drammatica ~ The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura

This is a orchestral arrangment album from Yoko Shimomura. This album contains the composer's handpicked favourite tracks, and performed by a real orchestra.

Coming out in March 26th.

Click here to preview the tracks. Remember to have the mix control slided to the RIGHT to hear the arranged tracks.

drammatica -The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura-bpreview

I loved the Mana and Destati tracks. I have dreamed of listening to Destati played by a real orchestra since I first heard the synthed version in the very first KH1 trailer. And hearing a new version of the Mana main theme is a real treat. I can't wait to hear the 13th medly and The Other Promise (Roxas final mix boss theme) in full orchestra, along with all of the Legend of Mana tracks.

Also of note, this album will also contain a new track from Versus 13 called Somnus.

Here's the full track list.

drammatica -The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura-btrack list

Personally I am happy Yoko finally has a arrangment album out, considering how much different games and styles she has composed. My only gripe is that Parasite Eve's Main Theme Orchestral is NOT on the album. That's another one of my favourite Yoko soundtracks and a real orchestral version would have been lovely.

I am surprised however that a Live A Live track is in the album, considering that I doubt many have heard of this title if it weren't for the internet, since it was never released in the States. Good track all the same.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by CHz

]I also am confused about why an album produced and released in Japan would include a track from a game released only in Japan..

I probably should have rephrased that a little. :P

I mean, Live a Live was a Japan only release so the JP players would naturally know this, but, this wasn't exactly a title that many gamers in general knew, probably including the Japanese. People hear FF or KH or Chrono and their ears perk up, but was Live A Live a success in Japan? I love the track from the site all the same don't get me wrong, but was the game successful enough to be memorable in Japan? Cause really, untill I heard of this album, I have never heard of it, and you'd think game music sites may have mentioned it or it would have circulated around RPG sites or something. Like maybe a feature of "games you may never heard of " in various sites might have mentioned it, but I was surprised all the same.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by orion_mk3

Now, if only a whole mess of other composers would follow suit and produce similar discs jam-packed with personal favorites arranged and performed live by groups of their choice!

Yeah, you'd think FF8 Orchestral and Mitsuda's Xenogear's celtic album would make Square take the hint... I haven't seen an orchestral arrangement album in years from them till now.

But then again, Nobuo and Mitsuda has left Square... But, Mitsuda has promised that the Chrono arrangement album is still in the works. I hope we hear something about it soon.

And who knows, if drammatica sells well, they may release a volume 2 with fans voting on a poll for their faves.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by CHz

I suppose you could count the concert CDs: More Friends ('06), Voices, ('06) and Distant Worlds ('07).

Yea, but we all know its always gonna be FF and more FF and more and more FF...

Ya, you get the idea. I just want the good ol days where we have great arrangment albums, be it vocal or orchestral, for Square games. Concert CDs are awesome all the same...

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Some sites are claiming that the CD was leaked last week. Sold earlier than it should.

If that's true, where the hell is it?! The thread on audio request keeps getting bumped by people who DON'T have the album, and countless searches on the net has been fruitless.

I hope someone uploads it soon.

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Awesome that someone uploaded it!

I unfortunatly have a download limit that I am running out of this month (Being in Australia and all..), anyone willing to convert it to VBR mp3? The files Shylph uploaded are too big for me.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Since I realised that the file that was uploaded was NOT lossless and therefore not as big as I thought, I went ahead and downloaded it.

Its one of the best orchestral VGM albums out there. Every track is just beautiful and amazing. My personal faves are the Legend of Mana tracks and the KH ones. The rest, despite my unfamilairity, were also beautiful, particularly the Live a Live tracks.

But the one I cannot stop listening right now is The Other Promise. It was sad and powerful in game, and with a real orchestra playing, its one of the most emotional and sad pieces Yoko has ever wrote, and its a character theme at that too, which I am not sure that outside of KH, she has even done much character themes. I always thought Roxas's theme was the best character theme in the series, and this arrangment showed why.

Destati, while amazing, to me had performance and recording problems. At times I feel like the choir is a bit off, and wasn't as poweful as the Tokyo Philharmonic chorus they got the original version for the initial KH trailers. The orchestral arrangment is amazing, but at times it overpowers the choir's singing, when it shouldn't. Its kinda hard to hear the altos and basses in the piece, even in the beginning when its much quieter.

Then again, I recently found and listened to the Distant Worlds concert album, which performance and recording quality trumps every FF orchestral CD I have ever heard, so that could have been a factor to me feeling a little let down the quality, espcially in the brass section. Seems like in Asia, its hard to find good brass players. Back in Hong Kong, in a concert, the brass players are ALWAYS Caucasian males with large stomachs in the HK orchestral groups.

Despite that, it is a great album, one that all Yoko's fans must listen to.

FELIPE NO

Now for some shamless self promoting, of sorts.

Other Promise was amazing, but part of me wanted a Roxas theme orchestral, and also a proper Other Promise battle theme from the original game in KH2 Final Mix +

So using the magic called audio editing using Adobe Audition, I made a version of the Roxas theme looping 3 times before ending.

Roxas theme can be streamed here:

YouTube - Roxas Theme Orchestral Edit from Drammatica album

and downloaded in mp3 form here:

MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

Working on Other Promise Game edit...

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