Ayu: Anything Goes [XXVII]

[ExodusUK]

So..are we going to get Duty 20th anniversary version? 27 September 2020?

[Aderianu]

Originally Posted by ExodusUK

So..are we going to get Duty 20th anniversary version? 27 September 2020?

Is this album also as iconic as Loveppears? I don't think avex will continue to rerelease everything. Anyway, I would like to get Duty + Surreal 20th anniversary album. Surreal is great, it deserves to be at spotlight again

[ayuinh.k?]

Originally Posted by Aderianu

Is this album also as iconic as Loveppears? I don't think avex will continue to rerelease everything. Anyway, I would like to get Duty + Surreal 20th anniversary album. Surreal is great, it deserves to be at spotlight again

Duty is probably iconic for the leopard print pattern that is associated with ayu. It has SEASONS and SURREAL which are 2 well known songs among fans and the public?

[Toniayu123]

Isn’t it her best selling original album?

[Katsuyuki012]

^It is.

[mizuki-7]

It was qualified as a societal piece back then so it probably has a legacy without speaking of all the fashion trend attached to it. Anyway the only reason why Loveppears was rereleased is because of the book imo so I can imagine them doing something for M 20th anniversary because of the drama ...we will see ...

[ExodusUK]

Originally Posted by Aderianu

Is this album also as iconic as Loveppears? I don't think avex will continue to rerelease everything. Anyway, I would like to get Duty + Surreal 20th anniversary album. Surreal is great, it deserves to be at spotlight again

the week of the release with the number one album (duty), single (surreal and DVD/VHS (concert tour 2000 or a clips/video?) kinda kicked off ayu's imperial reign leading up to A BEST. I think it's kinda not stated enough that the album stayed at number 1 for 4 weeks which is crazy especially for 2000

[Norrel]

Originally Posted by mizuki-7

It was qualified as a societal piece

Could you go further on that? I'm actually not familiar with Duty in its relation to society at the time.

[mizuki-7]

Interesting enough in her interview for «pretty pony~rockin on japanpretty pony~» Ayu said she was not satisfied by the sales result even though Duty was close to 3 millions back then ! In a way I understand her ! It wasn’t a BIG improvement since Loveppears but a lot a thing was going on I mean 3 releases the same day and the market slowly begun to decreased etc... Of course it’s clearly amazing but I think she thought she was able to attract more people ... A BEST did the work lol

Originally Posted by Norrel

Could you go further on that? I'm actually not familiar with Duty in its relation to society at the time.

Its in the very same interview for ROCKIN On JApan that Duty was qualified in these term by the interviewer ! I believe it was said that some bosses of big societies asked if they could use the lyrics of Duty for them I don’t know if someone have an English translation of this interview somewhere ?

[Katsuyuki012]

Here you go, translated by Masa:
http://morimasa.art.coocan.jp/rockin.html

You have to scroll down quite a bit to get to the part where they talk about Duty. Before that they talk a lot about her childhood/aidoru era.

I assume this is the part you were referring to:

Spoiler:

Originally Posted by Masa

(S) The album was released, and the people around you say it recorded the remarkable sales as had been expected.
　　(A) Hmm ... I had expected more.
　　(S) Huh?
　　(A) Though I don't have confidence in myself. (Laugh) Though I don't have confidence in myself, I thought somehow, "Huh? I had expected more."
　　(S) Does it mean you had thought that the album should be understood more, or that it should be consumed more smoothly?
　　(A) No. I had thought we could understand each other more.
　　(S) You were disappointed to feel that Hamasaki Ayumi was merely accepted as a phenomenon rather than as music.
　　(A) Yes, so. And when I released the album, the first topic was that I was wearing the leopard costume.
　　(S) Well, what was your intention? Was it your nihilistic stance to the situation? (Laugh)
　　(A) You can take as so. Maybe grown-up people took a glance at the jacket and thought, "This girl, dressed like a costume play again !" and didn't but it.

[ExodusUK]

This is haunting and almost as bad as the UNITE! performance


so everyone in SMAP is tone deaf, can't keep rhythm AND maintain key? I feel bad for my boyfriend because know i realise what he's been complaining about when he overhears me singing along with Ayu.

[pedronekoi]

Originally Posted by Katsuyuki012

Here you go, translated by Masa:
http://morimasa.art.coocan.jp/rockin.html

You have to scroll down quite a bit to get to the part where they talk about Duty. Before that they talk a lot about her childhood/aidoru era.

I assume this is the part you were referring to:

Thank you for the link!

(S) What is your oldest memory? Would you tell me concretely?
　　(A) ... Well, I'm not sure if this is the oldest. But I vaguely remember my father was fishing. We went fishing together, and I fell into the sea from a tetrapod. I remember I had come to dislike the sea after that. (Laugh)

They featured this scene on the last episode of the dorama!

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by chocopockymaster

Honestly, this is *the* definitive performance to me. No others need apply, what compilation?, etc

I actually prefer both Dome Tour 2001 and Just the Begining tour. The A-Nation 2008 one is also amazing though. This is just probably her best live track in general.

[Evolution7/4]

Not a tour but this is the definitive A Song for xx performance for me.

It exudes "Ayumi Hamasaki". You can just feel how iconic to Japanese pop culture it is- truly a moment in time.

[hud]

my fav ASFXX performance is the one from Music Fair when she was promoting RAINBOW and she performed the album's version. everything was on point. some of the other performances from that same show are also among my favorites (Haru yo, koi and RAINBOW)

edit: this one https://streamable.com/acflcc

the last chorus... simply iconic

[SunshineSlayer]

^ Yep, all of the a song for Xx performances have been pretty great, including the tv ones.

[Aderianu]

There are many a-nation videos at this channel https://www.youtube.com/user/A000king

[Katsuyuki012]

Microphone at a-nation 2010 is such an iconic opening. But so is Mirrorcle World.

[pedronekoi]

Also avex uploaded a series of videos of "Para Para At Home" with girls dancing para para. lol And two of them features Ayu's remixes:

Depend on you:


Fly high:

[ExodusUK]

Is my name's WOMEN the most unintentional camp thing Ayu has ever done? The scene with her and the trf girls kicking down the door, sending the shirtless bouncer to the floor and smashing the glasses from the bar on to the floor is hilarious.