a-ha: MTV Unplugged - Summer Solstice

So far only good reviews for the new Savoy album. I am excited about the release tomorrow!

 

Had MTV Unplugged on again today - really enjoying it still.

They were cover feature on Classic Pop magazine last month and there was a good article about acoustic album.

 

I wrote a review of the new Savoy album, for those interested: Savoy - See the beauty in your drab hometown

It was made in a rush and is not polished, but it sums up quite well my first impression on this record, impression which is very likely to change through time.

 

Any tips for those of us living abroad on how to watch it?

 

I bought the 2CD + Bluray set today. I also tried to buy the new Savoy album, but they didn’t have the CD. And just now I walked past Paal and Lauren on the street here in Oslo! Small World!

 

With NRK it is often easy to stream abroad. TV2 on the other hand is a commercial channel and is subscription or live TV in Norway only. Unsure if subscription works abroad but you can google «TV2 Sumo».

 

Good review. At first listen I would say tracks 1-4 + 9-10 are top notch and the middle is not bad either. Savoy’s most exciting album?

 

I agree, 1-4 are top notch. I am not convinced by "Bump", but the rest I really like. Especially "We're the same way". Did anyone in here see Savoy in Parkteateret?

 

I don't know if I am allowed to write this in here, but I do think this is the thread to post it. I have an extra ticket to the unplugged show in Berlin on January 29th. If anyone in here is interested (or knows someone who is), will you send me a message?

I am not able to go to Berlin (because of work ), which means I will not be attending any unplugged show. I am a little sad about it, but really hope to get to see an electric show in the summer instead. Hopefully Kongsberg, when Bel Canto will playing before a-ha. They were a big part of my life in the nineties, way before I discovered a-ha's music

 

It will be interesting to see what the Unplugged setlists look like.

 

Yes. I wonder if they have rehearsed any more songs or if the setlist will be the same as Giske. They seem to be busy with so many other individual projects, so it would surprise me if they have had time to include other songs.

 

Too bad that you have to miss Berlin. Isn't OMD opening the show too?

Depeche Mode is there tonight so a good concert month for Berliners of a certain age and synth pop persuasion!

 

Yes, the berliners are lucky this month

And yes, it is a bummer not being able to go. I am sure it will be a fantastic evening. I would have loved to hear "This Alone is Love"!

 

Thabk you for the reply. I will wait a little to see if it surfaces on Youtube or elsewhere.

 

I am a bit puzzled by the way the reception of this album went. Most of the Norwegian reviews were basically: "this album is so much better than a-ha" (read: Pål is better when he is free from the band). The fact that Pål proudly shared them all on the social networks makes me think whether or not the reportedly new found good mood inside the band is true or not.

 

I actually had similar thoughts yesterday. I have suddenly grown a bit cold on a-ha. The unplugged project is something I always wished for and I am very pleased with the result. Now I am strangely not very enthusiastic about going to see a-ha re-enact the thing. It feels such a long time ago and I've started to think I could easily content myself with watching the superb film again instead of the hassle of going to Oslo. Never felt that before. So I wondered if the band feel enthusiastic to pick it all up again amidst their other fun projects and then soon go out on the electric tour that is all but in name a greatest hit tour. But I will surely thaw out when I am there and also spend some time with my sister.

This is in many ways an odd era for a-ha. They claim (still?) to be in a better place as a band than in ages but the reason is not new material and they never before have done not one, but two tours in a row based on old songs.

I also have trouble warming up to Savoy. Listened straight through the new album twice but decided to put it aside for awhile to give it a better chance later when I am more keen and not so immersed in other music. I can hear that it is a revitalised Savoy and a good album, I just don't feel that captivated and the right connection.

I think Savoy always have received good to very good reviews in Norway? but this is exceptionally good. I mean 5/6; that is on the level of the 2017 albums from Sundför, Ulver, Charlotte dos Santos and Motorpsycho. Perhaps I will feel it is up there? Yes Pål is very pleased and proud. I think all the guys to some extent feel competitive (and also vulnerable) towards each other and a-ha when they release music. Morten probably had some the same feelings when Wild Seed and Brother turned out great successes. Since WOT critically flopped this must feel like a triumph to Pål.

I looked at the reviews and yes a lot of focus on a-ha in most; especially the one from Dagsavisen that spend 1/3 dissing a-ha and Morten instead of highlighting the merits of the music and band at hand. a-ha is relevant to the context but an a-ha (expectations, history...) album released on Universal Germany with big tour commitments and serious chart aspirations in both Britain and Germany (though I would love them to ignore that) is made under different conditions than a release from a small studio band on Drabant music. I think a comparison to the much more recent World of trouble would be more relevant and rewarding.

If a-ha is a topic alongside Savoy it could also be more interesting to reflect on Pål's development with programming and synths since the little riff on “Best western beauty” 2007. He has described how rusty and panicked the band were working on FOTM and how Ljungren saved them. Then both electropop “Weathervane” and the three on the Linnea Dale album were still unimpressive, thin and formulaic. Pål had gotten really interested though (which he perhaps wasn’t at the time of FOTM) aquired a modular synth and started to develop and create warmer, more relaxed productions.

One paper, Bergen Tiderne (paywall), gave it only 3/6 which made me curious. Like on Amazon, the three stars reviews often are the ones with the most interesting observations, even in the cases I don't agree with a rating.

 

Any chance they will play more new songs on upcoming tour? Or other fresh new arrangements of old warhorses?

I quite liked both the new material and reinterpretations; it was some of the collaborations I didn't like (Ian, Alison).

 

I share most of your thoughts, except that I am quite excited about going to Oslo for the show. I still think it is ridiculous to play those versions in such a big setting, but the arrangements are so good anyway new details might surface, and it looks, from the very short clip Pål posted yesterday, that they might have changed a few things here or there, which will be interesting to find out.

Regarding Savoy, I am not sure it deserves the praise, but it might be that my hopes were too high after such a great first single, that I personnaly think does not pale down compared to late Ulver for example. But, as much as I love half of the tracks on here, I could live easily without the rest.

 

... But it is true that if a-ha failed to deliver something new, exciting, singular and personal in the coming months, while still touring and getting media attention, I would surely grow cold on them too.

 

Is it possible that you are a bit "off" a-ha in general (not just their current activities)? If so, don't stress about it. You can revisit the good parts of this particular era sometime later when you are "on" again. To me this comes and goes in cycles as I get worn out by some types of music.

As for the reviews there is always a lot of nonesense in those. However, when one album seems to get a lot of praise all around there is usually something to it. I don't know if it is in the level of AMAZING but I find it a very strong album. "Side A" has the rare quality of passing by all too quickly as each song offers something new and send you off to the next one. From Bump and a bit forward it sinks a bit into usual-Savoy-territory until it picks up again at the end. This is all of course my personal impression and after only about 3 full listens. If I am to compare to World Of Trouble that one was more consistent and tasteful but it was (to me) much less interesting and didn't pull me back in as an album. I might revisit that one again soon.

 

No I do not stress it, plenty of other music to occupy myself with. I actually think you are right Lars and I am on my way out of a cycle. It lasted long this time and started when I as a lurker found the mighty album by album thread and then everything took off when then band very timely became active again.

As for the concert it is mostly about traveling to Oslo. It is the time of the year when the body craves for some vitamin D and you just want to hibernate until April. I had much preferred if they were playing at sunny Faro or somewhere like that.

Some new songs will perhaps surface with the electric tour or even an EP if one is allowed to dream? a-ha is a band that still can fill an album with good material and also sell records but I think a transition to more frequent EP:s would suit the band. Loosen things up and make it less serious. Focus the energy and time now when they have other projects.

The Savoy- album is good, no doubt of that. I also much prefer the first four and the last song. When you think of it EP:s would suit Pål perfectly too as he only really talks about songs and how they are not tied to a certain era and album. He is very modern in that sense . The bar has been raised for album artists though. Paralell to the trend of singles we now excpect more in terms of ideas and coherency from them. Thats why Ulver's latest is so incredibly good. Everyhing clicks.

 

Has anyone seen a review/setlist yet for the first German show?

 

It seems like the setlist as expected very much followed the concert in Giske.

One very positive Norwegian review:
Ny akustisk turné: Dette er a-ha på sitt aller fineste

And one more critical German review:
A-ha in Stuttgart: Von Oho bis naja

 

Oh, you must not grow cold on a-ha, sesam and myker - your posts in here are too interesting to me missed!

Personally I love the new Savoy album. Especially the first four tracks, but also 6, 8, 9 and 10. And I also like 7, it's just quite different from what I expected. I think the talk about dark dance and electronic music made me expect a different type of album (except for a few songs), but I still like the songs that are there. The album har more of a 60's sound than I expected, but they are still good songs, I think.

Tonight a-ha is playing in Berlin. I sold my tickets (to a lady from Brazil - that is quite a long way for a concert!), and I am ok about it. I don't have time or money to travel now, and I am quite happy with just listening to the unplugged album. I just got tickets for a-ha's summer concert in Copenhagen Tivoli, so now I know that the summer will have a good musical experience.

I am looking forward to hearing your reviews from Oslo

 

I am sorry that you will not be able to catch any of the unplugged shows. Especially since I know how much you love the album and film. If a-ha had announced the Oslo-gigs at the same time as the German shows you perhaps had opted for that instead and been able to make it? Great though that a-ha this summer after so many years will return to Denmark! And that you have tickets.

Yes “Shy teens suffer silently” is the weakest track on the album and in my opinion does not fit very well with the vibe or adds anything valuable to the record. When it comes to the artists we take interest in everyone have things they particularly love or wish were different. It always vexed me that one of my favourite songwriters has such a strong gravitation to a 60's retro sound that he seemingly never can desist from it.

I feel songs 5, 7 and 9 belong on a different album. Savoy has told us how legitimately enthusiastic they are about their new sound. Then they should perhaps have written a few more in that style while they where in a flow and made that near perfect classic Savoy album. I can also imagine a release of two separate but still connected EP's during the year. One with the more 60's-70's Savoy and then one with 5 sharp tracks in their new sound.

It is interesting that since the release "Manmade Lake" is the albums most popular song on Spotify. Might eventually pass the singles even. Nowadays people decide for themselves and it is one of Pål's best songs. It shows that many longed for it and were ready for that Waaktaar album. Perhaps also that this style is what some of Pål’s audience prefer? Otherwise the album follows the path of earlier Savoy releases: great reception by the Norwegian press, a good first week with physical sales and a warm welcome by segments of a-ha fans. After that a real struggle with circulation and connecting with new people which I definitely believe they strived for, especially in Norway. Very little traction and low numbers on Spotify (which is what matters in Norway, especially in regards to sharing and spreading). Not many have listened to the full album, only ca 6000 have made it through track two! I am somewhat surprised.