Customer Reviews

Hunting High And Low (Remastered Deluxe Edition)

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was just a teen when Take On Me hit the airwaves in the US. The song was/is like no other, as was the video. The ONLY bad thing about this album is that it's too short. If it had 30 songs on it, it would still be too short. It is just like a good book, never long enough.

All the songs on this cd are excellent, and my favorites are Living A Boys Adventure Tale, The Sun Always Shines On Tv and of course, Take On Me.

But if you live in the U.S., then you must think that Take On Me is the only song ever put out by this misunderstood and mislead band. Well I have learned that the radio is NOT the place to go to if you want to listen to good music.

a-ha's second (Scoundrel Days), and third (Stay On These Roads)albums are also excellent and the band sticks to their previous style and sound as in Hunting High and Low. They are both worthy additions to your library. But read on.

But if you want to understand what a mistake the U.S. has made with this band, Warner Bros. especially, then I would recommend you also pick up East of The Sun, West of the Moon and Memoral Beach. These two albums show just how mature the band has become. The songwriting is excellent and the sound is like none other. These albums are TOTALLY different from Hunting High and Low, but then again, why would you want the same thing? Early Morning on EOSWOM and Cold as Stone on Memorial Beach are two examples of this bands greatness. Both could be hits in the U.S. today, if they could just get a little radio airtime. Yeah, right. Most of what is on the radio today is TRASH! Record companies today are signing one album wonders instead of promoting AND supporting good musicians, which in the long run, is beneficial to both parties involved. Radio broadcasters have their songs preselected for them and don't dare play anything not on their list. What a shame and a sham.

Pick up Hunting High and Low, then pick up one of their most recent releases. Go into a quiet room, turn off the lights and simply listen to the albums 3 or 4 times. You won't be dissapointed.

'Hunting High And Low' was released in '85. It was A-ha's first album and the only one to receive any attention in the U.S.A. Containing -10 tracks- of wonderfully original, upbeat new wave/synth-pop tunes I consider it to be one of those rare, absolutely perfect albums/CD's. Every track is unique and immensely enjoyable, complimented by the most amazing male voice (Morten Harkett) I've ever heard.

An unbeatable collection; 'Take On Me', 'Hunting High And Low' and my personal favorite 'The Sun Always Shines On T.V. Definitely one of my All-Time Top Ten CD's!

My Highest Recommendation!!

When I first heard "Take on me" back in the 80's when I was 11-12 years old, I thought it was a cool new sound defining the growing new wave movement. I bought the cassette a couple of years later expecting it to be "take on me" and filler, as no other singles had been played from it. I was amazed as track after track of fantastic music kept me soaring on a musical cloud. They were immediately my favorite band, and I listen to a ton of other stuff. I have played this tape and it's replacement over and over for years, awestruck every time. The beautiful strings and guitar ballad "Hunting high and low" is one of the best songs ever written, a real tear-jerker. I play this song as part of my own musical repertoire, a-ha kept me inspired to become a musician myself. The child-like "Living a boy's adventure tale", with the band's first use of clarinet is a masterpiece. The album includes vastly contrasted themes such as the dark and teen-spirited "Dream myself alive" and "Here I stand and face the rain", probably my favorite song on the album with it's ethereal synths and haunting acoustic guitar and mysterious lyrics. The whole album rocks, soothes you, and trips you out from one song to the next. Lots of changing sounds and textures. Very talented musicians. I would say they are one of the top 5 most skilled users of synths. Skilled because they don't sound like computer music but rather like a pop orchestra with the great singer, lyrics, guitar, cool rhythms, nothing is overshadowed. All of their other albums are good too, but I agree with other reviewers that after "Scoundrel Days", something was lost and the magic was not as strong as their first two albums. Their music became more organic, less youthful and dark, less colorful and changing. This album and really "Scoundrel Days" too, are must-haves for any music collection. I just wish they'd remaster them.

A-ha over time have been placed in the unfortunate category of one hit wonders with the hit "Take On Me" back on 1985. I hate it when organizations like VH1 and MTV do this, because they are so wrong, and yet the public doesn't know any better, so they buy into it. The album "Hunting High And Low" is a really good album. It's a pop album first at foremost, but contains very thought-proking lyrics at times, and more complicated musical orchestrations than most people will give it credit for. Songs like "Here I Stand And Face The Rain" and "The Sun Always Shines On TV" are numbers that shine and really show A-ha's complexity. I also like "Train Of Thought" and the title track. Hacket's voice is amazing. I don't care who you are, but no one can deny, he can belt out a song unlike most top 40 singers. Their follow up album, "Scoundrel Days" is just as good, if not more laid back.

You know the "curse", right? Once a group or singer wins "best new artist" of the year on any music awards show, they seem to be doomed. At least in the USA that is what happened to a-ha. A pity becauase there isn't a single track on this album that I didn't like. The lyrics speak of a yearning and a searching, and if you saw any of the videos they were well matched to the lyrics. But ultimately a-ha was very pop and the British accent very strong and the "curse" kicked in. If you have only heard their sole American hit, listen to a few of these and then buy this album if you like what you hear.

