Since the series' inception, there have been a number of compilation albums of Final Fantasy music produced by Square Enix, the producer of the game series. The first one of these was Final Fantasy 1987–1994, an album composed primarily of previously published arrangements, which was published in 1994 and re-released in 2004 by NTT Publishing. The album was released seperately in North America in 2001 by Tokyopop as Final Fantasy N Generation: Official Best Collection. Final Fantasy: Pray, an album of vocal arrangements of music from the series, was released by NTT Publishing in 1994 and again in 2004. F.F. Mix is a collection of music from three singles for Final Fantasy IV and V, and was also released by NTT Publishing in 1994 and 2004. Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow was another album of vocal arrangements, published by NTT Publishing in 1995 and 2004.
After Love Will Grow in 1995, no further compilation albums were produced until 1999, with Music From FFV And FFVI Video Games, a promotional CD which came with the release of Final Fantasy Anthology on October 5, 1999 and contained selections from the Final Fantasy V and VI soundtracks. Potion: Relaxin' with Final Fantasy is an album of previously published arrangements released in 2001 by DigiCube and in 2006 by Square Enix. Final Fantasy S Generation: Official Best Collection is another album of previously published arrangements, covering Final Fantasy VII through IX, and was released by Tokyopop in 2001 exclusively in North America. Potion 2: Relaxin' with Final Fantasy is an album in the vein of Potion, and was published by DigiCube in 2001.
20020220 music from Final Fantasy, a recording of a concert of Final Fantasy music given by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra on February 20, 2002, was released by DigiCube on May 9, 2002 and re-released by Square Enix on July 22, 2004. Final Fantasy: Song Book - Mahoroba is an album of vocal arrangements of music from the series published by Universal Music in 2004. More Friends: Music from Final Fantasy is a live recording of a concert given on May 16, 2005 at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. It was released on February 15, 2006 by Square Enix. Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy is a live recording of a performance by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra the opening night of the "Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy" concert tour. It was released by AWR Records on December 4, 2007. The most recent compilation album, the Final Fantasy Finest Box, was a six disk set released by Square Enix on March 28, 2007, containing the soundtracks to Final Fantasy IV Advance, Final Fantasy V Advance and Final Fantasy VI Advance.
In addition to the compilation albums produced by Square Enix, several albums of music from outside groups have been released. These include both officially licensed and unofficial albums. The first of these, The Best of Final Fantasy 1994 – 1999: A Musical Tribute, contains a selection of tracks from Final Fantasy VII through IX, arranged and remixed by Sherman F. Heinig and performed by the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra and the Electric Sound Ensemble. The album was released by Big Ear Music in 2000, and re-released as Music Inspired By Final Fantasy by WB Music Corp in 2001. Project Majestic Mix: A Tribute to Nobuo Uematsu is an offially licensed tribute album produced by KFSS Studios and released by NTT Publishing, DataM and DigiCube in 2002. The Black Mages, a Japanese instrumental rock band formed by Nobuo Uematsu, have arranged Uematsu's musical compositions in a rock style often similar to progressive metal. They have released three officially licensed albums: The Black Mages, released by Square Enix in 2003, The Black Mages II: The Skies Above, released in 2004 by Universal Music, and The Black Mages III: Darkness and Starlight, published by Sony Music Distribution in 2008. Voices of the Lifestream is an unofficial Final Fantasy VII tribute album, released by OverClocked ReMix in 2007. Final Fantasy Remix, an officially licensed piano remix album by Ante, a DJ group, is scheduled to be released in August of 2008.
