Scoundrel Days

Scoundrel Days
Studio album by A-ha
Released 6 October 1986 (1986-10-06)
Recorded 1986
Studio RG Jones Studios
(Wimbledon, London)
Genre
Length 38:41
Label Warner Bros.
Producer
A-ha chronology
Hunting High and Low
(1985)		 Scoundrel Days
(1986)		 Stay on These Roads
(1988)
Singles from Scoundrel Days
  1. "I've Been Losing You"
    Released: 22 September 1986
  2. "Cry Wolf"
    Released: 24 November 1986
  3. "Maybe, Maybe"
    Released: 1986 (Bolivia only)
  4. "Manhattan Skyline"
    Released: 16 February 1987

Scoundrel Days is the second studio album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. It was released on 6 October 1986 by Warner Bros. Records. A remastered edition with additional tracks was released in 2010.

Music

Yamaha DX7 and Roland Juno-60/106 synths used in the recording of this album—Roland Juno used on intro of the song "Manhattan Skyline" and Yamaha DX7 drum sound used on the intro of song called "October". "Scoundrel Days" and "Swing of Things" signature sounds are from the PPG Wave. The drums and several other sounds are from the Fairlight CMI.

Songs

"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 successful single from the album in Europe.

"Cry Wolf" was the second single from the album. It was the most successful single from the Scoundrel Days album in the United States, where it peaked at number 14 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100, 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 UK, 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 whom Pål later married.

"Maybe, Maybe" is the third single released from the album and was only released in Bolivia.

"Manhattan Skyline" reached number 13 on the UK chart. The song was co-written by keyboardist Magne Furuholmen and guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy. The song starts with a calm verse in F major, before kicking into a hard rock-style chorus with a guitar riff in D 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." [1]

Artwork

The cover photography was taken by Norwegian photographer Knut Bry at the Haleakala volcano on Maui, Hawaii, in 1986.[2]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Q[3]
Musicfolio[4]
AllMusic[5]
Rolling StoneFavourable[6]

Scoundrel Days was the band's second studio album. The album's peak on the Billboard 200 was 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 #2 in the European top-100 albums sales chart.

Ned Raggett of AllMusic Guide 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, but Scoundrel Days makes clear that not everything was bad back then."[7]

Scoundrel Days included the singles "I've Been Losing You", "Cry Wolf", "Maybe, Maybe", and "Manhattan Skyline". All the singles with the exception of "Maybe, Maybe" charted on the UK 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 the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #50, while "I've Been Losing You" was the most successful single in Europe.

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 albums Hunting High and Low and Scoundrel Days were released as deluxe editions in the US through Rhino Records and both albums debuted in the top 40 Billboard Top Internet Sales Chart; Hunting High and Low at #34 and Scoundrel Days at #36.[8]

The remaster of Scoundrel Days reached #52 in Germany, #27 in Norway, #190 in the UK.

Track listing

All songs written by Furuholmen/Waaktaar unless noted otherwise:

Side one
  1. "Scoundrel Days" – 3:56
  2. "The Swing of Things" – 4:14 (Waaktaar)
  3. "I've Been Losing You" – 4:24 (Waaktaar)
  4. "October" – 3:48 (Waaktaar)
  5. "Manhattan Skyline" – 4:52
Side two
  1. "Cry Wolf" – 4:05
  2. "We're Looking for the Whales" – 3:39
  3. "The Weight of the Wind" – 3:57 (Waaktaar)
  4. "Maybe, Maybe" – 2:34 (Furuholmen)
  5. "Soft Rains of April" – 3:12

Produced by Alan Tarney, except tracks 3, 9 and 10 produced by Furuholmen and Waaktaar.

