Magne in NY...

What a fantastic photo! What a relaxed atmosphere captured… ! Not the way we use to see Magne, is it? From a hotel room in NY, but you don’t actually get the impression of it, do you?

(Photo: Janne Moller-Hansen (edited))

What book was Furuholmen reading?

Janne Moller-Hansen (VG) took some great photos of a-ha in NY recently. In one of the photos we could see Magnes sunglasses and a book lying on a table. If you recognise the cover, you will know what he was reading… (Source: Youtube Photo: Janne Moller-Hansen)

Superb photos of a-ha in NewYork 2010

Photos by Janne Moller-Hansen for VG. Music: "Real Meaning" by a-ha (Magne F/Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) from the album "Foot of the mountain"

Watch (original link, VG)

For a-ha updates...

Please mind - all 'a-ha fan cafe' blogs are automatically copied to facebook and from there to twitter, but not very sync I am afraid (looks like taking forever at times and huge pile up now)... so - to stay really updated check blog directly ;-)

Flashback: A day with a-ha (in 1988)

What a lucky girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Watch

Flashbacks: a-ha soundchecks

Watch

Watch a-ha at soundcheck

a-ha Soundcheck Mönchengladbach, Germany (Forever Not Yours)

Don't forget...

a-ha need your help

What to do when having voice trouble...

hehehehe Morten asked the audience to sing-along several times through the concert last night. However, I am sure he meant "sing-instead" :-)

Magne Furuholmen: "Hallo, wie geht's"

25 years and still going strong. A great stage show, great lighting, great sound.... and Morten does not look any older... No mention of Mortens voice trouble. Magne speaking in German: "Dies ist unsere Abschiedstournee, wir sind zufrieden, bei euch zu sein". (Hmm anyone forgot a word there? ;-)) Review of a-ha's concert last night, Trier, Germany in full: Volksfreund

Voice trouble for Morten in Trier, Germany last night

Oh dear.... Poor Morten. No wonder his voice needed a rest today... Check out videos from last night's a-ha concert on YouTube. Although, I am sure the audience had a fabulous night, regardless of Mortens voice trouble! Wonder if Magne did the same footwork on "We're Looking for the Whales' in Trier.. Hope more videos will be uploaded for us to see!

Morten Harket is well...

... but can't sing. He will be back in shape for Kiel, June 1. The a-ha concert in Hessentag may be rescheduled for June 6.

a-ha Hessentag concert tonight cancelled...

... due to health concerns...


Source: HNA



(now this makes me worried)

New a-ha song ?

From the web site to Michael H Brauer:

May 5, 2010 - I just mixed the final recorded song to be released by A-ha called Butterfly.

Hundreds of little girls fainted for a-ha

Flashback: a-ha in Hamburg 1986

More than 270 attendants fainted in pure delight throughout the Norwegian pop group a-ha’s concert in Hamburg Thursday. Morten Harket, Pål Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen enthused to such a degree little girls fell down to the right and to the left.

Fainting fits began already before the three charmers entered the stage. There were mostly girls in the audience, and many very young. People from the rescue service were on the spot and only one girl had to go to hospital. The concert in Hamburg is a-ha’s last in West-Germany, in a series of seven. The highlights is as usual “Hunting High and Low”, “The Sun Always Shines on TV”, and last but not least “Take on Me”

Source NTB

hehe - check out Magnes footwork !

Watch video: a-ha - "We're Looking for the Whales" in Mönchengladbach yesterday. (The end in particular) hehehe

a-ha at Moods in LA

a-ha held a special concert an a Moods store in LA on 17th of May. Moods of Norway has designed a-ha’s tour outfit. Other celebrities wearing Moods suits like a-ha are Perez Hilton, Kellan Lutz Muse and Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

Style Section L.A.: I hear you're designing the costumes for the band A-ha's upcoming tour. I love Take on Me...

Stefan Dahlkvist: We designed all their stage gear – they're the biggest rock band of all time in Norway. And they're playing two shows at the Nokia in L.A. [May 15 and 16]. And May 17 we're having a Norway Day celebration in the store with the band — it will coincide with the store's one-year anniversary. (Source: Style Section LA)

You guys occupy an interesting niche between sportswear, streetwear and contemporary — how would you describe the brand’s aesthetics?

It’s different clothes for different moods, all with a tradition of Norway in mind. We basically have three tiers: Streets, Cocktail and Castle. Street is t-shirts, hoodies, sneakers. Castle is more commercial — black and grey suting. It's a little more proper. Then we have full the full-on cocktail collection — our favorite part of the collection — for the rock star.

(Source: KK - Image: All Over Press)

http://www.moodsofnorway.com/

Check out their blog - showing some photos of Morten.

a-ha do also rock!

Review of a-ha's concert in Mönchengladbach, Germany last night: RP Online

a-ha set list + videos Moenchengladbach, Hockey Park

No changes to the set list:

Bandstand
Foot of the Mountain
Analogue
Forever Not Yours
Minor Earth Major Sky
Summer Moved On
Move to Memphis
The Blood That Moves The Body
Stay On These Roads
The Living Daylights
And You Tell Me
Early Morning
Scoundrel Days
The Swing Of Things
We’re Looking For the Whales
Manhattan Skyline
I’ve Been Losing You
Cry Wolf
The Sun Always Shines On TV
Hunting High and Low
Take On Me


Check out Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=a-ha+%2B+M%C3%B6nchengladbach+

25 years long enough

Interview with Paul in Südkurier. Here is a (lousy) Google translation of the German article into English:

25 years is long enough [0] The band a-ha will be resolved in December. Before the Norwegians are still to Salem. They are a-ha - at least until December (from left): keyboard player Magne Furuholmen, singer Morten Harket, guitarist and Pål Waaktaar-Savoy. Picture: dpa We spoke with guitarist and composer Pål Waaktaar-Savoy. Hi Pål. I just catch you in a hotel in Toronto. How was your concert there? Great! It was in a beautiful old concert hall. Canada's first choice for classical music, so to speak. And our first concert in Canada since felt 100 years or so. You are always on farewell tour. Why do you listen to anyway? Well - 25 years have been a long time for a band. Although we had of course already endured two or three years. But it felt right now to try new things. For example? For example I have a great desire to write songs for other artists, other singers. I will start first - and then see what direction that develops. And I have also my band Savoy. Your very last three concerts will be held in December in Oslo. They have long since sold out. Is it a symbolic place for the end? Sort of - even if it only had other plans. But it fits. In Norway, it all started. Which songs will you play at the final tour? All of them? If you add up all the albums that are about a hundred songs - quite difficult as to make a choice. In the United States differ slightly in Europe, where some very different songs were popular. We try out, what works, what fits what we like. It keeps changing ... If you look back at the past 25 years: Why were you so successful, what do you think? Well ... (long pause) We have also asked. But why not? There is really no good reason why we should have had no success (laughs). We have something, we had great songs, a kind of dress to us. But we could never have imagined that it would go so fast. We came from Norway, were given this opportunity - and accessed with both hands. Is that always run smoothly? It was a very steep path to get to - a lot in a short time, at full speed. Are you, especially at the beginning, as a mere boy band has been misunderstood without high expectations? Yes. We gave tons of interviews, toured the world, and it took two or three years before we get it: This interview and that we had not been better. Eventually, it was easy to come in sheets with a specific target group. But then other papers would not talk to us. It was strange for us, - because we become a totally different music played as the beginning. But we were stuck in a drawer. Only after our break in the mid 90s, the better - as it finally went primarily to our music. You give out soon include your first ever record, "Hunting High and Low", new ... Yes - and then some. We make the search for original masters, the very first versions of early songs. Many of them I like better than the versions that have finally landed on the albums (laughs). And there are still a lot of songs we've never recorded, because time was lacking. Many of them are really good - that will certainly beautiful albums. Is it really the moment Norwegian groups, could take which your successor? Sure! When we went out of Norway to the world at home was quite little. Today it is this: Every time I get home, there's again a new great artist. This is because that musicians today look further in order to find inspiration - beyond the national borders. What you can associate with Germany? A very special concert, for example - the first after our break, in Hamburg it was, I think. The whole tour was kind of magical - but the concert there, and the audience in particular. In general, our fans in Germany have always supported, regardless of what we have done, electronic music, or 100 percent live. Therefore, we feel here always very good.

(Source Südkurier)

a-ha Flashback - So funny!

a-ha in the air: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1LIjSPJV0Q

hehehehe

Interview with Magne Furuholmen

Do a-ha get exhausted by all the concerts?
Magne Furuholmen answers the fans are giving so much energy and appreciation he does not get tired. He says a few hours sleep is enough.

Do a-ha find the tour sad?
Furuholmen laughs and says it is not at all sad. They are celebrating their separation, their long career and success. And above all they are thanking their fans.

Has the a-ha fan mail changed over the years?
Magne Furuholmen tells they got many dolls at the beginning of their career, love letters and gifts. But now, there are more letters. People often write about how a-ha’s music has helped them through a difficult time, what a song means to them, and that they appreciate their music very much.

Read the interview in full here: RP Online

Buddha figures for a-ha in Germany

a-ha is back on tour. Playing at Warsteiner Hockey Park tonight, starting the Open-Air Summer. More than 8000 people are expected to attend their concert. The Manager of Hockey Park can tell that unlike many other stars, it seems the members of a-ha have no particularly unusual demands. The band is quite modest and straightforward. They want olives, cheese and Spelt bread..

A special lounge in the basement is set up for the band for relaxing. Buddha figures, couches and separate rooms for each of the band members.

