A Best 2
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| A Best 2 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greatest hits by Ayumi Hamasaki | |||||||||||
| Released |  February 28, 2007 March 9, 2007 March 13, 2007 March 14, 2007 March 15, 2007 June 19, 2007 |
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| Genre | J-Pop | ||||||||||
| Length | 2h30 aprox. | ||||||||||
| Label | Avex Trax | ||||||||||
| Producer | Max Matsuura | ||||||||||
| Ayumi Hamasaki chronology | |||||||||||
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Best 2 is a series of Greatest Hits compilation albums recorded by Ayumi Hamasaki which were released simultaneously on 28 February 2007. The series consists of:
A special website was opened in order to promote A Best 2 and can be found here.[1]
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. [1][2]
Contents |
[edit] Sales and accomplishments
[edit] 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. It is the 1st time in 36.5 years that a female artist has occupied #1 and #2 in the album charts and it is the 1st time in the United World Chart's history that a solo female artist topped the chart with 2 albums landing at #1 and #2 at the same time.
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.[3]
Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
| Release | Chart | Peak Position | Oricon Sales Total | Avex Sales Total | Chart Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 February 2007 | Oricon Daily Albums Chart | #1 (BLACK & WHITE) | 170,000 | 200,000 | 1 day |
| 28 February 2007 | Oricon Weekly Albums Chart | #1 (WHITE), #2 (BLACK) | 945,341 | 1,000,000 | 1 week |
| 28 February 2007 | Oricon Monthly Albums Chart | #2 (WHITE), #3 (BLACK) | 646,479 (WHITE) ,632,999 (BLACK) | 1,200,000 | 4 weeks |
| 28 February 2007 | Oricon Yearly Albums Chart | #4 (WHITE), #5 (BLACK) | 1,424,734 (as of 2008) | 1,800,000 | 52 weeks |
- Total Sales: 1,424,734 (Japan)
- Total Sales: 2,000,000 (Avex)
- Total Sales: 4,000,000 (Asia)
[edit] Taiwan
A Best 2 as a whole performed very well on the Taiwan Charts. A Best 2 -White- has topped the Taiwan Charts for 5 weeks, and is still charting at #1, while A Best 2 -Black- has been following behind at #2 consistently, achieving peak at #1 on the second week of being released.
[edit] Featured singles
| Date | Title | Peak position | Chart Run | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 27, 2001 | "Dearest" | #1 | 16 weeks | 750,420 |
| September 29, 2004 | "Carols" | #1 | 14 weeks | 309,128 |
| November 6, 2003 | "No Way to Say" | #1 | 12 weeks | 371,171 |
| July 24, 2002 | "H" | #1 | 24 weeks | 1,016,000 |
| April 24, 2002 | "Free & Easy" | #1 | 9 weeks | 486,520 |
| May 16, 2001 | "Endless Sorrow" | #1 | 11 weeks | 768,510 |
| July 28, 2005 | "Inspire c/w GAME" | #1 | 15 weeks | 329,145 |
| April 20, 2005 | "STEP you / is this LOVE?" | #1 | 19 weeks | 345,340 |
| March 7, 2001 | "NEVER EVER" | #1 | 12 weeks | 756,980 |
| September 14, 2005 | "HEAVEN" | #1 | 14 weeks | 326,694 |
| July 9, 2003 | "&" | #1 | 16 weeks | 591,481 |
| January 31, 2001 | "evolution" | #1 | 17 weeks | 955,250 |
| July 11, 2001 | "UNITE!" | #1 | 10 weeks | 571,110 |
| August 3, 2005 | "fairyland c/w alterna" | #1 | 13 weeks | 316,663 |
| September 26, 2002 | "Voyage" | #1 | 28 weeks | 679,463 |
| March 31, 2004 | "Moments" | #1 | 21 weeks | 302,923 |
| December 12, 2001 | A Song is Born" | #1 | 10 weeks | 441,410 |
Total Single Sales: 9,318,208
[edit] Live Performances
- February 23, 2007 – Music Station - "evolution"
- February 24, 2007 – Music Fair 21 - "evolution", "Dearest", "Heaven"
- February 26, 2007 – Hey! Hey! Hey! - "Dearest"
- February 26, 2007 – SMAPxSMAP - "Voyage", "Unite!"
- March 2, 2007 – Music Station - "part of Me"
- March 2, 2007 – Music Fighter - "Never Ever"
- March 2, 2007 – PopJam - "Moments"
- March 4, 2007 – Domoto Kyoudai - "Step you"
- March 16, 2007 – Music Station - "Memorial address"
- March 16, 2007 – PopJam (final episode special) - "No way to say"
[edit] References
- ^ New info about A Best 2 tracks mastered - Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai
- ^ (Japanese) ayumi hamasaki 「A BEST 2」SPECIAL SITE
- ^ Avex Financial Results of the first quarter of 2007 Page 2
