Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

We listen to stuff outside of H!P? What?!?

Moderator: tsukinobyouin

Post Reply
User avatar
neshcom
ANGERME
Posts: 3782
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:13 am

Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by neshcom »

Namie Amuro is celebrating her 20th year anniversary with a bunch of new work.



She'll be releasing a new album, "Uncontrolled" on June 25th. There will be three versions: CD, CD+DVD, and PLAYBUTTON (there will also be CD and CD+DVD bundles including a PLAYBUTTON). PLAYBUTTON is a new listening format that encapsulates an album release in the form of a designer button that can play the album for up to 5 hours on a single charge. I think you'll be able to pull off either MP3 or OGG Vorbis files and charge via USB. The CD contains 13 songs (4 new) and the DVD includes 11 music videos (4 new).



Updated tracklist+links:

[spoiler2]Hi-res cover:

[spoiler2]

Image

[/spoiler2]
  1. In The Spotlight(TOKYO) (new, English)
  2. NAKED

     ※Kose ESPRIQUE CM song
  3. GO ROUND ('N ROUND 'N ROUND)

     ※Kose ESPRIQUE CM song, English re-dub
  4. Sit! Stay! Wait! Down!

     ※Theme song for the FujiTV drama "Watashi ga Renai Dekinai Riyuu"
  5. Hot Girls (new, English)
  6. Break It

     ※Coca Cola Zero CM song, uncredited remix
  7. Get Myself Back

     ※Recochoku CM song
  8. Love Story

     ※Featured on the FujiTV drama "Watashi ga Renai Dekinai Riyuu"
  9. Let' s Go (new)
  10. SINGING "YEAH-OH"

     ※ English re-dub
  11. Fight Together

     ※FujiTV anime "ONE PIECE" theme song
  12. ONLY YOU (new)

     ※WOWOW UEFA FIFA 2012 theme song
  13. Tempest

     ※NHK BS TV movie "Tempest" theme song
DVD Music Videos:

<DVD>

ONLY YOU (Music Video)

Hot Girls (Music Video)

In The Spotlight (Tokyo) (Music Video)

Let's Go (Music Video)

Go Round (Music Video)

YEAH-OH (Music Video)

Love Story (Music Video)

NAKED (Music Video)

Tempest (Music Video)

Break It (Music Video)

Get Myself Back (Music Video)

[/spoiler2]

One of the new songs, ONLY YOU, has had its PV released and is the theme song for WOWOW's broadcast of the UEFA FIFA 2012 games. WOWOW will also be airing "Namie Amuro 20th Anniversary Special LIVE HISTORY & DOCUMENT OF NAMIE AMURO" on June 2nd and they're hinting at more WOWOWxNamie programming.



Namie is also holding a special live show in Okinawa on the date of her 20th anniversary, September 16th. "namie amuro 20th ANNIVERSARY LIVE in OKINAWA" sold out in 5 minutes and will host 27,000 in attendance, a record for a solo artist in Okinawa.Through Facebook, a number oftickets were also sold specifically for foreign fans. After the Okinawa show, Namie will start a 7-night "5 Major Dome Tour" ending with two performances at the Tokyo Dome in December.



For the tour and special live, Namie's staff solicited the fan's favorite singles through Facebook and her official 20th anniversary site. They received over 200,000 votes (Can You Celebrate topped the list) and are continuing to take votes via PC on the 20th anniversary site. For tour goods, a similar vote was held on Facebook. The top results included towels, t-shirts, and pamphlets. There is now a logo contest being held. Submissions and info here. There was also a vote for the most popular Namie Amuro Jenny Doll. The most popular results were the outfits from the make it happen, FAST CAR, and Hide & Seek PVs (1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively).



As a promotion, a "live painting" of Namie's new cover was painted publicly in front of Alata in Shinjuku, Tokyo. When the painting was complete, they unveiled the final cover image (above).



