Customer Reviews

Best

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Ok, so there is only a handful of us on Western shores who know her name! But if the rest of you want to find out what you're missing, then here is the chance: the BEST -so far. Covering the biggest hit tracks from her 3 albums, BEST charts Ayumi's change from J-pop Starlet to J-Dance Queen to fully fledged J Phenomenon! (think the Madonna of Japan; and you're thinking on the right scale!)

The 16 track set kicks off gently with the debut hits "A song for XX" and "Trust" before the heavy loaded guitars strike up the action on "Depend on you". These 3 tracks were specially re-recorded and mixed for this compilation. What is important to note is that Ayumi writes all the lyrics for her songs in collaboration with music producer Max Matsuura. Every song on this CD is an anthem -with the kind of chorus that get's stuck in your head and the musical melodies that make you move. "LOVE-Destiny" and "TO BE" are 2 successful ballads from early on in her career that present the serious, tender side of Ayumi. Then "Boys & Girls" and "Trauma" fire up the kind of power pop drama that has made Ayumi the No1 face of pop in the Far East -with giant infectious, high-pitched vocal hooks and brilliant techno-infected beats & noises. "End Roll" is another huge power ballad that sinks into the brain -and if only I could sing Japanese or understand what she's saying then I'd be able to sing my heart out with her! Then it's back to the dancefloor for the electric guitar-driven "appears" and the loud, techno beats of "Fly high" -sounding like a Japanese extension of Rozalla's "Everybody's free". That's 5 tracks lifted from Ayumi's monster 2nd album "LOVEppears"; a difficult choice considering that just about every track on the album turned into a No1 hit single! After the wild success of "LOVEppears" in 1999, Ayumi moved in to serious singer mode for another succession of No1 hit tracks and a 3rd album in 2000: "Duty". "Vogue" -a bouyant, mid-tempo groove with latin stylings/ "Far away" -a grand, sweeping power anthem and the Roxette-"Listen to your heart"-like "SEASONS" completed a trilogy that presented a more mature Ayumi. Although "Duty" paved a change of direction, it contained a couple of huge, cutting-edge, dance tracks, like "SURREAL", that kept her audience on their knees. "M" -a No1 hit single for Christmas 2000- is a fabulous, uplifting celebration of pop drama and dance beats. BEST closes with the slower, Human League-"Human"-like "Who..." -a fragile track with a more acoustic, organic edge and delicious, sweeping, cinematic sounds.

And the story continues ...
(Since this CD was released in March 2001, Ayumi has had another 4 No1 hits in Japan!) If you're new to Ayumi and curious, then this collection is a perfect tool to bring you up to date. (Note that every track is sung in Japanese; English titles are a fashionable trend in J-Pop.) If you're a fan already, then you know the score and what are you waiting for?

This was a first Ayu CD I bought and is still my favorite of all of them. She has pulled together all the best songs from her many albums, so I like almost every song on this cd. In addition, she has rerecorded a few of her earlier songs with a more mature, controlled, and developed voice. (ie, the same soul/heart but with less screeching.)

All the songs are in Japanese and the Japanese lyrics are also included in the insert. (Why do American "Best Hits" cds never include the lyrics??!) She also mixes in ballads along with her techno/pop songs, so you get a good example of her range. If you've never heard her music before, I'd recommend this as an introduction to Ayu since it gives a good sampling of quality songs. If you're already a fan, then this is an essential addition to your collection.

When they made this album, they weren't joking. This is the one Ayu CD to get if you never get another one (if you do, I recommend "A"). I bought this because I fell in love with one of the songs, "End Roll"; I had never heard most of the others. I've listened to this CD way more times than I can count now, and I love almost all of them.

I've noticed that some of the other reviewers don't speak Japanese, which is unfortunate. If you don't know Japanese, you should try searching the web for song translations. Her lyrics are sad, sentimental, and very poetic and thoughtful. And somehow she manages to blend it with unique pop/techno music that just fits.

this is my first ayumi CD and I absolutly LOVED it! her tone of voice well basiclly her voice is the BEST out of everyone in the world. The music goes along with her lyrics. There is no competition if your talking about Ayumi. She is the Best singer.

Even though this is my first Ayumi's CD, i know that it will be my favorite because it's actually the FIRST CD that i listen to over and over from track 1 (A Song for XX) to the ending track (Who...). and the best song from the CD will always be SEASONS. This particular song was sang with extreame passionate voice. This made the song fabulous to listen over and over.

TRUST ME IF YOU NEVER HEARD OF AYUMI HAMASAKI BEFORE, THIS IS THE CD YOU SHOULD BE TRYING OUT AND LISTENING TO, YOU WILL LOVE THIS... AND I WILL LOVE AYUMI FOREVER...

To put it bluntly, if you don't like Ayu's songs, aren't going to like Ayu. The draw of this woman in Japan was never her voice, but her uplifting and deeply moving variety of songs and ballads. Her range is magnificent, despite the fact that her voice (albeit more developed now) appears squeaky around the higher notes. Songs like "Fly High" truly help highlight the overall authenticity of her voice, in a manner which only she can deliver. The comparissons between her and Utada are amusing at best, but not on a CD like this. What we have here is an arrangement of Ayumi's greatest songs from multiple CDs. As I don't understand Japanese, I rate songs and not lyrics. This is why I say; if you don't like Ayu's songs, your not likely to like Ayu, and this collection features some of the most uplifting, energetic and beautiful songs available today in modern Jpop. If your looking for a more developed sound with similar energy to that which Ayu delivers; look into a "two mix" CD (the group responsible for the vocals in the Gundam Wing anime series), but it'll just feel like a cheap ripoff to ginuine, Ayu. She's like Japan's Britany Spears (ayu) up against all the Cristina Aguwhatevers out there (everyone else). What she lacks in vocal appeal, she's sure to make up for in song design and overall catchyness. Thats Ayu.

