Episode 57: a-ha - Stay on These Roads (1988) Part 2

 

After an unplanned break, Brian and Sarah are back to finish up their discussion of the third album by Norwegian group a-ha, 1988's "Stay on These Roads." The hosts first take a little time to share the latest iTunes reviews that have been rolling in since "The Innocents" episodes were posted, and they thank the new listeners who have found the podcast since then.

Part 3 - Track by Track, continued

The discussion of the first side of "Stay on These Roads" left Brian feeling somewhat unhappy and conflicted about the album thus far. However, Side Two is a clean slate-- and Brian is eager to start talking about the songs. This change of attitude is likely due to the fact that the second side opens with a James Bond theme! And of course, this gives Brian the perfect opportunity to launch into yet another mini James Bond podcast--this one being probably the longest yet! Sarah tries valiantly, and finally succeeds, at bringing Brian back to focus on the rest of the songs on Side Two, as well as the videos. As with Side One, the videos (and the songs, actually) are a bit of a mixed bag. However, Brian and Sarah both agree on the extremely high level of adorableness (yes, that's a real word!) Morten has in one of the videos.  Additionally, Sarah has some suggestions for re-ordering the tracks on Side Two-- including perhaps leaving one of them off altogether!

The Living Daylights There's Never a Forever Thing Out of Blue Comes Green You Are the One You'll End Up Crying

Part 4 - Extra Credit

The mini James Bond podcast starts back up again in the Extra Credit segment, where Brian takes the opportunity to talk about the soundtrack for "The Living Daylights." He explains how this soundtrack introduced him to another pop group, The Pretenders. Plus, Sarah shares some trivia about a group the hosts have discussed in previous episodes, Pet Shop Boys, who also prepared some demo tracks for "The Living Daylights."

Part 5 - Final Review and Rating

Sarah was the one who selected this album for discussion, so she decides to go first with her review and rating. She revisits the circumstances surrounding the creation of "Stay on These Roads," and she also draws several comparisons between this album and another album the hosts discussed back around episode 35. Those similarities are what help her come up with her rating for "Stay on These Roads." Then it's time for Brian to give his final evaluation. He explains his shift in attitude from Side One to Side Two, and then he starts throwing out a bunch of numbers, evidently in an attempt to confuse the audience. However, somewhere in there, he does sneak in his record-adapter rating for this album.

Bonus  Feature - Sarah's Secret Song Snippet

Before the hosts sign off for the week, Sarah introduces a new feature which gives listeners a chance to earn a sure-to-be coveted award! Make sure you stay tuned until the very end to find out more!

 

See the videos we discuss here:

The Living Daylights

There's Never a Forever Thing

You Are the One

The Pretenders - If There Was a Man

 

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