Albums
Final Fantasy 1987–1994
Untitled
Final Fantasy 1987–1994 is a greatest hits album of music from Final Fantasy I through VI. The album contains a selection of musical tracks from different albums of the games plus unreleased tracks and four vocals, arranged, remixed and performed by Nobuo Uematsu, Shiro Hamaguchi and others. The album was released by NTT Publishing on December 10, 1994, with a limited edition previously released on November 26, 1994, and was re-released on October 1, 2004. The limited edition release bears the catalog number PSCN-9101, the normal edition release bears the catalog number PSCN-5011, and the re-release bears the catalog number NTCP-5011. The album contains 16 tracks and spans a duration of 63:10.[1]
The album was released in North America as Final Fantasy N Generation: Official Best Collection on October 10, 2001 by Tokyopop with the catalog number TPCD 0212-2.[2] The album had slightly different track names and different packaging than Final Fantasy 1987–1994, but was otherwise identical.[3]
The compilation was well received by critics, with Freddie W. of RPGFan finding the track selection for Final Fantasy 1987–1994 to be "pretty good" and terming it a "great collection" overall.[1] Lucy Rzeminski of RPGFan agreed, finding the album to be a "nice collection of arrangements".[3] Adam Corn of Soundtrack Central also enjoyed the album, saying that there were "few CDs I would recommend more highly" and finding that the tracks were "rife with emotion and beauty".[4]
"Montage" (Final Fantasy III Yuukyuu no Kaze Densetsu)
2:00
3.
"Theme of Love"
"Theme of Love (Arranged Version)"
"Theme of Love" (Final Fantasy IV Celtic Moon)
4:12
4.
"Daishinrin no densetsu (remix)" ("Legend of the Great Forest (Remix)")
"Legend of the Deep Forest (Arranged and Remixed Version)"
Remix of "As I Feel, You Feel" (Final Fantasy V Dear Friends)
5:08
5.
"Mizu no miko ERIA" ("Elia, the Priestess of Water")
"The Water Maiden (Arranged Version)"
"Montage" (Final Fantasy III Yuukyuu no Kaze Densetsu)
2:26
6.
"Welcome To Our Town!"
"Welcome to Our Town! (Arranged Version)"
"Welcome To Our Town!" (Final Fantasy IV Celtic Moon)
3:11
7.
"MOUGERI no TEIMA" ("Moogle's Theme")
"Moogles' Theme (Arranged Version)"
"Critter Tripper Fritter!?" (Final Fantasy V Dear Friends)
3:05
8.
"The Breeze"
"The Breeze (Arranged Version)"
"Following the Wind" (Final Fantasy III Yuukyuu no Kaze Densetsu)
3:30
9.
"Troian Beauty"
"Troian Beauty (Arranged Version)"
"Troian Beauty" (Final Fantasy IV Celtic Moon)
3:39
10.
"Haruka naru furusato" ("So Far Away From Home")
"Home, Sweet Home (Arranged Version)"
Remix of "My Home, Sweet Home" (Final Fantasy V Dear Friends)
3:28
11.
"Shin'ai naru tomo e" ("Deep Affection to a Friend")
"Dear Friends (Piano Version)"
Remix of "Dear Friends" (Piano Collections Final Fantasy V)
5:07
12.
"Aria Di Mezzo Caraterre (remix)"
"Aria Di Mezzo Carattere (Arranged and Remixed Version)"
Remix of "Aria Di Mezzo Carattere" (Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale)
5:54
13.
"Rydia"
"Rydia (Arranged Version)"
"Rydia" (Final Fantasy IV Celtic Moon)
3:06
14.
"SCENE VII"
"Symphonic Suite Final Fantasy: Scene VII"
"SCENE VII" (Symphonic Suite Final Fantasy)
5:18
15.
"SONGO de CHOKOBO" ("Chocobo's Song")
"Songo de Chocobo (Arranged Version)"
Original Track
3:38
16.
