Any fans of Nobuo Uematsu or The Black Mages?

[twosuitsluke]

Just thought I'd be interested to find out if there are any fans of Nobuo Uematsu or The Black Mages. For anybody who isn't aware of either Nobuo is the composer for the majority of the Final Fantasy series of video games. Most of the music is played to audiences around the world by an orchestra conducted by Arnie Roth. They are incredible movie score style pieces. The Black Mages are a side project Nobuo had a few years back, he played keyboard and they were prog metal-ish and truely awesome, not sure if this is the right place to be putting this topic (first post) but if you like Emerson, Lake and Palmer you may like the Black Mages. I'll try and link some of their music on here 😊

[sneakyblueberry]

I love Nobuo Uematsu, but I've always had a hard time trying to get a hold of some Black Mages releases, besides YouTube videos.

[ErHaO]

I love Final Fantasy and nearly all original soundtracks after II and before XIII so yes. Some amazing music in those games.

[Ben_Jamin]

Damn, I totally forgot about The Black Mages. Used to listen to them in high school.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

The FFVI, VII, and VIII soundtracks are so unbelievably good.

[Lucien]

I love Final Fantasy and nearly all original soundtracks after II and before XIII so yes. Some amazing music in those games.

Well, technically XII's soundtrack wasn't by Uematsu. But yeah, Final Fantasy's soundtracks have always been amazing.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

I'm one BIG Nobuo fan. Have you listened to the Distant Worlds albums? They're fantastic.

Some one of my all-time favorite music pieces are his.

[Bolsters]

I am a big fan of the Black Mages, but I'm not all that familiar with the majority of Uematsu's soundtrack work outside of Final Fantasies III IV and VI, and of course Chrono Trigger.

[Outcrier]

Nobuo Uematsu

My favorites FF OSTs composed by him are:

VIII
IX
VII
VI

I, III, IV and V are pretty good too.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Two words for you, my fellow Nobuo loving fans:

DANCING MAD

 

[Nel]

Two words for you, my fellow Nobuo loving fans:

DANCING MAD

 

That guitar solo version of the end of the song. THAT GUITAR SOLO BRO!

*climaxes*

[Outcrier]

Two words for you, my fellow Nobuo loving fans:

DANCING MAD

 

"Your" song is pretty cool as well 

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Two words for you, my fellow Nobuo loving fans:

DANCING MAD

 

That guitar solo version of the end of the song. THAT GUITAR SOLO BRO!

*climaxes*

I KNOW! Have you heard the Distant Worlds version? They add some latin chants to that section that make it sound even more heavenly. Also, there's a fan made tune in youtube called Cantana for Dancing, which is basically an orchestral mash-up of Dancing Mad and Kefka's Theme. That one is pretty glorious as well.

Two words for you, my fellow Nobuo loving fans:

DANCING MAD

 

"Your" song is pretty cool as well 

Well, you couldn't expect less from one badass FF villain's music theme. 

[Nel]

There's also a really excellent dirge-esque mash-up of Dancing Mad and the Koopa Fort music from Mario that I heard on YouTube years ago. Wonder if it's still up there.

I probably listened to Distant Worlds, but it's been years since I really played any of the FF soundtracks, including offshoot thing like TBM, so I don't remember.

EDIT: I think I do remember loving Cantana for Dancing though. That was a multiparter on OCRemix, right?

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

I'll definitely look into that.

This is the orchestral mash-up I was talking about earlier:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1YYzQ66je4

It's pretty well done if you ask me, particularly what I like calling the 'heaven' section (which is the heaven part of the Kefka final boss battle, just to have the reference... 8:28 in the video).

[ariich]

One of the very best video game soundtrack composers! I love most of the FF soundtracks and so really dig The Black Mages as well.

[m0hawk]

To all fans of prog rock or videogames, Dancing Mad by The Black Mages is essential listening.

[ariich]

It's definitely good, but they really could have done with using better keyboard sounds, the MIDI patches are a little meh.

[Bolsters]

I agree. The extended keyboard-string sections don't sound that great and the song really drags as a result of it all. Maybe with some high quality samples or an actual orchestra it would have worked better, but in its current state I'd never use that piece to recommend the band to someone. It's not that great, and more importantly, it's not very representative of the rest of the band's work anyway.

[Mister Gold]

Two words for you, my fellow Nobuo loving fans:

DANCING MAD

 

Quite probably his masterpiece. The only piece that I think can really rival it is the Opera song from FF6.

Personally I like Nobuo's work a lot, but I'm a bigger fan of Yoko Shimomura myself.

[Bolsters]

I'm a bigger fan of Yoko Shimomura myself.

Super Mario RPG soundtrack =

[SuperTaco]

I'm a bigger fan of Yoko Shimomura myself.

Super Mario RPG soundtrack =

That whole game...

[ariich]

I agree. The extended keyboard-string sections don't sound that great and the song really drags as a result of it all. Maybe with some high quality samples or an actual orchestra it would have worked better, but in its current state I'd never use that piece to recommend the band to someone. It's not that great, and more importantly, it's not very representative of the rest of the band's work anyway.

Pretty much. I mean, I love Dancing Mad once the prog rock section kicks in. Just makes it more annoying that the first half is so weak in comparison.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

I'm a bigger fan of Yoko Shimomura myself.

Super Mario RPG soundtrack =

Amazing stuff. Yoko Shimomura's work is also something incredible, but I wouldn't put her over Nobuo. That being said, I love also her work in Kingdom Hearts.

[Mister Gold]

I'm a bigger fan of Yoko Shimomura myself.

