Scoundrel Days is often hailed as a-ha’s "dark masterpiece," a sophomore effort that deliberately traded the bubblegum synth-pop of their debut for a moodier, atmospheric sound. The Remastered and Expanded Deluxe Edition, originally released by Rhino Records in 2010, remains the definitive way to experience this era of the band's history. The Original Album: A Bold Shift
Released in October 1986, Scoundrel Days saw the Norwegian trio exploring deeper emotions and more ambitious production. While their debut, Hunting High and Low, made them global superstars, Scoundrel Days solidified their reputation as serious musicians.
Key Tracks: The album features the brooding lead single "I've Been Losing You," the cinematic "Manhattan Skyline," and the fan-favorite "Cry Wolf".
Production: Produced largely by Alan Tarney, the album utilizes iconic 80s synths like the Yamaha DX7 and Roland Juno-60 to create its signature "chilled gothic" flavor.
The remastered and expanded edition of a-ha's "Scoundrel Days" was first released in 2010 through Rhino Records. This version transforms the trio's moody sophomore effort into a comprehensive archive, adding 21 bonus tracks to the original 10-song tracklist. Sound & Remastering Quality
The remastering, handled at Digiprep, addresses the "brittle" digital transfers typical of 1980s recordings.
Enhanced Audio: Reviewers from Amazon.co.uk note that the sound is enhanced to be on par with modern recordings, eliminating the need to boost the volume as required for the original 80s pressings.
Aural Profile: Fans on Reddit have described the sound as louder and "crisper," bringing out sharper textures in the guitars.
Detailing: Listeners on Facebook have observed "more depth" in the reissue compared to the original. Bonus Content & Features
The expanded set is designed for collectors, featuring a trifold digipak and a 20-page booklet with detailed liner notes and rare photos.
The remastered and expanded edition of 's sophomore album, Scoundrel Days, was primarily released as a 2-CD Deluxe Edition in 2010 via Rhino Records. This version significantly builds on the original 1986 release by adding 21 bonus tracks, including previously unissued demos, extended remixes, and live recordings. Expanded Content Overview
This edition is designed to showcase the band's creative process and live energy during their "darker" transition from synth-pop to a more atmospheric sound. Disc 1: Remastered Album + Remixes
Contains the original 10 tracks, such as "I've Been Losing You," "Cry Wolf," and "Manhattan Skyline," all digitally remastered.
Includes three extended versions/remixes: "I've Been Losing You" (Extended Version), "Cry Wolf" (Extended Version), and "Manhattan Skyline" (Extended Remix). Disc 2: Demos and Live Tracks
Features 18 bonus tracks consisting of rare demos and alternate versions.
Notable inclusions are early demos for "Scoundrel Days," "The Swing of Things" (Demo #3), and "October".
Includes live recordings from their 1986/1987 tour, such as performances of "I've Been Losing You," "Cry Wolf," and "Soft Rains of April" recorded at Fairfield Halls and other venues. Recent Updates & Vinyl Reissues
Scoundrel Days is often cited by critics and hardcore fans as a-ha's definitive masterpiece. Released on October 6, 1986, it was the "difficult second album" that defied expectations by trading the bright synth-pop of their debut for a darker, more cinematic atmosphere.
The Remastered and Expanded (often called the "Deluxe Edition"), originally released in 2010 to coincide with the band's first farewell tour, remains the ultimate version of this alt-pop classic. The Sonic Evolution of Scoundrel Days
While Hunting High and Low was a worldwide phenomenon, the band—led by Pål Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen—wanted to distance themselves from "teen idol" status. Recorded in London at RG Jones Studios, the album features a more organic, aggressive sound, blending Yamaha DX7 and Roland Juno-106 synthesizers with moodier guitar work and Morten Harket’s most powerful vocal performances to date. Expanded Edition: What’s Inside?
