I was just watching Film4 and the music for Channel 4’s new 3D week starting 16th November plays Take On Me.
Here’s the video.
Thanks to tvlivesite for the upload.
Today, I was sent links to the 2 track single version (download only). It says the release date was 01/11/09.
Here’s how it the single appears on HMV’s website
The iTunes UK store says:
1. Shadowside 4:54
2. Shadowside (new single version) 3:31
You can buy it as an mp3 download from HMV here.
Here’s the same item from iTunes UK for £1.49 (download only) or £0.79 each.
I noticed on the iTunes version the tracklisting is reversed to the HMV listening.
iTunes UK says:
1. Shadowside (new single version) 3:58
2. Shadowside 4.54
Both HMV and iTunes offer to download a single track for £0.79 each or buy both for £1.49.
Here’s the link to buy it directly from the iTunes UK store.
Thankyou to Jeni for alerting me to the release and for the relevant webstore links.
I’d prefer we had proper physical cd-single releases and weren’t forced to download!
Apologies for not posting this on Wednesday but I was at the O2 concert in London when I received news of this, and tickets for the show went on sale yesterday morning. Unfortunately, I didn’t have internet access until I returned home.
I doubt its sold out and I’m sure there’ll be another Oslo concert, or more concerts announced in Norway. I’m holding out for a concert announcement for Bergen.
Third Oslo show on sale for December next year | 11-04-09
Both the shows on December 4 and December 3, 2010, in Oslo Spektrum are now sold out.
Another concert has been added on December 2, 2010, and will go on sale at 9 am CET on Thursday November 5, 2009.
Tickets can be purchased at www.billettservice.no
Source: a-ha.com
Signup for the Official a-ha.com Newsletter here. Scroll to the bottom of the page, enter your email address into the box and click go.
Here’s a few photos I took last night. I’ll post a few more in the next few days.
I’ve just discovered an article published on 27th October from newsshopper.co.uk. I’ve added a few highlight paragraphs (a link to the full interview’s at the bottom of the page).
INTERVIEW: A-Ha’s Magne Furuholmen talks about the group’s latest album and their farewell tours
11:51am Tuesday 27th October 2009. By Matthew Jenkin
Magne Furuholmen is one third of pop band A-Ha. He tells MATTHEW JENKIN why he still loves Take On Me and how their farewell tour is now hysteria free.
NEXT year marks the 25th anniversary of A-ha’s multi-platinum debut album Hunting High and Low and back in the 80s the Norwegian trio generated teenage hysteria and general pandemonium wherever they went.
Despite a seven year split in the 90s the band reformed in 1999 and have since gone on to win the Q Inspiration Award, in 2006, in honour of their lasting musical influence.
But depsite selling more than 35 million albums and having 15 top 10 singles in the UK alone, A-Ha’s Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy have decided to call it a day.
The Scandinavian heart-throbs say the split will give them a chance to pursue their own individual passions and they will perform one of their last concerts at The O2 arena next Wednesday.
The band’s current album Foot of the Mountain has received critical acclaim and marks a return to the classic pop sound that made A-ha one of the biggest acts in the world.
You can read the full interview here.
The first of 3 UK concerts starts tonight at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena.
The band then play Manchester’s MEN Arena on Tuesday and finally London’s O2 Arena on Wednesday (04.11.09).
The tour then moves to Oslo, Norway on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th November at Oslo Spektrum.
On 10th November the band play 1 show in Paris and the following night 1 show in Brussels.
The tour visits 3 more cities in Germany, 1 show in Poland, 2 shows in St. Petersburg and Moscow and then 1 date on 25th November in Tokyo, Japan.
Click here to see the Foot of the Mountain tour dates and tickets are still available.
UPDATED: 7th November 2009
Please read a new post about this release as I have links to download the 2 track single online.
Here’s the new blog post.
Update: 02.11.09 – 05:20am
After quite a few hours thinking about this post and further online investigations – I think this is the album track version and not a Single release. My reasons are: The price is cheap, the listing on play.com doesn’t have the artwork for the single, the German Shadowside release was a 2 track physical cd with a demo version of Mother Nature Goes to Heaven on it and I think it would be quite similar for a UK release and also I could find no sign of this release on iTunes UK store or at 7digital.com, which I find strange, especially as iTunes seem to have a-ha releases up earlier than release day eg like Nothing Is Keeping You Here single, which I downloaded 1 day before the release through the UK web store. No sign of this on HMV or Amazon UK etc.
If I can find information to support the Single release, I’ll publish another update soon.
Tomorrow Shadowside, the 3rd single from the album Foot of the Mountain is available to download.
You can download from play.com here. Unfortunately. I couldn’t find any sign of the single to pre-order/download from the iTunes UK Store but it may appear on their site tomorrow.
The single’s another download only release.
With thanks to Jeni for the news.
There are still quite a few shows which have tickets available on the 2nd last a-ha tour.
Click here to see which shows you can buy tickets from.
The concerts in Frankfurt and Paris have SOLD OUT.
The following dates still have tickets to buy:
Germany
30th October, Hamburg – Color Line Arena
United Kingdom
2nd November, Birmingham – The NIA
3rd November, Manchester – The MEN Arena
4th November, London – The o2 Arena
Norway
6th and 7th November, Oslo, Norway – Oslo Spektrum
Belgium
11th November, Brussels – The Ancienne Belgique
Germany
12th November, Oberhausen – König Pilsener Arena
14th November, Hannover, Germany at the TUI Arena
16th November, Erfert – the Messehalle
Poland
17th November, Lodz – the Hala Arena
Russia
20th November, St. Petersberg – Ice Palace (no ticket link on a-ha.com)
22nd November, Moscow – the Olimpiysky Arena
Japan
25th November, Tokyo – JCB Hall (ticket website in Japanese only)
2010
3rd December in Oslo, Norway at the Oslo Spektrum
The Final concert
4th December in Oslo, Norway at the Oslo Spektrum (SOLD OUT) on the day tickets went on-sale
Further dates for the 2010 concerts will be announced on a-ha.com in the future – either later this year, or early next year and plans are still being finalised.
The second concert on the Foot of the Mountain tour was in Berlin, Germany at O2 World.
Here’s a photo of Morten performing at the concert (professional media photos I found online were only of Morten)
Here’s a couple of videos taken at the concert.
The Sun Always Shines on TV
Scoundrel Days (not full video)
Thanks to Béatrice for the links and to TheNick78 for the upload on YouTube.
As previously announced there’s a concert being held in Tokyo, Japan at the JCB Arena on 25th November 2009.
Click here to buy tickets for this show. This website’s in Japanese language only.
Note: I cannot be held responsible for external links.
I’m sorry I don’t know how I missed this but I’ve just noticed on a-ha.com two Russian concerts have been confirmed at The Ice Palace in St. Petersberg on 20th November 2009 and at Olimpisky Arena in Moscow on 22nd November 2009.
Click here to buy tickets for the Moscow show from Showtrade. The link directs you to Showtrade’s website.
Note: I cannot be held responsible for reliability of external links.
Update: 30th October 2009
The link for the Deluxe version cd has been removed from Amazon.de site.
A Deluxe Edition of Foot Of The Mountain was found on Amazon.de.
It said it will include the album + a DVD and the release date was 4 December 2009.
No more info is available at this point.
(Thanks to “arite” on the German forum for the info)
Thanks to Jakob for posting this news on West of the Moon.
Storkonsert i Bergen?
Date: 28 October 2009
Norwegian Text : Ørjan Nilsson
Basically, the story from Byavisa says they know (people) are working to get to an a-ha concert in Bergen, Norway in 2010. This was confirmed by a-ha’s manager, Harald Wiik.
- I speak all the time with organizers over the world, also in Bergen. Beyond that, I will not comment on timing or likelihood of the moment, he told Byavisa.
Bergen Live boss Frank Nes has little desire to talk about a-ha.
- We work with many artists, next year he said briefly to Byavisa.
I’ll leave it for someone else to translate but the above is the gist of the story.
Note:
This hasn’t been confirmed/posted on a-ha.com so it’s all “wishful thinking” at the moment.
Last night the Foot of the Mountain tour kicked off at Lanxess Arena in Cologne (Koln).
S P O I L E R
Please don’t read any further, if you don’t want to know which songs were played and find out anything else about the show.
Here’s a couple of photos courtesy of Kea-hane from the West of the Moon forum.
Here’s the setlist, posted by Alex/Jenn on the German forum:
1. The sun always shines on TV
2. Riding the Crest
3. The Bandstand
4. Scoundrel days
5. Stay on these roads
6. Manhattan Skyline
7. Hunting high and low
8. The Blood That Moves The Body
9. Dream Myself Alive
10. And You Tell Me
11. Velvet
12. Train Of Thought
13. Sunny Mystery
14. Forever not yours
15. Shadowside
16. Summer moved on
17. Foot of the Mountain
———
18. Cry Wolf
19. Analogue
20. The living daylights
A photo from today’s Dagbladet.
a-ha-avskjed: Skarp musikk, veikt show
Jakob translates this to:
“Sharp music, weak show” is the verdict. It gets 4 out of 6.
Sandra on West of the Moon reports:
Morten was playing the guitar on 3 songs Velvet, Analogue (e-guitar) and I think on Shadowside. During Analogue he was just playing tiny parts and even missed the cords at some point (blaming his sleeve for it).
Jakob says:
So Morten plays guitar at an a-ha concert for the first time ever.
Thanks to kea-hane for the photos and Alex/Jenn from the German forum for the setlist and Jakob.
Also thanks to Jakob for news from the German forum – Velvet was sung by Morten and Paul together.
Jakob also says that Take On Me ended up being played after The living daylights!
Thanks to Sandra for news about Morten playing the guitar and the songs.
New merchandise has been added to the official store.
a red wine t-shirt with silver leaf pattern
a gray t-shirt with golf leaf pattern
a gray hoodie
a-ha photo (tea/coffee) mug
a-ha scarf
Jakob’s translated a VG paper edition interview with Magne today.
You can read it on Jakob’s here.
Thanks Jakob!
Jakob’s translated another interview today, this time it’s with Magne.
Read it here on a-ha-live.com.
As reported by me on 17/10/09. Read my original post about the 2010 tour name here.
19/10/09
From an Announcement on a-ha.com today, the farewell concert tour is called “Ending on a high note“.
Additional concert added for December 3, 2010 | 10-19-09
a-ha’s final concert on December 4, 2010 sold out within two hours. An additional concert has now been added on Friday, December 3 at the Oslo Spektrum. Tickets for the December 3 concert will go on sale on Wednesday, October 21 at 10:00am CET via Billettservice.
The final world tour is being called “Ending on a high note.”
A while ago whilst in Germany (I don’t know which city this show is recorded), the band pre-recorded a video interview for a German show with Host, Mario Barth.
Here’s the video :
With thanks to darkisthenight for the news and thanks to lionheike for the upload.
From the Norwegian newspaper VG today 17.10.2009:
Planned two more albums
a-ha’s German label has originally an option for two more albums with the Norwegian trio.
Even so, the band’s manager Harald Wiik don’t think it will be a problem in ending the contract with the German mediacompany ProSiebenSat1 and their recordlabel We Love Music
- They have not asked to renew their option and we have not asked for it, but therfore neither is the posibilities to cooperate on the possibilities of further cooperation, says Wiik to VG.
- Since ProSiebenSat1 is a media company, there can be talks of doing everything from live DVD and TV specials to arranging farewell concerts in Germany this next year. It would have been unatural and disshonest not to cooperate further, since the mediacompany have given the a-ha brand a huge lift. Both ProSiebenSat1 and Universal Music has layed down alot of resources and energy in a-ha, Wiik says.
Wiik however is very keen to say that a-ha does’nt have any extra comitments in relations to the recordlabel as it is in a-ha’s case not talk about payed out advances.
RENEGOTIATED
a-ha originally signed a 3 album deal with the German part of Universal Music in May 2004, but the Norwegian trio, who through their company a-ha network, owns all their mastertapes and licence out their recordings, renegotiated this deal last year. Universal is still included as partner, but new main partner became / is ProSiebenSat1
a-ha network has precently 4 different licences for a-ha’s albums;
We Love Music ( ProSiebenSat1 and UniversalGermany )
Universal Norway
and an indie label for Japan
and an indie label for south america
a-ha’s break up will be no problem for Universal Norway because of current events
- The contract was non problematic, as it covered first and foremost what is already released, says Petter Singsaas of Universal Norway.
This info appeared in the paer version of VG pn 17.10.2009
Thanks to Mortyman on WOTM for this translation.
World tour news! | 10-16-09
Update: October 16
Here are a few small updates to the previously announced 2010 world tour information. Keep in mind that although the following timeframes and countries are not 100% confirmed, we understand this is the general tour schedule for 2010. As specific cities, venues and dates are confirmed, we’ll add them to the Upcoming Events page.
* In March, a-ha will spend approximately three weeks touring in South America.
* There will be a two-week tour of North American cities in May.
* The summer months take a-ha back to Europe and the UK for some festivals.
* Fans in Tokyo and Osaka will have the chance to see a-ha at the Summer Sonic Festival.
* There is going to be a European tour to round up everything in October and November.
* a-ha’s final concert on December 4, 2010 in Oslo is now sold out.
The timeframe for tour dates in Australia is not confirmed, but it is the band’s ambition to include Australia on the tour.
The updated and original post from 28th July 2009 on a-ha.com!
by Mortyman on Oct 16th, ‘09, 16:56
* a-ha may do as many as 80 concerts on their last tour.
* it is possible that they will earn 300 million Norwegian Kroner.
* The price for the tickets are 500 NOK. Harald wiik admits that a-ha could no doubt have demanded more money pr. ticket considering it’s their last tour, but has made it clear that they are not to skin their fans of money…
I went to see if I could buy a couple more tickets to the final concert on www.billetservice.no and it said I had to select less than the number of tickets I had selected, which was only 2. I tried Standing and then Seated tickets and I couldn’t get 2 tickets, so folks I think this means either the ticketing system is offline, or the concert has sold out! I’m sure the concert’s Sold Out.
Also I noticed on the right hand side of the purchasing page, which I didn’t notice yesterday it says:
ending on a high note Avskjedskonsert
(Avskjedskonsert translates to the farewell concert)
I also noticed a-ha network presenterer (which translates to a-ha network presents a-ha) and I didn’t notice this earlier.
I’ve been thinking since this morning that every concert next year will be a farewell concert of some kind, a farewell for that city, farewell for the country, farewell for the fans who’ve supported them over the years and so on, it really is ending on a high note!
I definitely hope there are more concerts announced in Oslo but perhaps a few more around Norway, it would be such a shame because it’s a beautiful country to limit shows to Oslo only.
I will of course keep this blog running as long as possible and want to remind you of the individual groups on facebook for fans of Morten, Magne and Savoy:
Morten Harket facebook fangroup
Magne F “Furuholics” facebook fangroup
Michelle Hare has created an a-ha facebook group “Let’s Make A-ha Number One Again Before They Split Up!” and I think this is achievable but it’s going to take a lot of fan support to make it happen. I’ve asked Michelle which song(s) would fans download and when. I’ve joined her group and would love to be part of something big the fans have organised and I know we can do it!
I know most of us still can’t believe the announcement yesterday, but if you’ve bought tickets for the final show RSVP on facebook.
RSVP on facebook
Just login to your facebook account, then click on the above link and either select attending, maybe attending or not attending.
If you know someone on facebook whose going, please feel free to send them the above link.
By RSVPing it let’s the organiser(s) know exactly how many fans on facebook plan to attend the event.
I don’t want to put any pressure on anyone but I think a-ha Ireland organised a brilliant fan party in Trondheim and I heard the Dublin one was a lot of fun too, but unfortunately I’ve only attended one. What do you say guys?
I also think a-ha.com should be able to organise an official fan party but I doubt they will, so whoever wants to step up and organise now’s the time to start thinking venues etc. maybe there’ll need to be more than one fan party. I guess it depends on numbers and of course venue capacity etc.
The right time for a-ha to say goodbye is a title by Graham Lacey on his Nearvana blog. Graham’s most recent blog has moved me to tears!
Bypass my rambling and go straight to his blog, the link (is at the bottom) of the page.
This morning, I woke up from a restless night’s sleep. In fact every time I woke up during the night, I asked myself is it true? The announcement on a-ha.com yesterday cannot be true. It’s too soon! I knew it had to happen one day but next year – its too close. So anyway I thought perhaps I’d woken from some bizarre dream bought on by an extended and very recent dose of the Flu, during my illness I had some strange very lifelike dreams/nightmares in the past two weeks, but I wake up and just 20 minutes later reality sinks in – I don’t want it to be true! Why can’t we go in a time machine and set it for another 10 years? I guess even if they were to go on another 10 years it still wouldn’t be long enough and now Morten’s 50 and has kids who are almost old enough to be married and start families of their own I guess its time for the band to go out on a high. I’m disappointed we’ve only had 9 albums in a way because I truly believe there should be one final album, even if its a re-mastered Best of with a few new songs, live performance favourites but it looks like Foot of the Mountain is the final album and they’re going out on a high — they’ve reached the Summit of the Mountain!
a-ha are the Soundtrack of My Years! I’ve loved all the albums. I’ve loved all the singles and the concerts that I’ve been fortunate enough to go to from my first two Sydney, Australia shows 21st and 22nd June 1986 (they had 4 Sydney shows) on the “1986/1987 World Tour”, this band didn’t need a fancy tour name, to my reunion concert with the band on 20th August 2005 at my very first home-soil concert at The Frognerparken, Oslo, Norway which attracted over 120,000 fans and is down in history as the biggest crowd gathered on Norwegian soil!
Here’s my favourite song off the Analogue album called “Celice” filmed at The Frognerparken concert in Oslo.
My next gig is just 4 months later and sees me at Wembley Arena, its not the fancy Wembley Stadium because that hasn’t been built yet, it sees me in a rather windy and very cold (its December people) tent. I have a Row 20 something seat. I’m happy to be there and I can see the stage. I’m sitting next to a new a-ha buddy named Richard. A few songs in and I’m thinking How many a-ha shows can I get to whilst I’m living in the UK? I may as well enjoy myself whilst I’m here. a-ha’s a passion that couldn’t be fueled due to distance but I’m craving more live shows and the flame has well and truly been ignited.
My head wanders back to 1986 and to my birthplace, Sydney, Australia.
On a cold June winter’s day I went to meet a-ha’s plane at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport and met with three gorgeous Norwegian’s who had no idea they’d have a couple of hundred girls waiting for them. Paul arrived very shy and with a rope shoulder cord on his acoustic guitar and very little english, or was that because he was shy? I have a photo of their arrival at the airport back home in a box in Australia and how I wish I had it with me right now so I could share it with you all. I can’t recall, but I think Magne had a skateboard with him – my memory of it changes quite a bit as the days and years go by because my memory isn’t as good as it used to be. I guess that’s expected now that I’m in my 40’s. Some days its like it happened yesterday and little things are remembered and then other days I can barely remember how long I waited, what was said and for the life of me I cannot remember the setlist for the Australian concerts. A friend of mine has given me a bootleg from one of the Sydney shows and listening back to it it’s a miracle I could hear the songs, the screaming is unbelievable.
I remember bits and pieces of the first Sydney concert (State Theatre) because a group of us went by their hotel and met the guys too. I gave Morten a stuffed Kangaroo soft toy and for Paul and Magne each a stuff Koala soft toy and Morten did most of the talking, it seems Magne or Mags as he was known then and Paul were very shy. I couldn’t judge their level of English too well they didn’t say much. Morten seemed to do most of the talking, then it was follow the car as they headed to the venue, we jumped on a train and got there 10-15 minutes later and had just missed their arrival at the theatre. For two nights I was glued to my seat, listening to every lyric Morten sang, singing along and watching every sway of Morten’s hips, he’s a handsome man and for me in the early days, it was how hot Morten was, but after those two concerts and listening to favourite songs Hunting High and Low it didn’t take long to fall in love with the songs and then it turned into being about the music, but yes Morten and Mags were cute too (back then I was 19). Even my Mum said Morten was a very handsome fellow. I guess because I played the vinyl album, yes all album releases were vinyl back then, my Mum started singing the songs and even Dad said they had some catchy tunes and he usually refused to play his kids music in his car, but with a-ha and the lure of a mixed tape of songs from HH&L it had pride and place in Dad’s car stereo (in those days it was a stereo even if you just had a radio and cassette deck in your car) my Dad loved the mixed tape, so we spent many months visiting relatives and singing along in the car. My Dad is a very good bass player (self-taught) and tried to show me a few guitar tabs he’d picked up but I had no talent in that department. Oh how I wish I had put some effort into it back in the day. I would love nothing more than be able to pick up a guitar and strum some of my favourite guitar pieces at home. I’m wondering if I’ve left it too late to learn. I can’t think of a better time to learn a-ha’s music than now, although it should’ve been in my youth and I’ve got my eye on a Hello Kitty guitar and wonder if I can pick it up and learn a-ha’s guitar tabs. I’m seriously thinking of learning for my own benefit. I won’t be forming any a-ha tribute bands.
