A Best 2
Encyclopedia
A Best 2 is a series of greatest hits
compilation albums recorded by Ayumi Hamasaki
which were released simultaneously on . A Best 2: Black debuted at #1 in Japan on its first day and took #2 in the weekly chart as well as in several countries throughout Asia. It was ranked #4 on CDJapan's Top 100 album of 2007. A Best 2: White debuted at #1 in Japan and several countries throughout Asia. A Best 2: White was ranked #3 on CDJapan's Top 100 album of 2007. A Best 2: Black includes "dark" songs with "painful/heartbroken" lyrics while A Best 2: White is the opposite, containing "light" songs with "bright/cheerful/upbeat" lyrics.
Both sets were released in 1CD+2DVD versions with limited version covers for each album's color. The first DVD for each version includes all music video
s for the songs off the album. The second DVD from A Best 2: White includes her latest Best of Countdown Live 2006-2007 A; the second DVD from A Best 2: Black includes a documentary which chronicles her concert Best of Countdown Live 2006-2007 A.
Both albums feature songs released between the singles "Evolution
" and "Heaven
". No songs off her album Secret
are featured on either album.
A special website was opened in order to promote A Best 2.
The tracks on A Best 2 were remastered in Los Angeles by Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, however they were not resung like the previous A Best
.
CM
) and its accompanying music video. The song was certified gold for 100,000 legal downloads.
2nd DVD – Best of CountDown Live 2006-2007
2nd DVD – Best of CountDown Live 2006-2007
-encore-
As of August 2007, A Best 2 has charted in the top 5 of 2007 Oricon Half-Yearly Album 2007 Chart. A Best: White charted as #3 and Black charted as #4; the nearest competitor was Kobukuro with "All Singles Best" with sales around 640,000 copies. However, factoring in consistent sales of Kobukuro's "All Singles Best", it is predicted that A Best 2 will fall down to #4 and #5, respectively. According to avex, A Best 2 had sold over 2 million copies as of March 2007.
Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
Total Single Sales: 9,909,689
" – Music Fair 21 – "Evolution", "Dearest
", "Heaven
" – Hey! Hey! Hey! – "Dearest
" – SMAPxSMAP – "Voyage
", "Unite!
" – Music Station – "Part of Me" – Music Fighter – "Never Ever
" – PopJam – "Moments" – Domoto Kyoudai – "Step You
" – Music Station – "Memorial Address
" – PopJam (final episode special) – "No Way to Say
"
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation albums recorded by Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
which were released simultaneously on . A Best 2: Black debuted at #1 in Japan on its first day and took #2 in the weekly chart as well as in several countries throughout Asia. It was ranked #4 on CDJapan's Top 100 album of 2007. A Best 2: White debuted at #1 in Japan and several countries throughout Asia. A Best 2: White was ranked #3 on CDJapan's Top 100 album of 2007. A Best 2: Black includes "dark" songs with "painful/heartbroken" lyrics while A Best 2: White is the opposite, containing "light" songs with "bright/cheerful/upbeat" lyrics.
Both sets were released in 1CD+2DVD versions with limited version covers for each album's color. The first DVD for each version includes all music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s for the songs off the album. The second DVD from A Best 2: White includes her latest Best of Countdown Live 2006-2007 A; the second DVD from A Best 2: Black includes a documentary which chronicles her concert Best of Countdown Live 2006-2007 A.
Both albums feature songs released between the singles "Evolution
Evolution (song)
"Evolution" is the 20th single released by Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released January 31, 2001. Her second single to be composed by herself , it sold over 500,000 copies in its first week at debuted at #1 on the charts. "Evolution" is Hamasaki's highest selling single until 2002's "H" in the 21st...
" and "Heaven
Heaven (Ayumi Hamasaki song)
"Heaven" is the thirty-seventh single released by Ayumi Hamasaki, released on September 14, 2005. "Heaven" ended up selling over 325,000 copies, making it Hamasaki's second highest-selling single of 2005 as well as her last single to date that has sold over 300,000 physical copies...
". No songs off her album Secret
Secret (Ayumi Hamasaki album)
Secret is the eighth studio album by Japanese pop singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki, released by Avex Trax on November 29, 2006 in Japan. Hamasaki herself wrote all of the album's lyrics...
are featured on either album.
A special website was opened in order to promote A Best 2.
The tracks on A Best 2 were remastered in Los Angeles by Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, however they were not resung like the previous A Best
A Best
- International version :A Best was later re-released in other countries outside Japan, including Singapore, the Philippines and Korea. The international version did not have new vocal mixes and had a slightly different cover art to the standard Japanese version....
