Reviews (page 6 of 9)
I hate to say it, but I can see why "Take on Me" is the only song on this album that made it big...
Ein paar weltbekannte, super Hits. Der Rest so la la.
It's fine. The song you know is the best one, the rest is pretty standard synth pop.
Man this shit was awesome I thought this was maybe a filler pick for this list but I had a great time listening to this one, just everything you could want from this era of synth-based music
I've had Take On Me stuck in my head for 24 hours now.
He has a seriously impressive vocal range, but - overall - this isn't really any better than any other 80s synth pop that was out there at the time. Granted, Take on Me is a near perfect synth pop song, but - the album - meh.
The album holds the three mega hits "Take On Me", "Hunting High And Low" and "The Sun Always Shines On TV". But the rest of the album is a bit too lame for my taste and don´t matches the quality of those three anthems. 3,5
For many, a-ha is instantly synonymous with THAT song and THAT video. Visually, “Take On Me” still feels groundbreaking, even today, when CGI could easily recreate its animated/live-action magic. As an ‘80s kid, I knew of a-ha and could name a few of their hits, including from their 2000s MTV comeback, but I never really explored their full repertoire. Listening to Hunting High and Low as a whole for the first time was a revelation. Coming from the far north, a-ha delivered a surprisingly tight sound that not only matched but arguably led the global synth-pop wave. The aforementioned “Take On Me” is still brilliant—a song that can set pulses racing even today. Opening the album with such a defining track was a bold move, as many bands would have buckled under the risk of becoming a one-hit-wonder. But a-ha rises above. The title track, “Hunting High and Low,” is a beautifully restrained ballad that showcases Morten Harket’s stunning vocal range, while “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.” is grand, bombastic, and utterly captivating. Even tracks like “Love is Reason,” while not as iconic as the big singles, bring a lively energy and contribute to the album’s consistent flow. With the exception of a couple of tracks that are merely “good,” the album maintains a remarkably high standard. Sure, it’s sometimes a victim of its era (some of the drum and synth sounds feel a bit dated), but there’s no denying the inventiveness and sheer quantity of pop hooks on display. Far from just being a vehicle for their biggest hit, Hunting High and Low stands as the synth-pop classic it is. With its emotional depth and variety, it captures the essence of the ‘80s in a way few albums do. Did/Do I own this release? No. Does this release belong on the list? Given the global impact of its hit single and its massive sales, absolutely. Plus, there aren’t many Norwegian artists represented. Would this release make my personal list? It's not a sound I naturally gravitate towards, so likely not, but part of the purpose of undertaking this task was to expand my horizons. Will I be listening to it again? I was more impressed than expected—I'll return to it.
Except for "Take on me," which is the nice song printed in my mind (and I bet in almost everyone else's mind), it's a very generic pop album. I don't know if I'll have more a-ha from the 1001 list, but if not, it's possibly the last time I've listened to some of their albums entirely.
Highlights: Take on Me Another one that I think is not for me. I have never been a huge fan of synth heavy 80's pop, especially not when its so downbeat and melancholy. I think this album is only here because of Take on Me, at least that's the only reason I can think of.
La première pièce est emblématique, avec ses claviers outranciers mais hyper efficaces. Le reste m'a paru plutôt sirupeux
nice easy listening pop
Take on me is good, Sun always shines on TV arguably better, but the rest I find a bit meh
Very good record.
Take on Me is such a banger I forgot how much I hate the genre for a second. Unfortunately I was reminded almost immediately.
Kinda meh. The highlights are good and the other songs are just kinda there. Not bad, but not super memorable. The singer has great range as demonstrated on Take On Me, but I don’t think he uses it well enough on the other songs where most of the time he’s just doing his best Morrissey impression. Favorite songs were Take On Me and The Sun Always Shines On TV.
It was enjoyable. ‘Take On Me’ is iconic. Yeah that’s it
starts off with the one you know and just kinda blends after that.
take on me isch zwor so overplayed und cheesy aber es stimmt jede ton jedi entscheidig isch richtig no meh catchy gange. döt wos d melodie zweimol afanged isch geniaaal. sie sind sehr simple minds us norwege. zweite song isch sehr da, au wenni mue sege sini stimm cha recht viel. sehr darke song für so haha jo synthpop aber find vorallem d flöte nervig. titelsong het e gitarre (!!) und sehr IV-IVm type chords aber da hani gern. was de titel heisst hani kei ahnig. finden etz chli sehr schmalzig. blue sky hani insano arsch gfunde und living a boy's adventure tale (guete titel gratuliere sehr igängig) findi etz au es nüt vomne song. es isch langsam es goht nienets ane, jo die synths hemmer ghört hender au e hook?? d oboe rettets au nöd aber sie isch nice. das isch kein guete song. the sun always shines on tv het eeendlich wieder chli power und en meeega coole gitarrepart. defür en ARSCH titel wieder. nenneds touch me? da isch de afang vode hook. ultra es cheesefest aber s funktioniert. de erst song ufem album sit take on me wo öpis chan. and you tell me isch okay? ok nai s isch arsch und d nintendo ass tön am schluss retteds nöd. love is reason jooo ich lieb digitali blöser sie töned immer guet und ich liebs. da dörf nur de donald fagen, äh de illinois elohainu. I DREAM MYSELF ALIVE was HEISST das??? song au arsch. wüüüürkli. es lauft hert uf es zwei use. here i stand and face the rain. nenned de song doch face the rain oder so? ihr sind pop und nöd artsy indie tuble. de offbeat im refrain isch no cool. aber de rest isch wie take on me in nomel usenand gnoh und schlechter wieder zemebaut. boah bin ich tempted zum es 1 geh aber chan nöd wells zwei gueti songs het uf dem album. mengmol hend d charts recht.
