Singles 1984-2004

1. Take on Me

2. Sun Always Shines on TV

3. Train of Thought

4. Hunting High and Low

5. I've Been Losing You

6. Cry Wolf

7. Manhattan Skyline

8. Living Daylights

9. Stay on These Roads

10. Touchy!

11. Crying in the Rain

12. Move to Memphis

13. Dark Is the Night

14. Shapes That Go Together

15. Summer Moved On

16. Minor Earth Major Sky

17. Velvet

18. Forever Not Yours

19. Lifelines

Tracks:

Take on Me
Sun Always Shines on T.V.
Train of Thought
Hunting High and Low
I've Been Losing You
Cry Wolf
Manhattan Skyline
Living Daylights
Stay on These Roads
Touchy!
Crying in the Rain
Move to Memphis
Dark Is the Night
Shapes That Go Together
Summer Moved On
Minor Earth Major Sky
Velvet
Forever Not Yours
Lifelines

Album Description

a-ha celebrates their 20th anniversary with the release of a new singles collection. Throughout their career, a-ha has officially released 32 singles. 13 of them became top ten singles in the UK, and 14 singles have been number one on the radio lists over the world. The new singles album includes some of the highlights from a-ha's last 20 years. 2004.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered and Updated Anthology of the Norwegian Trio's Greats Issued on their 20th Anniversary. Includes all of their UK Top 10 Singles and Then Some, as Well as Remixed and Special Versions of Catalog Favorites.

Customer Reviews:

Great band, but songs are all redone.......2007-07-20

I guess I need to learn how to burn my own greatest hits CD, because I had no idea that hardly any of these songs are the versions from the original albums. In fact, many of the songs on this CD are cut shorter. I guess people don't realize the difference, because everyone seems to give such high ratings. I think that The Living Daylights is a HOT song, but this version, which was in the movie, sucks compared to the version that's on their Stay On These Roads CD. I can't imagine why they couldn't use THAT version in the movie, and why they couldn't put the same version in this CD. When I buy a "greatest hits" CD, I usually get the original recordings, and if they're different versions, it is mentioned on the cover. I don't know if Headlines and Deadlines is the same, but I heard it is.

took me back.......2007-01-10

I lost touch with the band, but this collection brought me back up to speed. I enjoyed them all.

An A-Ha Moment!.......2007-01-04

It's a shame that A-Ha never fully realized their star potential with American audiences. Other then the still charming "Take On Me" and the follow-up "The Sun Always Shines On TV" from their "Hunting High And Low" debut, their chart success stateside never matched the band's international superstardom. Which means that - as far as American audiences are concerned - neither of their best-of's has been issued here. I actually picked my copy of this up while on vacation in London. It was well worth it.

A-Ha were far more than their pretty faces on the MTV videos. (But to be the band that could lay credit to the "Take On Me" - or even the lesser known "Cry Wolf" - video.) Seven studio albums and world-wide sales of more than 60-thousand albums certainly vindicates that point. What most of us Yanks missed was the frequently inventive pop-music this trio turned out. They were masters of the confectionary ballad, with songs like "Manhattan Skyline," "Velvet" and "Stay On These Roads" masterworks of melodrama.

In their later albums, A-Ha was finding conflict within their group and the albums began to reflect the turmoil. (The CD also contains an honest recollection of the band's history.) The synths began to take a lower profile and more live (and livelier) recording began to unfold. While A-Ha was still making some cutting edge pop, a song like "Minor Earth Major Sky" is particularly dark. There is even a relatively faithful version of the Everly Brothers' "Crying In The Rain."

And then there is the matter of that voice. Morten Harket had a falsetto that rivaled Freddie Mercury's and certainly influenced singers like The Darkness' Justin Hawkins. It hit that impossibly high note in "Take On Me" but could also add to the drama of the band's shot at a James Bond theme, "The Living Daylights." Obviously hoping Bond would do for them what "A View To A Kill" did for Duran Duran, A-ha rocks it in a cinematic way, and it could possibly be both Harket's best vocal and the most under appreciated of all the James Bond movie themes.

Which about sums up this collection. There is some of the finest pop you've never heard here, new wave of otherwise. Terrifically re-mastered for this CD, A-Ha "The Singles - 1984/2004" showcases an under appreciated band who created some perfectly realized music, even without the sun shining on them in the US. (Come on Rhino - we know you can do it.)

overlooked band.......2006-11-15

Boy, I forgot about this band. What a treat to find them again. Great compilation of songs for those that don't want to purchase all their CD's. Great gift for that 80's lover, as well.

'The Sun Always Shines on POP music'.......2006-06-20

A-Ha burst onto our CD players in the early 80's with the infectious 'Take On Me' and the very MTV-friendly 'Music-Vid' that accompanied the track. Their first album spurned classic pop hits like 'Hunting High & Low' and 'The Sun Always Shines On TV'....and the scene was set. Typically, a band like this disappear after 3 albums but not A-Ha...They have matured and if you take time to discover, there is a lot more to them than pretty-boys & 3 minute pop tunes..Their later albums 'Lifelines', 'Analogue' and 'Minor Earth, Major Sky' prove that they are fine musicians that can produce finely crafted songs...ok, there are one or two throwaway tracks like 'Touchy' and 'Cry Wolf', but on the whole, it is a good way to get to know A-Ha and these two mediocre tracks still have their place....enjoy the music, but don't analyse the lyrics...it is pop music after all, designed to entertain !!

The Definitive Singles Collection: 1984-2004

Average customer rating:

An A-ha Moment.
The Melody remains Unbroken
20 Years

The Definitive Singles Collection: 1984-2004
a-ha
Manufacturer: Wea International
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Analogue
Minor Earth Major Sky
Singles 1984-2004
Headlines and Deadlines - The Hits of A-HA
Lifelines

ASIN: B00080N0WC
Release Date: 2005-06-13

Tracks:

Take on Me
Sun Always Shines on T.V.
Train of Thought [Remix]
Hunting High and Low
I've Been Losing You
Cry Wolf
Manhattan Skyline
Living Daylights
Stay on These Roads
Touchy!
You Are the One
Crying in the Rain
Dark Is the Night
Shapes That Go Together
Summer Moved On [Radio Edit]
Lifelines [Album Version]
Velvet [Radio Version]
Take on Me [Enhanced]

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Anthology with all the Trio's Hits, Including "Take on Me" (Only Kept from the Top Spot by the Jagger/Bowie Collaboration for Live Aid) Along with the Enhancement of Steve Barron's Breakthrough Animated Video which Helped Propel this Piece of Pop Perfection to the Top of the Charts in 13 Countries, Including the USA. Slightly Different Than the Euro Version this Has Three Alternate Tracks, "Touchy","You Are the One", and the Video of "Take on Me".

Customer Reviews:

An A-ha Moment........2007-01-04

It is a shame that A-ha never fully realized their star potential with American audiences. Other then the still charming "Take On Me" and the follow-up "The Sun Always Shines On TV" from their "Hunting High And Low" debut, their chart success stateside never matched the band's international superstardom. Which means that - as far as American audiences are concerned - neither of their best-of's has been issued here. I actually picked my copy of this up while on vacation in London. It was well worth it.

A-Ha were far more than their pretty faces on the MTV videos. (But to be the band that could lay credit to the "Take On Me" - or even the lesser known "Cry Wolf" - video.) Seven studio albums and world-wide sales of more than 60-thousand albums certainly vindicates that point. What most of us Yanks missed was the frequently inventive pop-music this trio turned out. They were masters of the confectionary ballad, with songs like "Manhattan Skyline," "Velvet" and "Stay On These Roads" masterworks of melodrama.

In their later albums, A-Ha was finding conflict within their group and the albums began to reflect the turmoil. (The CD also contains an honest recollection of the band's history.) The synths began to take a lower profile and more live (and livelier) recording began to unfold. While A-Ha was still making some cutting edge pop, a song like "Minor Earth Major Sky" is particularly dark. There is even a relatively faithful version of the Everly Brothers' "Crying In The Rain."

And then there is the matter of that voice. Morten Harket had a falsetto that rivaled Freddie Mercury's and certainly influenced singers like The Darkness' Justin Hawkins. It hit that impossibly high note in "Take On Me" but could also add to the drama of the band's shot at a James Bond theme, "The Living Daylights." Obviously hoping Bond would do for them what "A View To A Kill" did for Duran Duran, A-ha rocks it in a cinematic way, and it could possibly be both Harket's best vocal and the most under appreciated of all the James Bond movie themes.

Which about sums up this collection. There is some of the finest pop you've never heard here, new wave of otherwise. Terrifically re-mastered for this CD, A-Ha "The Singles - 1984/2004" showcases an under appreciated band who created some perfectly realized music, even without the sun shining on them in the US. (Come on Rhino - we know you can do it.)

The Melody remains Unbroken.......2005-11-29

Once again a-ha endures the test of time and remains undaunted. Their performances and beautiful melodies still remain with us. This CD is a worthy compendium of their work. As much as they have evolved the melodies and heartfelt performances have remained constant. You can go from TAKE ON ME to THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS to the more recent VELVET and LIFELINES and there is a consistency of perhaps drive or emotion that seems to be inherent in every song. I summed up what I had to say with VELVET when it was first released and it somehow holds true for what a-ha has given us through all these cherished years. VELVET is a whimsical atmospheric piece of sheer beauty. You have to hear it to appreciate this great melodic piece of elegant impressionism. Once again a-ha delivers a work of innovation and inspiration with this heart felt song. There is more than just talent and genius behind a-ha's work. They meld lyric, melody and their unique sound into something that transcends the definition of music. VELVET has to be one of their most definitive examples of this quality. I still get a chuckle or a sarcastic laugh when I tell people about a-ha. They refuse to even listen to the music. That is their loss. Yet I still know there are numbers of us out there who appreciate a-ha's artistry and in the end the music still remains doesn't it. That is somehow a great comfort and reassurance to me.

20 Years.......2005-11-19

This supercedes the 1991 compilation, "Headlines and Deadlines". "Take on Me", a-ha's sole claim to fame Stateside, was first released in 1984, and was released twice more before it became the smash that it did. Some of these were written and even demo'ed before they had their first deal with Warner. This collection closes the book on their tenure with wea, as they signed a new deal with Polydor/Universal for their latest, "Analogue". This includes tracks from their later releases "Memorial Beach", "Minor Earth Major Sky" and "Lifelines", as well as the 1994 one-off "Shapes That Go Together" (performed at the Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway before taking five years off). There are no new tracks, however, like the last time with the original version of "Move to Memphis".
This is likely another German import (I have four myself). There's supposed to be a DVD, but because the Americas and Asia use the NTSC colour system and most of Europe have PAL, it would likely be imported here from Japan or Brasil.
The only Norweigian bands that can turn a profit here these days are deathcore heavy metal bands, but maybe that will change.

Average customer rating:

Singles 1984-2004
A-Ha
Manufacturer: Wea International
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music

Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0006ZOUSW
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Average customer rating:

Singles 1984-2004

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0007OC7A0
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Album Description

2004 remastered collection spanning the Norwegian synth-pop trio's entire career to date.. With vocalist Morten Harket's good looks and soaring vocals, a-Ha were an immediate hit worldwide and this compilation features all their early U.S. and European hits as well as their broodingly mature and quite stunning later singles. 19 tracks in all including the worldwide smash 'Take On Me', the hit 'The Sun Always Shines On TV' plus other European chart toppers like 'Train Of Thought', 'Cry Wolf', 'Velvet', 'Touchy!', 'Manhattan Skyline', 'Hunting High & Low', 'I've Been Losing You', 'Stay On These Roads' and 'The Living Daylights'. Warner.