...there was a-ha. For a moment in time, this trio ruled the airwaves and were the hottest band around. "Take on Me" was a defining single and video.

In "Hunting High and Low" - one uncovers a-ha's distinctive style. More than straightforward pop-meisters, a-ha wrote and executed some interesting tracks in their debut album. Morten Harket's pristine, sweeping vocals are the highlight of each song. The album veers between bright pop synth ballads ("Blue Sky"; "Love is Reason") to progressive whimsical love songs ("Living A Boy's Adventure Tale"). The band's matinee idol looks didn't hurt either and greatly enhanced their success.

Given their appeal to teens, the image aspect of a-ha did sometimes overshadow their inventiveness as musicians (this was the era where pop bands could play and compose their own music as with predecessors Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet, Depeche Mode etc), and much of a-ha's later music tried to find new ground - moving away from the bright pop landscape they create in this album, but somehow never quite recapturing the youthful charm.

But the best way to describe this album is: endearing. It's refreshing to hear the guys play with a sense of spontaneous abandon. Compared to today's over-produced boy bands who love covers and lack a distinctive sound - a-ha has held their own. There are some pop gems in here and hats off to Morten, Mags and Pal for pulling it off with oomph.

...as soon as the electronic drum beats spilled from my speakers, i was hooked. i immediately got the tape, and played it so much, it broke. the CD was quickly added to my extensive music collection. every track on this release is amazing. from the eerie "hunting high and low" to the "living a boys adventure tale", every song has spoken to me over the years...and over the thousands upon thousands of time i have listend to this album. yeah, i've gotten slammed over the years for loving this band (i have every album), but who cares, once u find a group that speaks to you through excellent musicianship, wonderful lyrics, and ear melting, creative music, why let go? this album sounds better now than it did that summer of '86. do yourself a favor...please get this CD...you will thank me and all the other a-ha fans around the world who have said the same thing time and time again.

I bought the Trilogy of this, Scoundrel Days, and Stay On These Roads. So far I've only listened to Hunting High and Low and Scoundrel Days, and I'm very impressed!
I bought them because, as an artist, when I saw the music video for 'Take On Me', I just couldn't help but wanting to know more about this amazing band. This CD gave me exactly what I wanted: more fantastic music from a very talented trio!
The songs are very inspiring and sometimes a little sad, like the title track (which sounds a lot different than it does remixed on Headlines and Deadlines... I like that version better than the one on this. Oh well!) and 'Living a Boy's Adventure Tale', full of things that really make you think about life and what's surrounding you. The music in general, Magne and Pal's songwriting and instrumental skills, brings you out of this world! But then again, I do have a strong love for synthesizers and keyboards. Not to mention the angelic vocal talents of Morten! WOW! He could sing opera if he wanted to; he's that good.

Some great tracks besides the hits/singles: The Blue Sky, Living a Boy's Adventure Tale, Here I Stand and Face the Rain.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone that wants to feel inspired and witness one of the greatest (and underappreciated) bands in history, and also to fellow artists and anyone who loves great synth music. Even 22 years later...

Hunting High & Low came out in 1985, and the single 'Take On Me' raced up the Australian charts like everywhere else. Great song, great video. The following 2 singles 'Sun ALways Shines on TV' and 'Hunting High and Low' didn't chart as well but you'd have to agree that the guys knew how to pull a melody together. While the sound is perhaps a little dated now (real 80's synth pop), this album is worth having to complete your retro collection - it has certainly gained a spot in my favourite top 10 albums of the 80's. The song 'Hunting High & Low' is probably the only acception to the rest of the songs as it doesnt sounds like synth pop - it sounds as fresh today as it did then. This particular song is one of the most beautiful ballads to be released in the 80's, turn it up loud and it will send shivers up your spine ! Other favourite tracks include 'Blue Sky' and 'Train of Thought'. Like other reviewers, I am surprised that A-Ha did not receive the recognition they deserved - they seemed to be labelled 'one hit wonders'. While this album may have also categorised them into a syntho pop group, it is actually so far removed from how they sound today. Radio needs to support these brilliant songwriters, as their latest material is awesome too.

This is a nice album and it brings back a lot of musical memories from the time I was just a little kid. I remember "Take on me" (I' mean who doesn't remeber the great video, showing combinations of animations and real footage) But I also remember the harder "The sun alwys shines on TV". "Blue sky" was a good track, "Train of thought" and of course, "Hunting high and low" "Hunting high and low" is a collection of strong tracks. Too bad that some of them are slightly overmade with synth-sounds. It's probably one of the best pure synth-ablums made during the 80's. Another thing is that it sort of comes of as a showcase to Morten Harkets great falsetto-vocal(Take on me, living a boys adventure tale). But my favorit album from A-ha is still "Scoundrel days". This album is a "must have" for everyone with a passion for the 80's synth-sound, but also people who enjoys dark music.