take on me schreit halt 80er jahr, hans jz nöd (nümme) würkli gern aber wenn das iwo chunnt sing ichs trz volle pulle mit, glungne hit zug der gedanken immerno sehr 80er aber au sehr andersch? de beat sind seeehr 80er aber hans na gern di theatralisch stimm passt bi take on me sehr guet, da findis mite strings chli too much schlecht ischs idem sinn aber nöd? hunting high and low isch jz au nöd de börner ok no cool wie d drums chömmed ah es isch nur es fill gsi aber jo jaa d strings sind mer chli too much blue sky isch seichter als de aralsee ahhwas strings okeee living a boy's adventure funktioniert iwie jap hani eig sehr gern gha, sehr es sanfts lied und mengisch huere schön the sun always shines on tv findi en insaaaane ahfang, de langsam ahfamg und denn wird die ganz energie "usseglah" de refrain findi au cool and you tell me isch sehr churz aber finds wieder sehr es herzigs lied? de schluss isch chli unbefriedigend aber suscht dream myself alive findi en herzige titel aber de rest isch wieder chli langwilig hey ja das album jet chli liecht und schatte, 3 lieder findi recht cool, take on me chammer nöd objektiv bewerte und de rest isch recht langwilig DRAI
I guess I will no longer think of A-ha as a one hit wonder. This album is good, but it seems like every song besides Take On Me is a ballad. I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if there were more bangers. I've just never been a huge ballad guy, but they were fine, and the production was good. Low 4.
Alright banger first song
I’m not sure, I think I might have to have been hearing this for the first time at a certain stage in my life. I like Take On Me but the rest of the tracks on the album aren’t quite hitting.
I mean. Idk. What makes an album great? Haha. Sure, 2.5 stars.
Meh.
Ummm. I mean. Why?
Not a bad album. Classic 80s.
The eighties synths and falsetto on display showing they’re more than just “Take On Me”.
Like most people, I thought of A-ha as one hit wonders. I am talking about Love is Reason, of course. Take on Me is still a great song and I was surprised there are still plenty of other good songs on her as well. They are definitely not one-hit wonders and the first three songs and last three songs are really great. This fits in with the 80's synth-pop that this book has included during the mid-80's and while this may not revolutionize the world, this is an album which gives insight into what that sound was. Also, people need to hear this album just to know they were not one-hit wonders.
Had high hopes for this but was surprisingly disappointed. Was expecting more synthy up-beat tunes like the hit of the album but it felt full of more 80's ballad-type songs than anything else.
I thought the album was....ok. It was all downhill after the first track.
Bello però non si riprende mai dopo take on me
È proprio vero che dopo la prima non si riprende più, però è davvero gradevole!
I went into this expecting it to be all about the big hit single "Take On Me" and nothing else would measure up, but actually I was impressed at how great a lot of these songs were. Recommended. Key tracks: Take On Me Train of Thought Hunting High and Low The Sun Always Shines on TV
1.9
Some bangers, some less interesting songs. Overall a decent listen, but not one of the absolute best.
First 2 songs are great
Such earnest pop music
A couple of great singles on here, but the rest is completely forgettable.
Take on Me: Is this what this song always sounded like? Why is he doing that with his voice? 3/5 Train of Thought: Not sure about the pan pipes to end the song. 2/5 Hunting High and Low: Fairly generic '80s ballad. 2/5 The Blue Sky: Entirely forgettable, but not terrible. 2/5 Living a Boy's Adventure Tale: Not the worst on the album, but that's not saying much. 3/5 The Sun Always Shines on T.V.: Fantastic as ever. 5/5 And You Tell Me: This one's really bad. 1/5 Love Is Reason: It was alright. 2/5 I Dream Myself Alive: A lot of album this sounds the same. 2/5 Here I Stand and Face the Rain: It felt like something different was happening here, but I’m not sure if that’s just because what came before was so bad. 3/5 Overall: One great song, one good song and a bunch of the most generic 80s pop imaginable. 2/5
Take On Me, Hunting High and Low, The Sun Always Shines on T.V.,
Snores ville 2.5/5
couple of 80's classics, but a lot of dross too
Extremely forgettable after take on me, the mixing has some songs way louder than others, and it just felt like a drag to get through.
Quite decent. More of these tracks should’ve been popular. A underrated one for sure. Highlights: Take On Me The Sun Always Shines On TV I Dream Myself Alive
Transported me back to a simpler time in my life where all things pop seemed great - thoroughly enjoyed it but once was enough
Calling an album by a one-hit-wonder one that you must hear before you die is certainly a choice.
I didn't *love* it but there were a couple of surprisingly good tracks beyond Take on Me.
This was such a lovely nostalgic journey. I bought this cassette tape when it came out and listened to it lots at the time. I haven't listened to it in decades. Synth-pop was just my favorite then, and this was a favorite of that genre. It just made me feel happy and 17 again.
I don't believe that I have ever heard anything from a-ha that has made feel as if I need to listen to more. After this album, I still feel the same.
You guys. I tried so hard. Take on Me is my nemesis. I hate it so much. And it's everywhere. You can't get away from it. And everyone loves it. It makes me feel really alone. I thought it might just be that song and the second track, Train of Thought, seemed ok. But then...you guys. It's not just that song. I don't like the sound of this. It feels bad in my ear holes. I'm sorry. It's not the record, it's me. It must be me. I'm so alone.
I purchased this album in 1985 and it became a centerpiece of the handful of debate-tournament-travel-cassettes that got a LOT of Walkman play on those long bus rides across Wyoming. There was something perfect about having Hunting High and Low serve as the soundtrack for those long dark rides home from a tournament. Morten Harket’s voice has a unique and perfectly melancholic character that has always resonated with me. Even the catchy pop numbers carry these undertones, as the songs lean heavily into the mood. Each song has the chill of a long, dark Norwegian winter. ‘… the lady at my table doesn’t want me here, I just want to talk to her but will she laugh at my accent and make fun of me?’ - Blue Skies ‘… Watch me tearing myself to pieces hunting high and low” - Hunting High and Low ‘I need some time now on my own leave my loneliness alone to lick my wounds.” - Living a Boy’s Adventure Tale ‘I reached inside myself and found nothing there to relieve the pressure of my ever worrying mind’ - The Sun Always Shines on TV ‘I’ll be what you want me to be, I’d die at the thought of the loss of your heart.” - Love is Reason ‘Here I stand and face the rain I know that nothing’s ever gonna be the same again, I fear for what tomorrow brings.’ - Here I Stand and Face the Rain
Surprisingly I kinda liked it
Synth pop. Never really evolved beyond that, and that’s okay. Still fun. Take On Me is excellent of course.
