5 years after "A BEST"....
 

correct me if i'm wrong, isnt it 5 years (already) since the release of "A BEST" (2001/03/28->2006/03/28)???

the purpose of me making this topic cos i want to ask AHS members, (especially the long-time ayu fans) if anything's changed for them (ayu-wise) like her style, music etc.

i think she has matured alot musically... and widened her musical horizons ^^ i think she should maybe do another A Best... *shrugs*

I agree with Neo Daydream in that she's matured so much. Vocally, she's so much better than she was and her style has taken so many twists and turns since A BEST. I don't, however, think she should do another A BEST. I think that would be suicide for her career right now. I think she should wait for a while and then when she retires, release a comprehensive Single Collection.

Yes, many things have changed since "A BEST".

Her voice have and haven't improved for me. It has improved because it's less nasally and high-pitched, but it's not as strong as it used to be.

I think from "I am..." to "Memorial Address" things went really well, and the music was good and amazing.

She has developped a rock side that I like a lot since "Because of you".

Her recent albums and singles from the "MY STORY" and "(m)u" days have been quite dissapointing. There's practically no songs from these albums I'm still really into. Her stuff has been weaker. Especially since she's not composing anything anymore. Which is such a bummer because CREA composed songs are the best. Her music style has been changing a lot. The SWEETBOX inspired and covered songs has been some of her worst ever.

To conclude, I miss CREA!

And I hope her next single will be HUGE!

She's defenitely changed in many ways. I think her voice has gotten better, but she's not using it to its full ability. I don't think she's singing the type of songs anymore where she has to use it forcefully, to fit the feel of the songs (NEVER EVER, UNITE!) I loved all of the MY STORY singles, as well as the (miss) understood singles, minus HEAVEN and Bold and Delicious (the songs themselves, not the entire singles.) I would love it if she:

Brought back CREA, BOUNCEBACK, and had more tasuku. She needs to kick CJMK and HAL. She also needs to kick the event+movie tie ups. I would also LOVE it if Ayu learned how to play the guitar. I have big hopes for her next single, I hope its excellent. But looking back, she has done some amazing stuff. Its a good day to be an Ayu fan.

The one good thing, that I think came out of the GEO songs were: She wasn't afraid to do what she wanted, even at the last minute. She had the whole album planned out, and people expected more of the same stuff. However, she took a chance with what she liked, and did things her way. Thats admirable to me. To not know if people would like the songs or not, had to be intimidating.

mmm interesting.

Ayu has been around for so long...and I am really glad that she is still releasing music now. Even though I miss some of her early works, I still love to anticipate anything new from her. And vocally, she has improved a lot.

Ahh... 5 years from A BEST. I never recognize the time goes by that fast. It's amazing that I still listen to A BEST sometimes. Yeah her vocal changes, and her music direction is different. Every moment is the best (probly except RAINBOW.. the time when I didn't really like ayu).

Talking about NEVER EVER.. Today I just listened it, and it's fantastic.. It's not ayu forcing her voice... It's a way to express the song... I just love this song so much.. :D

I dunno about A BEST 2... but she's enough songs to make one. I hope she'll make another studio album tho before releasing another A BEST ;).

^ well, yeah, I see what you mean..I don't really think she forced her vocals in NEVER EVER/UNITE! , I can't find the phrase in english, sorry =( But I..dunno, just maybe sang the songs stronger? I don't know how I should phrase it.

I was listening to A BEST today, since it is the 5th year anniversary, and I was really amazed how different her voice is now from that recording of A Song for X X that's on there.
I think the music in general has gotten a lot better too. And yes, CREA did come to be.

What's sad is that..

if Ayu starts composing again, there's always this big chance that the public'll be like '...ew'.

/tear falls

^why?

I'm amazed at her change of vocals, not only from ASFXX, but from A Best. Her vocals became softer (either that or my ears became worse) and not as high-pitched. The emotions in the vocals are slightly different. They became more matured, more confident.

