Eminence Online

Arranger: Shiro Hamaguchi

FFVIII's Orchestra Version album

After Final Fantasy VII's disappointing "Reunion" album, being more a best-of disc than an arranged album, Square gave fans this fantastic, fully orchestred arrangement, for Final Fantasy VIII. Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec is the name of the album. And before we get into the music of this beautiful CD, arranged by VGM and anime veteran Shiro Hamaguchi, let's talk about the name.

There's a lot of pseudo-Latin on this album. The opening theme, "Liberi Fatali," translates to "fated children." However, the title is grammatically incorrect. The lyrics to the song can be translated, but again, the translation is rough because whoever wrote the Latin didn't get it all right. Then there's that repeating lyric in the song, "Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec," which is also the title of a separate piece of music. For awhile, people were really confused by this lyric, as it had no apparent translation. The words look like they might be Latin, but they're not. These are completely made up words. But there's a secret to them.

The title "Succession of Witches" is an instrumental track (also arranged on the FFVIII Piano Collections) that contains the "Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec" melody. As it turns out, there's an anagram involved here. Compare the two titles, "Succession of Witches" and "Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec." Take all the letters out of the nonsense title, and you'll find four letters remain: L O V E. Thus, "Succession of Witches Love" = "Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec." As for what this could mean, remember back to the plot of Final Fantasy VIII (if you played it). "Witches" played an important role in VIII. Who was Edea? Who was Rinoa? Think on this, perhaps while listening to the music, and it becomes somewhat clear what was intended by the creation of this strange, fake Latin phrase. Now then, on to the music.

The album opens with Liberi Fatali. When Square first shocked the world with the opening cinematic for the game, which featured this beautiful and powerful choral work, we all knew that RPGs were reaching new heights. There is no difference between the OST version and what's found on this orchestral disc. It's the actual recording lifted from the game's original soundtrack. This same rule applies to two more tracks on the album (the studio version of "Eyes On Me," as well as the thirteen minute "Ending Theme").

Scouring the Internet for an English translation of the lyrics is definitely a worthwhile endeavor for those who, like myself, hold the game near and dear to their hearts. The lyrics are strong, even prophetic: "Excitate vos e somno, liberi fatali! Somnus est non." A dynamic translation of this phrase might be something like, "Arise from your sleep, children of Fate! Abandon your cradles."

Of course, the strength of the lyrics cannot hope to match the strength of the music, the performance, the delivery by the choir and the orchestra. Simply put, this is one of the best opening themes for any videogame, ever. Think what you will about the game itself. But for its time, and for generations to come, people will not forget the impression this song left with them. The next three tracks on the album ease us into a "typical" session of gameplay in FFVIII.

We start with the game's world map music, "Blue Fields." The music subtly hints at the Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinsoec theme with a motif repeated throughout the score: incremental, chromatic shifts up and down. The C minor 7 chord shifts up to an F minor chord, then up again to diminished chord (holding the C, and moving the F and Ab each up a half step). Then back down, until the resolution to C minor 7. The actual key varies from piece to piece, but this pattern can be found all over Final Fantasy VIII, and it is first heard here in "Blue Fields." In this piece, it serves to set a slow motion, like dull waves coming in along a beach, or a gentle breeze across grass. The time signature (6/8), the extensive use of the marimba, and the melodic pattern all help to support the imagery I've described.

Next, the standard battle theme "Don't Be Afraid" takes center stage. The original piece by Uematsu was written in such a way that transition to orchestra was a simple task. That didn't stop Hamaguchi from building in some incredible dynamic shifts throughout the four minute arrangement. After the battle theme, we get the theme music for Balamb GARDEN, which then transitions to the piece "Ami." This peaceful, major-key town music is one of the few trademark sounds from Uematsu's career that carries forward in VIII, which I have noted in other writings to be one of Uematsu's least "traditional" FF soundtracks among the nine he penned by himself.

Fisherman's Horizon drops the acoustic, instrumental performance you'd expect. The first five seconds are the choir, a capella, presenting a non-lyrical opening of the standard melody. After this, an electric piano begins the accompaniment for a flute solo. The strings don't enter the picture until nearly a minute has passed. The choir returns for the last minute of the arrangement for another a cappela segment (this time much longer). It's definitely a unique arrangement. But if you want unique vocals, look no further than the album's title track, which comes next.

FITHOS LUSEC WECOS VINOSEC, the sixth track on the album, really takes the cake for weirdness. The haunting harmonic chanting jumps in and out as the instrumental performers keep a steady motion forward and upward. It culminates, in the last 45 seconds, with a female solo vocalist intentionally singing non-lyrically, out-of-tune, like some crazy woman (witch?) in a trance. It is downright creepy.

Faye Wong's "Eyes On Me" comes next, in the exact same form you'll find it on her single and on the four disc Original Soundtrack. If you haven't listened to this song in awhile, you may have forgotten about the great production value and musicianship. I know I did. I hadn't listened to the song in years, and returning to it made me remember how catchy the song really is. If it's been awhile, reacquaint yourself with this song. That's all the more I'll say about it.

