Nearly a year ago, I started cutting back on the number of albums I'd keep. Pretty much a year later, I believe I've finally come to terms (for good this time) and am able to walk away happy and satisfied with what I have. It's not much, but what is there counts in every way.

Akumajo Dracula Best 2

Hands down, Super Castlevania IV, Castlevania : The Adventure and Castlevania II : Belmont's Revenge were the games that got me hooked on the series. Part of it obviously had to do with the music. I recall vividly being mesmerized by the "Cave" theme in SCVIV the second I heard it, it was unbelievably beautiful. When I first got the original Game Boy system, the first two Castlevania games were amongst the games I wanted to own ASAP. I was able to beat both of these (after much practice and trial & error) without dying once ! Of course, I got a lasting impression of their music given I played these games so much back in the day.

Bahamut Lagoon

Here's a case of curiosity... I was aware it was one of many import titles to never see release overseas from SquareSoft. I decided to play the ROM to see what the game was about. It seemed pretty neat, but the language barrier was hampering my progress a bit. All the while I savoured the music... It was during a certain cutscene that "Friendship" was playing that made me want the soundtrack SO BAD. I couldn't believe my ears how amazing the theme was. It's only a shame how Noriko Matsueda has been criminally underrated during the majority of her carreer. She had definite potential. Shame she quit the VGM business after the backlash that FFX-2 received.

Border Down -Sound Tracks-

When I first started to shop at CocoeBiz in '04, I've seen this soundtrack aplenty but never really considered a purchase given the name Yasuhisa Watanabe meant absolutely nothing back then. After having experienced Metal Black -The First- through SlightlyDark several months later, I knew I had to look it up eventually. I beleive it was in '05 that I received it from a trade with Chudah. I haven't looked back since. Not only is the original music by Watanabe outstanding, but the arrangements by Saso, Hosoe and Yasui make the album a definite keeper.

Capcom Music Generation Famicom Music Complete Works Rockman 1~6

Around the same time I discovered Castlevania, Mega Man was already a favoured series. I adored 2 and 3 and was caught off guard when 4 got released. I often would boot up the NES just to hear the music, even considered recording it on tape, but hesitated. I can't really add anything else aside that it's 100% quality music, regardless of sound quality.

Cho Aniki -Aniki no Subete-

I think it was in '05 when I had started to look into Koji Hayama's works and managed to see this album on eBay. Nothing, nothing would have prepared me for the crazy yet awesome music within. After watching a Superplay video of the game, I was able to finally relate the music to the game, but also made the conclusion that the music is completely innapropriate at all times, yet it was fitting given the bizzare imagery.

Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version

This is the game that got me hooked on RPGs in '95. I didn't want to play it despite digging the battle and boss themes. A friend insisted I try it. So I did. On my first evening with the guidance of my friend, I made it as far as the Opera House. By then, I was hopelessly hooked. And the soundtrack eventually found a permanent home in my mind. There was no avoiding this, I HAD to have the soundtrack no matter what. Before I even knew that actual CD albums existed, I had downloaded the entire soundtrack (and many others) from Impressario's Sounds of SquareSoft page. (God that brings back happy memories) during the summer of '96 when I first discovered the Internet. I had even gone as far as recording the mp2 (not mp3 !) files on a cassette tape ! Fast foward to '98, I ordered the FFVI OSV from Game Music Online. Alas, it came out to be a bootleg copy by SonMay. Fast foward a year later, I got smarter and eventually got the opportunity to purchase the real deal at last around the same time I ordered Akumajo Dracula Best 2. 11 years later, I still have my copy which is playing beautifully. This is one soundtrack I truly cannot see myself without.

Perfect Collection Ys I & II : Complete Works of Ryo Yonemitsu

Never honestly being big on Falcom, but I was able to appreaciate what they had with several Ys and Ys II arrangements. I think I purchased this from VGM World back in '06 or '07. At any case, I knew I would be pleased given the high praise this set has received over time. Even after owning and digesting the Ys I & II Chronicles OST, this older version impressed me more regardless of its lower production values.

S.S.T. Band Live -G.S.M. Sega-

Arguably the best part of the Game Music Festival in '90. This set has all the Arcade classic by Sega such as After Burner, Out Run and Golden Axe, all performed by the in-house band of composers. It would have been something to be there back in the day. Oh well, it still gives me goosebumps about how good the recording is.

