Ayumi ~ The Anything Goes Thread 9 ~

[chocopockymaster]

Nothing is worse than moving and having to pack up your entire life...but I've been jamming out to Ayu's nonstop ayu-mi-x CDs while packing and it's made the whole thing so much more enjoyable!

[Heavenly]

Originally Posted by rainbow_smile

Oh, right, that as well. Though I think they promised as a "cartoon" and that could technically be interpreted as a picture instead of a video lol So I chose to ignore it after some time.

I think the one I was talking about was around Love songs era, when she was releasing the 50th single trilogy thing. And the CDs also came with a serial code, just like the "Zutto.../Last minute/Walk" (omg I'm always so lazy to type this) single, but people never seemed to found where to get that digital content. I might be hallucinating though haha

Yeah, there were cards also...
- MOON/blossom had a code to listen to a preview of crossroad, but this early version was horrible as hell (there was no chords yet).
- croosroad has a code to listen to a preview of the 50th single, or sort of.
- L had a code to download an acapella version of Virgin Road, that I never listen to.

I think the only "cards thing" that worked well was for her 15th anniversary : 5 releases - 5 codes to get "Tell All".

[Delirium-Zer0]

Wait what? I wanna hear the crappy early version of crossroad O_O

[Aderianu]

Originally Posted by orangeakira

I don't know why I'm thinking about this now, but I remember how disappointed I was with her 50th single. I think this is a huge milestone in her career and it was the end (for a while) of her single releases. It came in a jewel case cd with no extras besides a poster of her 50 singles (which was just a all her single covers floating around on a black background).

It supposed to have special digipak or something
but the end it was ordinary cd case

Originally Posted by Heavenly

I think the only "cards thing" that worked well was for her 15th anniversary : 5 releases - 5 codes to get "Tell All".

Tell All was nice. But special wallpapers that lately became pages from photobook annoys me -_-

[orangeakira]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

Wait what? I wanna hear the crappy early version of crossroad O_O

Wow I forgot about that, it was on youtube for a while. I liked it. iirc it was a bit more guitar driven and lower pitched? Don't quote me on that, I'm pulling this from memory from a low quality youtube video from years ago. I mean, nothing major like the commercial version of Step you. It was really really close sounding to the finalized version.

[Delirium-Zer0]

How did I miss this O__O As an ayu "historian" who loves hearing early versions of tracks, I'm very disappointed with myself XD

Does anyone have a rip or anything???

[Coelacanth]

I remember it vaguely! I should check to see if it's on my old laptop.

The percussion was really prominent and there was no string section. I even remember her mentioning in an interview saying that she had someone (Yuta Nakano, I believe?) come in and do the string arrangement and that it brought new life to the song. I <3 crossroad.

[Heavenly]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

I remember it vaguely! I should check to see if it's on my old laptop.

The percussion was really prominent and there was no string section. I even remember her mentioning in an interview saying that she had someone (Yuta Nakano, I believe?) come in and do the string arrangement and that it brought new life to the song. I <3 crossroad.

In fact, it was her first collaboration with David Reitzas, and he decided to put strings.
The first version sounded like sad country music to me
There wese rips here and there at that time, but I assume that none are active anymore.

[Gustavopc]

The fans choir was supposed to be for the 15th Anniv, wasn't it? And iirc the 7days special final concerts of RnRC Tour were in celebration of the 50th single release, they happened much after the main leg of the tour and had some differences on the set list (aka songs from the singles project). A shame it wasn't a different concert, like A MUSEUM, but it was something.

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

I love fated.

I wish it got more love.

[chocopockymaster]

Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan

I love fated.

I wish it got more love.

I love fated too.

And the Makoto remix is one of my faves from ayu-mi-x 6.

[ExodusUK]

Fated is the bomb. Glitter suits its Gutter nickname.

[mi|kshake]

I've been thinking about a set list for the Midnight Circus 2015 Tour for fun! Well here's what I've got so far (need to add a few more songs I think)

00 Wonderland
01 Petal
02 Marionette
03 Like A Doll

--Interlude-- (Insomnia)

04 Alterna
05 Guilty
06 Game
07 Kiss O Kill

--Interlude--

08 Never Ever (Ayu-mi-x 4 Acoustic Orchestra Ver)
09 Brillante

--Interlude--

10 The Next Love
11 Limit
12 Sexy Little Things
13 Ladies Night

--Interlude-- (The Judgement Day)

14 Glitter
15 Shake It
16 Surreal
17 Boys & Girls
18 Feel The Love

[Delirium-Zer0]

I wish we got a home video release of one of the early POWER of MUSIC shows... I feel like those are really important, since the tour's "point" was more or less the gradual recovery & rebuilding over time...

