Ayu - Anything Goes Thread -X-
 

Another one!

I love me some cheesy concert closer classics.

Well depends on what you mean by recent. RnRC and PoM are my favorite concerts period and I feel they are recent. But if you want more recent, I really liked Premium Showcase, mostly because of the glorious Terminal~Connected section.

I really like nearly all of her concerts from 2009 onward. Absolute standouts though are RnRC 7days Special and PREMIUM SHOWCASE.

The number on the thread made me remember a time I dreamt ayu had announced a single titled "X", and when I woke up I thought it was true cause I could totally see that as a title for a song of hers. It could be an epic rock, I can almost feel it hahaha

Alright ayu enough. No more circus. No more las vegas. No more show girl. No more clowns. No more. Please move onto something else. Don't ever make another album or concert circus or las vegas themed ever again. It's exhausted.

Yeah, she's gone to Vegas a few too many times. She should explore space again or something... or go mega fantasy.

She needs to go to Atlantis
Also how come I've paid Angel dust? Mess. I'm in love with it!

I almost forgot what an amazing ballad crossroad is.

Agree, she should do another thing or find inspirations in other artists / artworks.

I think PREMIUM SHOWCASE is one of her best concerts ever. I've been watching the old ones and falling in love for her even more (DOME TOUR 2001 :heart)

a-nation 2005 was flaaaaawless. Her vocals, body, hair, and setlist were all on point.

RnRC tour is my favourite; I love circus theme, but yeah, I agree it's overused.

What about a terror theme? Not terror like SAW, but something dark that intrigues the audience (marionette and ourselves would be near to the line I'm talking about). With special arrangements of all tracks, a lot of rock songs, ballads turned into something darker, including old, underrated and never-performed-before songs in the setlist, dancers dressed as ayu trying to confuse us, a big and creepy scenery, a lot of mirrors on stage creating a labyrinth for some song (don't look back, maybe?), a recreation of a mysterious forest, etc. There would be a lot of symbolism, MVs along the whole show, and definitely, nothing similar to the old "oh you love me / oh you leave me / oh come back to me shuya / oh, you disappeared" formula.

Ayu would have dark hair (maybe a wig with a REALLY long hair? like creating a river of hair or something like that xD), and would wear new and amazing costumes, following the line of these references:

In one song she would be singing alone in the catwalk without moving her body, expressing everything only through her face. Like, she's SO terrified that she can't move, and in the end there's an unexpected twist that make us going crazy xD

Also, it would follow a story through the whole tour, being every date a chapter (but they would be also conclusive; I mean, if a person goes to a 1 single date, he may not follow the whole storyline, but is able to enjoy and understand that single chapter as well). The DVD would contain EVERY one of these chapters, and a special photobook featuring the firsts sketches of the idea, the search of the costumes, random things, and a small diary written by ayu explaining how the idea for the tour was born, and how it evolved until taking its final form. Ok, I better stop xD

PS: Btw, I love how she looks here ♥

^ I love what you did there, but the tickets would cost like a trip to the moon. lol I've been wanting a really dark atmospheric tour from her for ages now. But she goes with usual stuff.

...I hate to move away from the topic of Ayu's tours but



LOL I CANNOT

HAL why are you working on this mess and not working with Ayu instead

^HAL did that!? The music sounds pleasant but his voice is just OMG I think can do better lol...srsly wth did he think that he has singing ability

^^^Oooh love the mood board and the terror idea! it's all scary and gorgeous!
Some of her songs can convey a terror themed tour in a great way :yes

With the whole circus thing, I'm just disappointed that not only she use it twice (or thrice?) but she didn't do it the justice a circus themed show should've been. It has clowns and flying dancers and such but it's not circus, the only proper circus I would say is Duty for CDL 14-15 now that's a circus. I mean she could develop the elements of circus like Britney did on her tour not just put one circus-y session and the rest will follow.

