KICA-1165~6: Music from The Legend of Xanadu II

[Vert1]

"Featuring the PSG, in-game music, the compositions are very good, but sorely hindered by the horrible sound quality. Almost 8-bitish, I had expected more from the samples coming out of the PC-Engine's soundboard."

-From RPGgamer's review.

Can someone explain if this means it is better to get a gamerip instead? I don't understand what he means specifically with writing horrible sound quality -- Is he not impressed by the PC-Engine music?. Is it not a true source of the game's music?

[Dag]

I understand it's the music from the game as is, just that the reviewer doesn't like the synth (internal chip/PSG). I guess he expected CD quality music (it was a CD game).

[Despatche]

Bump, but basically he's bothered by the PC Engine's sound hardware for some reason. Both The Legend of Xanadu games had a strange mixture of PC Engine source and Red Book-based tracks (various games do this, but not to the extent of TLoX); disc 1 is the PC Engine source, while the first 24 tracks on disc 2 are the Red Book.

[Spirit_Chaser]

This is another great Falcom soundtrack that needs more recognition. Personally, I hope to be able to do some arrangements from this and the first Legend of Xanadu some day. It is unusual that this game did not get a J.D.K. Special release.

I don't think it really matters if the game uses PSG, Red Book audio, or both. It's whether or not the quality of the PC Engine music is good. I talked with Atsushi Shirakawa [Tenmon] and got a response about everything he remembers he composed in this game. He tweeted back saying he composed:

1. Passage of the Ocean
2. Fertile Plain
3. Happy-Go-Lucky
4. Moderation Tears
5. Apparition Tress
6. Mist Land
7. Heavenly Praise
8. Magnificence Street
9. Invitation for The new world
10. The Last of Dragonslayer
11. Longing Desire
12. Sophia
13. Unknown Truth
14. Other Side of Sorrows
15. Seventh Soul
16. Over the desert
17. Destruction Bell
18. Evil's Supremacy
19. Big Storm
20. Into the Dark
21. Some Day, Some Where

He said he wasn't sure but thinks he also composed.

1. Throne of Close
2. Mist Land

For those who missed it, I also got several composer credits for the first Legend of Xanadu from both Atsushi Shirakawa [Tenmon], and Naoki Kaneda [Kim's Soundroom].

[Spirit_Chaser]

Naoki Kaneda (Kim's Soundroom) replied back recently on Twitter with what he believes were all the tracks he did in this game. From what he confirmed, I would like to share that he did:

1. Heart Warm
2. One's Last Moment
3. Blind Man
4. Scattered Islands
5. Vast & Sewer
6. Elegance Residence
7. Pleasant Estimation
8. Supremacy Title
9. The Missing Is...
10. Sea Breeze Town
11. At Your Departure
12. Darkness Thunderclap
13. On Blue Brilliant Place

Now that's I've gotten a lot of credits, I will make a master post later on both Xanadu games. One theory I have is that Hirofumi Matsuoka didn't compose anything on both games and might had only arranged tracks/sound programming. I think that because Naoki Kaneda said that in the Legend of Xanadu he didn't do the arranged versions of his compositions. Anyways, I know little people actually are about these credits, but they do to me because these composers from that era of Falcom Sound Team J.D.K. have incredible talent and deserve more respect and recognition.

Since I have contact with both Atsushi Shirakawa (Tenmon) and Naoki Kaneda (Kim's Soundroom), I'll try to get what they did in Popful Mail, the Legend of Heroes IV and Ys V next. It's harder for me because I don't speak Japanese, but I've been able to communicate with them through online translators.

[DragoonEnRegalia]

I feel capable of making guesses on who did what for Popful Mail (e.g. Jungle (Exploration)/Cave tracks by Shirakawa, Volcanic/Iceberg (Battle)/Castle tracks by Ishikawa), but not the others, so please keep probing TENMON and KIM about what tracks they remember doing. Apparently Kaneda did half of Brandish 3, too? That makes identifying other musicians' tracks by process of elimination a bit easier once we know KIM's tracks.

[preta]

I got credits from Kaneda on Twitter. There are some discrepancies here and there with what Shirakawa had said previously, but for the most part it meshes.

As per Kaneda:

Kaneda
Acquisition
Pleasant Estimation
Scattered Islands
Triumphal Song
Sea Breeze Town
Idleness Sleep
At Your Departure
Elegance Residence
Powdery Snow
Heart Warm
Vast & Sever
The Missing Is...
One's Last Moment
Blind Man
Tragedy Knight
Supremacy Title
Darkness Thunderclap
Final Awakening
Other Side of Sorrows
On Blue Brilliant Place
Following Wind

Shirakawa
Passage of Ocean
Misfortune Hunch
Extremity Fear
Shipwreck
Formation
Big Storm
Moderation Tears
A Day of Love
In Her Mind
Magnificence Street
Retreat
Heavenly Praise
Evil's Supremacy
Into the Dark
Throne of Close
Happy-Go-Lucky
Invitation for the New World (Motif: Arai)
Recollection of Past
The Triumphal Hymn
Three Years Later
Sophia (Motif: Kaneda)
Whereabouts of Destiny
Seventh Soul
Ambition Territory
Longing Desire
Destruction Bell
Some Day, Some Where

Arai
Peaceful Enclosure
Fertile Plain
Brave of Blaze
Apparition Trees
Underground Water Course
Immovable Fossil
Mist Land
Bad Past
Cave of Ocean Floor
Hard Pressure
From Faraway
The Realms of Goddess
The Last of Dragon Slayer (Arrangement: Shirakawa)
Balmy Wind
Unknown Truth (probably)
Sternly Spirit (probably)
Daylight Promise

Nakajima
First Attack
Over the Desert
Ancient Relics
Forest of Shudder
Weird Air
Break Through
Calm Reception
Crystal Valley
Slash for Chap
Down to the Abyss