Collection Update!

Updated the Collection page today with some all new soundtracks  and digital albums added to the list!

My Game Music Collection

REVIEW - SEIKEN DENSETSU 2 / SECRET OF MANA "FLOURISH" (2004)

I managed to get this amazing album from Surugaya-a-too at the Rakuten Market!  That place has become my destination for rare and hard to find Doujin Albums.  "Flourish" is presented by Ebox/DustStar with contributions from 11 musicians, and features 12 tracks arranged in various styles from, but not limited to, orchestral, jazz, piano, and even a little hip hop.
The artists involved have done a superb job of staying true to the melodies of composer Hiroki Kikuta while expanding greatly upon the lush tapestry of sound he created.  
The length of the album, released in 2004, is approximately 48:30.

I've listened to this album several times now, and it's so well done, I have to dissect it track by track.

1.  Sweet Memories (By Ebox) 3:24
Piano, orchestration, and new age ethereality.  I was shocked by the beauty!  The best way to describe this is to compare it to a painting.  It starts with a few very subtle notes, or brush strokes, but soon after you're fully transported into the canvas that is the World of Mana.  Run on, with no boundaries, that's what I get from this.  Absolutely wonderful, and somewhat reminiscent of Falcom's Legend of Heroes IV Electric Orchestra album. 
Listen to "Sweet Memories"!
2. Tell a Strange Tale (By Gimlet) 4:19
Very soothing.  The tempo is slowed down somewhat from the game version, and you'll relax to the sounds of flutes, drums, and more sweeping orchestrations. I'd prefer it to be a little faster, but that's really kind of nitpicking, it's still fantastic.

3. Meridian Dance (By Dynastess) 3:43
Changing things up a little bit from the previous two tracks, with a little tech-infused Celtic flair! 
That might sound like a weird combination, but it really works here.  I like this version more than the original, I think, because of the variety in instruments.

4. The Boy Aims for Wild Fields (By ミュー) 3:28
First of all, the original music is downright legendary.  Mr. Kikuta absolutely nailed the feeling of traversing through lush fields and forests.  Here on the Flourish Album, it's one of the few that really sticks closely to the sound of the original.  They're pretty identical in many respects, but that's not a bad thing!  The sound quality is greatly improved, the flute is captivating, and there's a little added percussion.  PERFECT.
Listen to "The Boy Aims for Wild Fields"!
5. Danger (By Snow) 1:58
The main boss theme of the game is here!  It begins sounding a little like a midi, then just keeps getting better as it goes on.  It's pretty intense, and even a somewhat frightening at the 45 second mark!  When the main chorus kicks in, it becomes heroic, just like the original!  After the chorus, the song takes a turn to the retro, and you realize there's a lot of levels to this arrangement, it's quite amazing!  It gets pretty quiet towards the end with a some bass, and it closes out rather abruptly.  I wish it looped, though that's only a minor complaint.  At a length of 1:58, it's the shortest track on the album. 

6. Roses and Spirits (By 草原翼) 4:17
This has to be my favorite on the album, due to it's unique arrangement.  The track opens on a very subtle note with just a few drum beats, and continues on a calmly enough. At around 1:34 this thing becomes a new creature altogether when a late 80's or early 90's style hip hop drum sample kicks in.  It adds such a new dimension to this piece!  I never thought I would hear something like this!  It's phenomenal!          
"Listen to Roses and Spirits"!
7. Prophecy (By Supply) 4:15
This is one of those arrangements that takes a drastically different approach and calms things down quite a bit.  Light piano and orchestrations are aided by a much slower tempo, resulting in something that resembles a completely new piece rather than the "Prophecy" you know and love.  It's almost unrecognizable, but undenyingly beautiful.

