If you set your Wayback Machine to February 1, 2010, you'll find one of The Second Disc's earliest posts - the inaugural Reissue Theory column, dedicated to imagining a 25th anniversary multi-disc edition of a-ha's 1985 debut studio album Hunting High and Low. Well, good things do come to those who wait, because Warner Bros. and Rhino are finally delivering on such a project with the album's upcoming 30th anniversary box set! With 4 CDs and a DVD, this handily bests the 2010 double-CD edition. It's due in stores on September 18.
Hunting High and Low: 30th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition celebrates the Norwegian trio's most beloved LP features a freshly-remastered version of the platinum-certified original album on its first disc. That's followed on Disc Two by a 25-track collection of demos recorded between 1982 and 1984. The third disc boasts 15 singles, extended versions and B-sides, while the fourth and final audio disc includes ten previously unreleased alternate mixes. The set is rounded out by a DVD containing six music videos including three unique versions of U.S. chart-topper "Take on Me."
The Super Deluxe Hunting High and Low will also include a 60-page hardcover book to flesh out the band's story. Rhino promises, too, that Deluxe Editions of Stay On These Roads (1988), East of the Sun, West of the Moon (1990) and Memorial Beach (1993) will arrive later in the year.
Below, you'll find Rhino's complete press release for this 4-CD/1-DVD set as well as pre-order links and the full track listing! The Super Deluxe Hunting High and Low is set for release on September 18. And don't forget to revisit our Reissue Theory column to see what made the cut!
ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE - It's shaping up to be an epic year for a-ha as the Norwegian trio marks its 30th anniversary in 2015 with a series of album reissues as well as a highly anticipated reunion tour and their first new album in six years.
As part of the celebration, a-ha will unveil HUNTING HIGH AND LOW: 30th ANNIVERSARY SUPER DELUXE EDITION. The set boasts four CDs and one DVD, plus a 60-page hardback book filled with rare photos and stories about the making of the album. Available September 18th, the set includes a remastered version of the original album, which has sold more than 10 million copies since its 1985 debut. The set also features various B-sides and more than two dozen rare and unreleased demos. Also featured is a full version of the album in early and alternate mixes. Unheard and all released for the first time.
The DVD in the Hunting High and Low set contains an unseen slightly alternate cut of the 1985 "Take On Me" video as well as the 1984 version and of course the "classic" video.
The a-ha 30th anniversary celebrations began in April when the band released a special 7" picture disc for Record Store Day that included two versions (one unreleased) of its massive international hit "Take On Me," followed by vinyl reissues of the band's first two albums - Hunting High and Low and Scoundrel Days, pressed on 180-gram heavyweight vinyl, released on May 25th.
Continuing the festivities there will be Deluxe Editions of Stay On These Roads (1988), East of the Sun, West of the Moon (1990) and Memorial Beach (1993) later in the year.
a-ha, Hunting High and Low: 30th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition (Rhino, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
CD 1: The Original Album (Warner Bros. 25300, 1985)
1. Take on Me
2. Train of Thought
3. Hunting High and Low
4. The Blue Sky
5. Living a Boy's Adventure Tale
6. The Sun Always Shines on T.V.
7. And You Tell Me
8. Love is Reason
9. I Dream Myself Alive
10. Here I Stand and Face the Rain
CD 2: The Demos 1982-1984
1. Lesson One (Autumn 1982 "Take on Me" Demo)
2. Presenting Lily Mars (Naersnes Demo)
3. Na Blaser Det Pa Jorden (Naersnes Demo)
4. The Sphinx (Naersnes Demo)
5. Living a Boy's Adventure Tale (Naersnes Demo)
6. Dot the I
7. The Love Goodbye
8. Nothing to It
9. Go to Sleep
10. Train of Thought (Demo)
11. Monday Mourning
12. All the Planes That Come In on the Quiet
13. The Blue Sky (Demo)
14. You Have Grown Thoughtful Again
15. What's That You're Doing to Yourself in the Pouring Rain
16. Take on Me (Demo)
17. I Dream Myself Alive (Demo)
18. Hunting High and Low (Demo)
19. And You Tell Me (Demo)
20. Here I Stand and Face the Rain (Demo)
21. Love is Reason (Demo)
22. The Blue Sky (Second Demo)
23. Never, Never
24. The Sun Always Shines on T.V. (Demo)
25. Presenting Lily Mars (Rendezvous Demo)
CD 3 - Singles, Extended Versions and B-Sides
1. Take on Me (Original 7-Inch Version, 1984)
2. Take on Me (12-Inch Mix, 1984)
3. Stop! And Make Your Mind Up
4. Take on Me (12-Inch Version, 1985)
5. Take on Me (Instrumental Mix)
6. The Sun Always Shines on T.V. (7-Inch Mix)
7. The Sun Always Shines on T.V. (Extended Version)
8. Driftwood
9. The Sun Always Shines on T.V. (Extended Version No. 2)
10. The Sun Always Shines on T.V. (Instrumental)
11. Train of Thought (7-Inch Mix)
12. Train of Thought (U.S. Remix)
13. Train of Thought (Dub Version)
14. Hunting High and Low (7-Inch Remix)
15. Hunting High and Low (Extended Remix)
CD 4: The Alternate Mixes (previously unreleased)
1. Take on Me (Video Version)
2. Train of Thought (Early Mix)
3. Hunting High and Low (Early Mix)
4. The Blue Sky (Alternate Long Mix)
5. Living a Boy's Adventure Tale (Early Mix)
6. The Sun Always Shines on T.V. (Alternate Early Mix)
7. And You Tell Me (Early Mix)
8. Love is Reason (Early Mix)
9. Dream Myself Alive (Early "N.Y.C." Mix)
10. Here I Stand and Face the Rain (Early Mix)
DVD: The Videos
1. Take on Me (1985 Version) - directed by Steve Barron
2. The Sun Always Shines on T.V. - directed by Steve Barron
3. Train of Thought - directed by Candace Reckinger and Michael Patterson
4. Hunting High and Low - directed by Steve Barron
5. Take on Me (1984 Version) - directed by Stevie Price
6. Take on Me (1985 Alternate Cut) - directed by Steve Barron
Ross says
Wow. This really does have everything on it. Even more demos than I knew existed, all the tracks that were missing from the 2CD set....... alternate mixes of the whole album. We are being spoiled. And I'm delighted that the video mix of Take on Me is being made available at last. This is a must have for me. For A-Ha fans, 2015 is proving to be an amazing year.
Dan says
Well, we're getting closer, but I really want a Gigantic box of ABBA stems. I'll sell the farm.