A Ballads
A Ballads | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | March 12, 2003 | |||
Recorded | 1998–2003 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 72:03 | |||
Label | Avex Trax | |||
Producer | Max Matsuura | |||
Ayumi Hamasaki chronology | ||||
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A Ballads (stylized as
Released in six formats featuring a photograph by JFKK, A Ballads received favorable reviews from music critics. Many praised the collection for including some of Hamasaki's best vocal work, and commended the songwriting. Minor criticism was aimed on the newer renditions of the original songs. Commercially, the album was a success in Japan, reaching number one on the Oricon Albums Chart, making it Hamasaki's second compilation and eighth album to reach the top spot. It was certified Million by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of one million units. The album experienced limited promotion during its release, with some of the tracks appearing during Japanese commercial endorsements.
Background and material
In December 2002, Hamasaki released her sixth studio album
A Ballads is Hamasaki's first compilation to compile songs that were inspired by
Songs
"I really wanted to hear (read) all of the messages that were sent in (both lyrics and themes), because if 100,000 people come together, they will see things in 100,000 different ways. Some of the messages I received were very sad, while others conjured up happy images and colors. But I thought that a professional writer would do a better job of tying these words together in a piecemeal manner than I. That's why... I read all of the messages and then wrote lyrics based on what I felt afterward."
—Hamasaki talking about "Rainbow".[2]
To explain Hamasaki's the background and development, Hamasaki hosted a commentary on her website.
The album included the original version of "Key (Eternal Tie)" as Hamasaki felt that the original was "more important and unknown" than the proposed-reworked version she had planned.
Like "To Be", the next track "Seasons" was remastered and mixed by Morimoto. The final original track, "Voyage", was described by CD Journal as a midtempo ballad influenced by gospel music, layered with several string arrangements and other instrumentation.[7] "A Song for ××" was re-worked as a live demo, recorded at the Avex Trax studios in Japan.[3] For the promotional track "Who...", Hamasaki asked CMJK to create a more "warmer" version than the original.[2] The closing track for A Ballads was "Sotsugyō Shashin". According to Hamasaki, she had imagined recording a cover for a studio album, but was unsuccessful at doing so. To compose the track, she and the song's co-composer Tasuku composed it by using a Fender Rhodes Suitcase Mk I electric piano in order to reflect the song's original 1960s–1970s pop influence.[2]
Release
A Ballads was released physically on March 12, 2003 through Avex Trax in five formats, and digitally distributed worldwide on September 14, 2006 by Avex Entertainment Inc. The first five formats were compact discs; each one of the four early editions included a slipcase sleeve that had two clones of Hamasaki asleep next to each other, with the inner booklet portraying four different photographs of the clones. The four alternative covers were different variations of the two Hamasaki figures in a pink-coloured room.[3] The fifth format came without a slipcase, and had the slipcase image as the inner booklet cover.[3] The digital release featured the slipcase cover and the entire photo shoot was photographed by JFKK.[3]
Reception
Upon its release, A Ballads received favorable reviews from most music critics. Tetsuo Hiraga from Hot Express believed that the album's material was able to connect with both younger and older audiences. He also pointed out the "Royal-esque" tracks "Seasons" and "Dearests" as some of her best recordings.[8] In a similar review, a staff member of CD Journal enjoyed the album and complimented its new additions to the album.[6]
Commercially, the album was successful in Japan, with it debuting at number one on the
Promotion
The album experienced limited promotion during its release, with some of the tracks appearing during Japanese commercial endorsements.[B] The compilation's only release was promotional song "Rainbow", which was used as the theme song for Hamasaki's Japanese talk show Ayuready?, and to promote products by Lumix.[6] An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Wataru Takeishi, featuring two clones of Hamasaki chasing each other, and eventually meeting at a dinner in Japan. Near the end of the video, it is revealed that the second clone is in fact her imagination or conscious.[18]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Ayumi Hamasaki with the exception of
- Crea
- D.A.I
- Crea
- D.A.I
Charts
Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
Release | Chart | Peak position | First Week Sales | Sales total | Chart run |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 March 2003 | Oricon Daily Albums Chart | 1 | |||
Oricon Weekly Albums Chart | 1 | 561,127 | 924,902 | 53 weeks | |
Oricon Monthly Albums Chart | 1 | ||||
Oricon Yearly Albums Chart | 8 |
Release history
Region | Date | Format | Catalogue number |
---|---|---|---|
Japan | March 12, 2003 | CD (Copy Control CD) | AVCD-17278 |
Taiwan | 2003 | CD (Copy Control CD) | AVJCD-10160 |
Hong Kong | March 2003 | CD (Copy Control CD) | AVTCD-95676 |
Indonesia | 2003 | Cassette | AV 0370303 |
Notes
- ^ A Ballads received a 4× Platinum certification for selling 1,600,000 copies; this threshold was depreciated in 2003.
- ^ A selection of tracks which were promoted through their parent studio albums may have been included on the compilation. For further information on the singles, see the citations.[15][16][17][7]
- ^ Crea acts as the pseudonym for Ayumi Hamasaki.[3]
References
- ^ Hamasaki, Ayumi (2002). Rainbow (CD Album; Liner notes). Ayumi Hamasaki. Japan: Avex Trax. AVCD-17239.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hamasaki , Ayumi (interviewee) (March 12, 2003). "Special Website to A Ballads". Ayumi Hamasaki's official website. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Hamasaki, Ayumi (2003). A Ballads (CD Greatest Hits; Liner notes). Ayumi Hamasaki. Japan: Avex Trax. AVCD-17278.
- ^ Hamasaki, Ayumi (2001). A Best (CD Greatest Hits; Liner notes). Ayumi Hamasaki. Japan: Avex Trax. AVCD-11950.
- ^ Hamasaki , Ayumi (interviewee) (2013). "Specials section". Ayumi Hamasaki's official English website. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c CD Journal Staff (March 12, 2003). "Ayumi Hamasaki / A Ballads (album review)". CD Journal (in Japanese). Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c d CD Journal Staff (December 2, 2002). "Ayumi Hamasaki / Rainbow (album review)". CD Journal (in Japanese). Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- ^ Hiraga, Tetsuo (March 12, 2003). "A Ballads – Ayumi Hamasaki". Hot Express; published through Yahoo! Music Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 24, 2005. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- Oricon Style (in Japanese). March 24, 2003. Archived from the originalon April 22, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- ^ a b "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- ^ "Oricon Yearly Albums Chart". Oricon Style; published through Yahoo! GeoCities (in Japanese). December 2003. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- ^ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2003年3月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. March 2003 Edition] (PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 522. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 13. May 10, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 29, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ ゴールドディスク認定作品一覧 2003年1月~7月 [Works Receiving Gold Disc Certifications List (January to July 2003)] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. August 10, 2003. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ "Ayumi Hamasaki Album Rankings". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- ^ CD Journal Staff (January 1, 1999). "Ayumi Hamasaki / A Song for XX (album review)". CD Journal (in Japanese). Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- ^ CD Journal Staff (November 10, 1999). "Ayumi Hamasaki / Loveppears (album review)". CD Journal (in Japanese). Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- ^ CD Journal Staff (September 29, 2000). "Ayumi Hamasaki / Duty (album review)". CD Journal (in Japanese). Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- ^ "Rainbow / 浜崎あゆみ (music video)". Avex Group; published through YouTube (in Japanese). November 26, 2015. Archived from the original on 2017-06-09. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
External links
- A Ballads at Oricon Style. (in Japanese)