Tommy Tallarico Virgin Games Greatest Hits Volume One

The sole western representation is a definite standout as it shows that not all western VGM needs to be orchestrated to be good. It also showcased the Sega CD's sound capabilities with the use of live instruments and crisp sound quality. Easily Tallarico's best work during his entire carreer thus far, despite being the first album he released.

Wizardry Llylgamyn Saga

Composed by the late Kentaro Haneda and arranged by Tamiya Terashima, this album had a lot of expectations to meet. Thankfully, I have been very pleased with the results. While the tracks may be somewhat on the short side, I tend to find them quite good. Another major factor is that the sound quality is similar to Final Fantasy Tactics, which should say a lot.

So there we go. To supplement these 10 VGM albums, I also have 10 non-VGM albums which I'll discuss at a later date.

I honestly believe I've picked out the very best as keepers. Thoughts and comments are definitely welcome.

Perhaps posting "what're your top ten most cherished albums" is a better subject to chime in (I remember Zane or somebody else posted it before). If somebody is saying "I'm bored with VGM, and here are what I have, and everything else isn't worth keeping to me", I don't think so many people bother to comment on such a personal collection, because it's to each own after all.

Full ACK.

I was tempted to reply at first, but the only thing I could say is that my "10 albums collection" would look entirely different, if I ever should downsize my collection at all

I've been downsizing a little lately too but there's no way in hell I could live with just 10 albums and call them the definitive "best" of game music.  I'm having trouble getting my collection closer to the 250 mark and even that's giving me trouble.  There are a few must-have classics in that list though.. FFVI, Rockman 1-6, Dracula Best 2, and S.S.T. Band Live.  I own those four as well.

I have a feeling this is going to turn into a "if you could only have 10 albums with you on a deserted island" thread soon, haha.

For that, I would cheat a bit and make my own 50 disc album compilation, no way in hell  I could choose 10 albums for a deserted island, even if it would be only vgm.

From the subjective point of view of what you had, those are the very best (since you kept them). Objectively, when compared to what exists outside of your collection, it would be harder to decide, due to the limitations of human memory and longevity.

  I have to constantly correct myself and remember that although I may think I can define the best of game music, it is not within the realm of possibility. Even if I were to listen to 10,000 albums, that still excludes the other 10,000 (current # of albums is approaching 20,000). The best I can do is state, of the roughly 4% of what exists that I have heard, which ones are the best (and that number is quite large). I am oblivious to the other 96%. (If I were to include game music not physically released, then the percentage I have heard would probably drop below .1%)

I knew there I was a reason I held on to these two albums.

Akumajo Dracula Best

Dracula Best 2 feels incomplete without this one. Everybody knows these now-legendary soundtracks. If only the CV3 music wasn't bunched up in medleys. Aside that minor detail, it's a definite classic. Major nostagic trip for one.

Driving Emotion Type-S/Bushido Blade

Come on, folks ! Me going out of the scene without a major Shinji Hosoe/Supersweep album is like a burger without keptchup. There's something amiss ! The Driving Emotion disc is simply chock-full of excellent fusion of techno and rock while the Bushido Blade disc offers meditative oriental music.

So these will be replacing SST Band Live and the Tommy Tallarico albums. As awesome as those are, I have to go with what I really, really enjoy !

Decided to toss in a couple more, mainly to mark my 12 year span of VGM Collecting. So it only makes sense I'd have 12 albums.

Both are some of my favorites by Shinji Hosoe. In all the time I've spent purchasing albums, whenever he was involved I knew I couldn't be dissapointed. No wonder I still consider him my favorite composer for VGM.

Dirt Dash

This was part of my last order at Game Music Online. I was quite curious about the album so I added it with no reservations whatsover. Obviously, it paid off. While the album is rather short, the music is actually really, really catchy. And the contributions by Nobuyoshi Sano, Yuri Misumi and Hiroto Sasaki are merely icing on an already delicious aural cake.

Dirt Fox

Here's an oldie, an album from 1989 ! While the main theme is basically played in 4 diffrent versions, the melody carries it off smoothly. Sound quality is of course dated, but that's the price one must pay for these older releases.

So I'll be posting about what else is in my shelf later.

Man it's been a thrill. I'm hoping my new hobby of keeping/breeding tarantulas will be just as rewarding

Now that it's on Youtube, these are the official 15 albums that I'm keeping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8jvGxQE3mA

Quite a nice bit of variety there. I can't wait to describe them each in their respective videos

Been cutting down on VGM collection as well, if only because a lot of it is becoming difficult to sift through, and a lot of it, I don't even really listen to anymore.