Another recollection I have is their appearances on Australia’s No. 1 Music program called Countdown. Countdown was a Melbourne based live music performance show, although it wasn’t until I saw Mag’s keyboard not plugged into the power on one performance of Train of Thought that I realised this isn’t a true live performance show, but never-the-less they were a hit on the show and I’m sure they were on there a second time, or maybe sang more than two songs on the one show. One memory I have from that is seeing Morten with my favourite Australian chocolate bar in his pocket live on Countdown. It was a Violet Crumble (a chocolate covered honeycombe bar). I remember how they acted out the Train of Thought video with bits of the video in it and a train of thought makes man live in the studio reading a newspaper at a desk. I think a-ha actually co-hosted one show, they also appeared and possibly performed at The Annual Countdown Awards, which was the Australian Music Industry’s Night of Nights to Awards for Outstanding Male Singer, Best Australian band, Best Australian live band, best Australian album, Outstanding Australian Female Singer, Best Overseas Band, Outstanding overseas act etc, it might have been the one show, but for me I seem to think they were on the show a couple of times during their Australian tour. I wish I had a video of the performance to share with you because they were fantastic.
I’ve found the Official ABC television Countdown website. It has information about the band, as well as pictures from their appearance(s) on the show Countdown : a-ha Unfortunately, they don’t have any video clips. I think I remember Morten announced a Winner at one of the Countdown Award shows but I can’t remember who the award went to etc.
Performing on CountdownAnyway, I could be writing this story for months to cover the next 20 years. I want to ask you to read a blog a guy named Graham has written. He’s a more talented blogger than I am and he sums it up perfectly, he’s written pretty much everything I wanted to express and for the record Memorial Beach is my favourite album, it’s melancholy but I think it was the right time for a-ha to dig deeper and be judged on the music and not for their boyish good looks. It was the right time for a deep and meaningful album to get away from Norwegian Pop Gods, a label they clearly weren’t happy with. Memorial Beach had outstanding songs like Cold As Stone, Angel in the Snow, Locust, Lie Down in Darkness, How Sweet It Was and Lamb to the Slaughter.
My second favourite album is East of the Sun, West of the Moon (EOTSWOTM). I thought their 1990’s break was after EOTSWOTM but apparently it was before. I didn’t know about the reunion until 2000. I had just moved from Sydney to the UK and went to my local record shop/internet cafe and saw the Minor Earth Major Sky cd on the stand and then heard the songs over the shop’s speakers, but unfortunately I had no permanent home at the time and no income and very limited access to the internet so I had no idea they had a website and I didn’t hear any mention of a tour so I missed it, if there was one for MEMS and I didn’t really know they were back again properly until just a few weeks after the Royal Albert Hall gig on the Lifelines tour in 2002 so I’m totally gutted I missed the Lifelines Tour. It was for a reason I cannot recall now I had discovered the website in 2003/2004 and signed up to the a-ha.com newsletter and received emails about new releases etc. and although it took me a 19 year gap for me to see them in concert again, The Frognerparken was everything and more that I had dreamed about. I was moved to tears being on Norwegian soil, my very first visit to Norway, seeing the band again after 19 years, hearing new songs that I felt an instant liking to. I was very emotional and almost every time I’ve been back to Oslo, I re-visit The Frognerparken, sit down with my iPod listening to a bootleg of the concert and remember the excitement of that very special night in 2005. I hope the memories don’t fade. I’ve had lots of fun in the past 25 years. I’m truly touched by a-ha’s music!
Karen
p.s I have to mention I clarified some information on the very well documented a-ha diary website, which starts off in 1984 and goes by year through to 2009. Please check it out because the a-ha diary is the best information site online for the fans to use as a source.
My final questions are: What’s going to happen to a-ha.com? What’s going to happen to Cold As Stone and West of the Moon forums?
I fully intend to keep this blog going as long as possible, although it’d focus on the guys solo careers – be that in art, raising awareness of environmental concern and supporting charities, or though solo music, politics etc.
I hope everyone stays in touch with friends via facebook, email, phone, myspace etc. Some special life-long friendships have formed and just because a-ha are retiring I don’t want to lose touch with some very dear people who have become friends, even though we sometimes only meet just before a concert, on a flight to a concert, at the hotel the night before the concert etc. Some of us have very like-minded musical interests and a love of travelling to Norway, Norwegian art and culture, so this should keep us content and we can always reminisce about the music and the concerts and keep the memories alive!
Graham’s blog:
The right time for a-ha to say goodbye
This date will forever be in my memory, the day a-ha announced the break-up!
I was surprised to find Magne at his preview art show tonight. I thought maybe he might not show up because he didn’t want to talk about the announcement of the band breaking up today, but we arrived at the same time. No words were exchanged but I gave him a smile. Actually, at the time I was too distraught to say anything. As I write this now I’m still moody and close to tears. I’d like to wake up in the morning to find it wasn’t real but I know that it is. I knew it had to end sometime but next year, its a bit too soon. I’m also upset about all the fansites that we’ve spent hours keeping up to date and for the friendships that have formed. I will definitely keep my blog going as long as I can and thank everyone for the comments and nice words to say about it.
I saw some lovely friends: Ruth, Gitz, Chris F, Karen, Geraldine, Laura, Vicky, Kellie, Belinda, Netta, Chaz, Roz and Julia. I’m sorry if I left anyone out. I know faces I’m just really rubbish at remembering names. It was great to see you!
Anyway, here’s some of the pieces from the collection. I didn’t photograph all of them:
Thanks to Gitz for posing beside QRS.
Photos by Karen Christiansen-Wilson.
A-HA SAY GOODBYE WITH A FAREWELL TOUR 2010 | 10-15-09
- 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!
When Morten and Magne were here last month promoting Nothing Is Keeping You Here they did an interview for Bliss.
With thanks to NorgeTroll2 for the uploads.
Here’s some information on buying Shadowside:
1. Shadowside 3.31 (New single version)
2. Mother Nature Goes To Heaven 4.34 (Demo version)
Shadowside produced by Martin Terefe and Roland Spremberg. Mother Nature Goes To Heaven produced by a-ha.
Order your copy of the CD single now at Amazon.de!
here: www.amazon.de (this is a short but direct link to the cd)
or; here’s the long link for Amazon.de.
The cost is EUR3.99 each + postage and it’s a physical release set for 16th October 2009.
Karen
With thanks to Beatrice for the heads-up on the release.
An original article posted on a-ha.com
The Norwegian Embassy in London has published an article about Magne’s alpha-beta exhibition.
Read the article here.
I’ve just received an Invitation through the post to attend the Private view of Magne’s alpha-beta exhibition in London in a couple of weeks.
Here’s the cover of the invitation.
It’s the letter O from the Norwegian alphabet in four colours (left is purple, then dark grey/black, light grey and white with beige/gold).
On the reverse of the front image titled ‘O‘. It lists the print information.
Monotype on somerset 410 gsm white satin signed and number, 2009 31 x 31cm, edition of 46. From the portfolio alpha-beta.
Also on the back of the invitation it has the date of the private viewing and the Exhibition date is October 16th – November 21st, 2009. Open 10am – 6pm Wed-Sat.
PAUL STOLPER
31 Museum Street
London WC1A 1LH
It has the Norwegian Embassy logo printed on the bottom right of the invitation and BISOL printed in Italy on the left hand side.
It also included an information sheet about the alpha-beta exhibition with information about the artist and the limited edition 12 inch vinyl Word Symphony and says the first 500 prints are initially offered to the opening of the exhibition, on a strict first-come-first-served basis, at the pre-publication price of £240 inc shipping and packing. Prints will be delivered in early November.
In 4 weeks today we’ll be enjoying the concert at London’s O2 Arena!
This is the first Winter tour since the Analogue tour in November and December 2005 and back then they did quite a few shows compared to just 3 dates in the UK this November.
If anyone has a photo of the UK tour poster, please send it through to me by email and you’ll receive a mention and please let us know where you saw the poster. I haven’t seen any in or around London and wonder if any were put up at all.
Apologies for the delay in posting this article but I’ve been away from home for a few days.
Thanks to Beatrice for posting the article and link to me.
A-Ha are back!
Monday 28 September 2009
The ’80s are currently having a bit of a revival, but it’s not just shoulder pads and ‘MC Hammer pants’ that have made a welcome return!
Legendary Norwegian pop trio A-Ha are back with a vengeance, and we are happy to report that a) their new album takes the band back to it’s synth-poppy best and b) hunky lead singer Morten Harket is still looking as HOT as ever!
Obviously we jumped at the chance to interview the ’80s hearthrob… So here is Closer Online taking on Morten Harket! (Sorry, we couldn’t resist)
So… 2009 has been treating you quite well, hasn’t it?
It’s been a great year so far – we had the album out and it seems to be doing pretty well, and then we have the tour coming up later in the year. But one of the biggest highlights was when Foot Of The Mountain got picked as the official song for the World Championships in Athletics in Berlin. That was quite special.
What was the inspiration behind the album/ new single?
We wanted to go back to the original A-Ha sound from when we started out in the ’80s. We have tried different things but I think we lost something along the way when we steered away from our true sound, so we went back to that.
’80s fashion has had a bit of a comeback, would you ever go back to your curtains and retro outfits?
When the ’80s happened I was enjoying them. I wasn’t a party animal but it was our big time. But you can’t bring back that feeling – there might be an ’80s revival and people might think the fashion is cool again but it’s not the same because it happened against a completely different cultural and historical backdrop. But I might wear my old clothes again if it made sense – I’m still the same size as I was back then.
How do you keep fit?
I don’t really exercise as such; I just keep busy. But I have learnt a lot about health and I don’t drink a lot of alcohol or smoke. I never have.
What is the most unusual thing on your tour rider?
I don’t really have anything that unusual on my list, but I don’t eat any wheat. I don’t have an intolerance but my body reacts to it very quickly and it makes me fat, sloppy, docile and boring. It slows me down and takes away my energy, which is the opposite of what food should do. It’s not a good food for anyone to eat. I also try to stay away from potatoes and cereal, all that stuff.
Do you have any hobbies? What do you do in your spare time?
I’m not much of a ’song and dance’ man in my leisure time. When I have time out I like to sit down and think about the meaning of things. I’m more of an observing person.
Have you heard of Susan Boyle?
Yes I have, I think she is a wonderful singer. She has a great voice and seems to transform when she starts to sing. It’s beautiful.
If you could speak to anyone from the past, dead or alive, who would it be?
I would be very interested in talking to someone who has passed over to the other side. I wouldn’t be picky at all, I think it would be fascinating to talk to anyone who is no longer a solid being. I wouldn’t be scared of a ghost, just very curious. So if anybody from the other side would is around, I would like to have a chat.
‘Nothing Is Keeping You Here’ is out now released on Universal Music Record Label (UMRL).
Updated: 3rd October 2009
Magne F
ALPHA BETA
AN EXCLUSIVE OFFER AVAILABLE ON A FIRST-COME FIRST-SERVED BASIS AND FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY:
AS PART OF A SELECT GROUP YOU CAN NOW PURCHASE AN ORIGINAL MAGNE F PRINT FROM THE NEW SERIES ‘ALPHA-BETA’ TOGETHER WITH A LIMITED EDITION 12” VINYL RECORD AT THE REDUCED PRE-PUBLICATION PRICE OF £240 INCLUDING PACKING & SHIPPING.
The new Magne F portfolio ‘Alpha-Beta’ is published by Paul Stolper and consists of 30 individual prints – one for every letter in the alphabet, including the 3 specifically Norwegian characters æ, ø, å, and an exclamation mark. The portfolio will be offered to collectors and institutions and presented in Oslo, London, and New York, October/November 2009.
Click here to go to the gallery’s Store and purchase a print.
Thanks to Ørjan Nilsson for the news and link.
Here’s a link to the above newsletter Alpha Beta which was emailed to subscribers of Magne’s art website.
You can sign-up for Magne’s art newsletter here (this link takes you to his website).
and a screencap preview of the most recent newsletter about Alpha Beta
Morten and Magne were guests on the Sky1/Sky Sports1 show Soccer AM this morning. Soccer AM is hosted by Tim Lovejoy and Helen Chamberlain. Soccer AM’s a Sky Sports football magazine show.
As you can see, the guys were wearing football shirts in the colours red and white. This is the replica team shirt for their favourite team Stoke City.
It wasn’t the usual boring questions about Take On Me, they talked about football a little bit and it had interesting moments. They both looked like they enjoyed talking about football.
Watch the interview here
Here’s a story from the Soccer AM site today:
Potty for Potters
Stoke are huge in Norway a-ha duo explainaudience
Last updated: 26th September 2009
a-ha duo Morten Harket and Magne Furuholmen dropped into the Soccer AM studios on Saturday to talk about their love for Stoke City.
Proudly wearing their replica Potters shirts the duo – who came to fame in the ’80s after the release of the huge hit, Take on Me – revealed they were constantly having to explain why they support the Premier League outfit.
The boys are in the UK to promote their new single, Nothing is Keeping You Here, but they were more than happy to talk football too.
“We’re from Norway and everyone in Norway is a Stoke City fan,” said Magne. “Well, there might be a couple of Liverpool supporters as well!”
“It goes back to 1972/73,” added Morten. “Those were big years for Stoke. Gordon Banks obviously was massive back then and Peter Shilton as well a little later on.”
“So that’s what threw us,” said Magne. “Because when we’ve been saying we’re Stoke fans, everyone in England has been saying ‘why?’ And we can’t get our heads around that question because Stoke was and still is the biggest team for everyone (in Norway).”
Naturally, Helen and Max had lots more questions for them about Stoke and of course their new single, including…
Did they used to collect football stickers as well?
Why don’t they have a video yet for their new single?
And… who did the artwork for their new album cover?
24.09.09
Live from Studio Five
Updated: 25.09.09
Hosts: Left to Right are Melinda Messenger, Ian Wright and Kate Walsh chat with Guests: a-ha’s Morten Harket and Magne Furuholmen
click here to watch the interview on my Vimeo site
The new a-ha single ‘Nothing Is Keeping You Here’ was released in the UK earlier this week and is now available for download on iTunes, HMV.co.uk and other music sites. To promote the single, Morten and Magne are now back in the UK for several days, and will be doing some interviews and television appearances. Catch the guys on the following programs:
Live from Studio Five
September 24 at 6:30pm
This is a magazine show hosted by Ian Wright, Melinda Messenger and Kate Walsh.
The Vault
September 25, Sky Channel 366
Morten and Magne will host a Vault Channel takeover during ‘The Vault/Through the Years with…’
Soccer AM
September 26 at 9:00am
Morten and Magne will be on this popular weekly football program. The guys have long been Stoke City fans, so don’t expect the couch chat to be only about music!
In addition, the guys will do various radio interviews, including BBC Bristol, BBC Manchester, Swansea Sound, Smooth, Bauer Scottish, and more. Be sure to also keep an eye on the newsstands in the coming days for the latest from the guys in UK print media!
‘Foot of the Mountain’ on ‘Sekai Gyoten News’ in Japan | 09-22-09
The popular weekly Japanese TV show ‘Sekai Gyoten News’ will feature ‘Foot of the Mountain’ during the ending credits of each show this season!
‘Sekai Gyoten News’ is a TV program specifically meant to introduce odd or surprising news from around the world. The program is broadcast by Nippon Television Network Corporation (‘NTV’), one of the largest TV broadcasting companies in Japan.
Watched by approximately 20 million people every week, the show is on every Wednesday from 21:00 – 21:54. The background music changes for the ending credits on a quarterly basis and they picked a-ha for the song of the upcoming quarter. The artists of the songs used in the past few quarters are Sean Kingston, PLACEBO and Britney Spears.
The ‘Foot of the Mountain’ album will be released in Japan on November 4, and a-ha will play a concert in Tokyo on November 25.
Related Links:
Nippon Television Music Corporation’s site:
- Janapanese
- English>a/>
On the 19th September, the band performed: The Sun Always Shines on TV, Shadowside (single version), Foot of the Mountain and Take on Me. (Thanks Sandra) at the new pop festival in Baden Baden, Germany.
They were also interviewed in front of a live audience and had funny answers to the questions and it sounded like they were enjoying themselves.
The guys also received the “Pioneer of Pop” Award.
You can read more about this under the SWR3 New Pop Festival blog.
Another review of Nothing Is Keeping You Here bandweblogs.com
The keyboard driven rhythmic opening of “Nothing Is Keeping You Here” quickly gives way to Morten Harket’s trademark, rich and troubled vocal as A-ha explore the melancholy of potential loss. Swathed in beats and deep orchestration, the new single mix of the track is a stark contrast to the more measured instrumentation of the album version. The single was remixed by Steve Osborne (New Order, Placebo, Suede, Elbow).
a-ha | Foot of the Mountain (Universal Int’l.)
Written by Laura Hamlett
Thursday, 10 September 2009
Songs such as “The Bandstand,” “Foot of the Mountain” and “Mother Nature Goes to Heaven” are instant a-ha classics: catchy keyboard lines, solid guitar accompaniment, and the best pipes to ever come out of Norway.
It’s no surprise that Foot of the Mountain, a-ha’s ninth studio release, begins with a catchy keyboard line. Also to be expected is Morten Harket’s soft, smooth and swelling falsetto: always inviting, often awe-inspiring (have you heard how long he holds that note on “Summer Moved On”? Incredible). I suppose that, as Americans, we should also not be shocked by the fact that Foot of the Mountain wasn’t released in the United States…again.
This is the digital age, however, and music can be bought and downloaded in an instant; no more spending outrageous sums then waiting for air mail to deliver. As a long-time a-ha follower (yes, I do have every single release; what of it?), I’ve never been happier to live in the 21st century. Though most of my countrymen consider a-ha a one-hit wonder (“Hunting High and Low” was 24 years ago; the band has released countless songs since then), I’ve stayed abreast of their releases, finding something to love about each one.
Though Foot of the Mountain isn’t my favorite-ever a-ha album—of this decade’s releases, I’m still quite fond of 2002’s Minor Earth Major Sky—it’s certainly one that will receive plenty of spins on my iPod. Songs such as “The Bandstand,” “Foot of the Mountain” and “Mother Nature Goes to Heaven” are instant a-ha classics: catchy keyboard lines, solid guitar accompaniment, and the best pipes to ever come out of Norway. Overall, the album’s an uplifting listen, equally enjoyable through headphones or as background music while driving. (It’s OK; go ahead and belt that one out. It’s good, yes?)
a-ha opens things with “The Bandstand” and these vivid lines from Harkett: “You stand in the doorway/ A block up the street/ Ringing the doorbell/ There’s tapping of feet/ High yellow hair/ And a worn brown suit…/ Enter, and break the news.” In the band’s best work, a-ha tells stories, paints characters, reveals worlds. Nearly a quarter century on and the guys-the original lineup—Harket, Magne Furuholmen (Mags) and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy—still have it.
“Shadowside” is a slow burner; you sense the guitars wanting to amp it up but Harket’s voice keeps things well in control. The anthemic “Nothing Is Keeping You Here” finds Harket observing: “From the world; detached/ Unto a girl you latched/ It never got too far.” Simple, yet brilliant. On the uplifting “Mother Nature Goes to Heaven,” lush instrumentation builds a wall of gorgeous sound over which Harket lays his voice. “Sunny Mystery” seems to soar atop a warm breeze, while album closer “Start the Stimulator” ends with the dream-filled promise of more: “We’re going to fly so high/ Into the rendered sky/ We’re going to be all right/ Inside the endless night.”
Maybe the three guys in a-ha sold their souls to the devil. Their music’s as good as ever, their lyrical insights are remarkable, they can’t seem to put out a bad album (hell, I can’t even name a single song that’s bad-oh, wait, “Touchy” comes close). Perhaps the real proof, though, lies in the fact that the guys don’t look old enough to have been making music for 25 years…masters every one of them. A- | Laura Hamlett.
A-ha ‘Nothing Is Keeping You Here’ New Single
08-09-09
LONDON, UK (Top40 Charts/ A-Ha Official Website) – The second UK single from Foot of the Mountain, ‘Nothing Is Keeping You Here’, will be released on September 21 as a digital download. The track listing for the single is not yet confirmed, but we’ll update here once we have more information.
Ken Bruce of BBC Radio 2 premiered the new mix of a-ha’s next UK single, ‘Nothing Is Keeping You Here’ which will be released on September 21.
A recording of today’s Ken Bruce show is available for the next week on the BBC Radio 2 website.
The remix is an addition to the album version. It does make you feel like you’re getting something new when you buy the single. The harder drums and sound goes perfect with Morten’s smooth vocals!
Nothing Is Keeping You Here is #19 on the UK pre-release airplay charts!
With thanks to Chris F.
Also, here’s a bigger image of the single cover artwork
Updated: 21st September 2009
Added photo of the Pioneer of Pop award the band received on
The guys sign the Golden Book of the City of Baden Baden (Thanks Sandra).
On the 19th September, the band performed: The Sun Always Shines on TV, Shadowside (single version), Foot of the Mountain and Take on Me. (Thanks Sandra) at the new pop festival in Baden Baden, Germany.
They were also interviewed in front of a live audience and had funny answers to the questions and it sounded like they were enjoying themselves.
The guys also received the “Pioneer of Pop” Award.
Thanks to foxhunting for the above video link.
Part 1 and Part 2 of the a-ha interview from the SWR3 Lounge.
Thanks to Ellen for the interview clips.
I posted a couple of blogs about the Senkveld performance on 11th September and 12th September.
The guys were interviewed on the show and then performed the new remix single of Shadowside.
Watch the interview and the performance below.
What do you think of the new remix for the Shadowside?
Please comment and/or rate this story.
Thanks to Ellen for the YouTube links.
On Saturday, 26th September 2009 a-ha on the Sky Sports 1 show called Soccer A.M.
The show is broadcast from 9am to 12 Noon on Sky Sports 1.
I’ll post more information when it becomes available.
An announcement on a-ha’s Official Twitter said Norwegian band Donkeyboy will open for a-ha in the UK and in Oslo this November!
Edited: 28.09.09
Added the tour poster with thanks to Béatrice G.
a-ha will perform live in Paris, France at Bobino Hall.
Buy tickets here from 18th September 2009.
The venue is quite small so I suggest you buy your tickets quickly.
The Bobino Hall website.
Thanks to Béatrice G. and Marie L.
A Name Is A Name will screen at the Macedonian Film Festival in Toronto 15th October. I’ve received an invitation but its impossible for me to attend, because I live in the United Kingdom.
The film screening is on the Opening Night of the Festival. The Director, Sigurjon Einarsson and the Producer, Jason Miko will be at the event.
A cross between a documentary and a feature film, A Name is a Name is instead, a classic ‘road film’, made largely on the proverbial and literal road over a period of seven months in the Republic of Macedonia. At its heart, the film is about a group of people who call themselves Macedonians and what it means to them to be known as such.
Synopsis:
The story line is that of a Scandinavian man who comes to Macedonia, rents a motorcycle, and travels around the country talking to Macedonians from all classes and backgrounds. The traveler, as he is known, never speaks on camera and in fact, we never learn his name or what country he hails from (in reality, the traveler is portrayed by director Sigurjon Einarsson). Instead, his thoughts are conveyed through Sir Andrew Motion with subtitles in English for the interviews. Sigurjon Einarsson Interspersed throughout the conversations will be Macedonia itself – the stunning landscapes and scenery that make up this gentle country and ancient land. Places and points of interest – monasteries and mosques, historical and archeological sites, towns, little hamlets and cities, lakes and mountains – that make Macedonia what it has been and what it is today. All these will be artfully woven into the narrative.
Musical tracks donated by Macedonian and internationally known artists will be artfully woven throughout the entire production.
Director: Sigurjon Einarsson was born in Iceland but has now lived in Norway for the last 22 years. He has made numerous TV programs and documentary films, as well as over 300 TV commercials and music videos and his 25 years of filmmaking has taken him around the world. In addition to his filmmaking, Sigurjon has been involved with the music industry and he has worked closely with Morten Harket for the past 18 years. Sigurjon was involved in the East Timor struggle for independence and produced a film about that sad story. As he finishes his film about the Macedonian fight for rights he is moving along with two new documentary films – about people and stories that need a spotlight.
Duration: 50 minutes
Classification: Documentary
Director: Sigurjon Einarsson
Writer: Sigurjon Einarsson and Jason Miko
Producers: Jason Miko
Producer: Jason Miko has an eclectic background in accounting, public relations, lobbying, politics, economic development, international development and NGOs but labels himself a writer since he spends much of his time doing that.
An Arizona native by birth and Hungarian by ethnicity by half, Jason has spent 20 years involved in the Balkans and Washington, DC working with a number of private sector firms and organizations in a variety of capacities.
His travel to 49 countries around the world and extensive time spent living in two has taught him to be patient, learn as much as possible about other cultures, know his history, have fun along the way and leave a lasting and positive impact.
Jason graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson in 1988. He enjoys reading, creative writing, music, travel, geo-political discussions, fine wine, craft beer, swimming and running.
Morten’s involvement is singing the theme song “A Name is a Name” which is a song from his 2008 solo album “Letter From Egypt”.
A list of all the movies and screening times
The Macedonian Film Festival’s website.
A-Ha return, hot off the back of their massive hit album Foot Of The Mountain, with their brand new single Nothing Is Keeping You Here on 21 September 2009 released on Universal Music Record Label (UMRL).
The keyboard driven rhythmic opening of Nothing Is Keeping You Here quickly gives way to Morten Harket’s trademark, rich and troubled vocal as A-ha explore the melancholy of potential loss. Swathed in beats and deep orchestration, the new single mix of the track is a stark contrast to the more measured instrumentation of the album version. The single was remixed by Steve Osborne (New Order, Placebo, Suede, Elbow).
Commenting on their return to their synth roots, Morten Harket explained, “The challenge is to figure out what direction to take. A song like The Sun Always Shines On TV is a good example. It’s essentially a ballad but we put a pounding beat to it – it turned into a power track. With this album, we tried different versions of the songs, but in the end we came back to synths. It’s how we started out in the ’80s before we became more interested in acoustic and analogue instruments. This is a return to synth-based thinking.”
A-ha’s Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Magne Furuholmen and Morten Harket have sold in excess of 36 million records and their ninth studio album Foot Of The Mountain looks set to continue the trend. Claiming their highest UK chart position in 21 years, the critically acclaimed album reached #5:
Following their triumphant show at Camden’s Roundhouse in July as part of the iTunes Live festival.
A-ha will return to the UK in November for a UK tour:
Tour Dates November 2009
Mon 2 Nov – National Indoor Arena – Birmingham
Tue 3 Nov – Manchester Evening News Arena – Manchester
Wed 4 Nov – O2 Arena – London
Updated: 19th September 2009
I’ve just set this up on my Sky+ box to record and clicking on the information button it says a-ha perform exclusively!
18th September 2009
According to a very reliable friend, a-ha will do an interview and perform “Nothing Is Keeping You Here” on ITV1’s This Morning show on Friday, 25th September.
This Morning airs weekdays on ITV1 at 10:30am to 11:25am and then 11:30am to 12:30pm. (You can also see the show broadcast 1 hour later on ITV1+1).
This hasn’t been confirmed on a-ha.com, nor does it appear on This Morning’s website, yet.
This Morning’s website.
Happy 1st Birthday to Morten and Inez’s daughter, Karmen Poppy Andersson Harket who was born 16th September 2008.
Concert in Tokyo, Japan November 25 | 09-14-09
It has been almost nine years since a-ha’s last concerts in Japan, and we’re very pleased to announce that a-ha will return to Japan for one live show on November 25 at JCB Hall! Tickets go on sale on October 3 at 10:00am.
Click here to read the original post on a-ha.com.
Dear Morten,
Happy 50th Birthday!
We wish you much love, happiness and we hope you enjoy reading these heartfelt poems from some of your fans because you make us smile, and your music means so much to many people all over the World. This is just a small tribute for you to enjoy on your Birthday and I want to thank Sigurjon for being so kind and passing these to you today.
Hei Morten, Jeg heter Karen. Jeg kommer fra Australia. Jeg bor i Storbritannia. Jeg snakker litt Norsk!
Firstly, I want to say how much I love your solo music. My favourite album is Letter from Egypt. I wanted to write a special something for your birthday, but I have never been able to write a poem, so I thought I’d let you know one of my absolute favourites of your songs is Send Me An Angel. I enjoyed hearing it live last year. Please release a Live album of your solo songs and I hope there won’t be such a delay between Letter from Egypt and the next album. See you in November and god bless!
Klem fra Karen Christiansen-Wilson
****************************************************
by Annalisa Maurantonio (Roma, Italy)
THE EQUATION
You stand to your guitar as I stand to my stylo
YOU : GUITAR = ME : STYLO
The question is:
Time stands to distance, as X to the life-span of a human being.
TIME : DISTANCE = X : LIFE
X = TIME x LIFE / DISTANCE
If you consider the value of time as eternity
And the value of distance as infinity
And life has the value of an instant
Then the result is that
X = LOVE,
That kind of love you need an instant (Life)
To make it last in time (Eternity)
And over distances (Infinity).
So…
YOU stand to LIFE as X stands to ME
YOU : LIFE = X : ME
X = YOU x ME / LIFE
X = LOVE.
A Birthday Limerick for Morten Harket
By Karen Inda
Reno, Nevada, USA
Now at fifty, Morten is not old!
He is handsome and youthful and bold.
He can still climb a tree,
He’s dynamic and free -
And he sings like an angel of gold.
With much appreciated guidance and a few lines from www.mepsnbarry.com
*****************************************************
Hei Hei Morten
Klem fra Charlotte fra Danmark.
TROLLEBURSDAGFESTEN
Det var ved at være høst og musikktrollen Morten hadde 50 års fødselsdag,bursdag d.14. September og der skulle være riktig stor fest i Trolleskogen Norski.
Alle trolle og dyr der boede i trolleskogen skulle være med til festen med familie og venner og hygge og skåle med trollekaffe og te og spise skogbærkake. Morten skulle synge sine kjempebra låte med sin kjempeflotte stemme og spille sin guitar som alltid veldig bra. Trollejentene ville gjerne synge bursdagslåt for han også. De kunne veldig godt like han.
Morten var veldig hyggelig og snill og interessant at være sammen med og snakke med også.
Alle i trolleskogen gledede seg veldig mye til festen og høre Morten synge og gi klem og ønske han Hjertelig Tillykke, Gratulere med bursdagen og de beste ønsker og lykke til og gi fin presang.
*****************************************************
The heart of Norway An ocean of crystalline water among endless silent spaces. Green lawns woods of birch tree and perfumed flowers of apple tree they disclose your beloved name. Enchanting earth you have given life to an angel with a puff and a pulsation of wings. I was not happy before to caress with my look his immortal lips? Ah, he doesn’t feel that that I feel but equally fill my thoughts and my more heart doesn’t belong me. Love for another time still. Would I perhaps to feel joy in this? Love, let me or not let me go!
****************************************************
From Jane, Belgium
Count your garden by the colorful flowers
never by the leaves that fall.
Count your days by the sunny hours
don’t remember clouds at all.
Count the nights by the stars, not shadows.
Count your years by the smiles, not sad days.
Count your blessings and not your troubles.
And with much joy on every birthday,
Count your life by FANS! not years.
WISHING YOU A BEAUTY OF A PERFECT DAY
THE LAUGHTER OF A HAPPY HEART
THE JOY OF BEING WITH PEOPLE YOU LOVE
****************************************************
by Daniela Rioux, 09/09/09
To Morten Harket on his 50th Birthday
Fifty years ago a special person was born
He touched our souls with his voice
And forever took our hearts
For his presence is so strong
And his beauty so deep
Our world is filled with joy,
Whenever he sings.
And everything else
Cease to exist.
****************************************************
by Silvia Barboza
I have met you in my dreams,
You were warm and sweet,
Stirring me in my night slumber,
Watching your marvelous eyes
The ones you shut when you sing,
I only had to open my arms to reach for you,
And shyly ask you for a song,
Nobody knows how fantastic could be
Admire somebody the way I do
When the song starts the heart too,
How great is being caressed
With your voice, while the music still sounds,
Many times, I have thank God,
For allowed me born
In the same century you did,
Such a pity might be not having had the chance to know you.
****************************************************
by Claudia (“Brynyld”) Manfredini, Italy
MIRROR
O Brother,
I see my mirror in you.
Restless souls
looking for some Grail.
Eyes searching
the folds of the Universe.
We are made of light
and kneaded with clay,
forever split
between reason and faith,
between the flesh and the spirit.
Give me your hand, my brother:
let me see
my reflection in your eyes.
My analogue,
my akin,
too near to me
to clearly see you.
O Brother, will we ever find
our way?
Eternally travelling.
Eternally fighting
with ourselves.
Opaque to the world.
Opaque to ourselves.
We’re concealing our thoughts
behind veils of mist.
Never give up,
my brother.
Stay on these roads,
because our roads are alike
and maybe someday
we shall meet.
****************************************************
from Ellen, Bensheim / Germany
You’re entering the Oldspace
it might come as a shock eventually
that you, still feeling young at heart,
are completing half a century
The older call it a man’s best age
-just keep going, you can’t fail
the younger laugh about it saying
you’re living a grandpa’s adventure tale
The lyrics might be harder to remember
the hair is slowly fading away
but after all you’ve got the voice
it’s still beautiful and will hopefully stay!
When you need more breathe to blow out the candles
then you ever needed for the longest note in show
the band colleagues pat your shoulder in sympathy
and the fans write saucy poems – then you know:
you’re fifty, fifty, fifty…
today I have a few lines with me
to congratulate Morten because he’s fifty!
****************************************************
Happy Birthday Morten
25 years and still going strong
Life choices you’ve told
Through the strength of your songs
We’ve followed your name
Through the wind and the rain
Hoping you’ve found happiness in your fame
We’ve been hunting high and low
For a greeting from the heart,
To wish you some joy on your day
Now your birthday is upon us
We give thanks for what you’ve brought us
And good luck for many years more
Half a century has now passed
Since the day god gave you life
Take a moment to think about the memories
All These Passing years have held,
Your Experiences great and small
That have made you who you are.
Thank you for being you
Helen Clarke
Aberdeenshire, Scotland
****************************************************
You were a teenage crush,
A fantasy . . .
I watched everything I could about you . . .
Dreaming I could meet you . . .
But then in a space of
21 days . . . my world changed . . .
I lost my mom and the man I loved
At 16 I was devastated, left without hope,
I was alone.
The words from your song
“Stay on these Roads”
Spoke to me, urged me to carry on.
I played it over and over.
In a way you saved my life.
Never underestimate the power of your songs,
Never underestimate the impact that it has.
Thank you A-ha and
Happy Birthday Morten!
by Gina Nel, South Africa
Hello,
Thankyou to everyone who sent me a Poem for Morten’s 50th Birthday tomorrow, but submissions have now closed.
I’ve made a Birthday blog post with the poems and I’ll email it to Sigurjon tonight, to be sure he has it to give or show Morten on the computer tomorrow. I’ll also make this blog post available so you can read the poems.
After I first announced this project, I thought I might be absolutely overwhelmed with poetry because there are a lot of Morten fans out there, but lucky for me I think the response has been fantastic yet not overwhelming so we have a nice amount for him to read, which isn’t going to take too long because I’m sure a lot of family and friends want to spend time with him tomorrow!
Karen
I’ve had an email back from Liz at the Paul Stolper Gallery in relation to the pieces in the exhibition.
There still has not been a decision made on the catalogue I’m afraid.
The works will not be on canvas. They will be 30 different limited edition silkscreens prints on paper – somerset 410 gsm white satin – and they will each be 31.5cm x 31.5cm. The edition size is 46 – the prices have not yet been confirmed.
If I can get the pricing information before the exhibition I’ll definitely post it here. I’m not sure there will be time to make up a catalogue and have it printed before the exhibition (next month) but I guess its still a possibility and depends how big the catalogue is in terms of content, pages and artwork. I certainly hope there’s one. I have two from past exhibitions and would like a third.
Jakob’s posted some screencaps of the guys from their interview and performance on Senkveld last night in Norway.
You can find a link to it here.
There’s not a video yet, but I’m sure that’ll change soon.
The exhibition is being held at the new gallery and not the same gallery where Monologues took place which was near Old Street.
The exhibition’s dates are 16th October to 21st November!
PAUL STOLPER 31 MUSEUM STREET LONDON WC1A 1LH +44(0)20 7580 7001
Paul Stolper
A followingup post from 31.08.09.
Here’s more of the pieces in the exhibition in Norway.
After viewing the above page (at Magne’s site), scroll down to Navigate >> and click on the >> and click through each page to the final Camera08 page.
There are Blue pieces as well as the Violet in the Camera exhibition series.
I hope some of these new pieces will form part of the “Alpha Beta” Exhibition happening next month in London.
10.09.09
a-ha will be guests on the Norwegian talkshow “Senkveld” on TV2 tomorrow night.
They will also do the first TV-performance of the “Shadowside”-single.
Thanks to Jakob for posting this on WOTM.
The song has made it to BBC Radio 2’s A Playlist!
How is the playlist selected?
The Playlist Committee, made up of producers and chaired by Jeff Smith, Head of Music Radio 2, meet each week to decide which new releases will be added to the station’s playlist.
The playlist contains about 30 tracks which are divided into three levels: A list, which receive the most plays, about 20 each week; B list 10 plays and the C list around 5 plays.
The Radio 2 playlist is one of the most varied of any radio station in the UK and can include albums as well as singles. Before any CD can be considered for inclusion it must be commercially available.
Magne wrote a new blog on 08.09.09
Click here to read the post directly on his blog.
You can only comment, or give him kudos if your logged into your myspace account.
On 1st July 2009 I posted news of Morten’s contribution to the documentary film called A Name is a Name click here” which was made by Sigurjon Einarsson.
Morten sings the title song “A Name Is A Name” which is a song from his “Letter From Egypt” solo album in 2007.
Sigurjon replied today with an update about the film:
“The international distribution of “a name is a name” is not set yet – but the first screening will by at the Film festival in Bitola on the 2nd of October”.
Forthcoming updates will be posted about International distribution as soon as possible.
and here’s an interview with Sigurjon from With Macedonia.
Q&A in “Nova Makedonija” daily
the Director of A Name is a Name, Sigurjon Einarsson
Why did you accept to direct this documentary movie for Macedonia?
- I should take a step back and let you know how I came to be involved with Macedonia in the first place. In October of 2007, Morten Harket was invited to Macedonia so that he could speak at a conference the Government was hosting at Lake Ohrid on religious and civilizational dialogue. I work with Morten so I came with him and we were on our way to Morocco to work on Morten’s new solo album he was working on at the time. We spent a lovely weekend at the Lake and as we spoke with more and more people, we became incensed at the whole issue.
- As Jason has noted, the idea came to us naturally and when Jason was in Oslo in May of 2008 for the release of Morten’s new solo album, Letter from Egypt, we talked more and more about Macedonia and the name issue. I am a filmmaker by profession and Morten and I had worked on a film about East Timor in the mid-1990s when East Timor was trying to become independent from Indonesia. The whole issue of East Timor was in the background in a way, and was not receiving much attention and deserved to have a spotlight put on it, much like Macedonia. So the whole issue of creating a film about Macedonia and the name issue was a bit organic and natural.
How do you see Macedonia – with camera and without camera?
- I have now made six trips to Macedonia and have been captivated every time. As a filmmaker I have made many films, commercials and even music videos. The camera presents a particular point of view in time – it captures a moment. Of course without the camera one can see and experience much more. But for a filmmaker, it is extremely important to capture what it is I see, hear and feel without the camera but on camera. It is a bit tricky but that is the art of it. Of course the other components – narration and music – also add to the final picture, as it were and are vitally important. So my two professions – filmmaking and music – fit this naturally.
- But to really answer your question – I see Macedonia as a small country – and I come from a small country, Iceland – with a very warm and enjoyable people just trying to make it in this world. Macedonia is a very beautiful country offering things to people like me that you can’t find elsewhere in the world. But the fact that you are held hostage because of your name is what upsets me the most.
What do you think about the name issue after all of the conversations with people made for the movie?
