A-HA Hunting High and Low 6LP Super Deluxe box ( BMG )
A premium vinyl box like this will be of most acute interest to a-ha ' s diehard cult around the world , but Hunting High and Low has special appeal to any fan of ' 80s synth-pop , alt-pop , and new wave . The album is a major touchstone of its era , to the point of being a functioning time machine capable of returning listeners directly to 1985 . It ' s also a marker of MTV ' s peak influence . Generations of fans have been fascinated by the groundbreaking animated video for " Take on Me ," which introduced the term " rotoscoping " to countless people . No doubt , director Steve Barron ' s iconic imagery is a force multiplier , and it ' s undeniable that a-ha weren ' t harmed by the fact that guitarist Pål Waaktaar-Savoy , keyboardist Magne Furuholmen and singer Morten Harket were highly photogenic . Still , their music stands up under its own power . Waaktaar- Savoy and Furuholmen serve as the band ' s principal songwriters , with Harket ' s magical tenor to lead the fray . " Take on Me " is a beautifully crafted pop song with a great synth hook and Harket ' s cascading tenor melody . As entrenched in pop culture as " Take on Me " immediately became , " The Sun Always Shines on TV " saw diminishing returns , reaching only ( a still respectable ) # 20 . The song may have performed better as the US follow-up if the powers that be had moved on sooner , rather than wringing every last drop from " Take on Me ." With its locomotive synths , slashing guitars , and operatic swells , " The Sun Always Shines on TV " was a chart-topper in other territories , including the UK . The song reinforced recognition of a-ha ' s acumen for a winsome melody and charming arrangement . " Train of Thought " was an ensuing single , riding waves of synthetic atmosphere with a motorik beat and bottle-flute melody . A lyric describing a weary commuter whose routine and world comes unraveled was inspired by Waaktaar- Savoy ' s favorite existentialist poets and authors , including Fyodor Dostoevsky . The song charted # 8 on the UK charts . " Love is Reason " is a dance-pop single with a straightforward beat and synth textures in common with The Human League . Fan favorite " Living a Boy ' s Adventure Tale " has the album ' s most understated arrangement , but it stands as possibly Harket ' s most evocative and emotive
vocal among the album ' s impressive set of performances . The lyric paints the picture of a hapless soul cast out of home to live on the streets ; the reasons are unspoken , but it looks like a case of love gone wrong as the character struggles to cope . Harket ' s melody intertwines with Claire Jarvis ' melancholy oboe . Two LPs of demos and a clutch of b-sides taken from single releases suggest that a-ha had plenty of strong ideas when developing Hunting High and Low . These curiosities include " Lesson One ," the original form of " Take on Me ," as recorded in 1982 . The essence of the famous single is present , including Furuholmen ' s unforgettable keyboard line and elements of the final melody and lyric , but the arrangement is less streamlined , and Harket occasionally tries out some jarring shouts . The " Presenting Lily Mars " demo sounds like a promising bedroom project , with a charming music hall arrangement driven by a simple synth-drum loop . The song is led by carnivalesque keyboard figures and Harket ' s dry vocal . Harket takes a more operatic approach to " Sa Blaser Det Pa Jorden " and does his best David Bowie impression on " The Sphinx ," which morphed into " Train of Thought ." Other demos , including " Dot the I ," " The Love Goodbye ," and " Nothing to It ," were recorded at Rendezvous ' 8-track studio in London and enjoyed elevated production value . Many of these 25 demos didn ' t make the album and will be revealing to many fans , but there are formative versions of album cuts , including an evolved " Train of Thought " and " The Blue Sky ." Waaktaar- Savory and Furuholmen ' s " Monday Mourning " receives a spare and classical music-influenced arrangement that provides a launching pad for Harket ' s cinematic and stirring vocal . Other space is dedicated to single edits and extended mixes , including the firstreleased version of " Take on Me " produced by Tony Mansfield . It had been recorded at Eel Pie and released to little fanfare in 1984 , although it was a hit at home in Norway . The band and management believed in the song ' s potential to open bigger opportunities if recorded to its full potential . The final version that was overseen by Cliff Richard producer Alan Tarney found the magic . The box also includes a parallel album of alternate mixes . A 64-page softbound book is loaded with promotional photos circa 1985 , lyrics , and liner notes . Kieron Tyler ' s essay with quotes from the band tells a compelling story of the band ' s rise from meager means toward international acclaim , but it appears to have suffered a bad edit somewhere in the middle and omits content as the band ' s story is heating up . It ' s too bad , but won ' t stop you from enjoying the music .
Hunting High and Low was a-ha ' s debut album . Its staggering success and continuing appeal are the most obvious contributors to the band ' s ongoing career , with the talented original trio still helming the ship . The band ' s latest is 2022 ' s well-received True North , which is a- ha ' s 11th long-player . If you ' re fascinated by " Take on Me ," try the full album . If you ' re just as thrilled by Hunting High and Low in total , there ' s plenty more from a-ha left to explore .
– Jeff Elbel
9 may 2023 illinoisentertainer . com 19