Please help w/ finding/identifying genuine Final Fantasy Soundtracks & autograph Qs

[Poofta!]

Good Evening fellow DP goers.

First, some background, long story short, my gf is dragging me to the anime-con (ughh) in Boston on April 2-4th.

I just found out that one of my favorite video game composers, Nobuo Uematsu, will be there signing autographs. Since I am indifferent to anime, I fully intend on spending as much time as I need to in line having him sign some of my stuff.

And this is where I would love your help. I was never into soundtrack collecting and thus have never gone about buying/tracking any down. I know, however, that like 98% of the ones on ebay are fake, and I a) would never buy a bootleg and b) find it very embarrassing to bring a bootleg to be signed by my fav composer.

Please, DP, could you help me located and school me as to which soundtracks are obvious bootlegs, how to tell, where to get legit ones and maybe even help me acquire some?


PS: if anyone is going to this anime con, wanna meet up whilst there?

[izarate]

This might come in handy:
http://forums.ffshrine.org/showthread.php?t=71655
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/anime/music/part1/ (go to sect. 3)

[Poofta!]

This might come in handy:
http://forums.ffshrine.org/showthread.php?t=71655
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/anime/music/part1/ (go to sect. 3)

Thank you!

the first link led me to a couple trustworthy ebay sellers and I am definitely going to buy from one.

i forgot to mention in the OP: how do you guys recommend i get it signed, on the face of the CD or on the cover? insert? is there a possibility of the ink destroying the cd?

should bring a sharpie or silver/gold paint marker?

thanks again!

[Aussie2B]

Hah, yeah, presenting a bootleg is a quick way to offend any composer.

All you need to know is the company that published an album or the production number. If either doesn't match any of the legit print runs, then it's a bootleg. Check here for the information you need:

http://vgmdb.net/

And for some stores that only sell legit albums, you can find several links on the left side of Chudah's Corner:

http://www.chudahs-corner.com/

Chudah's Corner also has a section about bootlegs which will steer you away from the major bootlegging companies and the eBay sellers that stock their wares. But if you're just getting started, you may as well avoid eBay altogether since legit albums are like a needle in a hay stack over there. You really need to first get savvy about soundtrack collecting before shopping for albums on eBay or you're bound to get burned.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Thank you!

the first link led me to a couple trustworthy ebay sellers and I am definitely going to buy from one.

i forgot to mention in the OP: how do you guys recommend i get it signed, on the face of the CD or on the cover? insert? is there a possibility of the ink destroying the cd?

should bring a sharpie or silver/gold paint marker?

thanks again!

ONLY SIGN THE COVER. (Or other stuff.) But NEVER THE DISC.

I once brought a game to have it signed and the guy wanted to sign the disc. I told him "But how will I play the game then?" and had him sign the front cover. Yes, markers may destroy the CD eventually, depending on the quality of the disc and the marker itself.

[Aussie2B]

As for where to sign, I recommend on the front insert. Either on the cover or the inside of it, whichever you prefer. I'd guess he'd have a pen since he'll probably be signing copies of Final Fantasy games all day, but it wouldn't hurt to bring your own just in case.

[Poofta!]

thanks guys. all great tips.

unfortunately i am looking for albums which are more or less out of print. leaving ebay as one of my only options (sans forums, which i will start tomorrow). know the company/release of the album is helpful, but ultimately ebay sellers from hong kong can lie and not give a crap. i dont have time to deal w/ hassle of returns since i need it in 3 weeks.

[Aussie2B]

If you're looking for Final Fantasy soundtracks, then the vast majority of them have been reprinted. Square has always been really good about making most of their albums available. Doing a search for Final Fantasy on Play-Asia in the music section, I can see the OST for practically every game available, plus countless arrange albums.

As for dealing with eBay sellers, if they use good photos, then you can tell if it's legit based on that. Sellers with legit merchandise almost always say their albums are authentic too since they're aware of the problem on eBay. Bootleg sellers virtually never flat out lie about the authenticity of their albums. They simply avoid stating the info one way or the other, and if you ask for the facts, they ignore the questions. And honestly, I'd avoid all sellers in Hong Kong and Taiwan. If it's not coming from Japan, don't buy from an Asian soundtrack seller or you're playing with fire.

[DuckTalesNES]

I bought this one on ebay, does anyone have an idea if its legit?

http://cgi.ebay.com/FINAL-FANTASY-VII-OST-ORIGINAL-CD-SOUNDTRACK_W0QQitemZ150421692808QQcmdZViewItemQQpt ZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2305d4e188#ht_1572wt_ 1012

[Aussie2B]

I bought this one on ebay, does anyone have an idea if its legit?

http://cgi.ebay.com/FINAL-FANTASY-VII-OST-ORIGINAL-CD-SOUNDTRACK_W0QQitemZ150421692808QQcmdZViewItemQQpt ZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2305d4e188#ht_1572wt_ 1012

All signs point to it being a bootleg, unfortunately. The seller has multiple brand new copies of tons of soundtracks, including ones that are fairly old, and as low as $7.99 for albums that would normally retail for around $30? Yeah, I don't think so. Plus you can't see any legit logos or anything in the photos, and the seller never makes any mention of who released the albums or if they're authentic. The seller is too new to eBay to appear on any blacklists, but I'm 99% positive he's selling bootlegs. Assuming you haven't received it yet, I'd check to confirm if it's a bootleg when it arrives, and if so, see if you can go about returning it and getting your money back. $25 is a lot to waste on a worthless bootleg, and they are indeed worthless. You'd be better off downloading the mp3s and burning your own cd-r. At least then you wouldn't be indirectly involved with funding mafia groups, and you could very possibly get BETTER audio quality that way because bootlegs not only have much cheaper packaging but also occasionally have audio flaws.

[Poofta!]

I bought this one on ebay, does anyone have an idea if its legit?

http://cgi.ebay.com/FINAL-FANTASY-VII-OST-ORIGINAL-CD-SOUNDTRACK_W0QQitemZ150421692808QQcmdZViewItemQQpt ZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2305d4e188#ht_1572wt_ 1012

definitely a bootleg. that album went out of print a while ago and hasnt been reprinted recently (squarenix handled the reprint, Digicube made the original). it normally sells for over 50$. it should come with sticker sheet too btw.

btw, i ended up buying from otaku.
he is well known and reliable seller from the research i have done, and even gave me a discount on shipping since i spent 160$.

i ended up getting the original Digicube release of that same FFVII album quoted above, Final Fantasy I II Original Soundtrack (which is funny cause its a re-arrangement and updated after the PSX release of the games), Black Mages II - skies above, All sounds of Final Fantasy I II (the actual 1988 original) and Final Fantasy III Original Sound Version.

ive listened to them before and look forward to finally owning them. cant wait to see Nobuo Uematsu sign them!