ReMix:Final Fantasy VI "Go-Go Gadget Gonkulator" 4:10

I just want to take a second to say how extraordinarily proud I am of Balance and Ruin; one of our finest albums, a huge undertaking, so much diversity, an amazingly high & consistent quality bar, and so many surprises... there were a lot of great fan arrangement albums released last year, on OCR and elsewhere, but - call me biased - I have a hard time thinking of any of them the same way I think about B&R. Some people might prefer albums that stick like glue to a certain genre, but I'd personally rather be kept on my toes and challenged, especially when the original score itself is as diverse & multifaceted as Uematsu's work on FF6. Joe was a huge part of reflecting that depth, and this peppy klezmer/gypsy/folk arrangement which echoes "Gobble, Snarf, Snap" is more proof of that, featuring Mr. Zieja's saxophone, clarinet, guitar, mandolin, AND popcorn selling skillz:

"After I did my "Phantom Train" track, zircon asked me to do something in the same vein for "Gogo," which I had actually already been working on in my head once I got invited to the project. The style of the OST track sort of lends itself to this with that tuba, and I just sort of took it from there. I wanted to go a little bit more, um, Jewish, with this one, hence the intro and the fact that I wore one of those black hats while I was recording. I'm not sure what possessed me to go full Carnival in the middle, but it made sense to me at the time, so I'll stand by my decision. If you listen really, really carefully in the background of the carnival part with the live sax, you can hear me selling peanuts and popcorn. I want to emphasize that I'm -NOT- actually selling either, and if you attempt to contact me with the intent of purchasing some you are going to be sorely disappointed and likely remain hungry."

Never go full carnival... unless you're an expert novice. Playful stuff that really brings the musicality, with a veritable smorgasbord of live instrumentation, Joe's personality shines through again, resulting in another mix that only he could have, and would have, made. Larry writes:

"At this point, even though Joe is a relative newbie around OCR, if you've followed the site, you know a ReMix'll be awesome if his name is on it. It can't be said enough how much Balance and Ruin truly benefited from him joining zircon & McVaffe's motley crew of contributors.

"Gogo" is an extremely aloof source tune, but XRPT's klezmer transformation still managed to spin this piece on its head with gregarious energy that'll rope in other people around you. And will you look at that laundry list of instruments he played? Saxophone, clarinet, guitar, mandolin AND subtle, tight SFX & VO integration. Joe's always game for improvement, and though he hasn't nailed a metal arrangement yet, I still nominate him for a name change to XPRTExpert on account of his extremely broad performance range. :-)

While there are so many strong elements here, the layered sax & clarinet and call-response stuff from 2:33-3:15 was smooth like butter, and a great bit of dynamic contrast from the more upbeat pacing of the rest of the arrangement. It's impossible for me to say what'll be your highlight in this piece, but there's a TON to pick from."

There is indeed; really fun stuff that lets loose with expression & personality but maintains craftsmanship in the process, and a PERFECT example of the type of brilliant arrangement that wouldn't stand a chance if we insisted on confining ourselves to narrow, limited definitions of what an album can be!