Ace of Base: The Unreleased Album

Ace of Base released “Da Capo,” one of their best albums, last year in Europe, but American fans are still waiting. They were dropped from their U.S. label and so far no one has picked them up. Ace of Base, the Swedish pop group, who has been compared to ABBA, dominated the charts in the mid-90s. They’ve always been one of my favorite bands and it’s a shame that American audiences won’t get to hear the new music.

In 1993, Ace of Base found worldwide success with their debut album, “The Sign.” The first single, “All That She Wants,” climbed the charts and was played continually on MTV. I thought the song was ok but I wasn’t hooked yet. They caught my attention with the second single, “The Sign,” which was even a bigger hit then the first. I enjoyed this song, but I wasn’t ready to embrace the band thinking that they would be a one-hit wonder.

I was wrong. In 1995, they released “The Bridge,” a stronger album then their first. I was blown away with the first single, “Beautiful Life.” It’s a hi-energy dance song with great, touching lyrics and vocals. I was enthralled by the song and still enjoy it today. The video even added to my enjoyment of the song, catching the energy and essence of the song. The single was great with several cool dance mixes. They continued strongly with “Luckly Love,” and then with “Never Gonna Say I’m Sorry,” which had some fun dance mixes including a disco version. Another great song off the album is “My Déjà vu.” Ace of Base quickly became one of my favorite bands at this point and I was excited for the next album.

In 1998, they released “Cruel Summer,” which was a disappointment after such a strong album in 1995. The first single was the Bannanrama cover “Cruel Summer,” which I thought was needless to make. They wrote great songs themselves and didn’t need to cover a song. The album sounded generic with not a lot of strong tracks. The one stand out song that was released as a single in Europe was “Travel to Romantis.” It had great lyrics of wanting to leave your circumstances and start anew with a peppy dance beat.

In 2000, they released a greatest hits album that included two new songs. One of the songs, “C’est La Vie,” a classic Ace of Base song with lyrics about finding love and staying youthful no matter how old you get. Overall, the greatest hits album was lacking, missing some of the singles like “Never Gonna Say I’m Sorry,” and “My Déjà vu.” The album didn’t sell well and their American label dropped them.

In 2002, they released “Da Capo” internationally. It’s their strongest album since “The Bridge.” Highlights include the classic, “Beautiful Morning,” a life affirming song about enjoying the here and now. “Unspeakable,” is a dancey song that ranks up with their best. Other highlights include “Da Capo” and “The Juvenile.” It’s a strong album and hopefully it will be released someday. It would also be a wonderful time for American fans if they returned to the U.S. for a tour. Most of us never got the chance to see them perform live.

Here is the track listing for Da Capo:

1. Unspeakable [03:14]

2. Beautiful Morning [02:59]

3. Remember The Words [03:43]

4. Da Capo [03:10]

5. World Down Under [03:32]

6. Ordinary Day [03:24]

7. Wonderful Life [04:15]

8. Show Me Love [03:42]

9. Whats The Name Of The Game [03:02]

10. Change With The Light [03:35]

11. Hey Darling [03:16]

12. The Juvenile [03:45]

By Clint Romag