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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Norwegian Trio Heats Up The American '80's Music Scene, March 11, 2006
'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!!
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Buy it. Need I say more?, April 20, 2000
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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An all time pop classic, June 6, 2003
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.
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by a-ha 
