Ayu Recommendations

[fanmail]

Download them all. I'm not gonna deny that they're all great albums.

I really recommend RAINBOW! I love it~

[omably]

Originally Posted by fanmail

Download them all. I'm not gonna deny that they're all great albums.

Do you recommend I check out the remix albums?

[che0173]

ummm yea some of the remix albums are really good
but then some aren't i didn't like ayu-mi-x 6 ~GOLD~ version =(
lols
ummm
u should get the newer CD's
her goods from tours <3
and umm...yeaa...the original 8cm cd's
i have another thread which i think u posted in, but yeaa, if u wanna check itout its somewhere in off-topic --> fan thingo
lols
ummm
check on ebay if u wanna they might have some
Yahoo Japan Auctions have some as well
but u'll have to get it through a middle-man such as Celga, Crescent Shop, Japan Auction Agency, Nippon Exports and other ones which i probably don't know off yet.

[apple-pi]

You can try checking out her most iconic songs~
-M
-evolution
-A Song for XX (song)
-SURREAL
-SEASONS
-Memorial address (song)
-Boys & Girls
-Dearest
-RAINBOW (song)

Those are pretty much the timless, "everyone's-favorites"-ish iconic songs ~ since they're from different times, you get to hear Ayu in very different styles, too ^^

One of the highlights of Ayu's music (the main one for me) is the lyrics though ~ so you can also just read through some lyrics, and then download the songs that you can relate to the most ^^ I think you can find all the lyrics and translations at AHS... Divine Ayu is another good option ^^

Album-wise, I'm not sure what to recommend, since they're different, so they'll appeal differently to you depending on your taste~ I think I can describe them a bit like this:
A Song for XX - it's really old, and some people don't like it. At first listen I thought it was kind of dull, but after a while it grew on me, it has some really beautiful songs. I think the arrangement is kinda simple, but the melodies are really good~

LOVEppears - poppish dance-ish. Also kinda old, but some people seriously love this album. Great ballads~ kanariya is a REALLY WEIRD song haha XD

Duty - my favorite. I don't know, there's something so artistic about this album XD Both the music and the lyrics have a style that I don't think appears in any other Ayu albums. Like, not even a tiny bit lol. IMO it's a masterpiece, but I'm biased lol XD

I am... - has the most iconic songs in it. It has a techno-ish sound mixed with pop-rock I think... (though I'm not really good at classifying music lol). The lyrics here are also very unique. Pretty much every song is amazing... (except maybe "still alone" haha XD)

RAINBOW - pop-rock ish, I think...it's a weird album, with weird songs. But really good. There's a thread about it that should give you a lot of information about the style and stuff ^^

Memorial address - HANABI ~episode II~ and forgiveness are both very unique songs, which are a bit love-or-hate ish. ANGEL'S SONG is a happy poppish song, ourselves and Because of you are darker rock-ish songs, No way to say is a really great ballad, Memorial address is a sad rock-ish song, and Greatful days is a summer-ish poppish song. IMO the whole album is great, except Greatful days >____<

MY STORY - really rock-ish album. It has freaking amazing songs, but with the HUGE amount of 17 tracks, I think some of them sound a bit filler-ish. About You, Moments and INSPIRE are awesome IMO~ CAROLS is also a fan favorite, many people really love this song. (I think it's because the lyrics are easy to relate to)

(miss)understood - It's a mix of styles... Bold & Delicious and Ladies Night are weird pop songs, STEP you/fairyland/Beautiful day are happy-ish poppish songs, is this LOVE? and (miss)understood are more "violent" sounding (lol XD) rock songs, alterna and in In the corner are pop-rock ish, criminal is a power ballad, rainy day is a pop ballad, Will sounds a bit influenced by traditional japanese music...

Secret - most songs are rock(ish?) with some techno-ish elements... with some excpetions: Born to be... is a beautiful song in a different style, with a gospel choir haha XD JEWEL is a piano ballad, momentum is another really beautiful ballad, Beautiful Fighters and Blue bird are happy pop songs, kiss o' kill and Secret have this really unique style which I don't know how to describe haha XD

GUILTY - I think this is the most rock-ish album Ayu has released so far... it has great rock tracks and awesome power ballads, but also 2 pop songs (MY ALL and glitter) and a soothing, calm ballad (untitled ~for her~)

...ok. that's all. XD

[Deneb]

^
that's a LONG explaination xDD

[che0173]

Originally Posted by Deneb

^
that's a LONG explaination xDD

lols yea
and oh oh oh
if you want to, forget about any of the CDs and just think about Nothing From Nothing Single and Album <3
they're quite costly
u might regret spending so much on 2 CD's but theres like...literally NONE in the world...
well there is, but not compared to the other CD's

