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List of Final Fantasy compilation albums

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Music of Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy (ファイナルファンタジー, Fainaru Fantajī) is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and owned by Square Enix that includes video games, motion pictures, and other merchandise. There have been a number of compilation albums of Final Fantasy music produced by Square Enix, as well as several albums produced by outside groups, both officially and unofficially licensed. These albums include music directly from the games, as well as arrangements covering a variety of styles, such as orchestral, piano, vocal, and techno.

Square Enix produced the first album, Final Fantasy 1987–1994, in 1994. Since then, Square Enix has produced twelve albums, leading up to the Final Fantasy Finest Box, released in 2007. The first compilation album produced by an outside group was The Best of Final Fantasy 1994–1999: A Musical Tribute, released in 2000 by Sherman F. Heinig; the newest is Voices of the Lifestream, a download-only album from OverClocked ReMix released in 2007. Final Fantasy Remix, produced by a DJ group called Ante, is scheduled for release in August 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 music from the soundtracks of the games, as well as unreleased tracks and four vocal selections that were 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 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. This version had slightly different track names and packaging than Final Fantasy 1987–1994.[2]

The compilation was well received by critics. Freddie W. of RPGFan found the track selection for Final Fantasy 1987–1994 to be "pretty good" and termed it a "great collection".[1] Lucy Rzeminski of RPGFan agreed, finding the album to be a "nice collection of arrangements".[2] Adam Corn of Soundtrack Central also enjoyed the album, saying that there were "few CDs I would recommend more highly" and that the tracks were "rife with emotion and beauty".[3]

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.[4]

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.[4] Kevin Murphy of Soundtrack Central agreed, finding the arrangements to be "great".[5] Dan of Square Enix Music Online also enjoyed the album, although he found the lyrics to be "nothing too special".[6]

F.F. Mix

Untitled

F.F. Mix is an album of music from 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.[7]

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".[7] Soundtrack Central was "a little disappointed" in the album, but felt it was still a "nice" CD.[8] Simon of Square Enix Music Online, however, disliked the collection, feeling that it was a "bizarre" album and only "for hardcore fans".[9]

Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow

Untitled

Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow is an 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.[10]

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.[10] 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".[11] 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.[6]

Music from FFV and FFVI Video Games

Untitled

Music from FFV and FFVI Video Games is a promotional CD which was included with the release of the Final Fantasy Anthology collection in North America. The album, which was never released as a stand-alone product, contains 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 are 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.[12]

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.[13] 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.[14] 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".[12]

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. "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.[15]

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.[15] Stahn Mahn of RPGFan was more approving, calling it "average", but also disliked the synthesized instruments and the quality of the remixing.[15] 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.[16]

Potion: Relaxin' with Final Fantasy

Untitled

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.[17] 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.[17]

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.[18] 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".[18]

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.[19]

The album was well received by critics. Damian Thomas of RPGFan found it to be a "great compilation" and "highly" recommended the CD.[19] 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.[20]

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.[21]

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.[21] 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".[21] Patrick Dell of Soundtrack Central felt that the album was "wonderful" and "an impressive display", although he greatly disliked the performance of the choir.[22] 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".[23] Sophia of Square Enix Music Online, on the other hand, felt that it was a "fantastic album" and a "must have".[24]

Track listing

Project Majestic Mix

Main article: Project Majestic Mix: A Tribute to Nobuo Uematsu
Untitled

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.[25]

The Black Mages

Main article: The Black Mages discography

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.[26] 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.[27] The band released their third album, The Black Mages III: Darkness and Starlight in 2008, published by Sony Music Distribution.[28]

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.[29]

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.[29] 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".[30] 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.[31]

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.[32]

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".[32] 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".[33]

Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy

Untitled
See also: Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy

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.[34]

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.[34] 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."[35] Chris of Square Enix Music Online also praised the album, finding similar features and flaws.[36]

Final Fantasy Finest Box

Untitled

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.[37][38] 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.[37]

Voices of the Lifestream

Main article: Voices of the Lifestream
Untitled

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. The album was released on September 14, 2007 to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII.[39] Since its release, the collection has received praise from numerous video game sites and professional composers.[39] As an unofficial album, the collection is only available as a free download.

Final Fantasy Remix

Untitled

Final Fantasy Remix is a remix album containing dance club remixes of music from games throughout the series by Ante, a DJ group composed by Ian Hartley and Matt Baggiani. Nobuo Uematsu is directing the remixing. The album was released on August 6, 2008 by Square Enix. [40][41] A three-track EP was released via iTunes on July 18, 2008.

