| Scoundrel Days | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 6 October 1986 (1986-10-6) | |||
| Recorded | 1986 | |||
| Studio | RG Jones, London, UK | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:41 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | ||||
| A-ha chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Scoundrel Days | ||||
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Scoundrel Days is the second studio album by Norwegian banda-ha, released on 6 October 1986 byWarner Bros. Records. A remastered edition with additional tracks was released in 2010.
Scoundrel Days was the second long-player release froma-ha, which was highly anticipated after the success of their first album,Hunting High and Low (1985), which had reached #2 in the United Kingdom's Album Chart, and number 15 in the United States'Billboard 200 in the previous year.Scoundrel Days was recorded in England in early 1986 atRG Jones Recording Studios on Beulah Road inWimbledon, South-West London. The record was produced byAlan Tarney, who had produced the band's singles "Take On Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." in the previous year, and it was engineered by Gerry Kitchingham.[1]
The songs were composed byPal Waaktaar andMagne Furuholmen; the band's vocalistMorten Harket did not contribute to the songwriting as he had on their first album. Waaktaar and Furuholmen also self-produced three of the record's tracks, "I've Been Losing You", "Maybe Maybe", and "Soft Rains of April".[1]
Yamaha DX7 andRoland Juno-60/106 synths were used in the recording of this album, the Roland Juno 60 was used on opening of the song "Manhattan Skyline" (which is the same synth used on the "Take On Me" riff) and the Yamaha DX7 drum sound was used on the opening of "October". "Scoundrel Days" and "Swing of Things" signature sounds were obtained from aPPG Wave. The drums and several other sound effects were from drawn from aFairlight CMI.[citation needed]
"I've Been Losing You" was the first single from the album. It reached number one in Norway and number eight in the United Kingdom. "I've Been Losing You" became the most commercially successful single from the album in Europe.
"Cry Wolf" was the second single from the album. It was the most successful single from the album in the United States, where it peaked at number 14 on theHot Dance Music/Club Play chart, and at number 50 on theBillboard Hot 100. It was the band's last entry on the latter chart. The single reached the top 40 nearly everywhere else it was released, including top-five chartings in the United Kingdom, Poland and Ireland, reaching number two in Norway. (The lyrics "Night I left the city I dreamt of a Wolf..." are credited to Lauren Savoy whomPål later married).
"Maybe, Maybe" was the third single released from the album, but was released solely in Bolivia.[2]
"Manhattan Skyline" was the fourth and final single released from the long-player, reaching #13 on the United Kingdom's chart. The song was co-written by keyboardistMagne Furuholmen and guitaristPaul Waaktaar-Savoy. The song starts with a calm verse inF major, before kicking into a hard rock-style chorus with a guitar riff inD minor. In the official A-ha biography,The Swing of Things, Furuholmen said it was "perhaps one of the most inspired cut and paste-projects that Paul and I did. I wrote the quiet part. Paul wrote the rock part."[3]
The cover photography was taken by Norwegian photographerKnut Bry at theHaleakala volcano onMaui,Hawaii, in 1986.[4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
| Musicfolio | [7] |
| Q | [8] |
| Rolling Stone | Unfavourable[9] |
| Smash Hits |  |
The album's peak on theBillboard 200 was number 74. The album was another big hit by A-ha and sold over 6 million copies worldwide which gave the band international recognition.Scoundrel Days achieved Platinum status in the UK and Switzerland as well as Germany and Brazil. The album reached number two in theEuropean Top 100 Albums chart.
Ned Raggett ofAllMusic said, "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...The '80s may be long gone, butScoundrel Days makes clear that not everything was bad back then."[10]
Scoundrel Days included the singles "I've Been Losing You", "Cry Wolf", "Maybe, Maybe", and "Manhattan Skyline". All of the UK singles made the top 20 onUK Singles Chart. "I've Been Losing You" and "Cry Wolf" were the most successful singles from the album, "Cry Wolf" became a minor hit in the US and charted on theBillboard Hot 100, peaking at #50, while "I've Been Losing You" was the most successful single inEurope.
As part of a re-release of their first two albums,Scoundrel Days was expanded and remastered in 2010.
On 6 July 2010, the A-ha albumsHunting High and Low andScoundrel Days were released as deluxe editions in the US throughRhino Records; both albums debuted in the top 40 of theBillboard Top Internet Sales chart;Hunting High and Low at number 34 andScoundrel Days at number 36.[11] The remastered reissue ofScoundrel Days reached number 52 in Germany, number 27 in Norway, number 190 in the UK.
All tracks are written byMagne Furuholmen andPål Waaktaar, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Scoundrel Days" | 3:56 | |
| 2. | "The Swing of Things" | Waaktaar | 4:14 |
| 3. | "I've Been Losing You" | Waaktaar | 4:24 |
| 4. | "October" | Waaktaar | 3:48 |
| 5. | "Manhattan Skyline" | 4:52 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Cry Wolf" | 4:05 | |
| 7. | "We're Looking for the Whales" | 3:39 | |
| 8. | "The Weight of the Wind" | Waaktaar | 3:57 |
| 9. | "Maybe, Maybe" | Furuholmen | 2:34 |
| 10. | "Soft Rains of April" | 3:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "I've Been Losing You" (Extended Version) | Waaktaar | 7:03 |
| 12. | "Cry Wolf" (Extended Version) | 8:12 | |
| 13. | "Manhattan Skyline" (Extended Remix) | 6:49 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Scoundrel Days" (Demo) | 4:57 | |
| 2. | "The Swing of Things" (Demo #3) | Waaktaar | 4:42 |
| 3. | "I've Been Losing You" (Octocon Studio Demo) | Waaktaar | 3:16 |
| 4. | "October" (Demo) | Waaktaar | 2:59 |
| 5. | "Manhattan Skyline" (Demo) | 4:51 | |
| 6. | "Cry Wolf" (Demo) | 3:33 | |
| 7. | "We're Looking for the Whales" (Demo) | 3:19 | |
| 8. | "The Weight of the Wind" (Demo) | Waaktaar | 4:16 |
| 9. | "Maybe, Maybe" (Demo) | Furuholmen | 2:28 |
| 10. | "Soft Rains of April" (Guitar Version) | 2:09 | |
| 11. | "Scoundrel Days" (Octocon Studio Demo) | 3:59 | |
| 12. | "This Alone Is Love" (Original Version) | 4:33 | |
| 13. | "Days on End" | Waaktaar,Morten Harket | 3:08 |
| 14. | "Train of Thought" (Live in Croydon) | Waaktaar | 6:38 |
| 15. | "I've Been Losing You" (Live in Croydon) | Waaktaar | 5:07 |
| 16. | "The Blue Sky" (Live in Croydon) | Waaktaar | 5:13 |
| 17. | "We're Looking for the Whales" (Live in Croydon) | 6:44 | |
| 18. | "Cry Wolf" (Live in Croydon) | 5:55 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19. | "I've Been Losing You" (Dub) | Waaktaar | 4:22 |
| 20. | "Soft Rains of April" (Piano Version) | 2:23 | |
| 21. | "The Swing of Things" (Demo #1) | Waaktaar | 4:06 |
| 22. | "I've Been Losing You" (Early Demo) | Waaktaar | 4:11 |
A-ha
with:
Production
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[38] | Platinum | 250,000* |
| France (SNEP)[39] | Platinum | 300,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[40] | Platinum | 500,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[41] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[42] | Platinum | 100,000[42] |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[43] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[44] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Compilation albums | |
| Live albums | |
| Extended plays | |
| Box sets | |
| Singles |
|
| Tours | |
| Related articles | |
