Category: a-ha

a-ha – Train Of Thought (UK 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1986

“Train of Thought” is a song by Norwegian band A-ha, released on 24 March 1986 as the fourth single from their debut studio album, Hunting High and Low (1985). The lyrics for this song were based on the existentialist authors and poets Gunvor Hofmo, Knut Hamsun, and Fyodor Dostoevsky – Pål’s favorites at the time.

It was A-ha’s third consecutive top-10 single in the UK, reaching number eight. The song was not released as a single in the United States.

SIDE A:
Train Of Thought (U.S. Mix) 7:02
Producer –Tony Mansfield
Remix – Steve Thompson

SIDE B:
And You Tell Me 1:50
Producer – a-ha

Train Of Thought (Remix 7″ Version) 4:12
Producer – Tony Mansfield
Remix – Alan TarneyJohn Hudson

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Warner Bros. Records ‎– W 8736 T, Warner Bros. Records ‎– W 8766(T), Warner Bros. Records ‎– 920 455-0, Warner Bros. Records ‎– 920455-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single, PRS Ltd. Pressing
Country: UK
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Artwork By [Illustraiton] – Michael Petterson/Candice Reckinger
Written-By – Pål Waaktaar

NOTES:
Tracks A & B1 (✝) Original version available on the album ‘Hunting High And Low’

Manufactured in the UK

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Black
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp:
Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
DAC:
Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning
: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans
: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

a-ha – The Living Daylights (Germany 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987

NEW 2020 Transfer!
Meticulously Remastered!

Originally posted March 26, 2011

“The Living Daylights” is a song performed by Norwegian pop group A-ha for the 1987 James Bond film of the same name. It was written by guitarist Pål Waaktaar. After first appearing in the context of the film, a revised version was included in the band’s Stay on These Roads studio album, which came out in 1988.

John Barry was listed on the credits as co-writer and producer, and the initial release of the song was his version. A second version of the song, re-worked by A-ha in 1988, later appeared on their third album, Stay on These Roads.

When interviewed on a late-night show in 1987, Barry said that he found working with the band exhausting secondary to the band’s insistence on using their own version of the song for release. In an interview with Hot Rod Magazine, keyboardist Magne Furuholmen said that “[the band’s] fight with Barry left a rather unpleasant aftertaste. Apparently, he compared us to Hitlerjugend in a newspaper interview.” Waaktaar stated that although Barry produced the track, he never contributed to the songwriting process and should not have been credited as such (the band Duran Duran made similar claims after they worked briefly with Barry on the theme to the previous Bond film, “A View to a Kill”, in 1985). However, Waaktaar has also said: “I loved the stuff he [John Barry] added to the track. I mean, it gave it this sort of really cool string arrangement. That’s when it, for me, started to sound like a Bond thing.”

“The Living Daylights” was released in the summer of 1987. The song peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number one in Norway. In the United States, the single failed to chart.

The song remains one of A-ha’s most played songs in live concerts and has often been extended into a “sing-along” with the audience, as featured on the live album How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head. In live performances, Paul Waaktaar often included the main James Bond Theme in his guitar solo.

SIDE A:
The Living Daylights (Extended Version) 6:50

SIDE B:
The Living Daylights (7 Inch Version) 4:15
The Living Daylights (Instrumental) 4:41

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Cover: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Warner Bros. Records ‎– 920 736-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Germany
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Design – Bill Smith Studio
Lacquer Cut By – JK (28)
Photography By [A-ha Photography] – Paul Rider (4)
Producer – Jason Corsaro, John Barry, Mags (2), Pal Waaktaar*
Written-By – John Barry, Pal Waaktaar*

NOTES:
From the album “The Living Daylights (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)”

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
DAC/Phono Pre-amp:
Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning:
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans:
Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.

a-ha – Take On Me (US 12″ Promo)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

“Take On Me” is a song by Norwegian synthpop band A-ha, first released in 1984. The self-composed original version was produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff. The second version was produced by Alan Tarney for the group’s debut studio album Hunting High and Low (1985). The song combines synthpop with varied instrumentation that includes acoustic guitars, keyboards, and drums.

The original “Take On Me” was recorded in 1984 and it took two versions and three releases to finally chart in the United Kingdom, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart in October 1985. In the United States in October 1985, the song became the only A-ha song to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100, due in no small part to the wide exposure on MTV of its innovative music video, directed by Steve Barron. The video features the band in a live-action pencil-sketch sequence. The video won six awards and was nominated for two others at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards.

