So, wasn't sure if you'd want to consider this a Game Music topic or an Other Music one, but I've been listening to the Thousand Arms Original Soundtracks and the recorded rip I did up a few years later.  I still hold fast that it's a wonderful score that's seemingly passed into history as underrated, but I especially enjoy the featured opening vocal track Depend On You, by Ayumi Hamasaki.  To date, it's still one of my most favorite Hamasaki tracks - my ideal definition of a feel-great melodically pleasing J-pop rock song.

Prior to my recording, you can imagine how crushed I was when I discovered that neither the released Original Soundtracks or the U.S. Multimedia CD included the lovely in-game instrumental version featured on the title screen.  One wishes that there were more variations of the theme used in the game, but this at least gives the Hamasaki song more meaning beyond simply plopping a popular artist's song for the sake of publicity.

Thousand Arms - Depend On You (Title Theme):
http://www.mediafire.com/?mzqjbjyazmd

I've always kind of avoided talk of Thousand Arms, since I have a bit of a hang-up about games with character relationships (generally because so much content is put into the relationships, and what I crave in games is content in general, but I'm generally averse to replaying stuff), but I'll never pass up an opportunity to raid one of your music folders.

....this is a nice arrangement! I can't say I'm bowled over by the original....J-pop game theme songs kind of blend together for me.

Really wanted to check this one out. The game, that is.

Was the rest of the in-game music this good, too? Worth an OST purchase?

GAME

Thousand Arms, as a game, I was rather surprised by and enjoyed; it's a typical villains of darkness vs. heroes of light, but what really differentiates it is all the low-brow humor they put into it; everything from cheap, Looney Tunes style gags, to sexual jokes; I'm not embarassed to say I actually laughed at some of the jokes they made. It's very light-hearted and humourous.

The dating sim aspect is what REALLY set it apart, though; up to this point, you don't have a whole lot of dating sims released in the U.S., so this was something special. The scripting they did for the dating scenarios was hilarious, and you could give some REALLY cheeseball answers, that would result in some hilarious responses! (P.S., you had to date girls to learn Magic Spells and Special Attacks).

SOUNDTRACK

They did not do the game's soundtrack any justice with the one-disc release they did, but it's decent enough stuff, what they did end up putting on there. Don't expect anything too bombastic, but it's plenty melodic enough.

Good luck still trying to find it, though; that was released back in 2000, and it was a pretty obscure release! Both the game and the soundtrack...

...

Man, I'm really starting to get nostalgic for both...sold them off awhile ago...

Oh nice, this has always been one of my favorite Hamasaki songs!  Thanks for this!

Thousand Arms was one of the worst games I ever attempted to play.

I remember the music not being all that either.

Sounds like someone's angling for a music sample.  This is a job for...... MEDLEY GIRL!!

Thousand Arms - Medley Sample:
http://www.mediafire.com/?marmmje0m5y

Thanks, Angie! I will listen the shit out of this sample.

. . . why do they call them medleys, anyways? I think of flowers when I hear that word.

I'm not sure, I always figured "medley" came "melody" or something.

The basic idea is medley = mixture.

medley [Noun]
- a mixture of various elements
- a musical composition consisting of a series of songs arranged as a continuous whole

Etymology: Middle English medle, from Anglo-French medlee, from feminine of medlé, past participle of medler to mix