Aha Scoundrel Days Remastered And Expanded Upd < PROVEN · 2024 >
Scoundrel Days: Remastered and Expanded edition is a deluxe 2-CD reissue of a-ha's critically acclaimed second album. Originally released in 2010 through Rhino Records
, this version provides a comprehensive look at the 1986 era with high-fidelity remasters and a significant collection of unreleased material. Slicing Up Eyeballs Key Features of the Expanded Edition Disc 1: Remastered Album & Extended Versions
Features the original 10-track album, including hits like "I've Been Losing You," "Manhattan Skyline," and "Cry Wolf," all remastered for superior sound quality. Includes three extended remixes
: "I've Been Losing You" (Extended Version), "Cry Wolf" (Extended Version), and "Manhattan Skyline" (Extended Remix). Disc 2: Demos, B-Sides & Rarities Early Demos
: Contains demo versions for nearly every track on the album, such as "Scoundrel Days (Octocon Studio Demo)" and "The Swing of Things (Demo #3)". Live Performances : Features a selection of live tracks recorded in
during their 1986/87 tour, including "Train of Thought" and "The Blue Sky". Rare Tracks
: Includes the original version of "This Alone Is Love" and "Days On End". Release Context Vinyl Reissue
: As part of the band's 30th-anniversary celebrations in 2015, a vinyl reissue of the remastered album was also made available. Availability : While originally an exclusive through , the collection is widely catalogued on platforms like
and remains a staple for collectors interested in the band's transition to a darker, more atmospheric sound. Slicing Up Eyeballs or perhaps a physical copy of this deluxe edition?
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 aha scoundrel days remastered and expanded upd
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".
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
The Return of the Scoundrel: Why the ‘Remastered and Expanded’ Update Changes Everything
By: [Your Name] Date: [Current Date]
If you are reading this, you likely have a memory burned into your brain: the neon-drenched alleyways, the synth beat dropping right as the protagonist draws a blade, and that iconic line, “Trust me? I wouldn’t trust me as far as I could throw this city.”
For two decades, Aha: Scoundrel Days has been the cult classic that refused to die. But let’s be honest—it has also been the game that refused to run properly on modern hardware. That changes today.
The long-rumored Scoundrel Days: Remastered and Expanded (UPDATE 2.0) has finally dropped, and after spending 20 hours digging through the new code, I’m here to tell you that this isn’t just a fresh coat of paint. It’s a reconstruction of a masterpiece.
Here is the breakdown of everything you need to know about the “Scoundrel Days” Remastered Update.
What You Actually Get (Typical Tracklist for “Remastered & Expanded UPD”)
A standard “UPD” expanded version runs about 18–22 tracks, including: Scoundrel Days: Remastered and Expanded edition is a
Original album (10 tracks)
Scoundrel Days, The Swing of Things, I’ve Been Losing You, October, Manhattan Skyline, Cry Wolf, We’re Looking for the Whales, The Weight of the Wind (yes, originally a b-side that got promoted in some reissues), Soft Rains of April, Maybe, Maybe.
Bonus material (varies by UPD version):
- The Weight of the Wind (original 7″ mix)
- I’ve Been Losing You (extended version)
- Cry Wolf (live from Oslo, 1986)
- Manhattan Skyline (early demo)
- Scoundrel Days (alternate mix)
What Does “UPD” Mean Here?
In music archiving and retail contexts, “UPD” almost always stands for “Updated” or “Update.” It signals that the release in question is a newer digital or physical pressing—correcting metadata, adding tracks, or remastering from better sources compared to a prior reissue. Sometimes it’s used internally by streaming services to flag a refreshed album page.
3. 2019 Hi-Res Remaster (24-bit / 96kHz)
- Targeting: Audiophile market. Often labeled “Remastered – Expanded UPD” on Qobuz and Tidal.
- Extra content: Includes the b-sides and demos from the 2005 set but with higher resolution.
Why “UPD” Matters: A Critical Reassessment
At the time of its release, Scoundrel Days puzzled critics expecting more catchy, upbeat pop. Lead single “I’ve Been Losing You” dealt with romantic erasure, “Manhattan Skyline” twisted a love song into a tale of emotional collapse, and “Soft Rains of April” ended the album with whispered dread. Commercially, it went platinum in the UK and Norway but stalled at No. 74 in the US—a failure relative to Hunting High and Low.
