Day 235 – Surprise Analogue

I was in a local supermarket this morning, carefully picking my way between the cold meat section, the bread roll table and the coughing shoppers (wait, what?), when I heard a familiar voice over the shop’s rather tinny music system.

Why yes, it was Morten Harket.

And he’d brought along his two friends as well.

But while you might imagine that a South African supermarket playing a-ha would obviously opt for one of the Big Two (Take On Me or The Sun Always Shines On TV), this particular establishment went for the somewhat lesser-known Analogue (All I Want).

I’m sorry, you don’t recall that song from the Norwegians’ back catalogue?
But how, given that I shared it on this very blog back in August 2012?
Have you not been reading carefully?

Actually, I’m surprised that you don’t remember it from its original release back in 2006. After all, it reached the heady heights of Number 10 in the UK Hit Parade, Number 33 in Germany and a superb Number 91 in Romania.

I wonder how many records you have to sell to get to Number 91 in Romania?
A hundred?
Fourteen?
Six?

I was never actually a huge fan of the Analogue album, if I’m honest. But hearing the title track faintly in the background while paying for my groceries did brighten my Monday morning up just a little bit.

Day 228 – Concert memories, number update

Browsing some photos earlier.

This seems a long time ago now.

Do things from 9 months ago (because that’s when this was) seem to be further back to you guys as well? Is that one of the effects of lockdown and all that 2020 has thrown at us?

You’d think that with so few events this year, your mind would be able to remember the ones you did go to with astonishing ease and as if they were just yesterday. After all, what else has there been to fill up that bit of your memory? And yet no: I can hardly even remember last year at all and it was only last year.

Love Karl Oluf Wennerberg’s ethereal cameo here, by the way. Spooky.

And a quick update on the number project thing I told you about 11 days ago: I have so far taken precisely zero photos for it. Well, that’s a number, isn’t it? But all is not lost. I have scouted some lovely numbers and so once I do start, I will be into my first ten with no issue whatsoever.

But why this earworm?

Keep finding myself humming and singing this one over the last few days:

Can’t work out why…

 

Oh wait. Got it. 🙁

They never released this as a single, which is why I had to half-inch a copy off a German charity evening TV broadcast. Big up Elke Gerrietz and her €200 donation. It’ll make a huge difference to… whatever it is they’re raising money for.

Bergen by night

My distant love affair with Bergen continues. This time vicariously through one Åse Solvi, who has kindly given me permission to share her image of historic Bryggen and the harbour in the city. 

Beautiful light, beautiful colours, beautiful city (and yes, i know that I live in one of those too).

We had pre-concert drinks in that building front and (almost) centre, which means that this image was taken from high up in the hotel outside which I took this image:

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And the concert itself (now almost four years ago) (argh!) took place just back and left in the castle.

See my photos from that trip here.

Tusen takk, Åse!

a-ha in Cape Town – some thoughts

Last night was really very special. Right up there with the Bergen concert.

A balmy evening, a really well-organised experience, some decent support acts, an appreciative crowd, and – of course – Morten, Magne and Pål doing their stuff up on stage. Really fantastic.

As a celebration of the 35th (weep!) anniversary of their first album, they played all ten tracks in full and in order before moving on to some of their more well-known songs. As a fan and a purist, this was so perfect: the opportunity to hear them play some stuff which I hadn’t heard live since (literally) 1986. Just a remarkable experience.

The Blue Sky was gorgeous, the demo version of I Dream Myself Alive was unique and such a rush for the true fans. Here I Stand And Face The Rain  was powerful, energetic and evocative.

And then done with the old stuff, and straight into the bassy, rocky Sycamore Leaves. Wow.

Shall we play something you all know, now?

asked Magne, and the crowd roared as they launched into I’ve Been Losing You. But I just wanted them to keep playing – whatever.

Foot Of The Mountain, Analogue and The Swing Of Things sounded better than I have ever heard them, Stay On These Roads was beautiful and so well-received and respected, and although we didn’t get Crying In The Rain or the new Digital River, that was just fine. It was almost as if they had tailor-made the setlist for me.

Thanks, boys.

The short, but sweet encore of Scoundrel Days (a personal favourite) with a scary echoey reverb, and a rousing The Living Daylights rounded the evening off perfectly.

Not that I couldn’t have done with another hour and a half.  A really wonderful experience, and one I was so chuffed to have shared with the kids.

Was this my last a-ha concert? Who knows? (After all, I have been to my last a-ha concert several times already…!) I hope not, obviously, because I just love their music and hearing it live is so special for me.

But… but, if it was, then this was a fitting send off. What a truly exceptional evening.

 

All my photos from the concert (15)