Ayumi Hamasaki

A

Atomix

000000000114881-2.jpg
000000000114881-3.jpg

i know theres a few j-pop fans here so i decided to make a topic about her new release, the second Greatest Hits of her career, to celebrate her 12 #1 (all of her studio albums) albums and 28 #1 singles (out of 40, 16 consecutives to date).

There will be "A Best 2 ~white~" and "A Best 2 ~black~", with 16 diferent tracks on each and 4 formats (CD+DVD(videos)+DVD(concert or documentary) for both and regular cd)

she left her best video and the most brilliant song she ever did out of this Greatest Hits (Alterna - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc6aBzs7fWs )
52.alterna35.jpg
52.alterna57.jpg
52.alterna58.jpg


but theres a few amazing track on both versions.

Is This Love? ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=salMUlPFJ50 )
Ourselves ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxjxY3TgNbU )
Step You ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gowp-89tJe8 )
Inspire ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hMHYvHSLrQ )
Carols ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeEiS3pZJRk )

and the new single Part Of Me ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUiRLhUWVEc )


i guess this is all the info i have, thank god for Ayumi and Utada, those 2 really saves the asian music industry. Ayumi's Arena Tour 2005 and 2006 are just beyond incredible, Madonna would die watching them
 
A

Atomix

her early material sounds very cheesy and dated (98-01) but her new stuff is really pop with a rock vibe (03-07), if you're interested in her watch the Arena Tour 2005, it's how i started loving her material. She has such a presence on stage.

i don't know, people are maniac for her in asia (it's the same thing as Britney in USA but she writes every single one of her songs and it's the creative mind behing everything she does from photoshoot to concerts to her videos. she has something really likeable because she has a real love to her fans (during her Dome tour she had a serious hearing problem and almost went deaf, and during one of the rehearsals because of the pain she lost her balance and fell in a giant hole and was rushed to the hospital, but she still did the concert so the fans wouldn't go home without seeing her).
 
S

ShariVari

Can you give me any idea what this womans music sounds like????? I've heard about her but know nothing about her
Click to expand...

It varies quite a lot . Her first two albums are in a fairly traditional J-pop / Euro-pop vein with a few plaintive ballads thrown in. Since then she has experimented with trance, epic rock, R&B and quite a lot of industrial-tinged material - all still within a catchy, commercial framework.

She can't sing to save her life but she's one of my favourite-ever pop stars and i'd recommend everything apart from her indifferent 2005 album (Miss)Understood.
 
S

ShariVari

she writes every single one of her songs and it's the creative mind behing everything she does
Click to expand...

I'd take that with a pinch of salt. Max Matsuura of Avex is generally credited with molding her into the star she is today and she is often held up as a perfect example of the Japanese pop idol as more product than person.

She writes all the lyrics though and has much more of a creative influence over her style and work than she did a few years ago.
 
A

Atomix

ShariVari said:
she writes every single one of her songs and it's the creative mind behing everything she does
Click to expand...

I'd take that with a pinch of salt. Max Matsuura of Avex is generally credited with molding her into the star she is today and she is often held up as a perfect example of the Japanese pop idol as more product than person.

She writes all the lyrics though and has much more of a creative influence over her style and work than she did a few years ago.
Click to expand...

i think she explained pretty much how she felt about avex trying to dominate her on "Alterna" music video. Max really made her into who she is now and you're right, i completely forgot about him, but she takes control on pretty much everything nowdays, i heard that her staff calls her a nazzi on work, but they must get pretty big paychecks then because she has the same staff/band/dancers for the last 5 years at least
 
B

Blackhole

Her voice is so bad that I can't listen to more than three or four songs in a row before I want to kill myself. That said, I'm hoping to see her in Shanghai in April - just for the experience and the chance to see Japan's biggest pop act rather than out of a particular love for her. I must say that her songs are frequently very, very well produced, with a rock/industrial/techno/pop mix.

I far prefer Utada and even Namie Amuro.
 
Q

Quaoar

Hamasaki has an army of fans who fiercely defend their idol against all critisism. Opinions about her have become very polarised. There is a lot of evidence now suggesting that the wider pubic have fallen out of love with Hamasaki. This greatest hits release will delight her fans and be viewed with some indifference by a many more. Without Max Matsuura, Hamasaki would never have had a career. Without her sales revenue, Matsuura would never have been able to build Avex Trax into the powerful force that it is today. The relationship between them has been almost symbiotic. But things move on. Anyway, here's what Max had to say about A BEST 2 in his blog.
 
