| | A-Ha Scoundrel Days CD A-Ha Discography of CDs
 (10 Customer Reviews)
Out of print in the U.S.! Scoundrel Days was the Norwegian trio's sophomore album, originally released in 1986. For anyone expecting a repeat of their debut album (and it's hit single 'Take On Me') were surprised to find a darker, moodier beast altogether. Scoundrel Days that seemed to shake off the bubblegummy Synthpop sound of their debut and replace it with an equally melodic batch of eclectic tracks that relied heavily on atmosphere. Features the singles 'Cry Wolf', 'I've Been Losing You' and 'Manhattan Skyline'.
While not quite as strong as the band's debut, Scoundrel Days is still a-ha succeeding as a marketed "pretty boy" band which can connect musically and lyrically as much as any musical sacred cow. The opening two songs alone make for one of the best one-two opening punches around: the tense edge of the title track, featuring one of Morten Harket's soaring vocals during the chorus and a crisp, pristine punch in the music, and "The Swing of Things," a moody, elegant number with a beautiful synth/guitar arrangement (plus some fine drumming courtesy of studio pro Michael Sturgis) and utterly lovelorn lyrical sentiments that balance on the edge of being overheated without quite going over. Although the rest of the disc never quite hits as high as the opening, it comes close more often than not. A definite downturn is the band's occasional attempts to try and prove themselves as a "real" band by rocking out, as on "I've Been Losing You" -- there's really no need for it, and as a result they sound much more "fake," ironically enough. Other songs can perhaps only be explained by the need to translate lyrics -- "We're Looking for the Whales" isn't an environmental anthem, and neither is "Cry Wolf," but both also don't really succeed in using nature as romantic metaphor. When a-ha are on, though, they're on -- "October" snakes along on a cool bass/keyboard arrangement and a whispery vocal from Harket; "Maybe Maybe" is a quirky little pop number that's engagingly goofy; while "Soft Rains of April" captures the band at its most dramatic, with the string synths giving Harket a perfect bed to launch into a lovely vocal, concluding with a sudden, hushed whisper. The '80s may be long gone, but Scoundrel Days makes clear that not everything was bad back then. ~ Ned Raggett
A-Ha Scoundrel Days Songs | 1. | Cry Wolf | |
| 2. | Weight of the Wind, The | |
| 3. | Swing of Things, The | |
| 4. | Manhattan Skyline | |
| 5. | I've Been Losing You | |
| 6. | Scoundrel Days | |
| 7. | Maybe, Maybe | |
| 8. | Soft Rains of April | |
| 9. | October | |
| 10. | We're Looking For the Whales | |
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Scoundrel Days Music Review Average Rating: (4.1 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews Best and underrated work
Scoundrel Days was the Best A-ha CD. Although it did not give them a Top 40 hit in the US, it was a more mature and dark presentation of their ideas and work. The title track, Cry Wolf, and Manhattan Skyline are the anchor tracks on a good CD start to finish.
Submitted by jwlasky (Denver, CO, USA) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No A Ha's second CD
Scoundrel Days is a good CD, but the songs do not have as much energy as the songs on Hunting High & Low. The songs Scoundrel Days, Swing of Things, Looking for the Whales, Manhatten Skyline & Maybe, Maybe are good tracks. Worth buying though!!
Submitted by jpgeng23 (Albuquerque, NM)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  A good follow up to their first album
This album was somewhat different in that it had a more spacious, open sound. Also, most of the musical arrangements backing the songs lean more towards conventional instruments than keyboards although they're still prominent in the mix. Again, each track had its own distinct personality from the ominously cinematic
"Scoundrel Days" and "The Swing of Things" to the European flavored pop/rock of "I've Been Loosing You," "Cry Wolf," and "Weight of the Wind" to the dreaminess of "October" and the schizchophrenic "Manhattan Skyline" to the bouncy "Maybe, Maybe" and "Looking for the Whales," and the etherealness of "The Soft Rains of April. This album inadvertedly became one of the staples in my stereo playlist on those lazy afternoons back in the good 'ol days. Today, a strong nostalgia factor keeps this album as an important part of my music collection/library. As hard as it is to find this album on CD, its great that we can get it at CDuniverse.
