NEW ALBUM『A CLASSICAL』out 2013.1.8

[koumori]

Originally Posted by tinka69

Ugh; and was that Rule preview supposed to get me psyched?

It's fan-made.

[Linza-mo]

My "story classical" was recorded by an entire symphonic orchestra too, and was less expensive (2800 yens) with more tracks '__'

[isthisLOL?]

Originally Posted by Linza-mo

My "story classical" was recorded by an entire symphonic orchestra too, and was less expensive (2800 yens) with more tracks '__'

You missed my point. MY STORY Classical was released when Ayumi was still selling 5 times as much as she sells today. They were able to lower the price because of the sheer number of copies sold. But A CLASSICAL will be lucky to reach 25k -> a higher price may be necessary to afford the orchestra. This is possibly HUNDREDS of people that have to be paid in addition to those normally paid for an album release - people who all make respectable amounts of money if the orchestra is prestigious.

[Gustavopc]

Oh, well, I hadnt seen it from this point. Probably you're right about it, about costs and everything. Still I hope for a gorgeous package otherwise I dont think I myself will be much tempt on buying it

[truehappiness]

But seriously, am I one of the only few who aren't excited about this release? I was kind of hoping for some new material. Instead we get more remixes.

Ugh; and was that Rule preview supposed to get me psyched?

Mwahahhahaha I really am not counting my blessings that this is the case, it's probably just another rushed release, with rushed tracklist, re-arrangements and cover.

I really am starting to erase ayumi from my top artists... Sad but true, still checking the releases but since Rock'n'Roll Circus I have completely started to dislike the stuff she puts out...

Rearranging pop songs into tracks for a full orchestra is more than just 'remixing'. I think there's a whole lot more effort and manpower involved (you need to get an ENTIRE ORCHESTRA as opposed to just like a few string players and one or two other musicians), especially for songs that are not originally somewhat orchestral-in-nature.

I hope we can remove that Rule video from the first post since it doesn't really do anything but confuse people.

Using the word 'rushed' with Ayu is so redundant. What's so bad about her not spending 2 years on making new tracks? She's a procrastinator like most people and she tends to work on things up until the very last moment. There are artists out there who take two to three times as long as Ayu to make new releases and quite frankly, the end results aren't even that great. Keep in mind that this is a release project that she hasn't really undertaken in a long time (5 new releases in 5 months) and it's rather amazing considering in 2011 we only really got one new release + remixes from her.

And really, if you're 'starting to erase Ayu from your top artists because you don't like anything since 2010', why not just stop listening to her then? It's not like anyone is forcing you to still try to enjoy what you don't like so I really do not see why anyone would even bring that up here unless they wanted some sort of reaction like 'Oh, I feel the same way, she sucks!' or 'No!!! Don't leave!'. I find this happens a lot with Ayu more than any other J-Pop act. People who have already checked out long ago -still- stick around and I never really understood why. Is it the difficulty of letting go?

[Delicious n Bold]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Rearranging pop songs into tracks for a full orchestra is more than just 'remixing'. I think there's a whole lot more effort involved, especially for songs that are not originally somewhat orchestral-in-nature.

I hope we can remove that Rule video from the first post since it doesn't really do anything but confuse people.

Using the word 'rushed' with Ayu is so redundant. What's so bad about her not spending 2 years on making new tracks? She's a procrastinator like most people and she tends to work on things up until the very last moment. There are artists out there who take two to three times as long as Ayu to make new releases and quite frankly, the end results aren't even that great. Keep in mind that this is a release project that she hasn't really undertaken in a long time (5 new releases in 5 months) and it's rather amazing considering in 2011 we only really got one new release + remixes from her.

*cough Leona Lewis Nelly Furtado cough*

[microphone]

^ Leona holds a special place in my heart although I didn't receive Glassheart too well. I agree, production took way too long for less than mediocre results but she is fantastic and should look to work with others in the future.

I'm okay with ten tracks but I hope the track list is released soon.

[isthisLOL?]

Originally Posted by Delicious n Bold

*cough Leona Lewis Nelly Furtado cough*

The Spirit Indestructible was one of the best 2012 Pop albums though.
But Loose was quite awful, so I guess she has an example of spending years on an album and releasing something forgettable.