A

Atomix

drock689 said:
The production on Step You is truly brilliant, I'd love to hear an English version/cover.
Click to expand...

i think this is her best pop song, the production is so good and works so well live, i'm getting completely anxious of going to see her on tour this year, i don't know nothing in japanese but i'm going, paid a fortune on the ticket because this years tour sold out in less than a day (all the concerts in japan and rest of asia, i know that the city i will go sold out in 11 minutes)
I don't know hows this album is going to chart, it's going to be two separate releases so she ain't gonna have her 14 consecutive #1s albums althought both of the album will reach #1 in one way or another, A Best sold 4.5 million in Japan, i have no idea how this ones is going to do.
 
B

Blackhole

Quaoar said:
There is a lot of evidence now suggesting that the wider pubic have fallen out of love with Hamasaki. This greatest hits release will delight her fans and be viewed with some indifference by a many more.
Click to expand...

So, if Ayumi is no longer queen bee in Japan, who would you say is? Perhaps Koda Kumi because she's had some truly massive first week sales recently.

Utada had an impressive first week with her 'Ultra Blue' album, but it's a long way from the days when 'First Love' became Japan's biggest selling album of all time. Who are the other contenders?

Atomix said:
this years tour sold out in less than a day (all the concerts in japan and rest of asia, i know that the city i will go sold out in 11 minutes)
Click to expand...

According to piao.com.cn there are still tickets left (in all price brackets) in Shanghai.
 
Q

Quaoar

Blackhole said:
So, if Ayumi is no longer queen bee in Japan, who would you say is? Perhaps Koda Kumi because she's had some truly massive first week sales recently.
Click to expand...
Kumi was Japan's biggest selling artist last year. Her sales put UKP 54 million into the Avex Trax coffers for FY 2006. At the moment, Koda Kumi, Ayumi Hamasaki, Mika Nakashima and Utada Hikaru are the 'big four' female artists in terms of sales. This based on physical sales figures, since well quantified download statistics for the Japanese market are not readily available. Hikki's download sales are reputed to be huge. In some respects Ayumi still is 'queen bee', she just has fewer drones at her command than before. Kumi is more of a 'top dog'.
 
B

bondingo

So who has the new album or at least downloaded it? I listened to the previews on Japanese iTunes and it sounded like a very solid album. I'm glad that she isn't just sticking to all those generic pop/rock songs that she's been doing over and over again. It sounds like there's a bit of vocoder usage and some more electronic sounds, as the cover art and title seem to suggest. I'm waiting until the Hong Kong version is available before I purchase it, but I will as soon as I can.
 
A

angelX

I got it! It's a pretty good album... Quite experimental electronic/dance/rock fusion, I'd say. There's a pretty balanced mix between the dancier stuff and the rockier stuff, and at the end it winds down to make way for some good old ballads.

There's one song that sounds great but turns into an interlude (Disco-munication) which is unfortunate but overall a solid record.
 
T

torho

Rachel Amazaki

Case is closed I dont negotiate with love sparkle

I kid I kid, but the middle eight is very similar.
 
B

bradlee151

a firm step backwards. such a forgettable album (perhaps even more than the last two.) I don't understand it, but nothing she's done in almost five years has struck a chord with me. yet i am... remains one of the top 5 greatest albums of all time for me.
 
B

bondingo

I still haven't listened to the album yet, because I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive from Yesasia. However, my Rule/Sparkle single did come today, and I can't even tell you how much I'm loving Sparkle. It is just epic. Rule's great too, but there just isn't a comparison.
 
A

ASK678

Sparkle and rollin' are my faves. The whole album is really good, but I haven't fully immersed myself in it yet. I was pleasantly surprised how much I've liked it on my few full listens. I am a huge fan of her's, and I liked both Secret and GUILTY. But they are good albums with some great songs, and just cannot compare to LOVEppears-MY STORY and the majority of (m)u.
 
mi|kshake

mi|kshake

I'll post my full thoughts when I'm not feeling so lazy.

The surprise for me was Days. I wasn't interested at first cause it was something we've heard plenty of times before but the video is quite cute and it is a nice song. Green is still great too! I wish there was a rock song as good as Guilty though.

mi|kshake~
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top