Overview

1994 was a very memorable year in the gaming industry for a number of good reasons many ways. Chief among the best successes was Final Fantasy VI, which had done extremely well in Japan as well as in North America. About a month after Final Fantasy VI was released, an innovative title known as Live A Live showed itself to the world. Knowing that Uematsu was already busy with Final Fantasy VI, Square needed a new composer during its development. After a bit of search, they found the best person to do it: a woman named Yoko Shimomura. Now famous for a series of great scores, including Kingdom Hearts, Legend of Mana, and Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Live A Live was her first work for Square.

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The soundtrack starts with the title theme, "Live-A-Live," which sets a high standard for the rest of the soundtrack. It's all synth, but it's wonderfully manipulated. The theme after it is "Select-A-Live," which is used when you choose a quest to start with. As you might expect, each chapter has different music, so we'll discuss each one in turn, based on the order in which each chapter's music appears on the Original Sound Version.

The Original Sound Version first takes us to Oboro-Maru's quest in Medieval Japan. The music throughout this chapter is extremely good at conveying a Japanese feel. It starts with "Secret Mission," which serves as the opening and ending track for this chapter; it suits the hero's mission to assassinate an evil lord in his castle very well. The soundtrack continues with "Sound Of Shinobi," which is played as you make your way through the enemy's castle. It's both amazing and A-Maze-Ing! Since you'll certainly encounter enemies on your way through the castle, it's only appropriate that there's a battle theme here and this goes by the rather nice title "Killing Field!" You can certainly imagine the hero fighting off ninjas and other guards while listening to this.

Let's now assume the player finished Oboro-Maru's chapter and decides to choose Masaru's quest, which is set in the present day. It starts off with "Ultimate Strength - Victory Road" as the opening theme. All that happens when this is being played are images of Masaru flexing his muscles and such being shown. He wants to become the greatest fighter by learning the special techniques of six fighters around the world; indeed, the chapter is pretty much a Street Fighter rip-off to me, but never mind! Once you are ready, you must choose which fighter to face as the track entitled "Martial Arts Masters" plays. It's simply fitting, nothing more. Once your choice is made, you'll hear "Versus," a silly little track. The battle track of the present chapter, "Knock You Down!," is very good; it gives me the feeling of encouragement while fighting enemies.

Once that chapter is done, we go way back in time to the Prehistoric era for Bogo's quest. This quest opens up with the tribal-sounding "Native Life." It's just hilarious as you see Bogo trying to hunt a mammoth, but gets chased by 10 of them! You start in the caves and you feel right at home with the main track of the chapter, "Nice Weather Ain't It!" What do you encounter in the prehistoric time? Oh, just a few saber-toothed tigers, mammoths, crocodiles, etc. While fighting these enemies, you'll definitely enjoy "Kiss of Jealousy." It sounds upbeat and you'll be tapping to the beat within seconds of listening to it. It's a perfect battle theme and fits the mood of the battle scene like a glove.

The next chapter is CUBE's quest, which is Sci-Fi-oriented. It starts out with the weird opening track "Unseen Syndrome," which is mostly ambient in nature. I can't help but think of Star Trek or Star Wars while listening to this. Don't ask why! There is no main theme in this chapter, but play the arcade game Captain Square and you'll hear the obviously titled "Captain Square track," which is very memorable, though not necessarily good. Indeed, this one is a bit weird, as it sounds like its on an 8-bit console, but it's OK while you beat up them nasty aliens. Later on in the Arcade game, you'll hear "Captain of The Shooting Stars." It still sounds 8-bit-ish, but is somewhat more bearable.

On to the next chapter: Shinzan's quest, in old China. The opening theme, "The Bird Flies in The Sky, The Fish Swims in The River," is simply majestic, and sounds like music from an old Kung Fu movie. "The Old Master Descends from The Mountains" is the main theme of the chapter. You'll be hearing it often as you travel through villages and to a small jungle filled with roaming tigers. As a result of these tiger encounters, of course, is the battle theme; "War In China couldn't be better for this purpose, as it has both a distinct Chinese influence and a battle-like feel.

