My Amazon Reviews: A-Ha "Stay On These Roads"

A Road Less Travelled

3 Out of 5 Stars

The third album from A-ha was their first to show any slips in quality, after their first two albums of impeccable, smart Synth-pop. "Stay On These Roads" sounds disjointed and rushed, like the songs were brought together in a hurry without regard for the more coherent flow of the debut and the great "Scoundrel Days." Still, there's plenty of enjoyable music here, and a couple of obvious missed opportunities to keep the band's commercial fortunes alive in the USA.

In fact, this was the last A-Ha album to even chart in America, peaking at a measly 148 before vanishing. It also contains one of the very few failed James Bond theme songs, "The Living Daylights." (Oddly enough, a rerecorded version. The original can be found on the A-ha singles collection.) Full of the usual dramatic pulse of the John Barry themes, "The Living Daylights" is every bit as good as Duran Duran's "View To a Kill," yet for some reason, only took off overseas. The same fate befell the poppier "Touchy!" which was a top ten international hit.

Once again, the quality was good, even if the attention wasn't being paid. The danceable "The Blood The Moves The Body" and the emotional title track again show why vocalist Morten Harket is such a unique voice in pop music. There's also the six-minute plus "Out of Blue Come Green," which may be his best vocal in the whole of A-ha's canon. "Stay On These Roads" has a bit too much filler for my tastes, but the high points still make it a good album.