"FAINARU FANTAJII, piano version" ("Final Fantasy, Piano Version")
"Final Fantasy (Piano Version)"
Original Track
3:12
Final Fantasy: Pray
Untitled
Final Fantasy: Pray is an arranged album of music from the first six games in the series composed by Nobuo Uematsu and arranged for vocals by Toshiro Mitsutomi, Masatsugu Shinozaki and Yoshiro Nakamura and sung by Risa Ohki. The tracks were sung in many languages, including English, French, Japanese, and Portuguese. The album covers a duration of 47:02, and was released on June 25, 1994 by NTT Publishing, and subsequently re-released on October 1, 2004. The original release bears the catalog number PSCN-5006, while the re-release bears the catalog number NTCP-5006.[7]
Final Fantasy: Pray was well received by reviewers such as Patrick Gann of RPGFan, who found the album to be "one of the most original" albums produced for the Final Fantasy series and described it as "simply incredible". He did, however, take issue with some of the lyrics, finding that when translated into English they made little sense.[7] Kevin Murphy of Soundtrack Central agreed, finding the arrangements to be "great".[8] Dan of Square Enix Music Online also enjoyed the album, although he found the lyrics to be "nothing too special".[9]
F.F. Mix is an arranged, remixed and previously unreleased tracks album of music from the first Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI, remixed and performed primarily by Nobuo Uematsu. It was first released on November 26, 1994, and subsequently re-released on October 1, 2004, by NTT Publishing. The album includes songs from the previously released singles Final Fantasy IV Minimum Album, Final Fantasy V: 5+1, and Final Fantasy V Mambo de Chocobo, as well as three original tracks. The album covers a duration of 58:10, and the original release bears the catalog number PSCN-5012 while the re-release bears the catalog number NTCP-5012.[11]
The album received mixed reviews by critics. Patrick Gann of RPGFan disliked the new tracks and found many of the others lacking, though he felt the album as a whole was "great for hardcore fans".[11] Soundtrack Central was "a little disappointed" in the album, but felt it was still a "nice" CD.[12] Simon of Square Enix Music Online, however, disliked the collection, feeling that it was a "bizarre" album and only "for hardcore fans".[13]
"Main Theme of Final Fantasy IV (Phat Stylee Remix)"
Original Track
4:48
4.
"Prologue...(Arranged Version)"
Final Fantasy IV Minimum Album
4:55
5.
"Theme of Love (Arranged Version)"
Final Fantasy IV Minimum Album
4:18
6.
"The Origin (Unreleased Track)"
Final Fantasy IV Minimum Album
1:58
7.
"Restless Moments (Unreleased Track)"
Final Fantasy IV Minimum Album
1:43
8.
"The Sea of Silence (Unreleased Track)"
Final Fantasy IV Minimum Album
2:21
9.
"Matoya (SFC Version from Final Fantasy)"
Final Fantasy V/5+1
1:53
10.
"Mount of Sky Dragon (Unreleased Track)"
Final Fantasy V Mambo de Chocobo
2:04
11.
"Opening Idea- Version 2 (Unreleased Track)"
Final Fantasy V Mambo de Chocobo
2:16
12.
"Flying Ship- Version 2 (Unreleased Track)"
Final Fantasy V Mambo de Chocobo
1:58
13.
"Mambo de Chocobo"
Final Fantasy V Mambo de Chocobo
3:44
14.
"The Prelude Crystal Mix"
Final Fantasy IV Minimum Album
4:58
15.
"Final Fantasy Megamix"
Final Fantasy V Mambo de Chocobo
6:08
Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow
Untitled
Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow is an arranged album of music from the first six Final Fantasy games arranged for vocals and performed by Nobuo Uematsu, and sung by Risa Ohki and Ikuko Noguchi in various languages, including English, Japanese, French, and Portuguese. It covers a duration of 42:48 and was released by NTT Publishing on November 25, 1995, and was subsequently re-released on October 1, 2004. The original release bears the catalog number PSCN-5041, and the re-release bears the catalog number NTCP-5041.[15]
The album was well received by critics, with Patrick Gann of RPGFan proclaiming that he "really cannot express how good this soundtrack is" and that it was the "best vocal collection" he had heard to date.[15] Adam Corn of Soundtrack Central was also pleased with the CD, finding it to have "wonderful instrumentation" and the vocals to be "impeccable". He concluded that "what this CD lacks in intensity it makes up for in sheer beauty".[16] Dan of Square Enix Music Online, however, although stating that he enjoyed the album found several of the tracks to be "tedious" and preferred Final Fantasy: Pray to Love Will Grow.[9]
"Main Theme of Final Fantasy IV" (Final Fantasy IV)
Japanese
3:52
2.