Why would you start with Take on Mr, and then k t the rest of the album bore you.
Sometimes one hit wonders are one hit wonders for a reason.
Not my bag
Classic 80s. Take On Me is goated, rest of album is neutral for me
As much as I try to give pop it's due, this seems rather derivative as late as 85, a few good tunes.
It was a fun listen
nostalgic
First song has 2.4b views on youtube. It had a great video. Very innovative at the time. Up there with Sledgehammer. Sun also shines on TV is great as well.
I feel like this is what you'd get as AI generated keyboard/synth smooth pop with an 80's flair for electronic beats. Take On Me does stand out above the rest, but also suffer from a common problem on these tracks as it seems like most of the song is just repeating the title over and over again. Doesn't feel like there's a lot of depth here, but it is easily approachable and melodic. Most of it is pretty forgettable, but fine.
Really? Sure take on me is a great song with a great clip. And the other singles are strong. And yes Scandinavia punches well above its weight in pop. (Even if you remove the Swedish ABBA) But what next? Get the knack? Racey 1? Focus guys.
Ah, no.
Really??? Best things about this are the single, Take On Me & the excellent photo by Just Loomis used on the cover. But, sorry, I tried to listen to the whole album but fell asleep.
Great single, with a terrific video, fantastic haircuts, catchy hook, great voice, and awesome cheekbones. I really like that bit in the chorus where the drums go to half time for a few bars, then kick back it as the vocal melody really goes through the roof. One of the all-time great moments in pop. Oh wait, there's another song? A whole album? I didn't realise. I did listen to the whole thing all the way through. it's a pretty good synth pop production of its day, but there is not a single song on here anywhere near as good as "Take On Me". Everything else on this record is completely forgettable. And, to be frank, "Take On Me" was so ubiquitous when it first came out that I don't really ever need to hear it again.
When I have to turn up and turn down the volume between songs, you know you mixed your album like shit 1.5/5
wait, this isn't the classic 2000 smash hit from power metal superstars Stratovarius? Oh well, i'm sure that's coming later in the list. this is surprisingly good for what i expected to be a one-song album. it's worrying when the only reason anyone knows a second song from you is because it was in a James Bond movie. we're getting into Men Without Hats territory at that point. but this was actually pretty good, although some of the songs sounded like bad spandau ballet impressions at times. a-ha probably have sentries posted to stop tony hadley cutting their brake cables every morning. however does anyone need to listen to this before they die? probably not. it's fine but not really important. no one's getting their worldview expanded unless they've never heard a norwegian man sing an E5 before, in which case it's more of a 1001 singles to hear before you die situation u feel me
Taaaaaaaaaakke onnnnnnn meeeeeeee! Love that song :D The rest of the album wasn't as catchy, but not bad for listening in the background.
Take On Me is a classic, the others were ok too
I thought I would like this more. It was fine but not as catchy as I expected and hoped.
Other than take on me I found this boring
Pretty lackluster. Not sure of the significance of this album. Maybe it had to do with the timing of its release and impact on 80's music? I can't say. I did not find this very enjoyable at all-- and I love 80's music.
"But it's got that song...!" It was surprising that that track had more than 1 Billion listens on Spotify and that video on MTV is still memorable. Sadly, the balance of this album is doo-doo. https://youtu.be/djV11Xbc914
I will forever associate “Take On Me” with the Washington Nationals and Michael Morse. Morse used the song for his walk-up music before each at bat, and it became such a beloved song-along at Nationals Park that they continued using it as the 7th inning stretch song after Morse left the team. So starting with “Take On Me” definitely colored my opinion of “Hunting High and Hunting Low.” Nothing else reaches those heights, but a-ha is best when they go for that same level of zip and energy. Plus one star in a genre I don’t typically care for on account of Michael Morse.
One good song
This started out nicely with Take On Me. Then Train Of Thought was OK. But then it kept going down hill. The 80s was a poor decade for pop music. Analogue people transitioning to a digital musical world…with a bad voice in this case. My conclusion is that 80s in general is just a 2 star sound.
Great single, nothing else comes close to it.
Well... I love the first song... and I love The Sun Always Shines on T.V... and that's it. Those were the two songs I knew, and no I know why. The rest is simply not as catchy or memorable. Still, I did not hate it, and for those two songs alone it need to bump it up 1 star.
1 undeniable classic song, the rest of the album just feels dated and didn’t do much for me.
Surprising depth from a one hit wonder. The faster songs were much more enjoyable than the ballads. 2.5/5
Ei voi kolmesta erota... en voi en voi... + long head juu.. Juu most submissive word in finnish language...
Does any song represent the 80s more than “Take on Me”? This whole album is like a caricature of the 80s. It attempts to have the moodiness of the smiths and the tones of Prince, but falls short. “Take on me” is unbelievably catchy, but there isn’t much else here for me.
pish
Help! I'm trapped in the 80s! "Take on Me" is a classic. The rest is unlistenable. Epitome of a one-hit wonder.
The first step was to skip THE SONG. (You know which one I'm talking about.). They made it easy enough because it's the first one on the album. The rest of the album is pretty much your standard 80s new wave fare. I will say Morten Harket (the singer) has a great voice. But without THE SONG, the album itself just sounds like any 80s new wave pop album and would have been lost in the record store. Try listening to the album without THE SONG, and see what I mean. Top tracks: "Take On Me," "Train Of Thought," "The Sun Always Shines On T.V."
