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.

Like you said, it's Shimomura's own favorites that were picked for that album. There are better tracks on the Legend of Mana album in my opinion, but that's the point, it's HER choice. Heroes of Mana ? I thought the album was so-so, nothing spectacular for the ears. They should have made a poll on Square-Enix website where people could have submitted their favorite tracks. My tracklist would have been completely different. Anyway, let's not panic until next week. My copy is already preordered anyway.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Translated tracklist from VGMdb:

01 Legend of Mana ~Title Theme~ [Seiken Densetsu Legend of Mana]
02 Take the Offensive [FRONT MISSION]
03 Destati [KINGDOM HEARTS Series]
04 Hometown Domina [Seiken Densetsu Legend of Mana]
05 The Bird Flies in the Sky, the Fish Swims in the River [LIVE A LIVE]
06 To the Heroes of Old ~Opening Theme from HEROES of MANA~ [Seiken Densetsu HEROES of MANA]
07 Twinkle Twinkle Holidays [KINGDOM HEARTS Series]
08 Tango Appassionata ~The Way This Heart Is~ [Seiken Densetsu HEROES of MANA]
09 Colored Earth [Seiken Densetsu Legend of Mana]
10 Forgotten Wings ~Forgotten Wings~ [LIVE A LIVE]
11 The 13th Anthology [KINGDOM HEARTS Series]
12 Manifold Irons [FRONT MISSION]
13 Ruined Sparkling City [Seiken Densetsu Legend of Mana]
14 The Other Promise [KINGDOM HEARTS Series]
15 The Tale Told by the Wind ~Ending Theme from HEROES of MANA~ [Seiken Densetsu HEROES of MANA]
16 Somnus [FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII]

Originally Posted by Kairi Li

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.

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

Love the original arrangement of Wings That Don't Reach from the strategy guide CD, and the snippet sounds like that track except played live (just going by memory; there may be some tweaks, but it's basically the same). I am absolutely fine with this.

How ya doing, buddy?

I'm surprised too, cuz, you know, LAL isn't fucking awesome or anything; plus it has the bonus of being early Shimomura, so every battle track doesn't scream OMG IT'S BY HER. Instead, they merely scream FUCK YEAH!

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Shame that both LAL tracks on drammatica aren't battle themes.

(this is an actual shame)

(where is my full-length LAL arrange album, Square)

I was speaking idiomatically.

I'm looking forward to this, definitely. There are certainly some tracks, and some games, that I would've loved to see included, but oh well. The important thing isn't what we're not getting, after all.

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!

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

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.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by CHz

Shame that both LAL tracks on drammatica aren't battle themes.

(this is an actual shame)

(where is my full-length LAL arrange album, Square)

I LAL'd.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

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.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Kairi Li

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?

As you said:

Originally Posted by Kairi Li

This album contains the composer's handpicked favourite tracks

I don't really see how the sales or notability of the game are relevant if the two tracks are among her favorite compositions.

Originally Posted by Kairi Li

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.

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

There's nowhere I can't reach.

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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I'm really looking forward to this one. The orchestration sounds awesome, and the track is pretty solid. Assuming "Twinkle Twinkle Holidays" incorporates the melody from "Happy Holidays!", then I've already found my favourite track. Other than that, I'm looking forward to the LaL and Front Mission contributions the most. The "Forgotten Wings ~Forgotten Wings~" sample is my favourite so far.

Aw heck. ITT we discuss LiveALive music! So is "MEGALOMANIA" like the best battle theme ever or wut?

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Props to Shimomura for the arranged CD. I'm quite excited about the Legend/Heroes of Mana tracks. Very interested to hear track 13, "Ruined Sparkling City", from Legend of Mana; the source material is one of my favourite tracks from the exquisite LoM album. Actually, I'd have liked a Legend/Heroes of Mana only arrange album. :P Arrangements of "Earth Painting" or "Wanderer's Path" would be like a wish come true.

Gripes: No "Prelude to the Demon King" from Live-a-Live and Parasite Eve arrangements. Sobs. But perhaps a PE arrangement was looked over because PE got its shot with the PE remixes release. But still.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Earth Painting is an arrangement on the list . It's actually track 9.