The 2010 Rhino Records reissue transformed the original 10-track LP into a massive 2-CD/digital collection featuring 21 bonus tracks. Disc 1: The Remastered Album & Extended Mixes
The first disc contains the original album digitally remastered, bringing new clarity to the sweeping production of Alan Tarney. A-HA - Scoundrel Days - Amazon.com Music
The 2010 remastered and expanded Deluxe Edition of a-ha's sophomore album, Scoundrel Days, is widely regarded by critics and fans as the definitive way to experience the band's transition from "bubblegum" pop stars to serious, atmospheric songwriters. Critical Consensus & Musical Shift
Artistic Maturity: Reviewers from PopMatters and Classic Pop Magazine highlight that this album "rights the balance" from their debut. It trades the synth-pop sheen of Hunting High and Low for a "darker, moodier" sound characterized by "cracking live drums" and cinematic arrangements.
Vocal Performance: Morten Harket’s vocals are praised as "soaring" and "underrated," with critics noting his ability to move from fatalistic verses to hopeful, high-octane choruses in tracks like the title opener. Key Tracks:
"I’ve Been Losing You": Often called the "best James Bond theme that never was" due to its brass-heavy, bluesy grit.
"Manhattan Skyline": Noted for its audacious structural tricks, shifting from a chilly ballad to high-energy rock.
"October": Praised for its thick, jazzy atmosphere that captures a "foggy English night". The Remaster & Expanded Content
Audio Quality: The remastering fixes the "thin and lifeless" digital sound found in original 1980s transfers. Listeners on Amazon note that the sound is now on par with modern recordings, allowing previously lost details to shine through. Bonus Material (Disc 2):
Demos: Includes demo versions for nearly every album track, revealing how much some songs "veer from the demos" during the creative process.
Live Recordings: Features high-quality live tracks from Croydon (1986), proving the band was a "professional, dynamic live act". aha scoundrel days remastered and expanded upd
Extended Mixes: Contains the original "old-fashioned, hand-edited" 12-inch remixes of hits like "Cry Wolf" and "Manhattan Skyline". Shopping & Availability
The album is available at various retailers, often in different formats:
Deluxe Edition (2-CD): Available at Amazon UK and Amazon.de.
Vinyl Reissue: A 180-gram vinyl version from Rhino Records is popular among collectors for its sound quality.
Digital/Streaming: Full deluxe content is available on platforms like Apple Music. A-ha's Scoundrel Days album review and discussion
Here’s a short story inspired by "Aha Scoundrel: Days Remastered and Expanded (upd)".
"Aha Scoundrel: Days Remastered and Expanded"
The city had learned to sleep with one eye open. Neon sighed against wet cobblestones; the tram bells echoed like distant judgments. Above the market, a holographic billboard looped an old ad for a soft drink—its colors too bright for anything that had lived through the EMP. In the alleys, citizens traded memories the way their grandparents once traded stamps: carefully, in envelopes, with quiet reverence.
Scoundrel wasn't his name—no one used real names anymore—but it stuck because he was always two steps ahead of shame. He was a small man with a big grin and pockets full of other people's troubles. Once, decades ago, he'd been a fixer for corporations, soldering ethics into devices that could make a lover forget a night or a board member forget a debt. Later, when the contracts dissolved into rumors, he graduated to a more lucrative trade: salvaging lost days.
"Days" were literal now, compact crystalline chips that held a tight loop of a person's memory for a single twenty-four-hour cut. You could relive your best birthday, save the taste of an ocean you'd never visit again, or sell a week you couldn't bear. The market had rules: consent, tagging, and a ledger so painfully slow no one trusted it. Still, where there was need, there was Scoundrel.
One rain-smeared morning, a woman in a moth-eaten coat found him under the collapsed awning of the Old Archive. "You handle days?" she asked, voice like paper being folded.
He flicked a cigarette apart with two fingers, short as the day. "I handle days that need handling."
She set a small cube on the table. It hummed faintly. No tag. No consent signature. The kind the ledger's clerks call "unpenned."
"Stolen?" Scoundrel asked.
"Found," she said. "With a note—'Remember me well.'"
He should have turned it over to the authorities. He should have let the slow gears eat it and left him clean. Old instincts were like old debts; they kept you awake at night. Instead, Scoundrel did what he did best. He opened it.
