Special Album is the first and only compilation album by South Korean girl group Baby V.O.X. It was released on April 23, 2002 by DR Music. The single "Coincidence" was used to promote the 2002 FIFA World Cup; a special World Cup-themed video for the song was released.[1] "Go" was later used for their debut mini album in Japan in 2003.[2] "Coincidence" marked their first number one hit in three years since their single "Get Up". Special Album is their best selling album to date, selling over 440,000 copies.
The album came with three CDs, one VCD, and a photobook containing pictures of the members. The first CD contains the two new songs plus a non-stop dance mix, mostly of previous singles. The second CD contains another dance mix, and the third CD is a collection of ballads from previous albums. The VCD contains the music video for "Coincidence" plus exclusive footage of the group.
Recording and production
In 2002. After parting ways with Kim Hyung-suk, who had been the producer of the previous albums, they released a Special Album.
Released and promotion
Baby Vox at their solo concert held on August 15, 2002
During this period, the members individual activities became particularly prominent. First, Kan Miyoun transformed into an actress and was cast as the female lead in the Korean-Chinese co-production "Wow", a collaboration between Korea's Movieya.com and China's Marum Pictures. The reason why novice actress Kan Mi-youn was chosen for the 7 billion won blockbuster film was because she showed off her impressive acting skills in the music video for "Coincidence" and because Baby V.O.X. is extremely popular in China.[3] And leader Kim E-Z was cast in the joint drama "Beijing My Love" between China CCTV and Korea KBS.[4] On November 2002, she had finished filming one episode in which she was scheduled to appear, but China, which was scheduled to film more than 80% of the drama, Due to the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak, filming was delayed for a full year. During this time, most of the main cast was recast, forcing reshoots two years later in 2004.[5]
After a brief two-month promotion in Korea, they became the first Korean singer to enter the Thai music market, where they received positive feedback. They represented Korea at the Grammy Music Festival held in Pattaya, Thailand, on March 21 and 22, 2003. The Grammy Music Festival is an international music festival hosted by the Thai government. It is an omnibus music festival featuring top singers from Asia, including Thailand, Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong, as well as international stars.[6]
On February 9, 2003, Baby V.O.X. held a solo concert in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. The concert was part of a Lunar New Year event hosted by KSCI, an American broadcaster with a significant Chinese presence. KSCI was well-known to the network for Baby V.O.X.'s popularity in the Chinese-speaking world, and they were therefore the first choice for the event. At the event, which targeted primarily Asians who celebrated Lunar New Year, Baby V.O.X. performed a 50-minute performance mixing their hits with pop music. This marked the beginning of their push into the US market. They also represented Korea at the NHK Asia Music Festival in Japan, performing two songs: "Coincidence" and "Killer". They also garnered attention for singing the theme song for the anime "Platonic Chain", which aired on TV Tokyo in late 2002. The songs popularity soared, leading to the release of a re-recorded EP in Japanese. In late April 2003, they held a mini-concert at Tokyo's Shibuya Live Hall, tapping into the Japanese market.
Baby V.O.X. had been criticized for neglecting their domestic fans due to their focus on the Chinese stage. Despite their pride in being at the forefront of pop culture exports, they were concerned about their domestic fans' reactions. In that sense, the success of their first solo concert in Korea on August 15, 2002, was particularly significant. Baby V.O.X. stated, "The love from Chinese fans is great, but the support from Korean fans gives us even more strength," and delivered a dazzling performance, performing all their hit songs live since their debut.
The overall concept of the concert was "Show Show Show". They were praised for breaking the mold of traditional concerts and creating a "chaotic party", offering a compelling spectacle. The live performance was edited into an hour-long video and broadcast on Mnet, and later released as a VCD. However, due to limited availability, fans living in rural areas had difficulty purchasing the video.
Legacy
This album chronicles five years of activities, from their first album, "Haircut", in 1997, to their second album, "Yayaya," to their third, "Get Up", "Killer," to their fourth, "Why", "Betrayal," to their fifth, "Game Over", and the title track from their special album, "Doll", written and composed by Kim Chang-hwan. The album showcases footage from award ceremonies, music videos, CF filming locations, and even footage of them crossing the Korea Strait, showcasing all of Baby V.O.X's unique songs and history, presented through video and audio. This special album showcases everything Baby V.O.X has to offer.[7]
The original plan was to have five discs: two VCDs, a CD of hit remixes, a CD of unreleased tracks, and a CD combining ballads and dance tracks. However, due to issues such as the CD price, the release was reduced to one VCD and three CDs. The unreleased CD was reportedly slated to include previously unreleased tracks from China and Japan, along with "We Are," the theme song for the Busan Asian Games, and "Last Wish" (tentative title), composed by Kim Hyung-seok. ("Last Wish" went to singer Yaz.)
Commercial performance
The title song "Coincidence (Gloomy Coincidence)" is a house remake of the song "Gloomy Coincidence" (우름한 억언) , which was a hit by the group Kola in the mid-1990s, infused with Baby V.O.X.'s signature style and Kang Won-rae of Clon was in charge of the choreography, which became a hot topic. It ranked 3rd on the music charts in just one week after its release, and [8] won 1st place on SBS Inkigayo for 2 consecutive weeks. In June 2002, it swept the top spots on various music shows, enjoying immense popularity. After the release of their third album in 1999, Baby Vox entered their second heyday, and enjoyed even greater popularity when "Coincidence" was chosen as the World Cup cheering song. Thanks to this popularity, it was also used as a promotional song for the presidential election that year, and was appointed as the promotional ambassador for the 2002 World Cup.[9] and Chiwoomi was appointed as the promotional ambassador for the 2002 World Cup.[10]
Starting in early May, they promoted a Latin remix of "Coincidence," which was included on their 2007 best-of album in Thailand.
Thai releases of Special Album under GMM Grammy used the English title "By Chance" for this song. It is also translated unofficially as "Accident".
"By Chance" (우연 (우울한 우연)), written and composed by Kim Chang-hwan, was originally released by the Korean group Kola on their 1996 debut album Pentatonic. Later, in 1999, the song was remade by the Japanese group COLOR with new Japanese lyrics and new music, also done by Kim Chang-hwan (sometimes credited as KC Harmony on this release). The single included three versions of the song, including a "Deep House Mix" and "Club Re-Mix".
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