Permanent Record Podcast: A-ha - Scoundrel Days (1986) Part 2

A-ha - Scoundrel Days (1986) Part 2

Jun 9, 2022

Episode 144: A-ha - Scoundrel Days (1986) Part 2

It's time for Brian and Sarah to resume their discussion about the second album by Norwegian trio a-ha, the 1986 release Scoundrel Days. In the first Scoundrel Days episode, the hosts set the stage by talking about the period up to and including the recording of the album, as well as its release and chart information, cover art, reviews, and personal history. Now, Brian and Sarah are ready to put the needle on the record and talk about what they hear.

Track by Track

What they hear when the record starts is something that sounds rather different from a-ha's first album. And after the first song ends, the second song sounds different from the first, and the third sounds different from both of the previous two songs. It becomes apparent very early on that this album is not a re-hash of Hunting High and Low. Yet, many of these songs originate from the same time period as the songs from the first album, or even earlier.

The origin of the songs is just one of the things Brian and Sarah delve into as they talk about the tracks on the album, and for at least one song, the documented history is rather confusing. They also talk about the music, instrumentation, vocals, and lyrics, as always. Both hosts are pretty excited about this album and find themselves with a lot to say, so they only get through the first three songs in this episode. The third song on the album was a single, so for it, they also cover the release and chart information, share a couple of reviews, and lament about the video. And Brian goes into a James Bond discussion which surprisingly, Sarah doesn't put to a stop!