Rock 'n' Roll Circus is the eleventh studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on April 14, 2010, by Avex Trax. It was also released just a little over a year after her 2009 album, Next Level. Rock 'n' Roll Circus marks Hamasaki's eleventh consecutive album to be fully produced by Japanese producer and manager Max Matsuura, while she contributes to the album as the lead vocalist, background vocalist, and songwriter to all songs. Recorded in Japanese with minor phrases in English, Rock 'n' Roll Circus is a rock album with numerous musical elements such as electropop, J-pop, rock, pop ballad, and dance music.
Rock 'n' Roll Circus was recorded in Japan and the United Kingdom, making it Hamasaki's first album recorded outside of her native country. Additional production was handled in the United States and the two prior countries. Five different formats were released to promote the album: a standalone CD, a CD and DVD bundle, a limited edition box set, a limited edition Playbutton, and a digital release worldwide. Two different artworks were issued for the album's cover sleeve; one has Hamasaki inside a telephone box, while the second sleeve has a close-up of Hamasaki's face.
Upon the album's release, it was met with mixed to favourable reviews from music critics. Critics commended the album's approach to rock music, alongside its commercial appeal and music consistency. However, some noted the lack of emotional delivery in Hamasaki's lyrics, while criticizing the album's ballads and production. Rock 'n' Roll Circus was listed by several critics as one of the best albums of 2010. Commercially, Rock 'n' Roll Circus was a success. It became Hamasaki's tenth album to reach the top spot on Japan's Oricon Albums Chart, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 250,000 units. The album charted on Korea's Gaon Album Chart and Taiwan's G-Music Albums Chart.
Two singles were released from Rock 'n' Roll Circus, including one promotional. Its lead a-side single "Sunrise/Sunset (Love Is All)" was a commercial success, peaking at number one on the Japanese Oricon Singles Chart and two on the Japan Hot 100 chart. The album's second and final a-side single, "You Were.../Ballad", was a commercial success; it peaked at number one on the Japanese Oricon Singles Chart and 14 on the Japan Hot 100 chart. The album's only promotional single, "Microphone", reached number 33 on the RIAJ Digital Track Chart. Several other album tracks charted on competent charts in Japan. Hamasaki promoted the album on her 2010 Rock 'n' Roll Circus tour.
Background and development
In March 2010, it was confirmed by Hamasaki and her record label Avex Trax that she would release a then-upcoming studio album titled Rock 'n' Roll Circus. Hamasaki and Avex Trax enlisted a long-term collaborator, Japanese businessman and producer Max Matsuura, to produce the album; this marked Hamasaki's eleventh consecutive album to be fully produced by Matsuura. Hamasaki began recording the album at Avex Studios and Prime Sound Studios in Japan around mid-2009 with Kōji Morimoto, Yūichi Nagayama, and Masashi Hashimoto. Hamasaki briefly moved to London, United Kingdom, to record the remaining material of the album with Dom Morley and Phill Brown. This marks Hamasaki's first album to have been recorded outside of Japan; she carried on recording her 2012 album Party Queen in London, which is her final album recorded in that region.
The material from Rock 'n' Roll Circus was produced and recorded over a year and one month, one of Hamasaki's longer spanning projects to date. Hamasaki and Avex enlisted previous composers and arrangers for the album, such as CMJK, Tetsuya Yukumi, Yuta Nakano, and Kazuhiro Hara; these composers and arrangers started working with Hamasaki back on her 2002 album Rainbow and 2004 My Story. Several instruments from the album were directed by British musicians and arrangers; tracks "Microphone" and "Montage" were performed by the London String Machine group and other British instrumentalists. Hamasaki was interviewed in the May 2010 issue of Japan's magazine Bea's Up, and stated about her experiences in the UK; "The reason why I chose to do the recording in London this time was because I wanted to make an album in a closed-off environment, sort of like a place where sunlight doesn't reach. The songs this time are like me. They're not liberal and open-minded. The songs which I've always made often share the same views and ideas as the listener, but this time, they're more like shouts and prayers from my individual innermost self. With this image, I've probably gotten closer to how I was like inside when I first debuted. What I do in America has always been liberal and open, so that's why I chose London this time instead ..."
Composition Rock 'n' Roll Circus is a rock music album which includes numerous musical elements of electropop, J-pop, rock, pop ballad, and dance music. In an interview with Japanese magazine S Cawaii, Hamasaki said that "[Rock 'n' Roll Circus] ... basically has a feeling of "back-to-basics." A feeling of Ayumi Hamasaki, and less of adventure. More digging down into the foundation. Which isn't to say I'm taking a step backward. It's about expressing my feelings on things I've always liked, but as the person I am now."
According to AllMusic editor Alexey Eremenko, "Rock'n'Roll Circus is pretty versatile: there are a couple of pop/rock tracks, a Middle Eastern techno tune, a playful plastic pop song, even a jungle interlude, and, of course, a slew of epic, string-drenched ballads that no J-pop singer seems to be able to resist performing". Greg from Selective Hearing stated that the album's material showed more "restraint" than her previous music; "There is a deliberate pacing that entices the listener to stick around. You don't get hammered over the head". Asian Junkie editor Random J reviewed the album on his personal blog, and noticed the music and themes for Rock 'n' Roll Circus were more consistent than her previous albums. Tetsuo Hiraga from Hot Express noted the album's "formulaic rock music".
