Legend of Zelda Sound & Drama

Legend of Zelda Sound & Drama is a two-disc soundtrack based on the legendary (no pun intended) Nintendo adventure series. Disc one contains arrangements from "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past" for Super Nintendo. These tracks, although in orchestral style, are mostly performed with synthesizers. At the end of disc one is a 17-minute drama track which features background music, sound effects, and Japanese dialogue. Disc two consists of OSV music, with the first eleven tracks from the original NES Zelda and the remainder from A Link to the Past.

The prospect of hearing arranged Zelda music was what really excited me about this CD. Unfortunately I'm a bit let down by these upgraded renditions. The sound quality of the synths is decent but certainly doesn't approach true orchestral music, nor does it match the synth efforts of CDs like Beyond the Beyond and Symphony Ys '95. The brass in particular sound too tinny and artificial.

Furthermore, the arrangements are somewhat lacking in drama. Certainly there are some great melodies here. Who can argue against the main/overworld theme of Zelda? "Hyrule Castle" and "Dark Overworld" are upbeat and action-packed, and "Kakariko Village" is a charming, soothing lullaby. Nevertheless, all the arrangements are decidedly "gamey" in nature, and while entertaining, never seem quite epic like one would expect.

Concerning the rest of disc one, the drama track kept me attentive despite not comprehending any of it. The NES OSV is... well, NES OSV. Ironically, I found the 8-bit opening theme, with its somber beginning, nearly as impressive as the arranged one. The SNES OSV seems fair enough as far as 16-bit OSVs go. Some of the instrumental samples are a bit muffled and repetitive, but they're certainly acceptable.

By no means is Legend of Zelda Sound & Drama a bad game soundtrack. In fact, big fans of the series (especially the SNES game) can take my complaints and throw them out the window, as they will undoubtedly relish the OSVs and added goodies. However, listeners not already enchanted with A Link to the Past's tunes should note that the arrangements don't live up to the Zelda legacy.

This title has the advantage of "being known". Just like the Caribbean tune that plays during level 1.1 on the original Super Mario Bros., hum Zelda's Overworld theme to a friend and it's almost certain that they'll recognize it. We kids have fond memories of Zelda and the 8-bit PCM that cranked out our speakers while we played. Nostalgia alone is a worthy selling point.

But wait, there's more! In this two-disc set, the first disc is arranged music from A Link To The Past (which of course includes that lovable Overworld theme that's been used in every Zelda game to date). All the songs are arranged in a syntho-sympho style that matches, if not exceeds, Ys Symphony '95 in terms of orchestral realism. They selected the best themes for special arrangement, leaving out tunes like "Cave" that were meant more for mood than melody. This first disc is very well done and could have warranted its own release. Still, there's more. At the end of disc one is a lengthy drama track complete with well-acted vocals, segue music, and sound effects. I wouldn't buy an entire disc of this (see Rockman Kiki Ippatsu) but it was a nice bonus, especially if you're studying Japanese.

Order now and you'll receive this free gift! - a second disc containing all the OSV tracks from both The Legend Of Zelda (the first NES adventure) and A Link To The Past (the only SNES sequel). Obviously, the 8-bit music of the original Zelda has great melody, but is somewhat lacking in aural comfort. The SNES tunes, on the other hand, are excellent in both composition *and* sound quality.

I like the tack that Nintendo/Sony has taken by combining the OSV and arranged tracks and releasing them as a single title. They did the same for Super Metroid, Star Fox, Donkey Kong Country (at least in Japan), Kirby's Dreamland, and several other classic games. It's generally less expensive than releasing the two separately, and certainly more convenient.

All right! A two-disc set featuring Zelda music! This is a dream come true. Both discs are well done and succeed in taking the listener to that land of Hyrule. All of the music from Zelda I and Zelda: A Link to the Past is on the second disc, which is the ultimate reason for buying this album. Zelda I's music isn't as great, of course, due to the fact it sounds like the bleeps of NES gaming. A Link to the Past's music is well done in composition and sound quality and could warrant purchase even without the eight arranged versions on disc one. Those eight tracks are really impressive, however after listening to them many times, you might wish the arrangements included all the music from the game so richly performed. I wasn't so crazy about the drama track due to the fact I didn't have a clue of what was going on, but it was interesting and made me wonder where this surprisingly dramatic chapter could take place in the games.

As the one and only Zelda CD album available, this CD comes strongly recommended. No one should miss this great musical experience that I have encountered.