For me, 2005 was a good Summer for VGM, between albums released then, and stuff I purchased that year, that was released a few years earlier.

Summer 2005

Genso Suikoden IV

People say it's a pretty bland soundtrack, but me, I'm kind of a beach bum, especially in the Summer, and I totally dig the Mediterranean and nautical-styled themes, mostly the town themes; the two world map themes are good, too. I pretty much scrapped all the bonus game themes - because they were annoying - and the battle themes were pretty lackluster. Besides, when I'm beach combing, the last thing on my mind is war - even if I am practicing my Tae-Kwon-Do and swordplay there.

Radiata Stories

It's largely a very comedic soundtrack - something I wasn't able to appreciate until recently. The whole shtick of Jack trying to find work really hits home for me these days. Otherwise, I really dig the town themes; also plenty of ominous, medieval-styled music on here, too. Also a good one for practices and work-outs.

Radiata Stories Arrange

Listened to this one more than all get-out; good for the road, good for cruising around town; really dig the vocal themes, but the instrumental themes are no slouch, either. A very varied album, really.

Romancing SaGa ~ Minstrel Song

Again, dig Mediterranean and European music, really dug the town themes here, scratched the battle themes, because I can get better progressive rock elsewhere. Good for the beach, reading, dinner outside, practicing, and working out.

Samurai Legend Musashi / Musashiden II Blademaster

I'm always going to refer to the game and its sountrack by the U.S. name, since the Japanese one sounds so lajubriated - do they treat "Samurai" as a derogatory term now, so they use "Blademaster" instead?

A lot of good classical-styled work here, more town-styled music than I would've thought, since there's the only one town in the game, and it's really just a central base of operations, rather than someplace to explore.

The dungeon and battle themes, I always thought were really evocative of night, especially given a lot of the in-game imagery, so I like to save those for when I'm on the road at night - whether I'm out in the country, or an urban expressway.

Shadow Hearts II ~ Covenant

Town themes, dig 'em, but also good battle themes. AGOFPAW-Os.

Tales of Legendia

The game featured all of 2 towns - hence not a lot of town themes to speak of - but there were some pretty relaxing traveling and dungeon themes, and the cinematic music was good, too - very melodic and emotionally gripping - think Xenogears Mitsuda, and Grandia Iwadare. Battle themes were also very powerful. The down-tempo stuff, good for reading, dinner, meditating and practicing, and the battle themes, really make me want to kick awesome!

Tsugunai ~ An Cinniùint

A very meditative album overall, with a very spiritual feel - given a lot of the mellow dungeon themes - really good sunset music, besides the usual.

Wild Arms 4

This'll always be a very powerful soundtrack for me. The town themes for town, the dungeon and battle themes for traveling, but even the ominous and sorrowful themes were really melodic. I don't think there's a single piece I've scratched from the entire 80-90 or so tracks...

...

Probably write some more stuff up later, but for now, this's what was on the tip of my mind...

For me, I'll gladly admit my own glory days of caring about VGM are long gone and I seldom add anything made in the last decade to my collection, but I spawned way too much out of the hobby to whittle it down to anything less than 300-400 albums. Within those, there are the painfully obvious classics, as well as albums that aren't particularly great but I greatly enjoy on occasion (say hello, 19XX...I still have no idea why I enjoy you). I weeded out much of what I wanted to weed out a couple years ago, and maybe only 5 of those, I miss at least somewhat (Tecmo Game Music, Mario RPG, Legend of Mana, Xexex, Pop'N Twinbee Graffiti, IIRC). I think weeding the garden was healthy, but I definitely need more than a small handful to keep my mind occupied. I'd go nuts with only a small handful of albums. Plus, I had always occasionally sold stuff while I was heavily active with VGM, so ones that are still with me have theoretically survived being sold dozens of times, when I was looking for weak links.

Nope, kicked it down to 10. And it's definitely staying. Everything else is pawned off at a specialized import store in Québec. Heading out there early tommorow morning. I'm not expecting to get a lot, but at this point, I just want to be released from this "burden".

So what are the lucky 10 keepers ?

I had a lot of trouble with several choices. I had to break away from nostalgic attachment for the most part and go with plain good music.

Capcom Music Generation Famicom Music Complete Works Rockman 1-6

One of the two nostalgic tributes that were simply too strong to break off. Megaman 2, 3 and 4 were amongst the few Nes games aside SMB3 that I would play incessantly at the time. Music made a huge impact. I think I even recorded some of the music on tape at one point !  Hardcore.

Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version

The other "nostalgic" soundtrack. Definitely a no-brainer. This game got me hooked on RPGs and got me to look deeper into VGM as a whole. This I did record on tape from mp2s I found on Impressario's Sounds of Squaresoft page. It had Game Music Online in its links section. The rest is history. I've played the game so much that I can readily visualize everything when hearing the music. Definitely Uematsu's finest moment in my eyes.

Gran Chaser

Quite likely Koji Hayama's best work in his carreer thus far... and this was in '95. Early, raw Saturn synth-rock at its finest. It's just a shame that the overseas release got the audio swapped for some junk by the Bygone Dogs. Ridiculous move ugh !

Mr. Bones

One of the two western albums that I deemed good enough to join the fray. Ronnie Montrose managed to make quite an impression. I tried to find some of his non-vgm albums, but no luck. Anyways, this is a good example that not all american games needed an orchestral soundtrack to sound good. Ok, so the game itself flopped, being released on the Saturn. The music is an interesting mix of blues, rock, ambience, etc...

Namco Game Sound Express Vol. 04 - Dragon Saber

Did you all think I was going to leave out Shinji Hosoe from this list ? Of course, I chose what is the absolute best in my mind. Not dizzying techno a la Ridge Racer, but rather melodical and awesome synth-rock from his early days with Namco. Not only do we get the entire orgasmic Dragon Saber music, but we also get arranged Dragon Spirit tunes with the updated Saber synths. And if that wasn't already enough, here comes the icing on this incredible set : three arranged tracks from Saber by the one and only Ryo Yonemitsu !!!! And he delivers his usual mix of awesome synths, drum programming and wailing guitars. It's by far the best Hosoe album ever released !!

Perfect Collection Ys I & II : Complete Works of Ryo Yonemitsu

If there was a Falcom album to make it in my final list, this was it. The Ys Super Arrange Version is nothing short of perfection. Ys II Super Arrange Version leaves a bit to be desired at points, but when it shines, it does so brilliantly !! Probably not quite as aggressive as his Dragon Saber arrangements, but they do hit the spot quite nicely.

Rei-nana Original Soundtrack

As with Hosoe, I couldn't leave out Yack from starring in my top 10 list/collection. I could have chosen Border Down as well, but I feel this shows off his diversity better. Plus the opening vocal is too awesome for words. Definitely makes me "Fly so high" 

S.S.T. Band Live! -G.S.M. Sega-

Such a glorious piece of VGM history. Never mind the Orchestral Game Concerts *dodges tomatoes and eggs thrown*, the Game Music Festivals had much, much more energy to them. 1990 was the first year with S.S.T. Band and Zuntata getting their moment of live fame. I've always thought S.S.T. Band had a much more solid performance going from both hearing this album and seeing the equivalent VHS tapes (these are going to be pawned off too).

Silent Hill 3 Original Soundtrack

This was my first exposure to the wonderfully eerie world of Silent Hill. I know a lot of people will take SH2 as the best, but I thought 3 was just as good, if not better. "You're not here" is the best thing to come out from Yamaoka and Williamson in my mind. The rest is deliciously spooky yet so enjoyable. 

Tommy Tallarico Virgin Games Greatest Hits Volume One

Finally, here is the other western album which I can't get enough of. Love him or hate him, I find this album difficult to not enjoy, especially if you're a fan of pretty much anything with synths and guitars. No really, if I were to meet Tallarico during a VGL event (don't plan on it, but it could happen eventually), this is the album I'd want to be autographed by him.

So things are finally in motion. If I'd want to show off my small VGM collection to visitors, I would not feel shame in any way. These 10 are by far the best acquisitions I've had during my 12 years of VGM collecting. I know it may seem crazy to limit myself to such a small number of albums, but when you get too many, a lot tend to be ignored and merely gather dust. So with these, everything gets equal attention and playtime.

On an off-topic note, I'm also downsizing the number of tarantulas I'd keep. I was originally going to go for 5 diffrent species, but have decided that 2 are more than enough to keep me busy for decades to come. Now that I've had my Mexican Fireleg for over a year and doing splendidly, it's time to acquire the definite hobby classic, the Mexican Red Knee !

Thoughts/comments welcome

If I were forced to kick it down to 10 albums, I would choose these (at this moment):

Insector X
Double Dragon II
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy V
Castlevania IV (Dracula Best Vol. 2)
Dracula Battle
Dracula Battle II
MIDI Power Pro5 Salamander
The Very Best of OGR
DoDonPachi dai-ou-jou Arrange Album

The advantage of those albums is that I never tire of them. They always fix me up.