8. Spirit of the Night (By AD794) 5:49
Taking the sad, melodic theme of "realizing you just pulled a sword from the water, made a monumental mistake, and now you gotta fix it," and turning it into a ballad.  That's exactly what this feels like.  Now that I think about it, the original piece does sound like a ballad too!  Only here a guitar solo throughout really brings it home.  I remember the moment from the game fondly, being upset at getting kicked out of the village and this extremely sad music playing.  The original fit the scene perfectly, and this version by AD794 intensifies the feeling of isolation caused by curiosity.  I love it!

9. What the Forest Taught Me (By Ebox) 2:29
Kikuta's original piece presented a somewhat playful melody, and it's amplified here in the form of a jazzfest, and nicely done!  The sax isn't all that realistic, but it doesn't need to be really.  It still sounds great, and doesn't diminish the interpretation in the least.  It closes out sounding more like a lullaby than anything else.

10.  Give Love it's Rightful Time (By 大臣) 4:22
Combining "Steel and Snare" along with it, we have a nice medley here that echoes the jazz brought in by the previous track, only merged together with a touch of tech.  The bass is awesome, as are the drums.  It really captures the essence of being on a grand adventure, and I really like the trumpet, which brings a Latin vibe to the piece.       

11. Did you See the Sea (By 矢鴇つかさ) 3:58
I absolutely love this!  New Age, Subterranean, Techno, Fusion, it's all here and it's fantastic!  It's hard to describe, it just works so well.

12. Meridian Dance (By RIO) 6:19
The track list says Meridian Dance, but it's more than that.  Not at all the same as the arrangement as track 3.  Peppered throughout you'll hear the main theme of Seiken Densetsu 2/Secret of Mana, "Fear of the Heavens."  There's a lot of weight here, you get the feeling the fate of the world really is at stake.  It's a strong interpretation, and epic.  Sound-wise, it's more techno-infused orchestrations, and man, do I love that sound.  It reminds me heavily of Growlanser I - IV.  If you listen close you can hear a hint of "Whisper and Mantra," from the Water Palace area in the game.  The arrangement closes out with the game over theme "I closed My Eyes," done acoustic style.

I highly recommend tracking down this album if you can find it.  Even though it comes on a CD-R, don't be fooled by that, it's phenomenal, and a breath of fresh air.  If you were let down that the latest official Seiken Densetsu 2 Arrange Album wasn't really arranged at all, but instead just somewhat improved, this is the Arrange Album you've wanted.  I only wish more material was covered (Star of Darkness next time please).  I always check out the shops at the Rakuten Market where I found it, and a lot of albums I see there sell out and pop up again later.  If I come across it again I'll be sure to tweet about it and send out links on where it is.  I would love to hear a follow up album from the same crew, they have truly created something special with this album.

Score: 9/10        



-GMF

AUTOGRAPHED FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE OST - THE COMPLETE STORY

My experience in getting the album signed by both of it's composers is something I wanted to write about for a long time.

Out of all the soundtracks I was fortunate to get autographed, the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance OST was probably the hardest to get done.  The music for the game was created by Nobuo Uematsu and Hitoshi Sakimoto, and the two men haven't appeared together at any of the concerts I've attended.   I think Uematsu has appeared in the U.S. far more than any other Japanese composer currently residing in Japan.  I was able to meet with Mr. Uematsu several times over the many concerts I've enjoyed, but only met Mr. Sakimoto once. 

One more thing, I'm an extremely shy person.  Being so shy it takes a lot for me to meet composers, I always feel like I've made a fool of myself.  Fortunately all of the composers I had the chance to meet with are very gracious, humble people.  That still doesn't make it any easier for me.  Sheesh, I totally can't handle it.

In 2006 I was following the Play! A Video Game Symphony tour around the U.S. and in Detroit Mr. Sakimoto and Ms. Yoko Shimomura were the guests.  Among the soundtracks I bought for Mr. Sakimoto to sign was the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance OST.  At the time, I never imagined I would meet Mr. Uematsu again, so I was happy just getting Mr. Sakimoto to sign it.  I also had my Breath of Fire V,  Kingdom Hearts I & II and  Final Fantasy XII soundtracks with me.