"悠久の風 (Yūkyū no Kaze)"
"Eternal Wind" (Final Fantasy III)
Portuguese
3:25
3.
"Have You Ever Seen Me?"
"Cute Little Tozas" (Final Fantasy III)
English
2:45
4.
"Valse des Amoureux (newly written)"
"Waltz of lovers" (Original track)
French
3:23
5.
"GAIA"
"Main Theme" (Final Fantasy I)
Japanese
4:23
6.
"遠い日々の名残り (Tōi Hibi no Nagori)"
"The Day Will Come" (Final Fantasy V)
Japanese
6:04
7.
"はるかなる故郷 (Haruka Naru Kokyō)"
"Home, Sweet Home" (Final Fantasy V)
English and fragments of backwards Japanese
2:37
8.
"Estrelas"
"Melody of the Lute" (Final Fantasy IV)
Portuguese
3:02
9.
"神の揺り篭 (Kami no Yurikago)"
"Relm's Theme" (Final Fantasy VI)
Japanese
4:01
10.
"Love Will Grow"
"Finale" (Final Fantasy II)
English
5:31
11.
"Prelude"
"Prelude"
English
3:38
Music from FFV and FFVI Video Games
Untitled
Music from FFV and FFVI Video Games was a promotional CD included with the release of the Final Fantasy Anthology collection in North America. The album, which was never released as a stand-alone product, contained nine songs from Final Fantasy V followed by thirteen songs from Final Fantasy VI. This release marked the first time that Final Fantasy V had been released outside of Japan. The songs on the album were identical to the versions from the games' respective original soundtracks. The Final Fantasy Anthology was released by Square on October 5, 1999, and the album did not have a catalog number. It spans 22 tracks and covers a duration of 57:27.[18]
The album was poorly received by critics such as Daniel K of Soundtrack Central, who derided the track selection and declared that the album was only acceptable because it came free with the game.[19] Chris of Square Enix Music Online also disliked the track selection for the album, terming it an "an unworthy 'best of' selection" and claiming that the album "offers nothing" to both casual listeners and Final Fantasy music fans.[20] Patrick Gann of RPGFan, however, said that while many of the best songs from the games were not included, the album was still "an enjoyable listening experience".[18]
Potion: Relaxin' with Final Fantasy is an album of Final Fantasy music, containing a selection of musical tracks from previous arranged albums and one previously unreleased track. The tracks were all composed by Nobuo Uematsu, and the bonus track, "Shin'aie Naru Tomo e", was arranged by Yoko Shimomura and performed by Kazunori Seo. The album was released on February 21, 2001, by DigiCube with the catalog number SSCX-10051 and re-released by Square Enix on July 19, 2006 with the catalog number SQEX-10073. The album spans 17 tracks and covers a duration of 66:22.[22] The album was well received by critics; Damian Thomas of RPGFan termed it "a solid buy" and found it to be a very relaxing album.[22]
Final Fantasy S Generation: Official Best Collection
Untitled
Final Fantasy S Generation: Official Best Collection is a greatest hits collection of arranged music from Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX. The album contains a selection of musical tracks from other albums, composed and arranged by Nobuo Uematsu. It was released on October 23, 2001 exclusively in North America by Tokyopop. The release bears the catalog number TPCD 0213-2, spans 16 tracks, and covers a duration of 66:50.[24] The album was well received by critics, with Lucy Rzeminski of RPGFan praising the track selection and saying that she had "no complaints about anything on this album".[24]
"Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII (Arranged Version)"
Final Fantasy VII Reunion Tracks
6:28
4.