I think 2005 have some decent singles (B&D isn't bad, but just isn't good), and Will is a good return of CREA+Dai :D However, I think her style changed a little from the more techno sound of the duty era to the pop-rock edge of the I am...to the more rockier in this era. If she wasn't so influenced by SWEETBOX, things would be better...

Actually if she made an album with a higher quality than "I am...", people would still be "ewww". They just need an excuse to feel nostalgic about the "old times".

If the problem were the lack of CREA compositions why was Humming 7/4 voted as the worst song from MY STORY in a recent poll?
Also if the problem was the lack of CREA compositions and GEO sucks so much, why was MY STORY considered much worse than (miss)understood in the polls here when MY STORY actually has 3 songs fully composed by CREA and no GEO songs but (miss)understood has only 1 co-composed song (not fully composed) by ayu? :shrug

^true dat.

personally, Humming 7/4 is one of my favorite ayu songs ever. CREA compositions ARE real nice, but if she doesnt compose herself, that doesnt make a song less good, IMO.

and on the A BEST 2 issue:

i think it'd be cool because she re-did the songs for A BEST, BUT...i dont think its the right time right now...remembering that the original A BEST was supposedly the end of her career, yet it sold so deliciously (haha..) that she kept going...a A BEST 2 will probably not come till..(*chills*) the end of her career.

You hit the nail on the head. People tend to look back on the past with rose-colored glasses, so to speak. It's why older people always talk fondly about "the good old days", even those times surely had their share of problems as well.

Ayu has never been perfect, but she keeps trying new styles in order to stay fresh, which I appreciate. I Think A BEST is an excellent album and anyone wishing to be introduced to Ayu should give it a listen. I also think (miss)understood is an excellent album and proof of how powerful her vocal talents have become. I don't find myself yearning for "the old Ayu" at all, because honestly I don't think she has changed much as an artist; she's the same artist as she always was with more power and experience to do the things she wants to do.

Well put~ u grab the words right from my mouth :D
ayu is still the same old blonde(at heart) still writes good lyrics for songs
and true ayu's only thing that changed over the years was her vocal control
and just about any music style she've tried

I Ayu were to create the rock-songs in 2001 as she does now, she would have failed. Her voice now is very suitable for both pop and rock, while back then it wasn't. Her image was different then aswell. She was still kinda of 'fresh and new' as the queen of Jpop (even though she had 3 #1-albums already). Now she has thousands of tracks, making it extremely hard to create original stuff. Her tours, however, haven't been so different. Ayu always makes HUUGE shows. While most artists will just get on stage and sing, Ayu changes her outfit every few songs and adds alot of extravaganza.

oh no no no, people have different point of views (or points of view i dunno whichever is correct LOL). you probly like song "A" while I like song "B". Now I shiver myself with sweat again LOL.

Back to the topic... It's weird, but I was never fond of CREA's production... Now I think about it and realize that CREA music was one of the reasons I didn't buy I am :tired. Actually there're some pretty good ones, such as M, evolution, Voyage, etc. However, to be honest some songs are really similar to each other.. For example, M vs. Free & Easy; evolution vs. Naturally. I remember still alone sounds like another ayu song but I forgot which one was. I was tired of the similar music and the overexposure of ayu at that period. It's quite funny that I wanna buy I am now... cuz I miss the album.. probly I should buy it soon.. :D

I don't think it's just that people look back with rose coloured glass, I got all her works at the same time(no songs got any hype or anything, I diden't even know who she was), and came to like her biggest hits nonetheless, M was my favourite track from day one, even though I had no idea about sales, hype or whatever. I still like a lot of the new stuff she releases, but I can understand why she's loosing some popularity too.

This sums up precisely Ayu's development for me as well. I still hope she gets back on her old level. She can do it, she just has to take the time and actually get around to it.

I just hope she comes out with some completely brilliant singles that does away with all doubt and shows the world Ayu's still on top. Our theme for summer '06. :)

As for the 'rose-coloured spectacles', there's definitely some truth in that and I won't deny it either. Just playing those 'good old' albums like I am... and LOVEppears reminds me of good times; so on top of the music just being plain awesome, there's memories along with it that make it even better. However, I must add that I only discovered Ayu after the release of Rainbow but that I, for instance, like Memorial Address a lot and don't like Rainbow much at all, eventhough I had accostumed to Rainbow just as much as to I am... and Duty and so on. Memorial Address still managed to grow on me and it's one of my favourites because it has good songs. That's just what lacked on My Story. Wouldn't know about (miss)Understood because I haven't heard it yet.

