Jeffrey T. Yentz 2008-04-19
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Hunting High And Low is a clever blast from the past that (for the most part) has while the feature song "Take On Me" has stood the test of time the rest of the album languishes in forgetable rifts.
Coming out during the infantile stages of MTV and music videos, "Take On Me" became as much of a signature for the era as "Come On Eileen" (Dexy's Midnight Runners) or The Buggles' "Video Killed The Radio Star". While A-ha were promoted (in America) as the best new thing to come out of Europe they had a pretty well established following that lent to a comfortable songwriting prowess and catchy musical hooks.
Obviously, "Take On Me" was the premiere cut but the rest of the album had comprable good songs that did not match the unique greatness of "Take". Yes, "The Sun Always Shines On T.V. was a follow-up video but the black and white imagery was oftentimes tedious and did not enhance ones desire to run out and procure a copy of the LP. Other cuts such as "And You Tell Me" and "Love Is The Reason" were okay and a nice complement to the overall compostie of songs but by starting the album with their premiere song that was akin to eating desert and working your way back to the salad. Tasty but backward.
Although A-ha went on to make numerous other albums, their fate was similar to Big Country ("In A Big Country") and the aformentioned Dexy's Midnight Runners wher a one-hit wonder does not pay the bills. For people who just want to embrace the hit, refrain from buying Hunting High And Low and instead look for a greatest hits compilation of the Eighties.