Showing posts with label A-ha. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A-ha. Show all posts

Wednesday 10 June 2009

Manhattan skyline - A-ha

A day at the record company's office

'So we're going to release a third single from A-ha's album 'Scoundrel days''.
- 'Oh? Which one?'
'I think we should take 'Manhattan skyline.'
- 'Really? You do know it's almost five minutes long, don't you?'
'I know. We should make an edit.'
- 'An edit? How in God's name would you do that?'
'Well, you start by cutting the intro'.
- 'Okay, done. Now what?'
'There's bound to be some repetitive bits in that song. Aren't there?'
- 'Well, there are. But should we really edit them all out?'
'Yeah, no problem. No-one's paying attention to that stuff, it fills up the album nicely but on the single you need to keep up the pace.'
- 'Well if you say so... it's a waste, but okay... done. Now what?'
'What's the running time now?'
- 'We're down to 4 minutes 15 seconds.'
'Okay, good enough. We don't have to spend too much time on this.'
- 'B-side? What do we stick on the B-side?'
'Oh, just take a live track or something.'
- 'A live track? I do have a few, but they all sound horrible.'
'Doesn't matter, no-one ever plays the B-side anyway. Are we done?'
- 'Well, I guess so...'

My collection: 7" single no. 510
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1987
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Manhattan skyline [edit]' / 'We're looking for the whales (live version)'

Thursday 4 June 2009

Cry wolf - A-ha

'Cry wolf' was released as the second single from A-ha's second album 'Scoundrel days'. The theme of the video was taken from the story of the boy who cried wolf, which was also the inspiration for the song. Pal Waaktaar commented about the song: ''Cry Wolf' has my first decent word-picture: ‘He came from where the winds are cold and truth is seen through key-holes…' Otherwise lots of bass, riffs and pure youthful force… Not so much substance, perhaps'.

The single was a top 5 hit in the UK and peaked at number 16 in the Netherlands. The single was released in a limited edition fold-out picture bag, which was a beautiful item to have. Actually, I like the sleeve more than I like the song...

My collection: 7" single no. 486
Found: Free Record Shop, 1987
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Cry wolf' / 'Maybe maybe'

Monday 1 June 2009

Amiga Quartett - A-ha

Amiga was the state record company in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), also known as East Germany, before the wall came down. They released four track EP's of 'western' artists, as long as the songs were deemed 'clean' enough. The infectuous pop music of the Norwegian band A-ha apparently was innocent enough to be released in the country.

This Amiga Quartett (as the series of EP's was called) featured four tracks from A-ha's debut album 'Hunting high and low'. I really like the idea of owning records made in a country that does not exist anymore.

My collection: 7" single no. 2842
Found: Record fair, April 5, 1997
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Take on me', 'Train of thought' / 'The sun always shines on TV', 'And you tell me'
Download: Album 'Hunting high and low', including these tracks (password: http://newalbums2007.blogspot.com/)

Tuesday 26 May 2009

I've been losing you - A-ha

'I've been losing you' was released as the first single from A-ha's second album 'Scoundrel days' (1986). It featured a slightly rawer sound than the happy bright pop of the previous album. In Norway, the single went to the top of the charts, whereas in Sweden, Italy and the Netherlands it reached number 11. In the UK, it did slightly better, reaching number 8.

The B-side, 'This alone is love' was derived from a song by Pal Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen's previous band Bridges. The version on this single is rawer and, in my opinion, better than the version that appeared on A-ha's next album 'Stay on these roads' (1988).

My collection: 7" single no. 481
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'I've been losing you' / 'This alone is love'

Saturday 23 May 2009

Hunting high and low - A-ha

Released as the fourth and final single from their album of the same name, 'Hunting high and low' became an unexpected hit for A-ha. While 'Train of thought' didn't make the charts in a lot of countries, no-one really thought this song would do better. But the tide turned. The single peaked at number 5 in the UK and number 15 in the Netherlands.

Of course, 'Hunting high and low' had been remixed. The album version was produced by Tony Mansfield and was performed with synthesizers, while the single remix produced by Alan Tarney features an orchestra.

My collection: 7" single no. 435
Found: Paris, July 12, 1986
Cost: nothing (present)
Tracks: 'Hunting high and low (remix)' / 'The blue sky (demo)'

Thursday 21 May 2009

Train of thought - A-ha

The third single from A-ha's debut album 'Hunting high and low' came in the most beautiful sleeve they ever had. The image of the band members in the same drawing style of the accompanying music video was something very arty indeed. I was lucky enough to get the UK pressing of the single, with a stiff cardboard sleeve.

I was disappointed when the single did not chart in the Netherlands. In the UK, it was also the lowest charting single of the four that were released from the album, but it still peaked at number 8.

My collection: 7" single no. 395
Found: LP top 100, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 5,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Train of thought (remix)' / 'And you tell me (demo)'

Monday 18 May 2009

The sun always shines on TV - A-ha

Released as the second single from their debut album 'Hunting high and low', 'The sun always shines on TV' was a powerful pop/rock track, starting out as a ballad. While the previous single 'Take on me' was a number one hit in America and many other countries, this single failed to match that success. Only in the UK and Ireland, where 'Take on me' had peaked at number 2, this single managed to top the chart in early 1986.

The single version of 'The sun always shines on TV' is 30 seconds shorter than the album version and has never been released on cd. The B-side has only ever been released on cd in Japan.

My collection: 7" single no. 393
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'The sun always shines on TV' / 'Driftwood'

Saturday 2 May 2009

The living daylights - A-ha

A-ha recorded 'The living daylights' for the soundtrack of the 1987 James Bond movie of the same name. The single was a commercial success, peaking at number 11 in the Netherlands and number 5 in the UK. Critics were less friendly: they said that after 'A view to a kill' by Duran Duran, this was another 'desperate attempt to market James Bond to a young audience'.

Desperate or not, it remains a good anthem. Personally I was more offended by A-ha's version of this song on their 1988 album 'Stay on these roads': the soul was taken out of the song and replaced by lots of hollow-sounding synths.

The single was released in a standard sleeve in Europe and the UK, but in the UK there was also a limited edition with a gatefold sleeve (pictured below). I own both editions, although it took me years to find the limited edition.

My collection: 7" single no. 541 / no. 2788
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1987 / Record fair, Utrecht, November 9, 1996
Cost: 6 guilders / 10 guilders
Tracks: 'The living daylights' / 'The living daylights (instrumental)'





Saturday 31 January 2009

Take on me - A-ha

After the original release of 'Take on me' in 1984 failed to chart, the record company tried it for the second time - again without success. Then, in 1985, they released the single for the third time, this time with an innovative video to accompany it. It was a success: the song peaked at number on in the USA and the Netherlands, and reached number 2 in the UK. At the MTV Video Music Awards in 1986, the video won six awards.

The single was released with a new sleeve, but there was also a limited edition sleeve with a booklet, featuring several images from the video. I bought the regular single back in 1985, and last year I bought the limited edition - finally.

My collection: 7" single no. 344
Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 5,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Take on me' / 'Love is reason'

Tuesday 27 January 2009

Cosy prisons - A-ha

Released as the third single from A-ha's most recent album 'Analogue', 'Cosy prisons' was only available in the UK. The single was released in two formats: a cd-single and a picture disc 7" single. Both formats carried a track from a Ken Bruce Session, previously broadcast on BBC Radio 2. Whereas the cd-single contained 'The sun always shines on TV', the 7" picture disc contained 'Stay on these roads'.

A cd-single was also due to be released in Germany, but at the last minute the release was cancelled. If released, it would have contained 'Cosy prisons' from the same Ken Bruce session, the demo of 'Cosy prisons' and the album track 'Birthright' as performed live on Radio Clyde.

