First these shows couldnt have been better, i cant complain about anything a-ha for 3 nights is ONE more show than they have played in NYC in their whole career. With the exception of a show in 1986 and then in 2005, a-ha has never had a stay here. But they chose NYC to kick off their 7 date North American Run, hitting Chicago and LA next. This portion of their final tour is coming out of their pockets totally, but something that had to do at this time, most bands that are ending their run usually dont tour and go to places where they have to foot the bill, but a-ha have put MAJOR thought behind every date on this tour and the locations. Each night was better than the last and each night also had its own highlights, the shows set is constructed to run backwards, it opens with their latest album cuts "foot of the mountain" and "The Bandstand" (their best ever song) and then rewinds through each album and its hits, and YES everyone here knew every single song and word, so much for a one-hit wonder, the first night the line to get in was 3 blocks long 6 hours before the show, and the bouncer for the Nokia said it has never been that long, for anyone that soon.

a-ha now have one show in Toronto then on to Chicago and LA before the European portion of this tour kicks into full effect through the rest of the year with close to 55 more dates, to go with the 20 being played since the start in March.

To go with this anniversary and farewell Rhino has issued the collection 1984-2004 which to now was only available overseas and as an import. And coming/shipping in June from RHINO records ONLY is 2cd deluxe re-masters of their first two albums "Hunting High and Low" and "Scoundrel Days" both will have the regular album and then demos/bsides/remixes and live tracks from those early days.This will NOT be in stores, only at Rhino.com, also coming later is the book "The Swing Of things" which was released in 2004 only through a-ha's website and almost impossible to find in English, it now will see a wider release, and to follow at some point, will be a Live Dvd of this last tour, and cd possibly too.


The press continues, "Apart from the musical presented by the singles, Rhino.com will also offer extended versions of the first two albums - and Hunting High and Low Scoundrel Days.

Recordings have expanded with rare demos, remixes and Live recordings. The edition is available for pre-sale from May 11 at www.rhino.com. The albums are available at other stores late June.

In the part of Hunting High and Low contains instrumental tracks of "Take On Me" and an earlier version of the same song called "Lesson," demos "Always Shines On TV" and "Train Of Thought" B-Side of "Driftwood" ,
plus tracks released only in Norway, as "Never Never" and "Dot The I".

The extended version of Scoundrel Days contains demos for every track on the album, and the B-side of "This Is Love Alone," and Live performances of "Train Of Thought", "I've Been Losing You," "Blue Sky" and "Cry Wolf", tracks recorded in England. "

Content: of the 1984-2004

Take On Me
The Sun Always Shines On T.V.
Train Of Thought
Hunting High And Low
I've Been Losing You
Cry Wolf
Manhattan Skyline
The Living Daylights
Stay On These Roads
Touchy!
Crying In The Rain
Move To Memphis
Dark Is The Night For All
Shapes That Go Together
Summer Moved On
Minor Earth Major Sky
Velvet
Forever Not Yours
Lifelines


HUNTING HIGH AND LOW

Take On Me
Train Of Thought
Hunting High And Low
The Blue Sky
Living A Boy's Adventure Tale
The Sun Always Shines On T.V.
And You Tell Me
Love Is Reason
I Dream Myself Alive
Here I Stand And Face The Rain


Bonus Tracks

The Sun Always Shines On TV - 12-inch Mix Tarney
Train Of Thought - Steve Thompson Mix
Hunting High And Low - Extended Remix
Take On Me - Original 1984 Version


Disc 2

Stop And Make Your Mind Up - 12 "B-Side
Nothing To It *
What's That You're Doing To Yourself *
Lesson One - Early 1982 Demo Take on Me *
The Love GoodBye
Train Of Thought - Demo *
Hunting High And Low - Up-Time Demo *
Blue Sky - (Demo) Single B-Side
The Sun Always Shine on T.V. - Demo *
And You Tell Me - (Demo) Single B-Side
Love Is Reason - Demo *
I Dream Myself Alive - Demo *
Here I Stand and Face the Rain - Demo *
Driftwood - Single B-Side
All The Planes That Come In On The Quiet *
Go To Sleep
Never Never
Dot the I
Monday Mourning
Days On End
Presenting Lily Mars


Scoundrel Days

Scoundrel Days
The Swing Of Things
I've Been Losing You
October
Manhattan Skyline
Cry Wolf
We're Looking For The Whales
The Weight Of the Wind
Maybe, Maybe
Soft Rains Of April