Grab a copy of the full article here: RP Online

By the way, a band named Ralle Rudnik warmed up for a-ha before they went on stage about an hour ago. (Source: RP Online)

Fantastic high-energy performance of a-ha in Toronto

(...) "Their stop in Toronto attracted a full house of all ages. The band did not disappoint and gave a fantastic, high-energy performance that had the audience singing along. A nostalgic collage of old photos and newspaper clippings from their glory days brought the night to an end, topped off by a final goodbye with their most famous song “Take On Me.” (...)

Read the review in full here: The Epoch Times . "A-ha Farewell Tour Ends on a High Note "

Interview with a-ha in LA

16. May did a-ha play their last concert on American soil. Then it is time for a little nostalgia.

- If the band is okay, I am okay.

Morten Harket is sitting in his private dressing room at the venue Club Nokia in Los Angeles. Dagbladet has been granted ten minutes with each of the band members, in each of their respective wardrobes. With two sold-out evenings, a-ha is ending their active music career in the USA.

It has been 24 years since Morten, Magne and Paul played in the film city.

- It is one of few concerts I can date, Morten Harket says about the first concert in LA.

- Then we were bad, everything went wrong. It was a messy show, the vocalist tells Dagbladet.

- a-ha had gone out on a nine months long tour and came straight from a rare vacation on Hawaii to LA.

- Michael Jackson was sitting in the first row with his mask on. Beside him was Sophia Loren sitting. The place was packed with heavy businesspeople and we could see on the management they were not quite satisfied with us, Harket laughs when thinking back – We didn’t have any tour experience and we were about to go crazy because of the long tour, Harket says and tells Michael Jackson still invited the boys to Neverland the next day.

- We should have gone, we didn’t say no, it just boiled away, Harket says. He tells he never thinks about the eighties unless he is asked.

- We are wiser, but the only thing we have managed to plan together as a band is the end, Harket says before we are interrupted by tour manager Kleo who says ten minutes have passed.

Wall to wall is Paul Waaktaar-Savoy sitting listening to low music on itunes.

He is smiling politely and introduces his wife, his wife’s sister and their son who have flown in from New York. There are not youngsters going on stage tonight, Morten has rounded 50 and Paul and Magne do follow closely.

- All places we are playing on this tour is the last show to those who have come to see us, Waaktaar-Savoy says.

He would love to talk about the music, the songwriter, about what is going to happen after a-ha.

- Do you have any suggestions that can keep me off the streets?, Waaktaar-Savoy asks. The future is open.

- To me it starts with the songs, where do they fit. Now I have written songs for Mortens voice for 25 years, but I would love to work with other artists and bands, Waaktaar-Savoy says, who is not unfamiliar with the thought of starting a new band.

- He thinks a-ha has done a lot wrong, had a strange career and wish to thank the fans for their loyalty.

- It feels like the fans are an old friend of the family, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy says.

Dagbladet’s ten minutes are again passed and Kleo comes to get us one floor down. The band and the manager are lying down relaxing in Magne Furuholmens dressing room. Magne takes us to a common room to not disturb.

- It’s special to be back in LA. Lots of those who were involved in the first round in 85 came to see us last night, It is a little like a triumphal progress, Magne says. a-ha has got a very loyal fan troop in the states.

- Despite lacking presence, USA is one of the countries we have had biggest success. It was here in LA the radio station KROQ began playing “Take On Me”, “Mags” says, and adds proudly:

- a-ha went to number 1 in 27 countries with the first single.

- I think we stand for a big piece Norwegian music history. There are not many eighties bands who can fill concert venues like we do, Furuholmen says and mentions U2 and Depehe Mode.

- We are three alerted persons doing this, not three nags on their way to the glue fabric. A worthy ending of a great history, he says.

Source: Dagbladet - 18.05.2010 - paper edition. Translation by a-ha fan café

LA saluting a-ha as underrated band!

LA concert review of a-ha in major Southern California daily newspaper The Orange County Register - read in full here: "Saluting a-ha as the underrated synth-pop trio of ‘Take on Me’ fame bids farewell to America".

(...) "Harket, now 50, clad in a dark suit jacket and dress pants, looked like he just stepped out of the pages of GQ. His equally sharply dressed bandmates, only a couple years younger, also appeared fit and trim. The frontman kept quiet, though, except to greet a former Warner Bros. exec he spotted from the stage. That left gregarious keyboardist Magne “Mags” Furuholmen to serve as a cheerleader of sorts, getting the crowd pumped up at various junctures."

(...) “Thanks for reminding us we have friends on this side of the ocean,” said Furuholmen

a-ha on CBC radio Canada!

CBC1 (99.1) on Q Studio Live at 10 a.m. or 10 p.m. today. "A-HA -- the Norwegian pop rock greats are on a global, farewell tour. They stopped by Studio Q for a feature conversation. " http://www.cbc.ca/q/ Does anyone know if we can listen online somewhere? And what time is this CET? 03:00?

In depth analyses of a-ha's career... (interesting!)

