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A Classical thoughts?
I'm pretty sad about it cause it's just A Classical ~Ballads~
Love song is sooo good, I can't stand the fact it's THE ONLY ONE dramatic/theatrical song on CLASSICAL album. Song 4 u had the potential but it came out as meh for me. And Voyage sound almost like the original mix. Some of mixes are pretty though. and I also like You & Me and this album reminds me HOW I CAN'T STAND Days. XD;;;; |
I never really cared about the release. I listened to some songs, but I think it's pretty boring and monotone.
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^ well, I think it's like acoustic/trance/house mixes. You like that if you dig that music. I like classical music, but the dramatic ~ epic ones.
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the only two that came out as somethign unique and worth listening are deffinitelly Love song and You & Me. And that probbaly because only these two don't have any sort of orchestra versions. I did enjoy Dearest and Days but.... but really i didn't hear any difference from what i have already heard from the orchestra versions. They sound nice but really nothing special. Actually all of the songs are just a different arrangements but nothing outstanding except for the two that never got any classical/orchestra aranement. I think if they used a ittle bit of drums there like they did with Love song, some of the ballads would have gotten a level-up deffinitelly. And um... Voyage? lol i didn't even....it sounds like the same song xD
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Let's put it this way:
I like classical music to a certain extent, but only Days catches my attention |
yaaaawn :zsleep
my problem with classical music mixes like this one is that the vocals are not resung to fit the new arrangement. (i always thought this is very lazy. IF you do it, do it right!) you get ayu's high pitched vocals in the older songs and it somehow doesn't mix. but hey... i'm only looking forward to the album and hope the last release is a new trance album (probably not) |
I thought "Love song" was probably the best on the album. I can understand why the tracklist is the way it is -- fans voted, and I'm sure that the Power of Music performances really sold people over in wanting to hear classically rearranged versions of them in studio format. In that respect, I think the album is a success. In terms of it being engaging as a classical album, naturally it doesn't work for me: MY STORY had the benefit of being classical arrangements of (almost) that entire album, which was quite cool. This feels a little off for me, and I think it's because the tracks span her entire discography instead of just being focused on one era (again, MY STORY). Still, I think that might be the point. Going back to the Power of Music performances again, this is probably harking back to the experience of seeing her perform with an orchestra.
Speaking personally, I don't mind the album at all. I like all the songs featured (although You & Me is a bit eh) and I like listening to it in sequence. When I speak as a fan looking at her releases, I have to say this is quite forgettable. |
@sitara - i kinda agree on the vocals part. like SASONS for example. I did enjoy the arangement, but i couldn't really make her voice click. The same goes for M. Cuz classical arangement i think calls for mature vocals instead if this teen-queeky thing going on.
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^ indeed! how fabulous could this release have been if it was like the power of music?!?
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I'm not disappointed by the fact that there aren't "epic" tracks as a lot of people are saying. I listen to Classical arrangements to be soothed. I listen to Ayu's rock for "epicness" ... Therefore, I love Days the most. It is the most soothing and extremely pretty.
I am however disappointed by the tracklist. I wanted evolution (soothing version), BLUE BIRD (soothing version -from POWER of MUSIC-), and more recent tracks. Some of these I have a hard time believing that they were voted the FAVORITES by fans (You & Me? Song 4 u? Missing? My ass.) |
^ I would've been really pleased if that were the case. This feels really cheap, in the sense that all the effort went into the musicians (who did a fantastic job) with really no effort required on Ayu or the label's part. The covers suggest this especially.
I can give Ayu a pass because the past few months have been hectic for her, especially regarding preparations for CDL (of which there was an extra performance this year). I don't see her having much time to pop into the studio to rerecord the old songs, given the constraints of her own schedule and studio schedules. Still, it'd be nice if this release were postponed until there was time or if it ended up being just a polished up version of Power of Music's songs. That I wouldn't mind, nor would I think of it as cheap. But once again it comes down to how these releases are all for her fans. They voted, they got these songs, it's their gift. |
did the fans know the songs they voted for would be for a classical compilation?
if i remember correctly we weren't informed what kind of compilation they were voting songs for. they just voted for their faves overall and now we have a rather strange tracklist :p |
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I really think the new tracks where placed on their for promotional purposes.
