OCR00509 - Phantasy Star IV "Last Breath, First Breath"

[Audity]

Just got to this point in the series again, after replaying them all 13 years later from my first play. I stopped playing to go to sleep, but I knew I had to come here again and listen to this, having not heard it in maybe 10 years. Nothing really more to say than what feelings can be inferred from deciding to post here again. (I'm "AnotherOneBitesTheDust" from the first page in 2002.) I'm going to play this at the grave near the end of the game as a tribute, while streaming live, whenever I get to that point; so I hope the viewers get their tissues ready.

I guess I can go into some interesting hindsight on what sounds dated—after not hearing it for 10 years, upon first listen (which is a perfect time to notice any imperfections). I thought the woodwind section in this ReMix broke the flow a little bit. And some of the guitar notes were too close together (at least, immediately coming from witnessing the game's rendition of everything). It's really fascinating thinking about it now, the technical limitations; and of course the meaningful additions found throughout the arrangement thwart the bad. I'm glad it holds up overall after all these years, in multiple ways. I can and have, somehow, seen/thought that some people might dismiss it as sappy, but that's because they don't understand enough, don't have enough meaning drawn for it; otherwise its subtleties are allowed to shine seemingly immeasurably.

Listening to it again, I'm surprised I was even able to write all that in the moment. Definitely a better idea to keep listens to a minimum (preferably one, when the time is right), lest ye become a melodramatic person.

edit: as for the title, I didn't get it either. But I think you can make it work if you think of the first breath being Chaz's.

Edited March 6, 2015 by Audity

[gyrrakavian]

Beautiful yet somber peace.

It would be amazing to hear a live recording of this with even more emotion put into it.