Each song from Rock 'n' Roll Circus was written by Hamasaki, including the Japanese, English, and interlude tracks. Only two songs from the album; "Microphone" and "Don't Look Back", are recorded in Japanese with minor phrases of English. The album includes three jungle-influenced interludes: "The Introduction", "Montage", and "Jump". Rock music is present throughout the tracks, "Microphone", "Count Down", "Last Links", "Lady Dynamite", "Sunrise (Love Is All)", and "Red Line (TA)". Other musical elements, including Middle Eastern music in "Don't Look Back", electropop in "Sexy Little Things", and pop ballad melodies in "You Were...", "Meaning of Love", "Ballad", and "Sunset" are present throughout the album. The songs "Sunrise" and "Sunset" have the same lyrics, but different music arrangements and vocal performances from Hamasaki.
Release and packaging
Rock 'n' Roll Circus was released in four different formats on April 14, 2010, by Avex Trax, a little over a year after her 2009 album, Next Level. Rock 'n' Roll Circus became Hamasaki's third two-album set alongside Love Songs (2010) to be released in a single year; Hamasaki's first and second two album sets to do this were A Song for ×× and Loveppears in 1999, and (Miss)understood and Secret in 2006. To date, it remains Hamasaki's last two-album release in a single year.
Rock 'n' Roll Circus first format, the stand-alone CD, features the fifteen tracks in a jewel case, with first press editions including an obi and a bonus poster. Hamasaki was dressed in Moschino clothing for the photo shoots. Members from Hamasaki's fan club received a bonus track, "Moon". The CD and DVD package features the fifteen tracks, and a bonus DVD with the music videos to "Sunrise", "Sunset", "You Were...", "Ballad", "Sexy Little Things", "Microphone", "Don't Look Back", and "Lady Dynamite". The DVD also included behind the scenes videos for both music videos, and a live performance by Hamasaki on her 2009 Next Level Tour. A limited edition box set format features the fifteen tracks, and a bonus DVD including the same music videos. The box set also includes behind the scenes videos for both music videos, and the live DVD by Hamasaki on her 2009 Next Level Tour. The box set includes goods: a mug, a bag, red tea, and a limited edition photo album. The final format is the worldwide digital release. Twelve limited copies of Rock 'n' Roll Circus feature the hand-written lyrics to each song, and an autograph sheet from Hamasaki.
All four cover sleeves for Rock 'n' Roll Circus were photographed by photographer and designer ND Chow. The standalone CD artwork has Hamasaki holding the door to a red telephone box in Covent Garden, London, with the album title and her name superimposed on the booth. This marks Hamasaki's third album cover to be photographed and directed outside of Japan, after Loveppears and (Miss)understood. The CD and music video DVD formats have a close-up of Hamasaki's face, with parts of the British flag design across her face. The box set is coloured black with the red British cross near the corner; the album version is the CD and DVD format, with the CD and DVD cover imprinted onto the mug, red tea tin, and the bag. The digital release uses the standalone CD format. The booklet and photo shoot were designed by Chow, and the design was based on Hamasaki's first visit to the UK. First pressing issues for both the standalone CD format, the CD and DVD format, and the box set included a 36–page photo album of Hamasaki roaming the streets and wandering around stores and markets in London.
Promotion
In order to promote Rock 'n' Roll Circus, Hamasaki conducted several commercial endorsement opportunities and expanded several other ventures. Hamasaki opened two special websites to document her preparation for the Rock 'n' Roll Circus concert tour, and additional promotional activity. On the day of the album's release, Hamasaki was interviewed by Yahoo! Music Japan and Myspace to talk about the album's material and further promotional activity. Hamasaki also received exclusive deals to promote Rock 'n' Roll Circus through mobile phones, including the Japanese services SNS and Utapiku. One day after the album's domestic release, Hamasaki began expanding her online presence by setting up accounts on MySpace, Ustream, and Twitter to promote the album and interact with her fan base. Hamasaki renewed her contract with British cosmetics line Rimmel as an ode to her image from the album; she was part of several campaigns through 2010.
Concert tours and other releases
Hamasaki conducted several live performances to promote the material from Rock 'n' Roll Circus. Hamasaki performed both "Sunrise" and "Sunset" on the annual 2009 A-Nation concert tour in Japan; she performed on August 1 and 8. Hamasaki performed "You Were..." on Japan's Music Station television network on December 9, 2009. Hamasaki appeared again at the annual 2010 A-nation concert tour in Japan on February 29, 2010, only; she performed "Microphone", the only song selected from the Rock 'n' Roll Circus album. Her performance of "Microphone" received positive reviews from most music critics. "Sunrise (Love Is All)" and its accompanying music video was released on Avex Trax's A-Nation '10 Various Artists compilation album.