There was no way they could have voted for missing and song 4 u... if i remember correctly the voting was before the announcement of the track listing for LOVE. As for the album itself... I've listen to about half... Love song is nice, but not as EPIC as everyone is making it sound like... M was very pretty, and something I expected it to sound like. :happy. |
indeed :/
aagh, avex.... wth? |
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The least they could have done was take the TOP 10 from fans and add those 3 recent songs as a BONUS. Using 7 songs is hardly any reason to have a poll in the first place. |
I think it's a beautiful album, even if it lacks any surprises. It's not as interesting as MY STORY C was, but it's certainly a lovely album to listen to.
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I like the classical versions of Love song and Song 4 U. They're nice. SEASONS is good too. None of them are blowing me away though. |
Honestly? I like the classical version of You and Me.
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Love song is freaking epic and flawless!! Best song on that album (I would love if there's Love songs Classics than this...). You & Me sounds great, second best. Every other song had better version imo. Voyage.... sounds almost like the original... If they included the BLUE BIRD from PoM then I would died in happiness. <3 I find Song 4 u & Missing orchestra version from the "mini-album" better than the classics.
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finally got to listen to the whole album!!
Love this thing.... i'm most disappointed with Love song... and that might just be because EVERYONE is talking about how EPIC it is... and well, its not that epic. I was really surprised with seasons... I love this version... as a whole I like this album! 2 bad things: Track listing/length and cover. |
those that are worth listening are new songs, Love song/ Song 4 U.
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People believing hiring a whole orchestra to play 30 tracks is cheap... ~~'
About the album... So far, so good. Blue Bird sounds like a Disney song xD |
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I loved all of them except BLUE BIRD. The acoustic orchestra mix was a let down and I had high hopes for the classical mix. Overall, A CLASSICAL was great to listen to.
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MY STORY Classical still resonates more with me, especially with how the interludes were handled on that album. (One-dimensional interludes turned into complex classical masterpieces)
A CLASSICAL is just "pretty" throughout, not many "daring" or complex tracks. I'll have to listen to this album again with headphones in FLAC and make another assessment. Sometimes you just need to close your eyes and simply take in the music. |
I was very pleased with this album, it is slightly forgettable, I won't be listening to it super often but I was more impressed than I thought I would be. I still don't like Days no matter how much Avex tries to push it on me haha. My favorites are Love Song, M, Dearest, You & me, and Song 4 u.
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It's a nice album but none of the tracks felt special or distinctive. It was nice to hear some of her classics, but they were pretty lacklustre.
I personally didn't like Love Song, the classical arrangement took away what made the song great, the raw and emotional feeling is what made that song great. The classical arrangement really doesn't work with her vocals, this is one that did need a new vocal track. The problem with all the tracks is... hmm... because it's the old vocals the singing doesn't feel integrated with the song. It's like she's singing over any old arrangement. It's rather jarring. Jarring is the last thing a classical arrangement should be. Should have made it with no vocals, that would have been cool. See how they played with the songs when they didn't need to fit in verses and choruses. The interlude tracks were the best songs on MY STORY CLASSICAL. |
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This was pretty hit or miss for me. LOVED Love song, SEASONS, You & Me, Days, and Dearest. The rest were just meh. Especially Voyage.
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SEASONS was exceptionally well done.
The trouble I have with You & Me (original) is the arrangement--I loathe it--but the classical version is really nice. Dearest, I love. BLUE BIRD is nice too. Song 4 You is another good one. I prefer the original mix of Missing; and Love song, which I was looking forward to the most, just doesn't do it for me. Oh and M--I like this rendition of the song too. |
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I don't want to sound whiney, but seriously - Ayu did "nothing" on A Classical.
Think about it. The vocals are the same, just stripped and put on other arrangements. She didn't even have a photoshoot as the cover is a drawing. Nothing new to compose, nothing. She didn't even have to pick the songs herself. The fans did. And I think it REALLY shows. I'm disappointed with A Classical :/ I had hoped for new vocals. I'll just consider it a free bonus :) (Well she probably did something like approving/disapproving, but you get my point.) |
Finally listening... I'm gonna write as I listen...so, it's gonna be long.
