A Best
A Best is the first greatest hits album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on March 28, 2001, by Avex Trax and Avex Music Creative Inc. Hamasaki had originally planned to release a greatest hits album after her 2002 studio album I Am..., but this was declined by Avex head staff. Instead, Avex released the album in 2001, which caused conflict between the label and Hamasaki. The compilation was released in two different formats including a physical and a digital release. Seven different artworks were released in several editions of the album. The album includes one new track, three re-recorded tracks, and the all the rest of her previously released singles.
A Best was lauded by contemporary music critics who noted the quality and memorability of the tracks. Many also labeled the album as one of the best representations of Japanese pop music. Released purposely on the same day as fellow Japanese musician Hikaru Utada's studio album Distance for direct competition, the compilation entered at number two on Japan's Oricon Albums Chart. It reached number one the following week, and sold over five million units in Japan. The album's lead single "M" was released on December 13, 2000, and reached the top spot on the Oricon Singles Chart.
In support of A Best as well as her third studio album Duty, Hamasaki held two concerts at the Tokyo Dome. Despite setbacks related to Hamasaki's health, the tour was a success, and a live recording was released on home video. Since its release, the album brought Hamasaki a myriad of accolades and award nominations, as well as successful recognition throughout Eastern and Western publications. A Best is listed as the sixth best-selling album in Japan overall. In 2016, Hamasaki re-released the album on that same date as a 15th-anniversary celebration; this included new material and formats. Hamasaki promoted the reissue with a Japanese concert tour, entitled Made in Japan.
Background and material
Hamasaki had originally planned to release her first greatest hits after a "couple more albums" when she released her 2002 studio album I Am.... However, in early 2001, Hamasaki's record label Avex Trax announced the plans for the release of a greatest hits package with an undisclosed date at the time. Avex had contacted Hamasaki one day, and stated that they intended to release the album on a specific date unbeknownst to her. Avex decided to purposely release the album against fellow Japanese recording artist Hikaru Utada's second studio album Distance on March 28, 2001, for direct competition of sales; Utada had previously sold over 9.91 million units of her debut album First Love.Hamasaki originally thought the statement was a "joke," but was against the overall idea. She felt that majority of her single material for the album was "insufficient" at the time. She said, "It was too early for release. My 'best album' was something I dreamt of doing my way, but one day the company came to me and said 'your best album has to be released on this month and on this day." The date announcement was a widely controversial topic throughout Japanese and Western media, which claimed the two singers were "rivals" on both personal and professional circumstances. Hamasaki denied the claims, but decided to take more control of her future material and asserted that she didn't want to be marketed as a "product" by Avex. At the time, Avex had forced her to release the compilation album, and Hamasaki herself sarcastically recalled in a 2004 interview on Super TV that “I felt I was an important product of Avex,” and that she was so disgusted with the idea that she even considered retirement.
The songs on A Best were selected by Hamasaki herself from the singles and albums released in the 20th century from 1998 to 2000, three years since her debut, and her 20th single “Evolution” and 21st single “Never Ever,” which were already released in 2001, are not included. Both songs were eventually included in her next compilation A Best 2. Also, among the singles released in the selected years, the songs “Poker Face,” “You,” “For My Dear...,” “Whatever,” “Love,” “Monochrome,” “Too Late," "Kanariya” and “Audience” were not included in the track list.
Knowing that the material was still insufficient, Hamasaki reluctantly re-recorded three tracks; "Trust," "Depend on You" and the non-single "A Song for ××." Hamasaki had to re-record the tracks whilst recording the material for I Am.... Although not stated, the vocals on “End Roll” were newly recorded and mixed with a new arrangement; on “Boys & Girls,” the vocals were the same as on the original song, but the arrangement was changed to be closer to the live version. Hamasaki also selected the non-single "Who..." to be included on the album; "Who..." excluded the hidden track "Kanariya," which appeared on Loveppears.
