Reviews (page 6 of 8)
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.
This might be the most 80s thing I've ever heard.
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.
Actually really pleased to have this come up. Which we'll get to in a bit. It's an album of its time. New romantic pop done very well. Take me on great track with a ground breaking video which I think stands up to today's standards. The other 2 releases although they didn't have quite the same impact at the time are still very good tracks. The rest of the album is very listenable. And the we come to And You Tell Me. It was the 'B' side to (I think) to Take Me On. I heard it once and thought it wonderful, a thing of utter beauty and it has been a memory at the back of my mind ever since. Unfortunately today's reality doesn't quite live up to yesterday's memory. It's still a good track but not quite how it lives in my mind. A very good album though, a very high 3 (3.8+) but just not quite a 4. I'll think on it before rating it tomorrow.
Listened to this while cleaning. How can you be bummed listening to that opening track?! You'd have to be part of an uncontacted native tribe to have not heard Take On Me. The rest of the album doesn't live up to the highs of that moment, but there were definitely a fair number of solid tracks! As I composer, I definitely noticed a lot of very unexpected chord changes for this type of pop music. Overall, pretty enjoyable.
A staple of my generation. It's got some timeless bangers, but for the most part, it's 80s pop, an dsort of adequate at that.
Fine
Morten 👍🫡
Outside the big hits. Was ok
3.5
3.4 - Enjoyed, not sure if it breaks into the 4's though
take on me still a banger train of thought panpipes! (are they synth?) the synth lines on hunting high and low are cheesey though living a boy's adventure tale is a bit too melodramatic for me the sun always shines on tv is so 80s, but it is a bit of a bop and you tell me almost a bit kate bush-y love is reason sounds like a christmas song generally the album sounds like a total pastiche of itself, but the production is mostly quite tight. I didn't find anything here i'd come back to though. 2.5/5 - barely squeaking a generous 3 star roundup.
Very cool songs on here
A couple of genuine synth pop classics but with some really naff forgettable filler.
I was hoping to like this more, but I found that only a handful of tracks really grabbed me. That said, I still liked this overall. I don't think I've ever listened to much a-ha aside from Take on Me.
2.9 Except the singles it's pretty basic 80s pop, nothing exceptional about it. Fave songs: the singles
While "Take on me" is an absolute banger, the rest of the album is lacking. This Norwegian group is a one-hit wonder for sure.
Fun pop moet het keertje op nieuw luisteren wel nice
Aside from the hits, kind of generic 80s new wave
Aika perus 80 luvun elektropoppi soundia. Take On Me tietenkin ylivoimaisen hiukaiseva, muut kappaleet ihan jees mutta ei mitään erikoisempia
59/100
кроме знакомого сложно оценить остальное быстро (пока только кажется что ОЧЕНЬ ов иц тайм). тейк он ми прекрасная, но не могу за неё весь альбом поощрить. надо слушать
I can see why a-ha is a one-hit wonder. Take on Me is by far the best song on here. The rest of the album isn't bad, just generic 80's pop.
Take on Me is a belter of a tune! Some of the other songs are a bit generic and ehh. Others pop (like The Sun Always Shines on T.V). Overall it's quite nice, but it's only Take on Me that's worth revisiting.
Apart from the singles "Take On Me", "Hunting High and Low", and "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.", it's not bad, but nothing to write home about.
Reasonable 80s euro pop lifted up to a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ by 2 great singles
I've only previously heard "Take On Me", which is still a great song after all these years. One of the best synth lines ever made. The rest of the album is standard 80s new wave fare. One of the songs, the singer had a very close approximation to David Bowie's voice and style. Overall not a bad album
Quintessential '80s pop, but without all the cheese. A lot of the music during this decade would make you cringe despite your enjoyment of it, but a-ha strikes the balance between the shimmery, bold, synthy pop and the "coolness" factor. It still sounds dated after how many decades, but I don't think that takes away from how good it is in this case. Standout tracks are Take on Me and The Sun Always Shines on TV.
ok
80s synth.
Fun pop, pretty light in terms of good songs though
I find this to be a typical new wave synth-pop album in manyy respects. The musicianship/programming is top notch and the vocals are different than a lot of other bands of this period. Compare them to Human League, Heaven 17 or even Depeche Mode and you’ll find that the lead singer, Morten Harket, has a bit more range than those lead singers even if the top end of his range is falsetto. We’re not talking Jimmy Somerville/Bronski Beat falsetto, Harket uses it more sparingly. The best songs on this album are probably those that were released as singles. Made me want to see their videos. Interestingly, the video for “Take on Me” has over 1 billion views which is pretty rare. When I first saw it on MTV, I think it was the fist to use animation so kudos to whoever thought of that. All that said, I still think it is just a 3. Maybe 7/10.
Take on Me, A perfect pop 80's song with an iconic video to go with out, it defined the 80;s. The rest of the album however? Just over top sugar pop and not very good at all.
Take On Me will forever be a top of the lungs sing along. The rest of the record is standard 80’s Euro pop.
Take on Me is great. I don't know what i expected from the rest of the album. It was fine. Very 80s.
Take On Me is a banger, that's for sure. But the rest of the album has nothing that grabbed me as something I had to hear. It's fine, nothing I wanted to turn off either, but nothing I'm going to put on again (except for Take On Me)
Very listenable 80s pop.
Only by listening here did I realise I'd never listened to more than the singles. Was pleasantly surprised. Solid 3.
