There is talk about NYC already and alot of talk on how they will close the shows, suggestions have risen that in NYC it would be perfect to end on "Manhattan Skyline", in places like South America it may be "dark is the night for all", i think it will change on the country.

SquirrelMeat said:

De La Soul?

wow.....so AHA must have been really good then

never knew.....guess i learn something new every day

japanrocks said:

you know one song from the band, its very simple to look up what they have done.Sorry you missed what they did, or gave up on them or stopped paying attention, but hey doesnt mean that bands stop just because one SMALL portion of an audience go away, and yes the USA is a small portion.

lastdecember said:

exactly right. and i definitely realize simple minds is still making records... but don't have their latest yet. i need to remedy that.

SquirrelMeat said:

oh, i haven't heard new material from them in decades.

mimi07 said:

One song from every album:

Hunting High and Low [1985] from Hunting High and Low


I've Been Losing You [1986] from Scoundrel Days


You Are the One [1988] from Stay on These Roads


Crying in the Rain [1990] from East of the Sun, West of the Moon


Move to Memphis [1993] from Memorial Beach



Summer Moved On [2000] from Minor Earth Major Sky


Lifelines [2002] from Lifelines


Analogue (All I Want) [2005] from Analogue


Foot of the Mountain [2009] from Foot of the Mountain

SquirrelMeat said:

Me too, see you there! Have seen them before in Norway, it was fantastic fun.
;(

Rorywan said:

Yeah i decided that i couldnt take the chance that they "might" not play here in the states (NYC) so im going to Oslo,Norway, i do think they will do a few US gigs, im really thankful to live here in NYC, because i have a feeling the shows they will do will almost all be here in NYC.

lastdecember said:

Norway is an amazing country to visit, I suggest if u haven't been there before to try and check it out. Head up north, Tromso maybe and go to see the Northern Lights.

BBC said:

SquirrelMeat said:

Funny thing is in 1996 I remember seeing an interview from a festival that (I thought) the GROUP was performing at.

thedance said:

This comp looks dope

Cinnie said:

It is. It's a great buy if you don't have any a-ha. It's their only album that includes "Shapes That Go Together" and the original single version of the Bond theme "The Living Daylights." Still, I think all of their albums are worth owning.

AlexdeParis said:

How many singles or albums did they have in the five years since this comp?

Cinnie said:

Six singles from 2 albums:

"Celice," "Analogue (All I Want)," and "Cosy Prisons" from Analogue [2005]
"Foot of the Mountain," "Nothing Is Keeping You Here," and "Shadowside" from Foot of the Mountain [2009]

The ones that aren't already posted on the thread:

Celice


Shadowside (their latest single)


Cosy Prisons

The more i look into the plans for next year (which are becoming more laid out now) this is a great way to go out. I know alot of bands have said "this is it" and then they come back again a few years later, i mean hasnt Cher retired 10 times already. But in the case of a-Ha and knowing them and listening to them not just on record but as people talking in interviews and how they are as people, this is the end of the band as a-Ha. But not for a moment is this something that is or should bring about sadness. i know a few people have already asked "how are you with this, are u ok" and my reply is why wouldnt i be, i mean they are still alive, they thankfully arent splitting on bad terms, nor are they splitting due to God Forbid a death or something like that. For a Pop band to survive 25 years, and still be able to do new music, have people in many corners of the world still care about the NEW just as much as the old, they really are pretty much in a class that is very small in that respect. Also there are almost no bands that have all members be able to stand on their own and do music "solo" that is also very interesting. So in those regards this isnt a "sad" ending, i mean how many bands can do what they have done, very few my friends. I mean i am looking so forward to this conclusion of the "Foot of the mountain" tour, and then of course the 2010 final tour, i think there is going to be alot from this tour circulating, the re-issue of "Hunting High and Low" with possible additions is going to happen in all countries, possible retrospective cds/dvds are going to happen, there is still alot un-released by a-ha, those of you who know about the "Swing of things" book that came out in 2002, know that there was a demo disc with that from their very very early days. There is just alot that im sure will still be released. Is this "milking" it, yes, but you know what, they didnt get their due, they were written off at times as just a pin-up band, and since their re-formation in 1998, they have gotten the acclaim from their peers and critics finally, and now, they should MILK that shit.

lastdecember said:

well-said, and glad you have such a positive attitude about it. i agree 100%, they seem to be going out in exactly the right way.