Release
A Best was released on March 28, 2001 in two formats; a standard compact disc, and a digital download. Both the CD and digital download includes 16 tracks, with the physical editions housed in a cardboard sleeve. The cardboard sleeve of the album was photographed by Keita Haginiwa, whilst the booklet was designed by Shigeru Kasai from RICE. The black-and-white cover features a close-up shot of Hamasaki, with a tear falling down her face. Hamasaki stated in an interview that she chose for the album cover to be monochromatic because she wanted to make a simple piece that would never go out of style or feel out of date. Several publications commented on the cover's design, with many believing it was a visual response to the album's release and reports of her and Utada's rivalry. For each six albums released had six different artworks, each having different close-up poses by Hamasaki. A Best is Hamasaki's first album to embody her "" logo on the front of the cover.Critical responses
A Best received positive reviews from music critics. Ray Katsushi from MTVChinese.com gave the album a positive analysis, emphasizing how Hamasaki’s success is not just about idol appeal, but about her artistry, lyrical resonance, and her ability to evolve musically while shaping youth culture. Tetsuo Hiraga of Hot Express was extremely positive on the album, highlighting how her music resonates beyond youth culture, touching anyone open to her message.Hiromi Yonemoto from Yeah!! J-Pop! was positive in his review. Yonemoto commended the album's quality, and commented that the album was the "centerpiece" of Hamasaki's sales success, concluding that the material is "memorable." A staff reviewer for Tower Records commended the album's quality and felt that while the album featured more "heart" than her previous work. The reviewer called the album "familiar" and filled with "Ayu charm." Alexey Eremenko from AllMusic selected many tracks from the album as the album and Hamasaki's best moments in her career.
Commercial performances
Before its release, Hamasaki commented that she was anxious about the album's first week sales. She commented that she felt it might "be my last album... It's possible I'll may never get the chance again". During a competitive week with Utada's album Distance, A Best debuted at number two on Japan's Oricon Albums Chart. This resulted in Distance debuting atop the album chart, making it Hamasaki's second album after her 1999 remix album Ayu-mi-x not to enter the top spot. Hamasaki's album sold 2,874,870 units in its first week of sales, whilst Utada's album sold 3,002,720 units in its first week. This made A Best the second fastest-selling album in Japanese music history, just behind Distance at first place. The following week, A Best replaced Distance at the top spot and sold 510,160 units. This became Hamasaki's first greatest hits album to reach the top spot on that chart, and her fourth album overall.The album stayed inside the top ten for nine weeks, the top 100 for 20 weeks, and eventually lasted 51 weeks in the top 300 chart. By the end of 2001, A Best placed second on the Annual Japanese Oricon Albums Chart, behind Distance. Hamasaki's album had sold over 4.24 million units in Japan, whilst Utada's album sold 4.40 million. Hamasaki's album sales reached an excessive ¥12 billion by the end of the year, which hugely effected the stock prices of the record company. A Best was certified sixteen-times-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan with physical shipments of four million units in Japan. Additionally, the album is the second best-selling album of the 2000s decade in Japan.
Promotion
The promotion for A Best was extensive. Between March and April 2001, Hamasaki appeared in over 40 Japanese magazines. She traveled to different areas in Japan to take part in photo shoots, but was told several times to wait before commencing. Hamasaki appeared in several commercial advertisements, including the Takanoyuri Beauty Clinic print-only campaign "Pink Pink Festival". She also signed a deal with Japanese make-up company Kosé Visee as their spokeswoman. Hamasaki became the spokeswoman for the KDDI Corporation subsidiary company Tu-Ka, which manufactured 2G PDC cellular operator's in three metropolitan areas.Hamasaki confirmed that she would perform two concerts in Tokyo at the Tokyo Dome stadium. During rehearsals for the tour, Hamasaki had to stop due to problems with her hearing in her left ear. Because of this, specific songs had to be cut from the concert tour because of its high frequency levels. Despite this, she did not postpone the rehearsals or concert dates due to tight scheduling. Hamasaki had been hospitalized a few times for consultations, but a doctor confirmed that continuing to pursue music would result in permanent hearing loss. During some stage rehearsals at Tokyo Dome, Hamasaki became ill due to her hearing problems and could not finish the performances. Because of this, the rehearsals had to be hurried.
On July 6, 2001, the concerts' first tour date, over 30,000 fans lined up for the show. However, tour organizers asked them to wait longer due to Hamasaki's hospitalization. Hamasaki returned from the hospital, and was escorted to the stage with a wheelchair. Both concerts were commercial successes, selling out on both tour dates, and made her one of few "top-drawer" Japanese artists to hold a concert at the Tokyo Dome. With sales from both the concert and album, Hamasaki was recognized as the top selling artist of 2001 with over 24 billion yen. In the aftermath of the tour, Hamasaki had become completely deaf in her left ear. She documented the condition, and publicly announced in January 2008 that she had been diagnosed with an inoperable ear condition. Despite the setback, Hamasaki stated that she wished to continue singing, and that she would "not give up" on her fans and that "as a professional", she wanted to "deliver the best performance for everyone".
A live DVD was released on December 12, 2001 through Avex Trax. A limited edition VHS and DVD was released with different artwork and packaging. Through an exclusive deal with Sony, a limited edition PlayStation 2 musical video game entitled Visual Mix: Ayumi Hamasaki Dome Tour 2001 was released. The video game is split into three sections; the visual mix, the Ayu-Mi-x studio, and Ayu Browser.