Treasure Hunter G Original Sound Version :: Review by Harry

	Album Title:	Treasure Hunter G Original Sound Version
	Record Label:	NTT Publishing
	Catalog Number:	PSCN-5051/2
	Release Date:	June 9, 1996
	Content:	2 CD Set - 86 Tracks
	Purchase:	Buy at eBay

Overview

While hardly a real symphony, the Sting Symphony, named after the publishers of the game, was a group of seven composers who all worked together on this album, which was the score for Treasure Hunter G, a SNES game in 1996. The leader, named John Pee, composed most of this score, while Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata, and Toshiaki Sakoda composed the majority of what was left. The three others — Akiko Goto, Tomoko Matsui, and Yoko Takada — only did a few themes each. Though Iwata and Sakimoto were extremely prominent composers before and after Treasure Hunter G, Pee and Sakoda have only contributed to one other score. They composed four small tracks for Masaharu Iwata's Baroque Original Soundtrack. Goto, Matsui, and Takada have not been heard from since, so read on to see how they fared with this album.

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John Pee's Contributions

The leader of the Sting Symphony, John Pee, composed the very large majority of the soundtrack, ranging from memorable themes to some of the more mediocre, uninspired tracks. His contributions, however, have a different feel from the others, not being so orchestral and complex like Sakimoto's work or focused and driven like, say, Goto's contributions. Saying his effort was the most enjoyable part of the Original Sound Version may be a bit misleading, however, he is the so-called heart of the music in Treasure Hunter G. Surprisingly enough, like most leaders do, he didn't even start the soundtrack (leaving the duty for Sakimoto), making his first appearance in "My Rural Town," a fairly typical, mellow town theme, which may lead some to think that it doesn't go anywhere, especially in the first 40 seconds or so, but actually creates a nice little climax before the loop at the three quarter mark. You may call it epic when it reaches this stage, though it doesn't maintain this status for much longer than a few seconds. "Well, Let's Get Out There and Fight!" follows directly after, and it isn't big, only lasting a whole minute, therefore it doesn't have sufficient development and lacks a meaning and depth.

His town themes often come out as semi-inspired and much to the liking of the aforementioned town theme. "Enticing Town" seems pretty enough to the untrained ear, with the sweet harp scaling up and down, but on closer inspection, the composition is identical to "My Rural Town." In the game, the track works fine, however, outside of it, I'm not as generous in my liking towards it. The difference in style and mood can be selected without too much brain power in Pee's next village theme. "Upscale Town" takes a different road from the previous lot, embracing a very docile amount of smooth jazz as its focus. Like all the others, again, it uses similar compositional pattern, but providentially, it works to the track's advantage when considering other aspects including the versatile instrumentation and thoughtful imagery.

Despite the minor blandness in his village tracks, Pee has his success in composing for area and dungeon themes. For a good example, one cannot go past both his world cavern compositions. "World Cavern 1" really shocked me, but in terms of sound quality over the music itself. If you want the finest, crispest electronica quality from the Super Nintendo, then look no further than this track. The aural electronica harmony is astounding and couldn't better represent a large mysterious cave, full of gadgets and such. "World Cavern 2" goes out all ambience, easily notified in the first few seconds of the tracks play through. Typical ambient instruments are included but all perform their role with charm and lust, especially the fluttery piano which enters every so often with the clichéd scary notes. Of course, other great hits include "A Hearty Welcome to the Pyramid Investigation Group" a track slightly Arabian in nature, with more mood setting features than musical pleasure, however is extremely catchy and flowing. "Surrounded by Forest 1" sounds as if it were inspired by Yasunori Mitsuda's "Secret of the Forest" from the Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version, but goes in a new direction once the melody kicks in.

Pee, like any other composer on the Original Sound Version, has his share of sad and grand themes, thankfully all which are good. "Come Here! I Defend You" is the first real epic track. Instrumentally, it's a fairly standard orchestral piece (very similar to some themes presented by Kenji Ito on the Romancing SaGa Original Sound Version), but it has an attractive tune and a surprising addition of the organ in the middle. "Wow, What a Story" is absolutely powerful! Not too much happens within the orchestral piece itself (in fact, it's actually very short), but the progression and the build up is superb. Perhaps Pee's strongest composition on the entire album, "Sad Freedom" is a cool blend of soft instruments and light orchestral passages. It lives up to the name well, not going over the edge in sadness, and follows a progressive, moving path all the way to the end. An introduction from the piano proves to be a smart asset of the track, as well as counterparting with the right notes. Unfortunately, the composer's ending theme, "Across the World," doesn't live up to the set standard of "Sad Freedom" or any of the amazing Sakimoto compositions shown beforehand. I really don't know what went wrong; it sounds good and clean for a good portion of it, but it borders generic and boring status which shouldn't be even considered when trying to create something fresh.