Yep, that applies to my choices above.

Phantasy Star Sound Collection 1
Rockman 1-6 OST
FFVI OSV
Genso Suikoden OST
Game Music Graffiti
Dracula Battle Perfect Selection 1
Ys IV Perfect Collection Vol. 1
Ys Perfect Collection: Complete Works of Ryo Yonemitsu
Tokimeki Memorial Sound Collection 2
Guilty Gear Original Sound Collection

This would pretty much be mine. It leaves out too much stuff for comfort (I'd probably cheat and count all the Ys IV PC's as one album), but there's my desert island VGM collection. And for good measure, my "other music" list:

Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Scorpions - Lovedrive
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Accept - Metal Heart
Katrina and the Waves - Katrina and the Waves
Debbie Gibson - Out of the Blue (stop laughing!)
Kim Wilde - Close
Rush - Chronicles (too many Rush albums to choose from and this is the best Rush compilation I've seen)
Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1

I could live with that. Of course, not taking into account I'm burned out on Metallica and a few other bands at the moment and Scorpions/Accept are actually pretty fresh, so they got the nods here. Ask me next month, and they might not be here.

Like most people that have replied in this topic, I do not think I would be able to downsize my video game music collection to just ten albums unless I had no other choice. Way too much of a completist/perfectionist for that, but I do envy your situation as you seem to be at peace with your collection.

Tried to impose a limit on my collection in order to keep it from getting way out of hand, but in the end, I just decided to stick to a specifc type of video game music.

I like that selection ! Lots of very nice picks.

Since you've also added some non-vgm picks... I might as include mine.

Bruno Jacques Pelletier - Le Romantisme Espagnol
Bruno Jacques Pelletier - Musique Ancienne
Judas Priest - Metal Works '73 - '93
Boston - Third Stage
Van Halen - Van Halen II

Yep, so 10 vgm albums and 5 non-vgm albums which I'm personally very satisfied with, which also manages to bring up the track count to a well rounded 500.

And I was planning to get a Mexican Red-Knee tarantula but decided against it. The Fireleg is more than enough to work with.

I realized that my top 10 are entirely Japanese. Here's my other top 10, by non-Japanese composers:

Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Perfect Dark
Blast Corps
Banjo Kazooie
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Tetrisphere
Spider
Tomb Raider II
Flashback

Good man.

I am so embarassed to mention this now. Nearly a month has passed since I was supposed to pass off the remainder of my collection at a specific pawn shop.

I did go there. Yet I sold zilch. They weren't your typical pawn shop per say but rather a "collector" shop that specialises in manga, comic and some other products. So I was grievely misinformed. The trip wasn't a complete waste as I managed to stop by at a pet shop nearby and found another French Tarantula book which I did not have or read.

But yeah, perhaps it was an opportunity to re-evaluate my collection.

Limiting myself to only 10 albums would have driven me crazy after a while. I needed more variety.

So I've added an additional 22 albums to the count.

Going in alphabetical order, and without comment.

Absolute Area -Project Thunder Force VI-
Akumajo Dracula Best
Akumajo Dracula Best 2
Bahamut Lagoon Original Sound Track
Border Down -Sound Tracks-
Border Down Sound Tracks Vol. 2
Broken Thunder -project Thunder Force VI-
Capcom Music Generation Famicom Music Complete Works Rockman 1~6
Daiva
Dirt Dash Arcade Soundtrack 015
Driving Emotion Type-S/Bushido Blade Original Soundtrack
Fighter's History Dynamite/Flying Power Disc
Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version
Golden Axe The Music
Gran Chaser
Ibara Remix Tracks
Light Bringer
Metal Black
Namco Game Sound Express Vol. 04 - Dragon Saber
Namco Game Sound Express Vol. 05 - Rolling Thunder 2
Namco Game Sound Express Vol. 17 - Tekken
Perfect Collection Ys I & II : Complete Works or Ryo Yonemitsu
Perfect Collection Ys III
Rei-nana Original Sound Tracks
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children Game Music Arrange Tracks
Symphonic Suite Dragon Quest V Heaven's Bride
Symphony Ys '95
Technicbeat Soundtrack
Technictix
Tommy Tallarico Virgin Games Greatest Hits Vol. 1
Viper Phase 1 Original Sound Track
Wizardry Llylgamyn Saga

More than enough variety and much less likely to drive me crazy over time.

