Beyond the Beyond Original Game Soundtrack

It would be a logical assumption that this "Original Game Soundtrack" from a not-so-popular older Playstation title wouldn't be worthy of notice. Not so. The CD is instead a shining example of the proper arranged soundtrack. Although I have never heard the music from the game itself with my own ears, reliable sources indicate that the music on this CD is not directly from the game. The extended length of the tracks and high sound quality suggest the same. Why in the world Antinos would release an arranged CD labeled as an "original soundtrack" is beyond me (they did the same with Arc the Lad), but this baby's arranged and it's arranged right.

Without further ado, it must be proclaimed that the first track on this disc is absolutely a masterpiece. It's an eight-minute delight of sampled orchestral instruments composed and arranged with a progressive flair. The principle melody is the sort that will have fans of the fantasy-adventure genre drooling. Composer/arranger Motoi Sakuraba takes a good thing and makes it even better by developing the theme masterfully throughout the track. What begins as a lonely flute performance evolves into an tumultuous, enrapturing violin extravaganza and then on to other forms. The track is a bona fide classic.

The rest of the CD features similar qualities, but not to the same inspiring extent. Indeed it seems that the original Beyond the Beyond music must not have been that great, because the latter four tracks just don't have the same memorable, inspiring melodies as the first. However, they do boast the same masterful arranged style. Track four, for example, begins with an increasingly-intensified combination of piano, violin, and drums that leads one to expect awesome things - until the disappointing primary melody comes into play. Sakuraba takes the sometimes lackluster melodies and repeats them, modifies them, and interweaves them so skillfully that they still make a favorable impression.

Overall the style of music could be considered symphonic/progressive rock. The middle tracks, where the progressive sound is most evident - are a bit of a change for those accustomed to more traditional orchestral fair (Dragon Quest and even Final Fantasy). Almost all the instrumental sounds are sampled and not live. In fact the only performance credits in the liner notes, excluding Takeo Shimoda on drums, go to Sakuraba and Hiroyuki Nanba on keyboards. Fortunately the sound quality is still quite high. Piano, flute, violin, bass guitar, and more sound excellent. The only real drawback in sound quality is the sampled chorus, which although not terrible is overused and probably should have been replaced by other instrumentation at times, to avoid becoming repetitive.

If Beyond the Beyond Original Game Soundtrack sustained the dramatic impact of the first track, it would be one of the greatest RPG soundtracks ever. What remains are marvelous arrangements flawed by some melodic weakness.