[Album] Kingdom Hearts OST (TOCT-24768~9)

(all information courtesy of Chudah's Corner)
Composed by: Yoko Shimomura
Arranged by: Yoko Shimomura, Kaoru Wada, Russell McNamara, Kei Kawano & Hikaru Utada, Takahito Eguchi
Publisher: Toshiba EMI
Catalog Number: TOCT-24768~9
CD Info: 2 CD - 76 Tracks
Released: March 27, 2002
Additional album information and tracklist

When fans first heard that Yoko Shimomura had been hired to score the controversial new Squaresoft/Disney collaboration "Kingdom Hearts," reactions were mixed. While Shimomura had had success bringing new life and creativity to established worlds through her work on "Super Mario RPG," many feared that the album would be overrun with the poor-quality arrangements of Disney themes that many Disney-only titles suffered from.
Luckily, this was not the case, and Shimomura developed "Kingdom Hearts" into her greatest score to date both on album and on disc.

Anyone who was afraid that the entire score would be terminally cute has only to listen to the complex and dark tracks that begin and end the two-disc collection. Built around heavy choral use and the Italian word "Destati" (literally "Awaken"). Tracks such as "Dive Into the Heart -Destati-," "Fragments of Sorrow" and the climactic "Guardando nel buio" are filled with gothic atmosphere and powerful instrumentation. That same gothic feeling is present to a lesser extent in several other fine tracks, like the organ-dominated "Forze del Male" and the fan-favorite "Hollow Bastion," which features stunning harp work.

Of course, being a Disney game as well, not everything is gloom and doom. Surprisingly, the arrangements of Disney tunes are both sparse and well-done. In fact, it's quite nice to hear some familiar tunes (like Danny Elfman's "This is Halloween") in-game, and the borrowed tunes all fit in nicely with Shimomura's originals.

The original, lighthearted tracks are generally excellent, from the Russian-sounding "Monstrous Monstro" to the kooky "Merlin's Magical House" and the jazzy, laid-back "Traverse Town." The Traverse Town battle theme, "Hand in Hand," is easily an album highlight, action-packed but sad and hopeful at the same time, and has been extensively arranged in this and the sequel album. Also of note is the lovely, understated piano title theme, "Dearly Beloved," and the wonderful orchestrated tracks at the beginning and end of the album.

In fact, there are almost too many highlights to list, and nearly every track is looped twice for maximum enjoyment. On the other hand, the synth is sometimes inconsistent. Sometimes it's stellar, the equal of any other PS2 game, but it falters at other times, especially where brass is concerned. The album, like its sequel but to a lesser extent, could have used a better synth programming.

There are also a few duds, generally repetitive pieces like "No Time To Think." The "Kairi" tracks are also somewhat weak; as the only character theme per se, one would expect more varied performances, but the three such tracks are largely identitcal.

Another annoyance is the fact that several tracks were left off the release, particularly the dark, brutal "Another Side, Another Story" and "Disappeared." With a little creative rearrangement, there would have been room on the album for these and the remixed "One-Winged Angel" and "Night on Bald Mountain" as well--instead, fans have to seek out the rare "Final Mix" disc for these songs.

Still, when all is said and done, Shimomura's work on "Kingdom Hearts" is truly remarkable, and easily a career highlight. The album is everything VGM fans could hope for, and brings a level of maturity to the wonderful game itself. And while Shimomura would return for both sequels, the original "Kingdom Hearts" remains her best work for the franchise, and a highly reccommended purchase.

5/5

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I have no willpower to write segments of stuff about how this soundtrack just isn't for the likes of me. For the likes of me, who, when want cheerful music, expect some sort of catchyness to the songs.

That isn't the bad kind. Under the Sea melts your brain. Agrabah irritates with its trivial wannabe-arabesque dance mat music. There's something good, though. More traditional RPG-ish music like Traverse Town and the cheesy vocal theme Simple and Clean's instrumental versions, Peter Pan -sequence music and some of the choral work later in the game.

There's something, but not even nearly enough for me to enjoy a two-disc filler-infested soundtrack to a game that I otherwise love. This is Kingdom Hearts's only con.

2/5, barely

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I began greatly anticipating this soundtrack, mostly due to my being a fan of Shimomura's work. Unfortunately, when I lost my taste for all things Kingdom Hearts (by playing the game and seeing what a marketing scam it was), I ultimately got to the point where I couldn't listen to the music anymore. Reason being, even before I played the game, was that much of it felt like filler music and there were only a couple of standouts. Losing any reason to attempt to attach myself to the music beyond that made this soundtrack completely expendable. In fact, the only 3 tracks I can remember with any sense of fondness are "Bustin' Up the Beach", the Hikari PlanitB edit (which I found much more tolerable than the cheesy original...I'm generally a fan of Jpop, but I'm not fond Hikaru Utada's voice) and the incredible adaptation of "Under the Sea".

As far as Shimomura goes, I liked this more than Parasite Eve (I think...neither score left much of an impression on me), but overall, this was disappointing. Especially after coming off Legend of Mana.

2/5

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

This album is her masterpiece since Legend of Mana and Parasite Eve. Her style of composition is so diverse that makes it hard to define the color of her music. She blends classic and techno music perfectly.

Her Destati is one of the most unforgettable SATB composition IMHO. Too bad she never uses real orchestra in the both of OST. I much prefer this album than the 2nd.

5/5

How ya doing, buddy?

The Kingdom Hearts OST is my favorite of Yoko Shimomura's works. There are a lot of memorable pieces here. My top choices include: "Hollow Bastion", "Night of Fate", "This is Halloween" and "Shipmeisters' Humoresque". The gummi ship tracks are very nice too. It might not be her BEST per say, but it is by far my favorite.

5/5

I was speaking idiomatically.

I just found most of the soundtrack dull. I feel Yoko Shimomura isn't a very unique composer or anything.

The only tracks that I felt were a 'must listen to' were Bustin' up on the Beach and Destiny Islands. The rest seemed generic and dry. Just like KH2's soundtrack.

3/5

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I bought the Kingdom Hearts Soundtrack because is rare that you can buy an VGM OST without any import in Germany. After Amazon.de delivered, I listen to it.
1. I don't like "Simple and Clean". In fact I hate any vocal music in game soundtracks. And yes, I HATE "Eyes on me"!
2. Most of all tracks are too short. I know, Shimomura-san has nothing to do with it but why are tracks on the CD with a length of circa 30 seconds?! Although only a few tracks are longer than 2:30 minutes...
3. My opinion to the compositions: They're average. Not bad, but not extraordinary good either. There's something little what I miss.

3/5

FELIPE NO

This soundtrack has some of the most interesting arcuses. The battle themes are great and so are the stage themes. 5/5

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Shimomura did an excellent job with this album, the album has been released in Italy too! And believe me this IS a miracle!! When I found it in a shop not as an imported product I could not believe to my eyes...

Jam it back in, in the dark.