Bonus Tracks

Cry Wolf - Extended Version
Manhattan Skyline - Extended Version


Disc 2

Scoundrel Days - Octogon Demo *
The Swing Of Things - Demo # 3 *
I've Been Losing You - Octogon Demo *
October - Demo *
Manhattan Skyline - Demo *
Cry Wolf - Demo *
We're Looking For The Whales-1984 Demo *
The Weight Of The Wind - Demo *
Maybe, Maybe - Demo *
Soft Rains Of April - Piano Demo *
This Alone Is Love - (Original Version) B-Side
Scoundrel Days - 1984 Demo *
Train of Thought - Live In Croydon *
I've Been Losing You - Live In Croydon *
Blue Sky - Live In Croydon *
Looking for The Whales - Live In Croydon, B-Side
Cry Wolf - Live In Croydon *


[Edited 5/15/10 16:16pm]

I just cannot believe this thread is real

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Why? Because they only had two hits in America? Do the research, maybe we should have another useless thread on GaGa or another artist with one album that we erect altars too and then forget them next year.

lastdecember said:

Yes, that's exactly why I'm just as shocked that Kiley Minogue had a career after Locomotion but she turned out to be great so maybe I have no clue

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Kylie musically is nowhere near because she isnt a musician, she still has a career just as Madonna does, its rare a "pop" band still goes forward and continues 25 years and produces better music and grows, that hasnt happen with all of a-ha's contemporaries from that time who have seemed to go backwards

lastdecember said:

I liked Take On Me but I cannot even imagine how this band could make you so excited. Where's the proof?!

I've been searching for their albums for some time now with no luck. I'm definitely going to pick up their first two!

And lastdecember, a-ha could use your support in the 80s poll.

Supa, I obviously don't know the band nearly as well as lastdecember, but I have that 1984-2004 comp, and was surprised by how much of it I liked!

Aside from the obvious "Take on Me", I quite liked these:

"The Sun Always Shines on TV"
"Hunting High and Low"
"I've Been Losing You"
"Manhattan Skyline"
"Stay on These Roads"
"Move to Memphis"
"Dark Is the Night"

I also like "Cry Wolf", guilty pleasure though it may be!

I wasn't that thrilled with their newer stuff, but it's not bad.

Moonbeam said:

YOU

ARE

SHAMELESS!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Well take their albums from 2000-2010, forget the 80's and they to me are still LIGHT years ahead of their contemps from those days coming up like Duran or Depeche, their current album in 2009 was the freshest thing to come from an 80's group, they embraced their past sounds, but did it and made it sound updated, rather than what other bands do and get Timbaland to produce their album to make them sound "fresh" i mean really? if you have to go to someone lower than you like that for "freshness" you should be calling it quits.


Put it this way "Take on Me" is not even on my top 50 a-ha songs, or near the bottom of their work for me.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I'm not a huge A-ha fan but here are two A-ha songs from the last 10 years, songs that I like and that were very popular in Europe when they were released:

This one, "Summer Moved On", was released in 2000 but this is a live performance from two years before it was released as a single:


"Foot of the Mountain", from the album with the same name, released in 2009:

Moonbeam said:

I have that compilation too, and there's at least one song, that I know was a single in 1988, that fully deserves to be there - I have a weak spot for this one - "Blood That Moves The Body":

purplehippieonthe1 said:

There you go! That wasn't on my compilation, but it's far, far better than "Touchy!", which was included and is from the same album.

purplehippieonthe1 said:

The live shows on this tour gave me new respect for the earlier songs, they played "We're looking for the whales" which is a catchy song for its day, but totally took on new meaning and turned into a whole big jam one night, and "The Blood that Moves the Body" rocks live, people dont realize that a-ha has no bass player in the group and yet has more rythym than bands with bass players, the layered bass is supplied by their keyboard/vocals/and everything else master, Magne Furuholmen, better known as MAGS. For me he seperated himself from other Piano/Keyboard players, no one can write musical hooks/riffs like him or as good as him

Moonbeam said:

I know its common knowledge in the a-ha fan world, but they HATE "touchy" and the video makes them cringe

lastdecember said:

That's good to know! I was enjoying their compilation quite a bit until that dud came along. It picked up again with "Move to Memphis", though!

