"Modern"/remade/rerecorded/resung Ayu oldies
 

I've always been fascinated whenever Ayu decides to sing an oldie. New technique + proven song = excellent performance, fresh interpretation. To me, she seems to perform extra well when she performs oldies. Therefore, I decided to create a thread where we can showcase all her "modern" versions of the oldies!

She redid some songs on albums:
A BEST:
A Song For XX
Trust
Depend on you
(I swear she rerecorded End Roll too, even though they didn't say so...can anyone confirm?)

A BALLADS:
A Song for XX - 030213 Session take 2

But most have been from performances:

Ayuready:
TO BE
old http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbZqeYUA_ZA
new http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxTHoKOu-Ww (I believe that the weak notes at "kimi ga inakya" are intentional because they are repeated. Interpretationally, I think it enhances the tone of vulnerability. Oh and cute surprise at the end :).)
LOVE~since 1999~
old -N/A on youtube- (but on 99-04-12 Hey!x3, tsunku's voice was kind of overpowering hers)
new http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVuErKBUmp8 (revenge!)
YOU
old can't find one on youtube...compare with original recording
new http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl9Olc3MyZA

A MUSEUM:
A Song For XX
Poker Face (!!!)
Trust
Depend on you (hmm does this one show up a lot? I think so...it's one of those have fun songs)
YOU
appears
vogue
NEVER EVER
(Yea, a whole mess of them...the DVD is still sitting here for me to watch, so I need to do that soon.)

TA Live:
ASFXX A BALLADS vers.
Poker Face (!!!)
old http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCcetGjmLCg (omg...the first one? is that enrique and yoshio?? so this is the missing link between idol on stage and our Ayu...)
new dang it's not on youtube, but it's awesome
TO BE
YOU

CDL04-05:
Whatever
immature
Duty
Key
TO BE
(Haven't seen this one yet either...don't even have the DVD cause it's always expensive.)

CDL05-06:
Endless Sorrow (eh TV vers. so so...)
new http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7IUWdK3ako
LOVE~Destiny~
old http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pZJwAA-2oA
new http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StafYJ4Wdy4

Most recently, she sang A Song For XX at a-nation '06. Looking forward to that!

Ummm yea I didn't include concert favorites (e.g. fly high, evolution) since they get sung all the time and they're used more for fun with the audience...I'm emphasizing examples of how her singing has matured. But if you find one that's really good, please post!

omg I would faint if at AT07 if she all of a sudden sang Duty. Since she's gotten a lot better since DT01, I can't imagine how crazy good it'd sound...unless some of you are right, and she can't sing some of her oldies anymore. Which I disagree with.

(ho crap she did Duty at CDL04-05...I did not know that...agh CDL04-05 has a load of oldies!)

This is one of my favorite things, too! I think they're usually biiiig improvements (i.e. "A song for XX" - "A song for XX 030213 Session take 2") and are much more powerful.

There was an alternate version of "HANABI" that she performed live, although I don't remember which show it was. It was really pretty, although very different. I think it was in a major key, too, as opposed to the original minor arrangement.

There were several other tracks that were redone for A BALLADS, also, including "YOU", "appears", "M", and others. Incidentally, "M" is the only re-make I've ever hated. The original was much better made, much stronger.

WHOAAA that's a crazy HANABI right there...major key? that sounds really interesting...do you remember if it appeared in a concert or a TV appearance?

Hmm I swear the A BALLADS ones use the same vocal tracks...don't you think so? Even the amazing appears; omg I love that mix of appears, the arrangement is sooo full and powerful.

She did re-do the End roll on A BEST album. I swear it. They didn't put it down though, I think thats really strange. Maybe because the old version is better? (IMO, lol)


Also, on A Song for XX "030213 Session #2," Can anyone else hear this at the beginning....:

(practicing)
some guy talking to ayu: "You suck!"
ayumi: Shhh!! *or some sorta laugh noise,*
same guy: One, two, one two three four....
(playing)

Do you guys catch that? :-o!

^ lol they relli said that in the beginning?

yes!! i relli love it when she sings an oldie in her concerts, it sounds soo much better than on CD because her voice was too high xD

i loved poker face, endless sorrow, you and others alot more now because of the lives

No...I say new version's better; I like the vibrato. It might've been a bit much, but I think it enhances the emotion very appropriately. Plus, the old harsh style isn't so overpoweringly present.

Hmm now that you've brought it up, this is the first time I'm listening to what's being said in detail. Ummmm the intonation of the Shhh makes me want to think it's "yoshi" cause Japanese people say it like "yoshhhh." Wouldn't make sense next to the "you suck." At first I thought, it can't be "you suck," but I can't figure out what else it might be. Maybe Japanese people use "you suck" differently than I would...in this case, the Shhh would just be a random noise Ayu's making in response to the jest...the word that the guy speaks right after sounds like "kita" meaning "<something> came." That just confuses me more. I wish I knew what was going on...

