A-ha

Big Tone

Does anyone here agree, or not, that A-ha are one of the most underrated bands of all time in this part of the world (Uk and Ireland) and the US? They've always been know for "Take on me" and THAT video, kind of regarded as one hit wonders in the US but they had so much more.

A big influence on the music of Coldplay, Keane and others.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-ha

They've produced some really great music over the 10 years (and before that) up to their planned demise late last year. It was sad to see them go but at least they had the decency to tell their fans well in advance, better to burn out than to fade away eh?

For those who are not familar with their music here are some videos to check out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8rf571J8cM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCkbfyk6XGc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVl4qvHuY8g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqdFTPyW5L0

And their final single release as a band: released in 2010

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZjXysUwmM4

Big Tone

I take it no one agrees or disagrees, or couldn't care less.

LadyW

Calmez vous Big Tone ! I agree that they are an extremely under-rated band. I absolutely ADORE their album Scoundrel Days and listen to it on a regular basis. I think it very much stands the test of time and I never get sick of it..

Big Tone

LadyW wrote: »

Calmez vous Big Tone ! I agree that they are an extremely under-rated band. I absolutely ADORE their album Scoundrel Days and listen to it on a regular basis. I think it very much stands the test of time and I never get sick of it..

Well I'm glad someone else thinks so, had to bump this up so it wouldn't slide without a reaction.

I agree with you, 1986's Scoundrel Days is great album and a worthy follow-up to 1985's Hunting High And Low.

Have you checked out any of their material since 2000-2010, it shows how they've actually got better over time.

I was at their last UK date for the "Ending on a high note" tour in Wembley Arena and it was a mind-blowing concert, absolutely unforgettable. Morten Harket is on record as the only pop singer who can sing five octaves and sounds brilliant live.

LadyW

Yes, I bought Minor Earth, Major Sky recently but em.. haven't got round to listening it yet... That concert sounds amazing! Would love to have seen them live.. ah well....:o

df1985

A-HAA!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=truaQWsVJfg

delbertgrady

Responsible for some of the greatest pop singles of all time. I think Scoundrel Days remains their best album, but I really like East of the Sun West of the Moon and Memorial Beach, which are more organic sounding albums that their normal synth pop sound.
Some of the post-reunion albums outstay their welcome, Lifelines in particular, as they opted for a democratic sharing of songwriting duties, rather than just having ten or twelve strong tracks. Analogue and Foot of the Mountain are arguably their best later albums.
Paul Waaktaar's other band, Savoy, are also well worth investigation.

JerryHandbag

Bono was definitely listening to Sun Always Shines On TV when he wrote Beautiful Day thats for sure

Sardonicat

I think they are so underated because back in the 80s they were marketed at teenage girls (I was one at the time, and yes, I wanted to be the girl in THAT video) and so were written off as candyfloss band.

We seem to be coming back around to an appreciation of a really good pop tune. One of the simple pleasures in life and not easy to find. .

Shy_Dave!

My brother is a huge fan and I grew up listening to them (23 now).
I think they are fantastic.

'Out of Blue comes Green' must be one of my favourite songs of all time.
Needless to mention that songs like 'Hunting High and low' 'The Living Daylights' are pop perfection!

Firetrap

I think they've suffered badly because of Take On Me and their original marketing as a fluffy teen band. They were anything but if you take the handful of bubblegum pop singles they released out of the equation. Some of their lyrics were a bit dark and unlike a lot of the teen bands which replaced them on the walls of teenage bedrooms, they wrote their own music and played their own instruments. I can only think of one cover version they did and that was an unusual choice - Crying in the Rain by The Everly Brothers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOoyr02vFSs

I've got most of their albums and while I find them all a bit uneven, there's plenty of worthwhile music on them.

On a side note, I'd love to know where the fountain of youth that Morten Harket is drinking out of is hidden. The man turns 52 this year :eek:

TicTacWoe

One of the best 80s synth pop groups imo. This being one of the best songs of the period:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml27iliGAME

Jerichoholic

Ah yeah, always had time for A-ha.

Big Tone

Good news for A-ha fans both old and new.