I personally would want a musical inspired concert, after listening to MY STORY classical, the musical approach can be interpret into Musical Drama. I know she do sessions of Rimeo Juliet type of thing, but with Musical thematic she can build story and song acts surrounding it, creating climax and such.

I also would love a stripped down performance with rare unperformed songs in small venues, she doesn't have to go abroad, just make sure she released the DVD/BR ;)

I think HAL is only like one guy now and might not really do that much nowadays?

http://www.hal2000.jp/

Toshiharu Umesaki is the only remaining member of HAL as we knew them. I wonder if he has an issue with Ayu.

The team that used to do Ayu's stuff isn't really around anymore as HAL. (Atsushi Sato, Yuta Nakano, Mayuko Maruyama. Takehito Shimizu)

So... Someone finds a video with Ayu being interviewd by Yuming and people spend their times with Maro instead?

edit: OMFG AYU LOOKS STARSTRUCKED! I need a duet! ;-;

It's in my top 10 tbh
When I went through my 'no more ayu at all ever' phase, I still played crossroad (and lelio...)

What wait where? Ayu interviewd by Yuming?! ♡

The video where someone says Ayu looks good in it.

It's Yuming's ALL NIGHT NIPPON with Ayu as the guest.

I believe that for Ayu...

She needs to cut back on staff members on stage at one time. Someone needs to tell her that she needs to go back to the basics and just have herself on stage for more acts and save the dancers for specific numbers rather than EVERY SINGLE ONE.

Thank you, @artcika & @terra! You're right, it would be sooooo expensive and extremely hard to do, but well, dreaming it's free, right? haha

I love the musical idea! It could be really interesting watching her in a register like that ♥

Plus, I've been thinking about making some artwork about ayu, and this could be a good starting point; creating the show I'd like to see from her (speaking about drawing, design and art, obviously xD). I'll think more seriously about it when college give me a break!

@Chibi-Chan, it's the video I posted the previous page :3

She looks so good in that video, i wish she'd come back to that exact color and hairstyle, but well what we have nowadays is already a big step from her neverending blonde era

LOL i have done that before...well started..for Circue de minuit, but only got past the setlist xD wanted to do the costumes, explanations and everything else but..even trying to imagine that on paper is quite a bit of work. the setlist is just laying somewhere now in a drawer xD

Something really random but I'm really liking Ayu's eyelashes lately. I think she's been getting eyelash extensions done, they look super pretty on her. Even without make up her eyes standout nicely :)

Ah ok, thank you! =)

Always wanted the NEXT LEVEL USB but when it was released couldn't bring myself to spend $70+ for it. Bought it off Amazon used for $11 the other day :)

For those interested, I just found DOME TOUR 2001 in full in youtube!

^ ohhh I'll have to watch later!

Wow, that's cheap, everlastingRAINBOW! I'm glad you got it :)

And thank you for sharing, Deibel. I'm glad we have a streaming option to watch this amazing concert! It's one of my favorites. :heart

Me too! There are a lot on sale on Amazon for that price. You can actually find a lot of Ayu media used and cheap. I ordered Power of Music for $30, excited to see it :)!

^ I'll definitely take a look and see if I can find another NEXT LEVEL USB and maybe the Love songs one too! Thank you for the tip! :)

^
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001SN...i=AC_SX200_QL4

;)

^ oh, you're a dear! thank u!♥

@Delicious n Bold - Love the idea of Atlantis!

@Delibel - Oh my goodness! I love that concept. All those images are just great. I'd love to see some of her 'desperation songs' in there too like Powder Snow. Maybe WHATEVER and a darker too late and a dark version of dolls. And she could totally put ever free into that concept too. Now I'm just sad that this isn't actually happening!

Is there a version of that Matsutoya Yumi interview with subs?

From the preview, a Bell sound it'll be nostalgic and epic

To me it feels like Ghibli and Final Fantasy meets Ayu.