On top of it, the current home video release of the tour omits the titles that each section of the show got... every few songs a word would appear on the screens around the stage. We see ONE of them on the home video (just before A Song for XX, in the bonus material), but that's it. So the version we have actually doesn't show us the "full" show IMO, which is upsetting.

Plus, from what I was hearing in spoilers at the time, those early shows were the closest thing to an actual concert Ayu has ever done. The focus was on the reversioned songs, it was more about music performance than showmanship. It was still polished & interesting, but it was more about feelings and music and intimacy and connection. Sounds like it was really my kind of show... And judging how much I love the more music-focused & intimate aspects of the final blu-ray version of the show - enough that even in its final form it's probably my favorite concert - i would have loved to be there for the early parts of PoM. Really sad I missed out on that.

[sitara]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

How did I miss this O__O As an ayu "historian" who loves hearing early versions of tracks, I'm very disappointed with myself XD

Does anyone have a rip or anything???

i had no idea this existed! very interesting.
i also love early versions or demos of songs, any idea where i can hear some early versions of her music?

[Delirium-Zer0]

The only clips of early versions you can really hear are in CMs... some just use different vocal tracks (recorded on different days), no big differences aside from that.

However, "STEP you" is a particularly famous one, it's very slowed down in the Panasonic commercials.

"still alone" has a more raw, unpolished rock arrangement with no background vocals (and I've always liked this version 100x better than the album version) in the Takanoyuri Beauty Clinic La Stone Therapy CM.

"July 1st" in the Kose Visee Sexy Glossy CM is in a slightly higher key.

In its Panasonic CM, "everywhere nowhere" has no background vocals singing the title.

Vocal balancing is different in the Panasonic CM version of "1 LOVE".

"Naturally" has a slight lyric change - she says "bakari" in the album version but in the Visee Shimmer Face CM she says "dake wo".

[Aderianu]

looks like she recorded only small piece of new songs for CM... and after that polished it into songs we heard

[orangeakira]

Awe man, Now that I have all the necessary equipment to rip my vinyl records in proper flack and 320kbps mp3, I realize that my collection is so small. I feel like everyone I've ever met online either has a record player and a practically non-existent collection (or at the very least, no idea how to actually transfer songs from vinyl record onto their computer), or a large record collection and no equipment. (such as the people who just collect them to display them).

The only Ayu records I own are 6 of the 10 ayu-mi-x 6 gold/silver limited edition records
the three "concert tour 2000" records
A -side NYC-
A -side TYO-
and ayumix 2.

I really wish I owned more rare stuff to rip.

Even though I consider myself an audiophile, I still believe in practicality. I'm not going to waste my time ripping records just for the sake of it. Pretty much all of these are already released on CD. I really wish I owned the ayumix box set but no way in hell am I spending that kind of money. My limit for a record is about $65 depending on how rare it is. And that's only in certain occasions like with utada's sonic sprout mix record.

[Delirium-Zer0]

Originally Posted by orangeakira

Awe man, Now that I have all the necessary equipment to rip my vinyl records in proper flack and 320kbps mp3, I realize that my collection is so small. I feel like everyone I've ever met online either has a record player and a practically non-existent collection (or at the very least, no idea how to actually transfer songs from vinyl record onto their computer), or a large record collection and no equipment. (such as the people who just collect them to display them).

FOR REAL. I actually splurged on the ayu-mi-x box set and my USB turntable in a very short period of time because i had just. absolutely. HAD IT with there being no mp3s of that set. hahaha

[Heavenly]

Originally Posted by sitara

i had no idea this existed! very interesting.
i also love early versions or demos of songs, any idea where i can hear some early versions of her music?

I know that crossroad was featured in a CM ("QUALITA by H.I.S." as said on the Love songs' sticker), but I never found it.... I even wonder if it was released at all !