Archive for May, 2010

Harald Wiik talks about cancellation

An empty Hessentag stage in the rain yesterday (Picture by Valerie)

An empty Hessentag stage in the rain yesterday
(Picture by Valerie)

a-ha manager Harald Wiik has been interviewed by VG today, in connection with yesterday’s cancelled Hessentag concert in Stadtallendorf, Germany. Here’s what he had to say:

– We’re hoping to replace yesterday’s concert with a new show on Sunday [June 6th]. That’s our focus at the moment.

– We think [tomorrow’s concert in Kiel] is going ahead as planned, and that we won’t have to cancel any more concerts. But obviously we’ll have to monitor his condition.

– We had some problems in South America, but a-ha haven’t cancelled a single concert since 1986. But like everyone else, Morten can get a virus infection. It’s impossible to have any guarantees against that.

– The voice problems are probably due to the drafty conditions [in Mönchengladbach]. Morten’s vocal performances are so demanding that he becomes particularly vulnerable.

– We’d prefer to go ahead as planned, but Morten is better now, so we’re hoping to reschedule the concert for Sunday and that we won’t have to cancel further shows.

Stadtallendorf concert cancelled

Tonight’s concert at the Hessentag event in Stadtallendorf has unfortunately been cancelled due to Morten’s voice problems.

Morten went to see a doctor after last night’s concert in Trier, and again this morning, but at 11am today it was announced that it’s not possible for him to perform tonight.

Hessentag is a kind of festival that is held between 28 May – 6 June, but it remains to be seen if it’s possible to re-schedule the concert to a later date.

Morten is well but can’t sing – we are confident that he will be back in shape for Kiel!“, a-ha.com has posted on Twitter tonight.

Article in German from mittelhessen.de: “a-ha”-Konzert fällt aus

Trier concert

Trier, 29 May (Picture by Sandra - more pictures here)

Trier, 29 May
(Picture by Sandra – more pictures here)

Morten had problems with his voice during last night’s indoor concert at Arena Trier. Apparently it was not a problem with his vocal chords, but rather an inflammation at the back of his throat that prevented him from singing at full power.

By the end of the concert, his voice was almost completely gone, according to fans who were in the audience. However, “Early Morning” was the only song that was left out. And it was still a really good show despite Morten’s voice issues, fans said afterwards.

Trier, 29 May (Picture by Sandra)

Trier, 29 May
(Picture by Sandra)

Setlist (with YouTube-links):

1. The Bandstand
2. Foot Of The Mountain
3. Analogue
4. Forever Not Yours
5. Minor Earth, Major Sky
6. Summer Moved On
7. Move To Memphis
8. The Blood That Moves The Body
9. Stay On These Roads
10. The Living Daylights
11. And You Tell Me
12. Scoundrel Days
13. The Swing Of Things
14. We’re Looking For The Whales
15. Manhattan Skyline
16. I’ve Been Losing You
17. Cry Wolf
18. The Sun Always Shines On TV
19. Hunting High and Low
20. Take On Me

“Butterfly” – new a-ha song

a-ha’s upcoming final song is called “Butterfly”.

The info comes from New York-based mixer Michael Brauer, who has posted the following info on his website at mbrauer.com:

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

Brauer has previously mixed Lifelines and How Can I Sleep With Your Voice In My Head. He also mixed Magne’s solo album Past Perfect Future Tense and the songs “Whalebone” and “Rain On Your Parade” for Savoy.

It is not yet known if “Butterfly” will be released as a single or included on a new “best of” album – or both.

VG article and slideshow

Picture from VG

Picture from VG

There is a 9-page article about a-ha in today’s paper edition of VG. The article was done in New York earlier this month and features several pictures taken by Janne Møller-Hansen.

A great slideshow with more of Møller-Hansen’s pictures from New York, set to the tones of “Real Meaning”, is also available online at VG Nett.

Here are some quotes from the article:

Magne: We could easily have continued with a-ha, it’s difficult to say stop when things are going as well as they do. But the question is: Would we continue to inspire each other? I think the answer is no.

Morten: Magne is put together differently than me. Magne doesn’t live in a contemplative room. He just grabs the afterthought as he goes along, while he is saddling two horses that he rides at the same time. His work is his meditation. I’m completely different, I spend a lot of time reflecting on things.

Paul: I’m spoilt in the way that I hear Morten’s voice when I’m writing songs. I would be interested in writing more songs for him, even if we’re not together as a-ha anymore.

Paul interviewed by Südkurier

There is a German interview with Paul on the Südkurier website today.

Here are a few quotes from the interview, which was done over the phone in Toronto a few weeks back:

Mönchengladbach, 28 May (Picture by Sandra)

Mönchengladbach, 28 May
(Picture by Sandra)

You are currently on your Farewell Tour. But why are you ending the band?
– Well, 25 years is a long time for any band. Although we could have continued for another two – three years, of course. But at this point it felt right to try out new things.

For example?
– In my case I really want to write songs for other bands, other singers. So I’ll start doing that, and then see what direction it takes. And I also still have my own band Savoy.

Your last three concerts ever will be held in Oslo in December. They have been sold out for a long time. Is that a symbolic place to end it all?
– Sort of – even though we originally had completely different plans. But it’s fitting. It all started in Norway.

Mönchengladbach, 28 May (Picture by Sandra)

Mönchengladbach, 28 May
(Picture by Sandra)

Which songs are you playing on your Farewell Tour? All of them?
– When you add up all the albums there are around a hundred songs – so it’s quite difficult to choose. The setlist in America will be a bit different than in Europe, where other songs were more popular. We’re trying to see what works, what’s fitting, what we like ourselves. It keeps changing…

You are going to re-release your first album “Hunting High And Low”, among other things?
– Yes, and with added material. We have tried to track down the original masters and the very first versions of our early songs. I like many of those better than the versions that ended up on the albums. And there are still a lot of songs that we have never recorded, because we didn’t have the time. Many of them are really good – they could have turned into great albums.

Read the full interview with Paul in German here.

Mönchengladbach concert

Mönchengladbach, 28 May (Picture by Sandra)

Mönchengladbach, 28 May (Picture by Sandra)

a-ha played the first of four German concerts in front of 8000 people outdoors at the Warsteiner HockeyPark in Mönchengladbach last night.

They opened with “The Bandstand” and the rest of the setlist was similar to the recent concerts in USA and Canada. The new song that Paul mentioned in the RTL radio interview was nowhere to be heard, but there’s another chance tonight, as the band moves on to Trier to play indoors at the city’s sports arena.

More pictures taken by Sandra can be seen here. There are also many pictures from the concert on the German forum here.

Paul mentions new song in radio interview

a-ha will play the first European concert of their Farewell Tour tonight in Mönchengladbach, Germany.

In connection with the German concerts Paul has been interviewed by RTL Radio. An audio clip of the interview can be heard here.

We’re pretty excited about it. We’re gonna play songs from all the nine albums and there might even be a new song that hasn’t been released yet“, Paul says about what the audience can expect this weekend.

G-Sharp guitars

Paul using a G# Classical in New York, May 6th (Picture by Catherine - Romanglass on Flickr)

Paul using a G# Classical in New York, May 6th
(Picture by Catherine – Romanglass on Flickr)

Paul has been known to be a fan of the Norwegian G-Sharp guitars for some time now. He’s using several models on the farewell tour, and you can see Magne and Morten also using them on “Move To Memphis” in this YouTube clip (and in Corina’s picture that I posted yesterday).

The official G-Sharp website has recently been updated with some info about this. It also mentions a-ha’s rumoured final single, which is “soon to be released” according to the site:

a-ha’s PAUL WAAKTAAR SAVOY and MORTEN HARKET join the G# league!

Paul has the whole range of G# guitars and accessories, and he is so pleased with the G# products that he uses a G# guitar on all guitar tracks on a-ha’s soon to be released latest song!

Morten has one Natural Mahogany, and one Antique White G#.

We are very proud that Paul is using the G# guitar on three songs on stage during the ongoing a-ha “Ending On a High Note” tour: “Summer Moved On”, “Crying In The Rain” and “Early Morning”.

 

On the same topic, here’s some info about the Norwegian music shop Lydkilden getting Paul an endorsement deal with guitar pedal manufacturer T-Rex Engineering not too long ago.

Paul’s current selection of T-Rex pedals include Mudhoney, Tremster, Bass Juice, Room-Mate, Squeezer and Comp-Nova.

Toronto radio interview / Deluxe Edition preview clips

Massey Hall, Toronto, May 10th (Picture by Corina - Kimtris21 on Flickr)

Massey Hall, Toronto, May 10th
(Picture by Corina – Kimtris21 on Flickr)

While in Toronto last week, a-ha were interviewed by Jian Ghomeshi on the music show Q on CBC Radio.

The whole 43-minute interview, with all three members in the studio, is now available for listening here: http://www.cbc.ca/q/uncut/

 
Preview clips of all the songs on the upcoming deluxe editions of the first two albums are now available on Rhino.com:
Hunting High and Low
Scoundrel Days

Those of you outside the U.S. can pre-order the 2-disc deluxe editions from Amazon.co.uk if you scroll further down this page (and support a-ha-live.com with your purchase).

 
And check out this amazing YouTube clip of “We’re Looking For The Whales” live in Los Angeles on May 16th (notice the guy dancing at the front!).

The user Tourlaub also has many other high-quality clips from recent concerts.

New interviews and concert reviews

a-ha taking a break from rehearsals at Crown Heights in Brooklyn, May 4th. (Picture by Janne Møller-Hansen for VG)

a-ha taking a break from rehearsals at Crown Heights in Brooklyn, May 4th.
(Picture by Janne Møller-Hansen for VG)

 
Here is some recent press from the North American tour:

Interviews with Paul:
The Toronto Star: The a-ha moment to say goodbye (6 May)
National Post: a-ha: Finally confident that life is OK (7 May)
Sundance Channel: A Q&A with a-ha’s Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (10 May)
Chicago Sun-Times: a-ha will be no-mo (11 May)

Interviews with Magne:
Metromix New York: Q&A: a-ha (10 May)
Rolling Stone: The Secret History of a-ha’s Smash “Take on Me” (14 May)

Live reviews:
New York Post: A last chance to take on a-ha (8 May)
The New York Times: Two Scandinavian Acts… (9 May)
Billboard.com: a-ha / May 8, 2010 / New York (10 May)
Toronto Sun: Norweigan pop act a-ha ending on a high note (11 May)
Chromewaves.net: Ending On A High Note – Massey Hall in Toronto (13 May)
Spinner.com: A-Ha Play Second-Ever Chicago Show on Farewell Tour (14 May)
The Orange County Register: Saluting a-ha… (16 May)
Consequence of Sound: a-ha waves goodbye to Chicago (17 May)
Dagbladet.no (Norway): – Goodbye America (17 May) – with video report
Hollywood Icon Magazine: A-Ha Leaves Their Mark On America… (18 May)
Hearsay.cc: Without a-ha, there might not be a Coldplay… (20 May)

 
And some recent German interviews:

Bild.de: “A-ha-Songs sind wie Kinder” (17 May)
Rheinische Post: A-ha will ins Museum Abteiberg (17 May)
Westdeutsche Zeitung: “A-ha ist unser gemeinsames Kind” (17 May)
Volksfreund.de: “Musik ist Teil des Lebens” (21 May)

Pre-order remastered Deluxe Editions

The remastered 2-disc Deluxe Editions of Hunting High And Low and Scoundrel Days will be released in the UK on July 12th 2010.

Both albums can now be pre-ordered from Amazon.co.uk using the links below:

Hunting High and Low:
Deluxe Edition

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
1. Take On Me
2. Train Of Thought
3. Hunting High And Low
4. The Blue Sky
5. Living A Boy’s Adventure Tale
6. The Sun Always Shines On T.V.
7. And You Tell Me
8. Love Is Reason
9. I Dream Myself Alive
10. Here I Stand And Face The Rain
Bonus Tracks:
11. Take On Me (Original 7″ Version 1984)
12. The Sun Always Shines On T.V. (Extended Mix)
13. Train Of Thought (U.S. Mix)
14. Hunting High And Low (Extended Remix)

Disc 2:
1. Take On Me (Demo)
2. Train Of Thought (Demo)*
3. Hunting High And Low (Demo)*
4. The Blue Sky (Demo)
5. Living A Boy’s Adventure Tale (Early Version)*
6. The Sun Always Shines on T.V. (Demo)*
7. And You Tell Me (Demo)
8. Love Is Reason (Demo)*
9. I Dream Myself Alive (Demo)*
10. Here I Stand And Face The Rain (Demo)*
11. Stop And Make Your Mind Up
12. Driftwood
13. Dot The I*
14. The Love Goodbye
15. Nothing To It*
16. Go To Sleep
17. Monday Mourning
18. All The Planes That Come In On The Quiet*
19. Never Never
20. What’s That You’re Doing To Yourself*
21. You Have Grown Thoughtful Again*
22. Lesson One (Autumn 1982 Demo)*
23. Presenting Lily Mars

* previously unreleased

Scoundrel Days:
Deluxe Edition

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
1. Scoundrel Days
2. The Swing Of Things
3. I’ve Been Losing You
4. October
5. Manhattan Skyline
6. Cry Wolf
7. We’re Looking For The Whales
8. The Weight Of The Wind
9. Maybe, Maybe
10. Soft Rains Of April
Bonus Tracks:
11. I’ve Been Losing You (Extended Version)
12. Cry Wolf (Extended Version)
13. Manhattan Skyline (Extended Version)

Disc 2:
1. Scoundrel Days (Demo)*
2. The Swing Of Things (Demo #3)*
3. I’ve Been Losing You (Octocon Studio Demo)*
4. October (Demo)*
5. Manhattan Skyline (Demo)*
6. Cry Wolf (Demo)*
7. We’re Looking For The Whales (Demo)*
8. The Weight Of The Wind (Demo)*
9. Maybe, Maybe (Demo)*
10. Soft Rains Of April (Guitar Version)*
11. Scoundrel Days (Octocon Studio Demo)*
12. This Alone Is Love (Original Version)
13. Days On End (Demo)
14. Train of Thought (Live In Croydon)*
15. I’ve Been Losing You (Live In Croydon)*
16. The Blue Sky (Live In Croydon)*
17. Looking for The Whales (Live In Croydon)
18. Cry Wolf (Live In Croydon)*

* previously unreleased
 
 
 
 
 
 

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