Submitted by Robert (Waialua, HI)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
their best work by far
This album it's my favorite 80's album. Nobody will mention you scoundrel days(the song) and the swing of things wich are for me a-ha's best, but not many people think like that. "The weight of the wind" is very good and the other songs are very nice except for "Cry wolf" wich I don't like. 'The soft rains on april" is very good but it has a very different style compared to the other songs, but it's OK. This album is a most have for any 80's music lover.
Submitted by condorgolf (Maimi, FL)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No this is the CD that really open up their talent
if you expect this CD to be like the
first---this one is serious music--
so unique--A-Ha really does have a
unique style but at the same time--
their range of styles of music are in
a class of it's own---the single
"cry wolf"--- is probaly onr of the
most weakest tracks on the CD--the
song is good--but this CD is amazing
Submitted by nat (hoover, alabama)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No List All Reviews | Have you heard this album? |  |
Purchase Scoundrel Days CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | A-Ha Hunting High And Low CD (1985)
Scoundrel Days
 $9.55  
The first album by the Norwegian trio of singer Morten Harket, songwriter Pal Waaktaar and keyboardist Mags will forever be known as the album that contains the intoxicating "Take On Me," one of the most famous and enduring "one-hit wonders" ...
| | A-Ha Stay On These Roads CD (1988)
Scoundrel Days
$10.49
Out-of-print in the US.! Third album from the Norwegian Pop trio, originally released in 1988. By this time, the band were moving away from the pure Synth Pop of past hits and creating a mature, atmospheric sound with more warmth and emotion. Features the hits 'Touchy', 'The Blood That Moves The Body' and a re-recording of their James Bond theme 'The Living Daylights' (the original single version is available on the Headlines & Deadlines collection). Warner.
Though A-Ha disappeared from the radar of most Americans after its massive 1985 MTV video hit "Take on Me," the Norwegian pop act ...
| | A-Ha Headlines & Deadlines (Hits Of) CD (1998) (Import) Argentina
Scoundrel Days
$9.19
HEADLINES AND DEADLINES is a 16-track greatest hits collection by Norway's A-Ha featruing their hit "Take On Me."
Norway's a-ha took "Take on Me" to the number one spot on Billboard's Top 40 in 1985, thanks to the award-winning animated video that accompanied it. Still, a-ha contributed rather accordingly to the '80s pop sound, drenching their music with bouncy riffs and employing the keyboard as the foundation to their colorful formula. Headlines and Deadlines: The Hits of a-ha assembles all of their singles together, a definite one-stop for all of their music. Combining ballads and radiant '80s pop, this set includes their most fervent offering in "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.," which hit number 20 in 1986 and originated from Hunting High and Low, the same album that included "Take on Me." After this album, the band's next couple of releases, East of the Sun and Memorial Beach, were total washouts, which makes this compilation all the more worthy. Other notables include remixed versions of "Hunting High and Low" and "You Are the One," as well as the theme song to The Living Daylights. Though comparisons to Duran Duran are difficult to avoid, a-ha did harbor some distinct qualities in their glossy sound, and quite a few of their songs still contain some redeeming factors, but are better ...
| | A-Ha Minor Earth/Major Sky CD (2000) (Import)
Scoundrel Days
$11.79 
A-ha's sixth studio CD (seventh if their greatest-hits collection is included) came seven years after their previous album, Memorial Beach, and in that time it seems that a-ha mellowed out. They do not seem to have concern about attracting the youth/dance market, but instead seem to be focusing in on how to make perfect middle-of-the-road pop songs with '90s technology. This is not a criticism, as it produces several fantastic songs, such as "Little Black Heart" and the wonderful "I Wish That I Cared." These, and many others, are full of catchy, beautiful melodies and Morten Harket's vocals are near perfect as usual -- his voice has not lowered one octave since their debut. The one problem with this CD is the relative sameness to some of the music. The tempos do not change a great deal, and by the end the songs seem to run together. More variety would have been beneficial. However, in terms of production, this is as close to perfect ...
| | A-Ha East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon CD (1990)
Scoundrel Days
$10.49
A small surprise, too quickly destined for the cut-out bins considering the way their career finally went after Hunting High And Low. This is a nicely crafted collection of songs, performed and sung beautifully, with lots of echoes and suggestions tucked into the music. While not an album one can discuss at length, it's an album that's a pleasure to listen ...
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