MTV Unplugged: Summer Solstice explained

MTV Unplugged: Summer Solstice
Type:	live
Artist:	A-ha
Cover:	A-ha MTV Unplugged Summer Solstice.jpeg
Border:	yes
Recorded:	22–23 June 2017
Studio:	Ocean Sound Recordings, Giske, Norway
Label:	Polydor We Love Music
Producer:	Lars Horntveth A-ha Martin Terefe
Prev Year:	2016
Next Title:	True North
Next Year:	2022

MTV Unplugged: Summer Solstice is a live album by the Norwegian band a-ha, released on 6 October 2017 as part of the MTV Unplugged series. It was recorded live at the Harbour Hall at Ocean Sound Recordings in Giske, Norway, on 22 and 23 June 2017.^[1]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number six on the UK Albums Chart with 6,982 units sold in its first week, becoming A-ha's seventh top-10 album in the United Kingdom.^[2]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Lars Horntveth, except "Take On Me" produced by A-ha and Martin Terefe.

Notes

• "Sox of the Fox" was originally recorded as "The Vacant" on the 1980 album Fakkeltog^[3] by the band Bridges (previous band of Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholmen and for whom the former was its lead singer at the time).
• "Killing Moon" is originally from Echo & the Bunnymen's album Ocean Rain (1984).

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of MTV Unplugged: Summer Solstice.^[4]

a-ha

• Morten Harket – vocals
• Magne Furuholmen – upright piano, harpsichord, celesta, acoustic guitar, flute, backing vocals
• Paul Waaktaar-Savoy – acoustic guitar, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Alison Moyet – vocals on "Summer Moved On"
• Ian McCulloch – vocals on "Scoundrel Days" and "The Killing Moon"
• Lissie – vocals on "I've Been Losing You"
• Ingrid Helene Håvik – vocals on "The Sun Always Shines on TV"
• Lars Horntveth – acoustic guitars, resonator, lap steel guitar, vibraphone, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone
• Morten Qvenild – upright piano, harpsichord, harmonium, dulcitone, Fischers mandolinette, autoharp, kokles
• Even Enersen Ormestad – bass
• Karl Oluf Wenneberg – drums, percussion, bells, bass xylophone
• Madeleine Ossum – violin, backing vocals
• Emilie Heldal Lidsheim – viola, backing vocals
• Tove Margrethe Erikstad – cello, backing vocals
• Lars Horntveth – arrangement on all tracks except "Take On Me"
• Martin Terefe – arrangement on "Take On Me"
• Anders Tjore – co-arrangement on "I've Been Losing You", "The Sun Always Shines on TV", "This Alone Is Love", "Summer Moved On" and "Manhattan Skyline"

Technical

• Lars Horntveth – production on all tracks except "Take On Me"
• A-ha – production on "Take On Me"
• Martin Terefe – production on "Take On Me"
• John O'Mahony – recording, mixing
• Henning Svoren – recording
• Marcus Forsgren – recording (demo sessions)
• Greg Calbi – mastering

Artwork

• Max Dax – liner notes
• Justin Loomis – photography
• Matthias Löwenstein – artwork, cover
• Season Zero – artwork, cover

Charts

Year-end charts

Notes and References

1. Web site: a-ha announce two intimate acoustic shows in June . . a-ha.com . May 4, 2017 . 9 September 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170909142541/http://a-ha.com/news/articles/acoustic-shows-in-june/ . 9 September 2017 . dead .
2. Jones. Alan. Official Charts Analysis: Liam Gallagher debuts at No.1 with more than 100,000 album sales. Music Week. 14 October 2017. 13 October 2017.
3. http://louvanhille.free.fr/A-HA/LYRICSFAKKELTOG.html Lyrics FAKKELTOG by Bridges
4. MTV Unplugged: Summer Solstice . liner notes . . . 2017 . 00602557929508.
5. Web site: Official IFPI Charts – Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Week: 43/2017) . . 9 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171107181445/http://www.ifpi.gr/charts_en.html . 7 November 2017.
6. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 2017. de. Offizielle Deutsche Charts. 29 December 2017.