The memory wasn't his practice as usual—no tango at a rooftop bar, no speech to a graduate class of would-be hackers. It began in a kitchen flooded with late-afternoon light. A young man—thin, with hands like a carpenter—drawn in laughter as he taught a girl to slice an apple without bruising the fruit. The day unfolded like a paper map: the argument about a misplaced key, the agreement to meet by the river, the sudden collapse when the call came. The hum changed; the memory loop skipped like bad vinyl. The last moment was a child on a doorstep, handing the man a red ribbon and whispering, "Don't let them take our days."
Scoundrel sat back. The room seemed smaller, as if the memory had borrowed some of his oxygen. There was grief in that cube—sharp and private—and something else: a map hidden inside the laughter, coordinates burned into the backbeat of a song. He squinted; his fingers trembled.
The note, he thought. The woman—was she the thief, or a messenger? Either way, the ledger would pry eventually. He could wait; that's what respectable citizens did. Or he could follow the song.
He followed.
The trail took him past the Neon Grave—where billboards went to die—and through a subway that still smelled of copper. He traded a memory for a forged pass, another for directions, each exchange subtracting a small slice of his past until he suspected he might run out of himself. That was part of the job: barter away pieces you no longer needed to keep secrets you wanted to keep.
Days could be remastered, he knew—polished, loop-smoothened, expanded with extras the way dealers added illusions: a warmer sky, an extra hand held. People asked for remastering because memory is forgiving when it's edited. Scoundrel didn't always comply. He believed in keeping the fractures—the small, honest breaks that proved something real had happened.
But this memory wanted expansion. In its silence were echoes of a movement—a group of archivists calling themselves the Keepers—who had been erasing days wholesale, purging histories that made the right people uncomfortable. They'd gone underground after the Crackdown, scattering their servers across the city like breadcrumbs. The man's kitchen belonged to one of them. The child's ribbon was a signal.
By dusk, Scoundrel had assembled a ragtag map: two names, a cafe-turned-black-market, and an abandoned factory with a single light on the upper floor. He needed tools: a pair of eyes who knew the ledger's blind spots, a locksmith who believed in ghosts, and a kid who could coax data out of dead servers without waking the house ghosts. He recruited them, not with promises but with fragments—heads tucked into small glass vials, laughing in someone else's memory until his recruits paid in favors and loyalty.
They called themselves a crew, though they never agreed on the romanticism of the term. Each had been remastered in some way: a war medal polished into a paperweight, a birth certificate smoothed into oblivion, days purchased to bury a shame. They also had reasons to hate the Keepers—not for their mission but for their method. Erasing wasn't liberation if it made people gods of other people's pain.
The factory's night air tasted of oil and old music. The single lit window glowed like a tooth in a dark jaw. They pushed through metal lungs and found a room stacked with drives, diodes, and a scent like hot plastic. Blue margarine light showed a woman hunched over a console, her hair braided with tiny circuit beads. She was older than the man's memory, older than the day it came from, but when she looked up, her eyes were the same.
"You're not supposed to be here," she said, and it was matter-of-fact, not surprised. Her voice carried the weight of somebody who'd watched too many people choose forgetting.
"Someone left this," Scoundrel said, producing the cube. She didn't reach; she didn't need to. She recognized it. The console sighed and opened a channel.
"You shouldn't have," she repeated, but there was warmth now—an admission that, like the Keepers, they'd all done things they believed were necessary.
They were archivists, she explained. Keepers in the old tongue, but that was only half the truth. Their mission had been to protect choice—safe vaults for people who couldn't bear a memory, archives for those who couldn't let go. After the Crackdown, a faction splintered. Some believed in erasure as mercy; others in preservation as rebellion. The faction that remained had started stealing days not to erase them but to hide them from tyrants who'd weaponized nostalgia. Scoundrel Days is often hailed as a-ha’s "dark
"And this day?" Scoundrel asked.
She shrugged. "It belongs to a family gone quiet. We thought they'd come back for it."