I have a habit of trying to get the CD's and the liner notes signed whenever the opportunity presented itself, and I felt very lucky, even though the line was long, Mr. Sakimoto did it for me for the FF Tactics Advance OST.  He was great, and even thanked me for getting the limited edition of the FF XII Soundtrack.  I think at the time his English was not as sharp as it is today, so I didn't get to have much of a conversation with him.

I had actually run into Mr. Uematsu again at the Toronto Play! Concert in the Fall of 2006.  This was a very rushed autograph session, not much time for anything.  I got the FF VII OST signed for my brother, and a couple more that I can't recall.     

Fast forward to the Final Fantasy Distant Worlds Inaugural Concert in Chicago, December 2009.

This time I came prepared for the autograph session.  Well, as best as I could.   I was very impressed by Mr. Uematsu's English as he spoke to the crowd following the concert.  (WHICH WAS AMAZING)  However, I was still nervous thinking about meeting the legend again.  Like I said, I can't handle it!  Now, after the show, I was finally about to try and get this album signed by it's other composer.

Mr. Uematsu asked "why are you shaking?."  I nearly died laughing!  That was actually good for breaking the ice, and I felt much more comfortable then.  When I presented him with the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance OST, Mr. Uematsu immediately noticed Mr. Sakimoto's signature.  Then he said something which I'll never forget:  "Oh, Sakimoto-San, he's my friend, we were very drunk."

That was one of the best times of my life!

MY FIRST COVER RECREATION...

Captain America #193 was the issue Jack Kirby returned not only to Marvel, but to writing and drawing the hero he created along with Joe Simon.  The cover, inked by John Romita, was an experiment in creating a 3D effect.  The gimmick didn't work out as planned, according to what I've read, but we were still presented with one of the most dynamic comic book covers ever created.  It's definitely my favorite cover of all time.

I managed to get a copy of the book several years ago at Anime Weekend Atlanta, and always had it hanging on the wall.  The cover is just so inspiring to me.  In early 2012 I decided to try remaking the cover with Megaman.  If you know me at all, you know I love drawing Megaman!  Shortly after I penciled it, my computer crashed and was unable to be repaired.  At the time, the funds to get a new one just weren't available to me until December.

By the time I got new system, I had amassed quite a collection of unfinished pencil artwork I'd done during those lonely 8 months without a computer.  I figured if I wanted to do this recreation the way I imagined, I would need one.

With everything back in order, I went straight for the pencils I made and began inking away.  By the time I was done, I really liked the way it came out.  The colors were done with a mouse, but I didn't use my normal color mapping technique, so the inks were preserved.  I don't currently use a tablet, which is why I usually map my colors out with a pen.  The results of my color mapping often render the original art useless, unless I do them from a photocopy.  This cover has been in my Deviant Art gallery for a little while now, but I really wanted to tell the story about it here.  I hope you enjoy seeing the stages and the finished product!  Here are the pencil, ink and color stages with a few notes:

The original pencils were done on 8 1/2 X 11 typing paper.  Here is a photo of the pencils alongside the actual comic book.

Here are the inks!  I traded Falcon for Protoman, and replaced all of the angry mob with Robot Masters.  Can you name all of them?  The little Megaman in the upper left was eventually redrawn and digitally resized to fit with the other text and images.

Here is the finished product!  I used Photoshop Elements 9 and Photo Impression 4 quite a bit in this stage.  I digitally transferred the "Madbomb" text and all of the rest from a scan of the original cover, also digitally adding the Megaman logo at the top.  I changed the text in the blurb where it normally said "King Kirby is back!", to "Inafking is back!", referring to Keiji Inafune, the "father" of Megaman, who recently left Capcom.  I digitally signed it as "GMF" in the upper left where the month of release was previously, and added a dedication at the bottom where Kirby and Romita's signatures were.  Now that this one is complete, I've set my sites on recreating Liefeld and McFarlane's classic New Mutants #87 cover with Megaman! Later!!

 

COLLECTION UPDATED!!

