The Demo Tapes (2004)

This very limited edition CD was included with the a-ha biography, The Swing of Things, by Jan Omdahl.

"Allow me to present a unique historical document: an exclusive CD with 12 cuts from a-ha's glory days, available only as part of this publication. Here are the original demos of "Take On Me" and "The Swing of Things". Here is "Så blåser det på jorden", a-ha's single venture using Norwegian lyrics. There are dark, beautiful ballads like "Days On End" and "Monday Mourning", pop tunes like "Dot the I" and "The Love Goodbye" and almost unrecognizable versions of future gems like "Hunting High and Low" and "I've Been Losing You". Scattered among the songs, there are also a series of snippets showing the a-ha members at work on new material."

"This is the sound of the young, bursting-with-talent a-ha, already caught in the tension between commercial and musical ambition. The music on the CD is taken from a shipping bag full of cassettes I got from Magne, who himself had borrowed them from Viggo Bondi, the onetime member of Bridges who, fortunately, had preserved this unique material. After having listened through thirty cassettes, I made a selection, in consultation with Paul, Morten and Magne. There was much to choose between, but this collection gives a representative impression."