Apparently this was a big album but I've never heard any a-ha song except for Take on Me. I'll bet I'm not alone in that. The album even leads with the big single so is the rest a big letdown? Not exactly. I really enjoyed the second song Train of Thought (single #4) but was bored by the third song & title track (single #5). The album kept going up and down like that for me. Living a Boy's Adventure Tale, The Sun Always Shines on TV (single #3), and Love is Reason (single #4) were decent. Some of the good songs were more subdued and some were typical uhh tiss 80's synth boppers. Ultimately I'd label this album as mostly the latter - right up there with the Pet Shop boys in the genre. All in all, it's an alright album and at least I know these guys had more than one song worth listening to.
it's fine, just not my jam
Enjoyed
This album feels like a fun, fleeting moment. Just a glimpse in time. The songs are good to great, and it was cool to hear more from the band. Take on Me is the best still, but I was really impressed by The Sun Always Shines on T.V. Cool soundscape used throughout the album. Standouts: Take on Me, Living a Boy’s Adventure Tale, The Sun Always Shines on T.V., And You Tell Me, Love Is Reason, and Here I Stand and Face the Rain.
This was solid! I of course never listened to the whole album and now I’m glad I did. Maybe I’ll dance to it at Manray one night.
I really don’t like Take on Me but the rest was better than I expected
Falls off a cliff after the opening track
All downhill after "Take On Me" — the rest of the album felt considerably lazier :'(
A-ha are more multifaceted than expected. We enjoyed the big hits on this - Take On Me being one of them - as well as the songs we were less familiar with.
I thought it was very courteous of them to put the hit song as track 1. Other one hit wonders should take note. This is almost a 1 star album, but I am giving them a star because Take on Me is fine and because I think courtesy should be rewarded.
Respectfully, este álbum es un one hit wonder por la primera canción. El resto del álbum está muy bueno pero es completamente devalorado por la primera canción, it’s such a high to go to a mid high. Está hasta en el título del álbum, high and low.
Okay la primera canción es one of those GOATED songs que son todas míticas y legendarias pero el album keeps up with that feeling. Es dinamico, con una producción y genuinamente magica con canciones muy fuertes musicalmente y líricamente. Es fascinante. Strong 9/10.
There were things I liked about this; his voice has great range and was more evocative than I'd given credit for. But ultimately it didn't feel like it transcended the genre, and was pretty much what I expected.
obviously there's one really big song on this album and it's pretty great. it holds up. i think the hidden gem on this album is 'the sun always shines on tv' which i think is fairly lost to history (at least here in the states). the rest of the album is pretty solid but fairly unremarkable at times. still, i think the sound is fairly iconic at this point and overall, it's a fun enough listen.
First and last track good
nice pop album
There's a reason that the only "a-ha" song you know is "Take on Me". This was unnecessary and the only reason it's on this list is because of the author's obsession with new wave. It's not terrible as far as new wave goes, but there's nothing interesting here either. 2.5 stars
pretty good!
A massive 80s slap in the face! It opens with potentially the greatest pop song of all time. And just about holds up to that for the rest of the album. A little samey in places but a quality 80s pop album! 3.8
Really dated. Not feeling this.
Its a 3 Bit dated One or 2 hits
Wrote this review a few days ago for Booker T and the MGs. 1.5 hit wonder
Dripping in eighties Synth pop sliding off the page Fun over substance
Great album! Who knew? Score one for the album generator.
Of course Take On Me was great. Enjoyed The Sun Always Shines on T.V.. Other than that, it was ok.
Må man være så fræk at kalde dem et one hit wonder- eller bliver jeg forment adgang til Norge hvis jeg gør det.
Nemt lyttet. Der er et par massive banger imellem, men godt nok også meget fyld. Jeg holder mig til dem jeg kender med A-ha, og glemmer resten igen. :)
Jeg vil hellere stikke mig i ørene med en rusten issyl end høre det her generiske 80er lort igen
nice highlights
I have the vinyl, anyone of a certain age remembers the video for "Take On Me" which was rotoscoped and super cool and spawned a bunch of copycats to the point that within a year, anything rotoscoped looked out of touch LOL This is actually kind of a cool record. It's definitely new wave, and it's neat to think that this style of music was truly global. I had originally planned to give this a three but the songs are catchy, well written, and have a fairly wide range of subject material.
This album doesn't really reach the heights of it's title track: Take On Me.
Take On Meh, album is nogal saai
Alkaa nimestä soimaan päässä vain Sonata arctica, onneks tää ei oo sitä. Kovasti on hittiä! Vähän cringe mutta toisaalta siksi varmaan että he ovat nykynäkökulmasta meemi. Kyllä saa tanssia. En rakastu, mutta kaksi tähteä olisi vähättelyä.
Yksi nerokas meemi (se) ja yksi LP-raita, joka nostaa hymyn huulille (The Blue Sky). Kokonaisuus ei vakuuta.
Never liked 'Take on me' or a-ha's style generally
6/12/24 synthy and fun, wasn’t expecting much after take on me but was pleasantly surprised. decent album to run to. 6/10
Eighties Scandinavian synth pop from the Norwegian Trio. Opening track Take On Me was a monster hit as was its iconic video and while the other singles especially the title track & The Sun Always Shines In TV are great songs everything else kind of feels like filler ok filler but nothing special. It feels like the album is in the book on the back of Take On Me so I do question if it deserves to be there over other big eighties albums and bands (Inxs Kick for example). It's worth a listen but nothing to special.
It has the hit!! And others!
Take On Me feels so out of place on this Album. One energetic hit with a really unique sound, followed by a lot of the similarly dreary songs. Inoffensive I guess.
Pretty boring other than the stand outs
Another solid 80s output where the lead single is a generational impact. The remainder of the album retains the soul of the collective work but doesn't hit the dizzying heights of Take On Me.
Más que Take On Me.
An all-time favorite and classic from my high school days. Awesome!
fantastic synth pop
A lot of fun!
Take on me is really amazing but the rest left a lot to be desired. 3.0
Take on me is a classic the rest of the album was not up to the same quality of songs
Couldn’t get into this one. “Take On Me” is one of the GOATs of 80s synth pop, but the album peaked there for me. Everything following was alright, but I probably won’t listen again.
Would have been a 3/5 but the sheer power of "Take On Me" carried this generic synth pop album to the stars.