I'm not gone, but I was for most of 2012.  I didn't have a computer most of last year.  I'll make it up by creating a lot more content this year!  The collection page was updated today with all new pictures of the music I got.  If you would like to take a look, click the link below.  See you soon!

Gamemusicfreak's Collection

Let's Help Fund the Dethlehem 2012 Tour!

Dethlehem, the great Metal band from Pittsburgh, PA have started a Kickstarter campaign to help fund their 2012 tour! Their music takes Epic Metal to new frontiers by combining both RPG and Fantasy elements, and what could be better than that?
Check out their fantastic videos posted above and below. Together we can provide the Dethlevan with the armor it needs to conquer new realms!

Circle of Deth music video:


Have a look at the links below, I myself will be contributing! The goal is to be fully funded by Friday, April 6th, 2012 with $1,226 remaining to be funded. There are 20 days left! Let's do this!

The official site of Dethlehem

It's a great site!

The official Kickstarter Page for the Dethlehem 2012 Tour

Thanks for reading, see you next time!

Running XP Ys The Oath in Felghana and Ys VI on Windows 7

Before I begin, I assume you are familiar with running Japanese games on your PC. I always run mine in Japanese mode instead of using Applocale, but whatever works for you!
Now, I couldn't find a guide for this anywhere for these specific games, and I know there are some others who are having the same problems I had. Well I have finally gotten both games running perfectly, and I'll tell you exactly what I did. Hopefully it will help you too!

I'm always learning new things, but I'm a person of limited technical skill when it comes to computers. So when I got a laptop with Windows 7 (64-bit) I immediately started going through my Falcom "XP" PC games collection to check their compatibility. I haven't bought any of Falcom's Windows 7 or Vista versions as of yet. Out of 12 games, the only two that didn't work at all were Ys VI and Ys - The Oath in Felghana.

Here's a screenshot of my current laptop's specs:


IS IT WINDOWS 7 SERVICE PACK 1?
Now my system didn't come with Service Pack 1, and coincidentally, I only tried using this method to get the games to work after upgrading to SP1. I don't know if that presented an issue for these two games specifically, since all my other Falcom titles worked fine without WIN7 SP1. I wanted to mention that just in case you haven't upgraded, it may be necessary. SP1 should install in your automatic updates. I'll link to Microsoft at the end of this post.

FALCOM'S SUPPORT PATCHES WERE THE KEY
Looking around for help, I always encountered the same tips:

1. Under Properties for the game, check compatibility mode, and run for compatibility with a previous version of windows.
2. Run as administrator
3. Check the game company's website for patches.

Under XP, I never had to install any support patches for Falcom's PC games. I've now found that it was necessary for the two games in question to work on Windows 7. At least in my case that was definitely part of the issue. Before I go further, I would like to mention that I have the first, or Limited Editions of both games, DVD-ROM versions. But I don't think that should be a problem, you just need to download and install the support patches directly from Falcom.

Installing the games and the English patches won't work at first. I tried it dozens of times. For some reason, and I don't know if it's just Win7, but installing the English patches didn't properly install Falcom's support patches like I thought they were. Thus it never occurred to me that it wasn't installing the support patches(I certainly never had any trouble like that on XP). I also tried installing the games and running them without any support patches at all, and all my other XP Falcom games still work normally like that under Win7.

Here's how my properties for both games look now:

Ys VI:


**FOR YS VI DIRECTX9 MAY BE REQUIRED**

YsF:


Note: The only option I chose for both games was to run as administrator, the OS compatibility was chosen automatically.

Falcom's Ys VI Support Patch

Official Falcom Ys VI Support Site: Update Version 1.1.0.9

Do a clean install of the game, then install the patch linked above. That should do it. If that doesn't work, Falcom has a couple more Ys VI support patches:

Ys VI Support Patch Version 1.2.0.2

and

Ys VI Support Patch Version 1.3.0.5

The one that worked for me was 1.1.0.9.

