A Best 2 (stylized as
BEST 2) is a series of greatest hits albums by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki, which were released simultaneously on 28 February 2007 (2007-02-28) by Avex Trax. The two-volume release is a direct successor to A Best (2001) and features material from a four-year period of her career. A Best 2 is split between contrasting "dark" and "light" themes, with the two volumes Black and White compiling songs of either nature, respectively.
| A Best 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 28 February 2007 (2007-02-28) | |||
| Recorded | 2001–2007 (Black) 2001–2005 (White) | |||
| Genre |
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| Length | 77:27 (Black) 74:56 (White) | |||
| Label | Avex Trax | |||
| Producer | Max Matsuura | |||
| A Best 2: Black | ||||
| A Best 2: White | ||||
| Ayumi Hamasaki chronology | ||||
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A Best 2 held the top two spots of the Oricon albums chart in its debuting week, with A Best 2: White at number one. This made Hamasaki the first female artist since Keiko Fuji to occupy both positions in 37 years. Both A Best 2 volumes were certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan.[1]
A Best 2: Black includes a previously unreleased track, "Part of Me" (featured in a new Panasonic CM) and its accompanying music video. The song was certified gold for 100,000 legal downloads.[2]
| No. | Title | Original Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dearest" | I am... | |
| 2. | "Carols" | My Story | |
| 3. | "No Way to Say" | Memorial Address | |
| 4. | "Hanabi (Fireworks)" | Rainbow | |
| 5. | "Walking Proud" | My Story | |
| 6. | "Free & Easy" | Rainbow | |
| 7. | "Endless Sorrow" | I am... | |
| 8. | "Because of You" | Memorial Address | |
| 9. | "About You" | My Story | |
| 10. | "Game" | My Story | |
| 11. | "Is This Love?" | (Miss)understood | |
| 12. | "Hanabi: Episode II (Fireworks: Episode II)" | Memorial Address | |
| 13. | "Never Ever" | I am... | |
| 14. | "Heaven" | (Miss)understood | |
| 15. | "Part of Me" | previously unreleased | |
| 16. | "Memorial Address: Take 2 version" (Hidden Track) | Memorial Address |
1st DVD – Promotional Videos
2nd DVD – Best of CountDown Live 2006–2007
Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
| Release | Chart | Peak Position | First Week Sales | Sales Total | Chart Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 February 2007 (2007-02-28) | Oricon Daily Albums Chart | 1 | |||
| Oricon Weekly Albums Chart | 2 | 470,057 | 970,000 | 52 | |
| Oricon Monthly Albums Chart | 3 | ||||
| Oricon Yearly Albums Chart | 7 |
On January 15, 2007, A Best 2 was confirmed on Hamasaki's official website. On January 16, the track listing for both CDs were officially released. The album covers and DVD track listings were released on February 6.
| No. | Title | Original Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Evolution" | I am... | |
| 2. | "Greatful Days*" | Memorial Address | |
| 3. | "Independent" | Rainbow | |
| 4. | "Humming 7/4" | My Story | |
| 5. | "Unite!" | I am... | |
| 6. | "Real Me" | Rainbow | |
| 7. | "My Name's Women" | My Story | |
| 8. | "Ourselves" | Memorial Address | |
| 9. | "Inspire" | My Story | |
| 10. | "Step You**" | (Miss)understood | |
| 11. | "July 1st" | Rainbow | |
| 12. | "Fairyland" | (Miss)understood | |
| 13. | "Voyage" | Rainbow | |
| 14. | "Moments" | My Story | |
| 15. | "A Song Is Born" | I am... |
1st DVD – Promotional Videos
2nd DVD – Best of CountDown Live 2006–2007
-encore-
A Best 2: White – Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
| Release | Chart | Peak Position | First Week Sales | Sales Total | Chart Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 February 2007 (2007-02-28) | Oricon Daily Albums Chart | 1 | |||
| Oricon Weekly Albums Chart | 1 | 475,284 | 990,000 | 52 | |
| Oricon Monthly Albums Chart | 2 | ||||
| Oricon Yearly Albums Chart | 5 |
| Region | Date | Format | Catalogue Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 28 February 2007 (2007-02-28) | CD+2DVD | AVCD-23263 (Black) AVCD-23265 (White) |
| CD | AVCD-23264 (Black) AVCD-23266 (White) | ||
| Taiwan | 9 March 2007 (2007-03-09) | ||
| Hong Kong | 13 March 2007 (2007-03-13) | ||
| China | 27 October 2007 (2007-10-27) | CD+2DVD
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CD
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| Malaysia | 14 March 2007 (2007-03-14) | ||
| Singapore | 14 March 2007 (2007-03-14) | ||
| Indonesia | 14 March 2007 (2007-03-14) | ||
| South Korea | 15 March 2007 (2007-03-15) |
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.
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 (2007-02-28) | Oricon Daily Albums Chart | 1 (Black & White) | 170,000 | 200,000 | 1 day |
| Oricon Weekly Albums Chart | 1 (White) 2 (Black) |
945,341 | 1,000,000 | 1 week | |
| Oricon Monthly Albums Chart | 2 (White) 3 (Black) |
646,479 (White), 632,999 (Black) | 1,200,000 | 4 weeks | |
| Oricon Yearly Albums Chart | 4 (White) 5 (Black) |
1,960,000 (as of 2008) | 2,000,000 | 52 weeks |
| Album | Date | Title | Peak position | Chart run | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 7 March 2001 | "Never Ever" | 1 | 12 weeks | 850,000 |
| 16 May 2001 | "Endless Sorrow" | 1 | 11 weeks | 860,000 | |
| 27 September 2001 | "Dearest" | 1 | 16 weeks | 825,000 | |
| 24 April 2002 | "Free & Easy" | 1 | 9 weeks | 555,000 | |
| 11 June 2003 | "No Way to Say" | 1 | 12 weeks | 425,000 | |
| 29 November 2004 | "Carols" | 1 | 14 weeks | 375,000 | |
| 14 November 2005 | "Heaven" | 1 | 14 weeks | 370,000 | |
| White | 31 January 2001 | "Evolution" | 1 | 17 weeks | 1,145,000 |
| 11 July 2001 | "Unite!" | 1 | 10 weeks | 663,000 | |
| 12 December 2001 | "A Song Is Born" | 1 | 10 weeks | 510,000 | |
| 26 November 2002 | "Voyage" | 1 | 28 weeks | 760,000 | |
| 31 March 2004 | "Moments" | 1 | 21 weeks | 370,000 | |
| 3 August 2005 | "Fairyland c/w Alterna" | 1 | 13 weeks | 370,000 | |
| Black and White | 24 July 2007 | "H" | 1 | 24 weeks | 1,170,000 |
| 9 July 2003 | "&" | 1 | 16 weeks | 680,000 | |
| 28 July 2004 | "Inspire"/"Game" | 1 | 15 weeks | 390,000 | |
| 20 April 2005 | "Step You / Is This Love?" | 1 | 19 weeks | 385,000 |
Total single sales: 10,703,000
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| Other work |
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