Take on Me is undoubtedly a fun track, despite being overplayed. The sun always shines on TV is also a good song. Apart from that tho this album is just okay. Fav songs: - Take on Me - The sun always shines on TV
Perfect opening track. Overall, the album had literal highs and lows. Nice for a trip to the mall.
The words that’s came to mind: melodramatic, soaring, 80s. Good, but could have used at least one curveball.
They knew take on me was the hit. The only hit. They put it first to make it easy for people to play on vinyl. One good song.... one star.
Mit das Beste der 80er!
"Hunting High and Low" is the debut studio album by Nowegian synth-pop band A-ha. The album was a huge commercial success mainly generated from the video release and popularity of the song "Take On Me." The album was produced by Tony Mansfield, John Ratcliff and Alan Tarney and recorded at Eel Pie in Twickenham, London. A-ha is Morten Harket (vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, bass programming, backing vocals) and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars, drum programming, backing vocals). Commercially, the album hit #15 in the US and #2 in the UK. Their big one "Take on Me" kicks off the album. An electronic beat, synth and bass leads to that catchy and bouncey synth melody. Harket's vocals are great, even his falsetto. He likes a girl but is unsure how to get her. Yes, this is so 80's and, no, that was not me singing in my office. The fourth single "Train of Thought" is synth heavy with a very 80's dance beat. Harket's vocals initially are very deep and a dead ringer for Peter Murphy. He's just showing off his octave range. It's about the dehumanizing effect of modern life. The sel-titled "Hunting High and Low" has an acoustic guitar and is a ballad of sorts. There's initially a bossa nova beat. He's searching for that lost girl. Strings are added; this song ends very dramatically. I have to be honest "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." was the only other song I remembered from this album. Deep piano keys and a dreamy synth background. The song changes to a more rockin" song then goes back. This is a good song. "Love is Reason" has synth horns and an urgent electronic drum beat. He'll do anything for her. There is no doubt this is slick, high level 80's synth-pop. It is well produced and performed. It is of its time but I was kept quite interested and there are a couple great 80's songs. I not would put this album at the Human League, OMD or Pet Shop Boys level but this is solid synth-pop and if you like that, you'll like this.
2,5
The lead track is an all-timer, great song that still holds up with a video that you could argue is the pinnacle of the art form but as someone who never went deep on these guys the rest is just fine, not bad or anything just pretty good European 80s technopop.
Excellent slice of 80s pop. The hits are fantastic!
“Take on Me” is the clear highlight here, but a-ha are way more than a 1-hit wonder. The whole album is full of some of the best new wave music ever made, with incredibly crisp production and wonderful fusion of synth programming and played instruments, a type of fusion that often failed during this era. Many of the songs sound modern enough that they could’ve been released by a band like Future Islands in the 2020s.
Oke
This album has only one good song on it. Take a guess which one it is.
Take on me is a classic song but the rest was dismal mediocrity. Meh.
Fun 80s pop perfection! Got a bit repetitive after a few songs though! 3.5 stars.
Nah, this was silly over-produced high energy pop music when I was a teen, and it has not improved with age. In fact I'd forgotten how much the guy's vocal histrionics got on my tits.
An ok album
That's a classic. I don't know if it deserves 5/5, but 4.5/5 is good enough. "Take on me" is above all the 80's hits. Not many acts can go as hard.
I was expecting my review to be along the lines of "better than I expected" but I was wrong. I gave a second star as a gesture if respect for the Take On Me video. Otherwise, I was *shocked* to learn later they made multiple albums.
I'm not sure you could get more synthy-pop than this album, to be honest. But I'm also not sure you'd want to. I enjoyed the video for "Take me on" a lot more than the song, and am really impressed at the pseudo-animation style given when the video was made. (And I now discovered through the Wikipedia entry for this album that the animation was done by a couple who also worked on "Altered States", which makes total sense.) I never really listened to a-ha beyond whatever the radio imposed, but I'll admit I'm totally baffled to learn that this was a Norwegian band--I would have bet anything they were British (and English to be specific). Shows how much I know. Still doesn't do it for me, though, but it's hard to give it lower than three stars given it's legacy and influence.
I only listened to the first 6 songs and none were as fun and pop-y as Take on Me. In fact, they kind of sucked and were a little inane. So I stopped listening. Sorry Aha
would definitely choose as background music and not hate it. 7/10
I can tell why I've only ever heard of one song on this album
banger and then diminishing returns could i write poetry to this? n
Take on Me- 5 Train of Thoughts and Hunting High and Low- 3 Rest of the album- 1
I've listened to this a couple times over the years when I see it mentioned as being great beyond Take On Me. I still don't think it's that good beyond the obviously great single.
Rating: 6/10 Pretty good overall, most of the album sounded like generic 80s synth-pop but the highlights were quite good. Favorite songs: Take On Me, Living a Boy's Adventure Tale, I Dream Myself Alive, Here I Stand and Face the Rain. Worst song: Train of Thought.
When A-Ha are writing bangers, they’re writing BANGERS. Most everything else is uninspiring in all the ways, lyrically and melodically.
Woof, barely made it through this. It's what teenagers in the 80's thought would be cool, and maybe it was at the time, but it has aged very poorly.
Good 80's album from what most people would consider a one hit wonder band.
Three strong singles, the rest is mostly forgettable. Just like most 80's synthpop albums.
Take On Me is one of the greatest songs ever written and the rest is pretty good too. Love me some a-ha! Benny Harvey RIP
A very strong single with a long long b-side.
Fond memories of the MTV video. I like that Take On Me has become a melody used in happy ads.
good
I'm Norwegian and I love music from the 1980s, but this doesn't hit me as much as I want it to. That being said, I want to judge this album objectively. All though it relies on my least favorite tropes from the eigthties (dorky synth sounds and lackluster ballads), this is still an insane leap from the other stuff going on in Norway at that time. On a world wide level, it´s still able to put a distinct period to the early synth pop movement. And the main strength of this is clearly melodies — there being three iconic singles on here, and those doesn't even include the best song in my opinion, goes to show that they wrote great songs. I just don't agree with everything they did in arranging those songs. However, The Sun Always Shines on TV and Living a Boy's Adventure Tale are pretty awesome.