Now for Ys - The Oath in Felghana

Falcom's YsF Support Patch

Official Falcom YsF Support Site: Update Version 1.2.0.3

Just like for Ys VI, first do a clean install of the game, then install the patch. This is the one that worked for me. Also, in both cases, after doing this, I was able to run the English patches for both games and they finally worked normally.

Additional thoughts:
I've heard it mentioned that Windows 7 has a 32-Bit version. I don't know if that has any implications here, but Falcom's support patches are designed for Windows XP 64-bit, so there may be something to that.

About Windows 7 Service Pack 1 - I am still unsure if this has helped the games run for me. If anyone knows an answer please comment. Anyway here is a link to help upgrading to Win7 SP1 from Microsoft:

Instructions from Microsoft on how to install Windows 7 Service Pack 1

I hope this has been of help to you, I have tested the methods above including trying to run the games (unsuccessfully), installing the patch, and then successfully running them first try after the patches were installed.

I'd like to thank Red Hairdo over at the Ancient Land of Ys Forum for creating a topic about all the different versions of the Ys games. It was that topic specifically that got me motivated to "try again" and also make this post.

Later!

Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki Collective Music Files and Falcom 30th - Kiseki & Ys Best Secret

Got them for excellent prices from a couple Yahoo Japan auctions! Even though Falcom has chosen to release the soundtrack for Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki - Alternative Saga separately now, I had to get the original version with the Collective Music Files set. Who knows, I'll probably get the new version from Falcom as well.

Total soundtracks now at 671.

Later!

Finally got a Secret of Evermore Soundtrack!!

From my collection page:


I can't tell you how long I have waited to get my hands on it. Having bought the game when it first came out, I didn't have any way to order the CD, though I really wanted to. Of course it didn't come cheap, but it was just the right time to go for it.
(Album #669)

ANCIENT GRADE - DOUJIN ALBUM REVIEW

The Ancient Grade Front Album Cover - Catalog #SFCD-0001

So I got my hands on what I consider to be the best Falcom Doujin Album in existence, and it's from Sound Factory Carolina! I had to go through a Yahoo Japan auction to get it, and it was totally worth every penny. In short, this album is a perfect Falcom rock monstrosity. Sound Factory Carolina released it in 2006!

It's been a while since I was able to actually win an auction on a doujin album at Yahoo Japan, but this was a "buy it now," and it is all Falcom so I jumped on it. Plus, as a visitor of Sound Factory Carolina's site, this is the first time I've been able to get an actual album by them.
The album contains 12 tracks and only three of them are what I would consider soft, four if you count the "Cagesong of the Ocean Suite," (track 9) but that is EPIC, and it has plenty of rocking parts. I'm going to review every track, so let's get down to it!

The Track List

ALL MUSIC ARRANGED, GUITAR AND BASS PLAYS, SYNTH PROGRAMMINGS AND ARTWORK BY TOMOT

1. Feena (From Ys)
2. To Make the End of Battle (From Ys II)
3. Battle Ground (From Ys II Eternal)
4. Ruins of Moondoria (From Ys II)
5. The Limits of Strength (From The Legend of Heroes V)
6. The Dawn of Ys (From Ys IV)
7. The Gods of the Four Winds (From The Legend of Xanadu)
8. Illburns Ruins (From Ys III/The Oath in Felghana)
9. A Cagesong of the Ocean Suite (From The Legend of Heroes V)
10.Valestein Castle (From Ys III/The Oath in Felghana)
11.Final Battle (From Ys)
12.The Morning Grow (From Ys)

1. Feena (From Ys)
Have you ever wondered what Feena might sound like with a guitar? It begins like any other version of Feena. Soft synth, and the familiar melody by Yuzo Koshiro. Then, at around 15 seconds, the guitars kick in, and you know you're in for something different. It gets a little orchestral, with the guitar coming back in at intervals. It is so sweet! It feels almost like an urban piece. He tweaked what I'd call the main chorus melody, but it fits perfectly! Very well done, and well balanced. It sets the standard for the rest of the album.

