Original Article and also printed here. By dpa Staff - (Translation by Sabine Clement) Paris (dpa) - Bass tones which go under the skin, a down-to-earth keyboard sound in the background and lyrics with a melancholic undertone: the Norwegian pop band a-ha stayed true to the sound that made them pop stars in the eighties and nineties. On Thursday night, before 160 music and media representatives, the Norwegian trio celebrated their comeback, and neither effort nor expense was spared. In the classy Parisian night bar 'Monkey Club', they brought samples from their new album 'Minor Earth, Major Sky'. The band left a relaxed, experienced and generally youthful impression upon the critical professional audience members, who had traveled there from Brazil, Portugal, Spain and other countries. Next Saturday, in the TV show 'Wetten Dass...' , the threesome will present the a-ha reunion album to the German audience. In 1985, the three pop oldies, singer Morten Harket (40), keyboarder Magne Furuholmen (37) and guitar player P†l Waaktaar (38), came into the public eye for the first time. With 'Take On Me', they made it all the way to the number one spot in the American charts. Further top hits followed,:like 'The Sun Always Shines On TV', 'Train of Thought' and 'Hunting High and Low'. In 1987, the band reached its commercial peak: they wrote and performed the title track for the Bond movie 'The Living Daylights'. This song sold 20 million copies [*]. In 1993, the successful trio said goodbye to the pop scene. "Totally exhausted, burnt out, without any lust in music or power left, we all had to switch off the machinery," Morten Harket explains their withdrawal from the united pop business. Seven years later, the pop oldies step into the year 2000, with a new album, the single 'Summer Moved On' - which has hit potential - and an accompanying romantic video. Why did they choose Paris for this world premiere? Probably because back in 1986, the three Norwegians caused a storm of enthusiasm in this capital of culture. The 'Zenith', one of the most famous concert halls in France, had to close its ticket booths on all four concert days. For weeks, tickets for the concerts of the 'Vikings of Pop' - the French music audience's nickname for the band - had been sold out. "It's a new process for us, to play and perform together again," Magne Furuholmen explains. During the six year break, each went his own way. Magne established a name as a painter, P†l Waaktaar and Morten Harket threw themselves into solo projects. When will the band tour? "We hope soon. It depends on the success of our new album," the trio declared Thursday evening. 'Minor Earth, Major Sky' will land on the music market on April 17. [*] Translator's note: allow me to find that number 'slightly' exaggerated (we think they meant that a-ha sold 20 million albums so far over their careers)...