"Stay On These Roads" could be considered a large stumbling block in the path of this amazing group. It sorta flopped in the US but fared better internationally. Part of the momentum for the album was the inclusion of the theme song from the James Bond film, 'The Living Daylights.
For me, this is an album that's remained consistent over the years. The songs I love I continue to love and the rest of it hasn't grown on me at all.
Right off the bat you get the title track, 'Stay On These Roads' which is a lovely tune. The music is dramatic and sweeping. It seems to soar and Morten Harket's vocals are absolutely divine. Once again, he sings in his lilting falsetto and reaches something spiritual. As mysterious and dynamic as the first track is, the 2nd one, 'The Blood That Moves The Body' delivers the first real powerhouse number. The song has a tremendous build and an incredible vocal arrangement. There's a brilliant tempo on this number and it holds up quite effectively. The third track represents the final piece of this album's power trilogy. 'Touchy!' is the pop masterpiece of the trio and gets you moving and tapping your feet along with the beat. It sounds like something Alphaville would've recorded, but it's still great here. It's got a beat unlike anything else on the record and it's a high point!
From here on out, the album seems to wander less effectively into some strange areas. 'This Alone Is Love' is a pretty tune, but it doesn't grip you as tightly as the previous tracks. It's followed by 'Hurry Home' which is a more effective and enjoyable tune. Next up is 'The Living Daylights' which in and of itself is a force to be reckoned with. As the theme song to a James Bond film, this will be a tune fans of the Bond franchise will identify with more solidly than with the rest of the album. I'm not impressed with it at all. That's kinda the risk you take with a Bond theme song.
'There's Never A Forever Thing' is a minimalist ballad that although Harket's vocals are genuinely pleasing, there's not much to the song. 'Out Of Blue Comes Green' is the next number and I like this song quite a bit although I have to say, it's still not nearly as good as the earlier cuts. Still, it has a gentle breakdown about halfway through that's nice to listen to. The guitar playing is a bit generic, but there's a sweetness to the lyrics and the music that's worth mentioning.
The final two tracks are 'You Are The One' which sounds strangely like something trying to be an early 80's pop hit and 'You'll End Up Crying' which is an almost acoustic orchestral piece. On 'You Are The One', the drum sounds remind me strongly of Roxette and the tempo is so face paced you get swept away and lost in the key changes. 'You'll End Up Crying' is absolutely brilliant and I wish it was up near the front along with the material I feel is stronger and more ambitious.
You hear a huge difference on this album from their previous records. A-Ha is a band who progress with each album. They started off a synth pop outfit and morphed into something more adult contemporary and thoughtful. It's interesting to track this band over the years because their musicianship improves with each record and their writing develops as well.
I find them extremely compelling and even though I'm half and half on this record, I still think it's a phenomenal album and I love the tracks on it I love.
My final words: AN EXCEPTIONAL ALBUM FROM A SMART, DEVELOPING BAND! STILL MORE AHEAD OF THEM FORTUNATELY FOR US.
A-HA - STAY ON THESE ROADS
01. Stay On These Roads
02. The Blood That Moves The Body
03. Touchy!
04. This Alone Is Love
05. Hurry Home
06. The Living Daylights
07. There's Never A Forever Thing
08. Out Of Blue Comes Green
09. You Are The One
10. You'll End Up Crying
No comments:
Post a Comment