- I am motivated more than ever to tell this story. Having met so many Macedonians from all walks of life throughout the whole country, I am moved by the simple fact that here we have a group of people who call themselves Macedonians – and have been calling themselves Macedonians for ages – and yet in this day and age – the 21st century in Europe – one country is telling you that you cannot call yourselves what you want. This is wrong. Nobody can dictate your identity and name except you.
What is the best way to present Macedonia abroad? What do foreigners want to see?
- Although we are not making a travel film or a promotional film, I can say that I think you need to present what is unique in Macedonia. Travelers – especially westerners – are always looking for something new, something unique. Capitalism – for all its blessings – tends to offer sameness. Same malls, same food, same glitzy hotels, etc. What is Macedonia’s comparative advantage? And I’m not just talking about economic comparative advantage which you need to sell as well. I think you have much to present to foreigners. Your culture – which encompasses your food and wine, music, architecture, the arts, faith-based institutions such as churches, monasteries and mosques – is one way. But the beauty of the landscape is another. The whole issue of archeology and history is something too, that people want to see, know more about and explore. In our film Pasko Kuzman talks about all the civilizations that have come through Macedonia and left something and now all of that belongs to Macedonia. That is what people want to come and see.
So the thing for Macedonia is how to cut through the clutter of everything else that is out there and get your message across – Undiscovered Macedonia for instance.
Nova Makedonija 20 June 2009
It’s Morten’s 50th Birthday on 14 September and I was thinking how could fans Celebrate his birthday in an online way. I know there are a lot of creative fans out there, so I thought asking you to write a poem and submit it to me and I’ll include your poem on a special birthday blog post and then I’ll forward this to his Manager, Mr Sigurjon Einarsson and hopefully these poems can be printed out and given to Morten to read, although I cannot guarantee this will happen, I know at least Sigurjon will receive them and I’m sure he’ll pass them to Morten.
Due to space, please try and keep the poem to around 100 words or so, if you need a few more words that’s fine, but I can’t accept long poems. I want to give everyone the chance to submit a poem that’s why I feel 100 words or so is fair. If you need 20 or 25 more words that’s acceptable. If your not sure, I don’t mind if you contact me to ask.
Where do I send my completed poem?
Email it to: thebandstand.wordpress@gmail.com
Please make sure you clearly write your name at the top, or bottom of the poem and the Country your from so you receive credit.
You only have 5 days to write and submit the poem to be because I would like to publish all the poems on his Birthday. I need a day to work out how to layout the poems on the blog etc.
I will forward Sigurjon the link to the poems on Morten’s birthday and any response I receive about them I shall let you know.
If you want to wish Morten a Happy Birthday, you can do that on his Facebook page (login to your own facebook account first) then click on this link – if your not a friend on facebook, or you’ve been waiting for an excuse to join facebook Id’ say this is a good reason to signup.
Karen
Tuesday, 1st September – Friday, 4th September 2009
Morten joined Ken Bruce at BBC Radio 2 (a pre-recorded show) for Tracks of My Years. TOMY is a weekday show, part of Ken’s radio show, where a guest chooses songs that influence them, songs they like and discuss the reason they like the song, or what they like about the artist performing the song etc and Ken plays each song.
Tuesday, 1st September 2009
Morten says he enjoys Fleetwood Mac’s, Christine McVeigh singing “Songbird”.
Morten’s second choice is “Golden Brown” by The Stranglers.
Listen to Morten here
Wednesday, 2nd September 2009
Today, Morten talks with Ken about Prince and The Killers.
First track chosen by Morten is “Sign-O-The-Times” by Prince.
Morten then chooses “Human” by The Killers.
Listen to Morten here.
Thursday, 3rd September 2009
Morten chooses “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” by Soft Cell.
His second song is “Wall Street Shuffle” by 10CC.
Listen to Morten here.
Friday, 4th September 2009
Morten’s final songs are “Black Dog” by Led Zepplin and “Fields of Gold” by Eva Cassidy (original song by Sting).
Listen to Morten here.
I had to reboot my heart: The A-ha star with the same cardiac condition as Tony Blair
By David Hurst
5th September 2009
I have a restless heart,’ announces A-ha keyboardist Magne Furuholmen.
‘Sometimes it flutters or skips, and occasionally it beats wildly and out of control.’
They could almost be lyrics from one of the earnest power ballads that propelled the Norwegian pop trio to the top of the UK charts in the Eighties.
After all, it was words like these that featured in hits such as Take On Me and The Sun Always Shines On TV – and helped A-ha to sell in excess of 32 million records worldwide.
But in fact, the 46-year-old former teen heart-throb is talking about the terrifying symptoms of atrial fibrillation (AF), the cardiac condition he was diagnosed with ten years ago after fainting while driving.
Attacks of AF are the result of an electrical fault in the heart muscle that causes it to contract irregularly. This can be due either to a congenital – existing from birth – defect or it can develop as a result of heart disease.
Nearly 50,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the UK and in 2004, then Prime Minister Tony Blair underwent surgery for it.
Sufferers can experience a racing pulse of more than 140 beats per minute – normal resting heart rate for a healthy adult male is between 60 and 80 – as well as fainting and dizzy spells, breathlessness and chest pains.
Attacks can start and stop after seconds or go on for days. If left untreated it can bring about a stroke, heart failure and even death.
The only hope of a cure is risky surgery, so Magne now controls his condition with medication, having twice undergone a procedure in which his heart was artificially stopped and then restarted – ‘a sort of reboot’, he says.
On tour with bandmates Morten Harket and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy to promote their ‘reunion’ album, Foot Of The Mountain, he is pragmatic, even good-humoured, about the challenges posed by his health problems.
Magne, who lives with his wife Heidi and their sons Thomas, 19, and Filip, 15, in Norway, says: ‘It is sort of ironic that we write ballads about broken hearts and, well, my heart really is broken. Having AF has meant some big lifestyle changes, but you have to carry on living as normally as possible or you’d end up locking yourself away and not experience anything.’
Looking back, Magne believes he had been suffering symptoms for years before his diagnosis. ‘I had been prone to fainting for a long time,’ he admits. ‘I remember once, while we were recording our second album in 1987, ending up on the floor of the studio without knowing how I got there. It sounds strange but I didn’t worry that much, as I felt well otherwise. I just put it down to “one of those things” and got on with it.
‘I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie and enjoy climbing and trekking in my spare time, and in the early Nineties I was hiking up a 2,000-metre, glacier-covered mountain when I suddenly felt extremely breathless and dizzy.
‘My heart was racing, and I saw dots flickering before my eyes. It should have been particularly scary as I was miles from medical help, but at the time I assumed it was caused by the altitude. I just sat down, waited for it to pass and after an hour continued my hike.’
But things came to a head in 1999, while Magne was driving home following a meeting with record executives. ‘Suddenly, I had a strange feeling of drifting away, a bit like I was falling asleep although I wasn’t tired. My head lolled forward and then I jerked awake again in shock. I pulled over immediately and realised my heart was racing. Luckily, I was only doing 30 miles per hour so there was no accident. But it was frightening.’
The musician immediately went to a nearby A&E, where nurses discovered his pulse was three times the normal rate. Further tests, including an ECG (electrocardiogram), chest X-rays and a heart ultrasound, revealed Magne was suffering from AF.
‘It felt like some kind of sick joke,’ he reveals. ‘I considered myself fit and healthy – more than that, I took pride in my good health. And I was being told I had a serious heart problem. It didn’t really sink in at first.’
AF occurs when normal co-ordination between the atria and the ventricles is lost, causing the heart to beat erratically –arrhythmia. Aside from being alarming and uncomfortable, this starves parts of the body of blood – and therefore oxygen – causing symptoms such as fainting.
If an attack lasts more than 24 hours, the ineffective pumping can allow blood to pool within the atria. This can then coagulate and form clots that can be pumped round the body. Clots may block arteries in the brain to cause a stroke.
Those with AF have double the normal risk of having a stroke.
Doctors initially prescribed Magne the blood-thinning drug warfarin, to prevent such clots from forming. He was also given beta-blockers, drugs that slow the release of the hormones that raise the heart rate. In mild cases, however, aspirin may be all that is needed.
‘I was kept in overnight, by which time my heart had slowed down,’
explains Magne. ‘The next day I was allowed home, but over the next week I kept having mild attacks.
‘I would be sitting doing nothing and suddenly my heart would race and I would feel faint. It was scary.’
After two weeks, the beta-blockers had still failed to control the attacks, so Magne returned to hospital where he underwent a procedure known as cardioversion, in which controlled electrical shocks are administered via pads placed on the chest to stop then restart the heart muscle – Magne’s ‘reboot’.
It takes about ten minutes and is successful in stopping an attack in 90 per cent of cases. However, it is not a cure and most patients will go on to have another attack.
‘They told me if they shocked my heart, it would reset itself and start beating normally,’ explains Magne.
‘I was awake but sedated so I couldn’t feel anything. It didn’t work the first time as my heart continued beating wildly, so they had to do it again straight away. That time it worked. Afterwards I felt an aching soreness. It felt like someone had hit me hard in the chest.’
The procedure was a success, and Magne was able to return to the usual rounds of rehearsing, recording and family life. But later that year he suffered another prolonged attack, and was rushed back to hospital to receive further cardioversion.
‘I was told if an attack lasted more than 48 hours I would have to have the shock treatment again. The attack started after a Press event and I felt the familiar breathlessness.
‘When it didn’t go away after a day, I went to A&E, where they gave me warfarin and kept me in for observation. The next day, I was given another reboot, which did the trick.’
Although he has not suffered another long attack since, there have been numerous minor ones. Today his condition is controlled with a drug called flecainide which works by decreasing the sensitivity of the heart muscle cells to electrical impulses.
Magne explains: ‘It’s been on and off. For the past six months, while promoting the new album, I’ve had an attack almost every night. I pop a pill and normally it goes away after a few hours. Usually, I’ll just read or do some work.
‘I always know when one is coming because I start to feel short-tempered. Then my heart starts to beat heavily in my throat, and I feel jittery. Also, I get extremely cold feet and fingers because of the effect on my circulation.’
Paradoxically, Magne has found it is not stress itself that brings on attacks, but that relaxing after a stressful event is the trigger. ‘In fact, stress seems to actually override attacks sometimes,’ he says. ‘Often I can be having one and it will magically disappear just before I go on stage, as the adrenaline kicks in.’
Consultant cardiologist Dr Vias Markides, at the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, one of the country’s largest centres for the treatment of heart-rhythm problems, explains: ‘AF is a complex condition. It can happen with age, as the heart naturally wears out, or because of an abnormality in the structure of the heart. In some patients the atria become stretched, possibly due to a heart attack, high blood pressure or other heart disease.
‘But it can also occur in healthy individuals in their 30s for apparently no reason – this is commonly known as vagal-AF, as it is related to the action of the vagus nerve which electrically links the base of the brain to our heart in a circuit and sends messages to the heart to slow down.
‘In fact, we often see this type of AF in very fit individuals, as exercise activates
the vagus nerve. In most cases, we can control the condition and patients can lead relatively normal lives.’
However, the severity and frequency of attacks can increase over time. If drug treatment and cardioversion are ineffective, surgery is an option. During the complex procedure, a catheter is threaded up into the heart via a vein in the groin. A flexible filament is inserted through the tube which is used to heat the area of the heart in spasm. This produces a small scar that blocks nerve impulses, so disconnecting the cause of the abnormal rhythm.
This is seen as a last resort, as about three per cent of patients suffer serious complications –including internal bleeding, a stroke or nerve damage. About one in 1,000 patients die as a result of the operation.
If attacks become debilitating, a pacemaker can be fitted – but this is usually considered only when other options have been exhausted.
‘I hope I don’t have to go down these roads,’ says Magne. ‘But I suppose I will have to accept that there may be no other option in the future. Morten and Paul have been great about it – they don’t treat me differently. They understand we can’t argue too much over songs, because it could end up with me having an attack later.
‘Heidi was obviously very worried. She thinks I should avoid touring but understands why I do it. After my family, music is my passion.’
Despite the heavy burden such a condition represents, Magne remains philosophical about his predicament. ‘I know it sounds corny, but I’m actually grateful for the experiences AF has given me,’ he says. ‘After the initial shock wore off I was more than a little depressed.
‘I spent a lot of time staring into the fireplace and pondering my imagined lack of a future.
‘But it also prompted a much healthier lifestyle: a balanced diet, regular exercise, absolutely no alcohol or coffee for almost three years. The result is that, overall, I’m in much better physical health than before. It has made me more aware of my limitations.
‘It’s also taught me that I must not internalise stress. I live a much healthier life. I’ve learned never to turn down a glass of water and to enjoy walking in the woods. I’ve come to regard my condition as a blessing wrapped as a curse.’
• A-ha’s new single, Nothing Is Keeping You Here, is released on September 21 on Universal. www.a-ha.com
What is an AF attack?
‘The heart has four chambers: the ventricles, two muscular chambers in the lower part of the heart that pump the blood out, and the atria, the two top chambers which hold the blood returning to the heart,’ explains Dr Vias Markides.
‘When we talk of the heart beating, we are really referring to the sudden tightening of the muscles so that the chambers become smaller, squeezing the blood out.
‘The control of the heartbeat starts with a small clump of muscle cells in the right atrium, called the sinoatrial node. This acts as a natural pacemaker by transporting electrical impulses to the atrioventricular node, located between the atria and ventricles.
‘This node determines the rate of contraction of the ventricles. It is the contraction of the left ventricle that produces the pulse rate.
‘Atrial fibrillation occurs when the atrioventricular node receives more nerve messages than it can handle. These erratic impulses cause irregular squeezing of the ventricles, the result of which is an irregular pulse.
‘In turn, this can cause dizziness, breathlessness and chest pains - although some sufferers do not feel anything until the condition is advanced.
‘If the heart rate associated with AF is rapid enough and persists for several months, patients may develop cardiomyopathy - disease of the heart muscle - and ultimately suffer heart failure.
‘Initial treatment includes drugs to thin the blood, and medication to bring the heart beat under control.
‘If this is unsuccessful, and if the condition is caught early, cardioversion is used. Only in extreme cases is surgery or a pacemaker considered.’
• www.bhf.org.uk
Thanks to bhansen1.
Today is Paul’s 48th Birthday!
Just 8 weeks until the London concert!
Here’s how to find, copy a widget code and play a-ha music on your own MySpace.
1. open a new tab, or a new window in your browser;
2. click on the link below and then scroll to the bottom of the page;
3. click here to “Get the A-Ha widget” and copy the code (see screencap below)
4. *paste the code into a section on your MySpace
*Note: You must be logged into your myspace account in another window, before pasting the code.
The widget features songs from Foot of the Mountain as well as the classics.
Here’s what the code and player look like
Enjoy!
Multikunstner and musiker magne furuholmen er igen tilbak ved Studio Hugo Opdal.
Multiple artist and musician Magne Furuholmen is again back at Studio Hugo Opdal.
“Camera” Exhibition in Flø, Norway – August and September 2009
Oil on canvas 2009
Visit: magnef.org / Hugo Opdal
Another article from Vikebladet.
by Ingvild Aursøy Måseide
Hugo Opdal and Magne Furuholmen looking forward to the opening Sunday. Foto: Hugo Opdal Photo: Hugo Opdal
It is now clear that Magne Furuholmen will come to the opening of art exhibition in Flø first coming Sunday.
A joyful Hugo Opdal can now confirm that Magne Furuholmen comes to the opening of art exhibition Camera.
It is fantastic that he prioritizes Flø in these days as he’s so busy with A-ha.
Tuesday, Hugo Opdal retrieves oil paintings to be exhibited in the gallery on Flø from Sunday 30 August to Sunday 20 September.
- It is not the first time Magne Furuholmen comes to Flø and exhibition. During the winter of 2008, he was there with the exhibition ANTICLIMAX. The one packed with an igloo and several snowmen in the aluminum which melted.
- Some of the reasons I work with Hugh is that he is in many ways operating an art gallery, against all odds to be placed on out here. Yet he compromise loose when it comes to quality, “explains Furuholmen.
Published on Thursday 27 August 2009
and from smp.no
by Gunnar Wiik
Earlier this week took fløbuaren, photographer and a gallery trip to Oslo to pick out the oil paintings of Furuholmen’s “Camera” series.
Some of these have been shown at Galleri Trafo in Asker, but most of the works are now exhibited in Opdal’s gallery completely fresh.
After “Anticlimax” where Furuholmen, through the snow sculptures in the cold, isolated rooms focused on human’s and the environment – and the consequences of missing the care and vigor – drew world eyes to death and the transitory.
It has to sneak up a purple color this time. It is connected with the theme of this photo series. Fargesymbolikken is thus fetched from Catholicism, explains Furuholmen as he and Opdal make finishing touches to the show on Flø.
The audience will see six oil paintings in size 80 x 80 cm and two in 200 x 120 cm. All work is for sale; price range is from 40,000 to 110,000 kroner.
- This is a golden opportunity to meet a great artist and a world star, so welcome to the farm from Hugo Opdal.
Published 29 August 2009
This follows on from a blog I posted here on 28th August 2009.
Tracks Of My Years
Each week a different artist carefully selects the ten tracks that changed their life.
From classic hits to the odd obscure gem, it’s a rollercoaster ride through the musical taste of some of music’s greats.
This week’s guest:
Morten Harket of a-ha
Tuesday: ‘Songbird’ by Fleetwood Mac and ‘Golden Brown’ by The Stranglers
Wednesday: ‘Sign O’ The Times’ by Prince and ‘Human’ by The Killers
Thursday: ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’ by Softcell and ‘Wall Street Shuffle’ 10cc
Friday: ‘Black Dog’ by Led Zeppelin and ‘Fields Of Gold’ by Eva Cassidy
Next Show
Ken Bruce
1 Sep 2009 09:30 on BBC Radio 2
With a Barbra Streisand exclusive and Morten Harket of a-ha shares his Tracks Of My Years.
A-HA: Cool Front
August 29, 2009
By Johnny Black
Written off by many critics at the time as little more than an Eighties fad because of their good looks and glossy magazine covers, Norwegian pop legends a-ha are back with a new album that proves what we really knew all along – that they are one of the coolest and most influential pop bands of the last 25 years
For 25 years, Norway’s pop gods have harboured a deep, dark secret that even the most dedicated News Of The World smut-sleuth would never have ferreted out.
Their finely-chiselled good looks, pastel-tinted Smash Hits cover shots and string of pop hits gave no clue that a-ha were secretly – whisper it – very cool indeed and, quite possibly, one of the most influential bands of the Eighties.
At the time, though, who knew? While Morten, Paul and Mags were notching up 36m worldwide sales, 3m US radio plays for Take On Me alone and pulling the world’s biggest-ever paid audience to their 1991 Rock In Rio show, they were continuously being dismissed by the hip cognoscenti of the music press as disposable pop hunks.
Read the full story here.
Click here to read the Top 50 Things You Didn’t Know about a-ha at gaydarnation.com.
They also have a 2006 interview with Magne on the same page.
Thanks to samar22 on WOTM.
Edit:
31/08/09
I’ve posted new blog here about Morten’s choice of songs for the show.
The first show is broadcast tomorrow, Tuesday, 1st September 2009 between 0930 and Midday and includes the show Friday, 4th September 2009.
28.08.09
BBC Radio 2
Tracks of My Years with Morten Harket
Morten’s choosing Tracks Of My Years on BBC Radio 2. Morten talks about each song he’s chosen and what it means to him and this will be broadcast daily (next week) on the Ken Bruce Show on BBC Radio 2 from Tuesday, 1st September 2009. Monday’s a public holiday and its a Beatle’s Day so it looks like Morten will choose songs for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday only. This was most probably recorded sometime in July, or early August when Magne and Morten were in London doing radio and tv appearances to promote the forthcoming album Foot of the Mountain.
a-ha did a surprise mini-concert in Brussels last Thursday, August 20th, as part of a media conference hosted by the Belgian TV channels VT4 and VIJFtv.
Apparently this performance was so shrouded in secrecy that none of us knew about it until now. The event was held at Ancienne Belgique – the same venue where a-ha will play in November, as part of the upcoming tour.
Read the full story on Jakob’s site here under 27th August 2009.
Thanks Jakob.
Loved by Coldplay and U2, and with a new album produced by New Order’s studio whiz, A-Ha are cooler than ever. To celebrate the fact, they talk Paul Lester through their nine albums.