[upd] Forgot about this! For the September 16 special live, a number of collaboration artists will be performing as well! VERBAL (Luvotomy, Blackout, Want Me Want Me), AI (FAKE, Wonder Woman), Mummy-D, Kaname Kawabata (#1) and Anna Tsuchiya (Wonder Woman) were all listed as appearing. This is super cool, because the LIVE STYLE 2011 tour (which came off of Checkmate!, the collab album/best-of) was only her in all the songs, even the duos/collabs. During Blackout, they played VERBAL's first rap verse, so it was basically an extended dance break <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' />



Christ, that's a lot. 20 years is a big deal and they're pulling out all the stops. They've been very active on Facebook and reaching out to the English-speaking audience. A new big show from Namie is something I'm looking forward to most, if only because the album will only have 4 new songs, which is crazy to me. I'm also pissed that, of the two single-tracks left off Uncontrolled, my favorite modern-era Namie song (Higher) was left off (the other, arigatou, was released as a free download online for a long time). The PLAYBUTTON format is a neat idea and it seems to be priced decently, I suppose.



I'm not the only one excited for more Namie, am I? Sometimes I feel like I am... <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... pyeyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':puppyeyes:' />



[Update] Tracklist confirmed and edited.
Last edited by neshcom on Sun Jun 24, 2012 10:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
aisasami
こぶしファクトリー
Posts: 467
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2006 5:26 pm

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by aisasami »

I was going to post something like this after work but you beat me. But, I am verrrrrrrrrrry excited. Everyone should vote SUPER MONKEY's songs so they can have a reunion (MAX is not doing anything big and Mina is back!).



I am debating to become a fan club member so I can get concert tickets...
Last edited by aisasami on Mon May 28, 2012 1:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
Mugi
モーニング娘。
Posts: 824
Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2011 9:36 am

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by Mugi »

I'm not a fan but all of this sounds amazing and I really love the idea of the button. Being able to wear my music would be so awesome. Maybe I will check out her stuff before it all comes out. I have listened to one song of hers and it was with After school and I liked it so I will check out more of her stuff.
Last edited by Mugi on Mon May 28, 2012 1:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
Image

Made by Haru!
User avatar
showraniy
ANGERME
Posts: 2921
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2009 11:53 am

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by showraniy »

Oh, nesh, you can't even begin to understand how much I'm with you on this one. I love Namie and keep up with all your Nammy posts, but why only three (two?!) new tracks?! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... pyeyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':puppyeyes:' /> Man, avex is taking this no-promotion to promote-everything heights... But oh well, I'll bitch but I still love her anyway and look forward to this. I want to see her in concert one day, damn it!
User avatar
Melon
ANGERME
Posts: 4394
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2006 6:40 pm

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by Melon »

I liked the two albums you rec'd in my thread, so I'm hyped for this!

Playbutton is cool, but knowing me I would forget to take it off my clothes and bye bye album in the wash.
Image
User avatar
neshcom
ANGERME
Posts: 3782
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:13 am

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by neshcom »

Updated the OP with special guest information! A lot of the people Namie worked with on Checkmate! will be performing on the special live.
User avatar
neshcom
ANGERME
Posts: 3782
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:13 am

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by neshcom »

15 sec commercial with a short preview of In The Spotlight (Tokyo). ONLY YOU was sung in all-English, and all of this short clip is English too. YEAH-OH and Go Round both had an unusually high amount of English too.
User avatar
neshcom
ANGERME
Posts: 3782
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:13 am

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by neshcom »

Radio rip of In The Spotlight (Tokyo) is up. Whoa. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... nceman.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':danceman:' />

Interesting point: all of the cities in her dome tour are three syllables (like Tokyo) except for Okinawa. /mildlyinteresting
Last edited by neshcom on Mon Jun 04, 2012 8:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
neshcom
ANGERME
Posts: 3782
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:13 am

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by neshcom »

I got a chance to sit down and see the documentary Namie Amuro Live History and Document (direct link in the A/V forum soon bc ilu bbs <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... smooch.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='=3=' /> ). It's kind of interesting. It mainly features an interview with Namie and some small making-of vignettes from the ONLY YOU shoot in LA peppered in. There's also an abundance of (surprisingly long) music videos and performances.



As far as the interview, I had a decent understanding of what they were talking about (Tetsuya Komuro producing her early phase, her balancing this strong and cool and cute type of image), but a bunch of it was beyond me. Does anyone know if any groups are doing subs? With so many music segments, there isn't too much to translate <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... tongue.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':tongue:' />



On another note, the WOWOWxNamie Amuro page is listing something related to her 20 Year Anniversary Special. Can anyone translate the kanji on that second line? Is it the Okinawa show?
User avatar
aisasami
こぶしファクトリー
Posts: 467
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2006 5:26 pm

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by aisasami »

[quote name='neshcom' timestamp='1338940361' post='126651']

On another note, the WOWOWxNamie Amuro page is listing something related to her 20 Year Anniversary Special. Can anyone translate the kanji on that second line? Is it the Okinawa show?

[/quote]



It just said that Part 2 (Part 1 was the documentary) of the 20 Year Anniversary Special will be airing in the fall. It doesn't say anything about the Okinawa show just yet.
Last edited by aisasami on Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
neshcom
ANGERME
Posts: 3782
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:13 am

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by neshcom »

In The Spotlight (Tokyo) PV has been shown and released. It's pretty and the visual effects are neat, but she's not in half of the scenes! It's half car porn, with some walking, timelapses, and club scenes. Hell, at least Suzuki Ami was in all of her car porn song.
User avatar
neshcom
ANGERME
Posts: 3782
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:13 am

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by neshcom »

New song, "Let's Go," has been radio-ripped. It's a more rock-ish dance song. Also, it's not all-English! There's also a TV news preview of the PV. It looks like a 360 degrees-around type video.
Last edited by neshcom on Wed Jun 20, 2012 8:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
neshcom
ANGERME
Posts: 3782
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:13 am

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by neshcom »

PV's for Hot Girls and Let's Go have premiered and they're both good songs. Let's Go has been stuck in my head for a while. Hot Girls is another all-English song.



Also, it seems that the album has leaked and they were a few surprises. Pre-release, I was noticing a few unconfirmed tracklists where Go Round and Yeah-Oh were listed as Go Round ('N Round 'N Round) and Singing "Yeah-Oh," as well as an album version of Break It. Well, they were legit reports. Go Round and Yeah-Oh got ENGLISH RE-DUBS and Break It was REMIXED to a more punkish, grungy rock feel (also, it is not notated as any different on the album).



I can't stand the English dub of Go Round, especially the chorus. Plus, she sounds too cute and the multi-track thing they do one her voice is off. In Yeah-Oh, they changed the "dancing all, I sing/I say" lines and re-recorded the already-English chorus. The worst is that they totally did cheapo recording for the dubs. They're growing on me a little, but man, it's tough...



I'll put a not-behind-an-Ad.Fly-URL download link in A/V files soon and update the OP with the tracklisting. It's kind of bitter-sweet.
Last edited by neshcom on Sun Jun 24, 2012 10:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
neshcom
ANGERME
Posts: 3782
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:13 am

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by neshcom »

Whoa, major update!



First, Uncontrolled. Uncontrolled charted at #1 in Japan for three weeks and hit #1 in five other asian countries that third week. The album was re-released in a CD+BD SKU with HD music videos and a special 4-song remix track. To date, Uncontrolled has sold over 500,000 copies in Japan.



Second, the 20th Anniversary Live Show. It got cancelled. The concert was going to be broadcast live on WOWOW and feature at least 6 special guest singers, but a monsoon caused the outside concert to be cancelled. Since it was supposed to be on Namie's 20th debut anniversary, the concert was not re-scheduled.



WOWOW has filmed a follow-up documentary to LIVE HISTORY & DOCUMENT, LIVE FUTURE & DOCUMENT. From clips released, it shows footage of Namie and her dancers rehearsing for the cancelled show on- and off-stage as well as the moment the crew was informed of the show's cancellation. It also covers her whirlwind promotional tour through Asia and the filming of her Uncontrolled PVs. It also includes comments from past collaborators. The documentary premieres on WOWOW on 12/1.



WOWOW will also be having a "Namie Amuro Day" on 12/23. They will air LIVE HISTORY, LIVE FUTURE, Live Style 2011, and then a live broadcast of that day's 5 Major Domes Tour show. The run of shows starts at 3:30 and the live event is at 9.



In the lead-up to the 5 Major Domes Tour, Namie just released a new single, Damage. The rock song will be the theme to the movie "黄金を抱いて翔べ" (Fly With The Gold). The single released digitally on 10/24 (Chaka-Uta ring) and 10/31 (Chaka-Uta full/iTunes) and the music video will be released 12/5.