A surprisingly varied album 3.5
They most certainly have better albums than this one though it was a guilty pleasure album for me at some point in time. 'Take on Me' was never a fave despite, or possibly due to, its overplayed success. Favorite song on the album is 'Here I stand and face the rain.'
longheadiä loistattaa kuvassa heh, hyvännäköstä...alkaa popeimmalla popilla mitä pop on poppinut...hyvä biisi silti. eka puolisko hyvää 80luku humppaa ja toka puolisko paskaa 80luku humppaa. ei muuta sanomista, perushyvää albumia train of thought
Take On Me has been memed to death and I've heard it a million times. That didn't stop me from having it as a helicopter theme in Metal Gear Solid V, hehe. + Train of Thought + The Sun Always Shines on TV + And You Tell Me + Love Is Reason + I Dream Myself Alive Might I say that Here I Stand And Face The Rain is the best song from the album? I get the most feelings from this one.
Does alright. Take on me is legendary.
If you only know "Take On Me," you may be pleasantly surprised. There are several above-average synth-pop songs here that are worth investigating. That being said, it clearly is dragged onto this list on the strength of that track, which is, of course, an all-timer if ever there was one.
Ei ollut sillätavoin kehno kun odotin. Ansiokasta poppia. 3/5
Melkein tekis mieli antaa nelonen mut ei ihan taivu. Take on me:n lisäksi muitakin hyviä hittejä, erityisesti mahtipontisuudessaan upea the sun always shines on t.v. pari heikompaa vetoa valitettavasti laskee arvosanaksi 3/5
The slow ballads are pretty weak but I’ll take everything else. Take Me On obviously is legendary
Pretty generic 80s synth pop. Singer has a unique voice.
Good to listen to the hits- a trip down memory lane. Not much else there though, there are lots of better all round albums or more cutting edge sounds surely?
19th June 2023 Listened half on Monday but finished on Tuesday morning. Ashes, chilled evening watching Mario bros movie and playing PS5. Was the night we heard someone shouting outside. 80s synth pop legends, this album is dramatic, lush and feverful (?!). 3.5 if I could.
There's more to this album than just iconic opening track ‘Take On Me’. 'Hunting High And Low' is a nice Nordic take on mid 80s synth pop and new wave. Some of it hasn’t dated well, but there’s still plenty here to like. A fun listen overall.
Singer has heaps of range, some of the keyboards are, as they themselves put it, “juicyfruit”
Hang-Ten broheim we are peaking on this synth wave coming into shore and it's been a fun tubular ride. Falsetto's aplenty and a number of tracks that feature more of his range as a lead singer. Didn't know anything other than Take on me but still had good time.
I was hoping more of the songs would bang as hard as Take on Me but no such luck. Pretty meh 80s new wave album otherwise. Generous 3 here.
Take on me is a stand out song.
Pretty good to hear other songs on this album
Bland
This was a pleasant surprise - I enjoyed it FAR more than I expected I would! Not so much that I'm going to rush out and buy myself a copy, but enough that I would most certainly listen to it again. "The Sun Always Shines on TV" is pretty damn great.
A few good songs and a few okay songs. Solid 80s album.
The other songs on this album are not even close to Take on Me so it's a bit disappointing
Hot take: Their follow up album, the without any hits, is miles better. This is here for one song, and it can be argued that one song is only here because of a music video that made everyone lose their collective shit and now seems rather quaint. Video or no video, "Take On Me" still rips. It has the unique distinction of sounding both like a relic from the '80's and a timeless love song. Not for nothing, but apparently a-ha were a huge influence on Coldplay. Now that I think about it, Coldplay has to be the only group to ever suggest that a-ha was the reason they picked up a musical instrument and started a band. That sounds about right.
The opener is amazing of course. The rest is good, but kinda trails off.
Nice to hear a whole album. Loads of hits, great voice. Can’t unsee Morten Harket as Viking on Masked Singer though. Spoilers, sorry.
het lijkt ook echt een ghostbusters soundtrack. Leuk album niets leeft wel op naar de eerste banger
Eén heel grote schijf maar voor de rest nu niks dat ik echt graag hoorde.
I happened to listen to this n the car with someone who, when I put it on, said "oh, I never did buy this album. I wonder what it's like". And it's OK. There are the couple of hit singles, sure, that everyone from that era will know. And there's some stuff running across a wide variety of early 80s electronic, new romantic, poppy stuff. But nothing to outstanding. The verdict: "I'm glad I didn't buy that. It's a bit boring". Yeah, 3 stars.
great singles
eh
Classic 80s! It's just SO 80s and a bit dated today. Standouts: Take on Me, The Sun Always Shines on TV, Hunting High and Low. Singles: --------------------------- Take on Me (#1 all over the world) Love is Reason (Released in Norway and Philippines) The Sun Always Shines on TV (Top 10) Train of Thought (#5 IRE, #8 UK, #14 GER) Hunting High and Low (Top 10 world-wide, but not in USA)
Overall, I likes it. I thought it would go downhill after take on me, and it certainly did, but not as bad as I expected. I was surprised to recognize a song from the 90s, the sun always shines on TV! Overall, I would have given it a 2.5 if I could. I'll round up because I did enjoy it.
8o's Yay - AHA Not so much
3.5/5. Shoutout Norway.
I'm not a huge fan of 80s pop, but this was pretty good. Singer's voice is great.