[apple-pi]

haha I like long posts XD
I hope it was at least helpful lol XD

[omably]

Originally Posted by apple-pi

haha I like long posts XD
I hope it was at least helpful lol XD

WOW! Thank you so much, I also love long posts! Also do you think I should check out her remix albums? I'm still not sure if I should bother yet

And che0173 are you still selling her 8cm CD's? There aren't any on eBay atm Japan version's atleast

[apple-pi]

I haven't listened to her many remix albums actually ~ I downloaded ayu-mi-x 6 GOLD/SILVER, but people said those albums aren't very good, so I'm not sure I can have an opinion based on them... I've heard the remixes on her singles though (back when they were remix PACKED XD) and I think I'm not really a remix person lol XD
I don't really like them in general, but I LOVE trance so I like the ayu-trance albums a lot.
So it depends, if you like remixes or not~ some of them are really magical IMO (Dearest energized mix!!! )

What if you ask people to upload their favorite remixes individually? That way you can find out whether you like it or not, without bothering to download an entire album.

[KarenPang]

Originally Posted by Deneb

^
that's a LONG explaination xDD

I 2nd that

to me , RAINBOW & (miss)understood are among her most experimental works to date . RAINBOW's very D.A.I influenced while (miss)understood is different due to the samples that she sampled from Sweetbox .

For I am ... , it's techo-ish .

For Duty , it's a transition period for her to her pop works to a more rock base core as evident in SURREAL , End of The World

For MY STORY , GUILTY , they're rock based . MY STORY has a more harder rock sound while GUILTY's material is quite dark & a bit depressing as compared to her other albums .

For Secret , it's also experimental , a mixture of metal , trance , lounge & rock .

I can't comment on the 1st 2 albums cos I didn't listen to them but that's roughly the pic for her studio albums so just take your pick !

[xiaou-xijiang]

Honestly, since you're new, don't just take our advice. There are plenty of links in the download section where you can sample at your leisure. As many pointed out, Ayumi is very versatile in her music. Some people may not like her older works for some reason and some might not like her newer works for some reason, but every one has something unique about it, and honestly what some one else might not like could be something you can really jam to.
My advice check here

and do what I did: go "eeney meeney miney moe" select a few tracks from each album. If you really like some, keep going until you make a decision, on what album(s) would be the best one for you to invest your money in. And honestly, you don't have to buy the entire discography to be a fan; the music isn't the fancy album cover. best of luck.

[sugarbasil]

Yeah, like many other people have already said, try downloading them first, that way you won't be disappointed.

Though, to be honest, I find I love the CDs a lot more if I've never heard them before and just choose a random one. That's how I fell in love with RAINBOW when it came out. Then I did the same with I am... and Memorial Address. It's 20 times more fun when you buy the album without having listened to any of it first.

But I digress... XD Anyways, regarding her earlier works, I guess it depends on what you consider earlier. I consider Duty and earlier to be her early works, but that's because I became a hard core fan the day after RAINBOW released.

I definitely suggest holding off buying A Song for XX before you download it. That's a tough album for many fans to get into. See if you like it first. Any of the other albums I highly recommend. LOVEppears is more trance and dance pop. Duty is sort of dark rock pop. I am...is soft rock pop. RAINBOW is extremely hard to describe; it's very... mystical, for lack of a better word. Memorial Address is dark. So I'd just pick which music genre you like the best and try that.

[che0173]

ummm, yea i am still selling it my 8cm's
hehe ^_^

[Melrose]

You just HAVE to get RAINBOW. I see you love Utada, too, and it's the most Utada-ish album she has. If she has any album that is even remotely like Utada's work, though.

[lumieregrl]

I'd recommend (miss)understood and RAINBOW, they are my favorites.

[rusuke]

First of all, welcome omably to ahs!!!!

Welcome to ayumi hamasaki's contagious world!!!
Well, I can't recommend albums as far if base on the mood of the entire album right now because still in May I'm gonna get my first one(GUILTY). But I heard most of her songs..

But i recommend you MY STORY, Memorial Address (a mini-album), I am.. and RAINBOW (the album) which gives me a little but heart-felt happiness in my heart whenever the "Everlasting Dream" starts to play!!! And also because these are the albums that I really wanna have first.

Conclusion: Whatever albums or singles you'll buy, it's still worth it.. because they will give emotional realization and enlightenment(?) and after all, it is still ayumi hamasaki, right?
Enjoy your first original cds!!!