Does anyone here have a playlist of ayu rockish songs and wouldn't mind sharing it? I've started making one, but I feel like I'm missing some songs lol Also, does she have any rockish remixes or live versions (I know there's M from PoM, but that's the only one I recall) so I could add them to the playlist? :)

^Wish I can share mine, it's been years since I made a proper playlist nowadays I just put some songs and shuffle it :|

Fly high "Saturation remix", Boys & Girls "HAL's Mix," and Ladies Night ~another night~ are all especially rock.

There's the Counterforce version of kanariya also.

The HAL remix of vogue from the vogue single is really rockish and good. It's a great new take on the original song.

Countdown Live 13-14 performance of momentum is pretty rock-styled

^ She's so beautiful ♥

The A song for XX version on A BALLADS is also rockish

^ I LOVE this version of A Song for XX, it's SO powerful and amazing. :heart I realized the other day that every time I'm singing this song I'm actually singing the version from A BALLADS.

^ This is the version i mostly listen to too c:

Ladies' Night (another night) remix, definitely lol

and also if not for A BALLADS version of ASFXX i would have never liked that piece, i cannot stand the original voice in that song.

omg that's why I felt like I was missing some songs, HOW COULD I forget A Song for xx from A BALLADS and Ladies night ~another night~? :laugh Thanks for all the tips, guys!

Same here! I listen to the version on A BEST when I feel like listening to the "original" piece.

tasuku needs to do a whole album of ~another night~.

True...I need a rock version of many songs. ayu, please A Rock with new versions. But first, I need A ONE in my life.

It's so weird. iTunes screwed up my play counts for some songs so that the more I play one song the more it gets inflated into oblivion. Lelio has like 400 plays when I played it at most 100 something times. I recently put most of ayu's old stuff on my iPod and I've been replaying guilty and no song on the album has inflated... Guilty is my least played album and I kinda wanted it to feel loved but that's not happening anytime soon lol

LOL, I feel you there. LOVE again is my LEAST favourite Ayu album ever and yet on my last.fm charts it's #4 in the Ayu section of my charts. O_o The only accurate parts of that ranking is that the true top 3 Ayu albums of my heart are in the correct order: Party Queen > Colours > Love songs. And then somehow LOVE again which should be at the very bottom is up top >:| (I guess I played You & Me way too much when I was going through a breakup lol)

My last.fm sometimes surprises me also. This week I discovered Days is my most scrobbled song from ayu and I don't even think it is a masterpiece lol

I don't even use Last.fm anymore in order to avoid the stress. I remember that it was a pain for me to have "Boa" in my charts, instead of BoA.

From all of the preview of A ONE, I can say I'll gonna enjoy this album

i've actually downloaded it for that one song... still i cannot even listen the A BEST version. nothing beats the one on A BALLADS. Pure rock Ayu is always the best kind of Ayu to me. she should totally go ROCKnROLL :D

Also, after browsing a bit on ayu in iTunes (after watching 2 heartfeltly touching wedding proposal/wedding) I realized, that her ballads mostly deals with broken heart or that sort of emotions. Granted there are songs like JEWEL, CAROLS, Key that deals with the more positive side of love unlike the others (No way to say, SEASONS, Days, etc).

And I also realized when she do sing about positive love other than the songs I mentioned, she do it in a cheery way like ANGEL'S SONG or HONEY.

Is it just me or did I miss something? I wonder

Wonder no more, I've found the answer lmao

I'd really like us to get the leak of A ONE by tomorrow but i think it's more likely to bet on saturday
I'm scared because i haven't listened to anything and i've been anticipating the album so much that i'm afraid if i end up not liking it

I just hope it doesn't leak right after I take my bus for my hometown (it's a seven and half hour long trip), I wish I could take it and listen already to the album sooo bad

I'm so happy I'm not the only one LOL this stressed me out big time for BIGBANG cause I wasn't tryna have "BigBang" combined with some old rock group zzz

It's an Ayu album. If you are on a forum devoted entirely to her chances are you won't hate it lol.

^There are some members who don't like her and some that I don't even know how they feel towards her. Only Ayuma would attract all kinds of people to a forum not even made by her. Her power.