Surprisingly OK
Pretty standard synthpop… but pretty good listening. Good melodies, good song structures, hit-or-miss hooks. First half of the album is stronger than the second. Could be a 2 or a 3; 2.5 seems right. Not really my thing but perfectly decent. Best song: Take On Me (shocker)
Some nice tracks to discover but mostly you’ll be fine with just Take On Me
80-tal och sång på engelska av nån som int talar de som modersmål är alltid chilll.. take on me är en otroligt bra sång, resten helt trevligt men når int ens nära den första sången. Sku take on me vara sista låt sku de kanske va bättre?
“Take on Me” is five stars.
It was alright, just alright. 3*
Was ok but peaked at song 1.
Super-nostalgic. The songs released as singles are fantastic, even it’s more due to familiarity. There are some tracks that fall a bit flat. Harket’s voice is pretty big throughout though.
It’s a shame that nothing else on this album hits the highs of Take On Me, but it’s a solid collection of 80s synth pop!
Less good Tears for Fears
Whoever said A-ha are a one hot wonder has never been to Europe. They were one of the most successful bands of the late 80s over here. They had around 15 big hits, including the title track of a James Bond movie, and 3 top 10 albums. That being said, this album definitely has some filler. Half the songs are good, but the filler really isn't. In general the singles are the good songs. Obviously Take On Me, but also my favorite song on the album: Hunting High And Low.
Take on Me is an amazing song but the rest of the album felt kind of flat.
Another album that has an absolute banger opening tracking but then falls off. It's not bad music, it's just very 80s. Nothing super special.
Meh, started with a well known beloved by many song and then the rest was pretty boring and flat.
A couple of serious nostalgic classics, with a load of less impressive euro synth pop schmaltz
Nice slice of nostalgia
Fine
2,5
Only a couple of standouts (obviously including the amazing single) on an otherwise "samey" album. I guess I was hoping for something more, though at least the album is consistent. I was surprised by the sophistication of some of the lyrics and some tidbits here and there do sound like early Depeche Mode maybe?
This is more sophisti-pop than I was expecting. I need to give this album low marks for those tracks. Take On Me is an incredible single that I never tire of. The instrumentation and overall feel of these songs are a great representation of 1980s synth pop but other than the lead single nothing stands out. This could have been replaced by a Culture Club or Cyndi Lauper album that both had much more impact.
I was hoping there would be some deep cut in here that blew me away but I guess Take On Me is their hit for a reason. The rest was fine but bland. I did think And You Tell Me was pretty good.
3.5 It was fun but a little repetitive. Liked the one song I knew. As it goes....
Not bad! And a nice thing to listen to compared to yesterday. No particular highs or lows just good old 80s pop. Phew.
Put it on when you want to pretend you're in a light hearted 80s movie! Some songs excellent...others required a skip. Super classic 80s vibe through and through tho. Sun always shines is a crazy good track I'd never heard before. Some higher energy/electronic tracks def stand above the slower/quieter stuff. Can hear a lot of inspiration for modern synthwave and 90s industrial music in there.
3.5/5
Pop con sintetizadores. Un megahit. Ni fu ni fa.
The Sun Always Shines on T.V., Take on me.
A-ha: The classic '80s techno-pop band. We can just skip past that first song that everyone knows and has seen the video of. After that, the album mostly transitions into prefab '80s pop. Good quality, but prefabbed from the overused '80s sounds. These are the songs that remind you of clubbing or some stylized restaurant in gray with pink accents. There are a few additional exceptions where there was real original though songwriting. Hunting High and Low is the main other one. But it can't escape the '80s time capsule. As an album, it's just ok. Peel off Take on Me, add it to a playlist, and call it a day. Scale: 5 - My absolute favorites. 4 - Albums I like. 3 - It was ok to listen to but I wouldn't seek it out. 2 - Didn't like. 1 - Absolute shit. Scale: 5 - My absolute favorites. 4 - Albums I like. 3 - It was ok to listen to but I wouldn't seek it out. 2 - Didn't like. 1 - Absolute shit.
Take on me är en otrolig låt. Tror nästan aldrig jag hört någon annan a-ha låt. Än är jag inget superfan, det är väldigt 80-tals teatraliskt. Hunting high and low känns verkligen som en låt ur en musikal. Jag är dålig på att bryta ner rent musikaliskt, men melodierna är catchy stundtals, men texterna är inget som riktigt kittlar sinnena tyvärr. På det hela taget rätt svagt album, men med schyssta beats.
Before today, the only song by a-ha that I was familiar with was Take On Me (the first song on this album). a-ha are a Norwegian synth pop band, that rose to fame with the song and video for Take On Me. I remember the sketched music video well. After the success of that song, it seemed like, on this side of the pond at least, the band kind of fell off of the face of the earth. Interestingly though, there were 5 singles released off of this album in Europe (Take On Me, The Sun Always Shines On T.V., Hunting High and Low, Love Is Reason, and Train of Thought), and they are actually still actively making music and touring over there as well (latest album release was 2022). This album is full of 80's nostalgia. Not because I was familiar with all the songs, but because all of the songs had that signature 80's heavy synthesized sound, with electric drum machines and synthesizers in the forefront. Aside from the 5 singles mentioned above, the other songs were good, but felt a bit like filler (didn't really stand out). I was hoping that another of their songs would impress me enough to topple Take On Me from my "favourite song" slot, and that is what The Sun Always Shines On T.V. did. Not that I don't like Take On Me, but it just got played to death, so it lost a lot of its grandeur over the years of repetition. The Sun Always Shines On T.V. starts off slow, but is a real rockin' 80's pop song. Overall, not a bad record. Probably not something I would revisit, but I can see how it may have been influential in the 80's. Favourite songs: The Sun Always Shines On T.V., Take On Me, Love Is Reason, Hunting High and Low Least favourite songs: And You Tell Me 3/5
Un album typique 80s comme on les connait
A pleasant listen, but definitely of it’s time. “Take On Me” and “The Sun Always Shines on TV” are highlights.