The band moved into an apartment in London and began calling on record companies and publishing houses. After a few meetings with various A&R personnel, the band signed with a publishing house called Lionheart. A-ha then returned to Norway to earn some money. When they returned to London, they left Lionheart out of frustration. They decided to record new demos, and chose the studio of musician and producer John Ratcliff, intending to re-record five songs. The band signed with Ratcliff, who in return introduced them to his manager, Terry Slater. With this encouragement, the band managed to complete some songs, including “Take On Me”. After a few meetings, Slater signed them with Warner Bros. Records.

The band met with producer Tony Mansfield, an expert in the use of the Fairlight CMI, who mixed the demos with electronic instrumentation. The sound was not what A-ha had hoped to achieve, and the album was remixed again. The band rushed to release “Take On Me” as a single in the United Kingdom but the single only charted at 137, the lowest-charted of all A-ha songs. After this, Warner Brothers’ main office in the United States decided to invest in the band and gave them the opportunity to re-record the song. Terry Slater convinced Alan Tarney to produce the new version. The song was soon completed and re-released in the United Kingdom, but the record label’s office in London gave them little support, and the single flopped for the second time.

In the United States, Warner Bros. put the group on high priority and made the move to invest significant money in a revolutionary video for “Take On Me” using the audio version produced by Tarney. The single was released in the United States a month after the music video, and immediately appeared in the Billboard Hot 100.

Magne played the main melody on a Roland Juno-60 “MIDI’d up” to a Yamaha DX7. The drum machine used on the second and third releases (rotoscoped video version) was a LinnDrum – Paul overdubbed real cymbals and hi-hat using this drum machine. Morten sang “Take On Me” using a Neumann U47 microphone as well as a Neve microphone pre-amp and Neve equalizer.

AllMusic journalist Tim DiGravina described “Take On Me” as “a new wave classic laced with rushing keyboards, made emotionally resonant thanks to Morten Harket’s touching vocal delicacy.”

In the United States “Take On Me” was not released as a domestic 12″ single only as a promotional 12″ with a unique one-sided picture sleeve.

SIDE A:
Take On Me (Long Version) 4:47

SIDE B:
Take On Me (Single Version) 3:47

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1985 Take On Me U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #1
1985 Take On Me U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary #4

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Warner Bros. Records ‎– PRO-A-2291
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Producer – Alan Tarney
Written-By – Mags (2), Morten Harket, Pål Waaktaar

NOTES:
Housed in a one sided picture sleeve.
“promotional copy. not for sale.” front cover

From the Warner Bros. album “Hunting High And Low”

Made in U.S.A.

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck 
Phono Pre-amp:
Schiit Mani
Soundcard:
Novation Audiohub 2×4 Audio Interface
Record Cleaning:
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans:
Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.

a-ha – Hunting High And Low (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986

Happy Birthday Morten Harket!

“Hunting High and Low” is a song by the Norwegian band A-ha. It was released as the final single from the band’s debut album of the same name, in 1986.

“Hunting High and Low” was released in the summer of 1986 and became the third most successful single from Hunting High and Low on the charts and one of the band’s most recognizable and popular songs. The song didn’t chart in the U.S. but was a Top 5 hit in Britain and in Ireland.

The original album version was produced by Tony Mansfield and is played with synthesizers. For release as a single, the track was remixed, containing additional production by Alan Tarney and features an orchestra.

Coldplay, who have made their admiration of A-ha known, have been known to perform this song in concert.

The video was directed by Steve Barron, and once again utilizes animation techniques which show singer Morten Harket “morphing” into various animals (an eagle, a white shark, and a lion). In 1986, the British TV show Blue Peter featured a special documentary on the making of the “Hunting High and Low” video.

SIDE A:
Hunting High And Low (Extended Version) 6:00
Producer – Tony Mansfield
Producer [Additional Production] – Alan Tarney

SIDE B:
Hunting High And Low (Remix) 3:45
Producer – Tony Mansfield
Producer [Additional Production] – Alan Tarney

The Blue Sky (Demo Version) 3:16
Producer – a-ha

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Warner Bros. Records ‎– W6663T
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Photography By – Larry Williams (9)
Written-By – Pål Waaktaar

NOTES:
Original versions available on the album “a-ha – Hunting High And Low”
Manufactured in UK

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck 
Phono Pre-amp:
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube:
Mullard 12AX7 Preamp Vacuum Tube Pins
Soundcard:
Novation Audiohub 2×4 Audio Interface
Record Cleaning:
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans:
Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi