A Best (stylized as 15px BEST) is the first greatest hits album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on March 28, 2001, by Avex Trax and Avex Music Creative Inc. Hamasaki had originally planned to release a greatest hits album after her 2002 studio album I Am..., but this was declined by Avex head staff. Instead, Avex released the album in 2001, which caused conflict between the label and Hamasaki. The compilation was released in two different formats including a physical and a digital release. Seven different artworks were released in several editions of the album. The album includes one new track, three re-recorded tracks, and the all the rest of her previously released singles.
A Best was lauded by contemporary music critics who noted the quality and memorability of the tracks. Many also labeled the album as one of the best representations of Japanese pop music. Released purposely on the same day as fellow Japanese musician Hikaru Utada's studio album Distance for direct competition, the compilation entered at number two on Japan's Oricon Albums Chart. It reached number one the following week, and sold over five million units in Japan. The album's lead single "M" was released on December 13, 2000, and reached the top spot on the Oricon Singles Chart.
In support of A Best as well as her third studio album Duty (2000), Hamasaki held two concerts at the Tokyo Dome. Despite setbacks related to Hamasaki's health, the tour was a success, and a live recording was released on home video. Since its release, the album brought Hamasaki a myriad of accolades and award nominations, as well as successful recognition throughout Eastern and Western publications. A Best is listed as the sixth best-selling album in Japan overall. In 2016, Hamasaki re-released the album on that same date as a 15th-anniversary celebration; this included new material and formats. Hamasaki promoted the reissue with a Japanese concert tour, entitled Made in Japan.
Background and material
Hamasaki had originally planned to release her first greatest hits after a "couple more albums" when she released her 2002 studio album I Am.... However, in early 2001, Hamasaki's record label Avex Trax announced the plans for the release of a greatest hits package with an undisclosed date at the time. Avex had contacted Hamasaki one day, and stated that they intended to release the album on a specific date unbeknownst to her. Avex decided to purposely release the album against fellow Japanese recording artist Hikaru Utada's second studio album Distance on March 28, 2001, for direct competition of sales; Utada had previously sold over 9.91 million units of her debut album First Love (1999).
Hamasaki originally thought the statement was a "joke," but was against the overall idea. She felt that majority of her single material for the album was "insufficient" at the time. Hamasaki denied the claims, but decided to take more control of her future material and asserted that she didn't want to be marketed as a "product" by Avex.
The songs on A Best were selected by Hamasaki herself from the singles and albums released in the 20th century from 1998 to 2000, three years since her debut, and her 20th single “Evolution” and 21st single “Never Ever,” which were already released in 2001, are not included. Also, among the singles released in the selected years, the songs “Poker Face,” “You,” “For My Dear...,” “Whatever,” “Love (Since 1999),” “Monochrome,” “Too Late," "Kanariya” and “Audience” were not included in the track list. Although not stated, the vocals on “End Roll” were newly recorded and mixed with a new arrangement; on “Boys & Girls,” the vocals were the same as on the original song, but the arrangement was changed to be closer to the live version.
Release
A Best was released on March 28, 2001 in two formats; a standard compact disc, and a digital download. Both the CD and digital download includes 16 tracks, with the physical editions housed in a cardboard sleeve. The cardboard sleeve of the album was photographed by Keita Haginiwa, whilst the booklet was designed by Shigeru Kasai from RICE.
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A Best received positive reviews from music critics. Ray Katsushi from MTVChinese.com gave the album a positive analysis, emphasizing how Hamasaki’s success is not just about idol appeal, but about her artistry, lyrical resonance, and her ability to evolve musically while shaping youth culture. A staff reviewer for Tower Records commended the album's quality and felt that while the album featured more "heart" than her previous work. The reviewer called the album "familiar" and filled with "Ayu charm." Alexey Eremenko from AllMusic selected many tracks from the album as the album and Hamasaki's best moments in her career.
Commercial performances
Before its release, Hamasaki commented that she was anxious about the album's first week sales. She commented that she felt it might "be my last album... It's possible I'll may never get the chance again". Hamasaki's album sold 2,874,870 units in its first week of sales, whilst Utada's album sold 3,002,720 units in its first week. This made A Best the second fastest-selling album in Japanese music history, just behind Distance at first place. The following week, A Best replaced Distance at the top spot and sold 510,160 units. This became Hamasaki's first greatest hits album to reach the top spot on that chart, and her fourth album overall.
The album stayed inside the top ten for nine weeks, the top 100 for 20 weeks, and eventually lasted 51 weeks in the top 300 chart. Hamasaki's album sales reached an excessive ¥12 billion (approximately $77,284,200 US dollars) by the end of the year, which hugely effected the stock prices of the record company. Additionally, the album is the second best-selling album of the 2000s decade in Japan.
Promotion
The promotion for A Best was extensive. Hamasaki became the spokeswoman for the KDDI Corporation subsidiary company Tu-Ka, which manufactured 2G PDC cellular operator's in three metropolitan areas (Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka).
Hamasaki confirmed that she would perform two concerts in Tokyo at the Tokyo Dome stadium. During rehearsals for the tour, Hamasaki had to stop due to problems with her hearing in her left ear. Because of this, specific songs had to be cut from the concert tour because of its high frequency levels. With sales from both the concert and album, Hamasaki was recognized as the top selling artist of 2001 with over 24 billion yen. Despite the setback, Hamasaki stated that she wished to continue singing, and that she would "not give up" on her fans and that "as a professional", she wanted to "deliver the best performance for everyone".
A live DVD was released on December 12, 2001 through Avex Trax. A limited edition VHS and DVD was released with different artwork and packaging. Through an exclusive deal with Sony, a limited edition PlayStation 2 musical video game entitled Visual Mix: Ayumi Hamasaki Dome Tour 2001 was released. The video game is split into three sections; the visual mix (where the player uses the controller to change and direct the respective music videos and concert tour, alongside special effects editing), the Ayu-Mi-x studio (where the player can create and edit music through her songs "Unite!" and "Endless Sorrow"), and Ayu Browser (which is an online browser using customized Ayu settings).
Singles
"M" was released as the album's lead single on December 8, 2000 and was later included on her I Am... album in 2002. "M" was Hamasaki's first single she composed herself after her production team failed to compose a track in her liking. Upon its release, it garnered positive reviews from music critics. Many critics commended the song's composition, lyrical content, and highlighted the track as one of Hamasaki's best singles in her career. "M" was successful in Japan, peaking at number one on the Japanese Oricon Singles Chart by selling over 500,000 units in its first week of sales. It became Hamasaki's seventh number one single on that chart. The single charted at number 87 on the Japan Billboard Adult Alternative chart. The single was certified platinum by the RIAJ for selling over 250,000 digital units in Japan, tallying the single's sales to 1.76 million units as of 2014. The accompanying music video for the single was shot in Tokyo by Wataru Takeishi; it features Hamasaki inside a church, with scenes of her wearing a wedding dress and singing with her backup band in the rain.
"M" was re-released in Germany through Drizzly Records on November 3, 2003, with Hamasaki using her European stage name Ayu. The single was a triple re-release from the A Best and I Am... album, and the Ayu Trance compilation remix album, on a vinyl and CD Maxi single format. The re-released single was remixed by Above & Beyond, and was served as Ayu's second, first, and sixth international single in Germany, Spain, and North America. The accompanying music video for the remix single was shot in Tokyo by Masato Okazaki; it features several images and video shots of Hamasaki's performances, whilst including different computer generated imagery.