2. To Make the End of Battle (From Ys II)
It's a classic, and what Falcom arrange album would be complete without it? The piece starts with a piano and then roars in with drums and guitars all over the place, there's a bit of organ too! At about 3:05 you're treated to a little bit of acoustic guitar, but the electric guitars come right back to close out the piece. It's relentless! It is one of the best versions I've ever heard. Period.

3. Battle Ground (From Ys II Eternal)
Originally a left out, though unforgotten piece of music intended for Ys, Battle Ground finally made it's in-game appearance when Ys II Eternal first hit. This is outstanding here, it's fast, and doesn't let up with the guitars and synth, IT'S A BEAST, I love it! It's over four minutes, and there are so many new parts SFC have created for it, it's just amazing.

4. Ruins of Moondoria (From Ys II)
Opening with some drums and guitar, it doesn't sound like the Ruins of Moondoria you know at first. At around the 24 second mark, here comes a piano and then you become aware of where he's headed with it. There's a lot of different things happening here, and even a part that sounds like Metal Max's "Tank Boss" when S.S.H. did it. Then at other parts it reminds me somewhat of a marching song. It's great, and fast right where it needs to be.

5. The Limits of Strength (From The Legend of Heroes V)
I've never finished Legend of Heroes V, but I do own the OST. I don't know if this is a boss theme or not, but it always sounded like one to me. This is another fast rock piece, with ruling guitars and drums. After three minutes there's an awesome guitar solo. I'm so glad this is on the album, as it made me want to go ahead and play LoH V some more. By the way, this is track 35 on disc 1 of The Legend of Heroes V OST.

6. The Dawn of Ys (From Ys IV)
This is the only performance on the album that I don't like as much as the others. It is kind of different from what you're used to hearing. Perhaps not arrangement-wise once the guitars come in, but in tempo. I would have liked it to be faster, but the way he did it, it does have a certain charm. Don't get me wrong, it is an excellent performance, and I could see this as fitting really well with an anime version of Ys IV, or if Ys IV was remade by Falcom. In the grand scope of the album, it fits well among the other speedy rock tracks. He has done well with it. Since I'm quite used to the Dawn of Ys version of this song, that may be the reason why I'm not too taken with it yet. There's some saxophone in here that did remind me of what Ryo Yonemitsu did with the desert theme in Ys IV -The Dawn of Ys. Atsushi Fukai even turned Ys IV's Battle #58 into a fantastic, cheery, piano jazz piece. Maybe it will grow on me after a few more listens.

7. The Gods of the Four Winds (From The Legend of Xanadu)
After the somewhat toned down "Dawn of Ys," he once again brings the album back to a really rocking mode with this arrangement of one of the action scenes from The Legend of Xanadu. Heavy drums and guitars throughout, it fits the tempo of the original chiptune perfectly. If you know me, you know I'm very fond of The Legend of Xanadu, and this is just awesome. The short organ part is very cool, and there is plenty of improvising on the melody. This is track 43 on disc 2 of The Legend of Xanadu OST.

8. Illburns Ruins (From Ys III/The Oath in Felghana)
In my opinion, this is the best, the pinnacle of the album. It is by far the best version of Illburns Ruins I've ever heard, and it COMPLETELY ROCKS! You don't hear the original opening of this piece until you're well into the track, but that doesn't matter, because this is Ys purity. It's frantic dungeon running, non-stop monster slashing at it's best, and it's another masterpiece. Perfection. If you're familiar with Tomohiko Kishimoto's (JDK Band) Ys III work on Adol's Theme, if you listen closely, you may hear some of that in here.

9. A Cagesong of the Ocean Suite (From The Legend of Heroes V)
This is the suite from Disc 2 of The Legend of Heroes V OST, tracks 22-25. THIS IS INCREDIBLE. I never imagined this piece could be done as such a rock anthem, but that's what comes to my mind when I hear it. Again, perfection, and almost 7 minutes in length.