[yukito]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Using the word 'rushed' with Ayu is so redundant. What's so bad about her not spending 2 years on making new tracks? She's a procrastinator like most people and she tends to work on things up until the very last moment. There are artists out there who take two to three times as long as Ayu to make new releases and quite frankly, the end results aren't even that great. Keep in mind that this is a release project that she hasn't really undertaken in a long time (5 new releases in 5 months) and it's rather amazing considering in 2011 we only really got one new release + remixes from her.

And really, if you're 'starting to erase Ayu from your top artists because you don't like anything since 2010', why not just stop listening to her then? It's not like anyone is forcing you to still try to enjoy what you don't like so I really do not see why anyone would even bring that up here unless they wanted some sort of reaction like 'Oh, I feel the same way, she sucks!' or 'No!!! Don't leave!'. I find this happens a lot with Ayu more than any other J-Pop act. People who have already checked out long ago -still- stick around and I never really understood why. Is it the difficulty of letting go?

Oh lord, people get so affected if anyone says anything bad about their queen. Just because I don't love the more recent stuff does not mean I've stopped listening or caring, I still give it a go with the new stuff, because maybe at some point she'll finally release something that will catch my attention. People in this forum sometimes are so rude and jump to conclusions just because ayumi might stop loving them or something if they don't protect her.

In any case I'll still listen to this album, because as some people pointed, if it ends up being something like MY STORY CLASSICAL I'll end up liking it.

[channy]

Do we know for how long she has been working on A CLASSICAL, anyways? There is a chance that this album has been in preparation for a far longer period of time than most of us would expect.

Ayu does not necessarily have to travel France and stay there for one week, either. Even MY STORY Classical had international and domestical compositions, therefore it apparently won't depend upon a french prestige orchestra to create this new album.

A part of A CLASSICAL was possibly already created in Japan. Alas we have no insight into that yet, hence no possibility to tell when the project might have originally started.

[truehappiness]

People in this forum sometimes are so rude and jump to conclusions just because ayumi might stop loving them or something if they don't protect her. if it ends up being something like MY STORY CLASSICAL I'll end up liking it.

The very first description we got in the very first post and first announcement was...

2005年発売『MY STORY Classical』以来となるクラシカル・アルバム、待望のリリース！！

"The long-awaited first classical album since MY STORY Classical will be released!" (or something)

I think that's telling enough that this will not be like ayu-mi-x Acoustic Orchestra.

And oh please, no one is jumping to conclusions. What else are people suppose to think when you say things like the following?

I really am starting to erase ayumi from my top artists... Sad but true, still checking the releases but since Rock'n'Roll Circus I have completely started to dislike the stuff she puts out...

[truehappiness]

I think you're contradicting yourself here. You went from "completely dislike her work since Rock'n'Roll Circus" to "I do not completely hate it or love it". Which is it? Perhaps it was just word choice? Anyway, if you say such things in such a way, you're going to have to expect some reactions.

(Though for some reason, even when you're positive and looking forward to something that's coming out, you get reamed for that too because it's 'being too happy about what's coming' or something)

I'm really looking forward to this album because I LOVED MY STORY Classical and since then I've wanted (miss)understood Classical and so on but we haven't had anything like that since 2005. They really should have tried to do classical versions of (m)u, Secret, and GUILTY at the very least imo.

[koumori]

Keep discussions polite please.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Rearranging pop songs into tracks for a full orchestra is more than just 'remixing'. I think there's a whole lot more effort and manpower involved (you need to get an ENTIRE ORCHESTRA as opposed to just like a few string players and one or two other musicians), especially for songs that are not originally somewhat orchestral-in-nature.

I hope we can remove that Rule video from the first post since it doesn't really do anything but confuse people.

Using the word 'rushed' with Ayu is so redundant. What's so bad about her not spending 2 years on making new tracks? She's a procrastinator like most people and she tends to work on things up until the very last moment. There are artists out there who take two to three times as long as Ayu to make new releases and quite frankly, the end results aren't even that great. Keep in mind that this is a release project that she hasn't really undertaken in a long time (5 new releases in 5 months) and it's rather amazing considering in 2011 we only really got one new release + remixes from her.

And really, if you're 'starting to erase Ayu from your top artists because you don't like anything since 2010', why not just stop listening to her then? It's not like anyone is forcing you to still try to enjoy what you don't like so I really do not see why anyone would even bring that up here unless they wanted some sort of reaction like 'Oh, I feel the same way, she sucks!' or 'No!!! Don't leave!'. I find this happens a lot with Ayu more than any other J-Pop act. People who have already checked out long ago -still- stick around and I never really understood why. Is it the difficulty of letting go?

