Savoy (Norwegian band)

Last updated
Savoy
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy.jpg
Waaktaar-Savoy performing live at Irving Plaza in NYC 09-12-05
Background information
Origin Oslo, Norway
Boston, USA
Bergen, Norway
Genres
Years active1994–present
Labels
Members Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
Lauren Savoy
Frode Unneland
Website Savoy homepage

Savoy are a Norwegian-American rock trio consisting of Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (famous from Norwegian band a-ha) (vocals/guitars/bass/keyboards), his wife Lauren Savoy (vocals/guitars) and Frode Unneland (drums/percussion/backing vocals). The band was formed in 1994 and has released seven studio albums to date.

Contents

Biography

Savoy, unlike Waaktaar-Savoy's other band A-ha, has a more down-to-earth indie rock approach to their music. All songs are composed by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Lauren Savoy. Lauren herself is known as a film maker, and Frode Unneland is one of Norway's best drummers known from the Bergen music scene as drummer with Chocolate Overdose and Popium. He has also drummed for Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche.

Savoy have achieved great critical success in Norway. They have been nominated for 3 Norwegian Grammy Awards (Spellemannprisen) and won two of them, in 2000 and 2002. Their most known hits include "Velvet" (also covered by A-ha), "Rain", "Star", "Grind You Down", "If You Won't Come to the Party" and "Whalebone" (from the soundtrack of the well-acclaimed Norwegian film Hawaii, Oslo). The latter track recycled lyrics from A-ha's 1993 track, "Locust". Savoy have sold a total of 200,000 albums.

On August 6, 2007, Savoy released Savoy Songbook Vol. 1, a double-CD where CD2 is a "best of"-album with 14 tracks, and CD1 contains three new songs and seven re-worked versions of some of their older songs. It will work as an introduction to the band outside Norway (noting a possible worldwide release). The first single from this release, "Karma Boomerang", is one of the new tracks and was released on 13 April 2007. The second single was announced as "Best Western Beauty" and was released on August 5, 2007.

Savoy signed a UK deal with indie label Genepool Records.

In 2016, it was announced that the band's back catalogue would be remastered and re-released by Apollon Records. [2] Lackluster Me and Mountains of Time were subsequently re-released in 2016 and 2017 respectively. [3] [4] As of 2020, the remaining albums have not been re-released.

After some speculation and social media posts confirming recording in 2015, Savoy's first studio album in 14 years, See the Beauty in Your Drab Hometown , was released on January 12, 2018. [5] [6] Under followed in 2024.

Band members

Current members
Guest musicians

Discography

Studio albums

YearTitleLabel
1996 Mary Is Coming Warner Bros.
1997 Lackluster Me EMI
1999 Mountains of Time
2001 Reasons to Stay Indoors
2004 Savoy Eleventeen Records
2018 See the Beauty in Your Drab Hometown Drabant Music
2024UnderEleventeen Records

Compilation

YearTitleLabel
2007 Savoy Songbook Vol. 1 Universal

Related Research Articles

<i>Scoundrel Days</i> 1986 studio album by a-ha

Scoundrel Days is the second studio album by Norwegian band a-ha, released on 6 October 1986 by Warner Bros. Records. A remastered edition with additional tracks was released in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Waaktaar-Savoy</span> Norwegian musician and songwriter (born 1961)

Paul Waaktaar-Savoy is a Norwegian musician and songwriter. Waaktaar-Savoy is best known for his work as the main songwriter and guitarist in the Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha, which has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. He has written or co-written most of the band's biggest hits, including "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.", "Hunting High and Low", "Take On Me", the 1987 James Bond theme "The Living Daylights" and the ballad "Summer Moved On". In addition, Waaktaar-Savoy is also a painter.

Funeral are a Norwegian funeral doom band formed in 1991 by Thomas Angell and Anders Eek; soon afterward, Einar Frederiksen joined as bassist and songwriter and Christian Loos joined as guitarist. They are known as one of the pioneers of the funeral doom genre.

<i>Memorial Beach</i> 1993 studio album by A-ha

Memorial Beach is the fifth studio album by the Norwegian band A-ha, released on 14 June 1993 by Warner Bros. Records.

<i>Minor Earth Major Sky</i> 2000 studio album by A-ha

Minor Earth Major Sky is the sixth studio album by Norwegian band A-ha, released on 14 April 2000 by WEA.

<i>Analogue</i> (album) 2005 studio album by A-ha

Analogue is the eighth studio album by the Norwegian band A-ha, released in 2005. It is a-ha's first album on Polydor Records (Universal), having previously been signed to Warner Music. Four singles were also released from this record. The album's second single, "Analogue " became the group's first top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart since "Stay on These Roads" (1988). The album reached No. 24 in the UK and got silver certification there.

