More Friends to Receive CD Release

Square-Enix has announced that Nobuo Uematsu's "More Friends" concert performed at E3 earlier this year with a subsequent tour, a follow-up to his "Dear Friends" tour, will be recorded on to a CD and released in Japan. The CD will be entitled "More Friends music from FINAL FANTASY ~Los Angeles Performance 2005~." The concert was primarily orchestral-styled renditions of the classic Final Fantasy music, but it featured guest vocalists RIKKI (for FF X's Suteki Da Ne) and Emiko Shiratori (for FF IX's Melodies of Life) as well as Uematsu's rock band, The Black Mages (joining the orchestra for a rendition of the first of FF VII's final battle themes, One-Winged Angel).

Surprisingly, there is no word on a US release thus far despite the concert taking place in the US and the good reception of "Dear Friends" in the US. Future US and European releases are probable, but there's no information regarding that yet.

The track list from the concert (and presumably on the CD), is as follows: Swing De Chocobo (an arrangement of The Chocobo song by guest conductor Arnie Roth), Final Fantasy Main Theme (from multiple FF games, notably I and IV), The Rocking Grounds (IIIj), Terra's Theme (VI), Draco and Maria Overture (VI), Aria Di Mezzo Carattere (VI), Wedding Walz and Duel (VI), Bombing Mission (VII), Aerith's Theme (VII), One-Winged Angel (VII), Liberi Fatali (VIII), Maybe I'm a Lion (VIII), Melodies of Life (IX), A Place to Call Home (IX), To Zanarkand (X), and Suteki Da Ne (X).

Other songs that were confirmed to have been played during the tour but not in Los Angeles were Theme of Love (IV), Dear Friends (V), Love Grows (VIII, an instrumental rendition of "Eyes on Me"), Vamo' Alla Flamenco (IX, the Chocobo H&C song), and Ronfaure (XI). It isn't out of the question for Square-Enix to add some of these, but the fact that the CD is of the LA concert makes it unlikely.