a-ha Album: “How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head [UK]”

Unfortunately for the usa ...and a-ha, this band will always be known for "take on me" here in the states. and that is very unfortunate, because their last two studio albums are masterpieces.absolute perfection.A-ha is a band that gets better with each album, never giving signs of weakness in their material.I'm not a big fan of live albums, but having seen last years live dvd of a-ha's homecoming concert,i was blown away.I knew i had to order this live cd, because living in America, the chances of seeing A-ha live are slim to none. The bottom line to this review is that A-ha is one of those bands that sound a hundred times better live. So much passion and emotion come through Morten Harket's vocals that to this day i still get goosebumps listening to "Hunting High and Low". wait till you hear the live version! even their 80's hits sound fresh live. nothing here sounds dated. theo only dissapointment for me is that "the blood that moves the body", which is one of my favorites is not included here. but thats ok, because "scoundrel days" and "manhattan skyline" are. Quick, get this limited edition double cd. it is worth the 30 bucks. and spread the word.

a-ha will play their first U.S. concert since October 1986 on Sept. 12, 2005 at Irving Plaza, New York City. It's been along time coming and you'll get the chance to hear the live album tracks... well, live! This show will surely help re-acquaint the U.S. market to this fantastic band! This live album is well produced and recorded, crowd noise is at a minimum but boosted just at the right moments for full concert effect. Vocally, you're not going to get a better performance than from Morten Harket's voice like an angel. See you at the show!

I'm very fortunate to live at the other side of the Atlantic where this album has already been released, so it's been playing in my walkman for almost a week now. Too bad it's been released as a single CD only, so I guess I'll have to wait for a limited edition to come out as well (when?). However, all their greatest hits are captured on the first disc, together with "The swing of things", which I always consider to be the one of their most perfect songs - the album title "How can I sleep with your voice in my head" is a line, drawn from this very song - even today, after almost twenty years since "Scoundrel days" came out, this song still sends the shivers down my spine. While outer cover, an inner back and a disc itself feature very appealing and moving seal photos, designed by Mags, the rest of the cover show the band photos along with chorus lines from "The swing of things" running in the middle. These 14 songs were not taken from the single concert but from five different ones (in Leipzig, Zürich, Paris, London and Amsterdam) performed during their "Lifelines" tour, so the songs are broken into several parts as well. While I've got and also listened to many live albums in my life, only a few of them were really great and not just a bland repetition of material that had already been released - this album certainly falls into the first category. The songs are considerably changed and dressed up in much more rockier outfit compared to studio versions, especially the first four tracks, accompanied by Paul's heavy guitars riffs and Anneli Drecker's voice in the background. In my opinion, the best sections are those two starting with "The sun always shines on TV" and "Lifelines". "The sun always..." was a very good choice for the first single - the band suceeded to preserve all the touch and strength this great song's got, still the track sounds quite fresh and new. "Did anyone approach you", starting with heavy drum pattern and audience clapping along, sounds even better live than in studio. "The swing of things" builds up perfectly toward the end and the final part (just before "What have I done" line takes over) is simply astonished. "Hunting high and low" and "The living daylights" are all sung by the audience as well - while it much contributes to a live atmosphere and feeling of the album on the first song, they manage to finish the latter one just a few seconds before the constant repetition of the chorus line becomes annoying. "Stay on these roads", played only by piano and guitar, sounds very nice and pleasant as if it would've been taken from their unplugged. Highlights that also have to be mentioned are "Forever not yours" - a very good and interesting intro and orchestral-like instrumental base for "Lifelines". Go get this CD and go get it now.

Bloody brilliant. That's what a-ha is, quite simply. And this album? Nothing short of fantastic. I already knew every song on this album, so you can imagine how excited I was to finally hear them live (since I'm in the U.S., that opportunity doesn't lend itself very much). It should be a given that a-ha fans should pick this album up, but also those who only care to listen to "Take On Me". It's been my goal to educate those who have only had the privelage to listen to said song on the greater world that belongs to a-ha by feeding them all their other great--greater--songs. And this album does that wonderfully...live. Most of the songs are on-par with their studio versions, while some stray, making it possible for a-ha to give them a fresh coat of paint ("Manhattan Skyline" and "Cry Wolf" come to mind). "Hunting High and Low" and "The Living Daylights" offer the audience's involvement, prompting me to feel not so alone in the isolated world of a-ha in Miami, FL. I have no gripes with this album, save one: they altered the most important LINE of the whole album. The one that the friken album is named after. Instead of Morten saying in "Scoundrel Days" "Oh, have I come to the point of where I'm losing the grip," he says, "Oh, have we come to the point of no turning back." It's in the friken booklet for God's sakes! Anyway...buy this album. America needs a-ha. BTW...I'm a 16-year old who's into a-ha. Take that as you will.

This album is an absolute must for both old and new A-ha fans. It is a moveable feast for the ears. No longer saddled with the bubblegum, boy band image - A-ha has grown and matured over the years to become a super live band. This album showcases some of the finest songs in the group's lengthy armamentarium.

Some of the highlights:

The Swing Of Things- great uptempo number, Stay On These Roads- lovely duet with Anneli Drekker, Manhattan Skyline-quintessential a-ha, Hunting High And Low- oldie but goodie, Did Anyone Approach You- cool new song with a bit of rap, and the hauntingly lovely Time And Again.

Most especially noteworthy is the rendition of Sycamore Leaves performed by it's composer, the group's highly talented guitarist/composer/lyricist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy. The album should be purchased if only for this song.