Surprisingly average. Like a tepid version of The Killers.
Your typical electro 80s album, kind of disappointing honestly. Opened real strong with the first two songs or so then everything sounded the same.
LOL
Super 80s, but this album only had a fee bangers besides Take On Me.
Enjoyable easy listen
Good 80s vibe and sound
Take on me good. The rest bit mediocre in my opinion
Ça aurait dû être un single
rien d’exceptionnel
take on me! first album of Norwegian new wave 1985, wowza
Take on me- one of those timeless songs that never manages to be overplayed. Just so anthemic and joyful 👍 Train of thought- Wish the lyrics hit harder in places and it had a catchier hook, but a very solid song 👍 Hunting high and low- Slower more heartfelt song👍 The blue sky- pretty standard synthpop Living a boys adventure tale- I think the title perfectly encapuslates the clumsiness of this track The suns always shines on TV- great bombastic instrumental, wish lyrics were a bit more connected👍 And You tell me- Mercifully short Love is reason- Inoffensive filler I dream myself alive- Again feel like it could be lyrically elevated, I love the name and think more can be done with the concept. Still a good song👍 Here I stand and face the rain- Love a bit of layering to finish an album, another solid song👍 A beyond iconic song with some nice synthpop tracks to go with it. Really not groundbreaking but I’m glad I listened to it. 3/5
A decent synth-pop album. At its best it sounds like a more pop oriented Laughing Stock era Talk Talk, but more often then not it is a generic synth pop album that occasionally strikes all the right chords. The quality of the song writng makes it a slight cut above 3 stars
Take on Me is one of those 80s synth pop songs that I liked. The next track has the same sound although I don't remember it. I was ready to call them a one hit wonder but thought I should check first and discovered that they released 10 albums. Who knew? Speaking of Who, this album was recorded at the boathouse converted into Eel Pie Studios which was owned by Pete Townshend. (Pete liked it since he could drive his boat there after his driving license was taken away.) The 80s sound starts to wear and the backing vocals on tracks like Blue Sky drive me nuts. The Sun Always Shines on TV kicks it up a notch which works. This album was noted as influencing Coldplay. I considered -1 for this but let it go.
Wow, 1.2 BILLION listens on Spotify for Take Me On! I always did like that song and the singer really belts it out on the chorus, not aided by Autotune. A couple of other tunes were bearable, but there were a couple of stinkers as well. I was thinking a 2, but I think that's what I gave Duran Duran and this is definitely better.
With "Hunting High and Low", a-ha are out to become reigning champions of 1980's synth pop, one programmed beat and stratospheric falsetto line at a time. It's a very competent, accomplished and sophisticated piece of work, if not always genuinely exciting. The whole album is pristinely engineered, almost to a fault. A synthesised orchestra unfurls across each arrangement, giving all the bombast of a Beethoven symphony mixed in with digitised sounds, programmed trebly drum machines, one-note bass synths. It all sounds pure and utopian, but there were times when I was hoping for a little more grit or authenticity in the mix. I was surprised to hear that half of this album’s tracks were singles. “Take on Me” is absolutely ubiquitous, and none of the other singles come close to exhibiting the duo’s same knack for crafting earworms or utilising Morten Harket’s stunning upper range. The closest they get is “The Sun Always Shines on TV”, with its urgent, aching cry of “Touch me / how can it be?” The other singles (“Love Is Reason”, “Train of Thought”, “Hunting High and Low”) don’t seem to occupy anywhere near the same space in public consciousness as the lead single 40 years on. They’re also, to put it plainly, just not as engaging. “Train of Thought” is reasonably solid- and cast in a darker and more paranoid shade than “Take on Me”- with a decent hook and rising vocal throughout its chorus. But then “Love Is Reason” sounds horrendously dated with its squeaky clean synth refrain and a bland central melody and lyric. Across the rest of the album, it’s a similar story: “The Blue Sky” and “Living a Boy’s Adventure Tale” are okay, with some good woodwind and falsetto in the latter. “You Tell Me” is a wandering sophisti-pop interlude to sap away any energy. Ending “Here I Stand and Face the Rain” brings things to a sweeping close with its crashing minor chords and brooding, ominous mood: going out on a dark note in an era of Cold War paranoia. All of it is very well recorded and engineered, with a sublime vocal performance from Harket. I just wish there was more of the same heights achieved by its two biggest singles.
Better than anticipated, generally enjoyable. very 80s though
I had never listened to a-ha beyond That One Song, but I understanding their place in the synthpop family tree now. Clear connections to Bowie, New Order, and beyond.
Take on Me is just so well known the rest of the album just kind of fades into oblivion. But I did enjoy the title track and Here I Stand and Face the Rain is a nice closer.
This didn't do much for me - "Take On Me" without the video really loses something, too. Fave track - "The Sun Always Shines On TV" maybe, but that's because I've heard some cover versions I like more? "Here I Stand and Fave the Rain", maybe, as it gets a little gothy....
Hittibiisi on kova ja pari muutakin ihan kovaa seassa. Taipuu kolmoseen.
I was way too hungover for this one
Unique, would give it another listen
Fun electropop, nothing too outstanding
one hit surrounded by a lot of 80s synth pop. It does deserve its placement on the list for the influence it's wielded for almost 40 years - that has to count for something. 3/5.