A year ago this month, a-ha launched their final world tour in South America. The Ending on a High Note tour was a live celebration of a-ha’s 25 year career, which included stops in 63 cities in 21 countries, and culminated in four concerts in their home town of Oslo last December.

The band’s last ever live concert took place on December 4, 2010, and was recorded for release on DVD.

http://a-ha.com/news/articles/ending-on-a-high-note-live-dvd/

bruce wayne

Myself and the mrs were at the final gig in Oslo.....was a great gig, the dvd should be a treat for any fan

bradlente

They're a quality band,good cheesy electro-pop.

Latchy

As poster in thread said ,when they first burst on the sceen with Take on me it was the teenybopper market they appealed to most but they had a heavier, more raunchy style to their act to come . I saw them in concert at in the RDS in Dublin back in 1986 ,still have the ticket stub and Hearld cuttings of that great gig .

Scoundrel Days is a great album and much better produced than the debt album ' Hunting High and Low ' with great tracks like Weight of the Wind ,I'm losing you , Cry Wolf and the very nordic ' Soft Rains of April and as mentioned by other poster ,U2's Beautiful day is really Scoundrel Days in disguise .;)

I also love Stay on these Roads with 'The Blood That Moves the Body,' 'Touchy' and 'You Are the One.'


Some other great album tracks that stand out are Crying in the Rain , Early Morning ,Move to Memphis ,Sun always Shines on tv and the beautiful (and also very Nordic sounding ) ' Forever Not Yours '

They are one of those band that didn't fit into any particular category, with there own style of rock but there's no doubt that A-HA are one of the great 80s bands

delbertgrady

Latchy wrote: »

U2's Beautiful day is really Scoundrel Days in disguise .;)

Do you not mean Beautiful Day is ripped off The Sun Always Shines on TV? The guitar-driven Live in South America version of The Sun Always Shines on TV is excellent, and exposes the similarities even more.

Latchy

delbertgrady wrote: »

Do you not mean Beautiful Day is ripped off The Sun Always Shines on TV? The guitar-driven Live in South America version of The Sun Always Shines on TV is excellent, and exposes the similarities even more.

Yeah I had ment to include Sun Always Shines to as also mentioned by jerryhandbags in my quote and If you listen to the thumping synth /bass line in Scoundrel Days , it's also very similar to Beautiful Day , something I hadn't noticed till I listened again recently .

Firetrap

It was nice to see them getting some recognition in later years and that they got back together to make some new music in the 2000s. I get the impression that the 3 guys wouldn't be exactly best buddies but they did manage to hold things together for a long time.

Hopefully Mags the keyboard player won't have too much trouble with his dodgy ticker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVYTIkWcYcQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhGIC0yDbQ8

Big Tone

I never knew Mags has heart problems. That would explain a lot. Thanks for that link Firetrap.

Interesting video there too..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzFfQhUvJ_0

crock!

Aha are doing rock in Rio this sept and are launching a new tour and album called (cast in steel) new single is out in July called under the make up.great band and a lot more to them than take on me.best albums in my opinion is.scoundrel days .minor earth.and analogue

Achtung Maybe

Aha are a fantastic band with Lifelines being my favourite track, followed by Scoundrel Days. Stay On These Roads another belter of a tune

MisterAnarchy

Would love to see a Dublin gig on the new tour ,I'm sure that they would have no bother selling the 3arena out.

They seem to be playing all seated gigs in the UK and the ticket prices are steep.
Gigs on the continent have standing and are much more reasonably priced.

The new album is out,its not bad .

the heathen

bradlente wrote: »

They're a quality band, good cheesy electro-pop.

Jeez - you can't have read the rest of the thread - that's exactly the misconception that everyone's talking about!

Happened across this thread and just thought I'd echo the sentiment that they're hugely underrated.

Back with an acoustic tour too in June this year and early next year with a live album and dvd to follow.

urbangoo

A-ha are in no way a ‘cheesy’ band!

I have always said they are hugely underrated.

It would be great if they played Dublin on their acoustic tour but it’s probably not likely. I had to travel to the UK for their Ending on a High Note tour in 2011 and also their Cast In Steel tour last year.

