If you were to reccommend ayu to a friend...

[CHE.R.RY]

I'd say Memorial Address. This is definitely one of Ayu's stronger albums =)

[Cys86]

I'd go with I am... album it's my favorite so I would choose this one.

[naxxo.licious™]

I can't decide between Memorial Address or MY STORY. I think both are great albums, as well as great intros for new listeners.
Even Secret or (miss)understood (ok i'm mentioning them all XD!! too hard)

[ayumisrael]

LOVEppears, I am... and GUILTY. (miss)understood can be on that list as well.

[Hanabi_surreal]

*thinking*

ok...

MY STORY 'cause has everithing ^^

[naxxo.licious™]

Originally Posted by ayumisrael

LOVEppears, I am... and GUILTY. (miss)understood can be on that list as well.

Yeah it could be. But i don't know about you guys, but me at first didn't like her older stuff. I do like it now, but i wouldn't have liked ayu if i would have heard only her older songs.
That's why i wouldn't reccommend LOVEppears, but it's about tastes.
About I am... it's deffinitely an excellent album, but it still has this "old" feeling XDD
(miss)understood could do perfectly i think.
I repeat that i think the fight is between MY STORY and Memorial Address.
All the songs included on MA (except for Greatful days ) are SUPERB.
And MY STORY has some great songs as well (Moments, About You, GAME, and of course...HONEY!! )

[criminal]

(miss)understood? I don't think Bold & Delicious is the best first JPop song for any listener. As an album opener, it may keep potential listeners from wanting to listen to the other songs on the album. Though it might be good for variety or something.

[Genki+]

IMO Guilty & (miss)understood would be the best choices. I Am... is good but she still sorta has that high-pitched voice in some songs. =X I thought of Rainbow also but it's mainly only the singles that are good on that one, heh ^^;

For songs, I would say
Alterna
Talkin' 2 Myself
Rainbow
Jewel
Marionette
(Don't) Leave Me Alone
Together When...
Voyage
Ourselves
Because of you
Hanabi ~Episode II~
Memorial Address
Fated

=X

[Evanni]

For albums, I would either recommed "I am..." or "Memorial Address" to my friends. The tracks are really good; "I am..." is the album that got me into Ayu in the first place and "Memorial Address" is just one of her best albums, personally. As for songs, I'd say:

evolution
voyage
Jewel
July 1st
Ourselves
Naturally
Real me
talkin' 2 myself
TO BE

[se7entheaven]

hahaha
my frens like her ballads the most
Like Dearest,Moments,JEWEL
BLUE BIRD too ^^

[Qt Mashi]

well for me i'd start with a song first, or show them a relli kool PV of Ayu like evolution or something

but if it has to be an album i will probably give them My Story because there is so many different genre's in there~

[hiroshi_ben]

Memorial Address and My Story

[UHPlus]

evolution !!!

my favorite ayumi song of all time!!!

[jonneh]

Originally Posted by ImpactBreaker

I wouldn''t introduce albums but specific songs instead. It really depends on the tastes of the friend. I'd avoid ultra happy/animeish kinds of a song for a start since they can be a bit scary for people who doesn't know JPOP. Best to try songs in which ayu has a clearer voice, and in which the arrangements doesn't drown the entire song. However, again it would all depend on the taste of the friend. Whenever I feel like getting my mom to enjoy an ayu song, I play Voyage, JEWEL and the likes. She loves them. As for a friend, I sent her alterna and the Above & Beyond remix of M, which she enjoyed but I lent her my RAINBOW album (the only ayu album I have) and she didn't even bother to listen to it at all. I usually don't bother to tell my friends my tastes in JPOP though.

Exactly. Good points.
I've thought about this too, but, to be honest I can't really decide. You just have to listen to more than a couple songs, maybe three or more, to show different styles of instruments and singing. I mean, "Ourselves" is completely different from something like "Fated". Though, like ImpactBreaker said, I don't usually ' come out of the closet ' to any friends about my japanese music. No one's really into that or Japan in general but myself, sadly.

[Ayumi_Hamasaki902]

The first song I got my friend from Jersey into was BLUE BIRD and HEAVEN and he kept asking me who sung that and then he instantly fell in love with her music. He likes alterna a lot too lol. But if I had to say an album that he hasn't mostly heard yet. Probably MY STORY or RAINBOW. Maybe (miss)understood but he's heard most of the songs on that lol. He does although LOVE Beautiful Fighters, I catch him singing it from time to time lawlz.

[catur]

seasons n together when..

[Chibi_Venus]

I agree with some of you on showing people select songs first, then a full album later.

For me, I'd probably show people a rock song or something sounding very contemporary. Examples would include 1 LOVE, Because of You, Startin', talkin' 2 myself, or anything with a rock feel (if you'd consider that even contemporary, since Ayu producers neither country or hip-hop, two very popular genres from where I live).

Deep ballads, such as Pride or Together When..., would probably be next.

I'd honestly try to stay away from pop/cutesy songs at all costs. () Only if they really had an interest in her music would I show pop songs to them.

[baka-ranger]

hmm it really does depend of your friends style of music..ayu has a WIDE range anyway so there isn't much problem
The first song I ever showed to my friends a few years ago was "evolution" and my friends in my old school weren't exactly into pop/rock and especiall not asian music=__=
BUt as soon as the heard it they were like " OMG THIS GIRL CAN BE A RAPPER MAN..look how fast she sings..JUST LIKE TUPAC^__^.."<-thats them discussing when they've stolen my iPod=___=
But then again in my new school I showed it to another friend who had only just heard of her..AND SHES ASIAN and she said she didn't like "evolution"(which I replied WTF ARE U CRAZY UR NUTS ITS A CLASSIC ITS ONE OF MY FAVOURITES)
...so u can see not everyone has the same taste

I agree with everyone here, u should just select some of her hit songs that your confident to share?? If your really desperate to just show one album they I guess Memorial Address or My Story (They're my faves). I think MA has agreat range of songs and they're all top notch too..annd MS may be more compatible with people cause its Pop/Rock which I guess more ppl will be familiar with.
I don't think u should recommend anything from her early early work where her voice is still screechy..the only one I REALLY approve of is "A Song for XX"

Some songs I'd recommend would be: alterna, Because of You, Evolution, HANABI, HEAVEN, JEWEL, Liar, M, Marionette, Memorial Address, Moments, momentum, Not Yet, ourselves, RAINBOW, Replace, STEP you, until that Day...

and one thing I REALLY GOTTA ADD IS: you must show some of ayu's beautiful pvs cause like seriously.ALOT of the songs, even whe nI already like them I REALLY only get into them after seeing her pwetiiiiiiii pvs and going OMG ITS AYU♥

[ayuayu798]

I dont think I would introduce ayu to any of my friends by just 1 CD.I would just show them a few of my favorite songs by her, but if I had to do it, it would be GUILTY,because I feel that it fits their taste their taste in music a little more than her other cds ^^

[KuroixShiroi_Namida]

One of my friend only listens to one ayu song and it is voyage because he saw the clip of her forgetting her lyrics -_-! lol