Spoiler:
Okay. I got a little angry towards the end...Sorry. But. um I think it's nice. I could have been...amazing, but. It's just so Japanese "I love high strings and flute runs all the time". Some of the arrangements are boring. Many of them don't do anything interesting in their own right, and that makes me really disappointed. You have SUCH an array of gorgeous instruments. USE THEM. And don't just throw them all together just doing simple chords so that they get lost and nothing happens. I think my favorite might be LOVE SONG just because the arrangement wasn't AS typical and it complimented that melody nicely. So many of them were on the same level. REALLY upset about my BLUE BIRD. :no 6.5/10 for the album I guess. |
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I feel pleased about the album. :) I don't have huge feelings of disappointment, and my socks are still in place on my feet. |
I love this
And especially as a brass instrument player. I'm just a sucker for brass usage that is really well done in Love song. |
I really liked DEAREST in this new album.. dunno why but even if it's an old track, remixed over&over.. don't know... It has a special feeling in A CLASSIC. It has impressed me.
About the other tracks.. nothing so special, nice but not so EPIC. |
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I listened to the album all the way through again at work tonight. It's nice as background music, but her older tracks (SEASONS, Voyage, Dearest) didn't stand out to me as much as they could have. I think it's because they already have orchestrated versions -- several? -- that have already been ingrained in my mind, that these new ones aren't exactly sticking to me. |
I actually LOVED M, Love song, SEASONS and Dearest so much hahah
You & Me was different in a good way BLUE BIRD was alright in the end hahah..felt a bit too fast. the Power of Music wan was stellar. Days was slightly predictable (though the song's still great). Somehow it was great to hear Voyage again but yea, felt like the same song TOTALLY. |
The vocal track was sometimes out of time. The arrangements were sometimes average, and other times brilliant. Consequently, MY STORY Classical still holds the crown for my tastes.
7.0/10. |
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I love the fact that the classical arrangements are faithful to the original mix, unlike MY STORY classical which is a total remake in arrangements. It's basically the same original mix with classical instruments lol.
It's a nice album, just with boring song list :/ |
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I didn't want them to be faithful to the original mixes. Oh well. It's still nice. |
I'd prefer new takes on the songs, but not at the cost of quality. Most of Ayu's orchestral versions are complete muddled messes of vaguely melodic sound. The layering is too complex and you just get.... gray. you know? Not horrible but completely unmemorable.
"Missing" had the same issue here - it was the one that went most off the original source material, and I couldn't even tell what the rhythm was for a good chunk of it. Muddled, gray, dull. It was a smart, albeit amateurish, move to follow the original accompaniment with nice, classical instrumentation. Uncreative maybe but when you're in a time crunch it's the best way to go if you wanna do something that's guaranteed to be listenable. |
Her old works is just nice with the new classical arrangements like:
M SEASONS Voyage Dearest |
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Only Dearest and Voyage is ok.. but the original Versions are so much better. |
it turned out to be much better than I expected :)
but the packaging is boring & unpretty |
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It's bad that I like the single orchestra version of Song 4 u more than the one on A Classical. :/
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Pretty much sums up my opinion on the album. As for the "boring" feeling everyone's getting, I have a hunch it's because the track listing was so safe. Most, if not all, of these songs could be played with live instruments anyway, so an orchestral rearrangement must have not been that difficult to pull off. I think a more interesting tracklist would have included: Spoiler:
I find it interesting that although STEP you was the most popular song when A BEST 2 was released in 2007, it didn't hold up to the test of time like the other songs selected for this. Either that, or it was overlooked. |
^ Results may have been different if people knew what they were voting for.
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i feel like all these classical albums are huge orchestral productions and it just starts sounding the same after a while. i wish they would do these arrangements simpler and with a smaller orchestra. something like Endless sorrow with just the guitars was soooo good! because it was only a few instruments and the message of the song just impacted me that much more. and then when she did Love song live with just the guitar... ahhhh! love it!
all in all, i rate it a fair score. :/ |
Listening to it now ~
Must say that I wasn't interested at all in it but gave it a chance now. It's really cozy, but other than that nothing special. I have yet to feel that "Wow!" The songs are nice though. |
i feel sort of the same.... better songs could have been in place of some of these
Days acoustic orchestra was WAY better than this, every song was sort of w.e nothing really stuck except two songs like M and Dearest were also bland in the end SEASONS was the only old hit that came out moderately well i think, as in I would listen to it again love song was such a disappointment... the only one i LOVED and thought it was done so well was Missing. what a good rendition! i love it better than the original. takes out the generic jpop flavor and gives it some oomph. well a lot of people think it's good so i guess that's all that matters? |
I think NEXT LEVEL and RNRC tracks could have really benefited from Classical versions.
