Singles 1984-2004 [Import, Original recording remastered]

a-ha | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 21, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Wea
• ASIN: B0006FX2PO
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,342 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Take on Me

2. The Sun Always Shines on T.V.

3. Train of Thought

4. Hunting High and Low

5. I've Been Losing You

6. Cry Wolf

7. Manhattan Skyline

8. The 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

Editorial Reviews

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars for the band!, January 19, 2005

By 

DIMITRI B BOGACHEV "hitriman" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Singles 1984-2004 (Audio CD)

I do not give 5 stars to this CD, 5 stars go to the tremendously talented trio from Norway that have survived decades of changing musical styles, trends and genres and stayed true to high quality songwriting, touching and moving melodies, producing a multitude of hits in many countries, and building a huge fanbase and legacy for themselves. To think that some look at A-Ha as a one-hit onder! I will let those listen to Britney and Clay Aiken and encourage others to build an A-ha collection.
I do not need this Greatest Hits album, because I have all of their CDs, from synth-pop oriented light-hearted Hunting High and Low to most recent and quite dramatic soft-rock masterpiece Lifelines. This is their second hits collection after early 90's Headlines and Deadlines. It goes along with similar recent releases from other 80s pop legends like Erasure and Pet Shop Boys who also started around the same time and had their first "greatest hits" released around the same time. For either band, the second collection does not add whole lot to the first one. They all had more hits in their early years, mid 80s, and you can find 3-4 songs from each of the earlier albums on this one, while more recent albums are less represented. Which does not mean their music quality declined as years went by, and that is particularly true about A-ha. The trio split up in early 90s after their fifth album Memorial Beach, but only to amaze their fans and make new fans with their last two strong and beautiful comeback albums Minor Earth Major Sky and Lifelines (neither of which saw a US release, very unfortunately). If you do not have any A-ha albums, you can get this one for a fair overview of their career, but, believe me, you will miss a lot of excellent songs that were not necessarily hits but deserve attention from anyone who appreciates good music. There are 7 albums out there, and if you find budget-priced used ones, combined they may cost you just as much as a new copy of this import collection. Whatever the price, you will not regret.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a-ha Beyond "Take on Me.", May 19, 2005

By 

The Groove (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Singles 1984-2004 (Audio CD)

It's easy to see why so many Americans wrongfully dismiss a-ha as a one-hit wonder band. Since their platinum debut, "Hunting High and Low," which spawned the Number One hit "Take On Me," the pop trio from Norway saw their next four albums flop in the US before they disappeared out of consciousness. But while their success in America was short-lived, a-ha has built and maintained a healthy following in Europe, where they landed 13 Top Ten hits in England. "The Singles 1984|2004" is the band's second compilation (the first was 1994's "Headlines and Deadlines," which, like this album, was released outside the US), covering twenty years of hits and singles. Looking beyond "Take On Me," we have other notable gems like the 007 theme "The Living Daylights," "I've Been Losing You," the energetic "The Sun Always Shines on TV," and a personal favorite of mine: "Lifelines." Even better, these songs have been digitally remastered, and you can definitely hear and feel the improvement over the original recording. All in all, I think a-ha is a band that never really got a fair shot in America, where they were all-too-quickly written off as pretty boys whose music took a backseat to their chisled looks. But this hits collection features some well-crafted pop tunes and international hits that will please fans and may even win over a few converts.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOT the one hit wonder the American music industry would ..., January 28, 2005

By 

Michael O. Byrd (MEMPHIS, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Singles 1984-2004 (Audio CD)

have you believe. This is one of the greatest bands around, and still going after 20 years. If you haven't heard much from a-ha since "Take on Me" start here or better yet, just start buying the albums. I bought this to have all the single on one CD for taking to the gym, but there's nothing here you can't get on their CD's and you are missing a number of great songs if you forego the albums. They are also easier to get a hold of. I wound up ording this directly from AMAZON.DE (German Amazon) which is where this is imported from. It actually wound up a few dollars cheaper to order it there than here. The GERMAN was a little rough to get through but BABELFISH can help. Enjoy getting to know a-ha.