ReMix: Final Fantasy V 'A Healer's Touch'
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- Game: Final Fantasy V (Square, 1992, SNES)
- ReMixer(s): Avaris, Level 99
- Composer(s): Nobuo Uematsu
- Song(s): 'The Prelude', 'To Dear Friends'
- Posted: 2011-04-25, evaluated by the judges
- Album: Featured on Final Fantasy V: The Fabled Warriors ~I. WIND~
While halc & Nutritious are excellent new judges, it's also really worth pointing out that Stevo has taken on considerable & unique responsibilities helping out the site staff, kicking asses, coordinating meetings & events, etc.; as the staff roster changes over the years, there are always new faces & roles, but I feel like lately we've been a lot more organized and productive in moving the site forward, and he's been a big part of that, so kudos. Times two, because he & Avaris put together a warm, emotive acoustic-guitar centered instrumental for Wind that lends some of the same intimacy that the Humans half of the Xenogears album enjoyed:
"I wanted to have a sad, depressing take of the Prelude at the beginning. The healer is in the party for a reason, and no one likes to get hurt. I was aiming to get out the fears that someone who would need to go to a healer would have: what if I can't be fixed? After about a minute of a minor-focused rendition of the Dear Friends progression A with the Prelude theme incorporated on top with acoustic guitar and a variety of orchestral instruments, the healer's theme of Dear Friends is switched to major with acoustic guitars carrying the song. The healer evokes a warm, caring aura, the kind that only family or close-friends can give off. When in the healer's pressence, it seems that everything will end up all-right. The warm acoustic is backed by some subtle instruments meant to reinforce the Dear Friends melody with some small counterplay (I'm not sure if I'm using the right terminology here). As it switches to progression B, the guitars strum a bit more and the theme is carried on with a hopeful trumpet laying on top of the melody, low strings still holding the basic chords. At the end of progression B, a last resonating guitar note echoes as the pain is now completely gone and the healer's job is done, the fear and doubt all but a memory. This person truly has the healer's touch: to cure ailments and allay fears.
I took care of nearly all the arrangement, playing off of DarkeSword's feedback whenever it was given, and approached Avaris for mastering and production. It would not have had either any of the warm sound and feeling without his touching-up the work I had written. Working with him is always a great pleasure, and one I've been lucky to have taken part in more often recently, such as the Xenogears track "Quickening". I hope the healer's touch warms your hearts."
Yes, he actually wrote that last sentence. Because deep down, BENEATH the beard, he is a glorious manchild, wreathed in the sun-drenched emotionality of the brotherhood... of cheese. Seriously, though, the Stevo/Shaun alley-oop is a proven formula, and this arrangement brings the same closeness & heartwarming sense of peace that their Xeno track did, with some really intelligent, creative blending & modification of themes. Judges had some mixed comments on the production, but really dug the arrangement - Palpable writes:
"Excellent take here, not a huge stretch from the original, but more fleshed out and humanized. The bittersweet emotion of the original is more pronounced. The arrangement is pretty much perfect - there's nothing I would change, it says what it intends to."
Precisely.
Discussion: Latest 11 comments/reviews; view the The guitar was exactly what this mix needed as a backbone.
The "width" and spectrum of this mix is perfect. I love how much the guitar takes up.
The guitar tone is really glittery and sounds good with the leads AND the rhythms.
All the background pad work only adds to the softness of the track.
My only problem with this mix is that I wish it was longer. I've exhausted the replay value on it. Haha
Waiting for Water to come out was never so hard. But it's the prospect of more mixes like this that makes it bearable.
- Tuberz McGee on December 25, 2011
- Crulex on December 19, 2011
And Stevo's warm playing style worked really well with this transformation; the prelude section at the beginning, while a little indistinct and with thoughts that it could've been fleshed out a little bit, managed to set the tone well; and by the time "Dear Friends" came in with practically a straight interpretation give or take some nice variation in the acoustic melody performance within the last minute, it managed to give that feeling of hope towards it at the end. Shaun's mastering managed to give it a strong lease of warmth too, and with that kind of partnership working really well over the years we can see that he's got a keen eye on making these elements work.
To be fair though, I was kind of hoping for more - the track set the mood for the vision wonderfully well, but I wasn't really expecting it to end this quickly and abruptly. :? So it may have more of a meek interpretation, but that aside with such meaningful production values it can still be seen as a pretty piece of work from the SteShaun partnership. Let's not see it die down in 2012 :D
- Rexy on December 16, 2011
- OA on December 12, 2011
Transmogrificational Tune;773917 wrote: A very nice rendition of a great set of tunes. Will be field-tested in a hospital to note ratio of calmed alzheimers veterans.
Let us know how that turns out.
- DarkeSword on April 26, 2011
- Transmogrificational Tune on April 26, 2011
- YouGuysRock on April 26, 2011
really intimate, heartwarming arrangement here; as always, Stevo and avaris make a great combo, with Stevo's excellent performances and avaris' squeaky-clean production. excellent stuff. :nicework:
- halc on April 25, 2011
