3. Final Fantasy VII Nobuo Uematsu
Another iconic one - Uematsua has always dealt in superlative soundtracks, but he outdid himself with Final Fantasy VII. The sector 5 slums, the Mako reactor, that endlessly looped Golden Saucer jingle (its stuck in your head now, isnt it?) for the whole of Final Fantasy VIIs sprawling sixty-hour playtime there isnt a single bum-note on the OST. And thats saying something. The culmination of a whole years work, Uematsus four-disc bumper pack comprises of eighty-five studio recorded tracks, inspired by everything from Carl Orff to Jimi Hendrix. Skipping through the album on Spotify, its hard to pick just one track for special mention, but heres a personal favourite. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvsYW45WA3E Uematsus work has since been performed by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, and remixed into an unofficial tribute album titled Voices of the Lifestream. In 2012, Aeriths Theme ranked above Vivaldis Four Seasons and Beethovens Moonlight Sonata in a Classic FM listener poll of the three-hundred best loved classical compositions - an amazing achievement for such a contemporary piece, and testament to Uematsus brilliant work.