"Fisherman's Horizon (Piano Version)"
Piano Collections Final Fantasy VIII
3:55
5.
"The Man With the Machine Gun (Arranged Version)"
FITHOS LUSEC WECOS VINOSEC Final Fantasy VIII
3:36
6.
"Vamo' Alla Flamenco (Piano Version)"
Piano Collections Final Fantasy IX
2:57
7.
"Daguerreo, the Hermit's Library (Piano Version)"
Piano Collections Final Fantasy IX
4:17
8.
"One-Winged Angel (Arranged Version)"
Final Fantasy VII Reunion Tracks
4:26
9.
"Fragments of Memories (Arranged Version)"
FITHOS LUSEC WECOS VINOSEC Final Fantasy VIII
4:07
10.
"Dark City Treno (Piano Version)"
Piano Collections Final Fantasy IX
2:40
11.
"The Oath (Arranged Version)"
FITHOS LUSEC WECOS VINOSEC Final Fantasy VIII
5:10
12.
"Unrequited Love (Piano Version)"
Piano Collections Final Fantasy IX
4:29
13.
"Aeris's Theme (Arranged Version)"
Final Fantasy VII Reunion Tracks
5:02
14.
"Ami (Piano Version)"
Piano Collections Final Fantasy VIII
3:33
15.
"Behind the Door (Original Soundtrack)"
Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack
2:05
16.
"Melodies of Life (Original Japanese Version)"
Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack
7:34
Potion 2: Relaxin' with Final Fantasy
Untitled
Potion 2: Relaxin' with Final Fantasy is an album of Final Fantasy music, containing a selection of musical tracks from previous arranged albums and one previously unreleased track, "Eyes on Me (Acoustic Guitar Version)". The tracks were all composed by Nobuo Uematsu. The album was released on December 19, 2001, by DigiCube with the catalog number SSCX-10059. It spans 14 tracks and covers a duration of 61:23.[26]
The album was well received by critics. Damian Thomas of RPGFan found it to be a "great compilation" and "highly" recommended the CD.[26] Philip of Square Enix Music Online, while not as exuberant as RPGFan, also enjoyed the album, finding that although some of the tracks "stretched the definition" of relaxing, the disk as a whole was engaging and solid.[27]
"遠い日々の名残り (Tōi Hibi no Nagori)" ("The Day Will Come")
Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow
6:05
3.
"GAIA"
Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow
4:24
4.
"Once You Meet Her"
Final Fantasy: Pray
4:20
5.
"Não Chora Menina" ("Kids Run Through the City")
Final Fantasy: Pray
4:01
6.
"はるかなる故郷 (Haruka naru furusato)" ("Far Away from Home")
Final Fantasy V Dear Friends
3:30
7.
"Theme of Love"
Final Fantasy IV Celtic Moon
4:14
8.
"大森林の伝説 (Dai Shinrin no Densetsu)" ("Legend of the Great Forest")
Final Fantasy V Dear Friends
5:10
9.
"Into the Darkness"
Final Fantasy IV Celtic Moon
4:10
10.
"セリスのテーマ (Serisu no Tēma)" ("Celes' Theme")
Piano Collections Final Fantasy VI
3:09
11.
"Fisherman's Horizon"
Piano Collections Final Fantasy VIII
3:57
12.
"Melodies of Life"
Piano Collections Final Fantasy IX
3:34
13.
"Love Will Grow"
Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow
5:33
14.