They have so many great songs. Some of my favourites are I Wish I Cared, Velvet, Turn The Lights Down, Stay On These Roads and Manhattan Skyline.

I will never tire of listening to them!

Oasis1974

Big Tone wrote: »

I never knew Mags has heart problems. That would explain a lot. Thanks for that link Firetrap.

Interesting video there too..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzFfQhUvJ_0

Just when i couldn't have anymore contempt for Coldplay he says A-Ha shaped his music no wonder :rolleyes:

me_irl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otuVawEShi4

the heathen

urbangoo wrote: »

A-ha are in no way a ‘cheesy’ band!

I have always said they are hugely underrated.

It would be great if they played Dublin on their acoustic tour but it’s probably not likely. I had to travel to the UK for their Ending on a High Note tour in 2011 and also their Cast In Steel tour last year.

They have so many great songs. Some of my favourites are I Wish I Cared, Velvet, Turn The Lights Down, Stay On These Roads and Manhattan Skyline.

For the love of God no! Not that one! Can't argue with the rest though.

Yeah, can't see the acoustic show coming this way - I'll be hoping to get a ticket for the Oslo shows in June - but I think it's limited to 300 tickets per show so it's gonna be a tall order

Oasis1974 wrote: »

Just when i couldn't have anymore contempt for Coldplay he says A-Ha shaped his music no wonder :rolleyes:

An Oasis fan slagging off another band. Some people have no self-awareness

the heathen

Confirming what some of us know already - Jason Lytle of acclaimed indie-band Grandaddy waxes lyrical of his love for A-Ha. It'd a really interesting listen...

http://www.fidelityhigh.com/jason-lytle-podcast/

crock!

Aha playing in London in the o2 on 14th of February 2018. Playing acoustic

the heathen

crock! wrote: »

Aha playing in London in the o2 on 14th of February 2018. Playing acoustic

Yup, decided to take the plunge and buy a ticket for a hometown gig in Oslo next Feb. Acoustic will really suit them I reckon.

crock!

the heathen wrote: »

Yup, decided to take the plunge and buy a ticket for a hometown gig in Oslo next Feb. Acoustic will really suit them I reckon.

Oslo would be great.ive two boys that love them so it would be a little pricey to go to Oslo. There 15 and 12.hope you have a ball. Acoustic will work really well with there music.

the heathen

crock! wrote:

Oslo would be great.ive two boys that love them so it would be a little pricey to go to Oslo. There 15 and 12.hope you have a ball. Acoustic will work really well with there music.

Get to London or one of the European shows! Great to hear you've passed their music on to your lads! Great work!

omah

Thanks for posting details of Aha's European gigs, what a great band! Their "Take on Me" video was ground breaking.

crock!

What are yer toughts on the new unplugged album

honeybear

my first crush (do people use that word anymore?)

crock!

I heard someone saying it in a nurseing home

honeybear

crock! wrote: »

I heard someone saying it in a nurseing home

lol

MisterAnarchy

crock! wrote: »

What are yer toughts on the new unplugged album

I didnt like it at all ,doesnt really suit the songs slowing them down like that .

James Brown

Big Tone wrote: »

Does anyone here agree, or not, that A-ha are one of the most underrated bands of all time in this part of the world (Uk and Ireland) and the US? They've always been know for "Take on me" and THAT video, kind of regarded as one hit wonders in the US but they had so much more.
...

Agreed. They were a guilty pleasure for yearts. I saw them live and they were excellent.
I think they were synth pop and unless you're Kraftwerk, that opens you up to being dismissed.

the heathen

crock! wrote: »

What are yer toughts on the new unplugged album

It's really really good. Most of A-Ha's songs are written on guitar/piano by Paul/Magne anyway so the migration to acoustic works really well.

For my money the songs that work best are Forever Not Yours, Stay On These Roads, This Alone Is Love and the f**king epic version of Manhattan Skyline. I really like the version of The Killing Moon with Ian McCullough too. Morten sounds great throughout - lovely to hear them do a cover of Bridges' Sox Of the Fox too.

