![]() There is no greater experience for a music aficionado than to witness the recording of an album. Not only does this suggest the global appeal of a-ha but it also provides more than a glimpse into the willingness for people from different countries to travel long distances for a music experience that they consider almost sacred. The following constitute a subset – namely Japan, Germany, Italy, France, UK, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Norway, Israel, Finland, Denmark, and the US. In fact, the list of countries from which the concert attendees came from is quite extensive. A rather small and privileged group of fans from all over the world got the golden opportunity to attend two MTV Unplugged performances which were recorded for an album. This year, not only does a-ha feel like they have more to say but they are determined to force a re-evaluation of their music legacy by showcasing their songs in an acoustic format. The return of a-ha in 2015 with the brilliant “ Cast In Steel” album suggested that the band was not done saying all that they had to as a trio. To add salt to their wounds, their world record for playing to the largest paying audience(198,000) at the Maracana stadium (Rio De Janerio) for the 1991 Rock In Rio festival was largely overlooked by all mainstream media outlets – probably because this groundbreaking world record was at odds with the narrative that the American media had crafted and perpetrated around a-ha being a largely lightweight bubble-gum pop act with limited appeal at a specific point of time in pop music history. This problem was amplified by their legacy being tied almost exclusively to their signature track “ Take On Me” in America. Often written off as synth-pop “pretty boys” of the generation that grew up watching MTV, the members of a-ha never truly received the credit they deserved. We have often wondered why an under-rated but incredibly talented act such as a-ha took so long to embark on an endeavor that showcased the embryonic beauty of their songs all of which stemmed from a rich tradition in superior songwriting by all three members of the band. ![]() The intrinsic beauty of a pop song is allowed to radiate when all of it is communicated through acoustic instruments and a vocal that is not tampered with by recording software such as Protools or vocoders. It is only when songs from these acts were presented in their embryonic form did they get their due. It is very easy to conceal shortcomings in pop music when the song is drenched in glossy production – something many of the acts that emerged in the 80s were often accused of. The treatment of music is far less important to us than the underlying music. The lyrics, to us, are the icing on the cake. We have always maintained that pop music is about melodic hooks and intricate harmonies – and the selection of music on our station is a manifestation of that belief. ![]() ![]() More importantly, they wonder why we consider ourselves a pop music radio station. ![]() This concert review is co-written with US-based Debbie Martinez – our guest blogger and an ardent a-ha fan that traveled far to make sure she could be ours eyes and ears on the ground.įor those that tune into our 24/7 radio broadcast, they wonder how and why we believe that a mix of artists such as Coldplay, Def Leppard, The Chainsmokers, Ne-Yo, Clean Bandit, Sade, and Green Day fit alongside each other on the same radio format. ![]()
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