^ her divine goddesship has her ways! Mwahahaha

idk if I'm just hearing things but I was just listening to Tohoshinki's Lovin' you and realized it sounded a lot like End roll. Am I the only one that notices the similarities?

^ You are right! It sounded like End Roll a lot, but instrumental part and the chorus

It is true though... there are people who never come into the Ayu forums.

Discovery: immature on ayu-mi-x II Acoustic Orchestra has the most beautiful orchestration. It's so sad and beautiful in the sweeping parts between verses.

^ gonna try it out, I love that song. Thanks!

I really love the arrangement of BLUE BIRD from POWER OF MUSIC, but damn if her voice isn't borderline painful to listen to in that performance. Such a wasted opportunity smgdh

Been addicted to kanariya remixes by hex hector lately. radio mix on ayu-mi-x II and the main club mix from excerpts. love.

You know what I think Ayu is missing in a lot of her tracks lately? Some really fierce drum work. I tend to tap things in rhythm to music while listening, and Ayu has had some REEEEALLY great drum work going on in her songs. I mean, there's great attention to detail there.

Moments in particular has some really great drum work, and because the song is so lush and layered, you might not even realize that it really is what makes the song. I can't remember the particular name for the technique used in this song, but there's like a light "roll" or "swing" to it...? I remember learning about but can't figure out the name of the technique. Anyways, Moments is the only song Ayu has which implements it, and it really makes the track stand out.

alterna of course has great drums. About You, no doubt. walking proud, etc.
Sending mail's drums sound a little bit drowned out, not as "crisp" as in some of her previous tracks, but I think it's the last track that really made some sort of an attempt to highlight drum work. Especially the "finale" section, when the intensity rises immensely. I always look forward to 4:15-4:22, and from 4:17-4:18 with that wicked drum fill! So good!

Really, her drums used to seem to be more planned out, play a substantial role within the track, and sounded much more "crisp" "clear" and "clean." I think it's something she really needs to bring back. Recalling LOVE again, the songs were too "sweeping" and I can't recall in particular any great drum work throughout the entire album.

I really love the overall arrangement of Melody. Such a sweet and beautiful song.

Listening to the preview of No Future, it frustrates me because I really really like it, but I feel like there is something missing in the arrangement. I remember pointing out earlier when we had the low-quality previews, and a couple other members agreed, that part of it was something someone from I've Sound could've produced. C.G mix I think. But I guess what is disappointing is that it doesn't anymore. It's like missing some extra quality that could make it more ethereal, magical, powerful, or something. Like it gives me great vibes and the mood I tend to look for and it sounds great so far, it just could have been so much more and much better done.

But I guess I'll wait to finish the song.

I've been feeling for a while that her songs were missing something, but I didn't realize what it was. Now that you mention drums, it all makes sense. As for LOVE again, I think the only song that had some interesting drums was Bye-bye darling but I don't think they were real. Ayu needs to have some consultation with Shishido Kavka and get some drum work realness back into her music. On the new album, I think Out of control really builds upon itself and the layers throughout the song really remind of of something from MY STORY, drums included.

Tom Tamada was on drums for Melody and Bye-bye darling.

I don't get the hate for this song. She needs songs like this, MY ALL, NOW & 4EVA, and RED LINE. They are just amazing and uplifting.

So I was about to reply "Omg I never noticed it, but now that you mentioned it, it actually does have a similar melody in some parts", but then I went to the Last.fm page of the song to see if anyone else realised this and wtf I actually left a comment that says:
I clearly have some memory issues ha ha

sending mail's drums make the song, they're like cannons lol

I want to get a candy pez dispenser that reads "Gut it-" so I can say I have a "Gut it-pez"

I dreamt Ayu announced a new set of ayu-mi-cmx and one of the releases had a fierce cover with two ayus in futuristic black dress and glasses, and it was called CREA-me-x, it was an album remixed by her. And it had songs from NOTHING FROM NOTHING.

