Stay On These Roads entered the UK charts at #2 in May 1988, Aha's third #2 album in as many releases. Significantly though, the second (Scoundrel Days) had spent considerably fewer weeks on the chart than the first (Hunting High And Low). This trend continued, as the third managed even less. ... Read review
Advantages: Classy songwriting, the work of true craftsmen. Disadvantages: Known for its poppy hit singles that give a misleading idea of what to expect.
Stay On These Roads entered the UK charts at #2 in May 1988, Aha's third #2 album in as many releases. Significantly though, the second (Scoundrel Days) had spent considerably fewer weeks on the chart than the first (Hunting High And Low). This trend continued, as the third managed even less. There were further alarm bells ringing when the album's second single The Blood That Moves The Body stalled at #25. In fairness, it wasn't perhaps the most ... ...had hinted at this, then Stay On These Roads was the unequivocal proof.
Touchy! and You Are The One - both catchy little ditties (and back-to-back Top 15 hits later in 1988) - were aberrations on a hugely impressive collection. The Living Daylights also made an appearance in remixed form, apparently in the style they preferred to perform it in a live situation.
Yet it was on the other seven songs that the argument ... more
Stay On These Roads entered the UK charts at #2 in May 1988, Aha's third #2 album in as many releases. Significantly though, the second (Scoundrel Days) had spent considerably fewer weeks on the chart than the first (Hunting High And Low). This trend continued, as the third managed even less. There were further alarm bells ringing when the album's second single The Blood That Moves The Body stalled at #25. In fairness, it wasn't perhaps the most listener-friendly choice, yet a year earlier it would have almost certainly fared much better.
A-ha were suffering from the same problems encountered by the majority of hugely popular groups with a predominantly female (and teenage) audience, but in truth they were never really a teen band. If several tracks on their first two albums had hinted at this, then Stay On These Roads was the unequivocal proof.
Touchy! and You Are The One - both catchy little ditties (and back-to-back Top 15 hits later in 1988) - were aberrations on a hugely impressive collection. The Living Daylights also made an appearance in remixed form, apparently in the style they preferred to perform it in a live situation.
Yet it was on the other seven songs that the argument for Aha's enduring appeal and continued success was most convincing. This Alone Is Love's cascading chords, Hurry Home's eerie, insistent rhythm and Out Of Blue Comes Green's glorious, soaring chorus all signalled a growing maturity and expanding horizons. This was music tailor-made for the CD generation, yet it somehow failed to transcend their existing (and steadily diminishing) fanbase.
Advantages: Epic. Mostly a work of genius. Disadvantages: Makes me over-use the word "epic". Moments of odd un-epicness.
with drums and guitar. It has themes of love and murder, and unlike "Scoundrel Days" I did get this one as a child-
It wasn't the rain that washed away...
Rinsed out the colours of your eyes
Putting the gun down on the bedside table
I must have realized
I do believe it's also the first song that motivated me to play air guitar. The guitar sound hints at the 21st century a-ha, when in reality their next album (1988's Stay On TheseRoads) was a return to a more "pop" feel. It has a false ending and then a genuinely epic, rocking coda. 11/10 from me. This song is so perfect as to be divine.
4. "October" - 3:48
This isn't one of my favourite a-ha songs, although I like it frankly it's a bit dull, but that's only in comparison-- because a-ha are generally so epic, even their dullness is worth listening to. It slides over ...
Advantages: Good selection of tunes. Disadvantages: Covers only part of their long career.
"you SWINES!" to a-ha, who don't seem to play it live anymore!
4. You Are The One (Remix)
Less cheesy than, but almost as poppy as, Touchy!, this was my favourite song off the Stay On TheseRoads album at the time, though these days I would name Touchy! as my favourite. It's an airy concoction of poppy drums and synths, with trumpetty riffs and light hearted lyrics of love. I adore it. 9.5/10 from me, losing half a point because I find it oddly tricky to sing along to.
5. Manhattan Skyline
This song, as I have observed elsewhere, is "typical a-ha", in that it employs the formula they often exploit to epic success, and this song is certainly epic. It switches mood and tempo, has a strong rocking guitar in the faster parts and exploits Morten's voice in the spartan, slower, more reflective sections. God gifted that man ...
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