This album is definitely 80s. Take Me On is the biggest hit. I enjoyed it for the most part and it was relatively short. I still don't see myself revisiting this album though. Close to being a 4.
80s synth pop fun but I wish the rest of the album lived up to "Take on Me'
If the rest of the album could have been half as good as Take on Me we would have easily had a 4-star album. Unfortunately, it falls off pretty hard after the first song.
This is a fun new wave pop album from the mid-80s thats a bit one dimensional. Take On Me is an absolute banger, obviously. The rest kind of fails to live up to their hit.
It was all downhill after Take On Me. Pace slowed, and went into crooner mode. It was fine.
The Sun Always Shines on T.V., Take on me.
Je kunt eigenlijk bijna niet aan iets anders denken dan die voor die tijd fascinerende 'getekende' clip van Take on Me, maar ook het hele album blijkt verrassend goed luisterbaar voor een synth-pop plaatje uit 1986.
Vond dit nog best goed te pruimen. En zeker de hitjes zijn te gek.
Mixed bag. De bekende nummers zijn top/jeugdsentiment, de overige nummers kon ik niet zo goed plaatsen.
A classic, but nothing outside of take on me really blew me away.
The sound of the 80’s. Great then, now outdated.
Sort of a one trick album. It features some okay ‘80s tracks that are all overshadowed by the Goliath opener.
surprising album coming from a band that i thought was a one hit wonder, still not really my thing but i can appreciate it
After a bit of a hiatus, I'm back. I enjoyed this album alright.
oh it has THIS SONG didn't have super strong feelings. it was fun, but just ok.
Good album. Best song is obviously “Take on me.”
It was alright. Very very 80s. Take On Me was great and it was an enjoyable album, but I can't see listening to it again.
Eh, it's good 80s pop I guess
I wondered if I’d recognize anything other than the big hit from this and the answer was no, I didn’t. Liked it all well enough, for its style and era, but not much of beside that one hit really grabbed me.
Best songs: Take on Me Like the use of string instruments in Hunting High and Low.
Didn’t listen
Take On Me is one of my favourite 80s pop songs, lot of good memories belting that one out on the dance floor with my buddies. But the rest of this album does nothing for me... they call it a one hit wonder for a reason.
Great classic songs
A bit fluffy and it’s short for a debut.
Surprisingly enjoyable. Really only one radio hit, but the whole thing feels like 80's montage music. Will definitely revisit a few tracks in the future.
C’est quand meme bon serieux, j’ai ete surpris et j’aime ca hehe 3.85
3.5
Pretty good synthpop album, really loved the first half but the latter half was a little one note and uninteresting but I still overall enjoyed it. The instrumentation is fantastic and Morten's vocals are absolutely transcendent, one of my favourite singing voices of the 80's.
Solid
Good individual songs, but not enough to sustain an album. You can see why they were (and still are) so popular though
One hit wonder, but overall good album. Everything kinda sounds the same
Tja, niet helemaal mijn ding. Wel een paar klassiekers. 3*
Fun songs. Throwback vibes to being a kid.
Disco com hits dos 80 que funciona bem na sequencia.
All the Morrissey lately has tainted this version of New Romantic songsmithery. The accent didn't help me overcome the apprehension. Some pretty nice falsetto and triceps in the cover art though...
That is the most '80s sounding album of all time.
For whatever reason, the lead-off track, Take On Me, has entered the lexicon of earworm songs that have become ingrained in our society. Yes, the song is 37 years old, but I've heard it more in the past 10 years than when it was released and it's popularity has taken on a whole new level. Apart from that song, a-ha delivers a predictable blend of mid-80's mediocrity most people didn't listen to if you bought the album. Actually, the songs aren't bad and it wasn't difficult to listen to the whole thing through, but really nothing essential here.
Correct pop album
Has anyone heard this "unplugged" version of "Take On Me"? Shows how good the song is, even without its lush synth arrangements and Morton Harket having to go to the famous falsetto highs at the end of its chorus. https://open.spotify.com/track/7htt7UuxHL5wneOcMWJP5E?si=K-aG8WMmS5qCORpI0R96sg&utm_source=copy-link To return to the original album from which this timeless hit is taken from, not all of those eighties arrangements and vocal feats have aged as well as "Take On Me", unfortunately. As a matter of fact, and under closer scrutiny, a lot of the songs in this record are somewhat disappointing, and this only in the compositional level. For example, there's "Train of Thought" and its awkward faux post-punk grunts on verses, followed by incomplete choruses, leaving you dangling in the air--a bit of a problem that can also be found with "Here I Stand And Face The Rain". And speaking of chorus, there's much to complain about the ones of "The Blue Sky" and "Love And Reason", but this time for opposite reasons, as they confuse catchiness with bland, pointless repetition... Fortunately, two exceptions are saving this record from a 2/5 grade (which is a tribute to their inherent greatness, given how hackneyed and cheesy-sounding a lot of the other tunes are sounding today). There's the title track, whose epic chorus and incredible orchestral flourishes could have been recorded yesterday, and "The Sun Always Shine On T.V." that somehow transcends its dated sound through the sheer force of its vocal melodic lines, pretty much in the same way "Take On Me" does. Now I have two questions: can three great tracks against seven tedious ones make an essential album? But more importantly, where can I find those tracks without the clunkers and add them to my record collection? Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 835 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 90 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 40 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important: 36 (including this one)
I don’t get the love for The Sun Always Shines on TV. In contrast, I would like to have Take On Me played to me as I shuffle off this mortal coil, so this album’s got that going for it, which is nice.
