2025 in 2025: Day 22

BETWEEN THE TEN [Disc 1] - YUKI

What better way to start the day than with a chronological compilation of all of YUKI's b-sides? And this wasn't compiled by me. Totally official. It's since been updated (online only) to celebrate her 20th anniversary as a solo artist, so that version is now totally complete (even with a new title and everything), and this album is stuck in 2012. But via iTunes means I would have to have all the romaji in the song titles, and I would rather avoid that plague of silliness. 

Highlights: ありがとう, 17才, 舞い上がれ, 首輪

7/10

BETWEEN THE TEN [Disc 2] - YUKI

Honestly, not much to say here. These are good songs - genuinely nothing bad going on here. Just a mixed bag of styles and varying between folky and dance bops - which is totally par for the course when it comes to YUKI. I think all I'm missing in my collection is a couple of singles and the b-sides on that 20th anniversary release.

Highlights: just life! all right!, 誘惑してくれ, Wild Ladies

7/10

BEYONCÉ - Beyoncé

This has videos as well? I wonder if my iTunes will play those... Anyways, I have never listened to this. Seriously. Was added to my iTunes by someone else and I have no idea why, as I am not a fan of Beyoncé and find her fandom annoying. Not as annoying as Taylor Swift fans, though. Come at me, Swifties. Shiizz, I ain't afraid of you mofos! These songs are too long and just not good. Well, they are somewhat fine musically, but the melodies and vocals and lyrics are just totally naff. Also, Drake is on a song? So I have Drake in my iTunes?!? Yeah, this is going to be a HARD delete. I curse the person that put that MF in my iTunes. At least the videos did NOT play.

Highlights: XO

4/10

Beyond Good and Evil - The Cult

This is only the song Rise. It rocks. It was most welcome after an hour of mediocre Beyoncé.

7/10

Big Band... Small World - Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra and Friends

I was sure I had the whole album, but seems to be simply George Harrison performing Horse to the Water. Apparently Harrison's last recorded performance? And he wrote it with his son - that's pretty cool. And so is the song. Because George Harrison was cool.

8/10

Big Boi & Dre Present... Outkast - Outkast

This is a compilation of pre-Hey Ya! Outkast. I must have picked it up cheap at the time, because I really didn't know much of Outkast. In fact, I think I may have disliked them. I certainly could not stand The Whole World - terrible song. B.O.B. however is all kinds of cool. Otherwise... still not that impressed.

Highlights: So Fresh So Clean, Rosa Parks, B.O.B., Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

5.5/10

Big Calm - Morcheeba

This album is typical late 90s UK trip-hop folksy stuff. It's been so long since I last listened to it, that I had forgotten which song it was that caused me to get this album. I dig the instrumentals as well.

Highlights: Blindfold, Bullet Proof

7/10

Big Willie Style - Will Smith

Bah gawd this album is fun. Some of his lines are so corny, it is impossible to hate on it. And just makes me smile. Taking the same sample from a Tupac song and turning it into a fun party song is just the ultimate swerve. Songs about Jada and how he's going to get an Oscar are pretty funny now! And Jamie Foxx doing skits back when he was just the dude on In Living Color. Crazy world. Also, did Eminem steal lyrics from Left Eye on the title track?

Highlights: Gettin' Jiggy Wit It, Candy, Don't Say Nothin', Yes Yes Y'all, Big Willie Style

6.5/10

Bigger, Better, Faster, More! - 4 Non Blondes

Somewhere around the turn of the Century, I discovered how awesome Linda Perry can be. Her voice is so strong and has so much passion. This album is not the best example, as it is certainly very early 90s alt rock, but there are shining moments of greatness. I know most people are sick of What's Up, but it was a massive hit for a reason. It's probably the strongest song on the album, in all honesty. Linda Perry still rocks.

Highlights: What's Up, Dear Mr. President

6/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 183

100 Days of Ayumi Hamasaki: Pre-Avex Recordings

I always play on a level above where I should. Always. So true to that attitude, I am starting the 100 days with some recordings that are completely irrelevant. This 'album' is called Moon and is nothing more than a collection of demos and whatnot. I say "whatnot" because I totally saw a video of Ayu performing one of these songs on a TV show in 1995. She would have been 17 at the time.

Being snippets and demos, the quality of the actual recordings varies between each song. As does the vocal quality. The actual music quality doesn't, however - it all sounds like it was taken from either a karaoke bar or an early 90's anime. Seriously, this stuff would be right at home in my 4-disc Japanese Transformers theme music collection.

Moon is a song. It probably could have been an OK song, had it been recorded better and Ayu's voice was better. She's not awful, but she sounds young and still learning to sing.

Get Out of My Life is actually really fun. Kind of disco. Ayu + disco = good times.

Raspberry Dream is a cool song title

Dance Dance Dance is not a cover of Fall Out Boy's Dance Dance with an added Dance for more dancing. It is instead some sort of latin-sounding boogie number. Picture Miami Sound Machine. But picture it with ears instead of your eyes, because music is for listening - not for drawing.

Roppongi Shinjuu has an awesome intro and some badass electric guitar

Mizuiro no Koi (Love is Blue) is a fun little ditty. I think pitch it up a few notches and it would have been more fun.

Stranger Tonight is just kinda here. I honestly don't know what to say.

Jingi Aishitemoraimasu is legit great. I wish the whole song was on here. Or Ayu had gone on to re-record it circa 2001. Hell, I'd be happy if she made it now, given she hasn't released anything in 2017.

Hold On Me is also kinda fun

Heart De Shoubu honestly sounds like the theme song for a game show. Picture a Japanese man in a bright coloured suit, wearing thick-rimmed glasses, running on a stage and acting hilariously while his mild-mannered female co-host giggles politely.

I decided to use the interwebs to find more information on these recordings and it turns out this is just a collection of old performances on Idol Stage or something. The videos can mostly be found on YouTube - minus the actually worthwhile songs. But this now explains the differing quality of the recordings. I feel like Ayu needs to buy the rights to this entire show and release a full DVD set of this so I have something to watch every weekend.

Then we move on to the Nothing From Nothing EP. This was Ayumi Hamasaki's first legit release - though this was not with Avex (it was released by Columbia Japan) and is more of a collaboration with a hip-hop artist. I believe she was also credited as "Ayumi". Because most of the time just having one name makes you more awesome. Luckily she realised that simply being her full Ayumi Hamasaki was even MORE awesomer.

Nothing From Nothing [Single Version] is an old school hip-hop jam totally what you would expect from 1995. Just in Japanese. And with squeaky little girl Ayu rapping as well singing the hook. I love old school hip-hop - the late 80's to mid-90's is the golden age and quite frankly soothes my soul in a way no other genre can - so this single gets a solid thumbs up from me.

Limit is the kind of summertime R&B groove that makes you want to cruise through your neighbourhood in the sun. Or groove in the backyard with a cold glass of orange juice. Or watch some Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Paper Doll is another R&B slow jam. Ayu getting her South Philly on!

Gut-it-pez is like listening to a baddass classic Arrested Development jam crossed with De la Soul but all busted out in Japanese. Ayu's rapping is cool, and the other dudes on this track have serious character as well. Also, where else could you find Ayumi Hamasaki spitting "A-Y, U to the M to the I"?!?!

Nothing From Nothing [Album Version] seems to be somewhat darker than the single version. Either way, it's a cool song. This is EP is cool. Ayumi Hamasaki is cool.

Nothing From Nothing is genuinely much better than I anticipated. Fun little way to start 100 days of Ayu's awesomeness.