NoVideo said:

yeah its the way to go, not many bands do it this way, nnot only that they are going out on probably their best work, and best acclaim, not as a band that was just going through the motions. Those who know a-Ha and their interviews, these are 3 guys that are very proud of they have done, they reformed in 1998 because they felt they owed it to themselves to come to terms with their first half of their career. Its not often bands do this, many just split and walk away, they dont organize tours to get to every place in the world to say goodbye.

lastdecember said:

Yeah, after the intitial sadness, I agree, they seem to have made a year long celebration out of it. And hey! we still have Morten's solo albums to look forward to, always worth a listen IMHO.
I was at the Royal Albert Hall gig where they all played solo on the same night, it was fantastic. Never a huge savoy fan but the others were great.

Positivity!

Since the official last concert (December 4,2010 in Norway) is the only confirmed date and the tickets for that sold out in less than two hours. a-ha due to popular demand in their hometown have added another show on December 3rd in Norway.

And a-Ha has officially named the tour..... "Ending on a High Note" great fucking title, perfect for the ultimate high note singer, and the mood of the tour, and the fact that this last album performed very well, they exit everywhere on Top of their game.

25 years too late tbqfh.

So I've been spinning all of a-ha's albums this week. Memorial Beach is easily their weakest, but I hadn't heard it in a while and it's better than I remember.

On another note, I absolutely love their cover of "#9 Dream" for the Save Darfur project a couple of years ago. It's the best of the lot and I'll readily admit I prefer it to Lennon's original; Morten's vocals are just so dreamy (pun slightly intended). Couldn't find the original on YouTube, but here's a live performance:

Well it will always be "Scoundrel Days" for me, but I pretty much love everything they released. Especially the early 12" and extended versions. The B-side version of "This Alone is Love" is outstanding.

Rorywan said:

I agree, "Scoundrel Days" will always be my favorite a-ha album, with "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" a close 2nd.

I haven't really gotten deep into their catalogue but their early stuff is a big part of my childhood and they have always been quite popular in Iceland... the title track of their latest album is getting heavy airplay over here for instance and I remember that their comeback song "Summer Moved On" was also popular on the radio. Unfortunately they haven't played here recently, but I think they did 2 shows over here in 1987. Morten Harket spends a lot of time in Iceland though and he recorded three songs for his 2008 solo album over here.

There's one song that I even remember from their early years, despite the fact I was 6 at the time, a song that is missing from that great singles compilation mentioned earlier:
"The Blood That Moves The Body".... btw does anyone know what the lyrics are about in this song?

purplehippieonthe1 said:

Yes, it is about teenage suicides in Japan. There was a huge craze with school kids doing "a romeo and juliet" on it. Romantic suicide pacts. The line "Red stains on eyes of a blue dog" refers to a school book used over there to learn english called "eyes of a blue dog".

Thats the version of the lyrics I read about anyway!

I must say I'm very surprised with them being taken that seriously by music appreciators. I only know the stuff that was overplayed on the radio but I always dismissed it as lite teen fluff.

Rorywan said:

Much as I love the version of "This alone is love" on Stay on these Roads, the original b side is still my favourite.

Scoundrel Days is a masterpiece...beaten only by Minor Earth!

lastdecember said:

We all HAVE to meet up in Oslo for a beer!

NoVideo said:

For me a-Ha ironically, with its 3 members, really has had 3 time periods of change. The first phase would be the "synth" era, though dismissed by some, break those songs down and they are epics, and could top any other band from their day. From that period (1985-1988) i would say "Scoundrel Days" would be my favorite if i had to pick. Now the next phase of a-Ha is where they threw out the synths, the 80's were over, they were tired of all the "posing for pictures" that there was a clear decision to change and it was very well crafted. From this era 1989-1993 i would have to go with "east of the sun west of the moon" still to me one of the best works, look at the liner notes and the photos, it was the like "the let it be" sessions, a-Ha members dressed down, Mags with a beard, Mortens hair growing. Also during this time was the split, and you could sense it during "memorial beach" which was their last album to be released on WB in america officially. Though Memorial Beach features some classics, especially "angel" and "Dark is the night" the album was them struggling to find where they were going, ironically during these two records where when they found their biggest fame in South America were they are royality in some circles there. Then you have phase 3, from 2000-2009, the second round as MAGS calls it, this run of 4 albums is better than any artist has ever had. As i said before, never has a band gone out like this, organized, on top of their game, and still successful in many circles with NEW music not just old. a-Ha said they got into this with a bang they held the success through it all in many circles, and they never lost it. They may be one hit wonders (technically two, check it out) in the United States, but they will go down as the most overlooked band of this 25 year span by America, clearly. From this time period its really impossible to have a favorite album, they all are top form, and very different in styles. If you gave up on a-Ha after the first record, you really missed out, but hey with YouTube and the net, you can catch up.