Out Now: a-ha, MINOR EARTH | MAJOR SKY and LIFELINES Deluxe Reissues

If you ask an American to name a hit single from a-ha, odds are that they’ll probably say “Take on Me,” with a few show-offs smirking and saying “The Sun Always Shines on TV” just to prove that they know more than you do. The thing is, just because American pop culture history has understandably focused heavily on a-ha’s most popular album in the U.S. – HUNTING HIGH AND LOW – doesn’t mean that the band ceased to exist after that album.

Indeed, once you venture outside of America, you will find that a-ha has pretty much remained a force to be reckoned with. This is minus, of course, the occasional periods when members Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen and Pål Waaktaar-Savoy have opted to take a break from each other and go their separate ways. One such period took place in 1993, and it lasted for seven years, but when the boys got the band back together, their creativity was such that it resulted in two new a-ha albums in two years. Those two albums – like all of the a-ha albums which preceded them – are finally getting the deluxe reissue treatment that they so richly deserve.

•    MINOR EARTH | MAJOR SKY (2000), featuring the singles “Summer Moved On,” “Minor Earth | Major Sky,” “Velvet,” “The Sun Never Shone That Day,” and “I Wish I Cared.”

•    LIFELINES (2002), featuring the singles “Forever Not Yours,” “Lifelines,” and “Did Anyone Approach You?”

MINOR EARTH | MAJOR SKY (DELUXE EDITION) presents the remastered original album with bonus tracks and a second CD with 16 more demos, outtakes and live tracks. LIFELINES (DELUXE EDITION) contains the remastered original album with bonus tracks and a second 19-track CD of early versions, demos and songs that did not make it to the final album. Both will be released in remastered versions as 2-LP vinyl sets as well.

Here's the full track listing for both deluxe editions:

MINOR EARTH | MAJOR SKY:

Disc 1:

1. "Minor Earth Major Sky” 5:25
2. "Little Black Heart" 4:35
3. "Velvet" 4:21
4. "Summer Moved On" 4:38
5. "The Sun Never Shone That Day" 4:40
6. "To Let You Win" 4:24
7. "The Company Man" 3:15
8. "Thought That It Was You" 3:50
9. "I Wish I Cared" 4:23
10. "Barely Hanging On" 3:56
11. "You'll Never Get Over Me" 5:40
12. "I Won't Forget Her" 4:44
13. "Mary Ellen Makes the Moment Count" 4:51
14. “Summer Moved On” (Remix) 6:01
15. “Velvet” (Alabaster Mix) 5:19
16. “The Sun Never Shown That Day” (Radio Edit) 3:31
17. “Minor Earth | Major Sky” (Millenia Nova Remix) 4:29

Disc 2:

1. "Minor Earth Major Sky (Early Version)" 5:50
2. "Little Black Heart (Alternate Mix)" 4:35
3. "Velvet (Early Version) 5:18
4. "Summer Moved On (Early Version)" 4:38
5. "The Sun Never Shone That Day (Early Version)" 4:24
6. "To Let You Win (Early Mix)" 4:39
7. "We Will Never Speak Again (Demo)" 4:19
8. "The Company Man (Early Version)" 4:30
9. "Life’s Not Fair (Early Version of I Wish I Cared)" 3:31
10. "Barely Hanging On (Early Version)" 3:52
11. "I Won’t Forget Her (Early Version)" 4:51
12. "Manhattan Skyline (Live Oslo 2001)" 5:51
13. "Thought That It Was You (Live Oslo 2001)" 3:45
14. "You’ll Never Get Over Me (Live Oslo 2001)" 6:02
15. "Mary Ellen Makes the Moment Count (Live Oslo 2001)" 6:06
16. "Summer Moved On (Demo)"
 
LIFELINES:

Disc 1:

1. "Lifelines" 4:17
2. "You Wanted More" 3:39
3. "Forever Not Yours" 4:06
4. "There's a Reason for It" 4:21
5. "Time & Again" 5:03
6. "Did Anyone Approach You?" 4:10
7. "Afternoon High" 4:30
8. "Oranges on Appletrees" 4:16
9. "A Little Bit" 4:10
10. "Less Than Pure" 4:13
11. "Turn the Lights Down" 4:14
12. "Cannot Hide" 3:19
13. "White Canvas" 3:27
14. "Dragonfly" 3:19
15. "Solace" 4:20
16. “Did Anyone Approach You?” (Tore Johanson Mix) 5:56
17. “Time and Again” (Langer & Winstanley Version) 5:47
18. “Lifelines” (Apoptygma Berzerk Remix) 6:24

Disc 2:

1. "Lifelines (Demo)" 5:16
2. "You Wanted More (Demo)" 4:01
3. "Forever Not Yours (Demo)" 4:12
4. "There's a Reason for It (Demo)" 4:14
5. "The Breakers" 3:26
6. "Time & Again (Demo)" 5:11
7. "Did Anyone Approach You? (Demo)" 4:02
8. "Afternoon High (Original Demo)" 4:39
9. "Oranges on Appletrees (Early Mix)" 4:00
10. "Sole Survivor" 4:07
11. "Less Than Pure (Demo)" 4:18
12. "To Show It Is To Blow It (Demo)" 4:10
13. "Turn The Lights Down (Demo)" 4:01
14. "Cannot Hide (Demo)" 3:14
15. "There's A Reason For It (A Break In The Clouds)" 4:15
16. "One in a Million (Early Version of White Canvas)" 2:46
17. "Dragonfly (Demo)" 3:32
18. "Solace (Early Version)" 4:12
19. "Differences (Original Demo)" 2:48