No matter how hard I tried to cut back, there are still some albums I always came back to.

I'm still not sure how to sell off the remainder. I'd want to avoid to having to run to the Post Office every few days to ship stuff.

Oh man. Sell me the Ibara remix tracks.

Not a chance. What is above is what I'm definitely keeping. I've said to myself that I wouldn't be buying or trading anymore and I plan to stick to it.

I'll have to round up everything I plan to sell soon-ish

Went back to the drawing board for the last time.

So many albums I can happily live without.

So I've decided to make things fair by having 5 OSTs and 5 ASTs.  Yeah, back to 10 albums, but I know I've got the right combination this time around.

OSTs

Akumajo Dracula Best 2

One of my earlier purchases at Game Music Online, the Super Castlevania IV music is just too good to not have along for the ride. And the Game Boy disc is simply chock full of yummy melodies despite a weak sound chip.

Border Down -Sound Tracks-

I had thought at one point that Rei-Nana was the Yack soundtrack to keep, but Border Down always kept me coming back for more. Plus the arrangements by Saso, Hosoe and Yasui really sweeten the deal.

Capcom Music Generation Famicom Music Complete Works Rockman 1~6

This is one more nostalgic treasure that's simply too good to not bring along. I'll admit that I strongly prefer MM2, MM3 and MM4 over the rest, but the others are still quite pleasant in their own right.

Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version

Old-school Uematsu FTW !

Tommy Tallarico Virgin Games Greatest Hits Vol. 1

Like Border Down, I've always kept coming back to this one. While not a OST by definition, most of it comes straight off the Sega CD redbook of the various titles on this album.

ASTs

Daiva

I don't know what it is with this one, how can music from a game I've never played make me feel nostalgic ? I guess it's the simple yet solid melodies that made me keep this one.

Perfect Collection Ys I & II : Complete Works of Ryo Yonemitsu

Ys music is so good, no wonder it's here. I don't see myself ever getting tired of these classic melodies.

Raystorm -Neu Tanz Mix-

The first Zuntata album I've gotten and still the one that kept me coming for more. A fine example of techno done right.

Symphonic Suite Dragon Quest V Heaven's Bride

I knew I had to have at least one of these, the performance is incredible and very emotional. I'd go as far to say that I've always liked DQV a bit more than DQIV, and that's saying a lot given IV's high standards.

Symphony Ys '95

Oooh ! Look what sneaked up here ! Sure, it's all synthesized, but the quality is so good that I really don't care. Besides, it shows that Ys music can be arranged in more ways than just guitar-blasted power rock

So there we have it. Everytime something plays, I'm always happy !

The way things are going, I'd recommend settling with 30 albums. I can (and did) make a top 10, but there are so many residuals. Even with a top 100, there would be many residuals.

Tempting, but no. I can settle for 10 quite easily.

How can one mention residuals on VGM forum and NOT think of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erWm2cHXMd4

Who would have thought ? Here we go again... but not as extreme as before.

You know what I miss the most from my collection ? Full-on hard rock arrange albums !

Therefore two of my normal albums (Van Halen II and Third Stage) are being replaced by Fire Pro Wrestling Combination Tag and the 1st Perfect Selection Konami Shooting Battle. I've always been annoyed that my copy of Dragon Quest V Symphonic Suite is the one with the Copy Protection and my computer won't even play it ! Last but not least, Daiva may stand out for being one of the oldest arrange albums out there, but the arrangements are fairly straightfoward and... flat. I totally blame GoldfishX for the following replacements : World Heroes 2 and 2 Jet Image Albums. Your review of WH2IA several years back describing in detail what Ryo Yonemitsu brought to the already oustanding arrangements got me drooling for years. I had downloaded 2 Jet's arrange a couple years back and loved what I had heard. And just recently, I finally wound up on Ryo's version of Dio's theme on Youtube. Holy hell is it ever awesome !!! And to think just now I'm catching up to all this goodness.

These are truly the last switches since I'm commiting myself afterwards to stick with what I have. With all those heavy rock arranges... there is no possible way I'll ever want to switch with anything else.

I realize people are probably sick & tired of my ramblings, so let's cut to the chase and finish it off in beauty.

Akumajo Dracula Best 2

Being one of my earliest purchases from Game Music Online back in 1999, this one has stood up to a constant stream of sales and trades. When I played Super Castlevania IV in '91 or '92, I was so impressed by how good the music was. Even today, I believe this particular installment to the series is better than the recent offerings, but it's probably nostalgia acting up on me. Oh well. The Game Boy tunes still get my admiration and I hardly ever feel the need to skip these tracks.

Border Down -Sound Tracks-

Being of the more "semi-recent" acquisitions, I got this one from a trade with Chudah back in 2005 I think. At a time, I had thought that Senko no Ronde or Rei-Nana were superior representations of Yack's talent. In time, neither managed to pull me in for repeated listenings like Border Down has. On one hand, the album's styles are pretty varied and for the other hand the exclusive arrangements by Shinji Hosoe, Ayako Saso and Yousuke Yasui really gives the album a bit of extra "oomph".

Capcom Music Generation Famicom Music Complete Works Rockman 1~6

This is another "semi-recent" addition to my permanent collection. This was acquired through a trade with Zane back in 2006 I think. Back in '89, my first experience with Mega Man was when my brother and some of his friends were playing through Mega Man 2 and they were fighting the giant Dragon boss at the end of Dr. Wily's 1st stage. As I looked, to me it was the hardest game I have seen yet. Fast foward a couple of years later, some distant cousins drop by for the holidays and bring their Nes and a slew of games. One of them was Mega Man 3. I was unable to conquer any of the stages at first, but as time went on, I got better and better. Eventually after months of constant playing (it helped that my cousins accidentally forgot their Nes plus most of their games when they went back home), I eventually beat the game. And afterwards, I was able to blaze through it in a couple of hours. Result : the music was permanently implanted in my brain I decided to rent MM2 afterwards and the rest is history. I'm very glad that Capcom decided to make this set, as these memories will last.

Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version

Back in the mid-90s, my playing experiences with the Snes first revolved around Super Mario World, Zelda LTTP, Mega Man X 1-2, Castlevania IV, etc... Whenever I saw somebody playing these "quest-type" games like Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior, I just couldn't understand how they had fun choosing a bunch of menus to do stuff. A friend who was big on RPGs insisted that I give Final Fantasy III a chance... I was reluctant at first, by finally went in by the time I got to the first boss, I was starting to see how these games are so addicting. A few months after my first experience with the game, I finally managed to beat it. One of the best parts of the experience was the soundtrack. This was also one of the earlier Game Music Online purchases back in 1999. I had bought it before in 1998, but I quickly learned that it was a bootleg copy. So I corrected myself and bought a legit edition of the soundtrack nearly a year later. This one has also lasted through all the sales and trades that went on until recently. Anyways, I'll end my comment with this one by stating my personal opinion : It's Uematsu's very best. He hasn't hit the same mark of quality and quantity since... and that's a shame.

Fire Pro Wrestling Combination Tag

So this is one of my most recent acqusitions, it was purchased earlier this month at VGM World when I noticed that there was a 50% off sale for all used items. It was a great opportunity to pick up some items that I've been considering for years. While perusing vgmdb, I quickly found out that this album was arranged by Yuzo Hayashi, whom I had discovered on Insector X years ago through SlightlyDark/Jodo Kast. I was expecting it to be a full blown rock arrange, but it isin't the case. It's more of a laid-back jazzy style arrangement and that's perfectly fine by me. Since this was released at the end of '89, it effectively replaced Daiva as "that obscure arrange album from the late '80s".

Perfect Collection Ys I & II : Complete Works of Ryo Yonemitsu

Another "semi-recent" acquisition, this was purchased from VGM World back in 2007 I think. I had already gotten a taste of Ryo Yonemitsu's arranging style from his Dragon Saber tracks, so I knew I was in for a treat. The tracks that rock really do rock and the rest are also endearing regardless of style used. I think it's the ideal Falcom album to start off with since it embodies all that goodness that Falcom is known for musically.

Perfect Selection Konami Shooting Battle

I've been interested in this series ever since I knew of their existence when I started to collect VGM. At every occasion I've seen them, they were always overpriced and thus out of my budget. For a while I contended myself by having mp3s of these, but it was nothing compared to owning the real deal. So earlier this month, I finally added the 1st Shooting Battle to my (hopefully) final VGM World order which consisted of used albums that I saved 50% off thanks to the sale. I knew exactly what I was getting here, simply perfection achieved by having some classic Konami shooting tunes arranged in a heavy power rock style. This one replaced Tommy Tallarico's Virgin Games Greatest Hits Vol. 1 since it had so much more intensity in the tracks.