After the old China chapter, the Original Sound Version moves on to the themes of the Old Wild West Chapter, in which Sundown Kidd is the hero. As you see Sundown ride his horse in the desert, you'll hear the opening track, "Wanderer," which could be described like music from an Old Wild West flick. Although its use isn't quite successful, the quiet "Under The Fake" is played while you search for supplies and traps to stop a gang of thieves coming to town. If you must do battle, "The Wilds" is plays, and while I can't really describe this one, it is certainly very good. "Sancho de Los Panchos," which is performed by the three amigos, is another great theme that sounds like it came from an Old Wild West flick.

And now we pass on to the Near Future Chapter, which represents the boy Akira's mission. Akira has one special gift: he can read other people's minds. The opening theme is the really catchy "Go Go Buriki King!!," which will serve as a battle theme once you control a giant robot. The main theme for this chapter is "Wait For Truth," a simple but nice little theme that is used as you explore the city's areas. You'll run into hoodlums, and while fighting them you get to hear the ultra-cool "A Painful Death At The Hands Of A Psycho." This is just a light rock battle theme, but it is no doubt a fine work nonetheless.

Let's move onwards to the final chapter, which is Orstedd's quest, the Medieval Chapter. While you explore Orstedd's castle, you hear the epic "Prelude to the Demon King," which gives a slight feeling of hope. "Wings That Don't Reach" is a beautiful theme heard while you search for allies, and is similar in style to Final Fantasy VI's "Searching For Friends." You'll encounter many monsters and assorted dragons on your quest, and "Difficult Fight" simply gives off the tension and uneasiness necessary to represent the battle scene. After a while you'll finally reach The Demon King's lair, and while exploring the horrifying place, "Journey to The Mountain Of The Demon King" is played.

And now, for the major climax of the game, every hero from the first seven chapters meet and prepare to do battle. As you explore the final area, the main theme is "City Of Hopelessness," which is a sad version of Journey to the Mountain..." You'll need the best equipment in order to survive, so you'll need to explore some dungeons. The theme for them is "Silent Labyrinth," which does give off a feeling of uncertainty. Whenever something really sad happens, "Cry-A-Live" is just what we need to convey those emotions, and it grabs me every time I hear it. When something really good happen though, it's "Warm-A-Live" that takes the role to make us feel fuzzy.

As the soundtrack reaches its climax, things get really interesting. "The Demon King Odio" is one of Shimomura's greatest work in my opinion; it simply exudes evil from every note and the organ makes it sound especially sinister. The boss theme, "Megalomania," is a hard rock theme which dosen't waste time to keep you in the spirit of a tough battle. This is THE track that spawned later kickass boss themes like "Pain The Universe" and "Darkness Nova" from Legend of Mana. The long wait for it to be heard is well worth it, in my opinion.

The final battle themes with Odio are wonderful. "Illusion..." starts off menacingly and afterwards the organ and drums join in to make one awesome final boss theme. However, this is only for the first phase of Odio, and for the second and last conflict, "Pure Odio" is used, and it gets a bit more fast-paced as you are about to vanquish the evil. If you should lose, you'll be treated to the depressing "Armageddon," which sounds a lot like Final Fantasy VI's "Dancing Mad." Once you gain victory, everyone returns to their own space and time. You'll hear "Live Over Again" as you see how everyone turns out after the fated battle. After that, it's the ending theme, "Live For Live," which contains remixes from several themes from the game and is a very well done and very memorable ending theme.

Summary

Ms. Shimomura has done well for her first project with Square and it certainly set precedent for the release of many more well-known albums, since Square clearly recognised her achievements here. As with most old CDs, this one fell out of print, but you could try eBay to get it. If you do buy this masterpiece, you won't regret it.