It is hard to accept the fact that your favorite artist (or who once was), and not just any artist but that of Ayumi Hamasaki, is not creating masterpieces that used to floor you. That music that you couldn't quite find ANYWHERE else. The fact that she continues to release, and every once in a while hits the nail HEAD ON, while all the other while bubbling under and just coming short of breaking that surface, creates hope. You think "well, maybe the next release... ok, well maybe the next one... ok well a new album is coming out, I'll at least like one new song" ... It is not so simple as to walk away. You might be one of the lucky few who love everything she does, but imagine the emotions you would have if everything you were so passionate about before just wasn't doing it for you anymore... That type of frustration is understandable and people will continue to hold on.

And it's not like she's making absolute crap. It's just a lot of 'nothing special' with hints of garbage on Party Queen. But like I said, you still see that glimmer of hope, you still hear the potential in songs that might have fallen flat for you - that just needed that extra 10-15%... Prime example for me that have shown me Ayu still has got it when doubts began to surface in my mind are songs such as (don't) Leave me alone, Sparkle, Days, Microphone, BRILLANTE, reminds me. It's hard to accept the fact that they may never release something you totally love again when she breaks through that barrier every now and then... and you don't want to miss that the next time she does.

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

It is hard to accept the fact that your favorite artist (or who once was), and not just any artist but that of Ayumi Hamasaki, is not creating masterpieces that used to floor you. That music that you couldn't quite find ANYWHERE else. The fact that she continues to release, and every once in a while hits the nail HEAD ON, while all the other while bubbling under and just coming short of breaking that surface, creates hope. You think "well, maybe the next release... ok, well maybe the next one... ok well a new album is coming out, I'll at least like one new song" ... It is not so simple as to walk away. You might be one of the lucky few who love everything she does, but imagine the emotions you would have if everything you were so passionate about before just wasn't doing it for you anymore... That type of frustration is understandable and people will continue to hold on.

I think some people refuse to accept that she's changed which is why a lot of this happens. They want tracks like X or Y that she released way back when (I remember back when a ton of people wanted her to recreate I am... basically otherwise she was trash to them)

Ayu's not exactly the same as she was before and every year she's a bit different from the year before or the year before that, but at the same time, this is still "Hamasaki Ayumi" we're talking about. I find that she manages to maintain her usual vibe every year while also changing slightly. She arguably a happier person (and has been imo since 2009-2010 or so) now and it's reflected in most of her songs though most would say they prefer when she's 'depressed' because it makes her create more profound lyrics and interesting tracks which is nice, but then what about her?

Anyway, I feel as though there are enough people out there that still love what Ayu puts out lately to say that she still has that appeal, it's just not as 'general' of an appeal as she had before with previous releases.

[Bigtop]

ONLY TEN (10) SONGS!?



Okay, so I have a feeling JEWEL could - or COULD NOT - make the "shortlist"...

[yabieru]

Sorry but the orchestra argument is not valid for me to accept this price for only 10 songs. Most of metal bands use orchestras and their albums are way cheaper. Like Nightwish. Their last album, Imaginaerum, it's completely orchestral. It has 13 tracks (most of them long), comes with 2 cds (Normal + whole album instrumental) in a beautiful package and it costs no more than 18-19€ so...

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by yabieru

Sorry but the orchestra argument is not valid for me to accept this price for only 10 songs. Most of metal bands use orchestras and their albums are way cheaper. Like Nightwish. Their last album, Imaginaerum, it's completely orchestral. It has 13 tracks (most of them long), comes with 2 cds (Normal + whole album instrumental) in a beautiful package and it costs no more than 18-19€ so...

Just mentioning this because I looked it up... that album was also available in SIXTEEN different versions. Granted, most of them are also limited but I think their release is a separate type of deal since they're using the orchestra as part of their studio album which they probably have the budget for as opposed to creating tracks 'on the side' that would not go on a typical original album and instead have a standalone release of their own. Do many artists even have a similar type of release with only orchestral reinterpretations?

[MeltingCORE]

I for one am excited for this classical album. The tracklist better be good lol...

[ExodusUK]

Ayu's fanbase is so diverse, some will make excuses for her regardless and the other half will find a fault in anything. I love it!