Super Mario RPG soundtrack =

Amazing stuff. Yoko Shimomura's work is also something incredible, but I wouldn't put her over Nobuo. That being said, I love also her work in Kingdom Hearts.

Her music for Kingdom Hearts is so great. I'd have to debate between her scores for the original game and Birth by Sleep as her best in the series. I'm really excited to hear Shimomura's compositions for Final Fantasy XV too!

[twosuitsluke]

Ok I'm really glad Nobuo is getting the love on here. So I'm a massive fan, I went to see Distant Worlds at The Royal Albert Hall in London back in November and it was pretty incredible.

I'm a massive metal head so I love The Black Mages (The guitar solo in their version of Dancing Mad is my favourite) but I'm in love with the Final Fantasy games in general and I think some pieces work better with a full orchestra.

My collection of Nobuo albums stands at this so far:

Black Mages
Black Mages II
Black Mages III
Distant Worlds
Distant Worlds II
Distant Worlds Returning Home
Earthbound Papas: Octave Theory
Final Fantasy IV: Celtic Moon
Final Fantasy IV Piano Collection
Final Fantasy V Piano Collection
Final Fantasy VI Piano Collection
Final Fantasy VI: Grand Edition (Orchestral)
Final Fantasy VII OST
Final Fantasy VII Piano Collection
Final Fantasy VII Reunion Tracks
Final Fantasy VIII Piano Collection
Final Fantasy VIII: Orchestral
Final Fantasy IX Piano Collection
Final Fantasy: Pray (Collection of various FF songs, some with vocals sang in French)
Final Fantasy: Symphonic Suite

My favourite Black Mages tracks are:

Those Who Fight Further
Blue Blast-Winning the Rainbow
The Skies Above
Battle Scene FFI
Clash on the Big Bridge
Force your Way
Maybe I'm a Lion
Dancing Mad
Otherworld
Matoya's Cave
The Man with the Machine Gun
Battle with the Four Fiends
JENOVA
Fight with Seymour
The Rocking Grounds
Vamo alla Flamenco
Hunter's Chance
Grand Cross

My favourite Orchestral tracks are:

Opening-Bombing Mission
Liberi Fatali 
Zanarkand
Aerith's Theme 
One-Winged Angel
The Man with the Machine Gun
Fisherman's Horizon
Terra's Theme
Vamo alla Flamenco
Main Theme FFVII

I urge you all to listen to the Distant Worlds albums and Black Mages albums even if you are not a FF fan. The music is still so good and you will not be disappointed. There's a reason Nobuo is referred to as the John Williams of video game music, it's EPIC!!! And if you ARE a Final Fantasy fan then drop what you are doing  right now and get ready to have your gooses bumped and to be taken for a euphoric trip down memory lane. You can thank me later 

[Nel]

I'm a bigger fan of Yoko Shimomura myself.

Super Mario RPG soundtrack =

Amazing stuff. Yoko Shimomura's work is also something incredible, but I wouldn't put her over Nobuo. That being said, I love also her work in Kingdom Hearts.

Her music for Kingdom Hearts is so great. I'd have to debate between her scores for the original game and Birth by Sleep as her best in the series. I'm really excited to hear Shimomura's compositions for Final Fantasy XV too!

She's working on FF15? Nice!

She's actually on of my favorite video game composers. Super Mario RPG, Kingdom Hearts, the Mario & Luigi games, the woman is fantastic.

[Outcrier]

Legend of Mana and Parasite Eve too.

[XB0BX]

Yasunori Mitsuda > Nobuo Uematsu

[Nel]

Yuzo Koshiro's work is something I'm a fan of as well. Mostly for his work in stuff like Ys I & II, ActRaiser and the Etrian Odyssey series. Motoi Sakuraba's another good one, though his Tales Of soundtracks get a bit samey after a while, but a lot of that stuff is just nostalgic for me.

[Jaq]

The version of One Winged Angel from Advent Children is basically the Black Mages plus orchestra and choir and good god is it awesome. Always wanted to hear Symphony X take a crack at that arrangement. 

[Bolsters]

The version of One Winged Angel from Advent Children is basically the Black Mages plus orchestra and choir and good god is it awesome. Always wanted to hear Symphony X take a crack at that arrangement. 

It would be pretty badass with Russell Allen screaming out the latin parts.

[Mister Gold]

I'm a bigger fan of Yoko Shimomura myself.

Super Mario RPG soundtrack =

Amazing stuff. Yoko Shimomura's work is also something incredible, but I wouldn't put her over Nobuo. That being said, I love also her work in Kingdom Hearts.

Her music for Kingdom Hearts is so great. I'd have to debate between her scores for the original game and Birth by Sleep as her best in the series. I'm really excited to hear Shimomura's compositions for Final Fantasy XV too!

She's working on FF15? Nice!

She's actually on of my favorite video game composers. Super Mario RPG, Kingdom Hearts, the Mario & Luigi games, the woman is fantastic.

Yup! FF15 started off as Versus XIII, which was essentially meant to be a more experimental FF side-game done as a more mature evolution of the KH games, being made by the main team behind KH1 and KH2. It's since ended up evolving beyond that, but you can definitely see the KH influences if you look hard enough.

[Jaq]

The version of One Winged Angel from Advent Children is basically the Black Mages plus orchestra and choir and good god is it awesome. Always wanted to hear Symphony X take a crack at that arrangement. 

It would be pretty badass with Russell Allen screaming out the latin parts.

I was thinking more of the sampled choirs Romeo uses for the intro tracks, but now this idea is stuck in my head and it's hilarious.

[PROGdrummer]

The Darkness of Eternity, anyone?