This soundtrack has come up in passing several times in the new forums but with the repackaged re-release coming soon I thought it'd be a good time to dedicate a thread to the Sonic Adventure soundtrack.  I've never heard it myself so a few of my own questions:

-The general impression I've always gotten is that it's a highly regarded soundtrack.  How much did it impress you back in the day and has it stood the test of time?

-Is it closer in style to early 16-bit Sonic music or to more recent outings?  Squarely between the two or completely its own thing?

-How well would you say the upcoming single-disc anniversary release encapsulates the best features of the soundtrack?  Here's the new release's track list via VGMdb for reference:

01. Introduction ...featuring "Open Your Heart".
02. It Doesn't Matter ...Theme of "Sonic The Hedgehog".
03. Boss: CHAOS ver.0, 2, 4.
04. Azure Blue World ...for Emerald Coast.
05. Windy and Ripply ...for Emerald Coast.
06. Theme of "Dr. Eggman".
07. Egg Mobile ...Boss: Egg Hornet.
08. Windy Hill ...for Windy Valley.
09. The Air ...for Windy Valley.
10. Welcome to Station Square.
11. Blue Star ...for Casinopolis.
12. Mystic Ruin.
13. Be Cool, Be Wild and Be Groovy ...for Ice Cap.
14. Twinkle Cart ...for Twinkle Park.
15. Pleasure Castle ...for Twinkle Park.
16. Theme of "CHAO".
17. Join Us 4 Happy Time ...for CHAO Race.
18. Run Through the Speed Highway ...for Speed Highway.
19. Mt. Red: a Symbol of Thrill ...for Red Mountain.
20. Egg Carrier - A Song That Keeps Us On The Move.
22. Skydeck A Go! Go! ...for Sky Deck.
23. Theme of "E-102y".
24. Crazy Robo ...Boss: E-101R.
25. Boss: CHAOS ver.6.
26. Tricky Maze ...for Lost World.
27. Theme of "Tikal".
28. Red Barrage Area ...for Hot Shelter.
29. Mechanical Resonance ...for Final Egg.
30. Perfect CHAOS Revival! ...Boss: Perfect CHAOS.
31. Open Your Heart - Main Theme of "Sonic Adventure" -

Judging from my limited recent Sonic experiences the absence of the event tracks seems like a good thing at least.

I was completely hooked to this soundtrack for a long, long time.
It's very good!

However, I will say that perhaps it does sound a bit cheesy in this day and age.
It's mostly rock music, nothing like the 16-bit games.
I seem to recall many reviews back in the day stating how much they disliked the "cheesy buttrock" soundtrack, which pissed me off to no end, but I'll admit I'm kind of worn out on it too now.
Sonic Adventure 2's OST is still fantastic though.

I didn't know they were doing a rerelease, and I don't really see the point of it either.

I've always loved Sonic Adventure's music and I've been a fan of Jun Senoue and his Wavemaster crew since.. well.. this soundtrack.  The VGMdb ratings for the original release are right on: Rated 4.59 by 22 people, 5.0 by you.

Sega definitely nailed the track selection for this "best of" release btw, pretty much all my favorites made it.. Skydeck A Go! Go!, Azure Blue World, Mt. Red: a Symbol of Thrill, Windy Hill, The Air, Welcome to Station Square, Be Cool, Be Wild and Be Groovy.. yeah you get the idea, the list goes on and on.  Even though I'd never give my "Digi-LOG Conversation" up, it's cool to see Sega doing this re-release for people who might have missed it.  The original print goes for lot$ of ca$h these days anyway, usually triple digits.  The only downside (or upside for most people) is that four of the six vocal songs are missing from this disc.  If that bothers you, you'll want to hunt down MJCA-00039 or WWCE-31020.  Not owning "Unknown from M.E." on disc should be a sin.