A-Ha may have sold 36 million albums and millions of singles around the world in their 27-year career, many of them to screaming girls, but to dismiss them as a glorified boy band would be to do them a severe disservice. And you’d also have the likes of Coldplay, U2, Keane, Oasis, Morrissey and Bloc Party – all self-confessed A-Ha fans – to contend with. In fact, with their dolorous synth-heavy Europop, their lyrics wracked with existential doubt and melancholy windswept melodies, the Norwegian trio are a sort of entry-level Joy Division for depressive teens/tweens. Don’t be fooled by their pin-up status – A-Ha have consistently produced superb electro-pop records that merit contention alongside the best of Depeche Mode and New Order.
“All music that’s meaningful is pain-condensed,” asserts Magne Furuholmen, A-Ha’s keyboardist. “Happy music makes me very sad. People find consolation in the fact that someone can articulate conflicting feelings and turn them into some sort of beauty. That’s the attraction of Joy Division’s music to me – it’s really beautiful.”
Has making A-Ha’s music been therapeutic, affording them an opportunity to exorcise all their negativity, sorrow and angst?
“Well, you say …
by Paul Lester
Thanks to timbersound on WOTM.
Norwegian Trio with the new album Foot Of The Mountain again going on the big concert tour.
The press information from Entertainmant Agency Andromeda-Aart who organizes the event.
A-ha the band who creates the trends in music undoubtedly is written in pop music history. The founders and members of the group have been remaining in the same frame from the beginning: vocals, Morten Harket, guitarist, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and keyboards Magne Furuholmen. Well known from the hit Take On Me that had become one of the 80’s anthems. Norwegian kings of pop have returned to the world music scene with the enormous series of success, playing live and recording many hit albums and singles. On 17 November 2009 the band will play their only Polish concert in Arena Lodz, presenting a completely new show, with all the awaiting by viewers music attractions.
The trio formed in Norway in 1982 is counted among performers of the mixture of rock, synth, pop and new wave. They are one of the few Norwegian artists who achieved big international success. Even though the band had been created in Norway, its members moved to UK to polish their music skills. The first album released in 1984 became a huge hit thanks to such singles like Take On Me and the title track Hunting High And Low. Their dynamic music was compared to Duran Duran’s sound. After debut single, a big worldwide hit with a revolutionary comic video, the Norwegian’s achieved success after success: 8 MTV awards, 17 international hits, 7 top albums and title song for Bond movie The Living Daylights.
After 10 years break the album Minor Earth Major Sky resulted in triumphant gigs and festivals. Each following album firmly established group’s position on the music market. The album Lifelines got its premiere at the end of April 2002 and after only few days went Platinum. A song called Forever Not Yours was an absolute hit, that conquered the world hit lists and spectacular band achievements. In November 2005, the band presented totally new material on an album called Analogue and promoting the single, Celice.
On the 9th album Foot Of The Mountain, available in Poland since 27 July, we can hear many references to the early albums. Famous trio personally claim it is the journey back to their roots, classic pop thanks to which A-ha have become one of the famous bands in the world and their albums sold in 36 million copies! Foot Of The Mountain contains all the most important features to be characteristic for trio: high vocals, synth flavours, longing lyrics and melancholic sounds.
A-ha shapes with the style their biography and with the new music accents, sounding fresh and dynamic, which suits modern pop music.
Already on 17 November inaugurating artistic season in Arena Lodz. A-ha will be presenting a unique live show, during which we can hear their original sound and of course big hits like Take On Me, The Sun Always Shines On TV, Hunting High And Low, Stay On These Roads and many many more.
With thanks to Gosia for the translation from Polish to English.
from albumvote.co.uk
A-ha Foot of the Mountain reviews
‘Foot of the Mountain’ is the ninth studio album form Norwegian trio A-ha coming four years after their last effort ‘Analogue’. The band enjoyed major success in the mid-eighties with three consecutive number 2 albums spawning seven top 10 hit singles including the chart topping ‘The Sun Always Shines On TV’.
You can leave a comment on their site. Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.
Morten and Kjetil at Kirkelandet church yesterday
Morten and Kjetil Bjerkestrand, together with percussionist Helge Norbakken and Festivalkvartetten (The Festival Quartet), will perform a concert at Kirkelandet church in Kristiansund on 23 September, as part of Kristiansund Kirke Kunst Kulturfestival (Kristiansund Church Art Culture Festival).
Read the full article on Jakob’s site at under Latest News for 25 August.
Here’s the artwork for the second single called Shadowside, which is the release for Norway and Europe.
Shadowside will be single No. 3 in the UK probably in October or November. I don’t know if the artwork will change for the UK release.
Shadowside will also be released as a cd-single in Europe on 2nd October.
Thanks to Andreas, Verni and Jakob.
Here’s the UK single cover artwork for Nothing Is Keeping You Here.
Jakob says there will apparently be a CD single release this time.
Thanks to Fitz and Jakob.
Check out a band called The Living Daylights
They’re a Punk rock band either named after the James Bond movie The Living Daylights or after A-Ha.
Interesting article fron cnet.com a technology website.
Here’s an small extract:
August 23, 2009 7:45 AM PDT
What your iPod playlist says about you
by Chris Matyszczyk
Who do you share your iPod playlist with?
Your lover? Your lover’s husband? Your colleagues at the office? The strangely smelling man who sits next to you on the bus?
Well, researchers at the University of Cambridge have a message for you. It reads: “Don’t.”
According to these flatland boffins, your values, your personality, even your ethnicity, and social class (well, it is England, after all) will be judged by what you slip onto your iPod.
Jason Rentfrow, the chap who dreamed up this vital and surprising study at the university’s Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, declared to the Telegraph that letting others sneak a peek at your Blondie and Mahler may “reinforce stereotypes and, potentially social prejudices.”
He added: “This research suggests that, even though our assumptions may not be accurate, we get a very strong impression about someone when we ask them what music they like.”
However, an alternative is to fill your iPod with Nigel Kennedy’s wonderful rendition of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, followed by some Arctic Monkeys, followed by a little A-Ha and Abdullah Ibrahim.
Yes, we are all vulnerable, pathetic beings. But if we really have to worry about telling others what music we have on our iPods, then we might as well relinquish what remains of our selves and join the Miley Cyrus Fan Club.
Click here to read the full article on cnet.com.
About Chris Matyszczyk. Chris is an award-winning creative director who advises major corporations on content creation and marketing. He brings an irreverent, sarcastic, and sometimes ironic voice to the tech world. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET.
Magne and Morten were interviewed on Heartfm and you can listen to the interview as a Podcast for download at iTunes:
Thanks to Inner Voice.
It’s Week 4 of the album release in the UK and the album’s dropped to No. 44 this week.
Last week is was No. 26, the second week it was No. 12 and the first week it debuted at No. 5.
I think it did very well to debut at No. 5 because some other new entries are debuting in the album charts in the 20’s or 30’s.
Because its outside the top 40 album’s, Radio 1 doesn’t show it on the chart placings (picture) on their website. As I’ve posted in the past 3 weeks.
Nothing Is Keeping You Here is the Record of the Week on BBC Radio 2 this week!
This is the remix (single) version which Ken Bruce debuted on 19th August 2009 on his Radio 2 show and not the album version of the song.
Extracts of an interview from the 29th August 2009 MusicWeek issue with 9 pages of a-ha.
COOL FRONT
“Written off by many critics at the time as little more than an eighties fad because of their good looks and glossy magazine covers, Norwegian legends a-ha are back with a new album that proves what we really knew all along – that they are one of the coolest and most influencial pop bands of the last 25 years”.
“Written off by many critics at the time as little more than an eighties fad because of their good looks and glossy magazine covers, Norwegian legends a-ha are back with a new album that proves what we really knew all along – that they are one of the coolest and most influencial pop bands of the last 25 years”
“A second single, Nothing Is Keeping You Here – already getting airplay on Radio 2 – is scheduled for September 21, with Shadowside slated as a third single. On the back of the second single release, the band will return for a second media onslaught, prepping the nation
for their November tour. SJM Concerts managing director Simon Moran reports that ticket sales are already great. “The O2, for example, is close on 10,000. We’ve tried to keep tickets reasonably priced and the album doing so well has been a real bonus,” he says.”
“By the onset of the Nineties a-ha were falling apart”.
“For me it was like battle fatigue, and frustration that aha had not become what I had hoped for,” reflects Furuholmen. “Our model for this adventure was The Beatles. We’d go in, write pop hits and then five years down the line we’d do our White Album. But that didn’t happen. I knew I had to get out.”
“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.”
“The anthemic title track (FOTM) was released in Sweden on May 5 with no plan to bring it out here before the band’s upcoming November tour. Then fate took a hand. Samantha Cooper, a long-time Radio 2 producer, was enjoying her maternity leave when she heard the track on
the Universal Norway website. “I’ve been an a-ha fan since I was a girl,” she explains, “so I’ve always kept an eye on what they’re up to.”
Convinced it was the best a-ha track she had heard in years, she took it to her husband, Radio 2 music systems administrator Michael Banbrook, and they then approached Ken Bruce who gave it its first UK radio play. “Then we spoke to a-ha’s manager, and to Universal,and pointed out that it was already getting plays,” adds Cooper. Recognising that they were being handed a runaway airplay hit on a platter, Universal sprang into action, releasing the single on June 27.
Many thanks to Chris.
Universal UK has a few autographed copies of Foot of the Mountain up for grabs. For your chance at a copy, just complete Universal’s entry form, which also signs you up to their a-ha mailing list.
To enter the competition at a-ha.com click here.
The competition is open to everyone, worldwide, and closes on 30th September 2009, so enter today!
a-ha.com announced late last night a pre-sale for Members of a-ha.com for a Brussels show.
The pre-sale begins at Noon CEST (Central European Summer Time) on 21st August.
The venue for the Brussels concert is Ancienne Belgique on 11th November 2009.
Tickets are still available for the recently announced shows in Hannover, Oberhausen and Erfurt, Germany.
They also mentioned Nothing Is Keeping You Here will be on the soundtrack for the German romantic comedy called “Zweiohrkueken” and there’s a clip preview of the song at the movie’s website.
Here’s the full newsletter.
Edited: 22/08/09
Today, Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2 played the World Exclusive first play of Nothing Is Keeping You Here, its a remix – which will be the second UK single from the album “Foot of the Mountain” released 21st September 2009.
Furuholmen to Flø
14. august 2009
by Ingvild Aursøy Måseide
Last Sunday in August opens new exhibit with Magne Furuholmen at Studio Hugo Opdal in Flø, Norway.
Multi cultural exhibit of oil paintings from the series “Camera”. Gallerists Hugo Opdal is very happy that Furuholmen takes the time to set out on Flø middle of a hectic period with *platelansering* and games working on a-ha.
Same day started *saleté* of the new Moods of Norway collection, The Cocktail Collection Travel. Autumn and winter clothes are inspired by Thor Heyerdahl, Roald Amundsen, rodeo reindeer and polar bears.
Although Magne Furuholmen is very open to travel around with a-ha at the moment, it does not means that the star appears on the art opening said Hugo Opdal.
Morten Harket cites Soft Cell as influence
18th Aug 2009
The frontman of veteran Norwegian band a-ha has credited Soft Cell with influencing their music.
Morten Harket revealed that when the trio first arrived in the UK, they were primarily listening to electric guitar-based rock such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and The Doors.
However, he told the Guardian that the distinctive keyboard-led sound of acts such as Soft Cell made him sit up and take notice.
“There was a kind of desolation and a yearning in that that was quite similar to the music we were listening to and making,” he commented.
Harket went on to dismiss the suggestion that he has an operatic approach to singing, insisting that this has “never” been the case.
“It’s more of a sonic thing,” he added.
The band, who are best known for their 1985 hit Take On Me, are currently touring in support of their latest album Foot of the Mountain, which debuted at number five in the UK charts and made number one in Germany.
A new email newsletter was received today.
To summarise:
Three new concerts have been added in Gemany:
Nov 12/09 König Pilsener Arena Oberhuasen, DE Presale Aug 18/09 @ noon CEST
Nov 14/09 TUI Arena Hannover, DE Presale Aug 18/09 @ noon CEST
Nov 16/09 Messehalle Erfurt, DE Presale Aug 18/09 @ noon CEST
The pre-sale is available to Members of a-ha.com only - click here to signup to the Mailing List, it’s free to join.
and the Winner of the a-ha.com T-shirt Competition has been chosen.
It also mentions the second UK and the second non-UK singles, which I’ve already posted in the past few days.
I’m hoping they can squeeze in a few more concerts in Europe this year (let’s hope these will be outside Germany).
a-ha: ‘We were very reluctant pop stars’
They were pin-up boys for millions of girls in the 80s, but these days A-ha are more likely to be glumly discussing philosophy than chasing stardom.
The Guardian
17 August 2009
by Decca Aitkenhead
If you are over the age of 35 – or possibly even a bit younger, if you’re female – these men will almost certainly need no introduction. When their debut single, Take On Me, got to No 2 in the charts back in 1985, overnight their chiselled cheekbones and soaring vocals soldered themselves on to the memory of several million lovestruck fans, who, for a few a fleeting but heady years, postered their bedrooms with the Nordic beauties, sported A-ha wristbands, and rejoiced in the perfection of synthesised pop at its finest. I should know, because of course I was one of them.
And so, it turns out, were half the people I know today. Such is the flurry of envy when I tell friends that I’m going to meet Morten Harket, one even begs to come along too, under the pretence of being my “assistant”. As she can name all three band members and recite lyrics from memory, it seems churlish to say no. We fall about laughing at the pathos of the “50 things you didn’t know about A-ha” list compiled by the record label (number 23: Paul, the guitarist, was voted the 10th-best-dressed man in Norway in 2002; number 45: Magne, the keyboardist, shares a birthday with porn baron Larry Flynt), and giggle at the retro 80s synth beats of the band’s new album, Foot of the Mountain. A day with the heartthrob of our teenage dreams – what could be more fun, more hilariously kitsch, than that? What a hoot!
What a terrible misjudgment. The first inkling that Harket may not see himself in quite the same ironic light as, say, Take That or Duran Duran – those other one-time teen idols currently enjoying a summer revival – comes in an email from the PR. “Morten can drift a little in interviews sometimes,” he ventures diplomatically; the singer can be a bit “philosophical”. Are we sure we wouldn’t like his bandmate, Magne Furuholmen, to come along too? “Magne really keeps him on track.” The advice has the ominous ring of experience, so we take it.
Then comes the discovery that A-ha have not, as I had assumed, recently reformed. Nor is this a tongue-in-cheek, one-off comeback pitched at the nostalgia market. Oh no, Foot of the Mountain is in fact A-ha’s ninth album; the band split in 1993, but reformed in 1998, and while they may not have troubled the airwaves much here in Britain, they have apparently been “big in Germany” – words to strike fear in the heart of any music lover.
It gets even worse. The recent revival of interest has been inspired chiefly by unexpected tributes from Coldplay, Keane, Oasis and U2’s Adam Clayton, the latter of whom described A-ha as “a rather misunderstood band. They were looked upon as a group for teenage girls, but in reality they were a very creative band.” For years poor old Harket had been insisting he was a serious artist, and grumbling about all the attention to his wretched cheekbones. And now, at last, vindication! If Chris Martin can credit A-ha as a formative creative influence, won’t the world now take him seriously too?
Well, the world would have a job to take Harket as seriously as Harket does. When we arrive he is having his makeup done, which is a little surprising, given his legendary disdain for his good looks – and quite unnecessary, given their extraordinary durability. Just months away from his 50th birthday, the singer looks at least 15 years younger – but then, so does Furuholmen, though the keyboardist’s beauty has a less contrived quality. If Harket was the poster boy, Furuholmen was always cast as the band’s joker – the Robbie Williams of the act – and it is easy to see why, for although also nearing 50 he still has a boyish, laid-back good humour, and chatters away easily as we head into Hyde Park for the photo shoot. Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, the third member of A-ha, is not here today and rarely gives interviews.
It feels as if Harket is trying his best to be upbeat, but he has the slightly forced manners of a man playing the pop star through gritted teeth, dutifully crinkling his eyes for the camera in a pose that makes him look a bit like Patrick Swayze. The first real hint of his discomfort comes when he suddenly decides he must put his shoes back on, as his feet are getting cold. “I have responsibilities which go far beyond this interview,” he explains rather spikily. “I actually do sing sometimes.”
The pair discuss Harket’s voice with the sort of studied intensity that is simultaneously rather touching, and a reminder of why musicians can be so open to parody. They never really liked pop music at all, Harket explains; when the band first arrived in London in 1983 as three “Norwegian music nerds”, they were listening to the Doors, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix – “anything but pop, really”. But then they heard pop bands such as Soft Cell in London – “and there was a kind of desolation and a yearning in that that was quite similar to the music we were listening to and making,” Furuholmen agrees. “There’s something really interesting in the clinical kind of cold sound of a synthetic soundscape. I find the grandeur of the songwriting, and the almost operatic approach of Morten’s singing, much more appealing to me as a listener in that setting.”
“I have to disagree about me having an operatic approach to singing,” Harket interrupts earnestly, “because I never have. But I do agree very much that there is a great area in the synthetic coldness of that landscape, against my voice. But it’s more of a sonic thing.”
This, I have to say, is not the sort of conversation I can recall ever taking place among even the band’s most ardent fans back in the 80s. Having almost stumbled into pop music, A-ha found themselves with a fanatical fanbase – but not one unduly preoccupied with the “synthetic coldness” of a “soundscape”. Did they, I ask, truthfully even like their fans?
Harket considers cagily. “I never liked the term ‘fans’. I respond to individuals, and I know none of them would wish to subscribe to the type of fan that’s been portrayed in the media.” Actually, in my experience the typical A-ha fan was precisely the hormonal hysteric portrayed in the media – but as I’m wondering how to say this, Furuholmen chips in.
“It’s a question we’ve never been asked – but actually, it goes right to the core. It goes right to the core of how comfortable were we with our own success. And the truth is we were not comfortable. If you say the politically correct thing, yes, of course we love our fans, then – “
“You can love someone and not like them,” Harket interjects glumly.
“Sure,” continues Furuholmen, “and if you say no, obviously you’re doing the completely wrong thing strategically. The truth is, the fans become a symbol, a mirror, of what you’ve created. And the truth is we’ve struggled with that mirror image throughout our career.”
But surely, there must have been at least a brief spell during their early success, before it became onerous, when they felt as if all their dreams had come true?
“Well, I think that experience, that cycle, is very common, very normal,” Furuholmen agrees. His bandmate just looks doleful. Did Harket never, I ask, enjoy even that?
“No, but that has to do with his personality,” Furoholmen laughs. “He’s extremely difficult to please. So embracing it is a big issue in this band. Embracing our history is a big problem. We were always very reluctant pop stars. Reluctance has been part of our history throughout. Even reluctance towards each other’s role. I remember clearly Paul and me trying to rein Morten in, to be less pop star-like – thinking, oh garbage, it’s taking away from the music, don’t stick your bum out in interviews, don’t do all those silly things! We had serious music going on, let’s not do this!”
Harket is now very quiet, and not looking particularly happy. Did their attempts to rein in his pop star role annoy him, I ask?
“I don’t remember,” Harket says coolly, “the bum sticking out.”
Furuholmen snorts. “Look at the pictures if you want!”
What I cannot understand is this. If they found the whole experience of being pop stars so objectionable the first time around – and if, as they claim, they don’t need the money – then why are they here? Both had pursued solo careers during A-ha’s hiatus; Furuholmen has been a sculptor, while Harket apparently likes to indulge his passion for rare orchids, and between them they have seven children. They have experimented with acoustic and rock aesthetics, either of which seem more suited to their temperaments. So why make an album now that deliberately harks back to their 80s synthesiser sound – and, if successful, could only pitch them right back into the frothy pop world they say they deplored? I’m not entirely sure I ever get the answer.
“For me,” Furuholmen tries to explain, “it’s more about reclaiming territory that was already ours. The whole generation of artists coming out now who are citing the band are quite varied; they’re not like one musical direction, it’s people growing up in the 80s and remembering A-ha for something other than cheekbones. So something you left behind made an impact, had importance, was part of shaping musical history in some way.”
“And still is,” Harket adds quickly.
“And still is. And that’s a good feeling. That alone is almost worth coming back to it for. You know, it’s taken us 25 years to lighten up. I think when you come back at 50 you have to ask yourself, well, if I’m going back in it’s got to be because I’m enjoying it. Or I must make sure I enjoy it.”
So where exactly is the pleasure? For the life of me, I can’t see it. “In making an album,” Harket says, “and giving it also to people who can receive it. There’s great pleasure in making something that we respond to ourselves.”
