Falcom Recommendations?
 

After a long, long, long period of ignorance regarding Falcom music, I recently stumbled across an mp3 of "Mighty Obstacle" from Ys VI, and quite frankly, it kicks my ass. Also, I got a translated ROM of Ys IV on SNES, and I'm enjoying the music to that quite a bit too. I'm interested in getting more into that particular catalog, but with all the arrange albums, box sets, vocal albums, concertos for kazoo and jew's harp, etc. I don't really even know where to start. I plan to check out Very Best of Ys, but I'd like to know what else should be heard. I know I've mentioned mostly rock stuff, but I'm open to anything :)

Thanks in advance!

Almost anything from Falcom is going to be good. The best thing to do is just to start somewhere and move on from there. I myself, started with the Falcom Special Boxes and the Sorcerian series, which are testament to the group's extreme versatility.

If you want to check out some cool Ys albums, I thoroughly enjoyed all the arrangements of Ys III as well as the original soundtrack.

Perfect Collection Sorcerian Vol. 1-3 has always been a favorite bunch of albums for me. It combines old school melodies with rock and lots of other styles.

Also, make sure to pick up the Ys: The Oath in Felghana OST. It's one of the best albums to come out last year.

Falcom related albums I'd start with would include:

<> The Very Best of Ys
<> PERFECT COLLECTION Ys IV The Dawn of Ys VOL.1-3 *specifically Vol.1*
<> Falcom J.D.K. Band 1
<> The Legend of Xanadu ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK
<> The Legend of Xanadu Super Arrange Version
<> VM Japan Original Sound Track
<> Perfect Collection Ys The Oath in Felghana
<> PERFECT COLLECTION SORCERIAN Vol.1-3 *specifically Vol.2*
<> Ys VI THE ARK OF NAPISHTIM Original Sound Track

With those albums, you'll get a taste of the full spectrum of Falcom music. So, I highly recommend those.

I´d recommend The Legend of Xanadu Arranged 2004 - Kleene -, it´s not an official Album though. It´s a Doujin arranged album by Woodsoft and ranks among my favourite VGM CDs of all times. The arrangements are kinda JDK Band style, but not so old-fashioned 80s rock.

Other than that, my Falcom Favs are:

Falcom JDK Band
Falcom JDK Band II
Brandish Piano Collection
Ys I Perfect Collection
Ys II Perfect Collection
Ys Provincialism (not typical Falcom style, but you may like it)
Ys Symphony
Zwei!! Super Arrange Version

I've listened to some Falcom music, and most of it (if not all of it) has been great. Don't have much a collection myself, but I'd also reccomend the original soundtrack for Ys: The Oath in Felghana.
As Kaleb mentioned, it is probably one of the best soundtracks of last year! ;)

Oh, that was Falcom? I actually got that one in mp3 a while back and loved it.

Thanks, everyone, I'll be sure and check these out!

Ys: The Oath in Felghana is pure gold (it's remastered music of Ys 3).

i recomend you a song "born on battlelines" i love it and you will love it for sure.

Falcom Neo Classic is great it has music from various series. First CD you have orchestrated masterpieces. 2nd CD synth remixes. The 3rd cd is just rehearsal of the orchestra but an interesting bit of history.

I'd also recommend any of the Super Arrange albums. Zwei!'s is really good.

Zwei period is good. I actually prefer the original soundtrack, but the arranged album is one of the few albums that does the original complete justice.

Legend of Heroes is good shit, too.

Zwei!! OST is my favorite falcom work from what I've listened to. It's a great relaxing new age soundtrack that has gotten me into falcom muisc. Now if only I could buy some YS soundtracks . . .

Hmm, I'm newbie to Falcom music. I'm especially looking for string quartet/chamber music arrangement. The music is beautiful, but not really memorable IMO. Btw, Yuzo Koshiro composed the music didnt he? It's ironic that he didnt get the copyright of his own music.:(

Yeah, I like Falcom music pretty much as well, especially the orchestra (well, okay "pseudo orchestra") soundtracks like Ys 5 Orchestral, LOH 3: White Witch, LOH 4: Electric Orchestra as well as Symphony Sorcerian and Symphony Gagharv Trilogy. I am pretty sure there are even more awesome Falcom soundtracks, maybe I will listen to some of the suggestions in this thread later.

Look for the Preprimer albums. Also, anything arranged by Kentaro Haneda aka Symphonic Sorcerian and Symphony Ys. Those and the Falcom Neo Classics by London Orchestra albums are pretty much the only decent Falcom classical arrangements.

Truth is Falcom's music history is made of melodies that makes for much better Hard Rock arrangements than classical ones. I recommend you check out every 80's chiptunes works, or at least the complete Sorcerian and Ys ones and listen to the 4 JDK Band albums after this. This will be your introduction to a world you'll most likely love.

Ys 1 was composed by Koshiro and has amazing music. I am probably the only person on earth who prefers the Master System music to the TGX version, though. Anyone know if he did Book 2? I never saw anything that said he did, but then books 1 and 2 were packaged together.

Yes, Yuzo Koshiro wrote the soundtrack to Ys 2 as well.

Heh, first I make this thread and now I'm telling other people about it. Funny how that works :)

Through your questions and research you have become a master.

I just recently downloaded The Legend of Heroes IV "A Tear of Vermillion" and i LOVE it. Both the original and arrange ZWEI albums are good, but i prefer the original. YS 5 is a killer album as well.

I'll second the people who recommended Zwei. Its arrange album is great. I'll throw in Ys Healing, Ys Symphony, and the orchestrated YsV album (bases have probably already been covered here).