Impact and SheFliesHigher you guys WORDED IT PERFECTLY. People just NEED ANY reason to think about the "good days" whatever those may be. She is definitely at her best right now and it is amazing and really REALLY ANNOYING as to how contradictory a lot of Ayu fans are, it seems like NO ONE is ever satisfied. We got to gripe about everything, not that we can't have opinions but do people argue this much about most of the other Japanese artist, I personally don't think so.

Oh wells everyone's missing out cause I LOVE Ayu more than ever, and I'm not one of those "OMG IT'S AYU IT'S PERFECT" people either that many people are very fast to label because I am positive about most of Ayu's pieces. I really have no "nostalgic" feelings for the past because as amazing as CREAs pieces were, they were honestly not that strong in terms of composition and many pieces sounded a like. I can barely see the difference in the transition from "evolution" to "UNITE!" sometimes. Oh wells I have waited it seems forever for a general positive attitude from this forum and it never seems to come. It's funny how "Memorial address" was once BOUNCEBACK crud and now one of the forums favorites, and how "(miss)understood" is SO bad because of GEO yet "(miss)understood" was so much more popular than "MY STORY". Hmm I guess we'll never be satisfied.

But on the topic of A Best II, I don't think it's really necessary. We have gone over that question for months now and I think most of us feel it's not necessary. Overall Ayu is at the prime of her game even if she isn't nearly as popular as she once was. For a Japanese Pop Icon to last almost a decade in the spotlight is amazing.

I think in the past two albums, the songs ayumi have written are Wonderland/Will...which both are horrid by the way...she needs to create a full album of "LOVE" like Utada, she puts "LOVE" into her work. Ayumi puts "MUSIC" into her work...

LOL I'm just kidding ya'll...

I hope she puts out A ROCK though...oh they're still horrid

Haha, I think that sums up exactly what fandom is about. ;)

Also, I'm still waiting for A B-Sides. :D

i like her songs now more than those previously.. she exposes herself to various kinds of music which i like them!

So very true. Sometimes we just expect too much from our idols, or want them to do what WE want.

Personally, I think she's gone through quite a lot of changes since A BEST, though I think that these changes may have alienated some old fans and brought in some new ones. It's been really interesting to see how her entire career has developed so far. I find it more interesting than other artistes who keep repeating the same old formula for success throughout their entire career.

Wow, this means that I've been an Ayu fan for five years now!

Although Ayu's music has changed, and I do enjoy her past work more then her more recent stuff, maybe one day I'll look back to "MY STORY" and "(miss)understood" and enjoy them more than I do today.

Maybe it's not an excuse. Maybe we DO like her older stuff. Which I think would be perfectly normal. We don't have to love her recent stuff as much or more than her older stuff. It's not our fault if we think her older stuff sounded better. It's personal taste.



I think "Humming 7/4" is actually in the best songs from "MY STORY".

And the reason why people hated "MY STORY" more than "(miss)understood" even though there's more Ayu-composed songs, it's because they judged the album overally. Not just the song Ayu-composed.

asongforXX is exactly right. We're not "finding any reason to think about the 'good days.'"

To me, Ayu dropped off after 2000, with good songs here and there. A Song for XX, LOVEppears, and Duty are all incredible albums, and I love them.

And where do people come off saying CREA is a good composer along with "I am..." being a good album? I am... is completely overrated.

I am...IS INDEED A GREAT ALBUM...it is the album with our NUMBER ONE FAVORITE M...after that it's MISSUNDERSTOOD WITH STEP YOU...THEN WE GET TO...

Well M is the reigning champion still...I am is not overrated, we just seem to like a lot of songs somewhy

True :D I guess people in fandoms, whether it's movies or books can never be completely satified (and HP fandom, I'm completely looking at you).

