by Dean Wolfe, Prog dog Media |
There's nothing like when your debut album and first single are juggernauts of success. It established this young Norwegian trio anew on the world stage back in June 1985.
I bought A-Ha, Hunting High and Low on cassette when I was a teenager. Take on Me, their first single, is an irresistible synth pop song that is standing the test of time. For me, it captured a genuine essence of optimism.
There are 4 other outstanding songs on the album as well, but the remaining 5 barely move the needle. Of course, that's easily forgiven. How many bands have a perfect first album?
Hunting High and Low, the song that is also the album's title, is a passionate and beautiful strings-supported ballad, full of interesting buildups and a fantastic singing performance by Morton Harket. He has a unique, powerful voice that is beautiful when restrained, and can almost overwhelm when let loose.
Living a boy's adventure tale is an interesting and more gentle tune, almost goth-dark or Cure-ish, with a wonderful sweeping chorus. Morten displays more of his falsetto prowess here. On a production note: the snare is perfect.
The Sun always Shines on TV is a song that strikes like lightening- a true highlight on the album apart from Take on Me. It also gives the album a majority of its overall weight. The intro alone is iconic. It has a strong melody and amazing vocal performance. If this track weren't on this album, we may have been forgiven to think A-ha might just be a transient flash in the pan without too much to say.
Stand and Face the Rain- the final track- is strong one too, with cool melodic twists and amazing backing vocals that fold in around themselves. The synthesizers are haunting.
In America for whatever reason A-ha was not appreciated much beyond this and their sophomore release. A shame really. Stay tuned for further reviews as I explore the rest of their discography in the coming weeks and months.
Prog Dog Score: 3.5 out of 5 bones - A major synth-pop 80s classic with enough strong tracks to be a better-than-bearable listen.
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