, and the cameo of The search for the sacred sword was sweet. The ending I really don't understand, as I think it could have used a larger buildup. The ending seems more natural after repeated listenings however.
In conclusion, this is an amazing soundtrack and the more FFA mixes, the better, Mega Man be damned.
- OA on July 2, 2007
Backing pizzicato strings and pitchshifting synths sound great, and the cameo of The search for the sacred sword was sweet. The ending I really don't understand, as I think it could have used a larger buildup. The ending seems more natural after repeated listenings however.
In conclusion, this is an amazing soundtrack and the more FFA mixes, the better, Mega Man be damned.
- OA on July 2, 2007
Very mellow work here. Please don't allow mellow to me mediocre at
any level. Very soft and gentle compared to a lot of your work. The
dynamic shift works quite well! Congrats again (as though you
really need it at this point ;) ).
- tweek on July 2, 2007
- tweek on July 2, 2007