2010 remastered edition

Disc one

  1. "Scoundrel Days"
  2. "The Swing of Things"
  3. "I've Been Losing You"
  4. "October"
  5. "Manhattan Skyline"
  6. "Cry Wolf"
  7. "We're Looking for the Whales"
  8. "The Weight of the Wind"
  9. "Maybe, Maybe"
  10. "Soft Rains of April"
  11. "I've Been Losing You" - Extended Version
  12. "Cry Wolf" – Extended Version
  13. "Manhattan Skyline" – Extended Version

Disc two

  1. "Scoundrel Days" – Demo
  2. "The Swing of Things" – Demo #3
  3. "I've Been Losing You" – Octocon Studios Demo
  4. "October" – Demo
  5. "Manhattan Skyline" – Demo
  6. "Cry Wolf" – Demo
  7. "We're Looking for the Whales" – 1984 Demo
  8. "The Weight of the Wind" – Demo
  9. "Maybe, Maybe" – Demo
  10. "Soft Rains of April" – Guitar Version
  11. "Scoundrel Days" – Octocon Studios Demo
  12. "This Alone is Love" - Original Version
  13. "Days on End"
  14. "Train of Thought" (Live)
  15. "I’ve Been Losing You" (Live)
  16. "The Blue Sky" (Live)
  17. "We're Looking for the Whales" (Live)
  18. "Cry Wolf" (Live)

[9]

Note: There are four bonus download-only tracks on each release, available in most countries:

  1. "I've Been Losing You" (Dub)
  2. "Soft Rains of April" (Piano Version)
  3. "The Swing of Things" (Demo #1)
  4. "I've Been Losing You" (Early Demo)

Scoundrel Club EP

  1. "Cry Wolf" (Extended Version) – 8:13
  2. "We're Looking for the Whales" (live version) – 3:50
  3. "I've Been Losing You" (Dub Version) – 4:28
  4. "Manhattan Skyline" (Extended) – 6:49
  5. "Hunting High and Low" (Extended Version by Alan Tarney) – 6:02

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[28] Platinum 250,000*
France (SNEP)[29] Platinum 400,000*
Germany (BVMI)[30] Platinum 500,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[31] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Platinum 300,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "A-ha.com: discography/videos/manhattan skyline". www.A-ha.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2006. Retrieved 2 April 2006.
  2. ↑ http://a-ha.com/the-band/galleries/knut-bry/
  3. ↑ "Q Magazine - Music news & reviews, music videos, band pictures & interviewsQ Magazine - The world's best music". www.q4music.com.
  4. ↑ Musicfolio Review Archived 7 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ "Scoundrel Days - a-ha - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  6. ↑ "Rolling Stone Review".
  7. ↑ Scoundrel Days info Archived 20 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ "Deluxe albums enter US Billboard charts | The Official Website of a-ha". A-ha.com. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  9. ↑ "Upcoming special releases | The Official Website of a-ha". A-ha.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2010. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  10. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – a-ha – Scoundrel Days" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  12. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0863". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  13. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – a-ha – Scoundrel Days" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  14. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 99 no. 3. 17 January 1987. p. 55. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 13 May 2018 – via American Radio History.
  15. ↑ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste". InfoDisc (in French). Retrieved 13 May 2018. Select "A-HA" from the drop-down menu and click "OK".
  16. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – a-ha – Scoundrel Days" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  17. ↑ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 98 no. 47. 22 November 1986. p. 74. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 13 May 2018 – via Google Books.
  18. ↑ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 98 no. 50. 13 December 1986. p. 56. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 13 May 2018 – via Google Books.
  19. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – a-ha – Scoundrel Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  20. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – a-ha – Scoundrel Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  21. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – a-ha – Scoundrel Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  22. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – a-ha – Scoundrel Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  23. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  24. ↑ "a-ha Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  25. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1986" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  26. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1987" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  27. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1987" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  28. ↑ "Brazilian album certifications – A-ha – Scoundrel Days" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  29. ↑ "French album certifications – A-ha – Scoundrel Days" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 13 May 2018. Select A-HA and click OK. 
  30. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (A-ha; 'Scoundrel Days')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  31. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (A-ha; 'Scoundrel Days')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  32. ↑ "British album certifications – A Ha – Scoundrel Days". British Phonographic Industry. 1 December 1986. Retrieved 13 May 2018. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Scoundrel Days in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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