East of the Sun, West of the Moon explained

East of the Sun, West of the Moon
Type:studio
Artist:A-ha
Cover:A-ha East of the Sun West of the Moon.jpg
Recorded:1989–1990
Genre:Pop rock
Label:Warner Bros.
Prev Title:Stay on These Roads
Prev Year:1988
Next Title:Memorial Beach
Next Year:1993

East of the Sun, West of the Moon is the fourth studio album by Norwegian band A-ha, released on 27 October 1990 by Warner Bros. Records. Named after a 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

2015 deluxe edition

Personnel

A-ha

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1990–1991)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[1] 122
European Albums (Music & Media)[2] 13
French Albums (IFOP)[3] 15
Icelandic Albums (Tónlist)[4] 5
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[5] 20

Year-end charts

Chart (1991)! scope="col"
Position
European Albums (Music & Media)[6] 99
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] 57

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Response from ARIA re: a-ha ARIA chart history, received 22 December 2017 . 9 December 2020 . Imgur.
  2. European Top 100 Albums . . 7 . 46 . 17 November 1990 . VIII . 29800226 . World Radio History.
  3. Web site: Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste . InfoDisc . fr . 7 February 2019. Select "A-HA" from the drop-down menu and click "OK".
  4. News: Ísland (LP-plötur) . . is . 9 November 1990 . 33 . 1021-8254 . Timarit.is.
  5. Web site: http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/27061/ranking/cd_album/ . ja:a〜haのアルバム売り上げランキング . a-ha album sales ranking . ja . . 7 February 2019 . https://archive.today/20130629034605/http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/27061/ranking/cd_album/ . 29 June 2013.
  6. European Top 100 Albums – 1991 . Music & Media . 8 . 51/52 . 21 December 1991 . 24 . 29800226 . World Radio History.
  7. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1991 . de . GfK Entertainment . 7 February 2019.