However, hindsight has been kind. The remastered edition reveals how the trio used digital synths (Fairlight CMI, Yamaha DX7) not as novelties but as orchestral tools. The title track’s metallic percussion and Harket’s wordless falsetto bridge now sound like proto-trip-hop. “The Swing of Things” predicts the melancholic alt-pop of the 2000s (The xx, James Blake). Even the controversial “We’re Looking for the Whales”—often dismissed as pretentious—emerges in the remaster as a climate elegy before its time.
The Expanded UPD portion is particularly revelatory. The outtakes show Aha experimenting with darker, gothic tones (“Broken Satellite”) and baroque pop (“The Longest Night”) that wouldn’t surface fully until their 1990 album East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Final Verdict
Scoundrel Days has aged remarkably well—darker, smarter, and less reliant on the band’s falsetto gimmickry. The Remastered and Expanded UPD editions finally give the album the sonic depth it always deserved. If you only know a-ha for the Take On Me video, this is where you discover they were real songwriters.
Recommended listening order:
Start with the original album (remastered), then dive into the b-sides The Weight of the Wind and Soft Rains of April, then close with the live Cry Wolf.
Have you heard a specific “UPD” version that sounds different? Drop the catalog number in the comments, and we’ll help identify which pressing it is.
The 2010 Remastered and Expanded Deluxe Edition of a-ha's sophomore album, Scoundrel Days, is widely regarded by fans and retrospective critics as the band's creative peak. While their debut Hunting High and Low (1985) was a massive pop success, Scoundrel Days (1986) represents a deliberate shift toward a darker, edgier, and more "adult" synth-pop sound that avoided the "bubblegum" label of their early MTV fame. Album Overview & Musical Direction
Produced largely by Alan Tarney, the album moved away from immediate, accessible pop toward moody, atmospheric, and often gothic landscapes.
A "Darker Beast": The album is characterized by "glacial precision" and layered melancholy. Tracks like the title track "Scoundrel Days" and "The Swing of Things" feature cinematic arrangements that hint at the band’s later work on Bond themes.
Retrospective Praise: Although critics were initially cautious in 1986, retrospective reviews from AllMusic and The Quietus now hail it as one of the finest pop albums of the '80s.
Vocal Performance: Morten Harket’s vocals are a central highlight, showcasing a range that moves from a "guttural primal growl" on "Manhattan Skyline" to his signature soaring falsetto. The 2010 Remaster & Bonus Content The Return of the Scoundrel: Why the ‘Remastered
The Deluxe Edition (released for the album's 25th anniversary) significantly improves the audio quality over previous digital transfers, which some listeners felt were "lousy" or brittle.
Remastering: PopMatters notes that while the volume is "a bit louder," the remaster uncovers details previously lost in the original 1980s transfers.
Disc 2 Content: The expanded edition includes a wealth of rare material:
Demos & Rarities: Features early versions of almost every track, including a guitar-focused "Soft Rains of April" and "This Alone Is Love," which was later rerecorded for their third album.
Live Tracks: Live recordings from 1986/1987 (such as "Train of Thought" and "Cry Wolf" live in Croydon) showcase the band as a dynamic, professional live act.
Extended Versions: Remixes like the "Extended Remix" of "Manhattan Skyline" and the "Extended Version" of "I've Been Losing You" provide the era-appropriate "hand-edited" remix experience.
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.
How This “UPD” Improves on Previous Reissues
A-ha fans have seen reissues before—the 2010 Deluxe Edition and the 2015 vinyl reprint. Both had issues. The 2010 version used a noisy, over-limited master. The 2015 vinyl was sourced from a digital file. The 2025/2026 Scoundrel Days Remastered and Expanded UPD is different:
| Feature | 2010 Deluxe | 2025 UPD | |--------|-------------|-----------| | Source | 16-bit digital tape transfers | 1/2” Analog Masters @ 192kHz | | Dynamic Range | DR6 (heavily compressed) | DR12 (natural) | | Bonus Material | 5 standard B-sides | 14 tracks including 7 unreleased | | Vinyl Pressing | Standard weight, GZ Media | 180g, Optimal (Germany), lacquers by Bernie Grundman | | Atmos Mix | No | Yes |
The Many Lives of Scoundrel Days: A Guide to the Remastered & Expanded Editions
If you’ve recently stumbled upon the phrase “Aha Scoundrel Days Remastered and Expanded UPD” while browsing forums, streaming services, or online music stores, you’re likely looking at shorthand for one of the most comprehensive reissue campaigns of the Norwegian synth-pop trio’s landmark 1986 album.
Let’s break down what each part of that term means, and what you actually get from these editions.