East of the Sun, West of the Moon

East of the Sun, West of the Moon
Studio album by a-ha
Publication (s)	October 22, 1990
admission	1989-1990
Label (s)	Warner bros.
Format (s)	CD, record
Genre (s)	Pop-Rock , New Wave
Title (number)	10
running time	42:46
production	Christopher Neil , Ian Stanley
chronology Stay on These Roads (1988) East of the Sun, West of the Moon Memorial Beach (1993)

East of the Sun, West of the Moon is the fourth studio album by the Norwegian pop-rock band a-ha .

history

The name of the album comes from the Norwegian folk tale of the same name . Musically, adult listeners were now the target group, echo effects and other small allusions and details were incorporated into the music.

The album was mainly recorded in the legendary AIR Studios of the Beatles producer George Martin and a smaller part in the no less legendary Abbey Road Studios . The fine-tuning was done in a studio in Montreal . The album was produced by former Tears for Fears band member Ian Stanley, who, in addition to his own band, had previously produced an album by Lloyd Cole and The Commotions , and the experienced producer Christopher Neil, who already had UK and US Top 10 hits from Sheena Easton , Shakin 'Stevens and Mike and the mechanics . Stanley produced all the quiet songs on the album such as Early Morning , East of the Sun and Waiting for Her , Neil produced all the rockier pieces including the first and second single - Crying in the Rain and I Call Your Name .

Guest musicians Jørun Bøgeberg (bass) and Per Hillestadt (drums) were hired for the studio recordings as well as for the tour that followed.

Keyboardist Magne Furuholmen took over the lead vocals for the first time at The Way We Talk . The album reached number 6 in the German charts, number 12 in the UK and, like all of the band's previous albums, number 1 in Norway.

Singles

The single Crying in the Rain , the first cover version on an album of the band, was released on September 15, 1990 . The original was from the Everly Brothers in 1961 . The a-ha version reached number 6 in the German charts and number 13 in the UK. I call your name was published on December 3rd (D: 37th place, UK: 44th place) and Early Morning on February 25, 1991 (D: 52nd place, UK: 78th place). Waiting for her was released on May 25, 1991, but was only released in Japan. None of the singles had exclusive material or remixes, just one more song from the album and one successful song from the band's history.

criticism

Now, while missing any placement on the Billboard 200 , three million copies of the album have sold. It reached number six in the German charts and number twelve in Great Britain . Steven MacDonald rated the album 3 out of 5 stars on Allmusic . He spoke of a nice and elaborate collection of songs that were well played and beautifully sung. The album deserves a better reception than it received. The Musikexpress magazine awarded three out of six stars in 1990 and wrote: "Even teen poppers are getting older. And then they usually sound like A-Ha on the new album. (...) Among pithy rockers like" I Call Your Name " , "Rolling Thunder", which is reminiscent of Lou Reed, and the Doors-Organ-Salve "Sycamore Leaves", the three Norwegians also repeatedly mix up easily digestible fan-style foods such as "Waiting For Her" and "Slender Frame". "

When the album was re-released in 2015 as a deluxe version, Rolling Stone awarded 3.5 out of 5 stars, described the album as the first real band record by a-ha and especially praised the first record side. The critics particularly praised the live recording of the NRK studio concert contained in the deluxe version as "at the height of their work".

Track list

Unless otherwise stated, all pieces were written by Waaktaar-Savoy / Furuholmen.

1. "Crying in the Rain" (Howard Greenfield / Carole King) - 4:25
2. "Early Morning" - 2:59
3. "I Call Your Name" - 4:54
4. "Slender Frame" - 3:42
5. "East of the Sun" (Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) - 4:47
6. "Sycamore Leaves" (Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) - 5:22
7. "Waiting for Her" - 4:49
8. "Cold River" (Paul Waaktaar-Savoy / Lauren Savoy) - 4:40
9. "The Way We Talk" (Magne Furuholmen) - 1:30
10. "Rolling Thunder" - 5:43
11. "(Seemingly) Nonstop July" (Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) - 2:55.

Bonus CD

1. Early Morning [Early] - 2:42
2. East Of The Sun [Early] (Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) - 5:34
3. I Call Your Name [Instrumental] [Demo] - 2:12
4. Slender Frame [Demo] - 3:53
5. Waiting For Her [Demo] - 3:25
6. Cold River [Demo] (Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Lauren Savoy) - 5:34
7. Trees Will Not Grow On Sand [Demo] - 2:31
8. Rolling Thunder [demo] - 5:31
9. I Call Your Name [NRK Live] - 4:37
10. Manhattan Skyline [NRK Live] - 7:06 am
11. Early Morning [NRK Live] - 3:03 am
12. Slender Frame [NRK Live] - 4:04
13. Rolling Thunder [NRK Live] - 5:51
14. Sycamore Leaves [NRK Live] (Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) - 5:26
15. Crying In The Rain [NRK Live] (Howard Greenfield, Carole King) - 4:51 [cover]
16. East Of The Sun [NRK Live] (Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) - 4:21
17. Seemingly-Nonstop July [NRK Live] (Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) - 3:06
18. I've Been Losing You [NRK Live] (Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) - 5:14

Bonus DVD

1. The Sun Always Shines On TV [Live] (Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) - 6:40
2. Cry Wolf [Live] - 4:14
3. I Call Your Name [Live] - 5:50
4. Slender Frame [Live] - 4:02
5. Touchy [Live] (Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) - 8:11
6. Scoundrel Days [Live] - 4:59
7. Rolling Thunder [Live] - 7:34
8. I've Been Losing You [Live] (Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) - 5:05
9. Early Morning [Live] - 3:26 am
10. Take On Me [Live] (Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket) - 4:06
11. Angel In The Snow [Instrumental] [End Credits] (Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) - 3:10

Awards for music sales

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Brazil (PMB)	3 × gold	300,000
Germany (BVMI)	gold	250,000
France (SNEP)	gold	100,000
Switzerland (IFPI)	gold	25,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	silver	60,000
All in all	1 × silver 4 × gold 1 × platinum	735,000

Individual evidence

1. ↑ rollingstone.de
2. ↑ ^{a b} references to the album in Allmusic.com
3. ↑ Award in Brazil
4. ↑ Award in Germany
5. ^ Award in France
6. ↑ Award in Switzerland
7. ↑ Award in the United Kingdom