You're right Matt, they were dismissed for years but I think that's changed a lot over the last 15 years. Their first two albums have been pretty much reappraised and it was no surprise to see them get a Q Inspiration award about ten years ago. The fact that the likes of Ian McCullough is prepared to travel to the middle of nowhere in Norway to appear with them speaks volumes and it was great to see Jason Lyttle of Grandaddy sing their praises earlier this year.

chicorytip

Matt Barrett wrote:

Agreed. They were a guilty pleasure for yearts. I saw them live and they were excellent. I think they were synth pop and unless you're Kraftwerk, that opens you up to being dismissed.

Not necessarily. There were many fine bands of that era whose music was based on synthesisers. Depeche Mode, OMD, Japan and Pet Shop Boys for example. These were talented artists with good songs. A-ha, however, were the complete opposite.

the heathen

chicorytip wrote: »

Not necessarily. There were many fine bands of that era whose music was based on synthesisers. Depeche Mode, OMD, Japan and Pet Shop Boys for example. These were talented artists with good songs.

Couldn't agree more. I'd throw Yazoo and their Upstairs At Eric album into that mix too. There's plenty of examples of synth bands that produced great music and songs with soul and heart.

chicorytip wrote: »

A-ha, however, were the complete opposite.

That's laughable though. Check online for reviews of the first two albums - you'll struggle to find a negative one.

https://www.popmatters.com/129610-a-ha-hunting-high-and-low-scoundrel-days-2496152353.html

The band produced another 8 studio albums after that that were much more varied in style and tone than some of the bands you mention above achieved. That's why those who know their music have reappraised them in the years since 1985 and have seen past the packaging and don't just think of them as being Take On Me (which, incidentally, is a stellar pop song).

You've obviously for some bizarre reason decided to click into a thread for a band you don't like, to offer an expert opinion. But your 'complete opposite' remark doesn't suggest that you know better than everyone else - it only outlines a lack of knowledge (even if I do agree with your first point! :-) ).

chicorytip

the heathen wrote: »

Couldn't agree more. I'd throw Yazoo and their Upstairs At Eric album into that mix too. There's plenty of examples of synth bands that produced great music and songs with soul and heart.

That's laughable though. Check online for reviews of the first two albums - you'll struggle to find a negative one.

https://www.popmatters.com/129610-a-ha-hunting-high-and-low-scoundrel-days-2496152353.html

The band produced another 8 studio albums after that that were much more varied in style and tone than some of the bands you mention above achieved. That's why those who know their music have reappraised them in the years since 1985 and have seen past the packaging and don't just think of them as being Take On Me (which, incidentally, is a stellar pop song).

You've obviously for some bizarre reason decided to click into a thread for a band you don't like, to offer an expert opinion. But your 'complete opposite' remark doesn't suggest that you know better than everyone else - it only outlines a lack of knowledge (even if I do agree with your first point! :-) ).

Musical tastes or preferences are not informed by "expert opinions". You either like a particular artist or you don't.

Mike Ehrmantraut

#electricsummer#aha2018

With rumour some electric picnic 2018 acts may be announced soon, wondering if this could be a hint?

urbangoo

Mike Ehrmantraut wrote: »

#electricsummer#aha2018

With rumour some electric picnic 2018 acts may be announced soon, wondering if this could be a hint?

This is my worry. I really hope not. I would love to see them play their own show and not a festival.
I doubt they would get a headline slot for electric picnic. I would still have to make the trip though. I couldn't miss seeing them finally back in Ireland.

The electric summer hashtag just means that after their acoustic shows they plan to do a full electric tour. The have mentioned they are playing the UK next summer.

crock!

I would of loved to see at least one song from east of the sun and west of the moon.
I like the arrangement of the unplugged album but the song summer moved on was not great from alice.all the rest were great

the heathen

The band's Facebook page posted some heavy hints last night that they're coming to Ireland next summer as part of their Electric Summer tour. I expect they wouldn't be hinting at it now unless an announcement was very close, which pretty much rules out an Electric Picnic appearance as the EP line-up reveal normally happens in March.

MisterAnarchy

They are playing the Marquee in Cork, thank you dear Lord ,my prayers have been answered !

crock!

Is it a full aha concert