Kea-hane:

 I'm loving 'Foot of the mountain' !!! The start of that song reminds me A LOT of 'Mêlée'. Is that just me or do you think so too?

 

   I am surprised that you mentioned Melee. I think their single, "Built to Last" is one of the most under-rated tracks. Yes, I agree that the strong piano-laden hooks in their music is quite similar to that those on "Foot of the mountain".

 

 

 Love their new tunes.  They should play some gigs in the United States. I would be there!

Update:  I read that they will be coming to the US in March 2010.  YEAAH!!

I too LOVE the new album. IT would be awesome if they really do come to the US!!! Even if its only 1 show like the Irving plaza gig. I still just don't understand why they have absolutely no press here at all. When we were standing in line outside of irving to get inside people were asking us who the band were, and when we said A-HA, they had no clue who we were talking about.It was so depressing especially since people from all over the US gathered there to see them that 1 night. Let's hope they do come back!!!!

As Jill said - A-ha is *definitely* touring the US and Canada next March. They've announced it on their website and Mags also said they'd be over here that time next year on BBC 1 radio last week. There will be a big media blitz when Foot of The Mountain is released here. Unlike Keane, A-ha is well versed in using all marketing channels to create awareness. I'm sad I missed their show in NYC in 2005 but was lucky to get a taste of what they are like now when I saw them last year at Royal Albert Hall. I'm definitely going to go to as many shows as I can on the East Coast on their North American tour.

 Thanks for the news about A-Ha. I still feel March is just too far away. As long as they do a show in the east coast, I will be more than happy. I will travel anywhere on the east coast to watch them in concert. I don't feel too bad about missing them in 2005 because I don't think their "Analogue" album had grown on me that much by then. Hence, I wouldn't have appreciated the new material that much. Now, it definitely has. And now, considering song like "foot of the mountain" and "shadowside" rank among my all-time A-Ha favorites, I truly believe I have something to look forward to.

    I still find this whole concept of having a year-long gap between a European release and a US release completely old-fashioned and counter-productive. That approach may have worked in the pre-internet era - but now it just plain silly. I mean, a Boston internet radio station that I listen to quite often (it's called "Radio Creme Brulee". Google it and it's the first result) has been playing "foot of the mountain" on high-rotation since early May. That combined with the availability of the music video via youtube takes the whole novelty factor of a new release away - especially when the gap in a domestic vs international release is one year. With all the conventional wisdom that record labels claim to have, I don't know how they continue to do business and marketing this way.

    A-Ha should have been relaunched in the US when they released their groundbreaking and amazing single "Summer moved on" back in 2000. They sound way better now than they did in the 80s. I wasn't even a fan of theirs in the 80s. They are by no means a band of the past. Today is their heyday and I can't wait for the rest of America to see this.

  

 

  

  

 Live stream of A-ha concert in less than 30 minutes here:

http://liveweb.arte.tv/de/video/Simple_Minds_und_a-ha_in_Concert_-_2009__Zweiter_Teil__a-ha/

 

 

Grrr, the link's not working with my stupid internet connection. The little page loading circle thingy just keeps going round and round.

 

Yay, got it to work eventually. Awesome! Great crowd, singing their hearts out. I expected them to make a bit more noise when a-ha started playing the intro to Take On Me in the encore, but the audience they weren't all "OMG it's Take On Me!": they were pleased but not in the slightest surprised. They knew what was coming.

Did anyone catch them on Jonathon Ross? I was utterly shocked at how poor Morten's vocal was?

Having heard a fair bit of the album can't say I was "wowed" maybe expected too much..

 

I missed them on Jonathan Ross. Which song did they do?

I love the new album but I think their last one (Analogue) was better.

 They did "foot of the mountain" and "sun always shines on TV". I agree with the bit about Morten's voice sounding a bit weak on "foot of the mountain" but he was absolutely brilliant on "sun always shines on TV"...I don't think I was a big fan of the song until I heard the performance on the Jonathan Ross show.

His voice seems weaker on the new songs than on the old ones. Wonder why that is....

But I noticed it too (and not just on Jonathan Ross...).... such a shame he can't make it work live as the album is absolutely brilliant !! :-(

I'm going to see them in Cologne in October....I'm hoping he'll do better then....

 

 

pranavc:

 They did "foot of the mountain" and "sun always shines on TV". I agree with the bit about Morten's voice sounding a bit weak on "foot of the mountain" but he was absolutely brilliant on "sun always shines on TV"...I don't think I was a big fan of the song until I heard the performance on the Jonathan Ross show.

