Album art + tracklisting: Ayumi Hamasaki - Love classics

Ayumi Hamasaki - Love classics | Random J Pop

Ayu stays chasing her former glory days like a carrot on a stick, as she prepares to release her second 'Classical' album this month - in the midst of a single release and a tour. Unlike the first A Classical album which was simply orchestrated re-arrangements of her songs, Love Classics features mash-ups of Ayu's songs with the works of iconic classical composers. Because we are all wondering what an Ayu song would sound like mashed-up with a famous classical piece. *Tumble weed slowly rolls around the whole of Shibuya*

A classical was a big success for Ayu at a point where her popularity was on a decline and it featured arrangements of old songs which were better than the new material she was putting out at the time, so it's only natural that Avex would attempt to recapture that by doing it all over again. We will act like this release has nothing at all to do with Namie Amuro's Ballada leaving her bald and crying on the toilet for weeks on end.

Ayumi Hamasaki - Love classics | Random J Pop

  1. Voyage | Pachelbel's Canon
  2. Seasons | Dvorak: Homeward bound (Symphony No. 9, "From the New World" - The Second Movement)
  3. Days | Vivaldi: Violin concertos "Four Seasons" - "Winter" The second movement
  4. To be | Bach: Well-tempered clavier Volume 1- First song prelude
  5. You | Petzold: Minuet (Minuet of Bach)
  6. Virgin road | Chopin: Raindrop prelude
  7. Dearest | Dvorak: Humoresque No. 7
  8. Honey | Handel: Oratorio "Messiah" ~Hallelujah Chorus~
  9. Winding road | Debussy: Preludes Volume 1 ~ Maiden of Flexing Hair
  10. Who... | Elgar: Greeting of love

What would give these 'Classical' albums greater gravitas and purpose is if Ayu bucked her trend of bombarding Japan with her tired Countdown tours / performances and if she stripped everything right down to do an A classical live; where she performs her songs with an orchestra for a one night special. Even better would be if she did this first and then released an A Classical live album. At least then fans would be getting new vocals instead of old acapellas.

If fans really wanted to hear Ayu's songs mashed with classical music, they could do it themselves. I don't think any Ayu fan is on the edge of their seats to hear her songs mashed with Schubert, Chopin and Tchaikovsky.

Thanks to my followers and readers for steering me in the direction of the finalised track list for this album.

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