This was Telenet Japan's second album, released 22th August 1989. This was Telenet Japan and Wolfteam's first Toshiba EMI album, of a total of six.
As the name implies, this album contains music from the sequel to Telenet's first real mega-success Valis. Although Valis didn't get its own soundtrack, it was featured in Telenet's first album, Telenet Game Music Collection Vol. 1 There are also Valis tracks at the two albums Telenet Selection, the second Telenet Toshiba EMI release, and the XZR bonus Telenet_Since_1985.
Exactly like the prequel, this game was composed mainly by Telenet guru Shinobu Ogawa. But this time, he was accompanied by Tenpei Sato, Masahiro Kajihara, as well as the rather mysterious Jizou Kurabo.
Liner notes translation
Many thanks to .59 from SlightlyDark for providing us this great translation.
Music: Nihon Telenet Corporation Game Music Soundtrack Performance: You On A Gin (遊音人), Jizou Kurabo (only tracks 23, 24) (* Re-arranged version)
(note: Yuuonjin is a romanisation of kanji that mean something like people (or person) that play around with sound. It could be read as a name, but that would be a little bit too much of a coincidence. Other variations (yuonjin, yuuonnin ect. are possible, but this one sounds most plausible to me)
Phantasm Warrior Valis returns with part II after two and a half years. Naturally, this time's sound is also fully compatible with Soundboard II. To evoke the maximum amount of emotion with limited means of expression we went through multiple trial productions. By the way, for people that aren't familiar with the contents of the Valis II game, Iet me give you a simple introduction by using the PC-88 edition as a pretext. The main character is just as she was in the previous game, Asou Yuuko. The world of Valis is made up of three different worlds. There's the 'Real World', where humans live called 'Reality', the world of Good called 'Vanity', and the world of Evil called 'Vacanty'. When an internal war breaks out in Vacanty the world is thrown into unrest. In Valis 1, Yuuko was able to bring back peace to the world by defeating the Phantasm King Rogres. But now, two and a half years having since passed, an internal war has once again broken out in Vacanty. Yuuko, who was a first year high school student two and a half years ago, is now a third year student. But different from other high school students, Yuuko who knows she has a special 'calling' has once again risen to bring peace to the world. Together with queen Varia from the world of Vanity she goes through lots of action to beat the cruel king Megas. As for the flow of the game, first of all there's the opening visual. In the PC-88 a sampled voice draws you into the game. This is followed up by an action scene. There are up to 6 stages of thrilling action, and after you've beaten the last stage's boss Megas you get a happy ending as a result. Naturally, as Valis is popular for it's visual scenes, for every stage these visual scenes have been provided in the 'ACT 1', 'ACT 2' form. For this creation the focus was on creating a fusion of visuals and sound. Going beyond the so-called general game sound trend we'd like for our listeners to experience this album as having been created as one integrated product, which is what the flow of Telenet's sound is all about. Please enjoy that sound to your heart's content. Yuuko, once more...
Comments on tracks
Sacred Sacrifice (Re-arranged Version)
: A re-arranged version of the main title song. This same song was used in the PC Engine version of Valis II and was altogether created in a hard rock style.
Reiko, Bathing in Light : In the opening visual, Reiko calles you out from a brillantly bright fantasy world. Please listen to this song carefully while recalling Reiko's nostalgic message. Reiko who used to be in the same class as Yuuko, was manipulated by the boss Rogres in the previous version of Vallis, and made her entree there as Yuuko's enemy. Worn out from battling Yuuko, Reiko died in the previous Vallis but returns this time as a spirit watching Yuuko from the shadows and saving her from crisis.
Virgin Crisis : A suspicious shadow creeps up to Yuuko. The heavy change in the bass sound and the wild guitar solo fuel the feeling of tension.
Sacred Sacrifice : This song that runs in the back of the bright title logo was kind of composed as a follow-up to the previous Valis' title music. It was created with a slightly more mellow feeling then the previous version.
Pearlmont Wink : The song that runs though the game's first stage. In the real world a battle unfolds between Rogres' cruel Zaruuga and Yuuko. Listen to this one while throwing your right hand in the air and jumping up.
Pinch Zone : Valis's specialty; the Pinch Theme. The Pinch Theme is, as the word says, the theme that runs when the heroin Yuuko gets into danger.
Yuko My Love : Heart's Oasis, the screen where Yuuko dresses-up. By changing her costume her fighting ability is powered up! It's an idol song imaged after Yuuko. Somebody please add some lyrics to this one.
Cursed Pilgrimage : There! The time to battle the boss has come. In every stage there surely lurks a boss who you'll have to defeat to be able to progress further in the game. This song runs through the fightscenes where you battle these bosses.
Endless Battle : A song that adds a feeling of sadness to a boss' death. When this song play are able continue to the next scene. This melody has a different flavor than the previous bosukuri* tracks. (*Clearing the game screen by defeating the boss character.)
Pavane : A flute song that gives off a feeling of sorrow. In the game it was used for sad scenes involving the main character. This melody that has a triple beat was made in the image of something resembling a gypsy's feeling of sadness.
Valia : A visual scene. Yuuko suffering under the agonies of battle calls Varia-sama to plead her to come to her rescue. Please listen to this while sitting with your leggs folded under you as if you were offering a prayer to Varia -sama.
