Favorite Suikoden Tracks...

With S5 rekindling my interest in the series and enough music from the series on my Ipod to keep me busy at work, I figured it would do well to make a thread about it...

So how about it? Your favorite tracks. Original or arranged. DISCUSS.

Mine:

Suikoden I:

-Beautiful Golden City
-Black Forest
-Distant Mountain
-Rock Rockland
-Joy Joy Time (best minigame theme ever)
-Peaceful People
-Rising Tide
-Island Fortress/Glorious Island Fortress
-An Old Irish Song
-Theme of a Moonlit Night
-Theme of the Advancing Army
-Ultimate Enemy

Suikoden II

-Gothic Neclord
-Dive into a Corner
-Beautiful Morning
-Imprisoned Town
-Freedom Again
-Labyrinth, Penpe 2
-Enemy Attack
-Homesickness
-Nahala Yam Koong
-Praise Be to My Master
-Heart Softening Time
-Iron Fist of Anger
-*Sigh* All Town Themes (too many to list)
-The Time for Confrontation
-Silver Wolf

Suikoden IV:
-Arrival (Razril)
-On a Quiet Island
-Theme of Ajito
-The Waves Crash On

Suikoden V:

-Wind of Phantom
-Battle Start/Dancing Rhapsody
-Overcoming the Grief/Bitterness/A Sad Wish
-Star Tower/We Gather Near the Water/Castle of Dawn
-To The End of the Woven Tale of the 108 Stars
-*Sigh* All Town Themes Again...Not a bad one in the bunch (Not even "The Great Arts"). Scenary By the Windmills, The Water Capital and Town on a River are my favorites though.
-Arena
-Traces of the Sindar Civilization
-Crossing the Mountain River
-Move Out!
-Clash!
-Battle to

Spoiler:

Recapture Sol Falena

-The Deep Forest, The Lost Forest
-The Knights
-Life or Death

Hate to make a list, but just too many to comment on. In general though, I'm a fan of the rythym-driven battle themes and town themes from the series. They seem to have carved themselves out a nice little niche.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Glorious Island Fortress is such an excellent castle theme. Definitely my favorite track from the first game.

As for the second, I always remember the town themes. Imprisoned Town, Outskirts of Tinto, Climb that Hill.

There's an arranged track on the CD that came with preorders of Suikoden 5. It's called The Queen's Knights. Excellent track.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Rei no Otaku

There's an arranged track on the CD that came with preorders of Suikoden 5. It's called The Queen's Knights. Excellent track.

Yes, I do have that. That and "Stormfist Arena - Main Theme" were my favorites off of it. Still, I wasn't impressed with the track selection...I'm hoping to see another S5 arranged one to handle some of the more major themes from the game...Medleys of all the military battle themes or castle themes would be...well: And they definitely need to hit those town themes as well.

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

Suikoden I:
Forgotten Days
The Main Theme (esp. guitar ver)
Into a World of Illusions
Island Fortress
Avertuneiro Antes Lance Mao

Suikoden II:

Opening
If You Listen Carefully...
Secret Village of the Ninja
Reminiscence
Theme of a Moonlit Night
Even Farther
A Song in Praise of Peace
Gothic Neclord

Suikoden III:
Glittering Blade
An Awaited Wind
Searching for a Hero
Mysterious People


Haven't played IV or V.

There are also some fairly good songs scattered around the numerous arranged albums, but they are generally mediocre...I really like "A Cold Wind" off Celtic #1, but I'd like it even more if it didn't have those "fun" vocals inserted :\ I settle for trying to ignore them. Kentaro Haneda's "Avertuneiro Antes Lance Mao" is quite awesome to me, esp. the latter stretch. There's a very nice version of "Island Fortress" on Celtic #2 as well.

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I've only really listened to Suikosoundtracks I and II, but my tastes run pretty parallel to GoldfishX's. Oh, and I never played the games

Suikosoundtrack I
Beautiful Golden City - The perennial favorite. Upbeat, with a nice ethnic edge and a fine melody. I actually like the cheering and hand clapping, in a stunning reversal of my usual feelings about SFX in music. Its remix in the next OST is fantastic too.

Black Forest - More like pirate forest; this tune sounds hella nautical. It's fun and jaunty, too--just like pirates!

Distant Mountain - Very much in the Asian mold, but still melodic, unlike 90% of all "Asian" tracks. The tambourine melody plus panpipes equals ultimate enjoyment.

Rock Rockland - Dulcimers gone wild in a fun and funky track that also has a nice rhythmic edge.

People of Great Pride - Great, swaggering, heroic march with plenty of percussion and a slight quirky edge. Sounds like a leitmotif for someone who's larger than life.