And just in the past day or so, the 5 Major Domes Tour kicked off at Fukuoka. The set list consisted of 30 songs both old and new (spoiler alert: Higher (which was going to be performed at the 20th anniversary show) isn't on the list) and, in typical Namie fashion, had no MC segment. Here's some TV coverage.

Press shot and setlist:

[spoiler2]Image



Image[/spoiler2]





Finally, after the tour kicked off, Namie announced she'll be doing three dates in greater Asia! She'll be in Taipei's Taipei Arena on 2/23, Hong Kong's AsiaWorld-Expo on 3/16, and a to-be-announced indoor stadium in Singapore on 4/27. Ticket sale dates have yet to be announced, but they estimate January 2013 for the Hong Kong show. The run is being called Namie Amuro ASIA TOUR 2013.
User avatar
Madara
ANGERME
Posts: 3104
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 6:33 pm

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by Madara »

I just saw this thread. I haven't bought a Namie Amuro album since "Best Fiction," so I'm curious as to what this album sounds like. Any reviews?
User avatar
neshcom
ANGERME
Posts: 3782
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:13 am

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by neshcom »

[quote name='Madara' timestamp='1354035390' post='138406']

I just saw this thread. I haven't bought a Namie Amuro album since "Best Fiction," so I'm curious as to what this album sounds like. Any reviews?

[/quote]

I loved it, especially since there's only one real ballad and two half-ballads. One of my friend's complaints was that it's a little bit of a mish-mash, but that's what happens when most of the songs are from singles. It's a very dance/urban-pop sound that's she's been doing lately, so if you're into that, give it a listen. The download is still available in the A/V section.
User avatar
aisasami
こぶしファクトリー
Posts: 467
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2006 5:26 pm

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by aisasami »

Image



I was able to attend the 20th Anniversary concert at Nagoya Dome two weeks ago! (Sorry for being late!)



Image



The KOSE tent. You could choose what Amuro-inspired style did you like.



Image



There was also a goods tent outside the venue. I got myself a tour t-shirt. I also got a concert towel from an outside vendor. They also had Tower Records sales representatives going around both outside and inside the concert venue, selling the new album (and you could get a poster promoting "DAMAGE" with it).



Image



This picture was taken from my seat. My seat was really close to the stage. I was two rows from the stage (and the restricted area). I have never been so close to the stage in my life. I was really excited. It was a great view too. Especially when she came to my side of the stage (right side).



I sat down an hour before the concert. They had the promo CM for the new album, CMs for all her singles and albums, and various CMs she done throughout the years on the big screens. It was nice to see some of the older CMs like the Lotte CM for "Aishite Muscat".



The concert was amazing. There were some minor things that I didn't like (see below) but it was amazing. The outfits and the stage sets were amazing. There were fireworks ("Body Feels EXIT" and some other songs), fire plumes ("DAMAGE"), streamers (that shot out from the stage), and balloons from the sky. Also, there were some videos on the big screens when she was singing. During "Fight Together", there was a video with (an animated) Amuro and the characters of ONE PIECE, celebrating her 20th anniversary. But, the videos for "a walk in the park" and "SWEET 19 BLUES" were really bittersweet and nostalgic. During "a walk on the park", the big screens showed her performing the song at her first concert tour. And during "SWEET 19 BLUES", the screens showed various performances of the song from the years.



The dancers were really amazing. The girl dancers did an amazing solo dance routine after "GIRL TALK". And, the boys did their solo dance routines during "YEAH-OH".



And, there were some great song choices. I was really happy that she sang some of the SUPER MONKEYS' songs. Aishite Muscat! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... #>/wub.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wub:' /> <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... #>/wub.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wub:' /> <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... #>/wub.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wub:' /> (I did try to do the parapara dances to "TRY ME" and "Taiyou no Season". Yes, I am a dork.)



One thing that was kind of a "bummer" was that Amuro didn't do any MCs. Is this the norm for her concerts? The other thing was the tour remix of "Chase the chance". I loooooove the original "Chase the chance" (and the SWEET 19 BLUES remix). So, I really didn't enjoy this (updated, current Amuro sryle) version.