Overview

Producing great scores throughout the '90s for games such as Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Street Fighter II, and also throughout the modern era with Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, Yoko Shimomura's rise to fame has been a somewhat long term one. This album holds the music to a classic Super Nintendo game called Live A Live, which was released around the same time as the highly successful Final Fantasy VI. The style of composition is very similar to her Kingdom Hearts scores, so pretty much every area of the game is given a different atmosphere through the music alone. The Live A Live Original Sound Version holds some really impressive themes that Shimomura must be proud of, and quite a few of you would like them, even now. So, read on for an insight of one her earlier works.

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"Live-A-Live" starts off the album in a classic introductory style that involves a sweeping melody and rampant brass. The track provides a great opening to the album, and its atmosphere is impressively light-hearted, too. Even so, it pales in comparison to the next track, "Select-A-Live," which sounds as if it was written for a film, since it seems to describe a certain story that only a moving picture could tell. It flows elegantly and develops profoundly, both with its instrumentation and its dynamics, to create an ultimate atmosphere that sends chills down the listener's spine. Both of these set a high standard for the rest of the Sound Version to follow, and with the album being set out in order of the different chapters of the game, the listener is subjected to something new at every turn.

There are a number of light-hearted themes in this Original Sound Version that really stand out, but these are sadly accompanied by some really poor themes, too. The first of these is "Secret Mission," which fails simply due to its poor instrumentation and its lack of a consistent harmony. This is the type of track that works in-game, but fails on an album such as this. "Sound of Shinobi" also falls victim to its instrumentation, but it manages to become a good listen through its catchy melody, though this hardly suffices as a great feature. "Nice Weather Ain't It!" is another light-hearted theme, but its overly dramatic nature doesn't really do it any good on the album. It develops nicely, and the flute melody intertwines perfectly with the chord centred accompaniment to create a very relaxed atmosphere overall. "Captain Square," from the 'CUBE's quest' chapter, is another fun theme to listen to. It has some scientific synth that makes it stand out amongst the likes of "Nice Weather Ain't It!", and is a perfect example of how Shimomura needed to add something new at every turn. "Captain of the Shooting Stars" plays in the same area, and is a charming track with an inspirational melody; frequent transitions and a creative bass line make this a good listen, and places it amongst some of the best on the album.

The lively tracks on this album go hand in hand with the more natural and 'organic' themes, too. For example, the acoustic guitar based "Sancho de Los Panchos" creates a perfect image of a fresh Spanish town with cobblestone streets and white buildings by staying lively and cultural at the same time. "Native life" takes a more nature centred role; complete with bird sound effects, the setting of this theme is truly enhanced by its instrumentation. When the flutes, steel drums, and tribal drums are combined to make a melody, the resultant effect is a great one. "Wanderer" is another natural theme, but this time, a wild western style is brought about. The track flows nicely and is certainly very picturesque, and although I am not a fan of the track on the whole, its style is intriguing to say in the least. If Shimomura had developed this theme a little more, then I am sure that it would have been a hit. "Under the Fake" is a better track that makes a greater use of its melodic line and accompaniment. Indeed, it is relatively short in comparison and once more it lacks development, but the experience that the listener gets is far more favourable. The album's last natural theme is "The Bird Flies in the Sky, the Fish Swims in the River," an eloquent theme that is short but sweet. Shimomura's more relaxed themes are a great listen, but it is such a pity that she doesn't develop them to the extents that they deserve.