It's only good if it's what you're looking for, but if it is easy 4 stars
VERY 80s
2 good radio songs.
Good pop music that’s fine for today… The album opens with the megahit take on me it’s a banger, just undeniable! Then is train of thought it’s a good song but it almost sounds like he’s trying too hard to sing in another accent (but this problem mostly goes by the end). But saying that about the last song I like his vocals quite a bit in hunting high and low this is an honestly amazing swooping ballad! I honestly thought that track 4 was called “ mr blue sky” but no it’s just “the blue sky” anyway it’s a little shit the instrumentation and singing quality is what I’d expect but the lyrics… wow they’re bad. Side one ends with living a boy’s adventure tale it’s great and honestly could’ve been a single great slow track to end the first half of the album! Side two opens with their second biggest song the sun always shines on tv, I loved how it starts all sad and slow then forms into this awesome new wave rocker ( but a-ha must’ve been a 1 hit wonder because I’ve never herd this song before). Then is and you tell me, a shortie and a slow song nothing special but good. Love is reason isn’t much of a song being like 80% repetitive chorus but it’s not bad. I don’t hate I dream myself alive but I think it feels a little static in comparison to the other songs on the album ( but the samples are cool). The album closes with here I stand to face the rain, I was actually surprised by this it’s really well crafted probably the best song on side two and well worth the wait! Side 1: 4/5 songs are great Side 2: 2/5 songs are great 4+2=6 Half 6= 3 3/5 solid but fairly weak for new wave to be fair.
Non-stop bops sadly did not reach the top
Enjoyable. I'll look more in to a-ha but wasn't my favorite. Take on Me is a classic still, but other than that, decent album.
Aparte del bombazo de "Take on Me" hay otras canciones interesantes como "The Sun always shine on T.V.". En realidad veo más influencias de este disco en bandas recientes de lo que pensaba (White Lies o Editors). En algunas canciones el uso de los sintetizadores ha envejecido muy mal.
Expected more. But still OK.
that one song
There's been a lot of albums from the 80s on this list, but this might be the most 80s of them all. You got the drum machine, the synths, and the voice. I think the synth is the most interesting work, some very elaborate beats going on.
Una llàstima que la resta del disc ni tan sols s'apropi a la força de 'The Sun Always Shines on TV', 'Hunting High and Low' o, és clar, 'Take On Me', un dels singles definitius dels '80. Malgrat la qualitat desigual, un disc encissador de synth-pop 80s, fantàstic per disfrutar a l'estiu
run of the mill 80s pop. take on me is a classic banger
Weak 3, one real jammer on this
I get how this album got its name after I kept having to hunt higher and lower for the right volume. "Take on Me" is at least 4 times louder than "Train of Thought", I had to keep alternate; screw Spotify whether it's their problem or not. Like an uplifting, energetic Tears for Fears. The synth effects are solid, danceable with a bit of melancholy and hope. Excellent vocals, appropriate usage of his higher register. Excluding the annoying volume shifts, the production is all-around superb. On the other hand, the tracks were formulaic and didn't experiment much, but there's diversity while still consistent. I'm a huge fan of synthpop, so I enjoyed all the tracks, but hardly anything grabbed my attention, and if it did it was usually some cool vocal technique. Still, it's a super fun album, and if I was looking for good mood dance vibes, this is a top candidate.
Better than I expected, but still not great. Nice of them to put their hit at the beginning. Best track: Take on Me
Take On Me deserves 3 stars. There’s not much else on the album but you might get into 1 or 2 other songs
it was good to hear some old tracks again
I was prepared to hate this album. It's new wave and that one song that I already know is kinda annoying. But I didn't hate the album. Sure, I hated some of the TRACKS on the album but not the album as a whole. That, in itself, is quite the achievement. Congrats, A-ha, on being new wave and not entirely sucking. Here's a 3-star rating as a reward. Don't spend it all in one place.
I won't dwell on "Take on Me", but it is quintessential 80s electronic pop. Somehow has transcended how cheesy it is with the catchy riffs and impressive falsetto. I think the video really cemented it though. I can really only say I've heard "Take on Me" though, the rest of the album is completely unknown to me. It's fine, but not my thing. I really can't listen to it in general as the 80-ness gets to be much, but I'd say in general I think the world slept on the rest of this album a bit. Maybe I just haven't met a-ha fans but I've never heard anyone talk about any of their other work. 3.5 to 3.
Not a big fan of this synthesizer/drum machine-driven sound of 80s alternative music. It's okay, but not something I would listen to again. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
prilično dobro al je take on me duplo bolja pjesma od većine
ovaj album je stvarno dencibilan, moram priznati. ima dobrih stvari, nisu oni one hit wonder.
Dobar album sveukupno, al je jaaako dosadan I’m sorry.
Pop ochentero con toques de música de baile. Buenas voces y ritmos
Take on me is a classic but the album drifted after
Saved Prior: Take on Me, The Sun Always Shines on T.V. Off Rip: Living a Boy's Adventure Tale, And You Tell Me Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Take on Me is one of the greatest songs of all time because of how crazy his voice is on that chorus, but the album reaches nothing close to that high again and fades into run of the mill romantic synth pop. But man oh man is Take on Me incredible.
after the first song, just okay to me.
I thought that, after Take on Me, this album was gonna slide down a slippery slope with songs that don't catch up to that wondrous song but no this album has some good songs. I want to shout out The Sun Always Shines on T.V.; that's the best song on the album. There is definitely some mid 80s material but it's not that bad; definitely something to sink your teeth into if you want to hear more from a-ha. Favorites: Take on Me, The Blue Sky, Living a Boy's Adventure Tale, The Sun Always Shines on T.V., I Dream Myself Alive.