As my wife is fond of saying, "There was a whole ALBUM?" Imagine her shock when I showed I had two! At the end of the day, Take on Me and The Sun Always Shines on TV are going to overshadow ANYTHING else. Two powerhouse songs. The others are good, but they're only overlooked because those two are so great!
Exactly what I would have thought a full a-ha album would sound like, solely based on my knowledge of Take on Me.
This was exactly what I expected, dated synth-pop with a strong mid-80s vibe. It wasn't quite as awful as I had imagined, but it wasn't great.
Great 80's sounds... Techno vibes abound. Nice bump for Monday, would give it 3.5....
Take on me. Very 80s. They released other songs, but I doubt many can name any of them. Their influence came in the form of their biggest hit.
This was some sweet prime 80s synth pop. Overall I enjoyed a lot of the tracks, and "Take On Me" is a classic.
I found this rather middling outside of Take on Me. I was very disappointed that I didn’t like it, but that’s how it goes sometimes.
1 good song
This was great! All I knew from them was take on me, but they had a lot of fun British synthy pop throughout this one
take on me is great the rest is not very good
At least we got take on me out of this
I'd never heard an AHA album track before. Or maybe I had and just couldn't remember them, becaues it's 1 minute since the album finished and I can't tell you about a single track outside the big 3 singles. Sun always shines on TV and the title track are decent songs. Take on Me is it's own universe. The others were a background noise I dimly remember. 2.5 - 3.
Started incredibly, what an opening. The rest was a bit bland for me
Feels like they used all of their talent to make “Take on Me” which is a great song but the others were subpar
Huh, not sure why I needed to hear this before I die unless it was to provide a classic example of an MTV band. Pop synth one hit wonder.
Not my thing
Take On Me and the massive ballad of a title track carry a lot of weight here. Living a Boy's Adventure Tale has some luscious pads and synth bass. Last two tracks are strong too, including more serious bass on Here I Stand and Face the Rain. Pretty vocals throughout. Volume levels are uneven which is slightly annoying, but I won't dock it points.
Seems like they probably could’ve been more successful at the Smiths and Morrissey not pretty much pigeonholed this genre
Good solid 80s Rock, the released tracks are good and the fillers are OK AHA have a nice sound, very 80s but different enough to make them stand out
I've always loved A-Ha, brilliant song craft and production which continued for decades. This album is easy to overlook and underestimate.
Sounds exactly like a pastiche of the genre and time it was released. I tried to get in to it but it sounds like Flight of the Conchords ripping 80s European electronic pop, though not funny.
Einige Ohrwürmer. Ziemlich melodisch. Aber auch ziemlich abgenutzt.
Aside from loving the hit single that starts this record, I found this album to drag on a bit. There was definitely some cool musical bits and fun orchestration here and there. But overall I was hoping for more.
The famous debut studio album of synth-pop band a-ha. It contains the hit singles (Take On Me, Hunting High And Low, The Sun Always Shines On TV). The rest is filler. It's nice to have a Norwegian entry on the list, but I prefer Madrugada by far.
classic. one hit but still good
Easy to listen to and a bit fun. Some good tracks.
Eh
This is the embodiment of the 80s, with the clean, early electronic sounds, up beat tempo, and synths out the wazoo. The vocals have all the attitude and style you could want.
Yay 80s, this was a great listen.
Quite good
The production on this is incredible.
none
Typical 80’s pop. Obviously Take On Me is a great song. Rest of album was similar sounding.
A classic 80’s album
Eh, it was whatever. It's just pop. Not my thing, "Take on Me" is a classic but it's kinda overplayed and this just wasn't my type. Totally mid.
80's synthesizer heavy music. "take on me" by far the strongest track on album & wish it had not been the 1st one on there. after that it all blended together
Take on me is an 80s masterpiece and it deserves 5 stars, but the rest of the album is more average (3 stars). Overall I would give it 3.5 stars.
Couple decent songs, but mostly a lot of synths and programmed drums. If you’re doing synths and programmed drums, why make the most basic, boring music imaginable?
There’s something about the slightly stilted Norwegian accents and silky synths that make this album magic.
no thanks
I think they might've made a mistake making Take On Me the first song on the album, the rest of the album doesn't really live up to the expectations set by the first song
Early synthpop is just so much fun, the goofier and sillier the sounds they come up with, the better. Even outside the obvious 11/10 song here, the rest is super catchy. Not long enough to get boring, by the time it's over you're ready to start it up again.
Take On Me
80s nonsense, you know how it be.
I can’t listen to this without seeing the video in my mind
I don't think I've ever listened to that whole album.
Ok, I guess. Not really into the wavey vibey overtly 80s synth sound. But, I can respect that this sound was typical for the decade my parents grew up in. Not too shabby.
Lo mismo que varios discos en este listado: tiene dos tremendas canciones, pero el resto no logra mantener la altura (y cómo podría cuando Take on Me es la canción que abre el disco? Cómo superas eso?)
I've said it before and I'll say it again, 1985 was my favourite year in music. As soon as 'take on me' starts ( asingle I bought at the time) my mind goes back to pastel type pencil strokes and its ground breaking video. Sure, its cheesy but who cares? A-ha were a proper band that accidentally had a teeny-bop pop hit single. And the longevity potential for the band runs right through this debut album. The title track remains sublime, The Sun Always Shines on TV has dated somewhat but remains highly enjoyable. Its not all perfect. 'Living a boy's adventure tale' remains jarred and not quite there. So cheesy Euro-pop in the main but stil lthoroughly enjoyable and a launchpad for stronger records in the future.