“Well, actually,” Furuholmen interrupts, “making and finishing the album is a pain in the neck. But the initial moments, when you have something and it turns into something, when you’re writing – there is an energy among the three of us that only happens when the three of us are together. That energy is still infectious.”
“But you still don’t really want to be there,” Harket laughs drily.
“OK, yes, but the real reason that we’re in it, for me, is that spark – and then you’re willing to go through almost any amount of crap to get it again, to do it again.”
And now they’re off again, tussling over some abstract philosophical point. “It’s all about committing to this reality,” Harket says, “when you talk about what is real and what isn’t real.” Furuholmen: “You don’t see the difference?” Harket: “Yes, they are different, uniquely different – but one thing isn’t more real than the other. When you’re absent-minded, you’re present-minded somewhere else.”
What are they talking about? I have literally no idea. And then, dear God, they start quoting Søren Kierkegaard to one another – and even bickering about the correct translation. “In the same way that the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard speaks of becoming real in your own life,” says Furuholmen. “That’s partly what we’re talking about – chaining yourself down to the moment and not just being in flux.”
“You mean whilst the grass is growing, the spectator dies.”
“Hmm, I’m not aware of that translation – I’m sure it’s translated in a more elegant way.”
“OK, whilst the grass is growing the spectator is withering away. So be the grass.”
And on and on they go, more or less forgetting that I’m even there. It’s more like being with a pair of rather self-conscious philosophy A-level students than middle-aged pop stars, and I can’t help starting to laugh. When they hang out with other bands, I ask, do they find that they are different?
“Quite different,” Furuholmen agrees, laughing. “In every way. Yes! Yes, you’re absolutely right. We are quite useless at being pop stars. And that’s the irony of it all. I hope we never become really good at being pop stars.”
“I agree,” Harket smiles. “But you don’t,” he adds drily, “have to worry about that.”
My “assistant” and I can’t stop laughing all the way home afterwards. If anyone had told us back in 1985 that the boys on our bedroom walls would one day be arguing over Kierkegaard before our eyes, we would never have believed them. What an extraordinary thing it must be, to write one perfect three-minute pop song in your 20s – and then be mortgaged to the emotional power of what it brings for the rest of your life, when you don’t even really like it.
We’re still laughing about it a few days later when we go to see A-ha play live in Camden. We’re confidently predicting hordes of middle-aged women at the gig, squeezed into their old A-ha gear, squealing at their childhood idols, oblivious to the band’s unease. But the last laugh, it turns out, is on us.
The venue is crammed with young, edgy, credible-looking music fans, with not a wristband in sight. If anything, the men seem to outnumber the women and surge fervently to the front, chanting lyrics to even the most obscure numbers from the band’s wilderness years. Amazingly, it would seem that Harket – and Adam Clayton – are right after all; A-ha really do appear to mean something, even today. They finish with Take On Me and, as the venue dissolves into euphoria, I look around and find I’m not the only one who has been moved to tears.
Updated: 17/8/09 @8pm
Chris F’s kindly given me permission to add two scans from The Guardian newspaper (the same interview was printed in the newspaper version today).
The guys performed at the IAAF World Championship Athletics 2009 in Berlin, Germany on Friday, 14th August.
Unfortunately, the opening ceremony did not receive UK tv coverage so I didn’t get to see them until videos were posted on youtube.
They also performed Foot of the Mountain, which was chosen as the Official song for the Competition. The Foot of the Mountain (single) will be played during various stages of the Competition which runs 15 to 23 August.
Here’s the official site for WCA- Berlin 2009.
You can read the original blog about the IAAF World Championship Athletics 2009 in Berlin at:
Thanks to ahabrasil for the Take On Me link.
Thanks to Norgetroll2for the Foot of the Mountain link.
It’s Week 3 of the album release in the UK and according to Radio 1’s Chart Show, the album’s dropped to No. 26 this week. Last week is was No. 12 and the first week it debuted at No. 5.
It would’ve been nice if this week it was in the Top 20 but I think 3 weeks in the Top 40 Album chart is a great achievement. It’s the first Top 5 album placing for the band since Stay On These Roads in 1988.
Where will it be placed in Week 4?
Magic.fm have a competition in conjunction with The Box (the tv music channel) to vote for your best Top 40 Summer tunes.
Go to the Box UK to complete the form, then choose Take On Me by ticking the box next to Take On Me and choosing two other artists (you need to choose 3 songs from the list), then click on submit my Vote at the bottom of the page.
Voting closes 18th August 2009 and tune into Foxy’s show on 31st August where he’ll announce and plays the Winners.
You can only vote once.
I don’t know if you can vote outside of the UK.
I’m sorry for the late notice but I’ve only just seen this advertised on the box a few minutes ago.
More information: Summer of Stars
I thought I’d post the results of our first poll. I’m sorry its a little bit late but better late than never.
There was a clear winner but the Band haven’t chosen “our” favourite, yet. They’ve gone with Nothing Is Keeping You Here for the 2nd single (UK) and the 2nd single (non-UK) is Shadowside. Both songs will be have a new mix released for the single versions and Shadowside will be the 3rd single in the UK.
Do you think have they’ve made a bad choice for the 2nd single? Please comment.
More single news
15/08/09
The second single from ‘Foot of the Mountain’ outside the UK will be a new mix of ‘Shadowside.’ This alternative version was produced by Martin Terefe. The release date and countries are still to be confirmed, more information will be posted soon.
Click here to read the full article on a-ha.com
‘Nothing Is Keeping You Here’ in the German feature film “Zweiohrkueken”
14/08/09
The song ‘Nothing Is Keeping You Here’ will be on the soundtrack for the German romantic comedy “Zweiohrkueken” which is due for release on 3 December.
Click hereto read the full article on a-ha.com
Apologies for the late post, you can watch a video of the concert at:
There’s just over 15 minutes of footage to watch.
Setlist (of the songs from the video):
1. Foot of the Mountain
2. Hunting and Low
3. The Living Daylights
Here are a few screencaps from the video footage:
Please click on each image to enlarge.
I apologise for the poor quality of the pictures.
swr3 concert Neuwied
swr3 concert Neuwied
swr3 concert Neuwied
swr3 concert Neuwied
swr3 concert Neuwied
swr3 concert Neuwied
swr3 concert Neuwied
swr3 concert Neuwied
A new date has been confirmed:
17 November: Arena Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
This will be only the second a-ha concert ever in Poland (they played in Warsaw on the Lifelines tour in 2002).
Thanks to zbig1 and Jenn from the German forum and Jakob S from WOTM
a-ha will perform several songs at the “SWR3 New Pop Festival” on September 19th in Baden-Baden, Germany. They’ve been chosen by SWR3 as the “Pioneer of Pop” for this year’s festival.
Click here to read the full article on a-ha.com
You can read the new blog “hey babaluba” here.
The above link takes you directly to Magne’s MySpace.
Aha, pop’s Peter Pans
Aug 10 2009
By Polly Weeks
Polly Weeks discovers A-ha have found a new meaning in their music 24 years after their debut hit.
Plenty of hairspray, a quick pout of the lips and a denim shirt seemed to be all that were required to become a pop star in the Eighties.
However, while most of the Smash Hits cover stars have now been consigned to the pop history books, a few still make the charts today, including one of the original boy-bands, A-ha.
Hailing from Norway, the band is made up of lead singer Morten Harket, 49, guitarist/keyboard player Magne Furuholmen, 46, and songwriter and guitarist, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, 47.
The trio burst onto the music scene 24 years ago and are still going strong. They arrive at Birmingham NIA on November 2 as part of their latest tour to promote new album Foot Of The Mountain.
“Throughout the band’s history, we have always had this feeling of being 14 years old. When we go into a room together, we’ve got the same dynamics,” says Furuholmen.
When they released their debut album Hunting High and Low in 1985, it included anthemic single Take On Me. Their haunting, catchy pop songs soon earned them a Grammy nomination and of course the attention of a generation of teenage girls.
The boys found themselves whisked into photo shoots and teen magazine interviews, as the nation became officially smitten with the trio.
“I found it very strange and confusing. When we did gain attention it came about in quite a convoluted way. With the success also came this status of being poster boys. We struggled our way through that and never really embraced it,” explains Furuholmen.
With his six-pack stomach and sultry glances, Harket, then 25, was the band’s main icon. “I was never comfortable as a poster boy though,” Harket admits. “I was an object and being used for a particular sequence. When someone is focussed on by the media you will get a reaction from the public.”
His negative memories of those glory days may come as something of a surprise. The boys were not only idols for the Eighties, but also achieved global musical success. The band even topped the coveted US charts.
“Any 16-20-year-old who wants fame has no idea what it’s going to be like until they achieve it,” Harket admits.
“It’s nothing like you’d think, so even if you really want fame, you’ll quickly change your mind when it comes to having to deal with it.”
While they may have received unwanted attention, A-ha can take solace in the fact they have inspired many of today’s leading bands and artists. Everyone from Robbie Williams to Oasis and Coldplay, have spoken of their admiration for the Norwegian musicians.
“That’s where we feel vindicated. Now we get credited for the music we left behind,” Furuholmen says seriously.
“One of the best feelings you can have is to have active musicians saying, ‘Your music changed my life and was one of the reasons I wanted to get into music’. That’s meaningful. That is the inheritance you want to leave behind – not the frustration of being an awkward pop-star or a misplaced poster boy.”
So is that the reason they continue to make music 26 years down the line?
“That and the hope that when we’re in our sixties we’ll become poster boys again,” Harket jokes.
With music still at the forefront of their mind, the band are just as excited as ever about their new album Foot Of The Mountain. And fans of their earlier material should be pleasantly surprised.
“This album has given us the opportunity to go back into our own history and dig out some of the elements that we left out for a long time in our pursuit of creative freedom,” Furuholmen says.
“We’ve come far enough down the line to look back and say, ‘Was there something we left along the way which could be of use to us now?’ It was a real thrill to re-examine our formative efforts and use them in ways which rejuvenate them.”
With artists such as La Roux, Ladyhawke, MGMT bearing more than a passing resemblance to early A-ha’s synth-pop sound, the instigators of the original scene are around to show the youngsters how it’s done.
But Harket denies that the rise in the popularity of synth-pop has influenced their decision to go back to their roots.
“It may feel a bit like that but we don’t think that way. We do what’s right for us. Sometimes you hit a wave at the right time and ride it, other times you don’t really know what’s out there and you just have to do what you think is best for you at the time.”
With their new release the band are happy to confirm their status, while avoiding the scrutiny of the public gaze.
“In the past the success we had was important to propel the music forward but it wasn’t the reason we got into music. Neither was the attention,” Furuholmen says. “The attention was a tool to get the music known. Now that the music has a life of its own and that’s been the pay-off for all the years of hard work. To be able to find yourself still in music and still able to present it to people – that’s a meaningful thing.”
* TICKETS: A-ha play the NIA, Birmingham, on November 2 – £27.50 plus booking fee from Ticket Factory or phone: 0844 338 8000.
Thanks to Ninerzgal
from The London Paper
Monday, 10 August 2009
Interview by Bob Grange
the chat
MORTEN HARKET
The 80s pop pin-up and frontman of a-ha talks about comebacks and cashing in
Was the 80s all sex, drugs and rock’n'roll for a-ha?
It was pop, every aspect of what that is. Very little rock’n'roll – we were drawn to the rock side. Never listened to pop as teenagers, it was all about The Doors, Hendrix, blues and soul music, nothing we listened to had anything to do with the charts. In London, there was a variety of directions including pop and charmed by it we were.
Did you all manage to avoid obligatory stints in rehab?
We weren’t very good at becoming addicted to anything apart from the music.
Is this your chance to make up for it?
It will be all heroin when we approach 80 [laughs].
Is there anything you miss from the 80s?
I don’t miss anything, I was there and I enjoyed it and certainly had my share of it. I have a lot of good feelings about the 80s and I’m here now.
Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet have got back together are there any fighting words you’d like to send their way?
Be good to hear them actually. As we’ve been doing promos all over Europe, I’ve no idea what’s going on. But no, no fighting talk.
Does it feel like someone is always saying there’s an 80s resurgence?
I’m always met with the same question:
“This 80s revival Morten, what do you think” and that was in 2000. It’s this never-ending 80s revival. If a band like Duran or Spandau get back together it’s because they have a sound or have done something that people want to hear again. It’s not because people want to embrace the 80s.
When was the last time you listened to Take On Me?
I must confess I never do, but I have children and they respond very much to Take On Me. I walk past and they’re looking at it on the internet. One of my sons has no interest in pop at all, but for some reason he likes Take On Me.
Critics question the validity of band come-backs – can you assure fans this is not a cynical cash-in?
I think people can hear that. You either pick up on the music or not. People can sense if someone is genuine or not.
What’s your response to suggestions that the music for Take On Me has helped you to carve out an entire career?
False. You can take it away and we have so much material that has done really well. It’s almost as much a hindrance in that respect. It’s an icon in its own right and lives its own life. We can’t touch it, but we’re also very proud of it. When it comes to Take On Me for us, it really becomes a double-edged sword.
a-ha tour the UK in November, a-ha.com. The new album, Foot of the Mountain, is out now.
This was printed on Page 8 of today’s paper issue only.
A small part of Janice Long’s BBC Radio 2 interview had to do with Apparatjik:
Janice: “Your solo project was actually featured on this show. Say it properly for me.”
Magne: “What do you mean? ‘Past Perfect Future…’”
Janice: “Appara…”
Magne: “Oh, Apparatjik you mean? I get lost in my many doings (laughs). Apparatjik, have we really?”
Janice: “Yes, I featured three or four tracks, stuff that you’d done in your studio and was given to me to feature, and had an absolutely incredible response to it.”
Magne: “Wow, that’s good. We are in the process of actually making that something more than just an interesting social setting (laughs). And yeah, it’s a lot of fun, it’s a lot of people from famous bands and situations trying to come back to a situation with less pressure, less luggage, and just make music for the fun of it. It is creating a lot of good energy for everyone.”
Later on, Magne chose the song ‘The Zookeeper’s Boy’ by Mew to play on the show, and Janice asked him about his song choice.
Magne: “Yeah, always liked Mew. And since getting to know Jonas, he’s just a fantastically talented guy. Again, we could have chosen a few other songs, but it’s quite unique and interesting pop music, isn’t it? He writes almost in a way that folk musicians write.”
Before the last segment of the show, Janice introduced the ‘Ferreting’ track.
Janice: “We’re going to play ‘Ferreting’. Is that in full swing now then?”
Magne: “It has been going on behind the scenes for a little while, off and on. We’re all quite busy, all of us. But we have recorded quite a lot of music and it’s got its own sound. It’s moved on a bit as well from this ‘Ferreting’ track, so it’s quite exciting.”
With thanks to Catherine from West of the Moon.
The annual Haydom meeting in Vennesla will be held Sunday, August 9th.
As usual, the music will be provided by Harket Mannssangforening (The Harket Men’s Choir), which includes Morten, his father Reidar on piano and various other members of the Harket clan. Morten will also do a solo performance this year.
The money being raised goes to Haydom Lutheran Hospital in Tanzania.
Picture from 2003:
2003
Picture from 2007:
With thanks to Jakob S.
Last week the album debuted at No. 5 of the UK album chart but this week its fallen to No. 12!
I obtained this information from BBC Radio 1’s Official Chart Sunday, 9th August 2009.
Here’s the chart placing from 11 to 15.
Say up in the clouds in England
- A-ha is hotter than ever before!
written by Thomas Horni
7. August 2009 at 12:48
SEHER.NO: “A-ha is back! Norway’s hottest band returns from the wilderness with a new album and tour”.
This is the headline of the British Daily Mail, which has acquired an exclusive interview with what they believe is the best band in the past and today.
And the news giant roses trio up in the clouds for what they believe was a “dog days” of the group consisting of Morten Harket (49), Magne Furuholmen (46) and Paal Waaktaar-Savoy (47).
“In the mid 80-century, they were the hottest band on the planet. And now, almost 25 years later do A-ha a comeback – and they are hotter than ever before”, it sounds.
Daily Mail appends them with it in the range of the greats who have made praised the band. Previously, giants such as Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, Coldplay, U2 and Robbie Williams’s enthusiasm over the term A-ha’s the music.
Disappeared from the United Kingdom
The newspaper reminds readers that this is the group’s ninth album, something that most people in Britain do not want to believe. It is simply because A has success in the British Isles took a break at the beginning of the 90-century.
- When one is not so often in the United Kingdom, are welcome as active somewhere else in the world, and it was more or less the case for me. I never dropped out of the limelight. But we did it from the UK point of view, “said Morten Harket to the newspaper.
It was the group’s first album which enjoyed great success in England, with singles like “The Sun Always Shine on TV”, “Take on me”, and “Hunting High and Low” that the really big hits.
Please vote for a-ha’s Hunting High and Low album cover for Norway’s best ever record cover:
The 10 best will adorn the exterior of the new pop & rock museum / experience in Norway.
Looks like you can vote many times… AND you HAVE to, because a-ha is not currently among the 10 best.
Vote by clicking on the album title in the drop down window.
With thanks to Mortyman.
Here’s a few recordings from the Live stream with thanks to Chris F.
The Bandstand
Summer Moved On
Hunting High and Low
The Living Daylights
Train of Thought
More videos can be found on:Chris F’s You Tube
From the foot of the mountain to the summit
Timeless beautiful melancholy
The contrast to a-ha is enormous (in comparaison to Simple Minds). Not only because the Norwegians have made extremely rare live . From the first note to their sound is as clear and transparent as the water of a fjord – admittedly similar cool. Perfection rather than emotion, in any event on the stage.
A half-dozen titles for eternity, they have in their luggage, from the first hit “Take on me” about the early “The sun always shines on TV” to the James Bond soundtrack “Living Daylights”.
Precious pieces of pop music, often ingeniously composed, arranged always high. As much could be learned from even a score for a symphony orchestra.
Morten Harket’s voice is high shortly before his fiftieth birthday is still a revelation. Not more so playfully easy as twenty years ago. But his ability to work with the vocal cords filigree sculptures to model, is perhaps even grown. Except Jon Anderson (Yes) is moving or not pop-rock singer at a comparable level.
If anything, the current hit “Foot of the mountain” you realize that it really can be cumbersome, pitch peak as a counter-tenor to climb. And yet we begin to feel that something is missing. The two studio musicians based drawing pop comes to programming, therefore, the (few) titles are not yet crept into the ear, and if someone is rocked like “Manhattan Skyline”, then as an ironic quote.
The audience is stunned key witness a brilliant performance, but not part of a common experience. Harket is his reputation as a silent frontman once more just what a good-humored Magne Furuholmen at the keyboard, however, compensates.
But an event is the concert until the moment when the three original band members along with minimal instrumentation, and to Niederknien beautiful unplugged versions of “Hunting High and Low” and “Summer Moved on” in the clear dusk on the castle rock let.
Ironically, two songs about the fear of leaving Will. So timeless melancholy can be beautiful. Even if the coolest summer sometime passes.
Thanks to Jenn (German) and Chris F (English) – Google translated.
a-ha Interview
a-ha – The Norweigan band who made it big in the 80s with Take on Me and Hunting High and Low are back with a new album already doing well in Europe. WireImage/ Getty Video.
(c) Canwest Publishing
click here to go directly to the video on Montreal Gazette’s website
With thanks to samar22.
Harket: ‘X Factor limiting and shallow’
Thursday, August 6 2009, 12:31 BST
By Mayer Nissim, Entertainment Reporter
Morten Harket has accused The X Factor and the Eurovision Song Contest of being limiting.
The A-ha frontman told London Lite that if asked to pick which he preferred between the two he would choose neither.
Harket said: “I do respond to the ideas behind the Eurovision and The X Factor but they’re both so limiting and very, very shallow.”
When asked if he wanted to be known for his music or if he enjoyed his status as a heartthrob, the ‘Take On Me’ singer added: “I can choose to be a serious musician but the sex symbol part is not up to me.”
From Popbitch 31/07/09:
A-ha! The sun always shines on these three
A-ha have a top five album this week. No more than they deserve for churning out quality album after quality album.
Why we love them:
* A-ha admit to being Stoke City fans. “When we were kids Stoke was massive in Norway. We can give you the 1975 line up” said Morten Harket, “But I’m not sure we could give you today’s line up.” However Magne Furuholmen has more faith, “They will be big again – if we just hold out long enough,” he said.
* In Rock in Rio 1991, 198,000 people paid to see A-Ha play at the Maracana Stadium. This is thought to be a world record.