Shimomura's best themes actually come in the form of the dark and ominous. Her militaristic themes on this album are certainly worth a mention, though some are debateable as to which category they truly belong in. "Ultimate Strength - Victory Road" starts off the second chapter in the game and is a delightful theme that has some interesting instrumentation. At first, the track seems like it is going nowhere, but when Shimomura adds a melody and some tubular bells, it really starts to get going. Indeed, in comparison to today's standards, this theme is relatively little, but its instrumentation makes it an impressive feat for the time. The next two themes, "Martial Arts Masters" and "Versus!", are both themes that accompany a one-on-one fight, and as you may expect, they are pretty lame, too. Things do pick up, however; "Knock You Down!" holds a very strong melody that really draws the listener in. In my opinion, Shimomura doesn't develop it enough, but it certainly rivals some of her themes from Street Fighter II, which takes a similar game format to the Masaru's quest chapter. "The Ancient Master Descends from the Mountains" is the next militaristic theme, and although it is actually quite relaxed, the drum beats and the grand build ups are all still there. The oriental style to this track separates it from the rest of the field and certainly makes it a good listen. Next up, the march-like nature of "Prelude to the Demon King" makes it an extremely good listen; with the track shifting from the minor key into a major key, the melody receiving quite a bit of expansion, and a whole new section added, the development of this theme is far more impressive than with the earlier light-hearted themes.

Even so, Shimomura isn't finished yet, as there are some tense themes still to come. "Unseen Syndrome"'s tense feel is brought about by its irregular bass rhythm and bizarre sound effects that really catch you off guard. Melodically, it doesn't really go anywhere, and is more of an industrial track than anything else. "Difficult Fight" takes a totally different approach and creates tension through suspended chords, a repeated bass line, and a rise in dynamics. This theme develops nicely, and just when it feels as if it is about to loop, Shimomura adds another line to make it flow even better. "City of Hopelessness" is by far her most tense track though; starting off with an organ and keyboard line, its atmosphere is heightened at every step, and when it reverts into something more melodic, Shimomura ensures that its ominous nature remains with the use of tubular bells and an eerie synth vocal line. Next up are the end of chapter battles themes, all of which were arranged in the "Battlissimo" medley on the 8cm Disc found with the Live A Live Perfect Strategy Guide Book. The first theme is "Killing Field," and it is the combination of authentic instrumentation and a great rhythm that is the main highlight. "Knock You Down!" strays away from the oriental vibes of "Killing Field," and turns out to be pure rockin'. Once again, the melody is profound, but this time it is accompanied by a guitar that is equally as effective, too. The passionate samba, "Kiss of Jealousy," and the oriental "War in China" lead us to the most hardcore and the greatest chapter battle theme of all: "A Painful Death at the Hands of a Psycho." This theme is pure rockin' at its best, and although the theme is relatively short, it is an accomplished theme that explores every aspect of its melody before it finishes.

As we draw closer to the climax of the album, Shimomura seems to suddenly reach for the throttle and crank it to full power. "The Demon King Odio" is an impressive organ track that never ceases to persist. It is expertly composed, and is most certainly amongst Shimomura's greatest early works. Following this, the penultimate battle theme, "Illusion..." is another great organ theme, and with it reverberating, too, it is almost as if the whole theme is being played in a massive lair. The action in the track is out of this world too, and creates a great pathway to "Pure Odio," the final battle theme. As ever, the organ takes the centre stage, but with drums and another melody added over this, the overall effect is climactic and tension filled. After defeating the boss, the listener is then treated to "Armageddon," a creative theme that is pretty much on par with the rest of the ending themes. It is depressing, full of fear and regret, but ultimately, pride; few themes that play after the boss has been defeated are as good as this, so it is a very special theme. Following on from this, the album leads out with the beautiful "Live Over Again" and the grandiose "Live for Live." "Live for Live" is one of the most touching ending themes from the Super Nintendo ages that I have heard, and in all honesty, the whole album is worth it for this track alone. Well, not quite, but you'll appreciate it once you have heard it.

Summary

I have nothing but praise for Shimomura here; barely putting a foot wrong, she steps up to the challenge of creating a different style for each chapter, whilst also creating a sense of equilibrium throughout the album, too. Sound quality is obviously an issue, and some themes could have done with a bit more development, but apart from that, this is a near perfect album. There are a great number of themes that stay in your head for many years after hearing them, especially "Live for Live." This Sound Version is a success, and if you are impressed with what she has offered in recent years, then why not have a look for this album? It's out of print and pretty hard to find, but if you do find it, it will be an album that you will treasure for life.