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Ace Of BaseAce of Base is a Swedish pop band that consists of Jonas Berggren (Joker), Ulf Ekberg (Buddha), Linn Berggren and Jenny Berggren; the three Berggrens are siblings. Their sound has been described as 'pop reggae' and is often compared to ABBA and Aqua. History In 1987, Jonas Berggren, as well as his two friends Johnny Lindn and Nicklas Trnk formed a group. Jonas' sisters, Jenny and Malin, joined as singers. Their band went throught several names; 'Kallinin Prospect' (a street in Moscow), 'CAD' (Computer Aided Disco), and 'Tech-Noir' (French for "black technology'; named for a nightclub in The Terminator). In late 1989, Johnny & Nicklas left the group, and in 1990, Ulf Ekberg joined and they changed their name to Ace of Base. Jenny explained once that the reason was "no one could pronounce the name of the group and nobody could remember it". In 1990 they signed with Mega Records and released Wheel Of Fortune. After several attempts, the song was eventually a Scandinavian hit and the band signed a pan-European distribution deal with Metronome. All That She Wants, produced by the legendary Denniz PoP then became a hit single all over the world. The months that followed saw the band propel themselves to worldwide fame. More hits followed such as The Sign, which went on to spend six weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy. The band's image was tarnished by revelations that Ulf used to be a member of a neo-Nazi group in Sweden. He has long relinquished and rejected these ties. In 1995, their second album The Bridge sold a respectable five million copies but it seemed clear that with music tastes rapidly changing, the hype about the band died down, much to the relief of blonde singer Linn who decided to hand over power to her sister Jenny for their third album Flowers which was released in 1998. Their U.S. comeback with Cruel Summer proved short-lived, but in Europe, Life Is A Flower was one of the most played records on radio that year. A greatest hits compilation was released at the end of the 90s before the band started work on album number 4. Ace of Base has released dozens of singles worldwide. In the United States, they have had seven Billboard Top 40 hits and two platinum albums. The band remain together today but have chosen to step out of the limelight. Da Capo was released in 2002 and whilst well received by fans, it didn't trouble many charts. They are about to re-enter the studio in order to record a sixth album which will be released in 2005. Achievements Throughout their relatively short time recording and performing together, Ace of Base set a number of world records and other achievements. The following is a partial list. Ace of Base released the world's highest selling debut album of all time, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, 1997 edition. Their 1993 release The Sign/Happy Nation sold an estimated 23 million copies. Four of the group's singles have received gold or platinum certification by the RIAA in the United States. These are: - All That She Wants (1994 RIAA platinum certification; over 1,000,000 copies sold in the United States).
- The Sign (1994 RIAA platinum certification; over 1,000,000 copies sold in the United States).
- Don't Turn Around (1994 RIAA gold certification; over 500,000 copies sold in the United States).
- Cruel Summer (1998 RIAA gold certification; over 500,000 copies sold in the United States).
Two of the band's albums received platinum certication in the United States: - The Sign (10 RIAA platinum certifications = diamond)
- The Bridge (1 RIAA platinum certification)
In addition, "The Sign Home Video Collection" was also certified platinum. The band also received three Grammy nominations, two American Music Awards, and two Billboard Music Awards for "Best-Selling Album" and "Best-Selling Single". In Europe, Ace of Base won awards for Best Selling Scandinavian Artist at the 1995, 1996, and 1997 World Music Awards in Monaco. They performed at each of these events. In 1998 the band's single "Life is a Flower" was the most heavily played radio single of the year, despite the fact it was never released in the Americas. The music From early on, Ace of Base drew inspiration from the growing European club scene. Their earliest performances were in small clubs in Gothenburg and their first recordings were simple reproductions of their live performances. Their first recording sessions took place in a basement converted into a studio (hence the name). Later recordings, including those of Happy Nation and The Bridge, took advantage of professional facilities in both Gothenburg and Stockholm. The last track prepared during The Bridge era, "You and I", was recorded at Jonas' newly-completed studio, The Barn. Many later recordings, including those for Flowers and the six tracks recorded in 1999, also were prepared and mixed at The Barn. The band's fifth released album, Da Capo, was recorded at studios in Stockholm. The band members were strongly influenced by club music. Most of their early songs, including "All That She Wants" and "Happy Nation" were club-friendly tracks inspired by the growth of the club scene across Europe. Later, more thoughtful studio recordings gradually replaced the "Euro-punk" sound. "Lucky Love" was the band's attempt at an acoustic sound. "Angel Eyes" and "Edge of Heaven" became sophisticated pop ballads. "Beautiful Life" was a blend of American Gospel music and the band's earlier club sound. Jonas admitted a strong influence by Whigfield in "You and I". Ace of Base continually experimented with new sounds. For example, their Flowers album was the first to introduce a Motown flavor into Scandinavian music. Tracks with retro themes from this album include "Always Have, Always Will", "Cecilia" and "Donnie". A blend of salsa and reggae can be heard on European releases such as "Cruel Summer", "No Good Lover", and "Doctor Sun". Individually, the four Aces drew further inspiration from different sources. This effect is most noticable in The Bridge, with each band member contributing 1/4th of the album. In Ace of Base's later music, the pace of the songs tends to be moderate, with more of the interest sometimes coming from the melody and the orchestration rather than the rhythm. "C'est la Vie (Always 21)" (1999) is a good example of this style. Their earlier songs were often a bit faster paced. The band has abruptly changed styles of music on several occasions. There had already been a clear trend towards progressively greater complexity both in technique and style, and for the most part an abandonment of the group's early club sound. Trivia Discography Album tracks vary by country. Songs that do not appear in all countries are noted as 'limited release'. Albums Ce Soir Supposedly released sometime between 1987 and 1990 when they were still called 'Tech-Noir'. The evidence for this album's existence seems somewhat controversial: no clips of any of the songs on this album have ever surfaced (clips of 'Hear Me Calling' come from the 'Happy Nation' album, not 'Ce Soir', and clips of 'Young and Proud' don't match the supposed tracklist length for the 'Ce Soir' album). BANDMEMBERS: Jonas Berggren Nicklas Trank Johnny Linden Malin Berggren Jenny Berggren - Beauty Queen
- Care for Me (Instrumental)
- Don't Leave Me Now (Rap Mix)
- Eskimo Girl (Unconscious Mix)
- Femme Fatale (Humpty Remix)
- Hear Me Calling
- Hey, Bart!
