Posts Tagged ‘ending on a high note’

Ending On A High Note chart update

Ending On A High Note entered the UK album chart at #43 this week, with 2,966 copies sold. It was actually in the top 15 in the first midweek chart update, so there was a significant drop in sales later in the week. Still quite good though, considering there doesn’t seem to have been much promo for it in the UK so far.

In Germany EOAHN is at #9 this week, and has now spent an amazing four weeks in the top 10 on the album chart. And after dropping down to #7 last week, it climbs to #4 in Norway.

“zbig1” on the WOTM forum has put together the following list of all European countries where the live album has charted so far (Updated 15 May):

1. Norway – Best place #3, All places: 6-3-7-4-6 and 5 weeks in Top-10
2. Germany – Best place #3, All places: 3-7-8-9-14 and 5 weeks in Top-10
3. Poland – Best place #21, All places: 21-35-42-27-39 and 5 weeks in Top-50
4. Russia – Best place #24, All places: 24 and 1 week in Top-25
5. UK – Best place #43, All places: 43 and 1 week in Top-100
6. Switzerland – Best place #56, All places: 56-59-98 and 3 weeks in Top-100
7. Austria – Best place #61, All places: 61-72 and 2 weeks in Top-75
8. Belgium Wallonia – Best place #70, All places: 70 and 1 week in Top-100
9. Netherland – Best place #72, All places: 72-86 and 2 weeks in Top-100
10. Belgium Flanders – Best place #87, All places: 70 and 1 week in Top-100
11. Spain – Best place #92, All places: 92 and 1 week in Top-100
12. France – Best place #163, All places: 163 and 1 week in Top-200

And here’s how the DVD has performed in the music DVD charts around Europe
(Updated 15 May):

1. Norway – Best place #1, All places: 1-1-1 and 3 weeks in Top-10
2. Germany – Best place #1, All places: 1-1-1-1 and 4 weeks in Top-10
3. Austria – Best place #1, All places: 1-10-5 and 3 weeks in Top-10
4. Sweden – Best place #1, All places: 3-6-1-8-6 and 5 weeks in Top-20
5. Hungary – Best place #6, All places: 6-20 and 2 weeks in Top-20
6. Switzerland – Best place #6, All places: 6 and 1 week in Top-10
7. Ireland – Best place #7, All places: 7 and 1 week in Top-10
8. Netherland – Best place #11, All places: 20-11 and 2 weeks in Top-30

(Thanks to zbig1 and tryffel for the chart info)

Chart success for Ending On A High Note

 

The CD version of Ending On A High Note – The Final Concert has entered the official German album chart at #3, which is an impressive result for a live album.

In Norway it entered the album chart at #6, before climbing up to #3 this week. Other first-week chart entries include #21 in Poland, #61 in Austria and #72 in the Netherlands.

 
The DVD entered the German music DVD chart at #1. In Sweden it entered the music DVD chart at #3, before dropping to #6.

Despite the two missing songs, the DVD/Blu-ray features a brilliant production. High quality filming and audio all the way, which can really be experienced in full on the Blu-ray disc. And although there’s not much bonus material, the 15-minute documentary is a nice addition.

 
In Norway, the reviews have been quite good. The newspapers VG, Dagbladet, Bergensavisen, Østlandets Blad and Romerikes Blad all give Ending On A High Note 5 out of 6. Trønder-Avisa even gives it 6 out of 6.

 
In the UK, Ending On A High Note will be released on April 25th. The four available versions can be pre-ordered from amazon.co.uk through the links on the left. And remember that all sales help support this site.

Preview clips from upcoming DVD/Blu-ray

The first preview video clips from the Ending On A High Note DVD and Blu-ray from Oslo Spektrum are now available at Universal Germany’s website:

DVD trailer (w/ Stay On These Roads)
Scoundrel Days
The Living Daylights

a-ha disappoint their fans with incomplete concert release

Not only are they getting an incomplete concert, German fans will also have their DVD covers ruined by a big freakin’ rating symbol.

The tracklisting for the upcoming Blu-ray, DVD and 2-CD release of Ending On A High Note – The Final Concert has now been officially confirmed by a-ha.com.

Unfortunately, it shows that two of the songs performed at Oslo Spektrum on December 4th will not be included – “Bowling Green” and “The Bandstand”.

The omission of the Everly Brothers cover “Bowling Green” was to be expected, considering the technical difficulties during that song. But leaving out “The Bandstand” is a very disappointing and puzzling decision.

Considered by many fans as one of the absolute highlights of the 2009 and 2010 tours and performed at nearly every show, there is no doubt that “The Bandstand” should definitely have been included…

This means that there’s still no complete a-ha concert that has been released officially. The previous live DVD Homecoming – Live at Vallhall (2001) left out the live version of “Angel In The Snow” that was performed at Vallhall.

In addition to the CD, DVD, Blu-ray and Deluxe Edition (2CD + DVD), Universal will also release a CD single with two live tracks; “Summer Moved On” and “Scoundrel Days”. The German release date for the CD single is March 25th and it can now be pre-ordered from Amazon.de.

Cover of the CD single, with a picture of Morten on the synth drums taken during…”The Bandstand”.

The Final Concert CD cover

 

The cover of the CD version of Ending On A High Note – The Final Concert has now started to appear online, including on the website of Universal Norway.

And I’d expect the covers of the DVD and Blu-ray to look somewhat similar.

These live releases are still scheduled to be out in Germany on April 1st, but details on tracklists and number of discs have not been officially confirmed yet.

Amazon.de has the CD version listed as being just 1 disc, which means it’s obviously not the complete concert. Hopefully the Deluxe Version (3 discs) will have all the songs. Needless to say we’re at least expecting the DVD and Blu-ray to feature the complete concert (although leaving out “Bowling Green” will be understandable).

An official announcement is expected soon.

Ending On A High Note coming on CD, DVD and Blu-ray

Several German online stores (like Buch.de) are now taking pre-orders for Ending On A High Note, the recording of the final two a-ha concerts in Oslo Spektrum, which is set for release on 1 April and will be available on CD, DVD, CD/DVD (deluxe) and Blu-ray.

This will be the first a-ha Blu-ray release. The concerts in Oslo were filmed with ten HD cameras.

Cover image and other info is not yet available.

(Thanks to “Elly2” on the German forum for noticing)

DVD director revealed

An article on the website of audio company Lawo reveals that a-ha’s upcoming live DVD from the final concerts in Oslo is directed by Matt Askem.

Askem previously worked with a-ha when he directed the live webcast from Kiel in September 2007. His directing credits feature a long list of artists, including Muse, Faithless and U2.

An excerpt from the article:

The final four shows of the “Ending on a High Note” tour were played in the band’s home town of Oslo at the famous Spektrum venue. Leading broadcast facilities company Cinevideogroup was called in by film-makers Serpent Productions and director Matt Askem to provide a 10-camera HD recording of the event, complete with digital audio, for future release.

Inside the sound control room of the state-of-the-art OB14 were British sound engineer Toby Alington, well known for his work on the BRIT Awards and MTV Europe Awards, and Huub Lelieveld, Cinevideogroup’s senior audio engineer. Alington has responsibility for the final 5.1 mix of the project, while Lelieveld was responsible for the multitrack recording in Oslo.

The full article – which incorrectly claims that this will be a-ha’s first live DVD – but which also provides a lot of fascinating technical details, can be found here.

(Thanks to “greeneyedgirl” for the find)

Photos from Oslo Spektrum

Here is a gallery of some of the photos I took at the concerts in Oslo Spektrum. Click on each photo to enlarge:

The final concerts

a-ha - Oslo Spektrum, 4 December 2010

a-ha – in red, white and blue – saying goodbye at the end of the last concert, December 4th
(Picture by Jakob)

“one thing is certain: we did it together.
now a-ha will be a memory of a life we once shared.”

– read the whole message from Magne on a-ha.com

 

Picture by Jakob

Picture by Jakob

Fans from all over the world gathered in Oslo this past week to celebrate a-ha’s music, as the band played their last four concerts at the Oslo Spektrum arena.

Although it was a sad moment when the guys walked off the stage on December 4th, the overall atmosphere during these concerts was a joyful appreciation of a long and unique career.

For those of you who couldn’t be there, the last two nights were filmed and will be edited into a live DVD to be released sometime next year.

As a special surprise on the last night, and as a tribute to their first manager Terry Slater (1983 – 1994), they played an acoustic version of the Everly Brothers song “Bowling Green”. Slater, who was in the audience, was a musician for the Everly Brothers back in the 60s and wrote that song in 1967.

It’s up on YouTube here (thanks Chris).

 

Picture by Jakob

Picture by Jakob

Here is the full setlist from the last concert:

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

 

“Even though a-ha is sort of turning off the life support,
we’ll all be making music – the three of us – for years to come.
Hopefully we’ll see you guys, some other place.”

– Paul, on stage December 4th

 
OsloSpektrum_4dec10_4

 
Thank you, a-ha.
It’s been fun.

And so a new chapter begins…

Wembley concert

Watch “The Living Daylights” from a-ha’s last concert in the UK at Wembley Arena on 27 November (filmed by Chris):

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