I have said it before, and I'm sure I will say it again: the Legend of Zelda series has incredible music. It's great in the games, it's great by itself, and it's great for people to recreate.

The music from the Zelda games is, without a doubt, a part of their success. I am absolutely not saying that the games are not good, but the music makes them that much better. Zelda music is memorable and catchy. It is also partially recycled throughout the series. I can't be entirely certain about Four Swords Phantom Hourglass because I haven't really played them yet, but in every other Zelda game you will hear at least one throwback to the original NES theme. Other songs, such as Zelda's Lullaby, also get modified and reused, giving the games a sense of back story, legacy and nostalgia.

This is a place to discuss the music from one of the greatest (if not the greatest) game series' of all time. What do you like about it? Which game do you think has the best overall music? Which game do you think has the best music style? (Wind Waker, for example, seemed to draw heavily on an Irish background) Do you know any alternate versions or remakes of songs?


I'll start off with an amazing project called Zelda Reorchestrated. A group of people are taking the music from all the Zelda games, isolating the different sounds, then using a program to record them as orchestral music. It's very impressive, and it sounds like real musicians are actually playing the music. In fact, I thought they were until I read all the information on the site.
ZREO
Though it is an unfinished work in progress, you can download everything they have so far from the site. I can personally vouch for the safety of the files. Each game has its own album, complete with original album artwork created by the team. And if you click on the A in the banner there is a secret song. Also, share this! Let others appreciate this awesomeness.

This is a slightly older song by Rabbit Joint. It was actually released on their album, and it's pretty good. Ignore the System of a Down in the title, it's there because a lot of people thought that it was by them.
The Legend of Zelda - Rabbit Joint

I posted this in my thread about fan made Zelda music videos, but it's too great not to post again. This is one person doing every part of the Wind Waker title music.
Wind Waker Unplugged (FreddeGredde)

Yeah, even though I haven't played many games, I agree. There's a lot of dynamics and diversity of instruments involved.

hypermonkey : I really enjoy the reorchestrated project too Hyper. You didn't mention it, but you must have heard the Zelda Symphony Album, for the 25th Anniversary? They one included with Skyward Sword pre-orders and played for a moment at 2011 E3?

Light Knight : You're right, I have heard the anniversary symphony and I totally forgot about it. It is so cool to hear real, professional musicians playing Zelda music. The first thing I did when I got the game (because I didn't have a Motion+ remote) was listen to that CD.

hypermonkey : I honestly almost cry every time I listen to it.