After Dinner Speakers: A-Ha, Genesis, Lisa Rogers

Formed in early 1983 this Norwegian rock trio comprises Morten Harket (b. 14 September 1959, Kongsberg, Norway; lead vocals), Magne Furuholmen (b. 1 November 1962, Manglerud, Oslo, Norway; vocals, keyboards) and P?l Waaktaar (b. P?l Garnst, 6 September 1961, Manglerud, Oslo, Norway; vocals, guitar). After several years spent playing in various Scandinavian bands, including Spider Empire, Soldier Blue and Bridges, they finally found the perfect pop combination and set about selling their image to the international market. Warner Brothers Records signed them, but the debut single, "Take On Me", produced by Tony Mansfield, sold poorly. Undeterred, A-Ha's management elected to re-record the song with Alan Tarney at the helm. With the assistance of a brilliant promotional video, utilizing animated pencil sketches, the single reached number 1 in the USA and number 2 in the UK. The timing could not have been better, and during 1985 the trio neatly assumed the teenage pin-up pop idolatry previously bestowed on Duran Duran and Wham!. With their chiselled good looks and exotic Scandinavian accents, the band could seemingly do no wrong. The expertly enunciated "The Sun Always Shines On TV" took them to the top of the UK charts and reached the US Top 20. This was followed by a world tour and a further series of UK Top 10 hits, including "Train Of Thought", "Hunting High And Low", "I've Been Losing You", and "Cry Wolf". In 1987, P?l Waaktaar was commissioned to compose the theme for the James Bond movie The Living Daylights, with John Barry. After two essentially pop albums and acutely aware of the ephemeral power of the pin-up pop star, the band carefully attempted to make the uneasy transition to long-term success with 1988's sombre Stay On These Roads. In 1989, Harket appeared in the Norwegian film Kamilla Og Tyven, in addition to recording a one-off single with Bjorn Eidsvag. The band's solid musicianship continued to serve them well, and their mannered vocal style brought further UK chart success in 1990 with a revival of the Everly Brothers' "Crying In The Rain" and East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon. The follow-up Memorial Beach included the minor hits "Move To Memphis" and "Dark Is The Night", but failed to capture the hearts of the critics. Harket subsequently embarked on a solo career, Furuholmen formed Timbersound with Kjetil Bjerkestrand, while Waaktaar formed the New York-based Savoy with his wife Lauren. The trio re-formed A-Ha in the late 90s and returned to the studio to record the well-received albums Minor Earth/Major Sky and Lifelines.