RhoDeo 1239 Aetix

Hello, Aetix time again and todays band has been highlighted previously in the Wavetrain-Sheffield Sons post June 2007, more than 5 years ago that is so time to renew acquintance with The Human League, some classic work here and a rarity EP. Njoy !

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

After "The Future" Martyn Ware and Ian Marsh carried on as a duo for a short while, recording instrumentals but quickly decided they really needed a vocalist, they invited Martyn's friend Philip Oakey, who was then working as a hospital porter, when Philip came up with lyrics for Being Boiled, his future as lead vocalist was secured. And he certainly looked the part. Determined to produce pop music in a modern and original way, the group then spent two thousand pounds on new hi-tech gear. Although their financial situation forced them to buy most of it under 'hire-purchase' agreements, they were soon the proud owners of a two-track tape recorder and a 100 System Synthesizer (with sequencer module).

With this new line-up, the group decided to change their name. They chose The Human League, a name taken from a science-fiction board game called Star Force.They then spent time writing and recording material for a demo tape in a disused factory on Devonshire Lane in the centre of Sheffield. The demo tape featured Being Boiled, Circus Of Death and Toyota City, all recorded in mono on their new two-track tape recorder and all later commercially released.

Following the release of The Dignity Of Labour, the group decided they needed stronger backing than the tiny Fast Product label could offer. So, keeping Bob Last on board as their manager, they decided to put together a new demo tape with which to impress the major record companies. A number of record companies were soon offering The Human League recording contracts, the group chose to sign with Virgin Records, who had had a hand in the release of The Dignity Of Labour and whose publishing arm had recently signed the group.

The release of the group's ground-breaking debut album, Reproduction, in October 1979 was met with a number of unenthusiastic reviews. Although promoted with the subsequent release of the Empire State Human single, taken from the album, sales of Reproduction were substantially lower than Virgin had anticipated. As a result, Virgin decided to cancel all but two dates of the group's proposed UK tour.

Their next challenge was to persuade Virgin to finance the establishment of their own personal recording studio in Sheffield. Virgin were eventually convinced, realising that it would cost less to set up the group with their own studio than it would to hire other studios for future recordings..The League spent the early part of 1980 recording their second album the group's electronic sound was now beginning to grow again in popularity, as interest in the burgeoning New Romantic / Futurist scene developed.

When the group's second album, Travelogue, was released in May that year, it was more warmly received than Reproduction, reaching Number 16 in the UK charts and eventually spending an impressive 42 weeks in the Top 75.The album was generally brighter in tone than its predecessor, and most agreed that Travelogue demonstrated that the group were finally fulfilling their potential. In support of the album, the group undertook what would be their final UK tour, this was followed by dates in mainland Europe.

In November 1980, Martyn and Ian announced the formation of their British Electric Foundation production company.This left Philip and Adrian to deal with the group's forthcoming European tour, which was due to begin about two weeks later. Philip and Adrian agreed with Martyn and Ian that they would continue to use the Human League name, on the condition that Martyn and Ian would receive 1% of the League's future royalties, though the group's financial debt to Virgin would remain the responsibility of the new League line-up

The two began seeking new members for the impending live shows. Philip famously recruited two teenage girls (Susanne Sulley and Joanne Catherall) his girlfriend spotted dancing at Sheffield's Crazy Daisy disco. Even Bob had some concerns about the new format of the group, but staunchly defended Philip's decision in the face of negative reaction from Virgin Records. Bob: "I understood that Phil had very interesting instincts which should be backed, but the fights I had with Virgin!

The two groups now found themselves in the slightly strange position of having to share the studio they jointly owned, taking turns to use the equipment to record demos for their next albums. During this time, much bitching took place in the music press, mainly from the B.E.F. corner...The bickering eventually subsided and Bob Last continued to manage the new incarnation of The Human League, even though he was now a director and shareholder in the B.E.F.

The new-look Human League went on to huge worldwide success with the single Don't You Want Me and the third Human League album, Dare!, which sold five million copies and is hailed by many as one of the definitive pop albums of the 1980s. The group (now essentially just Philip, Susanne and Joanne, plus collaborators) have also scored hits with most subsequent albums and singles. Adrian eventually left the League after the making of 1986's Crash album, during which he found that producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis had no need for his keyboard contributions, having drafted in session musicians. Adrian returned to film-making and has worked as a director in the fields of both film and music video.


xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

The trio of Ian Craig Marsh, Martyn Ware, and Philip Oakey all handled vocals and synthesizers to create a set of grim, rigid tracks that revealed a greater lack of humanity than even Kraftwerk. Reproduction contains nine tracks of electronic music/synthpop with some elements of industrial music, and was recorded during six weeks at The Human League's studio in Sheffield. The recordings were produced by Colin Thurston, who had previously worked on some key new wave recordings such as Iggy Pop's Lust for Life and the second Magazine album, and would go on to produce numerous hit albums of the 1980s, most notably for Duran Duran.