Hitoshi Sakimoto's Contributions

Many say that Hitoshi Sakimoto's role in the Treasure Hunter G Original Sound Version was large and expansive, when he only composed a small amount of seven tracks, a vast minority against John Pee's contributions. Made only a year before Sakimoto co-composed for the Final Fantasy Tactics Original Soundtrack with Iwata, you can certainly see the future, developing Sakimoto in his compositions; take note that his music presented in this Original Sound Version is a lot more melodic than most of his other works on later symphonic scores. Sakimoto's only 'true' job on the album was to compose for the Balladry series, a group of themes which are used within the final episodes of the game, though he does compose two other fresh compositions. He actually starts the soundtrack with "Gemini Wing," a short symphonic introduction to the world in which Treasure Hunter G is set in. It is also the first and weakest variation on the Balladry melody, suffering in construction and strained in its dire length. It is followed up by another theme related to Balladry theme, "Hamarira Hahihi," however, it is based on "It Is Raining on the Peninsula of Megahama," Sakimoto's own ending theme for the game. Fairly enjoyable in the bouncy nature, we can definitely see the composer's future in this track, relatable to almost any of his Final Fantasy Tactics compositions. From these two tracks combined, we have a solid opening to the Original Sound Version.

Moving onto the composer's original work for this score, "Demi Human Battle" is an orchestral battle theme. It's not chaotic, so you can easily relate to the piece itself, but it has a great demonstration of action and confidence without being fast or furious. The only other non-"...Balladry" related track, "A Former Kagonari" is a sad and glum choral track with string support. The piece borders the epic status, as with a lot of Sakimoto tracks, and is an absolute pleasure to feast my interest in. Now, we come to the main course, the Balladry series consisting of "Apprentice of Balladry," "Emperor of Balladry," and "It Is Raining on the Peninsula of Megahama". The first track, "Apprentice of Balladry" is a slow string track that plays after you defeat the big enemy within the game. Certainly, it is one of the least interesting variations, but it is well done nonetheless. The big guns from Sakimoto are now released with "Emperor of Balladry," undeniably one of the strongest melodies the composer has ever thought up, and he arranges it with such force and passion that it remains my favorite track on the entire album. From the synth start, we know something amazing is going to happen within the beauty of the theme. You may not realize this, but "Emperor of Balladry" is actually the final battle theme of the game, and, despite what you think when you read this sentence then listen to the track, it works well with the context. "It Is Raining on the Peninsula of Megahama" is much like "Hamarira Hahihi" — bouncy and enjoyable — having small sections of the Balladry theme placed through the track. This version is the one that people would find most pleasing, and I no doubt about my claim.

One of the reasons why people are attracted to this album is because of the MIDI arrangements at the end of Disc Two, which contain arranged versions of all of Sakimoto and Iwata tracks featuring improved instrumentation. Without explaining all tracks in detail, you won't find any new sections, but what is there is still excellent. Sakimoto's tracks are arranged by himself, giving the upper hand in how he would like it, so don't expect any faults in the arranging style. The best of his tracks are indeed the ones which succeed on the original score, most notably "Hamarira Hahihi" and "Emperor of Balladry". The former is successful in using the advanced instrumentation, almost sounding real alike, while the latter is extremely rearranged into something that even surpasses the original itself.

Masaharu Iwata's Contributions

Masaharu Iwata's first Square work was the Treasure Hunter G Original Sound Version, but, surprisingly enough, to some, he didn't have such a big role, composing only six tracks. He first enters with "There Goes That Shameful Daizauburou," a track mixed with epic and calm vibes. The grand melody sounds great and noble after the sweeping Sakimoto epic that plays beforehand. "Go! Go! Kids" is the main battle theme of the game and he definitely puts his all into the creation of the piece. The militaristic drums and strings give you that thrill of excitement, something that is mandatory for a battle and its corresponding theme. Another great epic theme is "Buddhist," a theme which doesn't really reflect on the name, but provides a great short period of sweeping string action. "Muruowaan" is Iwata's only genre-different track on the entire score. Mysterious in its intentions, it's successful in portraying this mood and creates a good atmosphere, especially to end the first disc. "An Illicit Fishing Boat and Russian Patrol Ship" is a battle theme used in the game, but to much grief, it isn't one of Iwata's most likeable tracks on the score. I don't think there's much going on besides predictable string action and some nice percussion work. "I Might Die" is Iwata's last contributed track to the original score, and is one of his best. Presented inside is lovely horn and brass work, which compliment each other perfectly and soundly; the melody is supposed to be chaotic, and the composer manages to pull it off.