"Then why the note?" he asked.
She inhaled slow. "So someone would find it who knew how to open it."
There was a different kind of remastering they could do together. Not polishing the edges, but expanding the day itself—placing it back into the world where it belonged. Scoundrel proposed a swap: he would broker its return, stitch it into the ledger as a living day, not a commodity—rebroadcast the memory so the family could choose it back.
The plan was narrow as a knife. They would hijack a municipal broadcast—one of the old "public service" frequencies that still hiccupped in the dead of night—and play the day across the neighborhood. The child's ribbon, encoded as an audio trigger, would call any listener who'd lost that home to the riverbank. People would respond in pieces. Some would cry. Some would deny. Some would come forward, and the net of recognition would catch the family back into itself.
It was illegal, risky, and utterly beautiful.
On the night of the reclamation, they were two dozen: technicians, couriers, a choir of amateurs with voices for the moment when someone remembers. The city's sky was a bruise above them. They climbed the broadcast tower like a flock of sky-ants and set the cube into the transmitter with a trembling fist. The woman with braided beads typed with fingers that knew the taste of a deadline. Scoundrel held the ribbon, thinking of the child—of how a small loop can rearrange a life.
The day played.
It started in the kitchen again, but now the memory spilled out of the speakers and into the street. It wasn't just seen; it was shared—scent and laughter translated into sound that made people look at each other. A neighbor recognized the ringtone and crossed the street. A shopkeeper heard the specific clink of jars and touched his own chest like remembering a lost pulse. A woman at a bus stop—face lined with years of not-sleeping—gasped and clutched her bag. The city tilted; the night reconstituted into a thousand small altars.
Someone in the crowd carried the same red ribbon. A man—older, but his eyes like the young carpenter's—stood frozen, fingers white on a lamp post. The child, grown now, stepped forward with a daughter on her hip. She had the same laugh. The man sobbed in the street, laughed, and then sobbed again, and the crowd made room like water making way for a stone.
The Keepers' consoles rang like bells. Some of their servers were tracked and ripped down; others escaped. The ledger noticed anomalies—the broadcast had been unregistered, permissions absent—and sent its vultures. The city's law, always a hungry instrument, sharpened.
Scoundrel and his crew disappeared into the alleys afterward, because that is what they did. They had saved a day—not to sell, not to polish, but to restore. The woman's cube was empty now, its hum gone. The note vanished back into a pocket. For a heartbeat, Scoundrel wondered if he'd made a mistake. People would come asking for favors, for brokered memories, for edits. The ledger would tighten. The noise would get louder.
But in a small apartment near the river, three generations sat at a table and ate an apple that tasted as if the city had been rewritten. They were not perfect. They were messy, forgiveness jagged like cut glass. The man traced the child's ribbon with fingers that had done a carpenter's work and wept not to be healed but to be present.
Scoundrel lit a cigarette later, watched the smoke fold into the city's breath. He had days to trade—some he would sell, some he would keep. He had learned that remastering could be theft when it smoothed over truth. Expansion, though—expansion was different. It gave memory room to breathe again.
He pocketed a sliver of the memory they'd broadcast—saved it like a splinter. When a new face appeared on the market with a note tied to the corner, he would open it. He would decide whether to polish or to unspool. He would choose, as always, the lesser tyranny: the right of people to keep what made them, even if it was only a single, stubborn day.
Outside, the city slept with one eye open, but for now, in a small cluster of apartments by the river, several eyes stayed awake, and that was enough.
The End.
Aha - Scoundrel Days: Remastered and Expanded Edition
The Norwegian synth-pop trio Aha is set to revisit their critically acclaimed 1986 album "Scoundrel Days" with a remastered and expanded edition. This new release, aptly titled "Aha - Scoundrel Days: Remastered and Expanded Upd", promises to breathe new life into the iconic album, offering both longtime fans and new listeners a chance to experience Aha's signature sound in a refreshed and comprehensive format.