The album was a commercial failure upon its initial release in October 1979, but it was re-issued and charted almost two years later in August 1981, earning a Silver disc by the end of the year and peaking at no.34 in early 1982. The album spent a total of 23 weeks on the album chart and was later certified Gold by the BPI in 1988.

The Human League ‎– Reproduction (flac  409mb)

01 Almost Medieval 4:34
02 Circus Of Death 3:51
03 The Path Of Least Resistance 3:27
04 Blind Youth 3:16
05 The Word Before Last 3:56
06 Empire State Human 3:10
07 Morale... You've Lost That Loving Feeling 9:30
08 Austerity/Girl One (Medley) 6:38
09 Zero As A Limit 4:01
10 Introducing 3:13
11 The Dignity Of Labour Part 1 4:21
12 The Dignity Of Labour Part 2 2:46
13 The Dignity Of Labour Part 3 3:49
14 The Dignity Of Labour Part 4 3:49
15 Flexi Disc 4:08
16 Being Boiled (Fast Version) 3:45
17 Circus Of Death (Fast Version) 4:47

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

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 songcraft. 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. 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.

Credited to "The League Unlimited Orchestra" in homage to Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra, Love and Dancing carried a sleeve note that read, "This album contains instrumental versions of previously released songs by the Human League specially remixed and produced by Martin Rushent." (Actually, one song was new, and there are a few vocal choruses.) The songs had been released previously on Dare, so if you always thought "Don't You Want Me" was a great track with obnoxious vocals, this is the album for you.

The Human League - Dare / Love And Dancing (flac  520mb)

01 The Things That Dreams Are Made Of 4:18
02 Open Your Heart 3:56
03 The Sound Of The Crowd 4:07
04 Darkness 3:59
05 Do Or Die 5:25
06 Get Carter 1:02
07 I Am The Law 4:08
08 Seconds 4:59
09 Love Action (I Believe In Love) 5:02
10 Don't You Want Me 4:01

League Unlimited Orchestra - Love And Dancing

11 Hard Times 5:42
12 Love Action (I Believe In Love) 5:12
13 Don't You Want Me 7:13
14 The Things That Dreams Are Made Of 5:09
15 Do Or Die 4:36
16 Seconds 2:26
17 Open Your Heart 2:50
18 The Sound Of The Crowd 2:40

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

A grab bag of extended mixes and otherwise neglected moments from the Human League's catalog, focusing on Dare! through Romantic?, Original Remixes and Rarities is a useful accessory for fans but -- unsurprisingly -- it's not the least bit essential for anyone else. Highlights include the extended versions of "Sound of the Crowd," "Don't You Want Me" (which is also instrumental), "Life on Your Own," and "The Lebanon," as well as a dub of "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" and the relatively irascible version of "Being Boiled" that appeared on Travelogue (the only inclusion that dates from the League's pre-coed lineup).

The Human League - Original Remixes and Rarities (flac  487mb)

01 Being Boiled (Album Version) 4:16
02 The Sound Of The Crowd (12" Version) 6:30
03 Hard Times 4:55
04 Non-Stop 4:18
05 Don't You Want Me (Dance Mix) 7:29
06 Mirror Man (Extended Version) 4:22
07 You Remind Me Of Gold 3:38
08 (Keep Feeling) Fascination (Improvisation) 6:10
09 Total Panic 3:29
10 The Lebanon (12" Extended) 5:53
11 Life On Your Own (Extended) 5:47
12 Together In Electric Dreams (Giorgio Moroder With Philip Oakey) 6:23
13 Human (Extended Version) 5:05
14 Heart Like A Wheel (Extended Mix) 6:49

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

YMO Versus The Human League is an EP released in Japan and Asia in April 1993. It was released by Alfa Records and is a collaboration between Japanese electropop/synthpop band Yellow Magic Orchestra and British synthpop band The Human League.
It features 4 tracks including the song "Kimi Ni Mune Kyun" (Trans: I Love You) by Yukihiro Takahashi featuring English lyrics written by Philip Oakey and vocals by Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall. It was the first release by The Human League after their abrupt dismissal from their 14 year long recording contract with Virgin Records 10 months previously. The song was later included in The Human League's "Tell Me When" in 1994.

YMO Versus The Human League (flac  141mb)

01 Behind The Mask 3:48
02 Kimi Ni Mune Kyun 3:54
03 Kimi Ni Mune Kyun (Extended Version) 5:52
04 Fire Cracker - Tong Poo 7:51

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx