News 22 Sep 2015

a-ha / more deluxe editions due

By Paul Sinclair

Rhino continue with their a-ha reissue programme with expanded deluxe editions 1988’s Stay On These Roads, 1990’s East of the Sun West of the Moon and Memorial Beach from 1993, due next month.

These are three very different albums, with Stay On These Roads the band’s final ‘poppy’ album with producer Alan Tarney at the helm , East of the Sun West of the Moon dumping the synths and the remixes for some autumnal maturity and Memorial Beach a brooding, sweating work that puts you through the emotional wringer (no wonder the band went on hiatus for six or seven years afterwards).

Each reissue will feature the remastered original album, plus an additional disc of bonus content including demos, alternate versions and classic live performances. East of the Sun, West of the Moon will also feature a DVD of Live in South America, first released on VHS in 1993 and made available here on DVD for the very first time.

There are an enormous number of previously unissued tracks, including a fascinating 1987 demo of Cold River, some excellent Ian Stanley demos of Cold River and Waiting For Her and a generous selection of Memorial Beach demos including the title track sung in a completely different key.

There are also some previously unheard songs; Umbrella, I’ll Never Find You In This Streetful City, Thus Ended Our Love Affair and Evitar (Stay On These Roads); Trees Will Not Grow On Sand (East Of The Sun West Of The Moon) and Bar Room (Memorial Beach).

Since these are now official, I can reveal that Rhino reached out to me in early 2014 to ‘sense check’ the proposed track listings for these deluxe editions. Originally, these were all two-CD sets but I suggested they add the DVD to East of the Sun West of the Moon. I did put forward a case for some other remixes for Stay On These Roads (instrumental The Living Daylights, The Gun Mix of The Blood That Moves The Body etc.) but they’ve chosen to focus on the demos and stick with ‘just’ the standard twelve-inch remixes. Unfortunately everything was put on hold for a while and I had no opportunity to offer further suggestions for East of the Sun… and Memorial Beach, with the exception of the DVD element on the former.

Given the plethora of unreleased demos and live material, it seems almost churlish to point out that Memorial Beach is missing the non-album single Shapes That Go Together (along with the instrumental version), the edit of Cold As Stone, the seven-inch version of Move to Memphis and the standard instrumental (i.e. non acoustic) of Angel in the Snow – but it is! The first three are on the 25 compilation, but there is room for all of these tracks at the end of disc one of this new deluxe set, so that’s a bit of a pity.

Despite this, these are nothing short of an essential purchase for a-ha fans and fans of grown-up pop music.

All three deluxe editions are released on 23 October 2015.

Stay On These Roads 2CD Deluxe

East of the Sun West of the Moon 2CD+DVD Deluxe

Memorial Beach 2CD Deluxe

Stay On These Roads (Deluxe Edition)

Disc 1

1. Stay On These Roads
2. The Blood That Moves The Body
3. Touchy!
4. This Alone Is Love
5. Hurry Home
6. The Living Daylights
7. There’s Never A Forever Thing
8. Out Of The Blue Comes Green
9. You Are The One
10. You’ll End Up Crying

Bonus tracks

11. Stay On These Roads (Extended Remix)
12. You Are The One (12″ Remix)
13. The Living Daylights (Extended Version)
14. The Blood That Moves The Body (Extended Remix)
15. Touchy! (Go-Go Mix)

Disc 2*

1. Stay On These Roads (Early Version)
2. The Blood That Moves The Body (Demo)
3. Touchy! (Original Mix)
4. This Alone Is Love (Demo)
5. You Are The One (Early Version)
6. Cold River (1987 Demo)
7. Hurry Home (Demo)
8. I’ll Never Find You In This Streetful City (Demo)
9. The Living Daylights (Demo)
10. There’s Never A Forever Thing (Demo)
11. Out Of The Blue Comes Green (Alternate mix)
12. You’ll End Up Crying (Demo)
13. You Are The One (Alternate Version)
14. Touchy! (Demo)
15. Umbrella (Demo)
16. Thus Ended Our Love Affair (Demo)
17. There’s Never A Forever Thing (Acoustic Version)
18. Evitar (Demo)
19. You Are The One (Demo)
20. Sail On My Love (Writing Session)

*All tracks previously unissued

East of the Sun, West of the Moon (Deluxe Edition)

Disc 1

1. Crying In The Rain
2. Early Morning
3. I Call Your Name
4. Slender Frame
5. East Of The Sun
6. Sycamore Leaves
7. Waiting For Her
8. Cold River
9. The Way We Talk
10. Rolling Thunder
11. (Seemingly) Nonstop July

Disc 2

1. Early Morning (Early Version)*
2. East Of The Sun (Early Version)*
3. I Call Your Name (Instrumental Demo)*
4. Slender Frame (Demo)*
5. Waiting For Her (Demo)*
6. Cold River (Demo)*
7. Trees Will Not Grow On Sand (Demo)*
8. Rolling Thunder (Demo)*
9. I Call Your Name (NRK Live)*
10. Manhattan Skyline (NRK Live)
11. Early Morning (NRK Live)
12. Slender Frame (NRK Live)*
13. Rolling Thunder (NRK Live)*
14. Sycamore Leaves (NRK Live)*
15. Crying In The Rain (NRK Live)
16. East Of The Sun (NRK Live)
17. (Seemingly) Nonstop July (NRK Live)
18. I’ve Been Losing You (NRK Live)

* Previously Unissued

Disc 3 (DVD a-ha – Live in South America)

1. The Sun Always Shines On T.V.
2. Cry Wolf
3. I Call Your Name
4. Slender Frame
5. Touchy!
6. Scoundrel Days
7. Rolling Thunder
8. I’ve Been Losing You
9. Early Morning
10. Take On Me

Memorial Beach (Deluxe Edition)

Disc 1

1. Dark Is The Night For All
2. Move To Memphis
3. Cold As Stone
4. Angel In The Snow
5. Locust
6. Lie Down In Darkness
7. How Sweet It Was
8. Lamb To The Slaughter
9. Between Your Mama And Yourself
10. Memorial Beach

Bonus tracks

11. Move To Memphis (Extended Mix)
12. Angel In The Snow (Acoustic Instrumental)

Disc 2*

1. Dark Is The Night For All (Demo)
2. Cold As Stone (Demo)
3. Angel In The Snow(Demo)
4. Locust (Demo)
5. Lie Down In Darkness (Demo)
6. How Sweet It Was (Demo)
7. Bar Room (Demo)
8. Lamb To The Slaughter (Demo)
9. Between Your Mama And Yourself (Demo)
10. Memorial Beach (Demo)
11. Dark Is The Night For All (Alternative Version)
12. Swing Of Things (Live March 17, 1994 at The Sentrum Scene/ Oslo,Norway)
13. Dark Is The Night For All (Live March 17, 1994 at The Sentrum Scene/ Oslo,Norway)
14. Move To Memphis (Live March 17, 1994 at The Sentrum Scene/ Oslo,Norway)
15. Cold As Stone/Sycamore Leaves (Live March 17, 1994 at The Sentrum Scene/ Oslo,Norway)
16. Shapes That Go Together (Live March 17, 1994 at The Sentrum Scene/ Oslo,Norway)

*All tracks previously unissued

Stay On These Roads 2CD Deluxe

East of the Sun West of the Moon 2CD+DVD Deluxe

Memorial Beach 2CD Deluxe

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