(Blues/Hard Rock/Psychedelic) Bridges (pre A-ha) - Fakkeltog - 1980, WMA, 129 kbps

Магне «Магс» Фурухольмен (p.1962, Осло; клавишные, вокал) и Пал Воктор (р. 1961, Осло; гитара, вокал) организовали свою первую группу SPIDER EMPIRE еще в школе. Вопреки веяниям времени (шел 1977 год) они играли хард-рок и тяжелый блюз с психоделическими интонациями. Воктор неумело копировал соло Хендрикса, а Магс блистал псевдоклассическими пассажами на органе. Осенью 1979 они собрали новый квартет, ориентировавшийся на DOORS, и назвали его BRIDGES. На следующий год они записали и на собственные средства издали свой первый альбом Fakkeltog, разошедшийся в Норвегии тысячным тиражом, а еще через год на пути BRIDGES появился певец соул-группы SOULDIER BLUE Мортен Харкет (p. 14 сентября 1959).
Человек достаточно практичный, Харкет предложил Фурухольмену и Воктору попытать счастья на поп-сцене. BRIDGES были распущены, и все трое принялись работать над новым материалом. Фурухольмен придумал название A-HA, исходя из очевидной идеи, что это простенькое междометие означает одно и то же на любом языке. Но это уже другая история...

Pål Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen's first group was called Bridges. They released a self-financed LP on the record company Vеkenatt in Norway only called "Fakkeltog" (Torch-light procession). 1000 copies were made, but very few of them sold. The music is heavily influenced and inspired by The Doors. This record is the most sought-after record among a-ha fans and you must expect to pay an awful lot of money to get your hands on a copy of this record. The LP has a home-made cover design (photo by Fritz Johannesen) which shows the faces of the group members. In the background there is some text (apparently Norwegian lyrics).
The back of the cover shows a field with more lyrics printed upon it. This is not the complete lyrics for the album, only drafts and excerpts. The record in itself is quite unique as it has a stop mark on side B. This is done to divide the record into the three seperate parts called "The Oncoming Of Day", "The Oncoming" and "The Oncoming Of Night".
One side of the LP has a black label with grey text listing the tracks for "The Oncoming Of Night". "Våkenatt Presenterer" and "Bridges..." have been printed in large grey capital letters above the track list. The other side of the LP has a white disc label. The top half features red text with "...Fakkeltog" and track list for "The Oncoming". The bottom half of the label lists the tracks for "The Oncoming Of Day" in black text which is printed upside down compared to the text in the top half. A black line divides the top and bottom sections of the label.
An even rarer edition of the LP contains a poster (around 1000 copies came with a poster - TBC?). There are two posters available; one has lyrics to three songs printed across the groupshot while the other comes without the lyrics.
The album was produced by Svein Erichsen, mixed by Svein Erichsen and Tore Aarnes. It features Pеl Waaktaar on guitar and vocals, Magne Furuholmen on synthesizers, Øystein Jevanord on drums and percussion and Viggo Bondi on bass guitar. The track "Vagrants" features Шivind Nusle and Hans Morten Stensland on violins, Svein Ivar Fors and Elisabeth Moe on cello, Ingvil Kaalhus on obo. "September" features Gro Hanne Fors and Sissel Grшnlund on tumpets. The songs, arrangements and lyrics are all by Pеl except for "Vagrants" which is arranged by Erik Nygaard. The songs on this album are all sung in English. This is the only album released by Bridges, the band started another album by the name of "Poem" but it was never published. The a-ha song "This Alone Is Love" features song text from the Bridges songs "May The Last Dance Be Mine" ("It will make my last breath pass out at dawn It will make my body dissolve out in the blue") and slightly adapted lyrics from "Every Mortal Night" ("Travel by trap-doors our souls are a myrid of wars And we are losing everyone").
Tracks: The Oncoming Of Day: The Oncoming Of Day (instrumantal) (2:07) / Somebody's Going Away (3:01) / May The Last Dance Be Mine (2:33) / Divided We Fall (2:14) / Vagrants (1:56) / The Oncoming: The Stranger's Town (9:58) / Pavilion Of The Luxuriant Trees (2:35) / The Oncoming Of Night: The Oncoming Of Night (instrumental) (0:47) / The Vacant (3:30) / Guest On Earth (3:23) / Death Of The Century (2:59) / The Melancolic Chevaliers (3:00) / Scared, Bewildered, Wild (1:38) / Every Mortal Night (3:22) / September (5:19)
An extremely rare item is a test pressing of "Fakkeltog" which includes an alternative cover handmade by Pål Waaktaar. There is an LP sized paper sheet which Pål has coloured in and stuck cuttings on. Also included is a paper sheet with hand written lyrics and corner credit "Fakkeltog" Pål Waaktaar. This test pressing does not come with the regular "released version" of the cover. The Polygram labels on the disc state that it is a testpressing and the details have been hand written below. The date give is 22.8.1980.

Paul Waaktaar on guitar and vocals
Magne Furuholmen on synthesizers
Øystein Jevanord on drums and percussion
Viggo Bondi on bass guitar