My collection: 7" single no. 3445
Found: HMV, London, 2006
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Cosy prisons' / 'Stay on these roads (BBC Radio 2 Ken Bruce session)'
Download: here

Sunday 18 January 2009

Analogue (All I want) - A-ha

'Analogue (All I want)' was the second single taken from A-ha's most recent album 'Analogue' (2005). It was A-ha's first top 10 hit in the UK since 1988. The track was re-recorded and rewritten after an earlier version, 'Minor key sonata' had already been made for the album. Like the rest of the album, this early version was produced by Martin Terefe and mixed by Flood. Max Martin was brought in to turn 'Minor Key Sonata' into a more commercially viable track, with a catchier chorus and a less surreal lyric.

The picture disc 7" was produced as a very limited edition.

My collection: 7" single no. 3419
Found: HMV, London, 2005
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Analogue (All I want)' / 'Case closed on silver shore'
Download: here

Thursday 15 January 2009

Limited Edition Hits E.P. Number Two - A-ha

The record company repeated the trick of the Limited Edition Hits E.P. with an E.P. Number Two. It was the second single from A-ha's 1990 album 'East of the sun west of the moon' that got the Hits E.P. treatment. 'I call your name' was coupled with 'The sun always shines on T.V.', 'Hunting high and low' and 'The blood that moves the body'.

'I call your name' peaked at number 44, and while further singles were drawn from A-ha's album, no further Hits E.P.'s were compiled.

My collection: 7" single no. 2386
Found: House of Rhythm, London, July 1, 1995
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'I call your name', 'The sun always shines on T.V.' / 'Hunting high and low', 'The blood that moves the body'

Limited Edition Hits E.P. - A-ha

When A-ha released 'Crying in the rain' in 1990, the record company decided that in order to sell more copies, they would make a limited edition hits e.p. Besides 'Crying in the rain', this e.p. also contains previous hits 'Take on me', 'Cry wolf' and 'Stay on these roads'. While these singles peaked at number 2, 5 and 5 in the UK respectively, 'Crying in the rain' didn't get any higher than number 13. It's interesting to know that this Hits e.p. was only released on vinyl and not as a cd-single, even if that format was getting increasingly popular in 1990.

My collection: 7" single no. 2742
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 21, 1996
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Crying in the rain', 'Take on me' / 'Cry wolf', 'Stay on these roads'

Friday 19 December 2008

Take on me - A-ha

The story of the song 'Uncertain smile' is similar to the one of this song. When the Norwegian group A-ha signed to WEA records in 1984, they released 'Take on me' as their debut single. When the sleeve pictured here doesn't look familiar to you, you've probably got another version of that same song. This original version was produced by Tony Mansfield, a man who had forged a pop career himself in the late seventies with New Musik.

Without the pop video that would stun the world, the original version 'Take on me' flopped mercilessly. The more successful version would be released a year later on the same label. I was lucky to find this original version within months of the release of the later successful one.

My collection: 7" single no. 377
Found: Nieuwstraat, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Take on me [original version]' / 'And you tell me'
Download: here

Saturday 13 December 2008

The living daylights - A-ha

When you hear this year's James Bond track by Alicia Keys and Jack White, you would almost forget that there was a time when James Bond tracks were actually really good. 'The living daylights' by A-ha is a good example. Not that co-writer John Barry was actually happy to work with A-ha: he would say afterwards that he found working with the band 'exhausting'. According to keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, 'Apparently he compared us to Hitlerjugend in a newspaper interview'.

'The living daylights' was John Barry's last score for the James Bond series. Maybe he should take back the reins now that things are getting so out of hand.

My collection: 12" single no. 281
Found: Record Exchange, London, 1995
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'The living daylights (extended version)' / 'The living daylights (7" version)', 'The living daylights (instrumental)'
Download: here
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