Sad that they chose the tracklist by voting. |
I can't bring myself to listen to the album again lol
Even Days is boring me.. Now it is just a boring muddled mess, with an awful hue. |
I got high expectations from this release. The tracklist wasn't my cup of tea, but as long as the songs were good I don't care if it was made of her classics mostly.
Despise of the boring yet pretty cover, A Classical is an high quality album. The orchestra did a wonderful job. But it lacks creativity. Most of the songs sounds almost the same to me. They're all beautiful, but there's nothing more. The only one I remember is You & Me. Amazing, much better than the original. I will replace it with the classic one when LOVE again will be out lol. But the whole album sounds like it follow the same pattern, adding just few irrelevant things. It's hard to make a classical album, especially when we have heard so many acoustic and orchestra versions of most of the songs on the tracklist before. But it feels like they wasted a great opportunity to make another wonderful classical album like the MY STORY one. Actually I like A Classical (especially because acoustic,orchestra and classicals are my favorite remixes from her), but hardly I would love it as MY STORY Classical. |
Im liking this album more and more. =) The beginning of SEASONS sounds so similar to Poinsettia by shimatani hitomi which I really like also..
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*sighs*
Very good, indeed. I miss some instrumental interludes, two or three should have been put in between the 10 tracks. However, still a satisfying experience to listen to. |
I like Love Song and You & Me.
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The album is quite nice. I didn't have any high expectations for this release, so it couldn't disappoint me too much.
"SEASONS" and "Love songs" stand out the most, in my opinion. The other songs are okay, but I'm not going crazy over them or anything. The only thing I'm really disappointed about is that "M" didn't turn out more epic. It was the only song I was really looking forward to! I also hate the arrangement of "Days" (which is funny, because I actually love the original version). |
I finally got around to listening to A Classical yesterday night, so I thought I'd finally join the thread.
I am not a fan. Like someone else said earlier in the thread, I don't like that the new arrangements were so close to the original. Add that to Ayu's exact same vocals (they were digitally changed a bit in My Story Classical) and it seems like barely anything was done to the songs. They didn't seem "classical" at all. The whole album appeared to me to be very lazy. |
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I love this album! Finally got it from mu-mo! Absolutely love this album, OMG! Thank you so much, ayu!!!! :heart This is really a very nice present to a fan like me (who treasures old school ayu very much). The songs nearly made me cry...
Though I wish there was more orchestra ^^ but still, I like the rearrangements. I expected nothing, but I'm so pleased now!! |
after whole-heartedly listening to this album, i know the reason i am not as deeply amazed by A Classical as by My Story Classical few years back: most of the tracks in AC are ballads and like others said, the rearrangements were very close to the original versions. my favorite track is Love song (as expected) and surprisingly You & Me (i am not a fan of the original version, though).
how i wish songs like Microphone and do it again would have been included... and yeah, they should also add in some interludes! |
What I must note here first is that I really couldn't bring myself to love You & Me till I heard the orchestra version on A Classical. Kousuke Yamashita did an amazing job there. I loved the album as a whole, but there are few tracks that stand out for me. Also, out of 7 songs that TA picked, the only one that isn't among my favorites is Days, but I really enjoyed that arrangement too. And I actually like that Yamashita-san decided to keep the main concept of some compositions. Can't get enough of the strings in Voyage...
I didn't expect Love Song to be so epic - a very pleasant surprise. I'll be listening to this track a lot. In my opinion, one of the best tracks on the album. Next, I was totally blown away by brass instruments and strings in SEASON. I think I may like this arrangement better than the original one (might be the current A Classical hype though), and Dearest is so soothing and powerful at the same time, the strings amazed me here as well. |
I really like it. But then I only really listen to the classical versions of her remix albums. My Story Classical is better because it is more cohesive, as someone mentioned earlier. This album is also good. My complain is actually that it is too short. 10 songs? And I could have done without the newer ones. The tracklist should have been changed and they should have told TA what they are voting for.
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maaaaan, I absolutely love this release! I can't stop listening it :love
I only skip Days, Missing and Song 4 u :laugh I can listen to M, Love song, SEASONS and Dearest non-stop! |
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