This is not a comeback, they've been here for years. 36 million albums sold, 54 million singles sold, 9 studio albums, 1 live album, 9 solo releases, countless tours, a nobel peace prize award to Magne Furuholmen (a-Ha's multi-talented keyboardist/guitarist) and 2 guiness world records, there is NO room for the word "comeback", they never left.

Despite a brief split during 1993-1998 when a-Ha didnt work together, the band have stayed in tact, no member changes, since their formation in 1982. Now in celebration of the anniversary of "take on me" their chart topping hit from 1985 a-Ha for the first time have decided to re-enter the USA.

Details not finalized yet bu Mags,Paul and Morten having spoken of a "re-issue" of "hunting high and low" in 2010 with special re-works for the USA and other countries, and they plan to tour the UK and Norway and Russia in 2009, and embark on the world in 2010, including venues where they havent played since the middle 80's, and YES the USA will finally get some shows. With the exception of a one-off NYC gig in 2005, a-ha has not toured this country since 1986.

The chart success is already FLYING, "foot of the mountain" has become their first Top 10 album since "Stay on these Roads" in 1988 in the UK, the album has already acheived gold and platnum status within Germany and Norway where it debuted at Number One in both terrritories. a-Ha is readying a Second Single "Riding The Crest" to go with a GROUNDBREAKING video once again, no details yet, just expect the best from the best Video makers. Third Single is said to be "the Bandstand". Reviews have been awesome and clearly the group is heading for quite a burst of life with this record in all markets. 2010 will be the year of a-Ha.

you're like the DrFunkenberry of a-Ha

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Recent promo photos of the band while in the UK. They recently TORE shit up on the BBC2 during an hour long interview, played a 7 song set, clearly showing their superior quality in sounds and vocals even better than before, he has NOT lost a step, easily the only singer that has not lost any of his voice with age. During their BBC2 interview, which was hilarious, they also covered "Question of Lust" and OWNED IT!!

Lastdecember. Post their best songs from the last twenty years. I'll give them a listen.

errant said:

a-Ha!

Happy to see them thriving.

midnightmover said:

I'm glad lastdecember posts about a-ha they are terrific and i hate the fact that so many people in the US think they were a one-hit wonder.


These are my pics for some of their best songs:


Manhattan Skyline
Dark is the Night For All
Slender Frame
East of the Sun, West of the Moon
Scoundrel Days
Here I Stand and Face the Rain
Angel in the Snow
Cosy Prisons
White Dwarf
Summer Moved On

just to name some of my top faves. And the new album is absolutely stellar.

NoVideo said:

Yeah i mean its time for their due, they are on par and in many cases More artistic and have shown more growth as musicians and writers than ANY of their peers from that day who for the most, have stayed put.

I still think Analogue is the group's best album since the reformation, but I'm digging the new one.

I'd pick up reissues of their first 3.

Moonbeam said:

I'd especially be all over that proposed deluxe edition of Hunting High and Low.

AlexdeParis said:

the irony of this is that WB has the early albums for them, a-Ha has been with Universal worldwide (except here) since "analogue", they ended a 20 year run with WB. So its interesting that Universal is bankrolling the World Tour, and yet the Tour will be more for the "hunting high and low" reissue, it doesnt look like the USA will get a proper release of the new album, since they are lining up their US start for Feb/Mar 2010, the new album will already be old at that point. So expect (as Mags said) a very interesting re-issue that will be re-worked

errant said:

Reissues would absolutely rock. I would absolutely buy all of them on the day they are released!

NoVideo said:

Dude, I'm not gonna go out of my way to listen to A-Ha! If you want to convert people you should post some links. My mind is entirely open. Convince me!

You know, I actually might like this album more than Analogue...

midnightmover said:

Most of their material (not their brillant "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" album, unfortunately) is available on iTunes, so you can listen to 30 second samples.

There are TONS of things on YouTube for a-ha.

A few examples:


Here is a terrific performance of possibly my favorite a-ha track, "East of the Sun"

http://www.youtube.com/wa...XtQn55VYTs



Their latest, "Foot of the Mountain"

http://www.youtube.com/wa...IzY97nJBjE


"Summer Moved On", one of their biggest hits.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...UB9Rq8FcEQ

A live performance of their beautiful "Angel in the Snow":

http://www.youtube.com/wa...ka8YKbkcc4


And going back to the 80's for a couple classics:

The amazing single "Manhattan Skyline":

http://www.youtube.com/wa...YCEdeelW0M


"Hunting High and Low"

http://www.youtube.com/wa...wSL_eTYScs


That's just a taste. Hopefully you will enjoy There is tons of great stuff from a-ha to discover.
[Edited 8/5/09 13:36pm]

AlexdeParis said:

I loved Analogue, but the new one is better in my opinion. Love the stripped-down, more new wavey kinda vibe to it.

Some of my favorites:

I've Been Losing You (1986)


Stay on These Roads (1988)


(Seemingly) Nonstop July (1990)


The Shapes That Go Together (1994)


Summer Moved On (2000)


Forever Not Yours (2002)


Analogue (All I Want) (2005)


Foot of the Mountain (2009)


This is my (old) thread on their classic debut: http://prince.org/msg/8/299565

Nostalgia keeps "Take on Me" as my favorite, but "Stay on These Roads" is damn close.

Yeah i cant narrow down a-Ha to ten songs even if my life depended on it, I recently made a compilation CD for this girl to get into them, cause she was digging Analogue, and it turned into a 3 cd project with songs still not making it.

NoVideo said:

Its tough because its like night and day with those records, I cant really compare those records, I mean tracks like "BirthRight" and "A Fine Blue Line" from Analogue are some of the best songs of the decade, but then its hard to compare them to things like "Riding the crest" and "The Bandstand" or "Sunny Mystery" from the new cd

AlexdeParis said:

The full band version of "Stay on These Roads" seriously NEEDS to be a bside on one of their singles ASAP, it is amazing, for those of you who dont think RadioHead and ColdPlay and others arent a-Ha fans, listen to that band version.