* Their album How Can I Sleep With Your Voice In My Head is the best live pop album. And it’s got a very melancholic seal on the cover. (Try it on Spotify).
* Guitarist Pal Waaktaar is cool enough to have taken his wife’s surname when he got married, becoming Paul Waaktar-Savoy. They called their son August. Guess what month he was born? (Clue: August).
Listen to the new album online at: UMTV
With thanks to Angel.
A-ha – Foot Of The Mountain
By Simon Roche on Monday, 3 August 2009
A-ha – Foot Of The Mountain
(Universal)
Perhaps A-ha didn’t invent ’80s pop, but they defined it. One look at them playing their new single back to back with ‘The Sun Always Shines On TV’ live on Jonathon Ross (see below) a few weeks back and you can see how the sound they perfected has come full circle for not just them, but pop in general – the old single sounding as fresh as Morten Harket’s Peter Pan features. In fact Harket’s voice is so utterly recognisable and familiar that there comes a strange feeling of the nostalgic and the fresh on first listen to this new album – fresh because when they hit it right here (and they really do in parts) it’s the most soaring pop sound this year.
There is certainly something slightly Eurovision about some songs on this album, but Eurovision back in its more innocent days and, live, there’s a bit of the Johnny Logan about Harket without question. However it is a mix of this, of poster boys from the ’80s returning, and of a renewed thirst for the synth sounds that make Foot Of The Mountain about a million times more enjoyable that first imagined.
The downside, to get this out of the way first, is the sometimes weak lyrics that make things a little cringey, like when they sing “when Mother Nature goes to heaven” in their eco-song. Also “The floorboards creak at dawn, as you walk out on the lawn” is wrong on many levels, especially literally. There are some tracks that are nice and mellow but sound a bit like filler (‘Real Meaning’ perhaps and ‘Riding The Crest’). After Hunting High And Low, A-ha were never a band who made albums packed with gems but the singles could be superb (‘Stay On These Roads’ the single versus the mediocre album of the same name).
Foot Of The Mountain continues this somewhat but the gems here are really worth your time. Opening track ‘The Bandstand’ begins with a simple synth riff that wouldn’t be out of place on a Faithless song, underlayed with a soft and familiar A-ha electronic bed of sound – in fact it still sounds like almost all their sounds are developed in Magne Furuholmen’s keyboard. The first single ‘Foot Of The Mountain’ is as good as anything they have ever done, an epic string-laden sound and an addictive melody. Maybe it’s showing our age, but it’s just so damn enjoyable for whatever reason. The slow-burner ‘Shadowside’ is a bit more acoustic sounding and if we still operated our mating habits around slow-sets there’s be many teenagers holding onto each other for this one.
‘Nothing Is Keeping you Here’ begins just like Nilsson’s ‘Everybody’s Talkin’ oddly enough, but descends into the lame ‘lawn’ lyrics mentioned earlier, though it’s a pretty good sound if you can get over that. (It is difficult.) As the album closes another three minutes of pleasure lie in ‘Sunny Mystery’ and then the obligatory mellow exit in ‘Start The Simulator’ which is a fine curtain on things, a song laid over a very simple drum machine and some added texture. But such talk of technical aspects in these songs is superfluous. What is important to note is that a good half of this album is life-affirming pop of the highest calibre. Radio friendly, sure, and in part a glorious throw back to the best Eurovision sounds (Norway might pull an Irish two-in-a-row if these guys step up next year) but for pop music like this, that’s just where you want to be.
A-HA performing LIVE on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross – 24 July 2009
Gelegonya Edina, Inkei Bence, Rónai András, Szabó Sz. Csaba 2009.
augusztus 01.
It is still full-on summer, as you can probably see, which not only means that the apricots are ripening, but the stars are still on holiday as well. Anyway, there is a-ha, being a well known band, and we can rest assured, for Morten Harket is still a super guy! Not as successful the comeback of Cornershop with their sitar-sound and Göteborg is getting noticed nowadays on account of the new formation JJ. We can say about Biblio’s new album that it has a sepia-tone, and Kid British is trying to break out the ska-revival once again.
a-ha: Foot Of The Mountain
Expectations:
Comeback has usually two types in pop music and show-business in general: one is when a performer or a band starts working after a longer period of hiatus; the other is when the same are trying to dig out their so-called roots and start to create in a style that has defined the early period of their career. We can find examples of both cases in the history of a-ha.
Their big comeback was brought about by the cd Minor Earth Major Sky (2000), losing momentum to the extreme, which recaptured the band’s success of the 80’s-90’s after a seven year long break. The band has not disappeared ever since, but they have been doing their job , sometimes in mutual projects (latest being Analogue in 2005), sometimes in independent solo projects, although not making a significant stir either way.
The second meaning of comeback is depleted by the recent ninth album of the Norwegian trio: in Foot Of The Mountain the members have refreshed and reconsidered the synth-pop that they have introduced to us with their debut album, Hunting High And Low (1985, featuring the fabled Take On Me).
Outcome:
Although there are things that remain unchanged around a-ha (like the fact, that even at approaching 50, Morten Harket is still a super guy), comparing the breakthrough material to the recent one the differences are still significant. While the recordings of the 80’s were striving to reach an immediate effect, the recent tracks are much harder to digest, even if they present songs flirting the possibility of becoming an instant hit, like The Bandstand or Riding The Crest.
This is mainly due to the fact that a-ha can no longer be interpreted as merely being a synth-pop band, since from the 90’s on they have included less mechanic elements, but infusing even more nordic melancholy into their works and these peculiarities also gain an important role in Foot Of The Mountain.
Namely, on the one hand, it is not a pure style album, but one that features tracks using moderate electronics, with more real instruments, like the delectable , but not quite enduring title track. On the other hand, it resulted in a fairly melancholic cd – we should not be afraid , though, since it doesn’t end up turning into doddering lamentation: the saturnine lyrics and Harket’s resignated voice are countered by warm tones and upbeat rhythm, thus creating a friendly dualism throughout the entire album. Although the tracks are sensibly and consciously murky, they still present a bit of cheerfulness and brightness.
After the beautiful Shadowside, which may seem overly chiselled at first, the material becomes rather feeble, the band decreases tempo and Start The Simulator turns into painful boredom. Nevertheless, if we are able to listen so many synth-pop performers nowadays, then Foot Of The Mountain sure deserves a fair chance at that.
Recommended:
To those, who are already fed up with having an 80’s-revival brought back into fashion only by some twenty-some year old chicks like La Roux and Little Boots.
Rate: B-
Translation from Hungarian to English with thanks to Ildiko.
A-ha are back! Norway’s hottest band return from the wilderness with a new album and tour
By Sarah Graham
05th August 2009
Back in the mid eighties they were the hottest band on the planet. And now, almost 25 years later A-ha are making a comeback – and they’re hotter than ever.
With a new album out and a tour in the autumn, MailOnline’s Sarah Graham met up with Morten Harket and Magne Furuholmen to find out what they’ve been doing since topping the UK charts with Take On Me.
‘The great part about coming back in a long career is to be recognised by people who grew up to your music and all these great artists today cite the band as musical influences,’ says Magne Furuholmen, keyboardist with A-ha.
Among those artists who have famously tipped their caps to A-ha are Noel and Liam Gallagher, Coldplay, U2 and Robbie Williams.
Magne, Sarah and Morten
Magne Furuholmen and Morten Harket from A-Ha
Back from obscurity: Magne Furuholmen (L) and Morten Harket (R) meet Sarah Graham to discuss their new album release, Foot Of The Mountain
The band – Magne, singer Morten Harket and guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy – are promoting a new album and comeback tour almost 25 years after they first conquered the UK charts with Take On Me.
But this is no retro comeback in the vein of the ‘Here And Now Eighties Tour’ where long-forgotten, ageing New Romantics take to the road again for one last flash of glory.
What may surprise people is that Foot Of The Mountain is the Norwegian trio’s ninth album and it brings the band full-circle back to the synth-pop musical style that first propelled them to fame.
You see, A-ha have never really gone away, they just stopped enjoying success in the UK music charts.
‘We were under the radar for a long time firstly because we split up for seven years – not so much a split but more like we fell apart and fell into other things like family life, solo projects – kind of as a detox from fame,’ continues Magne. ‘It took a little while to reground ourselves.’
‘Mind you the limelight exists anywhere in the world,’ interjects Morten. ‘When you’re not in the UK it can be as active somewhere else in the world and for me that’s more or less been the case so I never dropped out of the limelight in that sense. But we did from the UK point of view.’
At the height of their fame, Morten, Magne and Paul played to thousands of screaming fans, sold millions of albums and made TV appearances all around the world.
In the UK they had hits with their first three albums spawning singles such as The Sun Always Shines On TV, Hunting High And Low, Cry Wolf and The Swing of Things but, as Adam Clayton from U2 later observed, they were ’seen as a band for teenage girls’.
And it is this stereotyping that shaped the future of the band and the path it subsequently followed – a path that took them away from the UK music scene.
After the massive success of Take On Me it was difficult for the band to shake off their pop image and as a result they began to experiment with other sounds, sounds which didn’t sit well with the British music-buying public. A-ha, it seemed, just disappeared into obscurity.
Now, decades older, the trio has been able to reflect on where their career has taken them and return to pay homage to their early sound with their latest album.
Foot Of The Mountain is a fusion of A-ha old and new: the edgy synthesizers of their early style blend with a melodic and whimsical flow reminiscent of Keane (one of the bands incidentally who cite A-ha as a major influence).
But their journey hasn’t always been an easy one. The rate at which they first achieved success is phenomenal: three young men in their early 20s arrive in London from Norway in search of musical success.
They barely spoke English; they have no instruments, no manager and no record deal. Within two years they are the biggest pop group in the world.
‘We kind of came with money saved from odd jobs and took a rented bedsit or two bed apartment at Queensway and subsequently the less money we had the lower the standard of the accommodation until finally we were sleeping in a basement in Sydenham underneath a demo studio and recording during the night and sleeping on polystyrene sheets during the day,’ recalls Magne.
Morten, Magne and Paul
Taking on the world: The band – (l-r) Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen and Pal Waaktaar – in their 80s heyday
‘But there was always something that happened that made me think “now we’re really on our way”. Every positive sign we would report back to our worried families. We had no contact, we had no one representing us we had just ourselves and the music.’
Morten adds: ‘At the same time we were very quickly well known. So the tough period really was when we were a non entity, when we were just squatters from Norway. Though we all felt the same about that period, I never doubted where we were going so for me my only – I was only wondering how long the wait would be.’
‘Oh no I don’t think there was any doubt,’ says Magne, ‘it was just a question of easing the worry at home.’
‘Well we didn’t tell them much. They didn’t know how scruffy we were,’ jokes Morten.
‘That’s what I mean,’ says Magne, ‘we only told them the good bits, like “OK we got a meeting today with the publishing company “. It was one of those things that there’s always something that was a good sign, a good indication.’
Soon the boys had a number one worldwide hit on their hands and everything changed.
However, as they began to plan and produce their second album, Scoundrel Days, they felt pressure from their record company to produce more of the same rather than evolve as artists and record the music they wanted to make. And here the problems began.
‘One of the things that threw us a little with hindsight was equating the rather frustrating business of being the centre of celebrity attention and being idolised in a certain way or being seen to be this kind of pop idol,’ says Magne.
‘It was a little bit alien but we started equating I guess the musical output with our own frustrations and one of the ways of combating that is that you naturally look back to where you started.
‘You say “OK our music is going in this direction, let’s follow, who cares what it does to our career? A lot of people got frustrated with this.
‘The first thing you’d hear after Scoundrel Days “there’s no Take On Me on this album”. Of course there isn’t, we’ve done that. This is Scoundrel Days, this is a better album. This was our approach. Their approach was “sh*t, they’re really going down the tubes”‘.
‘It was named later on as our best album,’ adds Morten.
Comeback: The band’s new album is a return to the early recording style that propelled them to mega stardom
Magne goes on: ‘Some of the material on Scoundrel Days was already written before Hunting High and Low.
‘It was perhaps of a more challenging nature with songs like Scoundrel Days – those are the songs that have perhaps given us the legs, career-wise, and the status in other people’s minds as a band to reckon with.
‘Not necessarily the Take On Me’s and the big successes but the more challenging material. And of course you’re then in a situation where you’ve created a success so big that everyone wants it to just go on.
‘As a musician you don’t think like that, you think I just want to make the music I really believe in. It’s a bit Napoleonic, you just take the army out there even though it’s a battle you’re going to lose on some fronts – you just do it because you believe in it.’
And lose on some fronts they did. As the band’s frustration with their pop image grew, the further away from their early sound they moved. They experimented with a variety of genres including rock, but never achieved the success of their first albums.
Looking back, Magne says, he can see that the reason their success in the UK came to an abrupt end was because people wanted the pop-orientated A-ha they had grown to love. The band had become teen idols.
‘Initially that was a big part of the commercial success and it happened very fast and we didn’t control it, it kind of controlled us and propelled us into an area that was completely unexpected,’ he says.
‘I think U2 had a much better idea of what they wanted to be and what they didn’t want to be whereas we found ourselves learning what we were and what we weren’t completely in the spotlight.
‘And it happened to such a degree that people somehow thought we were a band kind of made for this… manufactured. But Adam Clayton’s right, we were mistaken as some sort of perfect pop product and we played along and we kind of embraced that and we paid the price for it.’
A few albums later the band broke up for a period and disappeared from the music scene to start families and, in Magne’s case, to take up art professionally.
In 2000 they reformed, went back into the studio and began making music again. Although they still failed to penetrate the UK market, they won awards worldwide for their subsequent albums.
But as Morten says, they were still not interested in markets – they just wanted to make the right music for themselves.
And it might be this maturity and musical freedom that has now allowed them to embrace their early style and evolve it into their current sound. Hindsight, after all, is a wonderful thing.
‘There was an intention to reacquaint ourselves with… to open up to some of the ways we used to do things,’ says Magne.
‘And doing that,’ adds Morten, ‘approaching the music in the way we used to in the early days has influenced quite a lot the final result.’
‘We’ve done so many albums and most of the time what we’ve been doing is experimenting away from the last album, like rock.
‘That’s fair because I think rock was always a big part of our heritage, it was a kind of natural urge to get away from what you’ve already done but then at some point you get so far away from what you were doing that it’s almost like the most radical and interesting thing you can do is revisit some of the mechanisms.
‘Specifically to me there is something magical about the combination of our songs, Morten’s voice…’, muses Magne.
‘There was something I missed about the simplicity, the almost naivety that very simple but well-constructed synth arrangements bring and something about the lushness that isn’t lush in a kind of schmaltzy way but lush in a kind of atmospheric – you know it’s just conducive to our songwriting and to Morten’s singing… we hadn’t really celebrated it before.’
But he adds: ‘Far from being a wish to return to the early days it’s more a case of adding all that to our plate today. Something that we did as good as if not better than most we should be able to also use in our arsenal as well musically and I think we’ve just crystalised elements of the band and that’s why it’s interesting to do it today.’
Magne says comparisons to Take That’s successful resurgence are a little wide of the mark: ‘Take That are clearly hugely loved by their British audience. They are four people who sing and dance and entertain people. We are not trying to replicate anything, A-ha are simply trying to go on making music in the hope it will be meaningful in people’s lives.’
Already making waves amongst music critics, Foot Of The Mountain looks set to put A-ha back on the map and a UK tour in November with dates at London’s 02 should indeed reaffirm them as a band to be reckoned with.
They’re older, they’re wiser and they look and sound better than ever.
So what’s the secret to their eternal youth?
‘Eat all the preservatives you can!’, Magne says. ‘No, seriously, people who have lived are more interesting than people who look like they have been left in formaldehyde or reach for their youth with a surgeon’s knife. Morten hardly drinks alcohol. Apart from that, genes, normal living and healthy food.
‘It’s a strange situation to sit here 25 years later and feel that it’s a band that’s still influential, that is something I didn’t even consider at the time. I think for the first time there’s enough distance to really take a good look at your life in the music business and realise it is a life, it has become a life. While we weren’t looking it turned into a life.’
With thanks to Sally.
Magne and Morten appeared on Janice Long’s show which airs from Midnight.
Morten and Magne speak a bit about the Foot of the Mountain album, their solo projects and they also chose some songs by Yazoo, David Bowie, Keane, Glenn Campbell, Apparatjik (one of Magne’s solo project bands with Guy Berryman etc). They also spoke about the Northern Lights briefly and Morten said he lived for 6 years in Hampshire. They then played What There Is which Morten suggested because Janice was going to play Shadowside.
I heard rumours today “What There Is” might be the second single. I’m not too sure what I think about that. Its not an obvious choice of single like The Bandstand and the only reason Radio 2 are playing it is because the album is on their A List so the BBC Radio stations can play any song from the album. I will be surprised if this is the follow-up single to Foot of the Mountain (single) but it might be so I’ll have more to say on that when we know officially.
You can listen to the interview at:
BBC Radio with Janice Long Magne and Morten appear between 8 minutes and 14 minutes. This will most probably only be able for 7 days and it may not work outside of the UK in some countries, which would be restricted by the BBC.
With thanks to scorcher.
Saturday 1 August 2009 08:35
Morten Harket, Leader of a-ha: I want to improve more creatively
After the short mention about musical history of Morten in a-ha and solo, him being the father of five kids, and 4 years long work on FOTM album (?) the interviewer asked him about such stuff like books, TV, film and sculpter. Here are the extracts:
Books
Morten reads everywhere but not in the bedroom. Recently he is very fond about book by Bill Bryson titled Short Story of Almost Everything (probably the original title in not exactly like this). This book is about the history of the world and science written for the laics.
As Morten is the father of so many children there are many books for kids in his house. His and their favourite has been the books by Astrid Lindgren.
TV
Morten is not the fan of TV but thinks there are more interesting films on TV than in the cinema nowadays. He personally is the fan of the britcoms. Recently he likes the BBC’s series Hotel Babylon very much. This is the series about London’s luxury hotel.
Cinema
Morten prefers the documentary films. He admires the films made by David Attenborough. Fascinating doumentaries about wild life.
Sculpter
Morten admits (and this the main thread of the whole article) that if he weren’t musician he would be the sculpter artist. (hmmm, I am sure till today there have been many variances about that who would be he if he would’nt be in a-ha 
). Few months ago he finished the bronze sculpture for the Nowegian Council Foundation (sorry if I made mistake in the name of the foundation). This is like the view from above onto the person swimming under the water. From above you can see only the surface of the water but looking from downside you can see the figure. (I remember Morten mentioned this on TV interview last month but Mags interrupted him). The main influence in the art for Morten is Austrian painter Egon Shiele creating on the borderland of expressionism and art nouveau. His works look like the sculptures in the frames.
And that would be more or less all. I am sad that there is only a small mention about the new album. It would be great if they would talk about FOTM cause Dziennik is the second major newspaper in Poland.
Translation from Polish to English by Gosia.
Here’s the proof from Radio 1’s Chart Show:
No. 5 (new entry)
Also a write up in Budstikka about their No. 5 album in the UK.
5. place in the United Kingdom
Published
03.08.2009 kl. 07:42
Sivert Moe-Winther / sivert.moe.winther@budstikka.no
SUCCESS: Magne Furuholmen and A-ha’s latest album does well in the United Kingdom.
Magne Furuholmen and the rest of A-ha enjoy new acclaim in the United Kingdom.
The latest album of A-ha, “Foot of the Mountain”, fell in its first week on the official British album list right onto 5. space, write Dagbladet.no.
Magne Furuholmen and his two band mates achieved sales success and the band has not been seen before the popularity of the British Isles for 20 years, when the third album brought them into the top 10-lists.
I was looking at the TOP ALBUMS section on the UK iTunes Store this morning and noticed Foot of the Mountain is no longer in the Top 10 albums, but I did notice that Hunting High and Low is in the section WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO and Take on Me (video) is in the WHAT WE’RE WATCHING section which is fantastic news.
I looked more closely in the TOP ALBUMS and today Foot of the Mountain is No. 21 (whereas last few days it was No. 9) – of course this is for downloads, so its only the iTunes chart. I don’t think this chart reflects proper UK chart placings, unless it only does so for the TOP 10 SINGLES, TOP 10 ALBUMS, TOP 10 VIDEOS etc and anything outside the Top listings are based on iTunes store downloads. To be honest I don’t know how they make up their charts.
Here’s a screencap:
iTunes UK storefront 05/08/09
I’m hoping the Foot of the Mountain album will still be in the Official UK Top 10 Album Chart this Sunday (last Sunday it was No. 5), which is the first time since 1988 with “Stay on These Roads” album the band has had a UK Top 10 album and this is a fantastic achievement!
