N23D-001: FINAL FANTASY IV ORIGINAL SOUND VERSION

[Secret Squirrel]

I rejected a series of tracklist edits because the English titles are actually given in the booklet. I assume that the edits were intended to match the iTunes track titles, so I added them as an override tracklist to just the iTunes version.

[niki]

If only they could re-release this with everything looped twice ...

[suicider]

Originally Posted by niki

If only they could re-release this with everything looped twice ...

I exactly thought the same when receiving this soundtrack some days ago. It's a shame, that only one loop was used, but surely due to the limited CD length

[Cedille]

A small nitpicking, but I think we should remove the arranger Nobuo Uematsu from all the reprints and bootlegs, since we apparently decided that Uematsu should be credited only as the composer on the parent and rejected an edit that added him to the arranger list.

To do this, I think we have to unstitch all reprints and tweak each albums (I know it's a normal staff privilege, but I want to make a post before going ahead myself).

[Ramza]

That doesn't make sense to me.

I'd get not listing Uematsu as arranger on something like the DS reprint since he didn't have a hand in it. But why wouldn't he be an arranger on a second-for-second direct-rip reprint? What's the logic here?

[seanne]

Originally Posted by Ramza

That doesn't make sense to me.

I'd get not listing Uematsu as arranger on something like the DS reprint since he didn't have a hand in it. But why wouldn't he be an arranger on a second-for-second direct-rip reprint? What's the logic here?

He means that since there is (rightly) no arranger credit for the original release, there shouldn't be any for the later prints either.

[niki]

I don't understand why there's even a debate about crediting an arranger on an unarranged original soundtrack ... ? ^^;

[Cedille]

Originally Posted by niki

I don't understand why there's even a debate about crediting an arranger on an unarranged original soundtrack ... ? ^^;

I'd still credit an arranger when something like "Composed & Arranged by..." is printed on the booklet (but I once saw somebody saying we shouldn't give the arranger credit to the artist who just arranges their own compositions). Either way, I think the initial release and reprints should share the same credit, unless their individual booklets say otherwise.

[seanne]

Originally Posted by Cedille

I'd still credit an arranger when something like "Composed & Arranged by..." is printed on the booklet (but I once saw somebody saying we shouldn't give the arranger credit to the artist who just arranges their own compositions). Either way, I think the initial release and reprints should share the same credit, unless their individual booklets say otherwise.

It's often misleading when it says "Composed & Arranged by..." though, since it doesn't necessarily mean that the album contains arrangements of previously released material. And if it doesn't (as is the case here) it makes little sense to add an arranger credit. Basically, fact>what the booklet says.

[niki]

Oh never noticed this writing. I wonder why it is there 'cause honestly it sounds like straight out original versions. I know they often slightly enhance old soundtracks like this, but I dunno ... Yeah, we probably need our own clear definition of "arrangement".

[Cedille]

And I just realized that all tracks here are credited as "composed and arranged by Uematsu" on the booklet (...I assumed they weren't, since the edit was rejected). In this case, I'd be inclined to add him as the arranger on both the OST and its reprints, but anyways, the most important thing is to keep all of them consistent (even if reprints don't affect how the artist's discography look).

Originally Posted by seanne

It's often misleading when it says "Composed & Arranged by..." though, since it doesn't necessarily mean that the album contains arrangements of previously released material. And if it doesn't (as is the case here) it makes little sense to add an arranger credit. Basically, fact>what the booklet says.

While I fully see your point, this is something we should have a consensus on, since there is tons of albums out there where the composers don't arrange anything composed by other artists, or past materials, but still has an arranger credit, and in such a case I've been adding the arranger credit until this day. I'd neglect the booklet, for instance, when it states "All music composed by Michiru Yamane" in a Castlevania soundtrack which features many classics from the series, most of them weren't originally composed by her.

Btw, I think FFIV contains some series' regular tracks ("Prelude", "Final Fantasy", and "Chocobo") so perhaps hence why his arranger credit is there.

[Chris]

Doesn't matter...

[seanne]

Originally Posted by Cedille

And I just realized that all tracks here are credited as "composed and arranged by Uematsu" on the booklet (...I assumed they weren't, since the edit was rejected). In this case, I'd be inclined to add him as the arranger on both the OST and its reprints, but anyways, the most important thing is to keep all of them consistent (even if reprints don't affect how the artist's discography look).

This wording is quite common on older Squaresoft albums - and after all, 'arranging' can obviously refer to other things than "arranging previously released material". In a case like this it might refer to the arranging you naturally do as part of the composition process (and we obviously can't add a credit for something like that).

We've actually discussed this several times before, the problem is that the discussion tends to be done (and subsequently get lost) in some random album thread.

Btw, I think FFIV contains some series' regular tracks ("Prelude", "Final Fantasy", and "Chocobo") so perhaps hence why his arranger credit is there.

I don't think we should add arranger credit for something like this, unless the arrangement is done by a different person.

[Guitarist500]

It's arranged by Uematsu otherwise noted.

[dancey]

Just rereading this thread after I saw that there was no arranger on the album info as I go to rip it, and this is just another +1 why we really need to separate credited from uncredited and/or assumed/surmised credits. You can argue up and down and left and right all day that they may not really be 'arranged' by definition, but the simple fact of the matter is the book says straight up "Composed and Arranged". That right there is irrefutable.

Splitting it will let the user's see that "This is what the cd says [canon], this is what we've figured out [not canon]: Use whichever you want".

[d-leto!]

Guys, I've encountered interesting situation - I have two copies of this OST, the same digipak, everything is the same, identical except one w/barcode, while other is w/o it. The codes on the CDs differs only in the of - one is "N23D-001" (w/o barcode) and "N23D-001 D2088 C" (w/ barcode). Anyone knows what is wrong with the one w/o barcode? Is it rare one?

[Alcahest]

Nothing wrong don't worry, maybe a different press date, or a preview disc?
A pic would be interesting.

[d-leto!]

may be, but nothing on the ring, and outer side is totally the same, except missing barcode.
not any "not for resale", "promotional", etc.
pic is not a problem, just give me some time

[Toad King]

I got a similar version off of eBay from a Russian seller who said it was a "first edition digipak version", although that might have meant it was just the N23D-001 release. Outside of no barcode, other differences I spotted were in the booklet. Track 6's english title is "Welcome to our Town!" (no capital O in "our") and on the staff page, STAFF is misspelled as STUFF.

Images: https://imgur.com/a/RxWrnbG

The CD matches this entry in CTDB, so it's either a legit CD or an extremely popular bootleg: http://db.cue.tools/top.php?tocid=08...xtsYXukBfRPik-

[d-leto!]

Originally Posted by Toad King

I got a similar version off of eBay from a Russian seller who said it was a "first edition digipak version", although that might have meant it was just the N23D-001 release. Outside of no barcode, other differences I spotted were in the booklet. Track 6's english title is "Welcome to our Town!" (no capital O in "our") and on the staff page, STAFF is misspelled as STUFF.

Images: https://imgur.com/a/RxWrnbG

The CD matches this entry in CTDB, so it's either a legit CD or an extremely popular bootleg: http://db.cue.tools/top.php?tocid=08...xtsYXukBfRPik-

Yes, that was me (Ebay seller) ) Thanks for the feedback, by the way. About bootleg - the stuff is originally from trusted seller from Japan, so I'm VERY doubt it's so. I think it's some very first release, possibly barcode was on the shrinkwrap or something. Or it's was promotional item, they are missing barcode almost all the time. Anyway, the mystery of this release stays unsolved