OCR00013 - Phantasy Star "Alis Overture"

[Joe Redifer]

Phantasy Star 'Alis Overture'

I really like this mix. I'm not entirely sure, but it might be a remix of the ending theme. Or maybe not. It's hard to say as I really don't hear a lot of Phantasy Star in this mix It's mostly original djp music it seems. Good thing he's a good musician! Regardless, it pays a phantastic tribute tribute to a phenomenal game for a very underlooked system. This game was better than any of the NES Final Fantasy's, IMO. This tune fits the mood of the game.

[Evilhead]

Eh, I really don't like this one... I don't think it fits Phantasy Star at all, really. I know DJ Pretzel is a fan of the cheeze, and he lays it on pretty thick here. I think he could have definately done without the strings!

[JamPaladin]

This piece is alright. I've always been a fan of DJ Pretzel's more orchestral piexes, and this is one of them. While I don't feel this stands up to some of his other pieces, it's still pretty good.

It starts off lightly, on a piano I think, with strings in the background, sort of humming away throughout the piece. At 32" the main melody comes in over this, followed by some flute or piccolo type thing at 43". At 1' 00" the track reaches the most "exciting" point, but ther eisn't any real tension, just a change in tune.

At 1' 22" we're back into the main melody, but with more instruments, in a sort of climax. A light bridge carries us from 1' 50" to 2' 00", then the piece begins to wind down, to a soft finish

I'd have to say that this piece is for fans of the genre. If you're only into techno, move along, you'll find this absolutely boring. If you are a fan of light orchestral music, then this is a good, but not brilliant example of it.

Subjective-humming-string-O-meter: 6.979.

[Krendall]

As an independent piece of music, this is very well-done. However, you have to listen really closely in order to pick out the reference to the PS theme. I would've liked this much more if it would've kept closer to the original theme. Still, this is a great independant creation, so good job.

[Liontamer]

Yeah, this may be an older piece, but it holds up very nicely. Nice work in particular using the arranged source tune on the backing strings while the original melody you made was in play. I didn't feel the source tune was difficult to pick out at all, but I could understand how the interpretation here could initially throw some people off. Definitely an overlooked mix y'all should be checking out. Show you're lady you have a heart, fellas. Let djp get you some.

[Bummer]

One of djpretzel earliest but yet beautiful works. It begans well with piano and strings, but as Evilhead mentioned it might be good to take off some of the strings, so that the instruments can be added as more the remix goes forward. The piece gets even better when the harp enters the scene around 1:02 to add some more heaven like touch to it. 20 seconds later pretzel releases all the glory packed in this piece, the strings picks up some more strokes and everything just flows like a river. Excellent. Too bad I haven't played the game.

[OceansAndrew]

A pretty mix, with a very nice melody, but it seemed to me the flutes were needlessly shrill and piercing. Might just be my setup?

Not being very familiar with the original, I went to check it out, and after a few listens, the arrangement is pretty clear, and comes out being much better than if it had been a more conservative mix. I'd even say the original material added is actually better than the original source tune.

I feel the mix could use a little more lower register, as it's high end is a little heavy.

Despite these, and some older sounding orchestra samples, this is a good mix, and has aged pretty gracefully.

[Kizyr]

I really like what DJP did with this song. Every part of the arrangement sounds great to me. The strings could be toned down a bit in the middle, while everything else is in a crescendo, but it's really a minor issue.

Probably my favorite detail is the flute that comes in around 0:47 and stays throughout the rest of the song. Even though this is pretty old by now, it still remains as one of my favorites. KF

[DragonAvenger]

A pretty piece, maybe a little too sappy for my tastes. The piano melody is quite nice, and also apparently original, so kudos for that. More bass sounds in general would really help balance things out. I don't usually say that, but this is one of those cases where the piece is too treble, in my opinion. Some lower notes in the piano would have really evened it out. Overall, for it's age, the mix has held up quite well. Nice work.

[Rozovian]

Wait, 2000? Whoa. There's not much in the way of issues, nothing that detracts from enjoying it. Short and sweet. A gem from the old days.

[Eino Keskitalo]

Very nice melodic piece. The piano performance is a bit jittery but not much so. There's a few piano chords that felt a bit clashy, f.e. at 00:53 and 01:00. The intro is a bit cluttered, I wonder if it really needed anything more than the piano. I like the subtlety of the strings in the beginning after the intro, the figure is a nice (and non-obvious) backdrop for the piano melody. I gotta agree the strings get a little overpowering as it goes on. Still, not too bad. It's somewhat saccharine but I'd say there's enough of a bittersweet feel to keep the whole in check. Still worth checking out!

--Eino

[Bahamut]

Man, it was quite a long time ago when I played Phantasy Star, and I remember this melody & song. The game memories weren't pleasant, but the music wasn't bad.

So I know this was one of the first few songs on the site, but the samples really sound outdated. Some weird thing happens around 0:49-0:50 that I can't place my finger on.

Quaint piece though.

[Emunator]

The orchestral samples stick out like a sore thumb, but all in all I'm not cringing as much as I expected to from one of the earliest remixes on the site The arrangement doesn't always click but for the most part it's pretty, quaint, although just a little bit repetitive. Sample quality be damned, I actually enjoyed this!

[42]

This seems to me like something that'd be played at some fancy garden party. Trying to ignore a few glitches in the sampling and some of the piano work, it's not too bad, more or less. It does feels a little stuffy and repetitious due to it's background feeling status. Ultimately, I'd rate it as an o.k. mix' not too good, but neither too bad.

[Crulex]

Alright, yeah, this sounds downright pretty. The piano bits and light tune makes this fit together and the melody is easy to follow. A bit too happy for me, but it's not ruined by any major problems, so it still works as a good ReMix.

[dANGER boy]

Agreed. Not my favorite style of remix, too happy and lovey-dovey. However, great ReMix for its time. Orchestration does kind of stick out but not enough to ruin the arrangement. Well done! Sound pretty good on my cans.

[Tables]

Very pretty! And not even THAT dated sounded, all things considered. I myself adore these lovey dovey cheesy type orchestrations when they're paired with melodies as sweet as these. You certainly chose a good source to expand off of.