Original release: 1985

Label: Warner Brothers

Music and lyrics written by: Pål Waaktaar, Mags Furuholmen (1, 8, 9) and Morten Harket (1 and 5)

Produced by: Tony Mansfield, Alan Tarney (1, 6), John Ratcliff and a-ha (8)

Mixed by: John Ratcliff and a-ha

It's funny. I've learnt very recently that in the US, a-ha is considered as a one-hit wonder. Here in Europe, they are one of the most popular bands of the 80's. And to me, they have been the band that awoke my interest in pop/rock music with their 3rd album when I was ten. Theirs was the first concert I attended back in 1992. And yes, Morten Harket was even my first (and only) teenage crush on a celebrity *g*.

As I said, I discovered them through their third album. The one I'm reviewing here, "Hunting High and Low", was their first, published in 1985 and sold extremly well, thanks to the worldwide hit "Take on Me" and its brilliant video, still highly entertaining today, some 20 years later. But this song is far from reflecting the entire album musically. Although still in its infancy, their darker pop tone, that will appear full-force on their following release, "Scoundrel Days", can already be guessed at here from time to time. The lyrics are relatively weak (English being, after all, only their second language), but the depths to which they can take their music at times, while still remaining whithin the realms of pop, the quality of the production, and the voice (one of the most beautiful of the last 25 years - those who don't agree can go to hell) more than make up for it, even at this early stage of their carrier.

But enough introduction for now. Let's listen to this album together.

1. Take on Me: well, what do you want me to say. Not my favorite song, not by a long shot, and that's probably partly because it's that song that gave them this (erroneous) image of a light, easy-listening and 'cute' (eek!) pop trio. But I couldn't bring myself to dislike it. Let's face it, it's one of those tunes you cannot actually not enjoy. It's light, it's fun, and it works, and because of that, it deserves to be among the most popular songs of the 80s. 8/10

2. Train of Thought: This is the first of one style of songs that will occur on all of a-ha's 80s albums. The kind that, when you close your eyes to, you have the impression that you're either in a train or on a motorcycle, and the speed is building until you reach a certain plateau. That's pretty much what happens to the rythm of that song. Nice, and IMO, already a lot more interesting musically than the preceeding one. 7,5/10

3. Hunting High and Low: In a fair and perfect world, this would have been their one worldwide hit. This song has everything going for it: it's beautifully crafted while still remaining very accessible and makes for a good single (it actually was their third). It's melancholic, moody, without excessive melodramatic antics. And Harket puts a real emotionally-driven vocal performance (even though, in that department, he tops it all in "living a boy's...."). The real jewel of the crown. 10/10

4. A Blue Sky: this one is stuck in the worst place of all, in between "Hunting High...." and "Living a boy's....", which, by comparison, make this one sound like a sweet little interlude, and I remember not paying much attention to it for a long time. But then it started to grow on me, insiduously: there's nothing exceptional, nothing remarkabe in itself, but again, it works, albeit in a more subtle way than "Take on me". The synthesizer here especially caught my attention.7/10

5. Living a Boy's Adventure Tales: I may as well confess: I'm in love with this song. That's the proof that a-ha could already reach places no other group that had been compared to them (if someone says Bros, I'll have to kill them for it. Slowly. Painfully.) could even imagine. It's nothing like conventional pop, it's longer, it's rougher, it's oh so much more demanding. Morten Harket's voice really flies, literally, to new heights (listen carfully from 3'52'', the most chilling moment of the whole album), and it suddenly takes a new dimension right there and then. 10/10

6. The Sun Always Shine on TV: a-ha's second single (the video was actually following the story line of 'Take on me') and longest song. I used to love it, but I got tired of it eventually. It sounds to me also as if years had been less kind to it than to "Hunting High...." for instance, as if this one couldn't pass the test of time as well as most others. Well sung, well produced, but nothing remarkable in those departments either, and the emotion carried in the voice sounds to me, in this very case, surfeit and superficial. 5,5/10

7. And You Tell Me: you know, I've come to wonder if there was in their contract a clause saying that in each album, they had to have a bland song. Because everytime it's the case. Here, this spot is filled by "And you tell me". It's not as much an abomination and a scar as "Maybe, Maybe" is on "Scoundrel Days": it's pleasant and sweet, but highly forgetable. It's probably for the best. 3/10

8. Love is Reason: another light-hearted pop song, of the kind that will disappear altogether from "Scoundrel Days". It won't make music's history, and it is in no way adventurous, that's for sure, but it's already a few feets above "And you Tell Me". It's typically the kind of song you'd expect from an entertaining 1st pop album, nothing more, nothing less. 6/10

9. I Dream Myself Alive: here music takes off again, opening larger horizons. I find this one difficult to talk about. It's pop, but with a twist. You expect the atmosphere to lighten up any second, but it never does. It takes a few listenings to get used to, but you eventually embrace it for what it is. Intriguing. 7,5/10

10. Here I Stand and Face the Rain: I love how it starts: the voice lost from afar, the guitar. I love the fact that there's something dark and almost menacing throughout the song. I love how it ends with the voice fading away, back to the mist, as if it all had been a dream, an hallucination. My only complaint would be that it lasts a little longer that it should have. But still, this last track is a good end, and even more so, a good transition to the sound of "Scoundrel Days" 9/10

Overall, I rate this album: 7,5/10*

* The mark for each song depends on several factors: for instance, although I deem "Train of Thought" more interesting than "Take on Me", since we are talking about a pop band, I've taken in account the entertaining value, especially in this case.