10. Valestein Castle (From Ys III/The Oath in Felghana)
The arrangement begins with a beautiful harpsichord (is that a little bit of Sorcerian I hear?) which ends with the "lucky" Treasure Chest Theme. Then it takes a cue from The Oath in Felghana and rocks hard, loud and fast as it should, in the Ys tradition. This is ruling. Did I mention that somewhere already? The organ section at around 2 minutes is glorious. I so love this! Forgive me if I go on about this album like that, it is just so refreshing to hear incredible, quality arrangements of music you've grown up listening to. It is still possible to breathe new life into Ys music after all.

11. Final Battle (From Ys)
The final battle with Dark Fact comes alive just before the album's end. While I consider the TG16 CD version as perfection when it comes to this piece, Tomot continues to demonstrate here the mastery of the Falcom style of arranging with drums, synth, and guitar all rolled into one. I think this may be the most synth heavy track on the album, and it's awesome.

12. The Morning Grow (From Ys)
The Ys I Staff Roll. A fantastic way to close out this album with soft guitars, flutes, and piano. It all fits so well together.

Well, that's it. I was completely shocked by the beauty and quality of this album, it goes to show you that "Doujin Artists" such as Sound Factory Carolina have what it takes to arrange on the same level and even better than the game companies.
I hope you enjoyed this review. I'll leave a link and some more scans below:


Ancient Grade Back Cover


Ancient Grade Inner Cover and Disc

Sound Factory Carolina

You can even download songs from this album! I give it a 10 out of 10. Great job Tomot!
See You Next Time!

All About FF Distant Worlds Atlanta!!

I had such an awesome time at the FF Distant Worlds Concerts over the weekend! Lots of cool things happened. The performances were great, especially on Saturday, when Symphony Hall was packed!

Mr. Arnie Roth conducted, and Mr. Nobuo Uematsu attended as well! It was wonderful to see him again. Not only that, but I got to meet the awesome Mr. Larry Oji from Overclocked Remix on Friday. On Saturday I got to attend with a longtime friend from Ancient Land of Ys message boards. (You rule SkyeWelse! Thanks so much!)

THE PERFORMANCE - Featuring the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Georgia Tech Chamber Choir (Approx. 2 hours)

Liberi Fatali (VIII)
FF Victory Fanfare (Series)
Don't Be Afraid (VIII)
FF I-III Medley 2010
Memoro de la Stono - Distant Worlds (Featuring Beverly Blouin) (XI)
To Zanarkand (X)
J-E-N-O-V-A (VII)
Dear Friends (V)
Vamo' alla Flamenco (IX)
The Man With the Machine Gun (VIII)

SECOND HALF

Opening - Bombing Mission (VII)
Fisherman's Horizon (VIII)

Fabula Nova Crystallis (XIII)
Blinded By Light (XIII)
- The two pieces above were my first time hearing any of Mr. Masashi Hamauzu's music for FF XIII, and I must say they were incredible. I will get a next gen system besides a Wii soon so I can play it!

Navigator's Glory - The Theme of Limsa Lominsa (XIV)
At a previous Distant Worlds Concert, I heard some of Mr. Uematsu's FF XIV work, and this piece was new to me. I loved it!

Chocobo Medley 2010 - Now features an intro from FF XIV, and it was wonderful, the other half of it was Swing de Chocobo from FF X!

Opera "Maria and Draco" (VI)
Featured Beverly Blouin, Bradley Howard, and Michael Arens. I've seen this performed a few times now, and while I like Susan Calloway over Beverly Blouin, this had to be one of the best performances I've ever heard of the legendary scene from FF VI. Bradley Howard even sounded like the SNES synth!

Terra's Theme (VI) - Final Piece
Encore - One Winged Angel (VII) - Mr. Uematsu joined in with the Choir on this one! I could even see him dancing along with the music!

I was surprised by the number of pieces from FF VIII, and the absence of favorites like "Aeris" and FF IV's "Theme of Love." I thought the performance was fantastic on both nights! Thank you Distant Worlds and Mr. Uematsu for traveling so far south!