Cellythm album

data-sort-value="" style="background: var(--background-color-interactive, #ececec); color: var(--color-base, #2C2C2C); vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | section Uematsu will release a new Final Fantasy compilation album in 2009.[42]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b W., Freddie. "Final Fantasy 1987–1994". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
  2. ^ a b Rzeminski,Lucy. "Final Fantasy N Generation: Official Best Collection". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
  3. ^ Corn, Adam. "Final Fantasy 1987–1994". Soundtrack Central. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  4. ^ a b Gaan, Patrick. "Final Fantasy Vocal Collections I -Pray-". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
  5. ^ Murphy, Kevin. "Final Fantasy Vocal Collections 1 ~ Pray". Soundtrack Central. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  6. ^ a b Dan. "Final Fantasy Vocal Collections: Review by NeoLocke". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  7. ^ a b Gann, Patrick. "Final Fantasy Mix". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
  8. ^ Necrosaro. "Final Fantasy Mix". Soundtrack Central. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  9. ^ Simon. "Final Fantasy Mix: Review by Simon". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  10. ^ a b Gann, Patrick. "Final Fantasy Vocal Collections II [Love Will Grow]". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
  11. ^ Corn, Adam. "Final Fantasy Vocal Collections 2 ~Love Will Grow~". Soundtrack Central. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  12. ^ a b Gann, Patrick. "Music From FFV And FFVI Video Games". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  13. ^ K., Daniel. "Final Fantasy Anthology - Music from FFV and FFVI". Soundtrack Central. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  14. ^ Chris. "Music from Final Fantasy Anthology: Review by Simon". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  15. ^ a b c Space, Daniel; Robinson, Steve. "The Best of Final Fantasy 1994–1999: A Musical Tribute". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-04-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Tilton, Chris. "The Best of Final Fantasy 1994 – 1999: A Musical Tribute". Soundtrack Central. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  17. ^ a b Thomas, Damian. "Potion: Relaxin' with Final Fantasy". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  18. ^ a b Rzeminski, Lucy. "Potion: Final Fantasy S Generation: Official Best Collection". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  19. ^ a b Thomas, Damian. "Potion 2: Relaxin' with Final Fantasy". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  20. ^ Philip. "POTION 2: Relaxin' with Final Fantasy: Review by Scherzo". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  21. ^ a b c Bogdanowicz, Robert; Maas, Liz. "20020220 - Music from Final Fantasy". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-04-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Dell, Patrick. "Final Fantasy 20020220 Orchestral Concert". Soundtrack Central. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  23. ^ Dave. "20020220 - Music from Final Fantasy: Review by Dave". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  24. ^ Sophia. "20020220 - Music from Final Fantasy: Review by Sophia". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  25. ^ Rzeminski, Lucy. "Project Majestic Mix: A Tribute to Nobuo Uematsu - Gold Edition". RPGFan. Retrieved 2006-04-21.
  26. ^ Byus, Andy. "Final Fantasy ~ The Black Mages". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
  27. ^ Jones, Jesse. "Final Fantasy ~ The Black Mages II: The Skies Above". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
  28. ^ Castonguay, Logan. "Final Fantasy ~ The Black Mages III: Darkness and Starlight". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
  29. ^ a b Gann, Patrick. "Final Fantasy Song Book "Mahoroba"". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  30. ^ Dave. "Final Fantasy Song Book Mahoroba: Review by Dave". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  31. ^ Simon. "Final Fantasy Song Book Mahoroba: Review by Simon". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  32. ^ a b Gann, Patrick. "More Friends music from Final Fantasy ~Los Angeles Live 2005~". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-05-20.
  33. ^ Sophia. "More Friends - Music from Final Fantasy: Review by Sophia". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2008-05-20.
  34. ^ a b Gann, Patrick. "Distant Worlds - music from Final Fantasy". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  35. ^ Andre. "Distant Worlds - Music from Final Fantasy: Review by Resk". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  36. ^ Chris. "Distant Worlds - Music from Final Fantasy: Review by Dark Cloud". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  37. ^ a b Tjan, Mark. "FF Finest Box". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  38. ^ Square Enix Music Online. "Final Fantasy Finest Box - Album Information". Square Enix Music. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  39. ^ a b Radd, David (2007-9-14). "Game Daily: OC Remix releases FFVII: Voices of the Lifestream". Game Daily. Retrieved 2007-11-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  40. ^ "あの名曲が蘇る！ 『ファイナルファンタジー リミックス』が2008年8月6日に発売". Famitsu (in Japanese). Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  41. ^ "FINAL FANTASY REMIX". Square Enix (in Japanese). Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  42. ^ http://www.squareenixmusic.com/musicnews2.php?subaction=showfull&id=1229298742&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2&

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