East of the Sun, West of the Moon
East of the Sun, West of the Moon is the fourth studio album by Norwegian synth-pop band A-ha, released on 22 October 1990 by Warner Bros. Records. Named after a East of [the Sun and West of the Moon|Norwegian fairy tale], the album was something of a departure from the band's earlier radio-friendly sound to a darker, moodier tone. It peaked at number one in the band's native Norway and reached top 20 in various European countries and Japan. It was co-produced by Ian Stanley, formerly of the band Tears for Fears.
Critical reception
Entertainment Weekly wrote that "symphonic piano grandeur and alternating blues/metal/flamenco/funk additives collapse beneath the bloated synthesizer slush."AllMusic wrote: "This is a nicely crafted collection of songs, performed and sung beautifully, with lots of echoes and suggestions tucked into the music. While not an album one can discuss at length, it's an album that's a pleasure to listen to and one that deserves a better reception than the one, unfortunately, that it seems to have gotten."
Track listing
- "The Way We Talk" features Magne Furuholmen on lead vocals.
Personnel
A-ha- Morten Harket – lead vocals, backing vocals
- Magne Furuholmen – keyboards, backing vocals, string arrangements, second vocals, lead vocals, harmonica
- Paul Waaktaar-Savoy – guitars, backing vocals, second vocals, bass guitar, acoustic piano
- Jørun Bøgeberg – bass guitar
- Per Hillestad – drums
- Chris Hughes – drums
- Martin Ditcham – tambourine, percussion
- Phil Todd – saxophone
- David Bedford – string arrangements
- Christopher Neil – producer
- Ian Stanley – producer
- Nick Davis – recording, mixing
- Haydn Bendall – additional engineer
- Steve "Barney" Chase – additional engineer
- Kim Champagne – art direction
- Jeri Heiden – art direction
- REY International – design
- Just Loomis – cover photography
- Lauren Savoy – inner sleeve photography
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart | Peak position |