Lot's of cool Merchandise was on sale, so I got FF XIV Battle Tracks, Distant Worlds II, and the Distant Worlds "Returning Home" CD/DVD set:


My Chrono Trigger OST that I've had for over 15 years now, which was autographed by Mr. Mitsuda at Play! now features Mr. Uematsu's signature as well!


I got the Earthbound Papas CD autographed! (I'm sending it to a friend)

Mr. Uematsu was very pleased to see that I had bought the album, and he thanked me for purchasing it. He and his assistant also inquired as to where I got it.

I knew Larry Oji from Overclocked Remix was going to be there, and it was so great to meet him! He is one of the coolest guys I've ever met. We talked after the concert on Friday and during the meeting/autograph session.


It was my seventh time meeting Mr. Nobuo Uematsu!



Thanks for reading, maybe I'll be in Chicago next month!

-GMF

At Final Fantasy Distant Worlds Atlanta Tonight and Tomorrow!

See you there! They've been posting a lot of songs that will be played over at Twitter, so it looks like it's gonna be a great concert! I'll be at both shows, Friday and Saturday. It will be nice to see Mr. Uematsu again!

SPECIAL AUCTION TO HELP JAPAN!

Hello friends! I'm auctioning my Autographed Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Soundtrack CD for a charity to help Japan! This is part of my commitment to do all I can to help! Spread the word if you can! Below is a "Link to the Auction."

Click!

I've set the auction at ten days to give time for as many people as possible to see it! See you again soon!

Attending Distant Worlds Atlanta in May!

Thrilled that they are finally coming to my home town in Atlanta! It's really cool that Mr. Nobuo Uematsu has taken the time out to travel that far south. I believe it will be his first public appearance in Atlanta! Awesomeness!

More Information Here!

See you there!

The Best of JDK Band #3

The Best of JDK Band #3 features Go Fight! It's also my first Star Trader Music video.
I used the Star Trader X68000 version, which I got from Project Egg.

New Best of JDK Band Playlist on Youtube!

Falcom's JDK Band are legends, and I'm making a new playlist of their best arrangements through the years. It will have the original and current Band lineup.
Here are the first two videos!


Legend of the Wind - From The Legend of Xanadu


A medley of Stealing the Will to Fight, and Illberns Ruins from Ys III/The Oath in Felghana

*The Xenogears Orchestral Album giveaway contest I mentioned on the collection page will be delayed for a little while due to the tragedy in japan. Right now I'm just trying to do what I can to help them.

ZREO Twilight Symphony Choir Contribution

A small contribution to Zelda Reorchestrated was made to help them secure a live choir for their upcoming Twilight Symphony album. Hope it will be of some help, you guys are awesome!

Sanctuary Crew is taking donations up to 4/16 for Japan relief!

The crew did an amazing job with their marathon stream this weekend, and raised over 700 hundred dollars so far! Let's help them reach their goal! All the links are below:

Article on the Sanctuary Crew Site!

Click Here!

100% of the money earned from the marathon will be given to the IRC- the International Rescue Committee.

The Sanctuary Crew campaign website!

Click!

A lot of awesome games were featured over the weekend.

Check their Justin.TV site!

Click!!

Keep up with the crew here as well.

The Sanctuary Crew Presents FIGHT FOR JAPAN!

The Sanctuary Crew is doing a gaming Marathon to help Japan!

Article on the Sanctuary Crew Site!

Click Here!

100% of the money earned from the marathon will be given to the IRC- the International Rescue Committee.

The Sanctuary Crew also has a campaign website up!

Click!

Japan is hurting, spread the word and join the fight! Let's do what we can to support the people of Japan as they cope with this crisis.

Check their Justin.TV site below, you will be able to watch live:

Click!!

The marathon will be from 3/18 through 3/20.

Collection Updates!

I've been updating the collection page, will be back soon over here!

Click!

And I'll get a review up for Ys Seven finally.