The Human League - Dare! (Japanese Edition)

Dare! captures a moment in time perfectly; the moment post-punk's robotic fascination with synthesizers met a clinical Bowie-esque infatuation with fashion and modern art, including pop culture, plus a healthy love of song craft. The Human League had shown much of this on their early singles, such as "Empire State Human," but on Dare! they simply gelled, as their style was supported by music and songs with emotional substance. That doesn't mean that the album isn't arty, since it certainly is, but that's part of its power; the self-conscious detachment enhances the postmodern sense of emotional isolation, obsession with form over content, and love of modernity for its own sake. That's why Dare! struck a chord with listeners who didn't like synth pop or the new romantics in 1981, and why it still sounds startlingly original decades after its original release; the technology may have dated, synths and drum machines may have become more advanced, but few have manipulated technology in such an emotionally effective way. Of course, that all wouldn't matter if the songs themselves didn't work smashingly, whether it's a mood piece as eerie as "Seconds," an anti-anthem like "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of," the dance club glow of "Love Action (I Believe in Love)," or the utter genius of "Don't You Want Me," a devastating chronicle of a frayed romance wrapped in the greatest pop hooks and production of its year. The latter was a huge hit, so much so that it overshadowed the album in the minds of most listeners, yet, for all of its shining brilliance, it wasn't a pop supernova; it's simply the brightest star on this record, one of the defining records of its time.

The Human League - The Sound Of The Crowd 12''

The Human League were deemed all but dead when the ‘musicians’ left to form Heaven 17. So, perhaps subconsciously acknowledging that all the best pop groups of the time – Abba, Chic, Fleetwood Mac – had two women in their line-ups, Oakey went down to his local nightclub and recruited Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley, initially pissing off the Electro purists. They were followed by another new member, Ian Burden, who was actually a musician. That new line-up, helped by the production of Martin Rushent, made “The Sound of the Crowd”, which became the band’s first top 20 hit in spring 1981. The combination of drum machine and shards of vocal heralded the way, and the Human League were finally a viable hit-making machine.

The Human League - Travelogue

The Human League's second album, Travelogue, was their first to be released in the U.S. (Not that you would have noticed at the time, given the limited distribution; the album subsequently was picked up for reissue by Virgin/Atlantic in 1988.) It was also the last to feature the nearly original line up of Martyn Ware, Ian Marsh, Philip Oakey, and Adrian Wright. Already, the band's synthesizer textures and Oakey's mannered voice were starting to lean in a pop direction, but much of this album retained the austere tone of earlier synthesizer groups such as Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. The conflicting musical directions led to a split in the band after this album, with Ware and Marsh forming Heaven 17 and Oakey and Wright reorganizing a new version of the Human League. Ironically, both ventures were more pop-oriented than before.

The Human League - Reproduction

In the late 'seventies The Human League were a pioneer electronic band who used synthesizers in dark and experimental pop. The band was composed of Phil Oakey on voice, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh on synths, and Philip Adrian Wright.

Before The Human League re-branded themselves as chart storming synth-pop giants, they released a pair of albums that were perhaps the most cold and dehumanised form of synth-pop ever heard. It’s almost so unfamiliar that some listeners may doubt the robotic beats of 'Being Boiled' or the eerie dirge of 'The Path Of Least Resistance' could have ever come from the same band who; a few member changes and a stylistic rethink later; produced enduring, pop leviathans like 'Don't You Want Me' a couple of years following.
It’s just so dark. Throughout the record there’s a lack of hope for the world and apathy for humankind strewn across the futuristic electro warbles and detached vocals and lyrics heard on virtually every track. On paper, that sounds unpleasant, but in reality it’s a well formed brand of synth-pop that doesn‘t care for commercial approval. It has its own flavour; its own sense of style and a clear idea of what it wants to be - cold futurist music, deployed using (at the time) cutting edge synthesisers to create a danceable, yet moody form of electronic music for those outside the realms of pop’s rose-tinted glasses.
Sure, 'Dare' is a masterpiece and, when it comes down to it; it’s probably a better record than 'Reproduction'. But just because their debut didn’t aim for the charts, doesn’t mean it’s worthless. Whilst the music isn’t as hooky or digestible as it would grow to be; it is infinitely more interesting and thought-provoking. The opener 'Almost Medieval' pounds along with its despair filled beat and subtle background melodies to make one of the tensest tunes on the album, and despite the overall tone, one song managed to find its way onto the UK charts back in the day ('Empire State Human') - almost unbelievable considering its odd chorus: "Tall, tall, tall, I wanna be tall, tall, tall, as big as a wall, wall, wall".
Really, it’s a matter of taste. People who mainly enjoy, easy-to-stomach pop hooks and generic lyrics won’t see the appeal, and would be better off sticking with 'Dare', but those with a penchant for darker and more challenging music will find themselves a ground-breaking record which they might actually prefer to the pop-leaning tendencies on later 'League' albums. It’s best to approach these songs with an ear for curiosity. If you’re looking for a simple pop fix like you’d get with 'Dare', you’ll be disappointed, but if you’re looking to hear The Human League at their earliest and most artily inventive, 'Reproduction' might just delight more than you expect.

I Don’t Depend On You

"I Don't Depend on You" is a disco-influenced song by the The Human League released under the pseudonym The Men. It was released as a single in February 1979, but failed to chart. It was written by Philip Oakey, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh; produced by Colin Thurston and featured guest backing vocalists Katie Kissoon and Lisa Strike.

After hastily signing the Human League in 1978 it became apparent to Virgin Records that the band wasn’t very profitable, with none of their previous releases on Fast Product making any impact on the charts. Virgin began putting pressure on the group to justify their large advance signing fee, to abandon their no traditional instruments rule and use conventional instruments in an attempt to be more commercial and sell more records. Ware reluctantly agreed but insisted that any material recorded this way should be released under a pseudonym to ensure that it wasn't confused with the pure electronic sound of The Human League. "I Don't Depend on You" was the only product of this compromise with Virgin. It was recorded with the addition of session musicians and was released under the name The Men. The song also features the synth riff from their debut single Being Boiled towards the end of the track. Afterwards the band was able to record tracks in their original style for Virgin but before any further conventional records could be recorded, the original Human League had split; Oakey then took the newly reformed band down a different commercial route.

Later, it would be commented on that in recording "I Don’t Depend on You" (two years prior to the arrival of schoolgirl vocalists Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall) Oakey, Ware and Marsh had inadvertently already produced a Human League Mk 2 style track complete with commercial pop sound and female backing vocals.