"Eyes on Me (Acoustic Guitar Version)"
Original Track (Final Fantasy VIII)
4:40
20020220 music from Final Fantasy
Untitled
20020220 music from Final Fantasy is a live recording of an orchestral concert of arranged music from the Final Fantasy video game series. The album contains a selection of musical tracks from the games, arranged for orchestra by Nobuo Uematsu and Shiro Hamaguchi and performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra on February 20, 2002 at the Tokyo International Forum. Track 2-06 was performed by RIKKI accompanied by the orchestra, track 2-08 was performed by Emiko Shiratori, also accompanied by orchestra, and tracks 2-02 and 2-03 are solo piano pieces performed by Aki Kuroda. The album was first released on May 9, 2002 by DigiCube, and subsequently re-released on July 22, 2004 by Square Enix. The original release bears the catalog numbers SSCX-10065-6, and the re-release bears the catalog numbers SQEX-10030-1. The albums spans 25 tracks over two disks and covers a duration of 107:27.[29]
The album was well received by critics and was termed an "amazing soundtrack" and "probably the best Final Fantasy arranged album ever made" by Robert Bogdanowicz of RPGFan.[29] Liz Maas of RPGFan agreed; although she found there to be a lack of actual innovation overall, she felt the music was "wonderful" and the album as a whole "rather enjoyable".[29] Patrick Dell of Soundtrack Central felt that the album was "wonderful" and "an impressive display", although he greatly disliked the performance of the choir.[30] Dave of Square Enix Music Online was not as impressed by the album, saying that many of the performances were "lacking cohesion and direction", although he felt that overall it was "satisfactory" and "worth repeated listens".[31] Sophia of Square Enix Music Online, on the other hand, felt that it was a "fantastic album" and a "must have".[32]
FINAL FANTASY I~III メドレー (FINAL FANTASY I~III Medorē)
"FINAL FANTASY I~III Medley" (Final Fantasy I - III)
8:24
6.
MC-2
"MC-2"
3:42
7.
エアリスのテーマ (Earisu no Tēma)
"Aerith's Theme" (Final Fantasy VII)
5:21
8.
Don't be Afraid
"Don't be Afraid" (Final Fantasy VIII)
3:42
9.
ティナのテーマ (Tina no Tēma)
"Terra's Theme" (Final Fantasy VI)
4:47
10.
MC-3
"MC-3"
4:25
11.
親愛なる友へ (Shin'ai Naru Tomo e)
"Dear Friends" (Final Fantasy V)
4:38
12.
Vamo' alla Flamenco
"Vamo' alla Flamenco" (Final Fantasy IX)
5:04
Disk 2
#
Track name
English translation (Game)
Length
1.
MC-1
"MC-1"
0:09
2.
ザナルカンドにて (Zanarukando nite)
"Zanarkand" (Final Fantasy X)
3:05
3.
ユウナの決意 (Yūna no Ketsui)
"Yuna's Decision" (Final Fantasy X)
3:09
4.
MC-2
"MC-2"
2:35
5.
Love Grows
"Love Grows" (Final Fantasy VIII)
4:45
6.
素敵だね (Suteki da ne)
"Suteki da ne" (lit. Isn't It Wonderful?) (Final Fantasy X)
6:37
7.
MC-3
"MC-3"
3:50
8.
いつか帰るところ~Melodies of Life (Itsuka Kaeru Tokoro ~ Melodies of Life)
"A Place to Call Home ~ Melodies of Life" (Final Fantasy IX)
6:40
9.
MC-4
"MC-4"
6:28
10.
片翼の天使 (Kata Tsubasa no Tenshi)
"One-Winged Angel " (Final Fantasy VII)
4:51
11.
MC-5
"MC-5"
4:20
12.
The Man with the Machine Gun
"The Man with the Machine Gun" (Final Fantasy VIII)
3:54
13.