Vacanty : This is the BGM that runs through the visual scene of ACT 2. For this song, made after the image of the world of Vacanty, I tried to infuse the feeling of a setting where queen Varia tries to relate her feelings quickly to Yuuko. Varia who percieves the cruel king Megas' trap is unable to save Yuuko because that would get her caught. Yuuko who doesn't know this percieves a sense of uneasiness in Varia's actions... ACT 2 contains the devellopment of the story of these two.
Sentimental Soldier : This song is the the one that plays during the game's 2nd stage. The part to listen for is where the tone changes from piano to strings, and livens up. All of the arrangements have been put together with a up-tempo FM drum that wasn't present in Telenet's sound before.
Prediction : The song that plays during the game's 3rd stage. The 3rd stage is a Dungeon scene. Yuuko, who's fighting enemies that wander a dark cave is forced into an trembling fear. We turned that ominous image into a song.
Mirage Constellation : The song that plays during the game's 4th stage. It's a battle scene in a technolysed world. The melody was composed with the image of the previous Valis in mind.
Rock'n Roll Cinderella : A song that loudly makes it's entrance in the game's 5th stage. The frase at the end is a simulation of a distorted guitar's cordstroke. Approaches that sound nicely, don't you think?
A Sad White Day...From Yuuko : Before the last battle, Yuuko puts on a hyper suit. At that transformation scene's climax this song begins to play. A song composed after the girlish feeling that surrounds Yuuko's character.
White Message ~ Reiko's Theme : To save Yuuko, Reiko makes her entrance while dancing though the sky. Her magnificent and beautiful appearance is unforgettable. It's a song from the current album that Satou Tenpei was really pleased with.
Against Black Shadow ~ Wave of Evil : These are two songs used in the game's 6th stage arranged as a medley. The bass solo in the latter half of the first song is something worth noticing. The sound of this album's version is a bit more eleborate than the version in the game and goes even beyond the feel of that one so please listen to it closely. The latter song is the last BGM used in the game so we tried to put in a feeling of tension.
MEGAS : Well, the time to battle the final boss, the cruel king Megas has finaly come. Can Megas be beaten? This is the song that runs though this tension laden scene.
A Moonlit Night's Music Box : This is the game over music. Yuuko is being wrapped in light and summoned to Varia-sama. Put that image to the sweet melody of a Music Box resounding through a Moonlit Night.
Ever Green : Valis II's emotional ending theme. Please thoughfully listen to this while remembering the lone shape of Yuuko's back standing still while letting her black hair flow in the breeze.
Queen of Shivers : This the PC engine edition's rendition of Valia's theme. A melancholic melody resounding through the heart, that's what this song is.
Number 1 : From the same PC engine edition this is the song that playes though the game's 1st stage. Please enjoy the sound of the Jizou Club.
Pavane (Re-arranged Version) : In this re-arranged version I added a frase that makes good use of the timbre of the vibe harp. I think the combination of the flute's melody and the last half's frase is interesting.
Sad White Day...From Yuuko (Re-arranged Version) : A message from Asou Yuuko runs through the introduction part. I finished this as a piano-solo like arrangement. For the piano performance I used an actually played version as data.
White Message ~ Reiko's Theme (Re-arranged Version) : For the guitar solo, I tried playing while carefully recording the midi data with a sampler as a sound source. Even when using a computer you can get this close to a live preformance!
Vacanty (Re-arranged Version) : I struggled with the entanglement that is this melody, which utilises both a bass solo and the bass' timbre. I tried to really eleborate on the Violin's sound.
Virgin Crisis (Re-arranged Version) : This is somewhat progessive-like extreme rock. Cool, right?! The computer voice that runs though the last half is really exciting. It's a dangerous world!
Ever Green (Re-arranged Version) : Ever Green! For example, the sparkle in Yuuko's eyes, the gracefullness of strings. And beautiful melodies.
COMPOSE AND ARRANGEMENT
SOUND SOURCE COLLABORATION
(Stock company) Japan Accoustics
SPECIAL THANKS
Notes: At least one member of the Jizou Kurabu appears to be Inoue, Hisao. Jizou is the name of a bodhisattva who looks over children and those trapped in the underworld.
Image Girl "Sailor Costume 'Yuko'"
Valis II's heroin 'Yuuko' is a normal Highschool student who looks good in Sailor Costume. Asou here was chosen as the Image Girl for 'Yuuko' by user votes out of an open application (with about 1000 participants). She'll be showing up in front of you all as Japan Telenet's Image Girl from now on, so please treat her nicely.
Real name: Miyamoto, Yuuko / Born on the 28th of March, 1969 / Sign: Aries / Bloodtype: A / Length: 154 / Weight: 40 / Bust: 84 / Waist: 58 / Hips: 86 / From: Machida, Tokyo / Specialities: Drama, singing, playing the piano
PR: I look quiet to people but I'm actually a scatterbrain and a tomboy. To sum it up I'm cheerful and lively. I want to become friends with all you Valis fans as soon as possible, so if you catch me somewhere feel free to talk to me, okay?
White Day, half a year since then
The things I said to you
that they hurt you so.....
Good Morning
Hello
Thanks
See you.....
Although I thought you were a normal boyfriend
with my understanding of your feelings
words become harder to find
Although Valentine's Day is a day to confess your love
White Day is the day when only boys that recieved chocolate
give their replies
Isn't that somewhat unfair, I wonder
Now, as my hart too is being painted by the sunset
I suddenly remember that sad White Day