I remember this album! I’m surprised it’s on this list. They did have a few more songs, but will always be remembered for Take on Me and “that video”
I had better expectations about this album and it ended up disappointing me a bit. It's not the worst album I've heard from the 80s, but it's not the best either. I believe and understand that this was the band's debut and I feel that it influenced a lot in making all the songs sound almost exactly the same. I finished listening to the album and there was not a single song that remained in my head. NOT EVEN ONE. Which disappoints me because "Take On Me" is a song that I really enjoy and that I really like. I don't agree with many people who like this album but everyone has their own tastes and who am I to judge? Notable Song: Take On Me
I figured a-ha was a one hit wonder. I thought maybe the appearance on 1001 would mean a hidden gem awaited me, but I don't really care for the album. I hear bits and beats that remind me of other songs, and pretty much every time that happens I'm kind of disappointed it isn't that other song. "Take on me" is a classic though with a classic video too. Favorite track: "Take on me" 2/5
Take on me is the high point
You can't start the album with the best song. The hits on this album were good, the filler was filler. Sound is unmistakable 80's.
"Take On Me" is my go to blackout drunk karaoke song, and if I've sung along enough throughout the night and my voice is loose enough about 1 in 10 times I can still hit the high note. I miss when that success rate was a bit higher when I was still singing regularly. The rest doesn't shine quite as much and has a slightly different tonality, but I still vibe with it hard. Great album!
This is just.... not good. At all. Even take on me sounds so much worse than I remembered.
It's ok but not what I enjoy.
80s Synth-pop. Nicht meins. 1 Megahit und der Rest im gleichen Stil gehalten.
Fairly uneventful listen. Not bad, not good. Background music.
The song “The Sun Always Shines on TV” makes me feel things
Just good clean 80s fun. When you think of what 80s music sounds like, this is the sound i think of. TAKE. ON. ME.
Hunting High and Low might be the most 80s album ever created. Saying, I’d think I would have hated it, but I didn’t. Take Me On is obviously a banger, but the title track and It’s Always Sunny on TV are also fantastic. There is more depth than just the bright synths and drum machines. 7.3/10
Not for me
Classic example of British synth-pop. Dynamic and never samey. Not just a one hit wonder album
2.5
Frankly there just isn’t enough oboe used in pop music. Thank god for a-ha. Everything I knew about a-ha previous to listening to this album was in relationship to its opening track (Norwegian band, revolutionary music video, impressive falsetto). I had never been inspired to listen to any more an-ha after hearing “Take On Me.” I likely will not deliberately listen to any more a-ha after having heard this album in its entirety. To be fair, there is a lot of Nordic pop that I really like (Robyn, First Aid Kit, Jens Lenkman). And I like new wave, even if only nostalgically. But I really couldn’t tell you what distinguishes this from The Fixx or Howard Jones or Naked Eyes. It’s fine.
Starts strong with that “South Park in Asspen” track but it descends into 80’s cliché quite quickly. Nevertheless, it’s enjoyable and you do not suffer it that much. Additional star for the South Park memories!
take on me. Other songs werent great. 2
Take on me > all the rest but not lost. It’s good for what it is, but isn’t structured that well and lacks cohesion.
makes sense that i've never heard any other song from this album....one hit wonder. 2 stars instead of 1 because of Take On Me
Pop con sintetizadores. Un megahit. Ni fu ni fa.
Great
Yawn
Take On Me and The Sun Always Shines... are all-time slices of sheer pop perfection. It shouldn't come as a massive surprise that the rest of the album struggles to match that. Some of it comes off like ersatz Bowie, some of it is Mel n' Kim level. Enjoyable enough though
I like the singles, particularly Take On Me which has an iconic video clip, too, but the rest of the album is pretty forgetful and way too synth pop-y to my taste. I like his voice, and I actually like some of their other albums from the 90s but this album wasn't really for me to be honest.
Take on Me! An instantly recognizable classic to start things off with a bang, but then mostly unrecognizable stereotypically 80's tracks to finish out the album. If I'm judging this band by just this one album, I'd suspect they truly are in that 1 hit wonder category. Decent, one huge hit, but nothing else to write home about really.
As 80s sounding as it gets. But still a great album.
Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Paar nette Lieder. Aber das Album ist mir zu eintönig
Gute band, gutes Album
Nice album, very melody driven and received a huge commercial success. While only 3 members, their sound is pretty big. I especially like the blend of their voices. Standout tracks: Take On Me, Train Of Thought, Hunting High And Low, Living A Boy's Adventure Tale, The Sun Always Shines On T.V., Love Is Reason, Here I Stand And Face The Rain 8 out of 10
They are still only a "One Hit Wonder".
Very dramatic, very theatrical. It's almost admirable how extremely cheesy it is. Almost.
While take on me is certainly a classic, the rest of this album is not particularly interesting. It feels like generic synthpop, which I don't mind, but it doesn't make for anything special. I did not realize that they were from Norway, so I guess I can cut them some slack on the lyrics. Favourites: "Take on me", and "The sun always shines on T.V." is alright too.
Might be my favorite yet..5/5 don’t let the opening track we know sway you.
Back in the day!
Take on Me. That’s it.
This album is the 80's in essence. A lovely classic.
it is very disco-esque. it was also a little rollercoaster of being interested in the song —> bored, over and over and over again 5/7
You ever heard an artist that is almost entirely known for one song and one song only? It may sound like I’m describing a one hit wonder, but that’s not necessarily what I mean. a-ha isn’t a one hit wonder by any means. I’ve just never heard anyone refer to this group when talking about anything other than Take on Me. I’ve also never heard anyone talk about this whole album. I didn’t know this excited until today. In regard to Take on Me, I’m not a huge fan. I lob it in the same category as Africa by Toto, where it’s this hugely popular song I just don’t get. Although I don’t dislike Take on Me as much as that song. It’s catchy enough, but not amazing. The rest of the album though? Consistently pretty lackluster. This came out smack dab in the middle of the 80’s. And it had this goofiness to it that just came with the time period. The best example is the song Love Is Reason. Those horns make it sound like Mario Party mini game music. The instrumentals are just missing the essence that made other synth pop albums better. I can respect certain parts though, like the bass on Train of Thought, or how The Sun Always Shines on T.V. ramps up in intensity part way through. Also I’m just not really a fan of the singer. I’m no professional myself, so I really don’t have any right to critique how someone else sings, but some of the high notes he hits, like on Take on Me, sound forced and strained. This album is just a little rough around the edges. It feels over polished and is rather boring. And I can’t imagine anything of higher quality on future albums from them. Rating: 4/10
The Sun Always Shines on T.V., Take on me.