Moonbeam said:

The thing is that they played "Touchy" on some early dates in South America and wondered why, but it was dropped after a few shows, the version of "and you tell me" on tour with the three of them front and center and Mags playing the xylophone, was a treat!! Glad that didnt get dropped from the setlist here.

lastdecember said:

It's one of those "throwaway" tunes that became too popular and people associate that sound with A-ha which is kinda misleading.
Same thing with for instance "King Of Rock'n'Roll" by Prefab Sprout - such a good band with excellent lyrics and great songwriting, but everyone knows them as the band with that "Hot dog, jumping frog - Albuquerque" song.

purplehippieonthe1 said:

Very true, people who are confused on a-ha really should look into them, they are not just that magazine/cartoon band that they got shoved into for a "iconic" song/video that they had. And i know peeps dont think "take on me" was iconic but it was, it was not just a hit around the world, and took video to another level as others were doing right before this, lets not forget the dude that did Billie Jean was part of this video too, and there hasnt been one like it since, though its been imitated at times. Never has a band had that has had many many other big hits in other countries but here, had to respond to questions about a song so long ago, no band or artist has had to deal with that, and there are PLENTY of bands that had many less hits and less worldwide success and havent had to talk about one song, thats why its ICONIC, U dont see Simple Minds answering questions still about "dont you forget about me".

But anyone interested you should look for their youtube interviews from 2009, search for the a-ha success story its a 3 part video about them with interviews by them, as MAGS From a-ha said "we want to be known for more than Morten's cheekbones, and i feel now we are going to be" and he is right.

a-ha is a great band. some of the 80's music fans here in particular who haven't explored their catalog should definitely do so. "Scoundrel Days" is as solid a synth/rock album as you'll find from the mid-80's. Terrific songwriting. "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" is an album that has been sadly sadly overlooked.

I will be getting these reissues the day they are available, for sure.

NoVideo said:

They are also very candid about themselves, in a interview done on the bbc at the end of last year they spoke about "the end" of the band, alot of interesting things were said, including how when they were on the second album and they wanted to escape the whole "pop stars" phase which was something they didnt try for, Mags and Paul wanted to kick Morten out, because of his looks and that they would never be taken seriously, but they knew it was stupid sbecause he was just about the best vocalist ever.

Rhino sent this email out today.
http://links.mkt1701.com/...&mt=1&rt=0

Here at Rhino, we're celebrating a-ha's 25th anniversary with a triple dose of releases from the Norwegian synth-pop superstars. Shipping in June, Rhino.com's exclusive double-disc editions of HUNTING HIGH AND LOW and SCOUNDREL DAYS feature the original recordings expanded with unreleased and rare demos, alternate mixes and live recordings. Pre-order both in the same order and receive $5 off. Discount automatic at checkout. These limited Deluxe Editions are exclusive to Rhino.com and won't be available in stores or anywhere else!

OR buy THE SINGLES 1984-2004, a career-spanning 19-track collection featuring "Take On Me," "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.," and "Cry Wolf," and get a promo code for an additional $5 off when you purchase both deluxe editions (a total of savings of $10)! Your promo code will be mailed to you within 7 days of purchase - wait to receive your promo code before ordering the deluxe editions to ensure your savings.

Here's some pixx from NYC:

http://according2g.com/20...-new-york/

http://according2g.com/20...v-by-a-ha/

http://according2g.com/20...-pictures/

I was actually surprised this thread wasn't created earlier. I pre-ordered the deluxe editions as soon as they were available yesterday morning. Hunting High and Low and Scoundrel Days are my two favorite a-ha albums.

Moonbeam said:

As a single, "Touchy!" is a huge letdown compared to the brilliance of "Stay On These Roads," "You Are the One," and "The Blood That Moves the Body."

i agree, Touchy is one of my least favorite a-ha tunes.

AlexdeParis said:

I didnt really have a chance to get a thread going on them, with the craziness of this North American tour run, the NYC shows were amazing. These are great reissues and im glad rhino is doing something for them. Im looking most forward to the "swing of things" book, its not known on that release date, but its planned and finally getting a wider "english" release this time around

NoVideo said:

Honestly me too, and theres too. There is an amazing a-ha Bootlegs site that has tons of Perfect audio on shows current and old from them and solo concerts too, and video just to let you know, i hadnt seen it before and know have tons of music from shows in perfect quality.

To me though a-ha is really best described in 3 stages, from 1985-1989 it was their synth period, from 1990-1994 it was showing that they were actually "musicians", and then in 2000-2010 its showing everyone that they were one of the most influential bands of their day, and now are earning respect for a more mature greater sound.

Depending on the price, I might buy that reissue of the first album (although I assume it won't be cheap).

It will only be at Rhino.com...nevermind!
[Edited 5/13/10 16:17pm]