I've always enjoy CREA compositions myself, but my favourite is CREA+Dai :D Also I guess the part with people loving I am... as an album because (well, IMO it's a really good album...but that's just me) I think it's somewhat of a turning point of Ayu's career. Her style of composition changed, as well as writing lyrics changed, and her voice changed. She became more "mature" overall. It caused her to lose some fans and gain new ones.

Wow...5 years since A BEST... man I'm old either that or I've been an Ayu fan for longer than I can remember.

Do you think if Ayu were to suddenly come up with a A BEST 2, it will break records???

If it will happen, then i seriously think Ayu should do so...Though money isnt an impt issue now but i feel that it affects the singer in one way or another. Maybe they should have online polls on AYu's official website! Then people can post their views or something.

Ayu has definitely grown and matured. her voice has become more powerful and her concerts and performances are still top. Unless another BEST album will bring in money and hype, i think she should just continue with her present style. I guess, no matter what she does, i will still support her and love her.

Why are you yelling at me? I am... isn't that amazing.

I don't mean to attack you but you can't really say the M is our number one favorite because M is not mine and it may not be others number one favorite either.

M isnt my number 1 favourite now although it was a few years back. M is too overrated. i see no speciality in it.. the way she performs this song is the same forever.

Keep in mind that Ayu wasn't a professional composer. Also keep in mind that there is a difference between "composer" and "arranger" The composer comes up with the tune and the arranger puts the instruments and mixes the song. So I really don't blame Ayu for Humming 7/4. In fact, I enjoy it. It has energy.

But I do agree that something has been lacking with Ayu recently. I became a fan in 2003 and I was blown away with songs like 'Because of you' and 'No way to Say' and I also loved all of her old songs because although I didn't know what she was singing about, she still drew me in. I think between A Best and now, Ayu has improved vocally, but doesn't use it to her full potential which is why some of her songs are coming short for me. I think that was the problem with the MY STORY album as well as (miss)understood.
With some few exceptions here and there. Although I admire that she is trying something new, I just feel that she isn't...I don't know...trying hard enough? Because she knows that everything she makes will hit number one anyways. She's even recycled some lyrics and her lyrics haven't really touched me like they have in the past. I think Ayu needs some new inspiration. I just wasn't feeling some of (miss)understood. I felt that it was too rushed and not much thought was put into it.

I finally listened to all of 'Duty'. It left me speechless. It's an incredible piece of art that is flawed only by the cheetah theme. It really is the best thing Ayumi has made so far. But putting just the singles onto a best album is a real let-down after such an awe-inspiring album. A BEST was just a horrible ploy by avex. .-.

Since A BEST, there was the disappointingly mediocre 'I am...', the awesome comeback with 'RAINBOW' (And good CREA compositions), the awesome piece of art 'Memorial address', the so-so 'MY STORY' and the varied '(miss)understood'. Currently, with her last single, Ayu's stuck in a passionless pop pit, so hopefully she'll wow me next time with #40. I think she's still alive and kicking, and I have some crazy feeling that she'll do something amazing for her next album (Startin'/Born to Be aside), like the real return of CREA. :)

I say CREA and Kunio Tago (SCAR & Key) should dominate the next album, and I'm still hoping she'll bring back the Hawaii album.

I think I am... was the moment when avex pushing her so hard. I mean, whatever she released was a no. 1 hit for sure. Avex (or even ayu herself) didn't really care how similar the songs were. Rainbow... I just dunno, I still dun like the album that much compared to MY STORY or even (m)u. I agree that Startin' is such a passionless pop even tho the lyric is quite good. Probly the pv kinda ruins the value of the song :P.

So yeah our conclusion is that hopefully the 40th is a totally blow off single... :D

I fully agree. The cheetah theme is probably Duty's biggest flaw. While the album's brilliant (my favourite Ayu album by a longshot), the artwork is just terrible.

Haha. I should take all the lyrics from 'Duty' and transfer them onto 'Memorial address'. Wow. That would be a perfect album. ^_^

^or another reason "Duty" sold well was it was when japan's industry was almost reaching its' height in record cd-selling.....