<i>Mountains of Time</i> 1999 studio album by Savoy

Mountains of Time is the third album released by the band Savoy. It is the only original Savoy studio album officially released outside of Scandinavia so far, but only in central and Western Europe. There was a limited edition with a second CD called The Bovarnick Twins, which was an EP of otherwise unavailable bonus tracks. In 2008, the track "Bottomless Pit" was featured in the Moral Orel episode "Sacrifice".

<i>How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head</i> 2003 live album by A-ha

How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head is a live album by Norwegian band A-ha, released on 25 March 2003 by WEA Records.

Lauren Lucia Savoy is an American musician and film director.

<i>Lackluster Me</i> 1997 studio album by Savoy

Lackluster Me is the second album released by the band Savoy. It was only officially released in Norway and Sweden. It sold a total of 15,000 copies there and received a Spellemannprisen nomination for best rock album.

<i>Mary Is Coming</i> 1996 studio album by Savoy

Mary Is Coming is the first album released by the band Savoy. It was a different sound from Paul Waaktaar-Savoy's previous band, a-ha, which had gone on hiatus. Savoy aimed to be more guitar-oriented. Mary Is Coming was recorded in Oslo and New York City. The album sold a total of 50,000 copies in Norway and went Gold. Sales in most other countries were unspectacular, leaving Savoy without a worldwide deal. The A&R from Warner that signed the band as a spinoff of a-ha had also left the label and a lack of support from them led Savoy to later sign with EMI in Norway. "Velvet" was re-recorded by a-ha on their 2000 comeback album Minor Earth Major Sky.

<i>Reasons to Stay Indoors</i> 2001 studio album by Savoy

Reasons to Stay Indoors is the fourth album from the Norwegian group Savoy, released Monday, October 8, 2001 in Norway and on February 25, 2002, in Sweden. As with Mountains of Time, a limited edition was released that included a CD bonus with five otherwise unavailable bonus tracks.

<i>Savoy</i> (Savoy album) 2004 studio album by Savoy

Savoy is the fifth album from the Norwegian group of the same name, released October 30, 2004, in Norway. Like their two previous releases, there was a regular edition and limited edition. However, this time, the limited edition bonus CD has been substituted by a DVD containing the video for "Isotope". The song "Whalebone" appears in the critically acclaimed film Hawaii, Oslo.

<i>Savoy Songbook Vol. 1</i> 2007 compilation album by Savoy

Savoy Songbook Vol. 1 is a compilation album from the Norwegian group of the same name, released Monday, August 6, 2007, in Norway. It was released in the UK by Genepool Records on May 12, 2008. Disc 1 contains three all-new tracks and re-recordings of earlier tracks. Disc 2 contains the original versions of past material, though there are two versions of "Star." "Karma Boomerang" was released as a single in April 2007 in Norway as a download and radio cut.

<i>Live at Vallhall: Homecoming</i> 2001 video by A-ha

Live at Vallhall: Homecoming is a live video album by Norwegian band A-ha, released on 5 November 2001 by Warner Music Vision. It was filmed during the band's two concerts at Vallhall Arena in Oslo on 24 and 25 March 2001.

Harald Frode Unneland is a Norwegian musician, drummer and multi-instrumentalist.

Chocolate Overdose is a pop oriented rock band.

<i>Cast in Steel</i> 2015 studio album by a-ha

Cast in Steel is the tenth studio album by Norwegian band A-ha. The album was released on 4 September 2015 by We Love Music and Polydor. It is their first studio album since Foot of the Mountain (2009), following their second reunion in early 2015.

<i>See the Beauty in Your Drab Hometown</i> 2018 studio album by Savoy

See the Beauty in Your Drab Hometown is the sixth studio album by the band Savoy. It was released on January 12, 2018. The title of the album comes from the opening line of the song "January Thaw".

Bridges were a Norwegian rock band formed in Oslo, Norway, in 1978. It is notable for being the predecessor to synth pop band a-ha. The band released their debut album Fakkeltog in 1980. Their second album Våkenatt was recorded within the following year, but not released until 2018.

References

  1. 1 2 "Allmusic". Allmusic . Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  2. "Apollon Records to reissue Savoy albums | a-ha live". a-ha-live.com. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  3. "Pre-order 'Lackluster Me' reissue | a-ha live". a-ha-live.com. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  4. "'Mountains of Time' to be reissued in July | a-ha live". a-ha-live.com. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  5. "Gjør comeback – i mellomtida har et annet band med samme navn dukket opp". Dagbladet.no (in Norwegian). 2017-11-14. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  6. "Savoy recording new album in New York | a-ha live". a-ha-live.com. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
  7. "Savoy at Parkteatret | a-ha live". a-ha-live.com. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
Awards
Preceded by Recipient of the best Pop band Spellemannprisen
1999
Succeeded by
Preceded by Recipient of the best Pop band Spellemannprisen
2001
Succeeded by