A Ballads

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A BALLADS
Compilation album by Ayumi Hamasaki
Released	March 12, 2003
Genre	J-pop
Length	72:03
Label	AVEX Trax
Professional reviews
Sputnikmusic link
Ayumi Hamasaki chronology
RAINBOW (2002)	A BALLADS (2003)	Memorial address (2003)

A BALLADS is a ballad compilation album by Ayumi Hamasaki released on March 12, 2003. The initial pressings of the album had four different covers. The cover for the regular pressings was controversial because of its portrayal of two Hamasakis kissing.^{[citation needed]} The album was considered a flop compared to her previous compilation album A BEST (which had sold more than four million copies) because it failed to sell more than a million copies. Though recently, it has barely pushed past the quadruple RIAJ platinum mark. Though the album is labeled as a low-selling greatest hits album, half of the tracks are remixes and thus it is more of a hugely successful remix-album.

[edit] Songs

"RAINBOW" is the title track to her previous album RAINBOW, but was not included on the album. As a promotion for both albums, the purchasers of the initial pressings of RAINBOW were given a password to a website, where they could download part of instrumental version of the song, and submit their own lyrics. Over 100,000 people accessed the website. The tracklistings of initial pressings of the album RAINBOW had track 00 that said "RAINBOW", but the song was not included on the album, and was scheduled to be released as a single after partcipation ended.

Both "appears" and "M" were dramatically remixed by HAL to fit in with the ballad image of the album.

"YOU", "A Song for XX", "Depend on you" were rearranged and resung for this album and added rocky and acoustic feel to the songs. These songs display the change in Hamasaki's voice since her debut.

"TO BE" and "SEASONS" were only minimally changed for the album with heavier percussions.

The final track, "Sotsugyou shashin" was originally by Matsutoya Yumi, and is the only cover that Ayumi Hamasaki has done to this date on an album.

The numbers in A Song for XX's title is the date in which it was recorded (YYMMDD)

[edit] Track listing

1. "RAINBOW"
2. "appears" (HAL's Progress)
3. "Key ~eternal tie ver.~"
4. "YOU" (northern breeze)
5. "TO BE" (2003 ReBirth mix)
6. "HANABI"
7. "Ｍ" (HAL's Progress)
8. "Dearest"
9. "Dolls"
10. "SEASONS" (2003 ReBirth mix)
11. "Voyage"
12. "A Song for XX" (030213 Session #2)
13. "Who..." (Across the Universe)
14. Sotsugyō Shashin (卒業写真, Graduation Photograph^?)

[edit] Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)

Release	Chart	Peak position	Sales total	Chart run
12 March 2003	Oricon Daily Albums Chart	#1
12 March 2003	Oricon Weekly Albums Chart	#1	924,902	39 weeks
12 March 2003	Oricon Yearly Albums Chart	#8