Yeh, I too agree about SASOTV he did sound much better - maybe his voice will improve on the newer material the more he sings them live.

last saw a-ha in 91. think its about time i saw them again hehe

great band!!!!!=)

The Jonathan Ross epi just aired here, but they only showed SASOTV.  Wah.

Gonna try to see them in March (so far away still), hope they do a west coast show.

I just read a transcript of a whopping 9-page profile in MusicWeek on WOTM and it's amazing how their image keeps on changing (for the better) with every newsbit that comes by lately. I've never come across a band that had to deal with so much nonsense over a period of 25 years and are still going strong. I tend to lose interest every now and then because the brits are americans are doing such a fab job at keeping me entertained (:P) but just reading something like the following capture makes me root for them even more than before.

"The 1991 Rock In Rio festival, which should have been the jewel in a-ha’s crown, was, instead, a moment of crushing despair. The nine-day event featured megaheadliners including Guns N’ Roses, George Michael and Prince, but towering above them all was a-ha whose show at the Maracanã Stadium drew a Guinness World Record-breaking crowd of 196,000 – the largest paying audience ever.
“MTV interviewed everybody except us,” remembers Waaktar-Savoy. “They were all calling their bosses and saying, ‘We must cover a-ha, it’s the only night that has sold out.’ But they weren’t allowed to.”
“I felt very alienated,” says Furuholmen. “Still, we were excited to read the NME and Melody Maker, because we felt at least they’d have to acknowledge our popularity. Instead, they wrote about Happy Mondays. It made us feel hopeless. We played to the biggest crowd in the world and they ignored it.”

I knew about the record, but I never knew they were ignored for it. Seriously, what is up with that?

Just imagine a miracle happening with Keane playing to an audience twice the size to Coldplay, U2 and .. dunno, Snow Patrol, and not being covered. It's just not imaginable.

It is frustrating the way the media deals with A-ha. I never understood WHY.

But... how about Keane playing a very succesfull set at Pinkpop and none of it showing up in a 3 hour headlines-show about Pinkpop on Dutch TV? I think it happens to Keane as well unfortunately.

 

 

A-ha say goodbye with a farewell tour 2010

A fantastic international career spanning almost 3 decades of making pop history.
9 studio albums with sales in excess of 35 million - 70 million units including singles.
15 top ten singles in the UK alone. Nominations, awards, and multiple world tours - including the legendary show at the Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro in 1992, which earned a Guinness World Record for the largest-ever audience attendance at a paid concert - a whopping 196.000 people!

In the mid 80's, the Norwegian trio generated teenage hysteria and general pandemonium wherever they went. Since reforming in 1999 after a 7-year hiatus, the band has seen the focus shift away from the pop phenomenon they once were towards the musical legacy they leave behind - inspiring a whole generation of esteemed artists of today, from Coldplay and Keane, to Kanye West, Oasis, The Strokes, Robbie Williams, even U2.

In 2006 the band received a 'Q Inspiration Award' in honor of their lasting musical influence.

With the current album 'Foot of The Mountain' enjoying both commercial success and critical acclaim, A-ha has decided to call it a day.
As a consequence, A-ha will not be releasing any further albums in the future.

The band would like to thank their fans and everyone who has contributed to their amazing journey, and say:

'We've literally lived the ultimate boy's adventure tale, through a longer, more rewarding career than anyone could hope for.
Doing this now will give us a chance to get more involved in other meaningful aspects of life, be it humanitarian work, politics, or whatever else - and of course through new constellations in the field of art and music. We are retiring as a band, not as individuals.
Change is always difficult and It is easy to get set in one's ways. Now it is time to move on.'

2010 marks the 25-year anniversary of A-ha's multi-platinum debut album 'Hunting High & Low' and the debut single 'Take On Me' which with the aid of a truly unforgettable video went on to become a number 1 in 27 countries worldwide, including USA.

The band will make a final world tour in 2010 to end their collaboration on a high note.
The last concert will take place in Oslo on December the 4th. See you there!

 

 

 

Oh man.  I'd better catch them if they come near where I live!

"2010 marks the 25-year anniversary of A-ha's multi-platinum debut album 'Hunting High & Low' and the debut single 'Take On Me' "

Holy cannoli.  I am old.

 It was a sad day last night, wasn't it Kea-hane..... can't really believe they're calling it a day, not with the nice response the last album got, but ah well, better leave on a high, I guess.

Got my ticket fro Dec 4th 2010... and from what I hear the gig is practically sold  out already. There were still some tickets up for grabs around 13h30 today, but not sure about now (16h).... That will be one big party!