One record at a time: 1. a-ha - Hunting High and Low

I bought my first record in 1985 and in the intervening years I have amassed (or hoarded) quite a lot of vinyl, CDs, tapes and other recorded media. But it has recently occurred to me that I haven't actually listened to all of the items I own. So here I will begin to dig through my music collection and add some notes as I go. I'm starting with vinyl albums.

The first LP in my rack is "Hunting High and Low" by a-ha (my collection is in alphabetical order you understand). This pressing is the 180g version from 2015 and I think I have only played it once over the last six years. Whilst unmarked and scratch free, the vinyl seems to have a lot of sibilance that detracts from the sound quality. Very depressing - I can't help but think an original eighties pressing would have been far cheaper and probably sounded better.

The album is a 'classic' of eighties pop and kicks off with the ubiquitous "Take On Me". As the second track "Train of Thought" starts I am stuck by how different it is from the single version. Today I can hear Yamaha DX7 presets all over these tracks, but the 12 year old me back in 85 didn't have a clue how this music was created. "Hunting High and Low" is inoffensive without being too engaging. Personally I prefer the next track "The Blue Sky" as it has a quirky tune and some nice lyrics. I love this track and it just flies by - well it's only two and a half minutes long anyway - but you get my point. Side one ends with "Living a boy's adventure tale" which is a bit odd and sounds like it was mixed by someone who was deaf. It's a mushy mess of a track that I can't concentrate on.

Side two sees us back in pop classic territory with "The Sun Always Shines On TV" - definitely one of my a-ha favourites (if not THE favourite come to think of it). There are some great synth sounds on this track and its complexity is satisfying. "And You Tell Me" provides contrast to its driving predecessor with a laid back nursery rhyme style. Now NOTHING sounds more 80s than "Love is Reason" - if you followed a blueprint for the 80s sound you would come up with something like this. Octave synth bass, DX7 tubular bells, DX7 brass stabs and a twee tune about love are all present: it hasn't aged well. The next track is "Dream Yourself Alive" and whilst it is definitely not the best track on the album, it does benefit from a distinctive Fairlight backing track. The album closes with the moody "Here I Stand and Face the Rain" which point to the more mature sound a-aha would develop with their next album. 3/5