The Melody remains Unbroken
gobirds2 | New England | 11/29/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Once again a-ha endures the test of time and remains undaunted. Their performances and beautiful melodies still remain with us. This CD is a worthy compendium of their work. As much as they have evolved the melodies and heartfelt performances have remained constant. You can go from TAKE ON ME to THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS to the more recent VELVET and LIFELINES and there is a consistency of perhaps drive or emotion that seems to be inherent in every song. I summed up what I had to say with VELVET when it was first released and it somehow holds true for what a-ha has given us through all these cherished years. VELVET is a whimsical atmospheric piece of sheer beauty. You have to hear it to appreciate this great melodic piece of elegant impressionism. Once again a-ha delivers a work of innovation and inspiration with this heart felt song. There is more than just talent and genius behind a-ha's work. They meld lyric, melody and their unique sound into something that transcends the definition of music. VELVET has to be one of their most definitive examples of this quality. I still get a chuckle or a sarcastic laugh when I tell people about a-ha. They refuse to even listen to the music. That is their loss. Yet I still know there are numbers of us out there who appreciate a-ha's artistry and in the end the music still remains doesn't it. That is somehow a great comfort and reassurance to me.
"
20 Years
John Sposato | Syracuse, NY, USA | 11/19/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This supercedes the 1991 compilation, "Headlines and Deadlines". "Take on Me", a-ha's sole claim to fame Stateside, was first released in 1984, and was released twice more before it became the smash that it did. Some of these were written and even demo'ed before they had their first deal with Warner. This collection closes the book on their tenure with wea, as they signed a new deal with Polydor/Universal for their latest, "Analogue". This includes tracks from their later releases "Memorial Beach", "Minor Earth Major Sky" and "Lifelines", as well as the 1994 one-off "Shapes That Go Together" (performed at the Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway before taking five years off). There are no new tracks, however, like the last time with the original version of "Move to Memphis".
This is likely another German import (I have four myself). There's supposed to be a DVD, but because the Americas and Asia use the NTSC colour system and most of Europe have PAL, it would likely be imported here from Japan or Brasil.
The only Norweigian bands that can turn a profit here these days are deathcore heavy metal bands, but maybe that will change."
An A-ha Moment.
Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 01/04/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It is a shame that A-ha never fully realized their star potential with American audiences. Other then the still charming "Take On Me" and the follow-up "The Sun Always Shines On TV" from their "Hunting High And Low" debut, their chart success stateside never matched the band's international superstardom. Which means that - as far as American audiences are concerned - neither of their best-of's has been issued here. I actually picked my copy of this up while on vacation in London. It was well worth it.
A-Ha were far more than their pretty faces on the MTV videos. (But to be the band that could lay credit to the "Take On Me" - or even the lesser known "Cry Wolf" - video.) Seven studio albums and world-wide sales of more than 60-thousand albums certainly vindicates that point. What most of us Yanks missed was the frequently inventive pop-music this trio turned out. They were masters of the confectionary ballad, with songs like "Manhattan Skyline," "Velvet" and "Stay On These Roads" masterworks of melodrama.
In their later albums, A-Ha was finding conflict within their group and the albums began to reflect the turmoil. (The CD also contains an honest recollection of the band's history.) The synths began to take a lower profile and more live (and livelier) recording began to unfold. While A-Ha was still making some cutting edge pop, a song like "Minor Earth Major Sky" is particularly dark. There is even a relatively faithful version of the Everly Brothers' "Crying In The Rain."
And then there is the matter of that voice. Morten Harket had a falsetto that rivaled Freddie Mercury's and certainly influenced singers like The Darkness' Justin Hawkins. It hit that impossibly high note in "Take On Me" but could also add to the drama of the band's shot at a James Bond theme, "The Living Daylights." Obviously hoping Bond would do for them what "A View To A Kill" did for Duran Duran, A-ha rocks it in a cinematic way, and it could possibly be both Harket's best vocal and the most under appreciated of all the James Bond movie themes.
Which about sums up this collection. There is some of the finest pop you've never heard here, new wave of otherwise. Terrifically re-mastered for this CD, A-Ha "The Singles - 1984/2004" showcases an under appreciated band who created some perfectly realized music, even without the sun shining on them in the US. (Come on Rhino - we know you can do it.)"
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1