A-ha: Down To The Tracks

by Barry Page

Against all the odds, a-ha scored a huge hit in 1985 with "Take on Me." Seemingly overnight, the Norwegian band were topping charts all over the world; a success propelled in part by an innovative video that captured the imagination of an MTV-loving generation. In truth, however, their success had been the culmination of years of hard work and financial struggle; from their origins in bands such as Bridges and Souldier Blue, through to a period of relative squalor in London as they determinedly sought their breakthrough. At their commercial peak, a-ha recorded the theme song for the James Bond blockbuster, The Living Daylights, and, since their formation in September 1982, have sold over 35 million albums worldwide, influencing bands such as Coldplay, Keane, and Radiohead along the way. Aside from showcasing each a-ha album in track by track detail, the book includes a comprehensive look at both the band’s pre-fame years and each of the three members’ side projects, up to and including the release of Magne Furuholmen’s revered new solo album, White Xmas Lies. Told from a number of different perspectives, this fresh take on the story mixes archived interviews and reviews, along with exclusive new input from a wide-ranging number of contributors.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 29, 2020

Reviews

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any A-ha fan will need this book. The history of what many consider a "one-hit wonder" band tells the story from day one when Pal and Mags first started out to the current fanfare of fans across the globe. For years, the band has shared their talent with the world. FINALLY the story of a small Norwegian that made their mark on the world and have loyal followers that always are wanting more from solo and group album is here. You will be "Hunting High and Low" from "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" for more after reading this wonderful story. I had my nose in this book the moment it arrived on my doorstep and I didn't put it down until 36 hours later (with a small nap in between). GET IT NOW!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read. As an a-ha fan since 1985, I loved this coverage of not just a-ha’s music but also the band members’ various side projects. I’m embarrassed to say that I only picked up a couple of Morten Harket’s solo albums but this book has really enthused me to look into Savoy’s and Magne F’s works.

Now if the only the author would do the same type of book for Tori Amos...

[Terence Pointon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ideal book for any a-ha fan, new or old. You will learn so much about about the guys from 🇳🇴. Ive been a fan since 1984 and still learned quite a lot.

[Djalila Boumezbeur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great companion book to (re-)discover one of the greatest (and most underrated) bands of all times

I re-discovered A-Ha recently as I loved their most famous and early albums but was too young to know much about the band itself back in the 80s/90s. This very well documented book gives you a lot of precious information on the history of Aha, its band members (the amazingly talented Mags, Morten and Paul), their songs and inspirations and made me want to listen to their 10 albums as well as some of their solo projects. Barry Page's musical culture and references are very insightful and the book is simply and well written. It made me love this fantasticly rich band again and I now look forward to more from them soon!
Anyone looking for a new band to listen to during the culture-poor Covid lockdowns should consider discovering A-Ha's full discography and use this as a companion piece in this discovery!

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book charts the history of the group from Mags and Pal’s teenage band Bridges up until the start of the Hunting High and Low tour. There is interesting breakdown of album tracks, as well as how they have been produced and revelations of how at times there have been creative differences and tensions between Magne, Pal and Morten.

This book also looks at the band members solo work and that with other bands.

This is an essential book for all a-ha fans and is a useful book to dip in and out of when listening to your favourite a-ha albums.

[MK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Information about every single a-ha song (including demos and b-sides) as well as every single solo project to 2019. I learned so much about the songs that I love, even if the author and I disagree about the relative merits of some songs (the Analogue album *cough cough*) it's a treasure trove.

[Chris Sudall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, I got a signed copy for myself and was enjoying it so much I bought a copy for my main man P (We always go to the gigs together!).
I've been fan of A-ha since the late 80, when my desperation for more music caused me to half-inch my sister's 'Scoundrel Days' cassette. Many years on and I have all the albums, many on vinyl, and much of the solo stuff (Savoy are particularly brilliant).
All this said, I find books about bands a little slow and dull. Yes, in this there are plenty of tedious asides ("Jonas Beartree worked with Frenetic Sock and the Yellow Munchkins in the 80s and his father was a member of Gardener's Underworld whose eclectic single 'Goose Dander', from their eponymous first album, got to number 49 in the Latvian music charts"), BUT the main content is good, looking at all the tracks form the albums and giving a decently in depth background to all the members, the band and their side projects.
Very enjoyable to read and interesting to find out that Pal, who I considered the driving force and the only decent songwriter, is not only the one keenest to get back together each time but is also reliant on the other two for some of the strongest songs.
If you are an A-ha fan you should get it.

[Emma Breese · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thorough and written for super fans of the band who have an interest in understanding how each track was put together. Does what it says on the tin! I love a-ha's music, but am more content to just listen and enjoy, so I found it quite heavy-going in places. More of a reference book to dip in and out of, I think. My rating reflects my enjoyment of the book rather than its quality, which is very well-researched and written.

[Estelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect a-ha song reference catalogue. Loved it, and even discovered a few more gems to add to my collection!