A Best

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A Best
Compilation album by Ayumi Hamasaki
Released	March 28, 2001
Genre	J-pop
Length	76:01
Label	AVEX Trax
Producer(s)	Max Matsuura
Professional reviews
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 albums in Japan, this was not a single collection (there are two tracks here that were never released as singles, "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 re-recorded, showing the changes in Hamasaki's vocal qualities. The initial pressings had six different variations which came with its own "gift".

A Best was released simultaneously with Utada Hikaru's Distance. Utada Hikaru topped the charts on the initial week of release with 3,000,000 copies of Distance sold in its first week, A Best debuted at number two with 2,900,000 copies. A Best topped the charts the second week of its release. A Best is the sixth highest-selling album of all time in Japan.^{[citation needed]}

Though this was her best selling album, Hamasaki Ayumi opposed it publicly, stating: "it was too early for release".^{[citation needed]}

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 fans 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.

[edit] Track listing

1. "A Song for XX" (new vocal and mix)
2. "Trust" (new vocal and mix)
3. "Depend on You" (new vocal & mix)
4. "Love ~Destiny~"
5. "To Be"
6. "Boys & Girls"
7. "Trauma"
8. "End roll" (new mix)
9. "Appears"
10. "Fly High"
11. "Vogue"
12. "Far Away"
13. "Seasons"
14. "Surreal"
15. "M"
16. "Who..."

[edit] Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)

Release	Chart	Peak position	Sales total	Chart run
28 March 2001	Oricon Daily Albums Chart	1
28 March 2001	Oricon Weekly Albums Chart	1	4,292,669	48 weeks
28 March 2001	Oricon Yearly Albums Chart	2