FINAL FANTASY
"Final Fantasy"
3:34
Final Fantasy Song Book: Mahoroba
Untitled
Final Fantasy Song Book: Mahoroba is an arranged album containing a selection of musical tracks from the Final Fantasy series as well as a track from the Ten Plants album, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, arranged for vocals by Yuji Hasegawa, and sung in Japanese by Manami Kiyota. It was released on March 10, 2004, by Universal Music. The release bears the catalog number UPCH-1332. The album includes a hidden track, with the final song of the album playing after 50 seconds of silence on the 10th track.[34]
The album was received by critics, with Patrick Gann of RPGFan calling it a "relaxing, enjoyable experience", and praising the song selection and the quality of the arrangements.[34] Dave of Square Enix Music Online concurred, saying that the album was an "accomplished arrangement" and "a fun album to listen to if you like vocal music".[35] Simon of Square Enix Music Online found that the album was "not as accessible as the other two Final Fantasy Vocal Albums" but still enjoyed and recommended the CD.[36]
"Daguerreo, the Hermit's Library" (Final Fantasy IX)
2:17
9.
"うたかた (Utakata)" "Bubbles on the Water"
"Home, Sweet Home" (Final Fantasy V)
5:05
10.
"廻る光 (Mawaru hikari)" "Revolving Light"
"Unrequited Love" (Final Fantasy IX)
9:47 (6:25)
11.
"いつか帰るところ (Instrumental) (Itsuka kaeru tokoro (Instrumental))" "A Place to Return to One Day (Instrumental)"
"A Place to Return to One Day" (Final Fantasy IX)
(1:11)
More Friends: Music from Final Fantasy
Untitled
More Friends: Music from Final Fantasy is a live recording of an orchestral concert of arranged music from the Final Fantasy video game series. The album contains a selection of musical tracks from the games, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, arranged for orchestra by Shiro Hamaguchi, Tsuyoshi Sekito, and Michio Okamiya, and performed by an orchestra conducted by Arnie Roth on May 16, 2005 at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. The Black Mages, RIKKI, Emiko Shiratori, and a local choir also performed various pieces either with or separate from the orchestra. The album was released on February 15, 2006 by Square Enix with the catalog number SQEX-10065. The album spans 13 tracks and covers a duration of 74:54.[38]
The album was well received by critics such as Patrick Gann of RPGFan, who said that "the recording quality is great, almost every song is aimed to please, and rarely do Square Enix fail in this regard."[38] Sophia of Square Enix Music Online concurred, terming it "An album with a little bit of everything" and "a must-have for any Final Fantasy fan."[39]
Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy is a live recording of an orchestral concert of arranged music from the Final Fantasy video game series. The album contains a selection of musical tracks from the games, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, arranged for orchestra by Shiro Hamaguchi, Sachiko Miyano, Naoshi Mizuta, Hiroyuki Nakayama, and Arnie Roth, and performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra on December 4, 2007 at the Stockholm, Sweden at the opening night of the worldwide "Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy" concert tour. The album was released on December 4, 2007 by AWR Records with the catalog number AWR-10101. The album spans 13 tracks and covers a duration of 74:22.[41]
The album received mixed reviews from critics, with Patrick Gann of RPGFan saying that "The recording quality is decent, the performance is standard, and it's all the classic Final Fantasy you've come to love", but expressing disappointment that the album contained only one new arrangement, with the other songs composed of arrangements originally made for other concerts.[41] Andre of Square Enix Music Online, however, despite also wishing for more original arrangements, felt that the quality was superb and that the album as a whole was "one of life and energy."[42] Chris of Square Enix Music Online also praised the album, finding similar features and flaws.[43]
