ReMix:Pokémon Red Version "Look at All the Ships!" 4:11

Today's Pokémon Day, the anniversary date for the original releases of Red and Green in Japan! Pokémon trainers worldwide will be wondering about the next direction for the IP while also fondly remembering how they initially discovered the series. My journey began with a Game Boy back at the region of Kanto, where ZackParrish treaded for a lush orchestration of the Vermilion City BGM, bringing Jeff Ball's violin and Pearl Pixel's oboe along for the ride:

"Another piece done for Shinesparkers, this time for their fan arrangement album of Pokémon Red/Blue called Harmony of a Champion. I had quite a bit of fun working on this piece and I hope you can hear it in the music."

Many of the tracks in Harmony of a Champion had musicians craft more than one arrangement connected to a specific theme, like this one - the first half of SoundChris's "A Sparkling Voyage", which also thematically tied in the S.S. Anne. Here, Alex's oboe was able to anchor in the A section's melody when first introduced retrospectively at 0:12, as did the string ensemble at 0:57. The original swelling brass interludes between them and leading up to Jeff's upper-position violin performance were there to provide more of the drama of the growing tide, which is fitting for the bells to float alongside while anticipating the string ensemble to play around the B section when leading up to the calming piano finish. Compositionally, it split the tides of interpretation like the Special stat going into Gen 2, delicately balancing the original swells and gallops with the representation of the BGM - the central component.

While a legacy track compared to Zack's later Shinesparkers offerings and his efforts on SeeDs of Pandora, the quality orchestration is still top-notch, delicately handled and expressed, and further elevated with those essential solo spots from Alex and Jeff. It's a pretty package that paints a picture of a peaceful port town and is a highly recommended listen and bridge toward the rest of the Harmony of a Champion album!