I recall reading somewhere that Robert Smith (of the Cure) had included Human in a list of his favourite tracks from the 80s. I've never been quite sure what to make of that. It might be the best track on Crash, but that's the only positive thing I can say about it.
This record might be better than Hysteria, but I'm not sure I can argue forcefully either way. The big hit from this record was Human, but there were a couple of other tracks of note, but I won't say that they are good tracks. And, please, contrast this LP's cover with that of Reproduction. What happened?
By the time this record was released, I had accepted that The Human League were now a fully-fledged pop band. The time and labour that went into this record did not payoff at all. There are some good moments, but, in the end, I have to wonder what the Human League of 1979 would have thought about this record. The answer is clear: they would have hated it, despite the presence of a genuine political tune.
She dreams of nineteen sixty-nine
Before the soldiers came
The life was cheap on bread and wine
And sharing meant no shame
She is awakened by the screams
Of rockets flying from nearby
And scared she clings onto her dreams
To beat the fear that she might die
And who will have won
When the soldiers have gone
From the Lebanon
The Lebanon
Before he leaves the camp he stops
He scans the world outside
And where there used to be some shops
Is where the snipers sometimes hide
He left his home the week before
He thought he'd be like the police
But now he finds he is at war
Weren't we supposed to keep the peace
And who will have won
When the soldiers have gone
From the Lebanon
The Lebanon
The Lebanon
From the Lebanon
I must be dreaming
It can't be true
I must be dreaming
It can't be true
And who will have won
When the soldiers have gone?
From the Lebanon
The Lebanon
The Lebanon
From the Lebanon
It might seem like a strange thing to say, but the track (Keep Feeling) Fascination (represented here is extended and dub versions) always makes me think of My Bloody Valentine. I do not know enough about music theory to state conclusively that Fascination uses pitch bending, or if there is something else going on, but it certainly sounds like it to my ears. It's a truly bizarre element to find in a pop song, and for that reason, I really admire this track, even if it is a pop song.
Other tracks on the EP are the aforementioned Mirror Man, the aforementioned Hard Times, the aforementioned Your Remind Me of Gold, and one new track - I Love you Too Much. In other words, this EP, which clocks in at just under half an hour, has very little to offer and looks like a stopgap. But, I do love the title track, so I was sold.
The flip side of Mirror Man contains two versions of You Remind Me Of Gold (one version is an instrumental). Mirror Man was released only as a single; however, the track later showed up on the Fascination EP. It confirmed for me the direction the band was going in. It's an enjoyable tune, I suppose.
This is a Canadian 4-track 12" single featuring two versions of Love Action (one is an instrumental), and two versions of Hard Times (one is an instrumental). That's all you need to know.
Right from the opening, this record sounds far more accessible than the first two, even if they adhered to the use of this equipment: Roland MC8, System 700, JP4, Korg 770, Delta, Casio VLT 1, M10, Linn LM1, Yamaha CS15 and Roland microcomputer and Linn drum computer.
Allmusic, in its usual schizophrenic way, gave 3 stars to the first record, 2.5 stars to the second, and 5 stars to this record. Say what? Of course, the reviewer refers to Don't You Want me as "utter genius." I do like that track, but it is far short of genius. I guess one could argue that this record commences The Human League's tenure as a new romantic band. Overall, this is a pop record, complete with female backup singers, and genuine hit singles. The band retains some unique characteristics, but I find this record less appealing that Reproduction and Travelogue.
Travelogue, again featuring only vocals and synthesizers, is more cold wave from the Human League. As usual, the record company pulled the usual bullshit, first by renaming Being Boiled to The Voice Of Buddha on the Canadian pressing. Also, Toyota City was removed and replaced by Rock 'N' Roll/Nightclubbing, a melding of Gary Glitter, Bowie, and Iggy Pop. Why? Why can't they stop messing around with the tracks on the records? Why not leave it as is? Sometimes, the only recourse is to find an import copy.
I find this record to be slightly less interesting than the first, but I think it's a really good LP. It's well known that Martyn Ware and Ian Marsh left to form Heaven 17 after the release of this record. Oddly, The Human League moved into more commercial territory, just as Heaven 17 did. Maybe musical differences were not the only reasons for the split.
The first record from the Human League--heavily influenced by Kraftwerk--is a sort of synth masterpiece that sounds little like their later commercial concessions. This is a cold, dark, austere, detached, and robotic piece of work, featuring only vocals and synthesizers. The whole record sounds synthetic, maybe even like what one might have anticipated future space age music to sound like. At this point, there were not yet any female singers in the band, and they seemed entirely disinterested in writing a commercial hit, like Don't You Want Me?
There was a time when I wondered if the guitar was dead and that all
future music would be synth and keyboard-based. Who needed drums, I
wondered? I've revised that opinion, but this record is all about that
direction. It would serve as a great soundtrack to a documentary of failed futurist visions of the world.
There are weird hooks, only limited concern with melody, and it offers very little for the average pop listener to grasp onto. But, this chilling record (and their second effort) is a kind of genius and it is far better than the later stuff. Just two years later, the band moved into more accessible territory, but, by then, the band had an almost completely new lineup, so they were really something entirely new. You might say that they sold out, but I guess they proved something on the first two records (and most of the third) and they felt the need to reinvent themselves.
The most bizarre track on the record has to be the their cover version of You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling, a track first recorded by the Righteous Brothers, and written by Phil Spector, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil. This is the most melodic and accessible tune on the record.
There is also something very unsettling about the cover, which features naked babies, exposed genitals included. I really wonder how that would fly today. I'm sure it would be censored.
My copy is an original UK pressing. This record was never released in Canada in any format.
If the only track you know from The Human League is Don't You Want Me (or Fascination or Love Action), you know nothing about The Human League.
This EP, the band's first, is a striking follow-up to the band's first single, Being Boiled. This is a bizarre, abstract, and purely electronic piece of music from a weird pseudo-pop band. The music is well ahead of its time and really experimental. The band makes use of the Roland System 100 synthesizer on every track. Just listen. It sounds nothing like the Human League you think you know. It's truly brilliant.
(Sadly, my copy of this 12" 45RPM single is lacking the flexidisc that was originally included).