Why everyone hate the cheetah theme of Duty??? It's one of the strongest ayu trademark in her fashion history. If you see cheetah in Japan you can probly think of ayu but nobody else. When the cover was released everyone was speechless cuz they didn't expect ayu would do that, and they loved it. Lots of girls copies ayu and wore something with cheetah pattern. In addition, I think the cheetah pattern really fits the theme of Duty. :yes (of course, I think the fox tail is even better LOL).

Back to the topic. Duty is the best album ayu ever made IMO (apart from Memorial address, which is a "mini"). All the songs are excellent, the theme is excellent, and the fluency of the album is excellent... Everything is almost perfect. It's not what I am or RAINBOW can compare with.

I think it would be cool to have a cross between Duty and Memorial address. I personally think the album would sell like crazy.

A matter of taste and opinion, of course, in the end. However, I seriously find that the artwork of Duty just puts me off and lessens my desire to hear it. I just happen to find it cheesy, the theme laughable and totally not suiting the album. However, the music is just flat-out brilliant, and that's what matters in the end.

And indeed, a combination between Duty and Memorial Address would be bizarrely brilliant.

^ I agree. 'Duty' has the worst album cover by Ayu ever. Cheetah print is tacky and the suit is like a cosplay. my favorite album designs are for 'Rainbow' , 'A ballads' and 'A Best'. her remix albums have great designs too.

'Memorial Address' has a nice design too , but I'm a fan of more simplistic designs for albums. I like faceshots & colors/effects over lots of outfits and objects on album designs.

i'm assuming you like the (m)u cover then? cause not a lot of people liked it and i thought she was very gorgeous in it.

Yeah definately changed but still number 1.

wanna cry for no one loving the Duty cover except me... LOL :lech
I agree that RAINBOW's cover is super pretty... IMO the best cover from ayu (that's the reason of having that album... of course now I appreciate the songs as well). LOVEppears cover is really good as well. I think the LOVEppears/appears combination is one of the best ideas I've seen so far :P.

I've actually only been a fan of Ayu's since the end of the MY STORY era, but I can tell what it must've been like in the era of A BEST. Wow. ^_~

why so many pple hate the cheetah image? it was a breakthrough for ayu isnt it? i became an ayu fan because of her cheetah image.. many of the youngsters in Japan started buying products with cheetah prints after ayu's Duty album was released! no doubt RAINBOW has a better cover, both have their strengths!

I also agree that My Story and Miss Understood are rather weak. they lack stand out songs. the worst thing about MU is that we have heard so many tracks already before the release of te album. i am just not motivated to buy it.

5 years... dang. x3 But I like her voice now a lot better. I still like her old songs, but like her new ones just a tad more. I mean, I really don't care for anything that came out before I am... I mean, I always thought the cover for Duty wasn't half bad. Just really don't like the songs. >__<
And of course I was never too fond of MY STORY. Maybe because the first songs I heard from there were INSPIRE and GAME, which really annoy me. >__>

And about (miss)understood... the problem is that most of the songs we had already heard. Not too much new stuffs.

Ayu realy matured and i think that she is now much better off doing rock and ballads. Pop no longer suits her. Yar, i agree with you. Some single song like B&D, is this LOVE? and Pride shouldn't be included in her album. This will give people more incentive to buy both the single and album. In addition, this will give her fans more surprises :D

^they were all a-sides, so they had to be included. "Will" and "alterna" (not that i dont like these songs) could've stayed as singles

Hype nor popularity makes it good.

I agree. She sounds so good in (miss)understood but fairyland sounded kinda...out of touch (couldn't think of any other term).

I think her songs are becoming more westernish. Umm imo her old songs are more fresh & "original" japanese tunes [like.. using disco beats] and much more FREE composition like UNITE and evolution. I really like her songs which she made with DAI, DAI really influenced ayu so much.. I miss her Free&Easy songs.. Say.. Her inspiration is now lower than before? Um the lyrics are even more "general" now.
BUt whatever, she's still my #1 female singer!!