It could be nothing but a dream, I know lol

I was reading the director notes for RAINBOW again randomly and found this bit funny..
Although I'm really not the type that likes to lay it on thick in the chorus, the chorus of Real me seems to come pounding in from a special world. So, it took a bit longer than usual to complete the track, but I was very impressed with the result.

How times have changed heh

Kind of funny that it's Real me she says that about and not Free & Easy haha

I thought that too hehe..now like 1/4 of Ayu's music follows the Free & Easy formula.

I think Ayu will surprise us again this year and have her next album ready for release on 1st January 2016. She's back on her work grind.

Did anyone hear about how Tsunku had his vocal cords removed for cancer reasons? (He is that guy that she collabed with for LOVE ~since 1999~ and is the guy behind Morning Musume). Gosh that has to be terrible, especially if music has been your life and passion since forever.

^That's so sad! I was actually thinking about how I like Love ~since 1999~ but it never seems to get talked about? Does anyone else like this song?

Yep. So sad...

The whole situation makes me feel like a total jerk for how I've talked about his voice in the past.

It doesn't change the fact that I always did and still do hate listening to his singing voice - he'd NEVER had good control, and his high note during the bridge of LOVE~since1999~ has always filled me with cringing dread whenever it approached - but that doesn't mean I don't feel like a jerk for being so mean. lol

I truthfully never listen to LOVE~since1999~ if I can help it, in large part because of his voice, HOWEVER I think the more chilled-out version from ayu ready was actually fantastic. He did a pretty good job on top of the reversioning being really, really nice. And I always figured we'd never get a studio recording of that version, but now to know it's 100% impossible forever, is pretty upsetting.

That said, it would be KINDA awesome if Ayu did a self-cover album and included a recording of the ayu ready version of LOVE~since1999~ with Urata Naoya or something.... I know some folks here might be sick to death of him but my god his voice is just.... so fantastic to me, haha. :D

I'm not a TSUNKU fan or anything but I feel really bad for him. I wonder if in our lifetime they'll be able to help him sing and perform again?

At least he has other writing and producing he can do and I wouldn't mind him writing for Ayu or her covering a tribute for him.

That's awful, poor guy! I've only just recently heard Love ~Since 1999~. Love ~Destiny~ is one of the few Ayu songs I do not like at all (although the music of Refrain makes it more listenable).

Anyway, as the A Theme Songs (Drama Edition) was available on iTunes, I gave the preview a listen and downloaded Love ~Since 1999~. I really enjoy this version!!

Change of topic, as TK's album was available on iTunes also, I now have a better quality version of Thx A Lot. I also really enjoy this song and love the melody. So I'm glad we have more TK on A One!

I know a lot of people don't like his dated sound, but I'd personally love it if we have songs which sound as dated as those on Namie's Concentration 20!

Love TK. Concentration 20 and Love Songs are two of my fave Jpop albums x

I'm such a huge TK fan, especially when it comes to Ayu's work haha.

I kinda want Ayu to perform Key eternal tie. with a full string arrangement that ascends into a medley with Anything For You. The lyrics are kinda similar...except in Key..Ayu talks about how she can't do a lot of things except love hopelessly..where as in Anything For You..she sings about how love will make her go beyond and above to achieve anything for her loved one x

Just a reminder that this exists.

a Bell sounds like it could be on My story. In between HONEY and Replace.

I'm torturing myself by waiting for a 320KBPS of A ONE

^Me too lol
I can't listen to the current leak. I'm actually surprised a HQ version isn't out yet.

ikr. I keep reading the review thread and I'm like ugh gimme this ear candy already in HQ

Everytime I listen to NO FUTURE I end up continuing with friend/ friend II. I NEVER EVER had any love for these tracks but suddenly I discovered their "magic" and it feels so good.
friend I has a really bouncey background (especially the percussion) that mixed with the old crispy rockish style gets a really nice result
Even Ayu's vocals seem better now that I focus more on the instrumentation.