The Foot of the Mountain album has done far better than I thought possible (given the June release date in Europe and fans wanting to buy the album sooner than the July 2009 release date in the UK). I guess the promo the guys did in the past month in the UK has really helped get the news out there a) the band are still making music, touring and have a brand new album and b) a-ha wrote and continue to write brilliant melody’s, pop songs and also c) Scandi-pop and Norwegian electro-pop/synth-pop is becoming more popular with acts like Kate Havnevik, Royksopp, Datarock, Ida Maria, Lykke Li and Black Room who are putting Norway on the World Music stage.
Brilliant reviews of a-ha in England
JAN Tystad / nyhet@dagbladet.no
02 August 2009
LONDON (Dagbladet): A ha’s new single “Foot of the Mountain” has received good coverage in British media after it was launched 27. July. The Norwegian group that excited young girls and boys in the middle of the 1980s, with tunes like “Take on me”, you get to repeat the success.
New generation
The Times used a full yesterday to portray the group under the title “a-ha back with a smell and the sun shining on the 80-stars.” Morten Harket (49) is a remarkably youthful songs that are about to conquer a new generation who were not born when they were on top.
Morten Harket told The Times:
- We have an audience that was not born when we started our career. The biggest example that such can happen, is Abba, which has been in operation longer than anyone can remember, but young people love them.
One of the finest mentions of the new album, was in the BBC Radio 2, where critics Tom Hocknell, among other things, said: “The launch of the ninth album is a welcome reiteration of their electronic music and a wonderful reminder of their swinging tunes.” Hocknell states that they have left “pin-up”-style, but the melody contains much of the same as debutant songs.
More concerts
A-ha return to London in November and will, among other things, play in the big exhibition hall O2 in Greenwich, but there are several concerts and the fans will get Norway.
Sky TV did a small enquette among viewers and received a stream of positive reactions to his line:
“Foot of the Mountain” is the best album in 2009, “said one. Another wrote: “I’ve been a fan since 1985 and have all the songs. Come with many more albums. “
Chris Martin, frontman of Coldplay, told The Times that a-ha has had great influence on his group. “When I put their first album on, so I remember how great price I put on the youth. It is an amazing text and melody. A-ha was the first band that I loved. “
Tim Rice-Oxley of Keane describes “Take on me” as perhaps the greatest pop melody that has been made.
Pop in English
The joys that many Britons is that the group has preserved its youthful character.
When they were new in the mid 1980-century, they were one of the most popular groups in the United Kingdom.
What We’re Listening To
By John Hill on August 4, 2009 10:52 AM
CD
Foot of the Mountain, A-Ha
3/5
IN A NUTSHELL
A-Ha are more comfortable back in the world of synth pop, even if it’s not entirely a spectacular effort.
REVIEW
A-Ha wandered off into the forest a little while ago looking for a different sound.
Foot of the Mountain signals that they’re back home in the gumdrop world of synth pop, no doubt moaning about the grotty food and muggy weather in the lands without keyboards.
The legend of A-Ha was created on the synth, and the style fits in neatly with the band’s ear for pop anthems and the rich, tinkling vocals of Morten Harket. But since they’ve been off questing, other bands have popped into their beds like a chart-topping Goldilocks.
Keane has frequently sung the praises of the Norwegian band, and this album’s title track feels like it wouldn’t be out of place on the Sussex act’s debut Hopes and Fears. The band do get brownie points, however, for wrong-footing fans by releasing the single the day after they set it down in the studio.
Elsewhere there are peaks and troughs, but the best moments include a vintage Harket chorus in the bright Riding the Crest, and the more mournful Shadowside.
a-ha: Reluctant poster boys from Norway
Aug 3 2009 By Polly Weeks
Norwegian synthpop band a-ha may have found fame in the 80s but they’re still going just as strong. In the week of their new album release, Foot Of The Mountain, lead singer Morten Harket and guitarist/keyboardist Magne Furuholmen discuss the past, present and future of their band.
However, while most of the Smash Hits cover stars have now been consigned to the pop history books, a few still make the charts today, including one of the original boy-bands, a-ha.
Hailing from Norway, the band is made up of lead singer Morten Harket, 49, guitarist/keyboard player Magne Furuholmen, 46, and songwriter and guitarist, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, 47.
The trio burst onto the music scene 24 years ago and are still going strong.
“Throughout the band’s history, we have always had this feeling of being 14 years old. When we go into a room together, we’ve got the same dynamics!” Furuholmen laughs.
When they released their debut album Hunting High and Low in 1985, it included a-ha’s anthemic single, Take On Me. Their haunting, catchy pop songs soon earned them a Grammy nomination and of course the attention of a generation of teenage girls.
The boys found themselves whisked into photo shoots and teen magazine interviews, as the nation became officially smitten with the trio.
“I found it very strange and confusing. When we did gain attention it came about in quite a convoluted way. With the success also came this status of being poster boys. We struggled our way through that and never really embraced it,” explains Furuholmen.
With his six-pack stomach and sultry glances, Harket, then 25, was the band’s main icon.
“I was never comfortable as a poster boy though,” Harket admits. “I was an object and being used for a particular sequence. When someone is focussed on by the media you will get a reaction from the public.”
His negative memories of those glory days may come as something of a surprise. The boys were not only idols for the Eighties, but also achieved global musical success. The band even topped the coveted US charts.
“Any 16-20-year-old who wants fame has no idea what it’s going to be like until they achieve it,” Harket admits.
“It’s nothing like you’d think, so even if you really want fame, you’ll quickly change your mind when it comes to having to deal with it.”
While they may have received unwanted attention, a-ha can take solace in the fact they have inspired many of today’s leading bands and artists. Everyone from Robbie Williams to Oasis and Coldplay, have spoken of their admiration for the Norwegian musicians.
“That’s where we feel vindicated. Now we get credited for the music we left behind,” Furuholmen says seriously.
“One of the best feelings you can have is to have active musicians saying, ‘Your music changed my life and was one of the reasons I wanted to get into music’. That’s meaningful. That is the inheritance you want to leave behind – not the frustration of being an awkward pop-star or a misplaced poster boy.”
So is that the reason they continue to make music together 26 years down the line?
“That and the hope that when we’re in our Sixties we’ll become poster boys again,” Harket jokes.
With music still at the forefront of their mind, the band are just as excited as ever about their new album Foot Of The Mountain. And fans of their earlier material should be pleasantly surprised.
“This album has given us the opportunity to go back into our own history and dig out some of the elements that we left out for a long time in our pursuit of creative freedom,” Furuholmen says.
“We’ve come far enough down the line to look back and say, ‘Was there something we left along the way which could be of use to us now?’ It was a real thrill to re-examine our formative efforts and use them in ways which rejuvenate them.”
With artists such as La Roux, Ladyhawke, MGMT bearing more than a passing resemblance to early a-ha’s synth-pop sound, the instigators of the original scene are around to show the youngsters how it’s done.
But Harket denies that the rise in the popularity of synth-pop has influenced their decision to go back to their roots.
“It may feel a bit like that but we don’t think that way. We do what’s right for us. Sometimes you hit a wave at the right time and ride it, other times you don’t really know what’s out there and you just have to do what you think is best for you at the time.”
With their new release the band are happy to confirm their status, while avoiding the scrutiny of the public gaze.
“In the past the success we had was important to propel the music forward but it wasn’t the reason we got into music. Neither was the attention,” Furuholmen finishes.
“The attention was a tool to get the music known. Now that the music has a life of its own and that’s been the pay-off for all the years of hard work. To be able to find yourself still in music and still able to present it to people – that’s a meaningful thing.”
Extra time – a-ha
The band are all Stoke City FC fans.
The video for Take On Me which featured both animation and live action, received six awards at the MTV Video Awards in 1986.
While Take On Me is instantly recognisable, the band’s song The Sun Always Shines on TV actually did better in the UK charts.
Foot Of The Mountain is the band’s ninth studio album.
Outside of a-ha, both Harket and Furuholmen have released solo material and Waaktaar-Savoy has a side project called Savoy.
As reported earlier, the guys were interviewed and performed an acoustic set of 7 songs on 25th July 2009.
The Setlist:
• 1. The Sun Always Shines on TV
• 2. Riding The Crest
• 3. Foot of the Mountain
• 4. A Question of Lust
• 5. Take On Me
• 6. Analogue
• 7. Hunting High and Low
Two tracks stood out for me – The Sun Always Shines on TV and A Question of Lust (an original song by Depeche Mode).
The Sun Always Shines on TV was fantastic. Paul was really rocking the guitar on this one and it sounded fantastic!
Firstly, I never thought a-ha would cover a Depeche Mode song and secondly, it was pretty good. Its not a Depeche Mode song I would’ve chosen to cover, but they did very well and it was nice to hear Morten sing something different. Being a Depeche Mode fan too I was excited to hear them cover one of their songs.
Listen to these two songs:
Here’s a few videos of the concert at Camden Roundhouse, London.
Thanks to Chris F.
The Sun Always Shines on TV
The Bandstand
Riding The Crest
ITV2 didn’t show a-ha’s gig on 24th July. I thought I’d show a little bit they did air.
It’s no consolation but I thought some people would like to see it.
A-HA
Foot of the Mountain Universal ***
When it comes to pop music, A-Ha remain a force to be reckoned with worldwide. With synthesisers back in vogue, the Norwegians are attempting to show the kids how it’s really done on their ninth studio album. Foot of the Mountain sees Morten Harket and friends dabbling in their electropop sound of yesteryear, but it’s not necessarily chock-full of cheery, lighthearted pop capers. These songs are mostly moody, reflective ballads that could use some vitality. That said, the strange, spacey gurgle of Start the Simulator is attention-grabbing, as is the softly sung title track, and Harket’s choirboy croon is as sweet today as it ever was. A perfectly likeable collection of mid-tempo pop songs, but certainly not the apex of A-Ha’s career. www.a-ha.com LAUREN MURPHY
Download tracks: Start the Simulator, Foot of the Mountain.
With thanks to sneakythesnake.
A couple more of my best photos of Morten.
Morten
Morten
to be continued…
In a taxi with… A-Ha
By Stuart Husband
1st August 2009
The resurgent 80s pop idols on their misspent youth in London – and being hip once more
A-Ha
Taking us on again, from left: Morten Harket and Magne Furuholmen
I know them from somewhere, don’t I?’ says Brian, our cabbie, as Morten Harket and Magne Furuholmen clamber into his vehicle.
That would be the 80s, when, as A-Ha, Morten, Magne and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (who’s ‘too shy’ to come along for the ride today) stormed out of Norway, becoming pop icons.
Their breakthrough hit ‘Take On Me’ was an early MTV staple, and Morten’s chiselled profile vied for space on teen bedroom walls. Now, almost 25 years later and approaching 40 million worldwide record sales, they’re back.
A-Ha’s legacy has remained untarnished – perhaps because their music always carried an undertow of lilting melancholy. U2’s the Edge has cited them as a major influence; everyone from Coldplay and Keane to Robbie Williams has eulogised them.
‘There’s this reappraisal of A-Ha going on now,’ says Magne, who, with his messy bleached hair and wry demeanour, resembles a mature surfer dude. ‘It’s seriously damaging our reputation as ageing teen idols. But it’s wonderful to get these kinds of tributes.’
‘We were never a boy band,’ snorts Morten, undercutting his words somewhat by the fact that, at nearly 50, he looks remarkably unchanged from the band’s heyday. ‘We always had much more to offer than that, I thought.’
A-Ha are back in London to promote their ninth album, Foot of the Mountain, which, with its driving synths and thunderous melodies, brings them full circle, while also fitting plum into a 2009 soundscape.
‘Morten always had the air of a major star. He’d walk down the street in shiny turquoise leggings drawing massive attention’
‘It’s fitting, because when we first arrived in London in 1983, it was like being drowned in pop music,’ says Magne. ‘We discovered groups like Soft Cell and it really determined our sound. We didn’t know anyone, we had no contacts. We stayed in a bedsit round here,’ he continues.
‘I got arrested for being drunk and disorderly. I think I jumped over a car or something. I spent the night in the slammer with some drunks and a couple of transvestites.’
‘Coming here made us interested in pop music in a way I hadn’t been,’ says Morten. ‘I grew up in a small mountain town in Norway, and I remember miming to the Beatles on the couch when I was about six, singing into a broomstick, but this was a country that only had one radio station. There was no music around, really.’
Not that it stopped Morten dreaming. ‘He always had the air of a major star,’ says Magne, ‘even when he wasn’t one. That’s why Paul and I wanted him in the band. He’d walk down the street in shiny metallic turquoise ballet leggings, drawing massive attention. It was just in his nature.’
‘I knew we would make it big,’ shrugs Morten. ‘I’d known since I was 17 that I was going to be a star. It was a strange feeling, but a very real one.’ But the kind of stardom they found quickly turned sour. ‘The minute “Take On Me” was a success, we wanted to be different,’ says Magne. ‘We didn’t play ball.’
‘The pin-up thing took us completely by surprise,’ says Morten. ‘I found it hard because I got singled out and I didn’t like it. There was a lot of disillusionment.’
That led to a hiatus in the early 90s, when the band barely talked for five years. Their renewed success is, you feel, down to increased tolerance of Morten’s foibles. Now a father of five, he retreats regularly to the Norwegian wilds – indulging a passion for orchids, tropical fish and growing his own coral reefs.
He’s been known to bring a ‘healer’ on tour with him and is given to gnomic remarks like ‘I don’t believe in time’, which provokes much indulgent eye-rolling from Magne.
Meanwhile, the latter has become an artist, achieving notoriety with works including a Christmas tree decorated with money and gold bars (its subsequent stripping by rapacious art-punters was, says Magne, ‘a chance for the public to complete the work’).
We pull up in front of London’s Royal Albert Hall, scene of some of the rebooted A-Ha’s greatest triumphs. ‘What I like about what we do now,’ says Magne, as he jumps out of the taxi, ‘is that we all have other things going on. A-Ha doesn’t
define us any more.’
‘But its spirit is something that we constantly sense,’ intones Morten, enigmatic to the last. ‘And maybe the best is yet to come.’
A-Ha’s new album Foot of the Mountain is out now.
Read the full interview at Remember the 80’s
Ten Things You Never Knew About Chris Martin
Wednesday, June 18 2008, 06:00 BST
By Beth Hilton, Entertainment Reporter
Ten Things You Never Knew About Chris Martin
Chris Martin has rarely been out of the news this week. If he isn’t walking out of interviews and fending off accusations of plagiarism, he’s confessing to dreaming about Westlife and celebrating as Coldplay’s fourth album goes platinum in just three days. And all this without a mention of famous wife Gwyneth Paltrow and their wackily-named offspring Apple and Moses. As he continues to make headlines at every turn, it’s high time we found out more about rock’s most clean-living star.
4. Chris was a huge fan of ’80s band A-ha, especially lead singer Morten Harket. He says: “It was the way [he] used to have different things on his wrists. I do it myself, still. He is the most disarming and beautiful man you’ll ever meet.”
Jackson still top of British album charts
Sun Aug 2, 2009 7:04pm BST
LONDON (Reuters) – Michael Jackson’s popularity with British music buyers shows no signs of waning as “The Essential” stayed top of the album charts for the fifth week in a row, the Official Charts Company said on Sunday.
Jackson has topped the album chart since his death in June, with “Essential” and hits package “Number Ones” occupying the top spot for the last six weeks as fans snap up copies of his back catalogue.
There was no change at number two where Florence & the Machine held on with “Lungs,” while U.S. hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas moved up to third with “The End.”
Former number one “Sunny Side Up” by Scottish singer songwriter Paolo Nutini remained in fourth, with Norwegian band A-Ha, who shot to prominence in the 1980s, in fifth place with their comeback album “Foot Of The Mountain.“
(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Michael Roddy)
Album: A-ha, Foot of the Mountain, (Universal)
Reviewed by Simon Price
Sunday, 26 July 2009
A-ha were arguably the first veteran band to realise it was possible to express “grown-up” feelings without growing beards or going solo, and that the supposedly ephemeral genre with which they made their name, teen-aimed pop, could be an eternally valid vehicle.
On their ninth album, the yearning quality which was present on Hunting High and Low has been amplified by time’s tide. FOTM is a fine specimen that those hidebound by Oldthink would consider oxymoronic: an adult pop record.
A-Ha, CD review
A-Ha’s ‘Foot Of The Mountain’ lacks youthful energy and edge
By Neil McCormick
Published: 3:12PM BST 28 Jul 2009
A-Ha
Foot Of The Mountain
(Universal)
If you stay still long enough in the cyclical world of pop, eventually fashion will catch up with you.
On their ninth studio album, A-Ha’s smooth blend of bubbling synth pop and epic melody sounds absolutely in tune with Eighties influenced starlets like La Roux and Little Boots, but crucially lacks youthful energy and edge.
Telegraph rating: * *
Album of the week: A-ha – Foot of the Mountain ***
Jul 30 2009
A-ha – Foot Of The Mountain ***
MORTEN Harket et al have been going for long enough now to know what sells records, and this release should keep their fans happy enough. It is dated in the 1980s with songs led by synths and, of course, Morton’s trademark vocals.
However, given the current popularity for artists such as La Roux, Frankmusik and Ladyhawke, this style is perfectly acceptable in today’s pop climate. The album opens with Bandstand, a blisteringly typical A-ha single, while title track Foot Of The Mountain is a strong tune. There are some faults with the album, though: Shadowside is positively boring, as is the terribly-named Mother Nature Goes To Heaven.
A-ha: ‘Foot Of The Mountain’
Released on Monday, July 27 2009
By Mayer Nissim, Entertainment Reporter
With everyone from Blur to Spandau Ballet reforming this year, the unobservant may suspect that A-ha are merely the latest to jump on the bandwagon. However, the ’80s hitmakers actually reunited way back in 1998, and Foot Of The Mountain is their fourth album of the decade. Listeners who only remember the group for their massive 1985 single ‘Take On Me’ (and that animated video) will immediately recognise the tones of frontman Morten Harket, which sound as fresh now as they did back then, even if they do get an occasional – and unnecessary – update courtesy of Auto-Tune.
The tracks that stick to the band’s classic keyboard-driven sound are the best here. ‘The Bandstand’ is a brooding, beatsy opener which sounds a lot like former contemporaries Depeche Mode, though admittedly without the same menace. Meanwhile, ‘Sunny Mystery’ evokes another group from the period, New Order, which is no surprise seeing as Foot Of The Mountain was co-produced by ex-Perfecto man Steve Osborne, who also worked on the Manchester band’s 2001 comeback record Get Ready.
‘Riding The Crest’ may marry its intertwining melodies to somewhat shallow lyrics (“You don’t even know what’s missing / You need some sugar to make the pill go down”), but it certainly doesn’t sound like the work of a group whose members are pushing 50. While they might not share the same pace and sparkle as recent offerings from today’s electropop upstarts, tracks like ‘What There Is’ and ‘Mother Nature Goes To Heaven’ do a sterling job in showing where the likes of Ladyhawke and Little Boots nabbed their ideas from.
However, the album loses its way in its middle section, becoming bogged down with a series of plodding electro-ballads. ‘Shadowside’, ‘Real Meaning’ and ‘Nothing Is Keeping You Here’ all lack the oomph needed to elevate them from the realms of the ordinary and at times the melodies drift dangerously close to the middle of the road. Despite that, Foot Of The Mountain should definitely please those who’ve kept up with Morten and the boys over the years, and could possibly tempt the odd newcomer along for the ride.
August 1, 2009
A-ha are back, with rave reviews for their new album
Patrick Foster, Media Correspondent
Their first single went to No 1 around the world, propelled by a ground-breaking animated video, and they went on to sell more than 30 million albums before calling it a day in 1994.
But now a-ha are back with a bang. The Norwegian band, who shot to global prominence in 1985 with Take On Me, have garnered rave reviews for their latest album, Foot of the Mountain, winning over a wave of new fans who were not even born the last time they climbed the chart’s heights.
Their reappearance with a hit comes amid a slew of 1980s artists returning to the stage. In March Spandau Ballet announced that they were reforming, Kajagoogoo are to tour the country next month, and there are even rumours that Adam Ant is to relaunch his career.
Morten Harket, a-ha’s implausibly youthful lead singer, said that the band had emulated Abba, their fellow Scandinavians, in reaching out to a new generation.
He said: “We do have audiences who weren’t born when we started out. The biggest example of that would be Abba, who have been