About the Original Album
"Scoundrel Days" was Aha's second studio album, released to significant commercial success and critical acclaim. It featured hit singles like "I've Been Losing You", "Scoundrel Days", and "Hunting High and Low", showcasing the band's ability to craft catchy melodies, combine synth-heavy soundscapes with lush orchestration, and Morten Harket's distinctive vocals.
The Remastered and Expanded Edition
The remastered edition of "Scoundrel Days" has been meticulously prepared to enhance the sonic experience of the original album. Utilizing the latest technology and working closely with the original production team, the remastering process aims to deliver a clearer, more vibrant sound that aligns with today's listening standards.
In addition to the original track listing, the expanded edition includes a selection of bonus tracks and B-sides that have long been sought after by fans. These additions offer insight into Aha's creative process during the "Scoundrel Days" era, featuring demos, alternate versions, and unreleased tracks that highlight the band's experimentation and evolution.
Track Listing:
Bonus Tracks:
A Message from Aha
"We're thrilled to bring 'Scoundrel Days' to a new generation of listeners and to revisit it with our fans. This remastered and expanded edition is a celebration of our work during that magical time. We hope you enjoy the enhanced sound and the additional tracks that offer a glimpse into our creative journey," shares Aha.
Release and Promotion
The "Aha - Scoundrel Days: Remastered and Expanded Upd" is scheduled for release on [Date] through [Label]. The package will be available in various formats, including CD, digital platforms, and a special edition vinyl for collectors. Fans can anticipate a series of promotional events, live performances, and interviews as part of the album's rollout.
This reimagined version of "Scoundrel Days" invites both old and new fans to rediscover Aha's pivotal work, ensuring the band's legacy as synth-pop pioneers continues to resonate through the ages.
The primary "Remastered and Expanded" version of second studio album, Scoundrel Days 2010 Deluxe Edition
. While there are various reissues and format updates, there has been no entirely new "expanded" studio content released for this specific album in 2025 or 2026. Key Release Details Original Release: October 6, 1986. Major Expansion: The 2-CD Deluxe Edition was released in via Rhino/Warner Bros. Records. Current Availability:
The 2010 remaster remains the standard version available on major streaming platforms like Apple Music Content of the 2010 Remastered & Expanded Edition This version includes 21 bonus tracks , 15 of which were previously unissued at the time. Slicing Up Eyeballs Disc 1 (Original Album + Bonus):
Remastered versions of original hits like "I've Been Losing You," "Cry Wolf," and "Manhattan Skyline". Extended versions
of "I've Been Losing You," "Cry Wolf," and "Manhattan Skyline". Disc 2 (Demos, B-Sides & Rarities):
Early studio versions of almost every track on the album, including "Octocon Studio" demos for the title track and "I've Been Losing You".
Includes "This Alone Is Love" (original version) and "Days On End" (demo). Live Tracks:
Five live recordings from Croydon in 1987, such as "Train of Thought" and "The Blue Sky". Slicing Up Eyeballs Latest Updates (2025/2026) Scoundrel Days
has seen recent vinyl represses, the most significant recent activity for a-ha fans involves the Record Store Day 2025 release of Hunting High and Low – The Demos
on crystal clear vinyl, which follows the pattern of a-ha's archival reissue series. tracklist breakdown of the Disc 2 demos and live recordings?
The Moody Masterpiece: Exploring a-ha’s Scoundrel Days Remastered and Expanded
When a-ha released their sophomore album Scoundrel Days on October 6, 1986, they faced the impossible task of following up the global phenomenon of "Take On Me". Rather than chasing another neon-soaked pop hit, the Norwegian trio—Morten Harket, Pål Waaktaar, and Magne Furuholmen—opted for a colder, darker, and more atmospheric sound. The 2010 Remastered and Expanded Deluxe Edition from Rhino Records serves as the definitive celebration of this creative pivot, offering a deep dive into the band's most critically respected era. A Darker Shade of Synth-Pop
Scoundrel Days is widely considered by fans and critics alike to be a-ha's strongest work. While their debut, Hunting High and Low, shot for the stars, this record stays grounded in a "layered melancholy".
