Scoundrel Days is the second studio album by Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha, released on 6 October 1986 by Warner Bros. Records. A remastered edition with additional tracks was released in 2010.
Production
Scoundrel Days was the second long-player release from a-ha, which was highly anticipated after the success of their first album, Hunting High and Low (1985), which had reached #2 in the United Kingdom's Album Chart, and number 15 in the United States' Billboard 200 in the previous year. Scoundrel Days was recorded in England in early 1986 at RG Jones Recording Studios on Beulah Road in Wimbledon, South-West London. The record was mostly produced by Alan Tarney, who had produced the band's singles "Take On Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." in the previous year, and it was engineered by Gerry Kitchingham.
The songs were composed by Pal Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen; the band's vocalist Morten Harket did not contribute to the songwriting as he had on their first album. Waaktaar and Furuholmen also self-produced three of the record's tracks, "I've Been Losing You", "Maybe Maybe", and "Soft Rains of April".
Artwork
The cover photography was taken by Norwegian photographer Knut Bry at the Haleakala volcano on Maui, Hawaii, in 1986.
Release and reception
The album was another big hit by A-ha and sold over 6 million copies worldwide which gave the band international recognition. Scoundrel Days achieved Platinum status in the UK and Switzerland as well as Germany and Brazil. The album reached number two in the European Top 100 Albums chart.
Ned Raggett of AllMusic said, "The opening two songs alone make for one of the best one-two opening punches around: the tense edge of the title track, featuring one of Morten Harket's soaring vocals during the chorus and a crisp, pristine punch in the music, and 'The Swing of Things,' a moody, elegant number with a beautiful synth/guitar arrangement (plus some fine drumming courtesy of studio pro Michael Sturgis) and utterly lovelorn lyrical sentiments that balance on the edge of being overheated without quite going over...The '80s may be long gone, but Scoundrel Days makes clear that not everything was bad back then."
Scoundrel Days included the singles "I've Been Losing You", "Cry Wolf", "Maybe, Maybe", and "Manhattan Skyline". All of the UK singles made the top 20 on UK Singles Chart. "I've Been Losing You" and "Cry Wolf" were the most successful singles from the album, "Cry Wolf" became a minor hit in the US and charted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #50, while "I've Been Losing You" was the most successful single in Europe.
As part of a re-release of their first two albums, Scoundrel Days was expanded and remastered in 2010.
On 6 July 2010, the A-ha albums Hunting High and Low and Scoundrel Days were released as deluxe editions in the US through Rhino Records; both albums debuted in the top 40 of the Billboard Top Internet Sales chart; Hunting High and Low at number 34 and Scoundrel Days at number 36. The remastered reissue of Scoundrel Days reached number 52 in Germany, number 27 in Norway, number 190 in the UK.
Track listing
2010 remastered reissue
Personnel
A-ha
- Morten Harket – lead and backing vocals
- Magne Furuholmen – keyboards, bass and drum programming, backing vocals
- Pål Waaktaar – guitars, drum programming, backing vocals
with:
- Graham Prescott – strings (1)
- Leif Karsten Johansen – bass guitar (3)
- Michael Sturgis – drums (2, 3, 10)
- Øystein Jevanord – drums (6)
Production
- Alan Tarney – producer (1, 2, 4–8), mixing
- Magne Furuholmen – producer (3, 9, 10)
- Paul Waaktaar – producer (3, 9, 10)
- Gerry Kitchingham – engineer
- John Hudson – mixing
- Jeri McManus Heiden – art direction, design
- Kim Champagne – design
- Knut Bry – photography
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Weekly chart performance for Scoundrel Days
! scope="col"| Chart (1986–1987)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)
| 17
|-
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| European Albums (Music & Media)
| 2
|-
! scope="row"| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)
| 9
|-
! scope="row"| French Albums (IFOP)
| 7
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Icelandic Albums (Tónlist)
| 2
|-
!scope="row"|Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)
|11
|-
! scope="row"| Japanese Albums (Music Labo)
| 7
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Weekly chart performance for Scoundrel Days (2010 reissue)
! scope="col"| Chart (2010)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
|-
|-
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 1986 year-end chart performance for Scoundrel Days
! scope="col"| Chart (1986)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
| 76
|-
! scope="row"| European Albums (Music & Media)
| 64
|-
! scope="row"| Norwegian Autumn Period Albums (VG-lista)
| 1
|-
! scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC)
| 31
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 1987 year-end chart performance for Scoundrel Days
! scope="col"| Chart (1987)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
| 96
|-
! scope="row"| European Albums (Music & Media)
| 20
|-
! scope="row"| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
| 35
|}