Raystorm Neu Tanz Mix

The last of the "semi-recent" additions, this was acquired through the same trade which Border Down was also included that I did with Chudah in 2005. It was the very first Zuntata album that I had gotten. And it was the one that kept me coming for more. I knew that this particular album was highly praised by a lot of people, so my expectations were met. It's a style of techno that doesn't get too heavy or too monotone, it achieves a fair balance and keeps a steady pace.

Samurai Spirits Image Album

This is another of my recent acqusitions from earlier this month through VGM World's special sale. I had become quite fammiliar of the original Samurai Shodown music thanks to avatar! that traded the original score for a couple of Cave albums last year I think. Seeing that it had a huge list of diffrent live instruments used, I knew this arranged album would be worth my while. The majority of the arrangements do stay faithful to their original counterparts, but some do offer some interesting improvisations. So this one replaces Dragon Quest V Symphonic Suite as it is equally elegant in its presentation.

World Heroes 2 Image Album

The last of the recent 50% off sale from VGM World earlier this month, I have been anticipating this album quite a bit. I had read GoldfishX's review of it a few years back. Just the fact that Ryo Yonemitsu was one of the arrangers really made it the more enticing. The album has a really good flow and all of the tracks shine in their own unique ways. It was definitely worth it. This one replaces Symphony Ys '95 since it's another of these arranged albums from the '90s that does everything right.

So that concludes my current (and hopefully permanent) collection of VGM.

I guess I don't understand why you're committing so hard to owning an arbitrary number of albums when there are clearly more that you really love. It seems like it's causing you a lot of angst and regret and second- and third-guessing yourself.

Why not just own the albums you enjoy? That's what most people do, I think.

The thing is that I'm not as into VGM as I used to be. And anything more than what I have now will result in some albums collecting dust. The only regret I have is having traded off Super Mario World for several lesser albums (still kicking myself for it) but what is done is done. I've always preffered rock-style albums so that's what the majority of the collection is now.

If I may kick this back up...

First, a quote from yours truly over 6 months ago.

"So that concludes my current (and hopefully permanent) collection of VGM."

=/

There has since been more downsizing, more than you would expect.

Would you believe that I'm left with 2 VGM albums ?

2 ?!

Yep... one OST and one arrange.

Gasp !

So I'm left with the absolute best OST in my opinion. This is really predictable if you know me.

Back to square one.... Final Fantasy VI OSV

What can I say ? Like several on here, I believe this is the absolute, finest RPG soundtrack. Pretty much every theme is memorable. I regret that Uematsu hasn't since achieved the same perfection in his future works. Hearing all that negativity about The Last Story kinda makes me glad I left the scene before it appeared.

And for the arrange.... what survived ?

Fire Pro Wrestling Combination Tag

For some reason or other, those pieces "spoke" to me more than any other arrange albums out there, including the Konami Shooting Battle and World Heroes 2 Image Album, which boggles my mind O.o The pleasant and jazzy nature of the tracks really make this one a keeper.

And since Game music and Other music is all lumped in one category now... what else do I have to please my ears daily ?

Cobra Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

This is one of those '80s film scores that just oozes awesomeness. Bear in mind, it is FAR from complete, since it has the vocal songs used in the film and 3 score tracks, with one not being used in the film. So popular '80s artists such as Miami Sound Machine, Robert Tepper, Jean Beauvoir and Bill Medley were featured here, plus 3 tracks from Hungarian (?) film composer Sylvester Levay were also included. These instrumental tracks were particularly heavy on the synths and guitars, which makes me squirm with joy every time I hear them.

Dan Gibson's Solitudes : The Classics II

Here's one that I didn't expect growing on me. This is classical music performed on synths and using nature sounds like bird calls and crashing waves to create a relaxing atmosphere. Guess what ? It works ! Stuff from Vivaldi, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Chopin and Offenbach to name a few. Much more enjoyable than the classical guitar by Bruno Jacques Pelletier.

Metal Works '73 - '93 - Judas Priest

The requisite heavy metal album. I've dabbled mainly in Iron Maiden, Metallica and Judas Priest. As much as I tried, I couldn't quite hang on to Maiden or Metallica. I don't know why since they were all good during the '80s. I guess Rob Halford's impressive vocal range won me over in the end. So many good tracks on this 2 CD set. It's not even a "best of" compilation. It contains both great and mediocre (IMO) songs. Songs like "Screaming for Vengance", "Painkiller" and "Exciter" really show how good these guys have been.

So that's it. 5 albums.

"Are you mad ?!" most of you would wonder...

Nope, I've learnt to be satisfied with little.