Wild Seed (album)
1995 studio album by Morten Harket
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Wild Seed is the second studio album and first English-language album by Norwegian pop singer Morten Harket. The album was released on 4 September 1995 through Warner Bros. Records. After a-ha went on a hiatus in 1994, Harket began recording Wild Seed with British record producer Christopher Neil, who previously worked with the band on their fourth studio album, East of the Sun, West of the Moon (1990). Wild Seed charted at number one in Norway and at number 89 in the United Kingdom. It has since sold 160.000 copies in Norway.[1]
| Wild Seed | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 September 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1994–95 in Trondheim and Oslo, Norway; and Oxfordshire and London, England | |||
| Genres | Pop rock, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 49:56 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Christopher Neil | |||
| Morten Harket chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Wild Seed | ||||
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Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Guardian | [3] |
| The Scotsman | [4] |
Upon its release, Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian commented, "The A-ha frontman's solo debut reveals that, all this time, a poet's soul dwelt beneath that camera-pleasing exterior. Harket's brooding balladry calls to mind John Martyn and his sultry like, with a touch of Leonard Cohen in his low voice on 'Brodsky Tune'. If he's not as gifted a lyricist, he's got a lovely grasp of the rhythm of language."[3] Myles Palmer of The Scotsman praised Wild Seed as an "excellent solo debut" on which producer Christopher Neil "frames Harket's appealing voice between chunky drums and spacey synthesisers, uses the guitar cleverly, and proves that good production is all about what you leave out".[4] Ryan Gilbey of The Independent was negative in his review, writing, "If A-ha was his Wham! then Wild Seed is his Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, a collection of aching ballads which cover everything from tortured love to painful longing. Not a lot of ground. Even less when sung over music which belongs in a lift, despite the majesty of Harket's voice."[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Kind of Christmas Card" | Håvard Rem | Morten Harket | 4:06 |
| 2. | "Spanish Steps" | Rem, Harket, Torstein Flakne | Flakne | 4:07 |
| 3. | "Half in Love Half in Hate" | Ole Sverre Olsen | Harket | 4:45 |
| 4. | "Brodsky Tune" | Joseph Brodsky, Harket | Harket | 4:23 |
| 5. | "Wild Seed" | Harket | Harket | 4:48 |
| 6. | "Los Angeles" | Rem | Harket | 4:26 |
| 7. | "East Timor" | Henning Kramer Dahl, Rem, Harket | Geir Kolbu | 4:12 |
| 8. | "Lay Me Down Tonight" | Rem, Harket | Harket | 2:17 |
| 9. | "Tell Me What You See" | Rem, Harket | Harket | 4:50 |
| 10. | "Stay" | Rem, Harket | Harket | 3:29 |
| 11. | "Lord" | Rem | Harket | 3:46 |
| 12. | "Ready to Go Home" | Andrew Gold, Graham Gouldman | Gold, Gouldman | 4:33 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "A Change Is Gonna Come" | Sam Cooke | 5:56 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" | Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio | 3:46 |
- "Brodsky Tune" lyrics from the poem "Bosnia Tune" by Joseph Brodsky, chorus by Morten Harket.
- "Lay Me Down Tonight", "Tell Me What You See" and "Stay" are based on a Norwegian poem by Håvard Rem.
