Growing up is never easy and for a band pushed into a corner, trapped in a box labelled for the media and musical community alike, the process of change can be the roughest and most arduous of all. Musical diversity is more myth than fact and bad portrayal brought upon by the music business policy of money and commerciality is the throat cutter of many bands who begin with a sound and find that any change is looked upon with scepticism and met by a lack of enthusiasm by those whose business it is to show the new approach and retain the publics interest.

1993 is now over and for many it has been a year of great development, not least a-ha. They celebrated their ten years together as a band in the midst of a great battle for their musical integrity and credibility; a bitter fight against the chains of familiarity WEA and the public cast around them. "Hunting High & Low" is now nine years old and the band are older, wiser and more cynical for those years, and yet they have returned from a disappointed breakdown to prove that they are a band who will outlive their contemporaries and a band who have and will continually grow and improve.

A-ha is dead, long live a-ha is the statement to denounce the nine year period between "Hunting High & Low" and "East Of The Sun.." and the rebirth has been laboured by the very different "Memorial Beach" - an album with a definite style progression and a fresher, original, popless theme. "Between Your Mamma and Yourself" was the only noted weakness - too reminiscent of "East Of The Sun's.." flaw "Cold River" and although a meaningful, inspired song, "Angel" is the only song that clung tight to the old sounding a-ha, making it therefore a very strange single choice and a huge question mark over WEA's reasons for disregarding a-ha's obvious break from all that had held them back in the past, i.e commercial hits and a pretty boy image to match. After the forward stepping stone of "Dark Is The Night", an attempt to regress the band who have constantly fought to move forward is very confusing.

A-ha are no longer abled to be filed alongside the likes of "Take That" and the "Bad Boy's INC" of this world. Through hard work and perseverence they have blossomed into three mature musicians with an unbeatable and rare ability to write their own material, not to mention the gaining of a mature, confident and sexual personna with an adult and masculine flavour. A-ha have risen to be be deemed more credible than the 'Guns 'n' Roses', 'U2's and 'Michael Jackson's and should be portrayed for all their worth, not just the easy going, uptempo melodies that sealed their recording deal. The release of "Lie Down In Darkness", "How Sweet It Was" or even "Locust" may not guarantee chart success, but it would shake off the claustrophobic, false assumptions and give a-ha the serious break they so richly deserve.

If it is true that promotion for a bands sound is in their single releases, then for a-ha at least, their strive for maturity and depth recognition will remain unnoticed and the music world and public at large shall never be given a chance to preview their true worth.

The metamorphosis/rebirth has happened. It is now up to a-ha themselves to make this reincarnation a worth while and rewarding one.

'A Forever Thing' among many followers are on their side and dedicate this issue to a-ha :- to congratulate them on an eventful year, a brilliant tour and the launch of a new era that will hopefully benefit us all.