I like the record, but I don't love it. Some of the arrangements are great and it's nice that some of the underperformed stuff is represented here.
I'm going to second that material like "Zanarkand" is tired, though I imagine that the nature of it being a live recording confines us to a setlist of sorts. It's probably also financially more rewarding for them to continue to include the more prominent tracks. My problem with "Zanarkand" though, really, is that I think the orchestral and now New World arrangement is just really drab and needlessly grandiose. Maybe that comes from hearing it one too many times, but I would have preferred a good solo piano performance over anything. Hell, one of the bizarre highlights to me of the disc is the performance of "Let the Battles Begin!" – which I don't think anyone needs another recording of, either, in that arrangement. Yet I think the performance itself is ace and that saves it for me.
I found a lot of the new arrangements underwhelming, too. It's nice to see something like "Town," "Red Wings" or "A New World" represented, but the arrangements feel either very safe or off. "Troian Beauty," which isn't underrepresented (myriad of official arrangements, that one has) feels really misrepresented and that is disappointing, because it's a great piece.
On the flip side, there are some really nice surprises here. "Fight with Seymour" sounds great and "The Promise" is really well-performed. I feel like Distant Worlds has never not botched "Blinded by Light" and I'm happy to hear it arranged and performed in a way that isn't entirely lethargic. As I mentioned briefly above, it's nice to hear some life breathed into a couple of the FFVII tracks, even if the arrangements aren't new or exciting. "One-Winged Angel" even sounds great.
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