I would not know a thing about Ayu had it not been for my two years spent in the Kansai region of Japan seven years ago. Many of the songs compiled on this album come from her previously popular albums of the late 1990s. I heard her songs almost everywhere, from when I entered a Lawson's or 7-11 (or any number of convenient store chains in Japan) to McDonalds to small sidewalk electronic stores. I'll admit that I don't think that Ayu is the most talented Japanese female pop artist in Japan (I enjoy Bird much better), but this album captures the J-pop of a few years ago. It brought back all of the good memories I had walking around Japan for two years and made me smile. As such, it is worth five stars to me personally.

First of all, if you own all regular Ayumi albums, this CD is fairly obsolete right now. You may still want it for the 'A Song for XX' songs that got new vocals, or some of the new mixes (like 'Boys & Girls'' - mind, I didn't say REmix) but those differences are so incredibly tiny it's not really worth it. By the time this was released it was worth buying, definitely, for it had 'M' on it which hadn't been released by then. But, since it's also on 'I am...', why would you still buy this CD?

Well, although I own all regular Ayu albums I still bought is. It looks nice in your collection, the booklet is gorgeous, the songs are still good and the compilation is okay (although some top-notch songs are excluded, like, where's 'Poker face'?). It's definitely worth a spin, since it does pretty much sum up Ayu's first three albums. Besides from being obsolete, there's nothing wrong with this release. All the songs are still awesome, thus I'm giving this baby 5 stars.

Ayumi Hamasaki has done it again without making any new music.Ayumi is a legend and a beauty in Japan. No JPOP singer at the moment can rival her accomplishments and music in the JPOP world. If you are afraid to purchase one of Ayumi's cds and want to get a feel for her music. Purchase the best cd and you will find out how good she is. The best cd is for everyone, Check out this masterpiece with her "stuff" like Boys and Girls and Appears.It is worth the price of the import. From one Ayu fan to others out I encourage you to buy this cd. If you also havent gotten into JPOP yet, Ayumi can get you into it very easily. I was no where near a JPOP fan 9 months ago but it turned when I heard boys and girls. One of my favorites ever since. Go check it out!

Well well well, I don't pretend to understand a word of what she's saying and all, but I must say I love Ayumi's voice. And the music that goes along with it, is a perfect match. As far as j-pop goes Ayumi fits the shoe perfectly. I also recommend the Ayu-mix series. The more dance/club selections are very well remixed by some well known remixers (Hex Hector, Ferry Corsten, Club 69 and Thunderpuss). I liked how most of the tracks here are updated with better sounding recorded instruments and more impressive baselines. As far as the Ayu-mix series is concerned get Vol 2 (the one with her looking like a cat) it is the best one.

I have to say, I am a big fan of Ayu. HEr songs are always have lyrics that are deep and poignant. She is a very talented songwriter.
I must say this is another well done CD. All the songs tunes are very catchy
But if you are new to Ayu's songs, than I must tell you that she has a very high-pitched voice taht can sound very pleasant to some people, but to others, very annoying.
And if your already a fan of Ayu. then you probably know what to expect.
Ayu writes songs about hope, loneliness and self-doubt instead of love and heartbreak like those other artists.
P.s.If you wanna know the story of how Ayumi and Hikaru competing and stuff, keep on reading:
"A BEST"'s release date was changed to put her in direct competition with Utada Hikaru's second album Distance. Though Distance topped the charts first week, A Best topped the following week, and although both albums sold over 4,000,000 copies, this change staggered the sales of both albums. "Distance" and "A BEST" were the 1st and 2nd best selling albums of 2000 respectively.

However, it was made clear in interviews that it was not her wish to release the best album, as she felt that a best album seems to indicate the end of a career. Matters were made worse with all the public attention on the "competition" between the two.
On 2001-03-28, Utada Hikaru and Ayumi came in direct competition. Utada's album Distance and Hamasaki's album A BEST were released on the same day. Distance topped the charts for the first week while A BEST was #2. The following week A BEST hit #1 and Distance dropped to #3. At the end of the year, Distance and A BEST were the top 2 highest selling albums of the year.

In a very personal interview, that was broadcast by the Japanese NTV on 2004-04-12 (Ayumi - Special Interview 2004-04-12 NTV), Ayumi explained that this rivalry made her feel terrible but that it was pushed by the record companies. In protest Ayumi, who has a very large degree of creative freedom, is depicted with a tear on her cheek on the cover of her A BEST album. It is speculated that this protest is also the reason why she insisted on re-recording some of her old tracks that feature on this album.

On one of Ayumi's most recent TV-appearance on Music Station in December 2005, both Hamasaki and Utada appeared together and got along very well. Utada even commented that she sang some of Hamasaki's songs when she went to karaoke.

The Hamasaki-Utada rivalry has been regarded as one of the biggest rivalries in the Japanese music industry.