Thoughts before listening: I know "Take On Me". Assuming that's on this album then it'll get added to the playlist because it's one of the best 80s pop hits. The band however are not typically talked about as anything other than one hit wonders who put out a catchy song with a killer video, so I'm surprised by the entry on this list. I'm expecting poppy 80s new wave, and I'm really interested to see what they sound like outside of the hit. Review: Well, this album wastes no time getting to the point with "Take On Me" as the opening track. It's still a great tune even detached from the video. The rest of the album ranges from fine to outright cheesy. I do recognize one more song in "The Sun Always Shines on TV" which was a minor hit...and its definitely the second best song on here. The rest are very of their time light weight pop songs, that just don't do anything for me. This is a 2-star album for the strength of "Take On Me".
Still a one hit wonder.
If there’s any album on this list that is here off the back of one song, it’s this one. “Take On Me” is an undeniably excellent (and iconic) song. Nothing else on the album really reaches its heights. The other tracks are well produced and the vocals are nice, but everything else feels like, “Yup, that definitely sounds like it’s from the 80s.” I also struggled to finish this album—I got it two weeks ago. After a few tracks, I’d always get bored and feel ready to move on to something else. On my third attempt to complete it, I finally did. And that’s crazy, because it’s only 37 minutes long.
Meine KIndheit 🤩
I’m left wondering if this album is included because of “Take on Me.” Maybe that’s at least part of the reason. Who doesn’t love “Take on Me”? The rest is fine. I’ve never been a huge fan of the overly 80’s sound that is present here. Like it’s almost painfully 80’s. Which makes sense. But I like the energy on this album. I know nothing else of their discography so it’s hard to judge this against much else. But I liked it enough but don’t think I’ll be rushing back any time soon. Standout tracks: Take on Me, Train of Thought, Love is Reason
gave up after living a boys adventure tale ok album a bit boring/slow
Starts off strong but peters out a bit, which isn't ideal for a sub-40min album. Take on Me is still a stone cold classic, and the next three aren't far off, but I wasn't blown away
Take On Me is a good song… the rest kinda average. Listens: 1 Fave Track: Take On Me Rating: 2
Generous 4
Great album
More than just a song that has somehow escaped becoming a meme
What a start to an album! I realize it sounds weird, but this is just too much 80s for me - and it feels stuck there too. Apart from 'Take On Me' which is an awesome song I didn't connect with any of the other songs. It feels a bit too cheesy for me. I had a hard time deciding between a 2 and 3, but I think I'll give it a weak 3 since it wasn't unbearable like most 2 star albums are.
I always thought of a-ha as a one hit wonder and was surprised to find this album on the list. Honestly none of the songs reach the quality of "Take on me" but i still enjoyed it. This album really was a mood more than anything else, nothing really stood out but I could still have it on as a nice background album.
A few hits and some decent B-sides but mostly what I expected!
Hot take: The Sun Always Shines On TV is better than Take On Me
Huge fan of the wind pipes. Sick sequencing, wicked cheezeball synths and loops underneath lyrics of longing and despair make for a dancy record that hurts so good.
Some good 80s cheese. Take on Me? First track of their debut studio album? Let's go. Never heard the rest of this album before but really enjoyed Living A Boy's Adventure Tale. Album made me wanna grow a shitty mullet and do coke. Solid 3.
The single is great. The rest of the album is fine.
the same song over and over and over. Nice song tho. 2 stars.
Good Album, with some of their biggest hits
One song take on me. Love the last of us version.
"Take on me" has 2.2 billion streams on Spotify? DAmmnn. Anyhow, I cant tell if "Take on me" and "The sun always shines on T.V." are just that much better or they sound really, REALLY 80's too. Overall an ok album.
Loved it
Dear God that was awful. After the first track (Take on Me) it got painful.
This might be the most 80s thing I've ever heard.
welcome to the 80‘s ngl „take on me“ is the best song and as the first song everything after it is just… meh
I can see the music video in my mind
This was fine. Take on me is part of the furniture culturally, but I think it may be a bit overrated musically as it gets a lot of it's credit from the video and the MTV generation. The rest of the album is serviceable pop.
A fine pop rock album with some catchy tunes.
Очень окно
Hadn't heard anything past Take On Me. Way more range than expected
This would've been a 2 if Take on Me wasn't on this album!
A classic 80s album with some iconic songs. Unfortunately, I don’t think it has enough going on to make it really great
Not really for me, but I do love take on me. It’s well done, just not a huge fan of that much 80s sound
Very specific sound for that time. I like the sun always shines on tv.
a-ha’s first album kinda suffers in context due to the fact that it’s biggest hit completely overshadows the rest of their career, to the extent that as much as I enjoy Take On Me when it comes on at a party I’ve never bothered to seek it out to listen to. It’s a what I like to call a peripheral hit. It’s also probably the least characteristic song on the album, being the most upbeat and with the strongest chorus. It’s not that the rest of the album is downbeat with weak hooks, it’s just that it tends more towards a baroque inspired form of Synthpop that takes it’s cues almost entirely from the second half of Ultravox’s Vienna. I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. It drags a little in the last third, but it’s problem is that it’s mostly just a bit dull
after listening to this, album and the band is more than a one it wonder.
my group's 500th album! it's certainly a relief our milestone was actually an enjoyable album. what i loved most was the oboe backing of "living a boy's adventure tale." the oboe only heightened how beautiful the song was. the synth managed to create a sort of orchestra accompanying the songs, too. a-ha's hunting high and low had a great temperament. it had ebbs and flows (i didn't want to say "highs and lows"--too on the nose) as they had peppier songs mixed with more moodier songs. the balance was perfect and made for a great listening experience. 4.5