Other Contributions

Other than the well known John Pee, Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata, there are four more not-so-well-known composers who contribute to the score. They are Toshiaki Sakoda, Yoko Takada, Akiko Goto and Tomoko Matsui. All together, they produce about one third of the score to Treasure Hunter G.

Sakoda's contributions are fillers more than anything else. Though he does put in effort, the tracks often come out as too short or too underdeveloped. For example, he enters the score with "Hey You, What Time is it" which is only a 46 second long composition. Unfortunately, we find a few more tracks like these on the soundtrack ("Teachers Elegy," "I Memorized My Multiplication," "DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!" "The Turtle Samurai Appears"), although there are a few gems from Sakoda. One of them is "It Has Been a Long Time Since Someone Called Me a Magician" which has a xylophone playing the addictive main melody while the rest of the track is entirely of ambient relation. "Hey Darlin', Are You Gonna Come Any Closer?" is a nice bluesy piece which may not be enough to get you dancin', because of the awkward harmony, but is a strong piece of music. "Dead Town" is an outstanding ambient town theme. The piano simply sends chills running down my back and the bass is a great accompaniment to the beauty of its purpose. Another good one is "World Cavern 4" which is similar to Pee's "World Cavern 2" in that they are both ambient and moody; with the exception that Sakoda's is slightly more melodic. His collaboration tracks with Pee are also great, "Heading West to Escape my Past" is a great orchestral epic which certainly has Pee's signature on it.

Takada only contributes six tracks, and only to the first disc, but thankfully most of her compositions are worthy in at least one-way or other. "Urgent, Get There in a Hurry" is her first track and while it may not be that great standing alone without context, it does work well when placed side-by-side in the game. "This is Also Training" sounds a lot like filler at first, but it develops nicely around its center. The organ and harpsichord are great, and they are used to the best of their ability, but I did hope to hear more of them throughout the track. "Of My Life, I Regret Nothing" is beautiful in its own right, the organ and synth choir play a sad, inspired melody. It has got a good diverse set of instruments, but the composition is too short and I doubt one could stand it for very long when hearing it in context of the game.

Goto's contributions to the album are quite large, and are focused to the theme that is originally shown in the composition. "Somehow, Something Doesn't Look Right" is entirely focused on being action based and doesn't budge from that certain status in the slightest, which is a good thing, I may add. "Haririririiiiii" is a fantastic fun piece which easily shows Goto having fun creating. The string backing and the melody is just too good to be true, though this track isn't one of the composer's best. Regrettably, "Mad Science" sounds like utter tripe compared to his other work. It's too repetitive and it doesn't really lead anywhere, not to mention the instrumentation chosen wasn't particularity effective either. "Psycho Beats" starts like the previous track, but unlike "Mad Science" it seems to lead somewhere, and that place is fun to hear with the synth solo and such. Goto's last single composed track, "A Position of Total Control" is slow and ominous, but fails to portray the meaning of the title it was chosen to accompany; I was expecting something a little more action packed. Matsui doesn't have any single compositions, and is always paired up with Goto. Their first track, "Surrounded by Forest 2" is a lot more original and magical than Pee's forest track, and I like how the harp just flows well altogether with the piece. Off to a good start, the composers don't keep me particularly interested in the next track, "There is Nothing Else We Can Do Except Sing," a fairly decent synth choral theme. Last but not least, "Winged Maiden" is far from the best track by the pair, having an organ and flute as instruments, but hardly any content.

Summary

So what can one expect when hearing seven composers on one original sound version? The result is one of the best musical scores to ever grace the SNES, but that's mainly because of Sakimoto, Iwata and Pee's contributions. The other composers made some great compositions, but hardly any of them stand out which is a pity, especially since, with the exception of Sakoda on Iwata's Baroque Original Soundtrack, none of them have been heard from again. With great instrumental arrangements at the end, you're guaranteed to make the right choice with selecting this album, and with a handful of absolutely breathtaking compositions, you can expect some tracks to stick in your memory for years to come. I recommend that you play the game as well, because it helps appreciate the themes that are only half developed and constructed. But, overall, the Treasure Hunter G Original Sound Version gets highest praise from me, and I'd hope you agree with me if you can find a copy for yourself.