LOVEPPEARS - 13th Anniversary 11/10

[paper_doll]

Still so perfect <3

[CatGirl]

kanariya is one of Ayu's best songs imo, it's completely unique in her discography, has one of her coolest videos, and really mysterious lyrics. Seriously, I can't get enough of it haha

[kotora]

Also we should not forget the black ayu and white ayu on CD cover. The idea is very unique.

[Delicious n Bold]

^ only the flawless appears could~

[BlackSilence]

i don't care abut any of her albums before I am... i do enjoy some songs but only in the concert versions cuz her voice kills my ears... except for kanariya , sureal and duty,,,,

[ExodusUK]

The album is flawless~

[TeamAyu2004]

its hardly that...
the entire debacle of A is on that album... her weakest songs. :sadness.

[ExodusUK]

Sorry, I should have clarified in my opinion it's flawless.

I like the way Delirium-Zer0 summed up Loveppears

If you listen to jpop from 1997 to 1999, there is a HUGE jump in quality. Ayu's sound CHANGED jpop, especially jpop for solo female artists. There's Jpop before Ayu, and jpop after ayu. you can hear a marked change in quality with artists like Amuro Namie, globe, Every Little Thing, and Puffy who were around both before and after ayu really became popular. It wasn't "poker face" that changed things, it was the "LOVEppears" era of singles. They were very unusually polished and, for lack of a better term, "thick" sounding. Ayu was a very unusually modern, futuristic sounding artist. Japan was finally catching up to the west in mixing & production tactics at that point, and everyone else had to play catch up. Ayu's perfectionism meant that after LOVEppears, the rest of jpop sounded REALLY REALLY dated, and REALLY REALLY fast.

Ayu's career as someone with any measure of influence really started with the trifecta of WHATEVER, ayu-mi-x, and LOVE~Destiny~. Once those releases cemented her place as a pop powerhouse on both sides of the pop spectrum - dance and ballads - and did so with tracks that were EXTREMELY well-produced and ironed out, that was when people really started paying attention to her. Other record labels saw her as a problem and pitted her against singers like Ami Suzuki and Utada Hikaru in sales "battles." At this point, EVERYONE was "up against" ayu. Even when Ayu was beaten (and in both of the above cases she was), it was always so-and-so versus Ayu. Ayu was always the constant.

And Masa's..

　I've seen someone's writing at BBS in a certain site that when he had bought "A Song for XX", that he had been surprised at its completeness but, at the same time, been afraid that she would never create the album better than that. If I had bought "A Song for XX" when released, I would have thought just like him. But she created the album better than that, which is really surprising. Of course many staff were concerned with the creation of this album. She never created it all for herself. But it can be said that just because her talents and personalities were at the center, the composers offered excellent melodies, the arrangers did excellent arrangements, and the musicians gave excellent performances. (She put fifteen lyrics into this album after all, equally to the first album. Thirty lyrics in total. It means that the lyrics commomly enough for about three albums were put into two albums in a concentrated way.)
　So, lastly, which position does this album "LOVEppears" completed in this way hold in the history of popular music? -- As far as I know, I can't recall any Japanese albums similar to it. The album I associate with most naturally is "Sgt. Peppers". I think this album is on the same musical, artistic level with that album, which is said to be one the best in the history of popular music.

[TeamAyu2004]

^ lol... you shouldnt have to clarify it's your opinion it's obvious....

I was stating I didn't agree... dont be so aggressive.

and i agree with Delirium-Zer0, this is an amazing album that changed the face of jpop... I have been saving that for years! It is also the album i feel started her career in the right direction...
but its not flawless, it has problems and week songs, nor is it her best album.

[ExodusUK]

"It's hardly that" sounds like you're disputing my opinion as if I was stating it as a fact or something, "I don't agree" or something like that would have been more appropriate.

[No_Doubt]

Originally Posted by kotora

Also we should not forget the black ayu and white ayu on CD cover. The idea is very unique.

Lol I love this. Imagine the backlash if a Western artist did that though.

[TeamAyu2004]

Originally Posted by ExodusUK

"It's hardly that" sounds like you're disputing my opinion as if I was stating it as a fact or something, "I don't agree" or something like that would have been more appropriate.

Not really... people need to learn the difference between fact and opinion. Anything you say that comes from feelings, (how you feel about the album) is an opinion.

Hence if your stating an opinion, then so am I.

AND... it is a fact that I think It's hardly flawless, soo take it as you want it.

[primavera♥]

I feel like LOVEppears is great until she releases something like I am... Which she can also claim the credits for composing some of the songs. Which I respect.

But I think all the songs on LOVEppears are good. Just not all of them are super fantastically great. Like Who... Or Trauma and immature is one of my least favorite ayu songs. Though I'm sure others would disagree

[waterballoon]

Fly high, Trauma, And Then, immature, Boys & Girls, WHATEVER, appears, monochrome, Who..., LOVE ~Destiny~, TO BE, End roll... who can forget these timeless classic in 1 of her best albums? thrashes recent albums like Party queen

[JackieRos]

is one of my top 5's

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

WOW it has been 13 years...I feel old lol

[HarukaKamiya]

I don't really feel old knowing it's been 13 years since LOVEppears's been released. I was nine years old when it came out and I didn't even know that jpop existed then.

It's really an amazing album; one of my favourites, etc.

[Delicious n Bold]

Just listened to this album in full recently, haven't done that in a while
It really flows~

[mizuki-7]

I don't really feel old knowing it's been 13 years since LOVEppears's been released. I was nine years old when it came out and I didn't even know that jpop existed then.

It's really an amazing album; one of my favourites, etc.

XD so true ^^
I love this album ^^

I love this album. 13 years... Christ. Such a long long time! It's still such a favourite for me, and after Duty my most played album.