A-HA - HUNTING HIGH AND LOW

This is the debut album of 80's pop icons, A-Ha. You get the impression they started off with the idea of conquering the world. As with many Scandinavian acts, A-Ha sang in English. And because it's not their native language, sometimes the lyrics seem odd or strange. Like the first single from the album, 'Take On Me'... It's a play on words from the more accepted slang, "Take me on..." or more appropriately, "I'll take you on..." Still they found a way to make sense even in their odd phrasing and audiences around the world embraced the band. State of the art videos helped fuel the group's success on MTV. In fact, the year 'Take On Me' was released, the video swept the MTV Music Awards in almost every category it was nominated. I think it won something like five. That same year, "The Sun Always Shines On T.V." also won some awards.

This record was surprisingly complex and interesting in more ways than one. Usually with synthesizer bands of this period you could categorize them in a couple ways... There was one musician who was trained and knew what they were doing or a band member who had a distinct ear for sound... A-Ha seem to have both. There's a hint of classical composition in certain songs and an innate feel for electronic sound. It's on par with or better than most of the synth groups of the time. But the distinct power of A-Ha is probably Morten Harkett's vocals. Morten has a resonating soulful voice. In one instance he can sound like a Vienna Choirboy singing sweetly in angelic tones too high for human ears and in the next, he can deliver a powerful soul stirring bombardment of orchestral proportions. It's the juxtaposition of his delivery that sets the group apart and gives them such an unparalleled sound. He emotes his lyrics.

There's a lot of ambitious swelling on this album. Songs with big, big natural progressions. For this kind of music, that's a rare quality. The only fault I can find with this record is the English translation of certain lyrics. I realize at the time if you wanted to be successful in countries worldwide you basically had to sing in English. But that's not the case anymore and it's a shame A-Ha didn't sing in their native tongue. It would've been nice to hear it.

Ok, I've gone on enough. Although I like certain songs on this record more than others, for the most part, the entire disc is enjoyable from start to finish. It's worth picking up and certainly a great addition to any collection. My final words: AN EXCITING START FOR AN OVERLOOKED BAND.

A-HA - HUNTING HIGH AND LOW
01. Take On Me
02. Train Of Thought
03. Hunting High And Low
04. The Blue Sky
05. Living A Boy's Adventure Tale
06. The Sun Always Shines On T.V.
07. And You Tell Me
08. Love Is Reason
09. I Dream Myself Alive
10. Here I Stand And Face The Rain