.
A Best 2: Black
A Best 2: Black includes a previously unreleased track, "part of Me" (featured in a new PanasonicPanasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
CM
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
) and its accompanying music video. The song was certified gold for 100,000 legal downloads.
Track listing
DVD track listing
1st DVD – Promotional Videos- "Dearest"
- "Carols"
- "No Way to Say"
- "Walking Proud"
- "Free & Easy"
- "Endless Sorrow"
- "Because of You"
- "About You"
- "Game"
- "Is This Love?"
- "Hanabi: Episode II"
- "Never Ever" [promotional clip]
- "Heaven"
- "Part of Me"
- "H" [TV-CM]
2nd DVD – Best of CountDown Live 2006-2007
- Best of CountDown Live 2006-2007 (Behind the Scenes) (90 minutes)
Charts
Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)| Release | Chart | Peak Position | First Week Sales | Sales Total | Chart Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oricon Daily Albums Chart | 1 | ||||
| Oricon Weekly Albums Chart | 2 | 470,057 | 702,900 | 52 | |
| Oricon Monthly Albums Chart | 3 | ||||
| Oricon Yearly Albums Chart | 7 |
- Total Sales : 702,900 (Japan)
- Total Sales : 750,000 (Avex)
A Best 2: White
On this release was confirmed by her official website. On , track listing for both CDs were officially released. The album covers and DVD track listings were released on .Track listing
DVD track listing
1st DVD – Promotional Videos- "Evolution"
- "Grateful Days"
- "Humming 7/4"
- "Unite!" [promotional clip]
- "Real me"
- "My Name's Women"
- "Ourselves"
- "Inspire"
- "Step you"
- "Fairyland"
- "Voyage"
- "Moments"
- "H" [TV-CM]
2nd DVD – Best of CountDown Live 2006-2007
- "Not Yet"
- "Ourselves"
- "Fly High"
- "Beautiful Fighters"
- "Never Ever"
- "A Song for" ××
- "No Way to Say"
- "Free & Easy"
- "Evolution"
- "Flower Garden"
- "Until That Day..."
- "Audience"
- "Boys & Girls"
-encore-
- "Trauma"
- "Independent"
- "Humming 7/4"
- "Blue Bird"
Charts
A Best 2: White – Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)| Release | Chart | Peak Position | First Week Sales | Sales Total | Chart Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oricon Daily Albums Chart | 1 | ||||
| Oricon Weekly Albums Chart | 1 | 475,284 | 721,850 | 52 | |
| Oricon Monthly Albums Chart | 2 | ||||
| Oricon Yearly Albums Chart | 5 |
- Total Sales : 721,850 (Japan)
- Total Sales : 750,000 (Avex)
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Catalogue Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | CD+2DVD | AVCD-23263(Black) AVCD-23265(White) |
|
| CD | AVCD-23264(Black)) AVCD-23266(White) |
||
| Taiwan | |||
| Hong Kong | |||
| China | CD+2DVD
|
||
| CD
|
|||
| Singapore | |||
| South Korea |
Japan
After the first week sales of A Best 2: Black and White were announced, Hamasaki had already garnered sales of over 1 million copies. With the release of A Best 2, Hamasaki also broke many records.As of August 2007, A Best 2 has charted in the top 5 of 2007 Oricon Half-Yearly Album 2007 Chart. A Best: White charted as #3 and Black charted as #4; the nearest competitor was Kobukuro with "All Singles Best" with sales around 640,000 copies. However, factoring in consistent sales of Kobukuro's "All Singles Best", it is predicted that A Best 2 will fall down to #4 and #5, respectively. According to avex, A Best 2 had sold over 2 million copies as of March 2007.
Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
| Release | Chart | Peak Position | Oricon Sales Total | Avex Sales Total | Chart Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oricon Daily Albums Chart | 1 (Black & White) | 170,000 | 200,000 | 1 day | |
| Oricon Weekly Albums Chart | 1 (White) 2 (Black) |
945,341 | 1,000,000 | 1 week | |
| Oricon Monthly Albums Chart | 2 (White) 3 (Black) |
646,479 (White) ,632,999 (Black) | 1,200,000 | 4 weeks | |
| Oricon Yearly Albums Chart | 4 (White) 5 (Black) |
1,424,734 (as of 2008) | 2,000,000 | 52 weeks |
- Total Sales: 1,424,734 (Japan)
- Total Sales: 2,000,000 (Avex)
Taiwan
A Best 2 as a whole performed very well on the Taiwan Charts. A Best 2: White topped the Taiwan Charts for 8 weeks, while A Best 2: Black has been following behind at #2 consistently, achieving peak at #1 on the second week of being released.Featured singles
| Album | Date | Title | Peak position | Chart Run | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | "Never Ever" | 1 | 12 weeks | 756,980 | |
| "Endless Sorrow" | 1 | 11 weeks | 768,510 | ||
| "Dearest" | 1 | 16 weeks | 750,420 | ||
| "Free & Easy" | 1 | 9 weeks | 486,520 | ||
| "No Way to Say" | 1 | 12 weeks | 371,171 | ||
| "Carols" | 1 | 14 weeks | 309,128 | ||
| "Inspire c/w Game" | 1 | 15 weeks | 329,145 | ||
| "Heaven" | 1 | 14 weeks | 326,694 | ||
| White | "Evolution" | 1 | 17 weeks | 955,250 | |
| "Unite!" | 1 | 10 weeks | 571,110 | ||
| "A Song Is Born" | 1 | 10 weeks | 441,410 | ||
| "Voyage" | 1 | 28 weeks | 679,463 | ||
| "Inspire c/w Game" | 1 | 16 weeks | 591,481 | ||
| "Moments" | 1 | 21 weeks | 302,923 | ||
| "Fairyland c/w Alterna" | 1 | 13 weeks | 316,663 | ||
| Black and White | "H" | 1 | 24 weeks | 1,016,000 | |
| "&" | 1 | 16 weeks | 591,481 | ||
| "Step You / Is This Love?" | 1 | 19 weeks | 345,340 |
Total Single Sales: 9,909,689
Live performances
– Music Station – "EvolutionEvolution (song)
"Evolution" is the 20th single released by Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released January 31, 2001. Her second single to be composed by herself , it sold over 500,000 copies in its first week at debuted at #1 on the charts. "Evolution" is Hamasaki's highest selling single until 2002's "H" in the 21st...
" – Music Fair 21 – "Evolution", "Dearest
Dearest
"Dearest" is the 24th single released by Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released September 27, 2001. It is featured on the Best of InuYasha Soundtrack...
", "Heaven
Heaven (Ayumi Hamasaki song)
"Heaven" is the thirty-seventh single released by Ayumi Hamasaki, released on September 14, 2005. "Heaven" ended up selling over 325,000 copies, making it Hamasaki's second highest-selling single of 2005 as well as her last single to date that has sold over 300,000 physical copies...
" – Hey! Hey! Hey! – "Dearest
Dearest
"Dearest" is the 24th single released by Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released September 27, 2001. It is featured on the Best of InuYasha Soundtrack...
" – SMAPxSMAP – "Voyage
Voyage (song)
"Voyage" is the 28th single released by Ayumi Hamasaki on September 26, 2002. "Voyage" debuted at #1 on the weekly charts with more than 319,020 copies sold in its first week and remained at the top position for 3 consecutive weeks out of a total 28 weeks on the chart, becoming her longest charting...
", "Unite!
Unite!
"Unite!" is the twenty-third single by Ayumi Hamasaki, released on July 11, 2001. It is her sixth single released in Germany.Unlike most of her other A-sides and some of her B-sides, Unite! has no PV...
" – Music Station – "Part of Me" – Music Fighter – "Never Ever
Never Ever (Ayumi Hamasaki song)
"Never Ever" is the twenty-first single by Ayumi Hamasaki, released on March 7, 2001. This is her third single in a row to be composed by herself...
" – PopJam – "Moments" – Domoto Kyoudai – "Step You
STEP you/is this LOVE?
"Step You/Is This Love?" is the 35th single released by Ayumi Hamasaki. It was a double a-side single released on April 20, 2005. "Step you"/"is this Love?" was the first single released by Ayumi Hamasaki in 2005. "Step you"/"is this Love?" was the best-selling solo single of 2005 by a female...
" – Music Station – "Memorial Address
Memorial Address
Memorial Address is an EP by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki. It is the best-selling mini-album by a Japanese female, selling over a million copies in Japan. It is available in 2 formats, CD or CD+DVD package. It was released on December 17, 2003...
" – PopJam (final episode special) – "No Way to Say
No Way to Say
"No Way to Say" is the thirty-first single released by Ayumi Hamasaki and her eighteenth number-one single. It came out November 6, 2003. The video won the award for "Best Pop Video" at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards Japan, and the single won the Japan Record Award at the 2003 Japan Record Awards...
"