Final Fantasy Finest Box is a promotional album containing the soundtracks from Final Fantasy IV Advance, Final Fantasy V Advance and Final Fantasy VI Advance, all composed by Nobuo Uematsu. The Final Fantasy IV disk included several tracks which were not included in the original OST, such as the "Chocobo Forest" theme, the music for the dancing girl, the short intro to "Cry in Sorrow/Sorrow and Loss", and various fanfares. The other two games' disks included all the same tracks as their respective OSTs, remade for the hardware of the Game Boy Advance.[45][46] It was offered on March 28, 2007 to 5,000 people in Japan as part of the "Finest Fantasy for Advance" campaign. The box set spans 183 tracks and covers a duration of 6:30:28. The album was well received by critics such as Mark Tjan of RPGFan, who praised the quality of the remade songs, though he lamented the price of the collection due to the limited release.[45]
Outside groups
The Best of Final Fantasy 1994 – 1999: A Musical Tribute
Untitled
The Best of Final Fantasy 1994 – 1999: A Musical Tribute is an arranged and remixed tribute album of music from Final Fantasy VI, VII, and VIII. The album contains a selection of musical tracks from the games, arranged and remixed by Sherman F. Heinig and performed by the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra and the Electric Sound Ensemble. Vocals were performed by Tamara Woodman in "Liberi Fatali". It was first released on September 26, 2000 by Big Ear Music, and subsequently re-released on October 9, 2001 as Music Inspired By Final Fantasy, containing an additional track, "Alexandria (Vivi's Theme)" from Final Fantasy IX, by WB Music Corp.[47] "Alexandria" was performed by KFSS Studios. The original release bears the catalog number EAZ-4032, and the re-release bears the catalog number 40131-2.[48]
The album was poorly received by critics, with Daniel Space of RPGFan terming it a "disappointment" and criticizing the quality of the synthesized instruments and vocals.[48] Stahn Mahn of RPGFan was more approving, calling it "average", but also disliked the synthesized instruments and the quality of the remixing.[48] Chris Tilton of Soundtrack Central was more derogatory, saying that "if you can name any kind of harm you can do to music, it's on this CD" and was greatly disapproving of the quality of the synthesized instruments.[49]
Project Majestic Mix: A Tribute to Nobuo Uematsu is a fan made tribute album in honor of Nobuo Uematsu's work for video game music. The album had two releases, a Silver Edition and a Gold Edition, and both contain a selection of musical tracks from the games, arranged and performed by KFSS Studios. The Silver Edition was released on May 9, 2002 by NTT Publishing, DataM and DigiCube, and the Gold Edition was released on June 22, 2002 by NTT Publishing, DataM and DigiCube. The Silver Edition release bears the catalog number KFSS-702 and the Gold Edition release bears the catalog number KFSS-701, but is not available for purchase. The Gold edition features an additional disc of music that had been in the works, but cut from the final release of the Silver.[51]
The Black Mages are a Japanese instrumental rock band formed by Nobuo Uematsu which arranges Uematsu's musical compositions in a rock style often similar to progressive metal, achieved with the additional use of synthesizers. They have released three studio albums, the first containing only combat-related instrumentals. It was released eponymously as The Black Mages in 2003, and was published by Square Enix.[52] The second album, The Black Mages II: The Skies Above, was released in 2004 by Universal Music and features a wider array of pieces. Guest vocalists Tomoaki Watanabe, or Mr. Goo, and Kazco Hamano appear on separate tracks, and an original track titled "Blue Blast - Winning the Rainbow" was created for Japanese K-1 fighter Takehiro Murahama.[53] The band released their third album, The Black Mages III: Darkness and Starlight in 2008, published by Sony Music Distribution.[54]
Voices of the Lifestream is an unofficial tribute album released by OverClocked ReMix as a tribute to Nobuo Uematsu's score for Final Fantasy VII.[55] The album was released on September 14, 2007 to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII.[56][57] Since its release, the collection has received praise from numerous video game sites and professional composers.[56][57] As an unofficial album, the collection is only available as a free download.
Final Fantasy Remix is an upcoming remix album to be released by Square Enix in Japan. It will contain piano remixes of music from games throughout the series by Ante, a DJ group composed by Ian Hartley and Matt Baggiani. Nobuo Uematsu is supervising the remixing. The album is scheduled to be released on August 6, 2008. No final tracklist has been announced as of July 2008.[58][59]