Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack :: Liner Notes Translated by PQTN

	Album Title:	Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack
	Record Label:	Warner Music Japan
	Catalog No.:	WPCL-10438/9
	Release Date:	October 10, 2007
	Purchase:	Buy at CDJapan

Commentary

Takeharu Ishimoto - Composer

I was just one player of the original Final Fantasy VII when it was released ten years ago. I think it's an honor to score the soundtrack of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII ten years later. I composed the music without any hesitation since I thought there was no other Final Fantasy title where rock music would fit so well. I even more elaborated my sound that I had built through Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII and Last Order: Final Fantasy VII. The sound of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII features my base style and this is an album where I expressed myself with heavy guitar usage. I hope it won't get old for you even ten years later.

Masaru Oka - Event Planning Director

Hello. I'm Oka, the event planning director of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. I thought a planner wouldn't deserve to submit a soundtrack commentary, but I'm right here for three reasons: I was responsible for where each track was used in the game, I named the tracks, and I was invited to contribute by the composer Takeharu Ishimoto.

That long introduction aside, was there any particularly memorable sequence in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for you? I think impressive music would have also accompanied it. The protagonist Zack struggles with difficulties sometimes being powered by memories. Sustained memories are presented as D.M.V (digital mind wave) footages in the game, but everything else he senses including the sound or the smell at each moment must also be stored in each memory. I hope many sequences of the game are in your own D.M.V accompanied with music. I'd be happy if you recall the story of Zack by listening to this soundtrack.

Hajime Tabata - Director

This time the story is based on the fate of Zack that every Final Fantasy VII fan knows. We produced the screens, visuals, and music with the aim of incorporating drama by making you feel the fate into everywhere in the game. Please taste how Ishimoto presented the drama in all the tracks released in this soundtrack.

One anecdote from me. Tracks like the end credits medley and the opening theme were recorded with an orchestra. To tell the truth, I was aware that it would be hard for the speakers of the PSP to convey the full richness of an orchestra, but I still offered Ishimoto this exuberance. I thought music production shouldn't be narrowed down in scale for the PSP and expected it still wouldn't sound bad. The order of an orchestra came off well and Ishimoto was also enthusiastic about it, but once I actually heard the delivered tracks through the PSP, I was quite shocked with the much worse sound quality than expected. I was so sorry that I might have bothered Ishimoto. Of course we still worked hard with the technology to achieve the best possible sound quality. Since then, I've looked forward to a soundtrack release.

Immediately after the development finished, Ishimoto sent to my cell phone a mail saying "Thanks for the hard work. It turns out to be a good game". It reminded me that I had been greatly encouraged by his positivity and energy during the development when my idea of the game was hardly understood by the company. Despite it being right after the completion, I was tempted to work with Ishimoto again to make another good game. This was such a pleasing message for me.

There are lots of straightforward and dramatic sounds from the studmuffin Ishimoto here — the many great tracks that the tenth anniversary of Final Fantasy VII deserves. All development staff members put ardor in this. Please enjoy this soundtrack again and again to the limit of the CDs.