Album of the Day

Norway's a-ha surely owed much of its popularity to MTV, but a closer listen to the group's albums makes clear that its music was worthy of that success. The 1986 set SCOUNDREL DAYS, the trio's second album, takes the melodic synth-pop of their debut in a darker but equally satisfying direction on such songs as “Cry Wolf,” “Manhattan Skyline” and “I’ve Been Losing You.” Rhino's Deluxe Edition of the set adds 21 tracks to the original ten, including extended single mixes, live recordings and the entire album in demo and alternate versions. A big international hit, SCOUNDREL DAYS sold more than 6 million copies worldwide, and we'll give the collection another spin now to wish guitarist Pal Waaktaar a happy 60th birthday.