- Roxy Carmichael's Love
- Subordinate Lifestyle
- Tech Noir 'Ce Soir' (Mix)
- Texturous Thoughts
- Tlaltelolco Muerto
- The Strike
- Young and Proud
Happy Nation Sign Released September 25, 1993, 23 million copies sold - All That She Wants
- All That She Wants (Banghra Version)
- Dancer In A Daydream
- Dimension of Depth release
- Don't Turn Around
- Fashion Party release
- Happy Nation
- Happy Nation (Remix) release
- Hear Me Calling release
- Just Chaos (Munchhausen) release
- Living In Danger
- My Mind (Mindless Mix)
- The Sign
- Voulez-Vous Danser
- Waiting For Magic release
- Waiting For Magic (Total Remix 7")
- Wheel Of Fortune
- Young And Proud
The Bridge Released September 25, 1995, 5 million copies sold - Angel Eyes
- Beautiful Life
- Blooming 18
- Edge Of Heaven
- Experience Pearls
- Just 'N' Image
- Lucky Love release
- Lucky Love (Acoustic Version)
- My Dj Vu
- Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry
- Perfect World
- Que Sera
- Ravine
- Strange Ways
- Wave Wet Sand
- Whispers In Blindness
- You And I release
Released Spring, 1998 Singles of the 90s Hits Released Autumn, 1999 Da Capo Released September 30, 2002 - Beautiful Morning
- Beautiful Morning (Groove Radio Edit) release
- Change With The Light
- Da Capo
- Don't Stop release
- Hey Darling
- Ordinary Day
- Remember The Words
- Show Me Love
- Summer Days release
- The Juvenile
- Unspeakable
- What's The Name Of The Game
- Wonderful Life
- World Down Under
Remastered recordings released October 7, 2002 Singles Tracks listed are for maxi-singles. All That She Wants (1992) - 12" Version
- Banghra Version
- Extended Single/Dub
- Single Version
Always Have, Always Will (December 1998) Angel Eyes (1998) Beautiful Life (November 1995) - 12" Extended Version
- Junior's Circuit Bump Mix
- Lenny B's House of Joy Club Mix
- Single Version
- Uno Clio Mix
- Vission Lorimer Club Mix
Beautiful Morning (2002) C'est La Vie (Autumn 1999) Cecilia (Autumn 1998) Cruel Summer (Spring 1998) - Album Version
- Hani Num Club Mix
- Hani Radio Mix
- KLM Club Mix
- KLM Radio Mix
Don't Turn Around (Summer 1994) Donnie (1998) Everytime It Rains (February 1999) Hallo Hallo (February 2000) Happy Nation (1993) Life is a Flower (February 1998) - Extended Version
- Milk Long Edit
- Original Version
- Soul Poets Night Club Mix
Living In Danger (Autumn 1994) - D-House Mix
- New Buddha Version
- Old School Mix
- Single Edit
Love In December (December 1999) Lucky Love (November 1995) - Acoustic Version
- Amadin Mix
- Armand's British Nites Mix
- Frankie Knuckles Classic Club Mix
- Lenny B's Club Mix
- Vission Lorimer Funkified Mix
My Dj Vu (1996) Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry (August 1996) - Album Version
- Lenny B's Club Mix
- Lenny B's Organi-c House Mix
- Sweetbox Extended Mix
The Juvenile (January 20, 2003) The Sign (January 1, 1994) Tokyo Girl (Autumn 1998) Travel To Romantis (August 1998) - Don't Stop
- Junk&Function/M12 Radio Mix
- Fairlite Radio Mix
- Filur Radio Mix
- Radio Edit
Waiting For Magic (1993) Wheel of Fortune (1992) Whenever You're Near Me (August 1998) External links - http://www.aceofbase.com
- http://www.aceboards.com
- http://www.aceisland.de
- http://www.aceofbase.org
- http://www.aceofbase.nl
- http://www.aceofbase.co.uk
- http://www.ace-of-base.de
- http://www.acerdom.de
- All "Ace of Base" Lyrics
* http://www.geocities.com/aobland/
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