Sonic turns 20 this year so they're re-releasing the soundtrack to a 12 year old game while retaining the "20th Anniversary" text in the album title.  Makes.. sense.. right..?

I just listen to the Crush 40 tunes.

i was searching for this soundtrack some years ago but couldn't find a copy anywhere. i might get it if the track selection is indeed good, but i'm also afraid to miss out on good tracks

Ugh, I hate seeing "cheesy" being used as any kind of meaningful descriptor. One of my personal pet peeves. Just...eck! Useless word that can mean 1000 different things and mean nothing at the same time. I know what kind of reviews you're talking about (I've seen them describe Guilty Gear and Ys as well like that...gotta love gaming journalists who can't write their way out of a paper bag).

That said, I agree...Nothing like the 16-bit games and I personally preferred Sonic Adventure 2 as well. SA1 is difficult to listen to straight through, but the highlights are well worth it. It didn't blow me away when it was released, but it was (and is) a good, solid listen. Enough that I'm not selling my DigiLog copy anytime soon.

But same thing could be said for any adjective phrase used in a review, right? You'd also hate to see "boring" being used for anything you like. Personally, I have no problem imaging what type of music "cheesy" means, and Falcom is a perfect example. As long as we should realize that being cheesy isn't necessarily bad, especially in VGM, I think it's fine to call something cheesy.

Haha, yep, Guilty Gear is another one that gets thrown into that category, which also consistently pisses me off. I recall IGN being one of the biggest offenders in this respect. Or, indeed, in any respect.

I think boring is pretty straight-forward. Not particularly flattering and still intensely subjective (which pretty much annihilates its credibility, depending on who's saying it), but I think a lot of people can accept their favorite tunes might bore others to tears. I tend to see cheesy as mainly negative, and, even if used in a positive sense, is a passive-aggressive way of describing something negatively.

I'd rather see "outdated 80's production, overblown dubbed guitar wankery by some long haired Japanese guy pretending to be Yngwie Malmsteen and mindless, robotic drums thumping away" describing my favorite Falcom tunes in a negative light than a vague word like cheesy, that tells me next to nothing. If you're going to deal negative comments, at least make them colorful and understood instead of a subtle attack. My own idea of cheesy is usually overblown attempts at creating something emotional and failing miserably, to the point of being laughable (examples: Uematsu's pop ballads, "People Imprisoned by Destiny" from Chrono Cross, much of Iwadare's orchestral leanings and pretty much anytime a violin solo is tossed into a mix to sadden the mood). I scratch my head when it's used to describe rock music like Ys, Guilty Gear or the actual topic of this thread (sorry for the hijack!).

Unfortunately, using cheesy to describe Falcom's music as a whole does little to broaden the definition of the word for me.

I still like it nearly as much as I did when I first heard it, and it was top-10 stuff then. It was probably responsible as anything for developing my taste for guitar-centric rock, and beyond that there's a lot more variety than it gets credit for.
That's a pretty good tracklist, too, though I'd ditch Eggman's theme for Challenge For Another Aim or Sand Hill, and using the stupid Red Barrage Area theme instead of Bad Taste Aquarium - one of my absolute favorites - is inexcusable.

Don't know why Sega couldn't re-print the original soundtrack with the vocal tunes and some remixes. Wishful thinking but I'm not pleased by the trend of half-assed re-releases and compilations.

I found Sonic Adventure to actually feel very familiar with where the earliest Sonic games were headed -- and that surprised me.  The stereotypical "butt-rock" exists, but by no means dominates.  There's a strong sampling of tracks that feel fun and familiar in a more traditional way, but with a revamped "attitude" to fit the series' progression from saving-forest-creatures to industrial badassery.

If you're a fan of the classic Sonic music (and who isn't?), don't rush to write off Sonic Adventure for its differences.  There's a lot of gold packed into it!

(ps, I shared a dressing room with Jun and Crush 40 at Sega's E3 party this year. ;> Super cool and talented fellas!)