It doesn't exactly keep up with Take on me. But tbf, that would be a hard thing to do. I don't hate, just doesn't keep that fucking energy that radiates from Take on me.
foreplay should be before the main event
The sun always shines on TV is a great song but the rest is pretty dated 80's pop rock
National anthem
Wonderful voice, but New Wave just really doesn't do it for me, a few exceptional tracks aside.
Take me on is an all time classic song. However much of the rest of the album is pretty much just 80s pop and it doesn’t get nearly as good as the first song. 5.5/10
Groovy. That’s it it’s groovy.
It's not really my sort of thing, but no there's no denying it's a classic 80s pop album.
Obviously track 1 is great and the rest of the album is pleasant enough whilst mostly unremarkable. 3/5
Actually pretty good. Hangs together much better as an album than I imagined.
6/10. Well, it has Take on Me on it. Otherwise, fairly bland, though never too unpleasant.
Ach die 80ies. Es war nicht alles schlecht, aber noch weniger war wirklich gut. Ich habe 'Take on me' immer gemocht, dieses Album aber natürlich wie so viele nie durchgehört. Nicht richtig schlecht, aber auch nur mittelmäßig. Gnade vor Recht, muss man im zeitlichen Kontext betrachten etc. bla bla.
Holy falsetto
A couple of stand out tracks and even then I suspect Take On Me is only as successful as it is because of a genuinely great music video. This is not an album I can ever see myself listening to again. Not terrible but mostly dull to me and heavy on the 80s production that has never moved me.
Very 80s. I'd heard Take on Me of course but nothing else to my knowledge. Definitely sounds like the Take on Me band.
Opening track is 80's pop perfected. Rest of album hovers around this template without ever quote getting there again.
80’er synth pop, catchy
This synth-pop album was the debut album by a-ha - and boosted by its hit single "Take On Me" - it became the band's breakout album. The band was immediately launched into world fame, far from its humble beginnings as a Norwegian local group. The album itself is a fun journey through new wave music from the 80's and is a blast of nostalgia when listened to today.
Can't help but love "Take on Me", and other songs are also good, but averages out at about 3*
A-HA! Took me a couple of goes to get past the first song coz it's such a banger. Once I did though found the others pleasant enough, some I found a bit dull but some were fun, and yeah you know what I do think love is reason enough
Well, we know the main hit of this album don't we! Did enjoy a few more on here, some of them were just hilarious and made Luke and me laugh a lot
Obviously the big pull here is the opener, but The Sun Always Shines on TV was equally incredible. Unfortunately the rest of the album is just kind-of-okay synth pop.
Take On Me and The Sun Always Shines on T.V. stand out.
Att a-ha var ett one-hit wonder har och kanske fortfarande är min tanke? Men jag är inte helt övertygad, under några perioder under lyssningen fanns det något i mig som ändå kände att detta går att lyssna på. Jag måste också medge att det är en väldigt mäktig röst sångaren (Morten Harket) har. Vad jag trodde var en självklar 2:a jobbar sig nog ändå upp till en 3:a på grund av Harkets röst. Bäst: "Take on me"
Soft.
Solid first song, vibey
Come back to this one
Its sort of generic 80's pop but with more of a groove to it. Stand outs: Take on me, the title track, I Dream Myself Alive
It's really hard to reach the heights of that first track. That's an era-defining bit of business right there. Nothing else quite has that 80s synth kick.
Opening song, Take on Me, is very well known and liked. There's a good reason for that, too. The song is just good. Other than that, most songs are kind of a miss for me, but I can see why they'd be liked.
Not horrible, although take on me sounds totally different than the rest
It's an alright album, but I have to say that the lyrics and emotion they're going for don't match the sterile 80s synth sound. It can be done, but it just feels too silly. Like the backing synth in take on me... it just undermines the emotion. This is a great album to throw in the background for a party, but defies series analysis. I will say I did like stand and face the rain. I listened to this album 5 times and couldn't find a song that was truly bad, but I didn't find many super standouts. 3.25/5. Not bad for a one hit wonder.
Honestly thought it was gonna be different based off of Take on Me coming from this album, but a lotta synth of course, very 80s
Aha, wusste gar nicht dass die Norweger sind ;) Tolles Popalbum, teilweise vielleicht etwas seicht aber einige Hits mit Ohrwurmpotenzial. Ein Album wie eine laue Sommernacht in Skandinavien.
A combination of bangers and boredom, mincing and melancholy. It’s just about fun enough to save itself from a 2/5
Wonderful throwback to the camp 80's.
A-ha - an album bolstered by three bona fide pop classics - rest is likeable 80s synth pop ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good stuff, first track is overplayed but still a classic. 3.5
sounds a lot like Morrissey in parts - but not as morose or right-wing.
Decent, didn't love the whole album but liked enough I'd probably listen again. Plus, classic 80s vocals.
Actually enjoyable. Good 80's music.
Seems pretty dated.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would
Ok pop, some nice tunes wouldn't seek out more of their stuff
I like Take on Me but didn't fancy a whole album of it, but it was pretty decent. The title track was good
3.2 - After “Take On Me” it’s forgettable 80s electro pop. There are good power ballads but nothing worth a second listen.
Pretty good but Take On Me kinda overshadows the rest of the album
just meh
Tecno. Suave. Melódico.
