Looks like this should be pretty sweet, and if I'm deciphering the Babelfish translation correctly, it features arranged tracks as well.:D

http://www.konamistyle.jp/ecitem/item40348.html

"It selects popularity tune and vocal tune even in former MG sound track,
Also new sound recording JAZZ, Rock and the classic and each artist including the respect to the MG series, it covers!

From MG1 best selection sound source collection from in the many サントラ sound source to MPO of up-to-date work.
New sound recording cover of MG popularity music simultaneous recording to one CD
Participation artist: Norihiko Hibino and spring Mutuhiko, it is clear mound Sinya."

EDIT: A box set of BGM with a bonus arranged disc would be even sweeter, though.

So...it's a compilation of pieces from the soundtracks, as well as brand new arranged tracks? Sorry to say, I don't really speak (or read) Engrish that well.

Sounds to me like a full arrange album featuring selected songs (covers) from the Metal Gear series a la Famicom 20th or one of those Premium Arrange albums. Very amped to hear this.

It's 2,800 yen so it can't be a box set and that's a standard price for arrange albums.

Also surprised to see Mutsuhiko Izumi (the guy who did TMNT arcade music) on here as an arranger.

I'm definitely all over this album, regardless of what it turns out to be.  And it's great to see Izumi as an arranger; his work in the Guitar Freaks series is stellar.

Hopefully it focuses on the MSX games and not the PS ones.  It also be nice to have some tracks from Snake's Revenge, though Kojima doesn't consider that a real Metal Gear game.

So, anyone have word as to what this album turned out to be?  Is it newly-arranged material, or a compilation?  Perhaps a mixture of both?  My order's on the way, so I'm really curious to hear impressions.

GMR's tracklisting looks promising enough, though I wonder about certain tracks.  Could "The Best Is Yet To Come," "Snake Eater," and "Calling To The Night" be the vocals culled from their original soundtracks?  Wasn't "Yell Dead Cell VR remix" featured on one of the Substance CDs before?

It is a mixture of both. "Snake Eater", "Virtuous Mission", "Yell "Dead Cell" VR remix", "Can't Say Goodbye to yesterday", "Calling To The Night" and "The best is yet to come" are not rearranged. Same goes for "Metal Gear Solid Main Theme~The World Needs Only One Big Boss!", with the MGS theme from MGS3, but I can't hear "The World Needs Only One Big Boss!" anywhere.

The first track, however, is an amazing 14-minute piece of orchestral goodness, using themes from the entire series: MGS1 alert and VR mission theme, MGS2 tanker alert, MGS3 alert... and so on.

"Who Am I Really?~Memories of Hal~Reminiscence" is live too, with some strings, piano and saxophone.

It's out? ZOMG TORRENT PLZ!

Gave the CD a listen today.  The repeat material is a pity, but the fourteen-minute medley almost makes the purchase worthwhile.  Almost.   The piano version of "Calling To The Night" is also quite lovely, but we really needed a newly-arranged version of the MGS Main Theme to cap off the album.

For its price, I'm somewhat skeptical to recommend the soundtrack.  As a compilation, it does cover the musical basis of Metal Gear pretty well..... but for fans of the series who likely own the soundtracks already, I'm gonna have to call a pass.

Yeah, what she said.  I'm selling my like-new copy if anyone's interested.  I posted an ad in the Marketplace forum (and the asking price is negotiable).

Angie's MGS fangirlism must be fading...  Not even a mention of the new (and rocking!) arrangement of Zanzibar Breeze??  Of the 4 new recordings, that hit a nice spot with me.

Is it a new arrangement? Or is from this old Konami All-Stars album?

http://gmronline.com/info.asp?CatNumber=KICA-1053~5

The arrangement of Zanzibar Breeze on this album sounds like it came from the "lost" Metal Gear Battle album. Quite awesome, but I suppose that didn't need to be said.

It's a New Recording (modernized rock) although it's an expansion on that same arrangement, yes.

(On this track, the Live Orchestra was Recorded by KEIZO and Mixing was by Naoki Ibaraki, per the liner notes).    Thanks for reminding me about that KICA-1054 version though, since I forgot about that one for doing comparisons. 

The guitars are balanced nicely over the live Orchestra in the new version, while the drums and obvious Synths were more prominent in the old version. 
Also that extra minute of length is probably spent on that sweet piano outro...

Yeah, I too figured that was originally culled from the Konami All-Stars album, but upon further listening, there's definitely new arrangement elements.  For that matter, Mutsuhiko Izumi's style is clearly written all over this one, making me wish he had more arrangement credits for this CD.

On a related note, I'm already itching for MGS4's score.  The E3 2007 trailer heralds a definite return to Gregson-Williams, but I'm hoping Nobuko Toda will be able to hold his own in Hibino's stead.

You'll probably be happy to learn that Nobuko Toda is a woman! As for the return of HGW, the E3 2007 trailer is a bit disappointing (in terms of music, indeed)... The previous trailer, with the acoustic guitar solo, was much more surprising!

Concerning "Zanzibar Breeze", I think it is truly brilliant. I don't know much about Metal Gear 1 and 2, but the melody is great!

A gender-bender, eh?  I'll admit, outside of the track "Eva's Unveiling" from MGS3, I've heard next to nothing from Toda.  I assume it was the jazzy portion of that particular song she was responsible for, while Hibino composed the first half?

And you know, I wonder if there's any truth to the reasoning behind the sudden exclusion of the MGS Main Theme on Metal Gear Solid-related projects these days.  I had heard about its similarity to the Georgy Sviridov piece, naturally, but I wonder if issues of plagiarism was brought up to Konami?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTcNUoxCmHI

It'd be an absolute pity if the theme wasn't at least featured in MGS4.

Listening to that video, it doesn't sound so similiar that it would be an infringement.   I mean, when different TV shows and movies are making fun of James Bond, they often write pieces that sound sort of similiar to but not quite like the James Bond theme, and they get away with it all the time.

There IS a difference when it's parody, though.
It's pretty close. Not close enough to be the same (certainly no worse than a LOT of things I've heard over the years), and it's quite likely it's a coincidence, but I can kinda understand why they might be apprehensive about it.

-Joshua