(btw it's so cool listening to Ayu practice...:D)

Here is the performance I was talking about. It was a-nation '05. But I was mistaken -- it is the same key, but it sounds brighter because it doesn't have the heavy bass and dark sweeping strings to add to the atmosphere. It is just really just bright piano with a pad underneath it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wiYWNoSr2M

I was actually talking about the arrangements, but in addition to A song for XX, YOU and Who... were given new vocal tracks. They sound muuuch nicer, especially Who... .

No, I don't think End roll was re-recorded. But I'm positive it was re-mastered. The background vocal was reduced significantly, and the lead vocal was warmed and brought out more. That's probably the vocal difference you hear.


Actually what is being said is

男: よっしゃ！
あゆ: よっし・・・！
男: ・・・っしゃ。

Guy: Yossha!
Ayu: Yossh(i)...!
Guy: ...ssha!

"Yoshi" (or more emphatically, "yosshi") is an exclamation that means "All right!" The guy says "yossha!" which is a little bit rougher and more energetic. Ayu says "yossh(i)" (the "i" sound is often cut short), which is more standard. The guy then playfully "corrects" Ayu's "yossh(i)" by adding a "ssha" to the end of it and laughing.

regarding HANABI performance:
wooooo hot sweaty and emotional = kickass performance! I remember having seen this performance, but I didn't remember her doing the divaish bit at the end. I was like, WOOO YEEEEAAAA AYU CAN DO THAT TOO!! I have to agree, it's a good alternate arrangement.

regarding End Roll:
Hmmm I still gotta say I think the A BEST version sounds like a different vocal track. Two different Ayus...intonation is completely different, plus she uses a mess of vibrato in comparison for the A BEST recording. Just to be sure that we're on the same footing, are you making your comparison using downloaded files or the actual CD? I'm sure you know how people sometimes assume tracks must be the same when they are ripping. I ripped it from A BEST myself.

regarding A BALLADS vocal tracks:
REALLY? no way... Who... sounds quite the same to me; perhaps Actually I like the original mix better hehe, I like the intro. Hmmm I just listened to pieces of them side by side any they sound very similar. So I dunno! I do seem to detect ever so slight differences, but that may be just my mind playing games.
Ho damn, you're right about YOU. lol I guess the differences were too subtle for me to realize while casually listening.
Are these new vocal tracks officially documented or are you judging it by ear?
Do you know about any other differences in the same song on different CDs?

live studio recording bit:
AHHHHHHHHH I got the yoshi part for Ayu but the rest...evolusean, you're a genius :D. Was it hard to figure out what he was playfully correcting her? I would've NEVER thought of that... You sure give me the impression of extensive experience with Japanese despite what you said in that other thread.

Mmm.

I love when she redoes her songs. Acoustic HEAVEN really is beautiful <3 Except when she randomly messes up gracefully.. :p Then it's even better. But that's too recent.. LOL

I hope she does some Yuming covers on her next BEST, if a best ever happens.. -cough Haru yo koi cough-

^Ayu vers. of Haru yo Koi = mad beauty. I think we'd all love a studio recording of it. I watched Yuming perform it on youtube cause I was curious, and I liked Ayu's voice singing it much better. A friend of mine prefers the Yuming version because that's what she's used to, though.

The aiko [you know, the Kirakira/STAR aiko] version was good too. I think I still have it :)

I think I know who you're talking about...cute really asian looking girl, right? I saw her on Hey!x3 once. I haven't any of her stuff except for that one song on the show...and that I don't remember at all lol.

edit: yea that's her.

hmm... can anyone upload the A "version" of End roll? i only have the A BEST "version".

An mp3 version of aiko's haru yo, koi. :p

aiko - 春よ、こい (松任谷由実).mp3
YSI - http://download.yousendit.com/B03AF4893EAF44A0

Wooo thanks TH! Damn apparently something doesn't like Japanese characters in filenames...
Oooh sounds like a live.

jeffycue: Ummm I have the CD so what quality do you want?
Here's a random mp3 I downloaded awhile ago, 128kbps:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/juut4t

Yeah, it's a radio rip from her radio show. :p

^Ooh she has her own radio show. This version is nice in its simplicity, but for me, it doesn't hold a candle to Ayu's. Ayu's version is superb interpretationally, I think. She makes very good use of dynamics... The power notes resonate with a grand eternal quality while the soft parts lure the listener back into a contemplative mood. Plus the way she builds up to the power notes really gets me. It's like she's taking me on a rollercoaster ride and I can see the crazy bits coming but they still hit me like a sledgehammer.

yeah i feel really excited if she sung her old song with her new voice technique..it feel different and better in my opinion

I agree. i own loveppears, the a single, and A BEST, and theyre all labeled, and its obvious the melodical parts were re-mastered, sure, but her vocals are for sure totally re-done. Evolusean, Did you download the songs? I could send you both versions if you like.

About the A BALLADS part, thats cool you know what they're saying. nice to know hes not dissing ayu :P lol

That would be so random if he were dissing Ayu though lol.