Overall, it was an amazing experience and concert! The WOWOW broadcast of this concert is now on trackers (or here). You should check it out!
User avatar
neshcom
ANGERME
Posts: 3782
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:13 am

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by neshcom »

Thanks for the report! I'm so jealous you got to go!!

I watched an LQ rip of the WOWOW broadcast the next day, but I should watch it again in a higher quality because I was a little ambivalent. I loved the multi-camera/multi-video part of SWEET 19 BLUES, especially since all the videos looked like they synced up perfectly. The WOWOW boradcast cut out Baby Don't Cry, Fight Together, and two other songs. The song list was taken directly from the voting they were doing online. The top 25 voted songs were performed (Love Story was #1 followed by Can You Celebrate?) along with Uncontrolled's new songs (Hot Girls, ONLY YOU, Let's Go, In The Spotlight (Tokyo)) and Damage. She such a powerful performer with a lot of stamina. Glad to know you had a good time!


One thing that was kind of a "bummer" was that Amuro didn't do any MCs. Is this the norm for her concerts?
Yeah. She's mentioned before that she doesn't like MCs because they break up the flow of live shows. I think that's what her Encore video said. Something like, "Thanks for the encore. Sorry I never do MCs. Let's sing some old songs."
Last edited by neshcom on Sun Dec 30, 2012 7:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
aisasami
こぶしファクトリー
Posts: 467
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2006 5:26 pm

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by aisasami »


Thanks for the report! I'm so jealous you got to go!!

I watched an LQ rip of the WOWOW broadcast the next day, but I should watch it again in a higher quality because I was a little ambivalent. I loved the multi-camera/multi-video part of SWEET 19 BLUES, especially since all the videos looked like they synced up perfectly. The WOWOW boradcast cut out Baby Don't Cry, Fight Together, and two other songs. The song list was taken directly from the voting they were doing online. The top 25 voted songs were performed (Love Story was #1 followed by Can You Celebrate?) along with Uncontrolled's new songs (Hot Girls, ONLY YOU, Let's Go, In The Spotlight (Tokyo)) and Damage. She such a powerful performer with a lot of stamina. Glad to know you had a good time!


I voted in that poll many times because I wanted to hear some of her older songs. I was just a little surprised that the SUPER MONKEY's songs made it on the set list (especially "Aishite Muscat"). Thought more of her recent (post TK) songs would be in the concert. It was really refreshing hearing the new album songs. I didn't really pay attention to the songs until the concert. It's a really good album.



Yeah. She's mentioned before that she doesn't like MCs because they break up the flow of live shows. I think that's what her Encore video said. Something like, "Thanks for the encore. Sorry I never do MCs. Let's sing some old songs."


Yeah, there was a video before the encore where she was backstage. Instead of talking, she had little speech bubbles that said "Thanks for the encore", "I love you all", "Sorry that there is no MC", and "please enjoy". It was very cute.
Last edited by aisasami on Sun Dec 30, 2012 8:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
neshcom
ANGERME
Posts: 3782
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:13 am

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by neshcom »

5 Major Dome Tour 2012 will hit DVD/Blu-Ray on February 27. There will be four versions, DVD, DVD+2CD, BD, and BD+2CD (the 2CDs are live audio from the tour) and there will be B2-size posters and clear files available from certain retailers. Namie Amuro's team has thrown up a teaser.



It's a major-fast turn around and means they probbly won't change much from the WOWOW broadcast (save the songs they cut). There's an interesting element here: the upcoming Asia tour. Tour DVDs usually don't come out until after the tour concludes, so we could be seeing a whole other tour/setlist in Asia. Alternatively, the Asia tour could just be considered another leg of this tour.
Zoe
こぶしファクトリー
Posts: 578
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2006 8:10 pm

Re: Namie Amuro new album and 20th anniversary tour

Post by Zoe »

[quote name='neshcom' timestamp='1357415683' post='141049']It's a major-fast turn around and means they probbly won't change much from the WOWOW broadcast (save the songs they cut). There's an interesting element here: the upcoming Asia tour. Tour DVDs usually don't come out until after the tour concludes, so we could be seeing a whole other tour/setlist in Asia. Alternatively, the Asia tour could just be considered another leg of this tour.

[/quote]



There have been a couple of times where they've released the DVD on the last day of the tour.
Post Reply