"The Man With the Machine Gun" was a surprising arrangement, and for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it was a special battle theme that you only heard a few times in the game, during these flashback sequences where you would play as Laguna Loire. Secondly, the song appeared to be a very difficult piece to transition to a "traditional" symphonic orchestra. But Shiro Hamaguchi did it, and the result is absolutely fantastic. The arrangement is very busy; lots of stuff is happening simultaneously from measure to measure. But that doesn't detract from the main melody, which is always easily distinguished. The original composition from Uematsu is one of my favorite songs on the OST. I remember when I first heard, a full decade ago, that this song was announced in the tracklist for the orchestra album. It was great news then, and it's great news now.

"Dance With the Balamb-Fish" comes, if you remember the game, from that ballroom dance sequence early in the game. You remember, the video sequence where Squall doesn't know how to dance and Rinoa tries to teach him? The song also makes an appearance in the Lunar Base, if you recall that portion of the game. It's a simple dance piece in common time, and I cannot emphasize how truly difficult it is to write a piece of classical dance music when you're not used to it. Three cheers to Uematsu and Hamaguchi for being able to produce such great work here. It's not my favorite track on the album, but it adds much-needed diversity to the repertoire.

If there's one track I could've done without on this album, it's track ten, "Love Grows." Don't misunderstand: the arrangement is fantastic. However, "Love Grows" is nothing more than an instrumental arrangement of "Eyes On Me" with some added frills here and there. Considering we heard the song once on track seven, and we'll be hearing it again in the ending theme, I think that's all the more I can stand. Why not attempt an orchestral arrangement of the piano-heavy dungeon theme "Find Your Way" instead? Ah well. Like I said, it's a great arrangement, but I quickly grow tired of hearing the same melody over and over. But if you can stomach hearing it again, or if you just skip to the next track, your ears will be rewarded with "The Oath," one of Uematsu's most underappreciated pieces. Hamaguchi throws in a shakuhachi (traditional Japanese flute) halfway through the piece to help elongate the arrangement. This is quite a treat in and of itself. But the compositional techniques Uematsu used are what really help this piece stand up.

The thirteen minute ending theme plays out like a film score. After all, the music was used to score the game's extensively long ending FMV sequence, as well as the staff roll. There are about six different melodic themes packed into this piece; first is an eerie, string-heavy piece that plays while Squall wanders through a desolate wasteland trying to find his way home. This music is broken by the visual cue of a feather, and Faye Wong comes in with her reprise of "Eyes On Me." Slower, and more emotional, this reprise performance is my favorite version of the song. Instead of having a pop-rock setup, the full orchestra is her one and only backup. And if you've played the game to completion, you remember the happy ending here. Hamaguchi's orchestral arrangement is so strong, and so touching, and so absolutely perfect for Faye Wong's voice, I can hardly contain myself when listening to it (hence, again, why I consider "Love Grows" a redundant piece of music).

When the Eyes On Me reprise ends (at about 7 minutes into the track), the Final Fantasy Main Theme appears. You know, the one that's found in almost every Final Fantasy to date? The arrangement of the song for FFVIII is my favorite of any arrangement the theme has ever had. Stronger than Final Fantasy Symphonic Suite, even. It fits the "school" theme quite well, and if you remember what's taking place during the game's video sequence at this point (a party on Balamb, I believe), you can see why it's so touching. As the video sequence of the party wraps up, we reach the end credits, and an entirely new composition appears. I wish it had a name all its own, so that I could refer to it by name. I suppose "Final Fantasy VIII Staff Roll" would do. Whatever it ought to be called, I will say this: it's a new melodic theme, one that has never been repeated, and it's another of my favorites from Uematsu. It's in your face, it's powerful, it's unforgettable. A fifth theme, which lasts for about 30 seconds, transitions us from the staff roll to the final piece of music. This transition theme sounds like the Batman theme from Danny Elfman. Seriously, it does! And then the very last bit of music is a variation on the Final Fantasy "prelude," with its own melody, but the arpeggiation from the Prelude going strong throughout. What an absolutely perfect ending. It feels so complete.

Yet, there's one piece left on the actual disc. Perhaps Uematsu and Hamaguchi didn't want to end the disc the same way they began it (with a piece lifted directly from the OST)? "Fragments of Memories," another fitting track title considering the game's plot and the big "reveal" at the game's end, works well to bring a soothing, relaxing resolution. I still think leaving the Ending Theme as the final track would've been the better choice, but track order doesn't matter nearly as much as solid composition, arrangement, and performance. Those three things, this album has in spades!

My apologies for the track-by-track review, but every time I listen to this album, it's like a big musical journey. Thanks for coming with me on the journey. If you don't own the album, you simply must experience it. The fact that you've read this much suggests you care enough about game music to consider owning such a CD. This is the cream of the crop, one of my personal favorites. If you want it, you can find either the original DigiCube release (SSCX-10037, released in 1999) or the Square Enix reprint (SQEX-10025, 2004). It's been almost ten years since this album first released and, as an anxious teenager, I special-ordered the CD from Japan, hoping it would live up to expectations. Lucky me... it did, and it still does.

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