Round 4, Pairing 6: "Dancing Mad (FFVI)" vs. "The Landing (FFVIII)"

[Dave]

Well, this will be the last pairing I make for a while, and if it doesn't have a good load of posts and votes, I won't be happy. :p Chris, you can take it from here. There's no strict pairings already laid out, just number generating based on what's left! Vote here (http://www.squareenixmusic.com/uematsu.php), and bye for now!

[Neo Locke]

I have to go with The Landing. Dancing Mad is just far too long and frankly, isn't that good. At first it's quite epic, with it's fancy organ and nifty choir melodies. But then you realize the instrumentation is just a farce to make a mediocre battle theme sound cooler than it actually is.

The Landing on the other hand sounds epic and IS. From the suspenseful intro, to the cymbal crash that starts the body of the melody, to the adrenaline rush that is the rythym.

[TheShroud13]

Hi, I'm Hans Zimmer and I'd like my contribution to the Final Fantasy world, "The Landing", to be removed from this contest considering I'm not Nobuo Uematsu.

I vote "Dancing Mad". I love the first and final segments of the piece, the third keeps me engaged, and the second is bores me, but in a forgivable way.

instrumentation is just a farce to make a mediocre battle theme sound cooler than it actually is

Just like guitar distortion makes a simple open fifth sound interesting. I don't see how it's a farce.

[Totz]

Be gone, foul time waster!

Vote for "The Landing."

[Don]

Dancing Mad. I really enjoy this battle theme. The Landing is good but I prefer Dancing Mad. I really enjoy the organ in this piece.

[Rain]

Dancing Mad is one of the most rewarding listens in all of video game music. Period.

The Landing sounds like a rip off from the "Rock" soundtrack and is cheesy as hell.

Its a no brainer.

[weabblewill]

I feel Dancing Mad is too techno, chants of un, un, don't really appeal to me and solo organ is just too empty for me whereas "The Landing" balances instruments and it's synthesizers perfectly.

[Kaibigan]

I really love the landing and I never get tired of it. :) *Votes for it

[GoldfishX]

Landing was a track I discovered was really popular during the 2004 Gamingforce BSC. I was shocked, since I never saw anything in the piece. I still don't.

Dancing Mad (all 16 minutes of it) is far easier for me to listen to. Nevermind that it's 4 tracks smashed into one...It rocks. Especially that final part.

[Zhetty]

"Dancing Mad" has too many evil vibes and organic goodness for me to pass up. (That, and I hate the other choice.)

[Resk]

Dancing Mad is my choice this time.

[McFate]

The Landing for me, great track. I like Dancing Mad as well - but its Black Mages version, not the original. And we're voting for the original, right? ;)

[Don]

All songs linked for voting are in-game. The arranged versions are not in this competition.

[GoldfishX]

The SNES DM has better synth voices in the second part than the Black Mages version and no extended guitar solo in the 4th part. Really, those are the only way to tell sometimes.

[Chris]

I'm going to be shifting the times each thread is released forward two hours, so this will only be a 22 hour pairing. Midnight isn't good for me (just getting prepared for a night of crime then...), whereas 10 PM usually is.

Thanks a bunch for running the contest, Dave. It's great that it really came to life when SEMO was released and that's thanks to you principally. :)

As for this thread, I have to profess that I haven't listened to the SNES version of "Dancing Mad" too many times, but love The Black Mages' version on a stand-alone basis even though it's sort of inferior. I think it's an amazing piece, but The Black Mages' version is more accessible both length and sound quality wise.

I think only the introduction of "The Landing" makes it a semi-Hans Zimmer ripoff. The rest of it is more like an "Bombing Mission" (FFVII) ripoff. But, in both instances, I don't care. I find it a memorable and fitting theme that I enjoy from start to finish.

But, yes, "Dancing Mad" wins in terms of originality and in many other ways. I just love how Uematsu avoided most organ cliches when creating the theme. <3

[insertnamehere]

I voted dancing mad

[Chris]

Sorry. Dave didn't send me the relevant password to the poll program on the site, so I'm doing some heavy searching of various documentation at the moment to see if I have it anywhere.

[SephirothLaguna]

Dancing Mad is awesome. The Landing sucks.
Well, I better be getting ready to PLAY ff6.

[Pandemonium]

I just love how Uematsu avoided most organ cliches when creating the theme. <3

Huh? He uses about every cliché in the book, the similarities between the organ solo sections of Dancing Mad are unashamedly Toccata and Fugue in D minor, the ending of the third section is the ending of Toccata and Fugue, carbon copy I'm afraid. If he had copied something it shouldn't be something as universally well known as that.

I do feel DM is the better track though.

[Dave]

Hello, all! I've returned, and hence I will commence and do today's update. It'll take me a while, since I'm a little under the influence still.

[Dave]

Dancing Mad (FFVI) 65.82 % (52)
The Landing (FFVIII) 34.18 % (27)

The results.

As expected, I've run into a spot of bother. The FTP server isn't letting me upload a thing. Chris, could you upload uematsu.php when you can, but, change the poll number?