2CD a-ha: MTV Unplugged (Summer Solstice)

a-ha: MTV Unplugged (Summer Solstice) version on 2CD in Standard edition. This particular edition was published in Europe in publishing company Polydor in cooperation with Universal Music Group and We Love Music (3) on 6. October 2017.

A new, acoustic chapter for a-haIn the land of the midnight sun, the clock is ticking differently. This is especially true on the days of the summer solstice, when it is almost dark - and Norway, and with it the small island of Giske, is bathed in a ghostly twilight at night. It was there that a-ha played the first two acoustic concerts of their career on the summer solstice in June 2017. There, the a-ha group embarked on a journey into their own past. The recording "MTV Unplugged - Summer Solstice" is now available in both video and audio formats. For fourteen days they rehearsed the acoustic arrangements, which their producer Lars Horntveth worked on for six months. In Øygardshallen, a-ha finally played in front of only 250 people. "They were by far the most intimate gigs we've ever had," explains Magne Furuholmen. But the beauty of the North Atlantic, the light of the midnight sun and the exclusivity of the event only tell half the story. The second storyline tells how a-ha embarked on new arrangements and reduced their songs to their compositional essence. Pål Waaktaar-Savoy: "We felt like we were going back to demo versions of our songs." And Magne adds: "Most of our songs are the result of influences we experienced in our childhood, when we were directly exposed to Norwegian culture, such as Nordic folk music. By coming back now, it was only a natural and logical step." In this context, Morten Harket refers to the central role of arranger and producer Lars Horntveth. For "MTV Unplugged - Summer Solstice", he changed the game as a catalyst and fearless mover in the background: "He peppered our music with completely new arrangements. He even touched on elements that we had declared 'untouchable'. Lars deserves credit for bringing us closer together as a band again - much more than ever before." During the MTV Unplugged concerts, a-ha played a total of 17 of their songs in brand new arrangements. Two new song premieres and two cover versions were also performed. a-ha and their backing band played exclusively on vintage acoustic instruments. A total of four prominent guest singers sang duets with Morten Harket. Ian McCulloch, lead singer and frontman of Echo & The Bunnymen, welcomed a-ha on stage during the first night with a grand gesture. Morten and Ian sang the songs "Scoundrel Days" and Echo & The Bunnymen's hit "The Killing Moon" together. On the second night, a-ha welcomed singer Alison Moyet from Yazoo, who sang "Summer Moved On" with Morten. Ingrid Helene Håvik of Highasakite was Morten's partner in the duet "The Sun Always Shines on TV" both nights. And last but not least, American singer Lissie performed the song "I've Been Losing You" together with Morten. There are few bands in the world that can boast as close a relationship with MTV as a-ha. Alongside Yello and Duran Duran, it was a-ha in particular who are now internationally regarded as the pioneers of the music video. The video for the song "Take On Me", directed by Steve Baron and now considered a classic, was voted by MTV viewers in 2003 as one of the Top 10 best music videos of all time. After endless final applause, a-ha leaves the stage and heads out into the day. They have just completed the second of their two triumphant acoustic concerts. By this point at the latest, it was clear to all concertgoers: a-ha had opened a new chapter in her unique career with "MTV Unplugged - Summer Solstice". a-ha's "MTV Unplugged - Summer Solstice" is available as a double-CD, 3-LP set, DVD and Blu-ray and also as a DVD or Blu-ray and double-CD set. For the true fans, there is also a Fan Box with double CD, DVD, Blu-ray and many interesting extras.

Album spans genres Rock, Pop, Electronic, Acoustic and Pop Rock.