Suikosoundtrack II
The Great Street Performers - Another quirky song, with a nice sting melody layered over a super percussion set.

Labyrinth Penpe 2 - Atmosphereic, moody, and mysterious. Its techno edge is completely unlike most of the other songs, but who cares?

Every Day is A Carnival - Short loop on this one, but it's charming all the same. More quirkiness, but with a tinge of optomisim. Did I mention that I love the way the percussion is handled in these OSTs?

Theme of Temptation (Asian Dub Mix) - What could be more seductive than an arabesque piece, complete with a Native American vocal and opera sporano? This one's not for everyone, but I love it.

The Time of Confrontation - A nice action theme with a spectacular buildup and great, uh, bongos.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I have really enjoyed the soundtracks from the first three Suikoden games, especially so the first one. What really impesses me about it, is the overall quality of the insturments used for a majority of tracks (which were compressed recordings as opposed to synth.). Suikoden II compositions attempted to expand upon the original, with mixed success. Suikoden III's soundtrack is very underrated in my opinion. Going back to it, many of the tracks are at the same level, if not better than the first two.

Italicized tracks indicate overall album favories.

Suikoden I:

Main Theme (Guitar Arrangement): This is a warm, and very touching theme for guitar and piano. The guitar work is of impeccable quialty and makes the track a silky smooth listening experience.

Distant Mountain - What really struck me about this track initially as the real pan-pipe solo. The great beat and bouncy melody make traversing mountain passes a breeze.

Peaceful People – This is, to put it simply, an audible feast of Asian goodness. Featuring
tons of Asian percussion and instruments it is really one of the most interesting offerings from the album.

Rising Tide - It has sort of a new-age feel, what with the extended intro with just a surf sound effect. The melody here is wonderfully simple and really makes the areas
in which it is played stand out. Definatly one of my personal favorites. I just like how the compsotion is so outside the box yet manages to work so well.

Collision! - A fun battle track to accompany the strategy battles. I really like how it sways back and forth between several dark, then heroic passages.

Victory March - Another good track to listen to in game, and going along with the previous song is played when you are poised to win a strategy battle. It is a really upbeat track that makes winning almost feel good.

Theme of Sadness (Guitar Version) - The original theme was powerful enough, but the soul of the piece really comes though in this acoustic guitar version. One of the most memorable themes in the game, many due to the events in accompanies

Gathering of the Warriors - This is very Celtic track in composition, which really distinguishes itself from the more Asian-oriented themes of the first half of the game.

Forgotten Days – This is a marvelous piece which features a very lonely pan-pipe playing the lead during much of the track. Real drums and guitar really add to the richness of the track which maitaining a
tremendous amout of emotional impact.

Glorious Island Fortress - After hearing a variation on this theme for much of the game, its nice to see it (and your fort) finally come together. The melody is much more developed than the previous installments, and builds into an uplifting crescendo by the end.

An Old Irish Song - One of the more distinctly Irish songs (its in the title after all ), thanks in part to the bagpipe introduction. This leads into a soothing and rather sorrowful flute melody. Yet another great track, which does well in adding to the depth and diversity of the soundtrack.

Theme of the Advancing Army - Finally, we have this soaring war anthem that precedes the final battle in the game (I think.) The strong trumpet calls and stern orchestra sections really set the
stage for the battle to come and make for an enjoyable listening experience.

Overall: 4.7/5.0

Suikoden II:

Opening
Enemy Attack
Reminiscence
Battlefield Without Light
Let's Climb That Hill
Nahala Yam Koong
Her Sigh
Heart Softening Time
An Old Story
A Bustling Town
Imprisioned Town
Freedom, Again
Even Farther
Gremio's Special Stew
Gothic Neclord
Silver Wolf

Suikoden III:

Wind and Ground
Bridge Town
Horseman's Pride
Glittering Blade
Beautiful Grasslands
Hurry!
Green Grave Marker
Stupid Ducks
Conversation 2
Large Cavity
Yutaka Festival
Evening Melody
Farm Village
Once Upon a Time ~Over the Mountain Road~
The Awaited Wind
Enduring Foot
Searching For a Hero
Advance and Retreat
Arctic Area
Complex Thoughts
Everyone's Smiling Faces ~108 Stars of Destiny~
Calming Everyday Life

Arranged Favorites:

Nahala Yam Koong - Genso Suikoden Asian Collection
Old Castle by the Lake - Genso Suikoden Asian Collection
Mysterious Forest - Genso Suikoden Celtic Collection II
Rock Rockland - Genso Suikoden Celtic Collection III
Dash To Karaya! - Genso Suikoden Celtic Collection III
Everyone's Smile ~Epilogue For The 108 Stars of Destiny - Genso Suikoden Celtic Collection III
Cold Wind Genso Suikoden Celtic Collection
Distant Mountain Genso Suikoden Celtic Collection
Beautiful Grasslands Suikoden Celtic Collection
The Festival of Abundance - Genso Suikoden Ongakushu (Kentaro Haneda)
Large Cavity - Genso Suikoden III Ongakushu ~Kaze no Zawameki~
Conversation 2 - Genso Suikoden III Ongakushu ~Kaze no Zawameki~
Wind and Ground - Genso Suikoden III Ongakushu ~Kaze no Zawameki~

I guess this list was rather large, so indivicual track comments will have to wait.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

My very Suikoden favourites would include almost all of the town and dungeon themes from the first game and the arrange album Kaze no Zawameki.

Pure inexpressable beauty not present in so many rpg soundtracks.

I'm too lazy to list separate tracks from II, III and V, though they all have many good pieces too, but they're just not up to S I's standards.

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Suikoden 1
----------
Into a World of Illusion
Beautiful Golden City
Tiny Characters in a Huge World
Theme of Sadness ~ Guitar Version (Perhaps the most emotional sad theme ever created.)
Main Theme Arrange ~ Ensemble Version
Island Fortress
Blue Oceans, Blue Skies
Theme of the Advancing Army


Suikoden 2
----------
Opening
The Will
Adventurous Journey
Beautiful Morning
Rescue
The Fugue ''Praise Be To My Master''
The Chase
Mad Luca
Withered Earth


Suikoden 3
----------
Wind and Ground
Souls in the Air
Vine Del Zexay
Stupid Ducks

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Pretty much everything from the first one. I agree with Kishin that the others don't quite live up to it.

SII:

Withered Earth
Two Rivers
Imprisoned Town
Battlefield Without Light
Homesickness
Let's Climb That Hill

SIII:

The Great Hollow

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I just can't get enough of the overworld themes from I, II and V. Some of the best overworld themes I've heard. (Along with the ones from Skies of Arcadia.)
-Blue Oceans, Blue Skies (Suikoden I)
-Adventurous Journey (Suikoden II)
-Even Farther (Suikoden II)
-Distant Journey (Suikoden V)

They all give me a feeling of a big adventure.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I'm going to have to ask a favor from you guys and from here on out in this thread flesh out your posts a bit more, please. We don't need anything too descriptive, but content other than a list is required for a post to be valid.

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

Wow! What a great topic idea. I've always had a special fondness for the Suikoden soundtracks... Arranged and OST. I find a agree a lot with Excrono. Onto my favs:

OST I - Peaceful People
I remember this when it first came on in the game. I was impressed then, and I still am. A wonderfully smooth and flowing set of good feeling instrumentals.

OST I - Gathering of Warriors
Simply awesome. I can listen to this as background when composing wargame strategy. A solid piece with good up front sound and drums.

OST I - Forgotten Days
Very inspirational and heroic. This is the kind of music I always listen for in a soundtrack - a part I like to call the low point turning point. The flute is wonderful.

OST I - Theme of the Advancing Army
My all time favorite. There aren't many music tracks that go well with large army battles with that heroic flair. This one does. The pickup midway through with the brass followed by full strings gives me chills to this day. Perhaps becuase you hear it once in the game (right before the big battle)...

OST II - Openning
WOW! The vocal on the front of this track is so awesome it always takes me back. The rest of the track is good, but the openning and ending are what grips me.

OST II - Reminiscence
In a word, beautiful. It is the song of the story of two friends. This is also one of my classic tracks and is on my all time great list. The sparing vocal with wonderful string back for a very meaningful piece. (String Vesion is wonderful as well).

OST II - Labryinth Penpe 2
One of the better dungeon pieces out there. They are hard to do right, but this one sounds cool and makes you think --- "underground".

OST II - Imprisoned Town
Such an odd grouping of instruments with the flute. This track always stands out to me. I live the sound and it is one of the better town works I've heard.

OST II - Prayer to my Mother
Not sure why I like it so much. Very soft and sad... The whole piece is filled with emotion. It isn't action, but the piece evokes a sense of need.

OST III - Exceeding Love
Got to love the tribal theme hear mixed in with my favorite themes. Fantastic vocals.

OST III - Beautiful Grasslands
As soothing as it gets. Upbeat soothing. I have litterally listened to this track for an hour on repeat.

I adore 50% of all the arranged albums and I think I have them all... If I have to pick a favorite from them:

Withered Earth from the Asian Collection ~ Fantastic! This just gets my blood running. The mix of instruments combined with the sudden drum and string kick in is awing.

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