Majora’s Mask was the last complete OST released by Nintendo of Europe so far (since then they have only released best of collections with about 10 tracks i.e. very incomplete STs). While the European OST for Ocarina of Time came on two seperate CDs, MM is a 50+4 track compilation on two CDs, featuring all the important music from the game. While some of the short musical cues from cutscenes are missing (compared to the Japanese version) there are four Europe-only remix bonus tracks.
I don’t want to go into detail too much about the original sound version. Most tracks loop twice, so you don’t have to hit the repeat button too often. If you haven’t played the game, you’ll probably have some problems enjoying the typical Koji Kondo N64 sound even if the melodies are great; if you have played the game though, you can’t help but admire Kondo’s work! Some tracks have been taken right out of Ocarina of Time, but that doesn’t matter much (I can’t get enough of the Zora theme!). What I also like about this OST is that the dungeon tracks as well as the “Last Day” theme feature well-selected samples from Spectrasonic’s “Distorted Reality” sampling CD, my favorite sampling CD ever! The order of tracks was selected in favor of variety over the order they appear in the game, which is not a bad decision at all. Sadly there’s no booklet, just an inlay.
But let’s focus on the 16 minutes of bonus remix tracks: most of them use the (thin) ingame sound, adding (fat) layers of drums, rhythm and bass lines as well as some effects. Also, the rhythmic structure is sometimes changed to fit the musical style of the remix. All of the remixes are good and enjoyable. “Mysterious Times (Great Bay Party Mix)” as the name might suggest, sounds happy and party-like. “Sonata of Healing” is the weakest remix here, slow moving and with only few variations like fanfares and effects laid over the original melody. “Eternal Legend” is a “4 on the floor” take of MM’s overworld theme with some strange quantize effects going on…in the second part a piano plays along with the melody – very nice. “Salia’s Song (Spooky Groovy Remix)” was already released on the “Lost Tracks”. It’s a great 4 on the Floor track, and perhaps the best of the four remixes here. As always that’s a matter of taste. I agree with Patrick’s review of “Lost Tracks” though – those remix tracks are better than the “official Zelda Rearrange Tracks.”
So do you need this CD? If you live in Europe it should be easy to find it on eBay, for varying prices. If you already have the Japanese version, ask yourself: “Do I really really need four further remixes of Zelda music?” (Insert appropriate answer here)…____