Sonic Maturity: The album features a "muscular" arrangement, trading some of the debut's gloss for gritty guitars and "glacial precision" in the synthesizers. Standout Tracks:
"I've Been Losing You": The lead single that pushed the band into lean, grittier rock territory.
"Manhattan Skyline": An audacious "cut-and-paste" project that transitions from a calm, harpsichord-tinged verse to an explosive rock chorus.
"Cry Wolf": A successful single featuring a gothic-themed video filmed in France.
The "One-Two Punch": Critics often highlight the opening pair of the title track and "The Swing of Things" as one of the best opening sequences in '80s pop. What’s Inside the Deluxe Edition?
The Remastered and Expanded Edition is a treasure trove for collectors, adding 21 tracks to the original ten-song lineup.
A-ha: Scoundrel Days (Remastered and Expanded Edition) – A Definitive Revisit
Following the monumental success of their debut, Hunting High and Low, Norwegian synth-pop pioneers a-ha faced the formidable task of a sophomore slump avoidance. With the release of the Scoundrel Days (Remastered and Expanded Edition), the band’s pivotal 1986 album is restored to its rightful place in the pantheon of 80s art-pop, revealing a darker, more ambitious sonic landscape than previously remembered.
The Remaster: Clarity and Depth At the core of this "UPD" (Update) is a meticulous remastering process that breathes new life into the original tapes. While the 1986 mix was characterized by the era's penchant for heavy reverb, this new edition strips back the haze to reveal the intricate production work. The title track, "Scoundrel Days," now pulsates with a renewed urgency; the thunderous drum fills and Magne Furuholmen’s sweeping synthesizer arrangements possess a dynamic range that modern audio equipment demands. Morten Harket’s vocals—often cited as among the most distinctive of the decade—cut through the mix with crystalline precision, shifting from a whisper to a soaring falsetto without losing emotional resonance.
The Expanded Content: The "UPD" Factor For collectors and audiophiles, the "Expanded" portion of this release is the primary draw. This edition acts as a comprehensive archive, contextualizing the album’s creation. It includes a wealth of previously unreleased material, such as early demo versions and work-in-progress takes that illustrate the band’s writing process. Hearing the skeletal structures of hits like "I've Been Losing You" offers a fascinating glimpse into how the band layered their signature sound. Furthermore, the inclusion of rare B-sides and extended 12-inch mixes provides a complete snapshot of the Scoundrel Days era, satisfying the hardcore fanbase that has long sought these deep cuts on digital platforms.
A Critical Reassessment Historically, Scoundrel Days was often overshadowed by the omnipresence of "Take On Me." However, this updated release makes a compelling argument that the sophomore effort is arguably the superior artistic statement. It captures a band in transition—moving away from the purely commercial synth-pop of their debut toward a moodier, more cinematic sound that would define their later career. Tracks like "The Swing of Things" and "Manhattan Skyline" showcase a sophistication that rivals contemporaries like Depeche Mode or Simple Minds.
Conclusion The Scoundrel Days (Remastered and Expanded Edition) is not merely a cash-grab repackaging; it is a necessary restoration. It cleanses the audio palette, offering a listening experience that honors the band's original vision while providing a treasure trove of archival material. Whether rediscovering the album for nostalgia's sake or exploring it for the first time, this release confirms that a-ha was far more than a one-hit wonder—they were architects of a complex, enduring musical legacy.
If you already own Scoundrel Days on CD or vinyl, ask yourself: Do you want to hear the micro-details? On the new remaster:
For casual fans, the 2010 version might suffice. For anyone who considers this album a desert-island disc, the Scoundrel Days Remastered and Expanded UPD is a non-negotiable upgrade.
Released as the follow-up to Hunting High and Low, Scoundrel Days marked a deliberate shift. Less glossy and more introspective, it gave us enduring hits like: I've Been Losing You Scoundrel Days Hunting High
It wasn’t as instantly pop-friendly as Take On Me, but many fans and critics now argue it’s a-ha’s most cohesive artistic statement.
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