Aww, man. I really wanted to like this more than I did. When you come out of the gating swinging something like “Take On Me,” I suppose it’d be difficult for anybody to keep up that momentum. That song has given so much it’s at least worth two stars. Third star for spelling the band name in a weird way. (Why don’t we pronounced the A with a long vowel sound??)
Nett, wie ich finde - 3
fun listen
Pur son classique 80. Take on me!
eh, this album was alright. I went on an 80's kick a while back and a few of the songs i heard were from this album, and, while good, weren't anything special.
Delightfully dated.
Take me on is pretty much the best song on this album
Synth pop. Not the greatest, not the worst
A pretty classic euro new wave album. There is better new wave out there IMO, but worth a listen.
This has the big ah-ha hits. Life changing? no.
not bad
first song is great, the rest meh
Fun synth-poppy new-wave. Good showing.
Great singles, good sound but not that memorable. Might listen again.
Some great songs. But, also, some boring songs. 6.5-7/10
I mean at this point I want to scream NO MORE FUCKING NEW WAVE but the book is already written. Take on Me is a good little tune, and the rest... some of it sucks, some is passable synthey rock, but hunting high and low holy shit what a fuckin tune!! 3/5.
Decent pop album. Few bangers, and few not-so-bangers!
2.4 Take on me is pretty catchy, I will admit to that. Didnt mind the vocals all in all, got quite the range. But a bit of a slog to get through,
This felt like ‘Take On Me’ and then a bunch of 80’s department store background music
I was prepared to hate this album, feeling oversaturated by “The Song” and by New Wave in general on this project. But I was pleased to find some interesting post-punk sensibilities on here, reminding me of The Jam or The The. Alas, I grew tired of their sound after only 37 minutes, so I don’t think I’ll be back again.
Mediocre sad boy synth pop
Going in I already knew I liked take on me. Having gone through with the whole album I did find I also really enjoyed the sun always shines on tv but the rest of the album was quite difficult to sit through.
This might grow on but those vocals make it tough for me to want to keep listening, despite the fact that I think "Take On Me" is a fine song!
Take on me is great, the rest not so much
I think my rating system has devolved into simply a measure of my desire to continue listening to an album.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's all lows, no highs.
I maybe could get to 3 stars on this one. It's probably above average by 80s pop record standards. Today I wanted it to end.
I don't think an a-ha album belongs on this list. Has anyone heard an a-ha song other than Take On Me and maybe the Living Daylights? Skeptical. Apart from that, I don't know why I like this so much less than the superficially similar Scandi-wimpy Cardigans, but I do.
Music feels very repetitive, bland, and not my style
Enjoyment: 5/10 Replayability: 3/10 Cohesion: 4/10 Flow/Pacing: 4/10 Artistic Merit: 4/10 Weighted Average: 4.1/10 Review: The album starts off with an absolute banger and then quickly dissolves into background noise of forgettable melodies. I listened to this album 3 times and can't tell you what comes after The Blue Sky. This makes me question why it was put on this list at all. Is it only because of Take on Me? Liked Song(s): Take on Me, Train of Thought Disliked Song(s): (None) Recommend? Maybe Heard Before? Partly
a-ha’s lead off song Take On Me that starts their debut album is a strong opener. I remember it getting heavy radio play through the late eighties. Train of Thought is clever and a decent track but the album fades from there and continues its slide downhill until the finish. Wanted more from the title cut and the rest of the album. Vocals and orchestration are rich, the rest is rather slow synth pop dance music. (2.34*s) Skol to the Norwegians for making The 1001 Must Hear List!
a-ha's debut album was a lot more hunting low than high. It's always tough when the best song on an album is the first track. It sets the table only for you to be disappointed with the rest of the album. Take On Me is so far ahead of anything else that when it wraps up it has left a bad taste in your mouth for the last 30 minutes. Even the other singles that were released I found pretty lackluster. I was hoping for some international influence on some new wave synth pop but was pretty unfulfilled with everything I got after the opening track. I always marvel as to how a-ha has such a huge international following. They somehow maintain the Guinness World Record for highest paying audience at a concert from 1991 which will never cease to surprise me. Within the US their popularity is 99% tied to Take On Me and the associated music video which is deservedly great and iconic. After listening to Hunting High And Low I get the sense that we got it right in the US and that they should mostly be considered one-hit wonder. I understand they had some other singles but from the looks of it their debut was their biggest album both in and out of the US. The remainder of their catalog has pretty limited lasting appeal. I've always found them to be a very odd choice for Bond theme song and don't find their particular track that good or appropriate for the franchise either. Despite their success a-ha goes back to the shelf for me as another forgettable 80's act. 2.07 stars
God the 80s
Too 80s, too poppy for my taste. The keyboard sounds - yeesh.
So 80s it hurts. Funny how some 80s still works and others just almost hurt to listen and imagine it was so popular back then. These guys had a groundbreaking video for their monster hit. That’s about it. 2.5 for nostalgia purposes only. Album all sounds the same.
This falls off a cliff after the first track
Nothing to dislike, but nothing that really stayed with me either. They're probable somewhat important in the 80s new wave discussion, but I think there are better groups from that era to focus on and listen to.
Whole album of this just got way too annoying.
First song pretty good. Then it’s all downhill from there
A couple amazing songs that help me to overlook the cliche synth. 2.5/5
It was fine but all sounded the same
Not a fan
På ingen måde et mesterværk, men der er et par kæmpe bangers og produktionen virkede ret godt for mig
There's that one good song and a bunch of covers