Norwegian act A-HA broke into the scene in 1985 with their catchy single TAKE ON ME. Good song with a cute video and was heavily aired on MTV. A-HA became popular among lots of folks (esp lots of girls - many of whom that listened to pop had the HUNTING HIGH AND LOW album with a poster). Moten Harket’’s and Mag’s good looks added to their popularity.
A-ha came out with 3 more albums, and by the 90s they began to sing ’mature’ music. That’s when I became a fan - after listening to East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Memorial Beach, however, is only for their serious fans. The mood of the album is dark and brooding. LIE DOWN IN DARKNESS & DARK IS THE NIGHT FOR ALL will appeal almost immediately. However, the others - particularly COLD AS A STONE, LOCUST, ANGEL IN SNOW, HOW SWEET IT WAS, LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER & MEMORIAL BEACH will tend to grow on you.
It is best to listen to this when you are by yourself in an introspecive mood. Those that like an introduction to A-HA’s music might perhaps listen to East of the Sun, West of the moon, or Major Sky, Minor earth first. This will be better appreciated by a-ha’s faithful fans. Don’t expect fancy guitar riffs here. a-ha’s sound is all about being sublime. Because of this, techno-pop, grunge & hard rock fans will not be enthusiastic about a-ha’s sound, and this album in particular. If you like Bruce Springsteen’s NOTHING MAN, you might like this album.
I can’t think of any band that sounds like a-ha (partly because I am quite selective about what I hear). I have not come across any a-ha fan either, nor anyone who has appreciated all of their albums, in the last 14 years. That probably explains why this record is not available in the US. I very much doubt if you can find this here in India.