A Best

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Professional reviews
A BEST

Compilation album by Ayumi Hamasaki
Released	March 28, 2001
Genre	J-pop
Length	76:01
Label	AVEX Trax
Producer(s)	Max Matsuura
J-fan Jpop link
Ayumi Hamasaki chronology
Duty (2000)	A Best (2001)	I am... (2002)

A BEST is a greatest hits album released by Ayumi Hamasaki on March 28, 2001. Unlike most greatest hits album in Japan, this was not a single collection (there are two tracks here that was never a title of single - "A Song for XX" and "Who..."), but because of the large number of Ayumi Hamasaki singles, the songs represented here are fan favorites. Songs from her debut like "A Song for XX", "Trust", and "Depend on you" were resung, showing the changes in Hamasaki's vocal qualities. The initial pressings had six different variations which came with its own "gift."

It was released simultaneously with Utada Hikaru's Distance, and Utada Hikaru topped the charts on the initial week of release, and A BEST topped the charts the second week of its release. A BEST is the sixth highest-selling album of all time in Japan.

Though this was her best selling album, Hamasaki Ayumi opposed of it publicly, stating "it was too early for release."

The songs "A Song for XX", "Trust", and "Depend on you" were re-recorded for this album.

Ayumi Hamasaki was forced to release this album and its release was intended to mark the end of her career. Hamasaki herself chose to re-record the first three tracks of the album because she wanted to bring her fan her older voice from the last century to the new voice of the new century in those older songs. However, due to the major success of the album, Hamasaki's career went on.