Some of you may find this article a little provoking... An in depth analyses of a-ha’s career, why the split up and the subsequent success they had. Written by Iain Regnier-Wilson for Music-News.com. Read the article in full here: "A-ha retire after 25 years and not a moment too soon"

Feel free to leave your comments below. Iain Regnier-Wilson is interested in hearing the fans feedback ;-)

a-ha's private party versus fan gathering

As I have received a few questions: a-ha's private party at the Oslo City Hall is not for their fans, I am afraid. But there is an idea arranging a gathering for the fans outside the City Hall where a-ha will spend the night. I believe fans will hang around in the area regardless, trying to get a glimpse of a-ha, and to show a last honour. If arranging something the night might be a little more comfortable, in the winter cold. Maybe get the opportunity to keep us warm, something to eat and drink. This is an idea, and the planning is in a very early stage. Depending on the interest, the planning will proceed, and such an arrangement might be offered. If you are interested, please take part in the poll on www.ahafancafe.no (upper right). And, please, spread the word. Thank you.

a-ha: Goodbye America!

a-ha’s successful farwell tour in North America has come to an end. Here is a-ha performing “Take on Me” in America for the very last time: Dagbladet

a-ha looking and sounding better than ever...

a-ha - Chicago review: "A-Ha looked and sounded better than ever while a huge background screen flashed various pixelated images of everything from hummingbirds to Obama to complement the song lyrics."

Read the review in full here: Spinner

Sorry wrong date (a-ha fan arrangement)

So many dates (for christmas eve in 2010) - and one got mixed up! a-ha's last concert is on December 4th, isn't it? That would be the same date for the last tribute to a-ha. Please take part in the survey...

A little survey... (Last tribute to a-ha, Dec. 4th)

Please mind, December 4th , the date for a-ha’s very last concert ever (Oslo Spektrum) is in the middle of the Norwegian winter and could be rather cold for those who would like to hang around where a-ha will be staying this late night. A few ideas have therefore come up, which are already supported by the a-ha management. Proceeding depends on what you want. The question is: Would you like an organized fan arrangement in honour of a-ha, right after the very last concert on December 4th? Place: somewhere (might be outdoors, with the possibility to keep you warm) close to Oslo City Hall, where a-ha will be celebrating at their private party. Please take part in the survey (see on top of right column).

Read more about a-ha’s private party at Oslo City Hall here: a-ha party

Got ideas for the fan arrangement and/or want to take part in the planning, please leave a comment or e-mail a-ha fan café at inbox@ahafancafe.no.

Please, spread the word! And the word is...

Please spread this link: http://a-ha.com/tour/ all over the place! Last chance to see a-ha live on their Farwell Tour! a-ha is receiving fantastic concert reviews! There are still tickets left, if you do not hesitate…

Wow - Look at this review of a-ha in Toronto!!!

Norweigan pop act a-ha ending on a high note

It’s indeed an oddity when a band considered internationally successful takes approximately 25 years between Toronto stops.

(...) Nonetheless, the group’s sonically and visually impressive 100-minute set left many wondering why exactly that European acclaim never quite found its way across the Atlantic following 1985’s successful debut Hunting High And Low.

(...) a-ha were definitely proving to fans they are going out without tarnishing their music or reputation.

(...) a-ha returned and nailed the galloping The Sun Always Shines On TV and the closing Take On Me, easily ending the evening on a high note.

I recommend reading the fantastic review of a-ha's concert in Massey Hall, Tornonto, Canada yesterday (May 10. 2010) in full: Tornonto Sun

One-off a-ha show at Royal Albert Hall !!

Press Release: a-ha Announce Special One-Off Show
PERFORMING ‘HUNTING HIGH AND LOW’ IN FULL

ROYAL ALBERT HALL

FRIDAY 8 OCTOBER 2010

“The Royal Albert Hall has always been one of our favourite places in the world to play. To perform here one final time – and play our first album in its entirety – now, at the end of our career … this will be a very emotional moment for us all!”, says Magne Furuholmen.

Read on here: a-ha.com

And the track list (eh. set-list) would then be (in one or another order):

Take on Me
Train of Thought
Hunting High and Low
The Blue Sky
Living a Boy's Adventure Tale
The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
And You Tell Me
Love Is Reason
I Dream Myself Alive
Here I Stand and Face the Rain

a-ha Toronto advertisement

a-ha performing in Canada tonight!

Is that the VIP entrance up there, on top of those stairs? :-)

a-ha is now in Toronto, preparing for the last goodbye to their Canadian fans tonight. - Surely going to be an unforgettable performance in the historical Massey Hall. If you want to go in the very last minute, it looks like there might be a few tickets left. I wouldn't hesitate!

Wish you all a great night!

Flashback - a-ha Canada 1986

Morten Harket had tumour on his vocal chord

17.08.1986

Vancouver (NTB-AP): Only six hours after having gone through an operation on his vocal chord, Morten Harket showed up along with the rest of the guys in a-ha at the concert in Canada on Friday.

With local anaesthetic surgeons at ST- Paul Hospital removed a 2,5 cm large benign tumour from the throat to Harket. The very same evening the group was supposed to be on stage at the Expo-theatre in Vancouver, and only one hour late a-ha delivered the greatest Norwegian pop to a sold-out venue. Then, the doctors had given approval for Morten Harket to use his voice again.

a-ha biography (must read)

Love the wording in this a-ha biography:

To many Americans, a-ha were a one-hit wonder who reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985 with the synth-pop megahit “Take On Me,” then quickly faded away. But like fellow European acts Simply Red and Jamiroquai, a-ha’s popularity around the world continued to grow, dwarfing whatever chart success it enjoyed in the U.S.

(...)

That fall the band announced a farewell world tour for 2010, including dates in the U.S. The title of their final album notwithstanding, the “Ending on a High Note Tour” finds a-ha at the top of the global pop-music mountain.


Read the a-ha biography in full here: Rhino Records

Canada next - in the meantime...

Flashback: a-ha backstage, Drammen, 1987 (video + translation)

Here is a quick translation. A few word left out, as being everyday language and tricky to translate. Enjoy!

Text: “In 1987 did the reporters in Blikkbåx get the mission to interview the idols in a-ha on direct TV on NRK.

Blikkbåx: We have managed what many others have not. Namely, being in the wardrobe together with a-ha. Blikkbåx has made it.

Blikkbåx: Very many band are saying they want people to recognize their music, but is it a little like there are only loats of teenage girls coming to your concerts, or?

Morten: Well, I think they do notice the music too. One shall not underestimate their absorbing capacity.

Blikkbåx: Do you plan to go back to your normal lives later on? Go shopping, buy some potatoes and make dinner, and such normal things?

Morten: Yes, absolutely. It is important to do that. But, that is what you are deprived when you are doing what we are doing.

Blikkbåx: You did not get very good critics at the concert last night?

Morten: No

Blikkbåx: Do you always joke this much, or?

Morten: Yes, every time…

Blikkbåx: You do live a quite exhausting life. You are always at concerts, or almost always.

Morten: Are you tired already?

Blikkbåx: I am being tired, no. I am not tired.

Paul: Cut.

Blikkbåx: Do you have anything to say to ten-to-fourteen year old kids?

Morten: Whether we have anything to say to ten-to-fourteen year old kids?

Blikkbåx: Yes, whether you have anything to say to ten-to-fourteen year old kids?

Morten: Get over and done with it,

Blikkbåx: But, one last question. Do you think we can come with youout in the hall to watch you to watch?

Magne: No, I am sorry. I don’t think that is possible.

Watch video here: NRK P3

Upcoming a-ha releases

To coincide with their split, the band will in addition to re-releasing 'deluxe' versions of their first two albums (Hunting High and Low and Scoundrel Days) also release a third and final compilation album, a new live DVD and re-release the book The Swing of Things by Jan Omdahl.

Source: Wikipedia

a-ha need your help!

What is your a-ha story? What is the single most funny / amazing / poignant / crazy / unbelievable / embarrassing / touching / sweet / weird / or plain stupid moment or experience that you have ever had relating to a-ha?

Submit your videos now! a-ha.com need your videos!

To submit a video telling your a-ha story, use a free service like Yousendit.com or Megaupload.com. These sites will allow you to upload your video file to their server, and will provide you with a link to the file. E-mail this file link to editor@a-ha.com. Be sure to include the following information with the file link: Your name - Your e-mail address - Your hometown or the city/area where a-ha will play close to you this year. As a reminder, videos must be 30 seconds or less. There is no deadline to participate; we will be accepting videos on an ongoing basis. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Note that submitted material may be edited as a-ha see fit, or shown in its entirety at one or more of the farewell shows of the upcoming a-ha world tour ‘Ending on a High Note’.

(Source: a-ha.com)

a-ha set list Nokia Theatre, New York, 2010

Foot of the mountain
The bandstand
Analogue
Forever not yours
Minor earth, major sky (new acoustic version) *LISTEN*
Summer moved on (more guitar) *LISTEN*
Move to Memphis
The blood that moves the body
Stay on these roads
The living daylights
And you tell me
Early morning
Scoundrel days
The swing of things
Looking for the whales
Manhattan skyline
I’ve been loosing you
Cry wolf
The sun always shines on TV
Hunting high and low (loud sing-along) *LISTEN*
Take on me

(Source: NRK/a-ha.com)

Review - a-ha in New York

NRK (and several other Norwegian newspapers) reports:

• Worthy farwell
• Sing-along by the entire venue already on the opening song “Foot of the Mountain”
• Goosebumps from “Stay on These Roads”
• The whole Nokia theatre dancing on “The Living Daylights”
• Smile on the fans faces and lump in their throats
  

(Source: NRK Photo: Thorild Ribe/NTB )

a-ha prelude info update

Music by: Kjetil Bjerkestrand with a little help from Magne Furuholmen. The visual part: work in progress... (This might be where your a-ha story video will be included?)

All a-ha New York shows sold out !

I believe that is what this a-ha twitter picture means?

Absolutely amazing opening in NY!

Must have been stunning for those who where there! The guys opened at Nokia Theatre at Times Square in New York last night, with an absolutely amazing video prelude!! A very dramatic and dynamic layer onto layer video construction, all in black and white – inverted, and filled with symbolism. You get the feeling a story is being told, although you are very much left alone to find it. All elements fractioned to be entwined by winding flowers, leaves, plants and trees. (Very similar to Martin Kvamme’s design for a-ha’s “Analogue” and “Foot of the Mountain” albums).

At one point, or even twice, I could swear a dead Morten Harket is being carried away in the prelude!! (Maybe from the Velvet video?) Can you see it too? I believe, the more you look the more you’ll see in this video. As with the accompanying music, the more you listen, the more you’ll hear. It is a tune in classic style featuring different hints of a-ha songs...

Very majestic and solemn introduction! Everything cleverly put together to tell a story, a long tale from a beginning to an end. However, when seemingly ending, it quickly rewinds. So, it stops with looking back. Ending with the same celebration it all started…


Watch the a-ha farwell prelude here: YouTube - And, let's celebrate a-ha!

"Take on Me" video - first version (rare)

Watch it here: YouTube

Not long now...

a-ha going to perform at Nokia Theatre in New York tonight!

Special a-ha Deluxe Edition releases!

Soon to come: Extended versions of a-ha’s first two albums – Hunting High and Low and Scoundrel Days. These double-disc collections feature the original recordings expanded with unreleased and rare demos, alternate mixes and live recordings. Each Deluxe Edition is available for pre-order on May 11 exclusively at http://www.rhino.com/. The albums are expected to begin shipping in late June.

The deluxe version of Hunting High and Low uncovers several unreleased gems such as an instrumental version of “Take On Me” and an early version of the same song called “Lesson One”; demos for “The Sun Always Shines On T.V.” and “Train Of Thought”; fan favorite B-side “Driftwood,” plus tracks released exclusively in Norway like “Never Never” and “Dot The I.”

The extended version of Scoundrel Days contains demos for each album track; the B-side “This Alone Is Love”; as well as unreleased live performances of “Train Of Thought,” “I’ve Been Losing You,” “Blue Sky” and “Cry Wolf” recorded in England.”

For more details read here: a-ha.com

a-ha album release in the USA!!!

a-ha has just released "The Singles: 1984 - 2004" in the USA. (By Rhino Records!) The ultimate collection of hit songs and singles from the Norwegian synth-pop superstars, this U.K. compendium finally gets its release in the States. Features the chart-topping hits "Take On Me," "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.," "Cry Wolf," and more. The album is available in all retail outlets now!

The collection features 19 singles:

1 Take On Me
2 The Sun Always Shines On T.V.
3 Train Of Thought
4 Hunting High And Low
5 I've Been Losing You
6 Cry Wolf
7 Manhattan Skyline
8 The Living Daylights
9 Stay On These Roads
10 Touchy!
11 Crying In The Rain
12 Move To Memphis
13 Dark Is The Night For All
14 Shapes that go Together

15 Summer Moved On
16 Minor Earth Major Sky
17 Velvet
18 Forever Not Yours
19 Lifelines

a-ha video interview

Dived into several parts:

a-ha 2010
Magne Furuholmen
Magne Furuholmen part 2
Morten Harket
Morten Harket part 2
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
In the beginning
Creativity

Big thanks to Jeremy Clowe at Birkshire Soundstage (producer and fellow a-ha fan!)

a-ha in the beginning

"Berkshire Soundstage" preview video clip .

"Take on me" (video) stil ranking high!

a-ha's "Take on Me" video from 1985 was just recently ranked as the fourth most influential music video, just beaten by OK Go “Here it Goes Again”, Britney Spears (“Baby One More Time” and Michael Jackson ("Thriller"). The voting took place on MySpace. (Source. NRK Photo: Sigurdsøn, Bjørn/SCANPIX)

Dramatic tour

Not scared: The police in New York found a car bomb in a vehicle Saturday placed right outside Nokia theatre at Times Square, where a-ha is having concerts Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

- "This is a situation all people in our civilization have to live with. I can only try protecting myself", Magne Furuholmen says to BA.

- Were you scared?

- "No. I doubt the bomb was directed towards us personally", Furuholmen says disarmingly. (Source: Bergensavisen 1 04.05.2010. Photo by Davidson © Ken Goff Photos Ltd )

a-has world tour has so far been rather dramatic. The band has been hit by earthquake, volcanic eruption and now a terror bomb. In Chile a-ha had to postpone their concerts because of earth quake and the ash cloud from Iceland put their last trip into a dramatic frame. The Mayor in New York has asked the inhabitants to continue as if nothing has happened after the terror-bomb attempt, and entertainment life, with a-ha leading way, will continue as usual.

- "I am a new Yorker, so to me this is business as usual", Paul Waaktaar Savoy ends to VG. (Source: TV2)

Did it exist for real?

The a-ha "Take on me" comic book in the music video? Were there made any real copies? I mean, who didn’t want one!

Why so angry and why being after Morten?

Those motorcycle villains in the "Take on Me" video? I must admit, I after 25 years, still wondered... So, it was about to time to find out! Read on, this is rather interesting!

"Take on me" (video)
“The video's main theme is a romantic fantasy narrative. It begins with a young woman, played by actress Bunty Bailey, drinking coffee and reading a comic book alone in a coffee shop. The comic contains a narrative about competitive motorcycle racing in which the hero is pursued by two villains. As the girl reads, her waitress writes out the bill for her to pay. The winner of the race, played by Morten Harket, winks at the girl from the page. Then a graphical representation of a hand reaches through the comic book, inviting the girl to enter his animated world. Through a creative effect they both view each other through a strange window which allows them to see each other in live action, while they each actually remain in pencilled comic book form.

When the waitress comes back for the bill, she discovers the girl missing and believes that she has left without paying. She angrily crumples up the comic book and throws it into a garbage can. Then, since the comic book is crumpled, the pages overlap and touch, allowing the two motorcycle villains to cross over into the panels containing Harket and the girl. One, wielding a pipe wrench, smashes the window. Harket punches one of the thugs and retreats with the girl into a maze created by the crumpled paper. Harket tears a hole in one panel so the girl can escape as he faces the two thugs with his own monkey wrench. She reluctantly complies, and reappears on the floor in the coffee shop, to the surprise of the shop clientele and employees. The startled girl grabs the crumpled comic book and runs home, where she attempts to smooth out the creases to learn what happens next.

One of the panels shows Harket seemingly lying lifeless, and she begins to cry. Harket then wakes up and begins throwing himself against the edges of the panel of the comic book's page, attempting to break out into the real world. As he does this, he begins to flash between animation and live action. The live-action version of him appears in the hallway leading to the girl's room, throwing himself against the corridor walls. He finally escapes from the comic book by becoming human and embraces the girl. This final scene is based on the 1980 movie Altered States.” (Source: Wikipedia)

The story does not end here, it continues in their next music video! (As some may have noticed).

“The Sun Always Shines on TV” (video)

“The music video opens with a continuation of the "Take on Me" video, featuring rotoscoped animation. The love story between Morten Harket and Bunty Bailey established in the previous video is given an unexpectedly bitter end. The two lovers are admiring each other in a dark forest when Harket's hand starts reverting to its animated state. Soon his whole body is consumed by the animation. Hunched over, Harket sees his beloved for the last time as she bites her lip, knowing that the two cannot coexist in the same world. After exchanging painful parting glances, Harket runs into the distance and a blue explosion swallows him up, sending him back to his comic book world. The girl is left all alone in the forest. Only at this point does the song begin. The rest of the video features a-ha performing in a church (St Albans, now The Landmark Arts Centre, Teddington, London) "accompanied" by mannequins. The video ends as the three band members are cut out from the background and become a still frame. The music video for the band's next single, "Train of Thought", was to pick up from this shot, as a continuation of a trilogy. (Source: Wikipedia)

“Train of Thought” (video)

The music video was directed by Candice Reckinger and Michael Patterson. The video concept was designed by the same producers who brought "Take on Me" into the video mainstream. The black-and-white footage and animation in the "Train of Thought" video actually predated the "Take on Me" single, and was the inspiration for the animation in the "Take on Me" video. It originated as Michael Patterson's student film at CalArts, which went on to influence a generation of MTV videos. Most of the video was the old animated footage, interspersed with live parts with a-ha filmed during a break in the band's tour. (Source: Wikipedia)

Watch the a-ha videos here

Take on Me

The Sun Always Shines on TV

Train of Thought

a-ha back on the Billboard!

However, not exactly how it should have been, is it?

“(…)In other news, Norwegian band a-ha -- in all its "Take On Me" glory -- have broken up after 25 years (…)”. (Source: Billboard)

Many never gave up hoping to see a-ha repeating their success in the USA, the biggest and most prestigious music market in the world. a-ha went to the top of the Billboard single chart in 1985 with “Take on Me”, even passing Madonna. Circumstances have never let a-ha back into that market, regardless of huge success in Europe and elsewhere. I can’t say how sorry I am for this maybe never happening. Unfortunately, it takes so much more than just the music to make it to the Billboard Chart.

a-ha’s last trip to the USA ever, begins with three concerts in New York (Nokia Theatre) in only a few days. I wish everyone attending, the press included, an unforgettable night with the greatest music. I am sure you will be pleased and may even remember a-ha thereafter as so much more than a one-hit-wonder…

“The Sun Always Shines on TV” in New York!

Here is a little flashback – the story behind a-ha’s “The Sun Always Shines on TV”.

- "I got the idea for “The Sun Always Shines on TV” one day I was sitting in my hotel room in New York watching TV. The screen is so full of competitions over there, and ordinary people are being dragged onto stage and being totally ridiculed. At the same time everything happening on TV is described as the finest sunny stories", says Pål Waaktaar, who wrote the song one day he was sitting in his flat in London longing for his American girlfriend. (Source: Aftenposten 20.06.1985)

Paul's doorbell in New York!

Photo by mittnewyork

In the case you wondered, here is how Paul Waaktaar Savoy’s doorbell in New York looks like.

a-ha at Time Square New York

11. September 2005: a-ha was walking down the streets of New York and came across a group of Inka street musicians, called "Agua Clara", in front of the Marriot Hotel. They joined a-ha for a spontaneous performance of "Take On Me". Watch: Part 1 Part 2 (Source: a-ha diary)

Magne on Norwegian music export

- "Through all those three years I was jury leader it ruled a deep-rooted scepticism among the Norwegian jury members against supporting artists who had already achieved certain success here at home. To the foreign jury members success was, on the contrary, a big plus. This is an absurd attitude to have if the goal is to write international success histories. Please don’t forget this is a scholarship for international investments", Furuholmen says to Dagbladet.

- "That someone manages things on their own, must not at all disqualify for further support", he says.

The byLarm scholarship is sponsored by Statoil. Magne Furuholmen says to Dagbladet he tried to five double the scholarship.

- "It is about time Norway starts looking at culture investments and export of popular music as business on a level with top-level athletics, and that culture sponsoring companies with time may understand how much more they can gain if investing heavily – rather than just decorating themselves with a high profile artist performing to their employees at the annual Christmas dinner", Furuholmen says, and adds:

- "The day Norway experiences a new a-ha adventure, you only have to hope the country is taking part in the adventure and isn’t sitting there with the cap in the hand, watching international forces raking in the profit on all levels. Because of our unique economical situation I believe Norway is in position to become a considerable culture exporter".

Magne withdrew as jury leader of byLarm in February. A month later a-ha announced their own scholarship.

Source: Dagbladet - 25.04.2010

a-ha party

a-ha is inviting 1000 guests to a party at Oslo City Hall after their very last concert.

“When Morten Harket, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholmen have played their last song and left the stage at Oslo Spektrum Saturday December 4th, they will be guided – surely by security guards- to Oslo City Hall a few blocks away. About half an hour past midnight they will arrive at the hall where 1000 “close” friends and especially invited are waiting to pay them tribute after 25 years on record and stages all over the world.”

“Inside there will be a bar and served finger food, made by a-ha’s own chefs, in close co-operation with ISS, who are contracted with the council on all cookery and serving at the City Hall. People will mingle, and the prominent guests will be entertained by “own produced music”, as it says in the application Ny Vri AS has sent on behalf of a-ha Network AS. Not unthinkable a-ha might stand for the music themselves..

There had to bee three discussion rounds among top politicians, before approval was given for a-has party at the City Hall. There are very special rules for renting and use of the City Hall. The regulations say the premises can only be used if being of official or municipal interest, or by very special reasons being of importance for the city or the nation.

Source: Aftenposten Aften - 29.04.2010

Comment by a-ha fan café: Surely a great place for the last a-ha fan party too?!

Who deserves an a-ha million?

Photo: Jens Petter Søraa

You can have your say! a-ha has chosen to award one artist/band from four different parts of Norway each their a-ha million. The other day, Magne Furuholmen addressed himself to the newspaper Adressa, to ask for tips on whom from the mid and north of Norway who might deserve an a-ha scholarship. 500 tips came in through the web site. Readers of Adressa can now give a-ha their advice, by voting here: vote.

Did you know?

• “Take On Me” has been played 3 million times on American radio… the equivalent of 375 times a day for 22 years!
  
• In 2006 the band received the ‘Q Inspiration Award’ in honor of their lasting musical influence. Inspiring a whole generation of artists such as Coldplay and Keane to Kanye West, Oasis, The Strokes, Robbie Williams and U2.
  
• a-ha still own a sizeable part of the Amazon rainforest as part of a 1980’s reforestation/preservation scheme.

(Source: Read)

Speaking of which..

“Oprah always talks about an a-ha moment, when something occurs to someone and their life takes a whole new course. And now a-ha, the band that had one iconic hit, 1985's "Take On Me," is leaving behind the history they made with that animated-live action video which won six Moon Men at the MTV Video Music Awards and walking off into one-hit-wonder retirement.” (Source: celebs). Speaking of which. Would have been cool if a-ha actually was invited by Operah! - And, got the chance to maybe correct the one-hit-wonder stamp a little…

More info a-ha scholarship

Rules, conditions, the jury etc.: a-ha 2010

(Google translate)