I think this will be the best Square album this year, imo. I loved Hamauzu's Veilen Dank, but the tracks weren't much in length. Drammatica seems to have lengthy arrangements and a couple medleys to boot. I just might get my money's worth this time . I just wonder who the orchestrator is?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

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.

Most amazing jew boots

shylph has come through for us all!

http://www.gamingforce.org/forums/au...tml#post588209

Be sure to thank them and prop their post

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Mantastic.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Kairi Li

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?!

SQUARE-ENIX has a chracter goods shop in Hatsudai and it has sold the album since 20th.

How ya doing, buddy?

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.

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

This album is, imo, the best album from Square this year. I was left speechless by everything. The orchestration is colorful and evocative. The performance is spot on, except in a couple of places. The track selection is diverse. There's even a tango arrangement of Where the Heart Is which actually features a bandeon, an instrument made famous by the master of tango Astor Piazzolla. Twinkle Twinkle Holidays is a nice festive tune and is such a fun listen. The album does have its fair share of pretty music, too. For example, the arrangement of Roxas' Theme in Other Promise is gorgeous with its piano arpeggios and sweeping strings.

I was disappointed to not see anything from Parasite Eve, but the quality of arrangements that ARE present do more than enough to make up for the lack of the Main Theme being performed .

As a fan of Shimomura, I can say with certainty that this album is definitely the best of Yoko Shimomura. As I understand, the tracklist was picked by Shimomura herself. This explains why the album perfectly demonstrates her diversity in composition and musical taste. From epic orchestra music to romantic tangos, this album is sure to be a gem amongst Shimomura and game music fans alike!

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Josh_1

This album is thus far the best album from the vgm world this year.

Fixed. Not that there's any competition, or that this was THAT good. It's one solid piece delivered by Shimomura.

I don't really want to go into detail, but this one is recommended to any fan of cheery orchestral vgm.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. I can't say that I would have picked the same tracks, since there are some I am definitely missing, but what they've made out of the chosen tracks - for example KH's "The Other Promise" - is simply sensational. If you're interested in orchestrated game music, be sure to check this out!!

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

I might go on later about how freaking AMAZING this cd is but for now let me just say it's absolutely incredible. Mind blowing, amazing, I didn't know music could be this good.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Yes. Some of it is just the initial hype of discovery, I'm sure, but right now I'm ready to put this on an equal level with stuff like Xenogears Creid and declare it one of the best releases in years. I'm especially enjoying Somnus, and Kairi Li is spot on with The Other Promise.

Here, here's snippets of impressions I wrote for another forums, whose members are far less up-to-date on the VGM scene.

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Anyways, getting to the point, she recently released in Japan an album featuring arrangements of some of her personal favorite tracks: Drammatica - The Very Best of Yoko Shimomur. And it's blown me away to the point where I actually felt the need to come online and tell you people to all listen to it, heh. It's gorgeous stuff; it's fully orchestrated and yet it retains the variety of styles she's known for. Too many orchestrated albums end up droning on with tracks that aren't always distinguishable from one another, and the same boring sound throughout - not so here. We get quite a lot of stuff from Legend of Mana and Kingdom Hearts, as well as Front Mission and a few others, ranging from sweeping drama to lighthearted. And I do believe that every single track on this album will make it onto my ipod. There are only two other albums or soundtracks that have ever accomplished that: Xenogears Creid and the Jets'N'Guns soundtrack (by Mitsuda and Machinae Supremacy, respectively).

Two songs especially impressed me. The first was "The Other Promise", from Kingdom hearts, which was simply sweeping, dramatic orchestra at it's very best. The other was "Somnus," the 16th and final track on the album. Some of you will recognize it as an extended and slightly arranged version of the music from the last Final Fantasy XIII Versus trailer. It's a darker, beautiful track, with some amazing choral work that had me sold right away. I'm usually one to steer away from the Squaresoft/Final Fantasy music hype; it usually doesn't deserve the praise it gets. But this piece is incredible.

In the end, I don't hesitate to proclaim this one of the best releases that the world of game music has seen in years.

Jam it back in, in the dark.