― duane, Friday, 24 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Thomas R. Fischer, Saturday, 25 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― David. (Cozen), Sunday, 10 August 2003 20:29 (twenty years ago) link
― David. (Cozen), Sunday, 10 August 2003 20:34 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 21:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of The Haunted House (Bimble...), Saturday, 24 December 2005 06:48 (eighteen years ago) link
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 24 December 2005 11:44 (eighteen years ago) link
I think this live video of "Human" from 2001 is pretty much the dope:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw341LDpomI
I mean you've got the brunette, you've got the blonde, you've got him. What else do you need?
― Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You, Saturday, 23 August 2008 12:48 (fifteen years ago) link
Doesn't anyone care how much I love this song?
― Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You, Saturday, 23 August 2008 18:36 (fifteen years ago) link
Man, the song "Human" - such a beautiful series of melodies
― jeevves, Sunday, 17 October 2010 10:43 (thirteen years ago) link
as much as 13 year old in me is pleased that the girls continued to dress and wear makeup like that well into 2001, honestly it's a bit embarassing
― akm, Sunday, 17 October 2010 14:59 (thirteen years ago) link
Leave your cornflakes in your freezers,leave your chocolates and your cheeses.Give to Ceaser what is Caeser's,Give your soul what'er it pleases
God, I love this band, Happily I love this single too, the 30 second fade out is just synthpop heaven.
― State Attorney Foxhart Cubycheck (Billy Dods), Friday, 19 November 2010 22:19 (thirteen years ago) link
Excellent long article.
― Hey Look More Than Five Years Has Passed And You Have A C (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 6 April 2011 19:42 (thirteen years ago) link
Gather up your skirts and trousersPut on your best frocks and blousesTime to go our from your housesMust we creep round like the mouses?
― fit and working again, Tuesday, 19 April 2011 18:16 (thirteen years ago) link
Damn, quite excellent indeed.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 19 April 2011 18:27 (thirteen years ago) link
I'm having a listen to Reproduction now, and something that's always mystified me about the track 'Austerity/Girl One'... is the part when Oakey sings "you're a lonely little girl" an intentional Zappa reference (to the song 'Lonely Little Girl' on We're Only In It For The Money? It's the same melody and everything!
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Tuesday, 24 February 2015 06:25 (nine years ago) link
Never noticed that before, however Martyn Ware was/is a Zappa fan and picked out "Peaches en Regalia" when he was on BBC R6 a few years ago playing his influences etc.
― everything, Tuesday, 24 February 2015 21:18 (nine years ago) link
I just discovered that Ian Craig Marsh did some of the programming on Right Said Fred's 'I'm Too Sexy'... hahaha... what the fuck?
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Wednesday, 22 July 2015 00:28 (eight years ago) link
Nice tidbit haha!
I'd like to read Thomas R. Fischer's post from 13 years ago, but I'm physically unable to look at it for more than a few seconds at a time.
― andrew m., Wednesday, 22 July 2015 15:55 (eight years ago) link
The "Human" 12 inch has been in the stack nearest the turntable and I've listened to it on the reg recently. I know it's considered by many to be a real dud, but I just love that Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis production so much. Presets never sounded so moody.
― andrew m., Wednesday, 22 July 2015 16:00 (eight years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X58g1HKxXPo
― I might like you better if we Yelped together (Phil D.), Friday, 31 July 2015 18:07 (eight years ago) link
Like that's making the rounds. It's by V/Vm.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 31 July 2015 18:09 (eight years ago) link
No love at all for "Fascination"? I think it's one of the great dance singles.
― hardcore dilettante, Friday, 31 July 2015 18:47 (eight years ago) link
As soon as I saw this thread pop up, I knew why. Cocktail Bar is my current favorite song. It's some kind of weird masterpiece. Plus it's a trenchant takedown of the economic circumstances that hinder upward mobility. Which explains why she'll always be working as a waitress in a cocktail bar.
― kornrulez6969, Friday, 31 July 2015 18:55 (eight years ago) link
xpost. The 12 inch/mini-album "Fascination!" is my favourite thing they released.
― everything, Friday, 31 July 2015 18:58 (eight years ago) link
― Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 31 July 2015 19:11 (eight years ago) link
It's sheer genius. 'I guess this is what I must do'
― (no offence to people) (dog latin), Friday, 31 July 2015 19:22 (eight years ago) link
Nobody here does!
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 31 July 2015 19:27 (eight years ago) link
"Fascination" is my favorite Human League song by a jillion miles.
― I might like you better if we Yelped together (Phil D.), Friday, 31 July 2015 19:31 (eight years ago) link
Almost every song they recorded between 1981 and 1983 was so good and original that I could vote for anything tbh
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 31 July 2015 19:34 (eight years ago) link
and Crash had loads of good bits. I like this one, not written by Jam-Lewis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdpbXaeFnHU
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 31 July 2015 19:35 (eight years ago) link
No love at all for "Fascination"? I think it's one of the great dance singles.― hardcore dilettante, Friday, July 31, 2015 6:47 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― hardcore dilettante, Friday, July 31, 2015 6:47 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I love it!
Basically I love pretty much everything they did from the beginning up until '(Keep Feeling) Fascination'... Hysteria was patchy, but had its moments, and I like the odd song here and there after that, but not the albums in full.
Reproduction is probably the album I play the most.
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Friday, 31 July 2015 19:59 (eight years ago) link
Crash should be re-named Gash, although either title is fitting.
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Friday, 31 July 2015 20:00 (eight years ago) link
appreciate cocktail bar
― let's not get too excited w/ the ouches (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 6 August 2015 16:05 (eight years ago) link
Getting rid of Martin Rushent was probably one of the worst decisions The Human League ever made.
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Friday, 7 August 2015 00:13 (eight years ago) link
Doubt the album would have been amazing with Rushent at the controls either - the songs are pretty weak. Not sure how much he knocked their stuff into shape but you can't polish a turd as they say.
Interesting to consider who would have been a better alternative choice for producer for Crash? Trevor Horn (no), Stephen Hague (possibly)...
― everything, Friday, 7 August 2015 00:56 (eight years ago) link
It would have been interesting to hear what a Trevor Horn-produced Human League album would have turned out like, him and Rushent seemed to tackle production from completely different ways. Martin Rushent once famously said: "In my experience, the longer you spend making a piece of music, the more likely it is to be a pile of shit! Stuff that's written, organised and put down very quickly seems to have an energy" - whereas Horn legendarily liked to labour over everything for months and months.
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Friday, 7 August 2015 01:05 (eight years ago) link
...says the guy who edited the League Unlimited Orchestra disc by hand for, like, months.
― Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 7 August 2015 03:23 (eight years ago) link
If Love and Dancing contains as many tape edits as Rushent claims, then I'm not surprised!
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Friday, 7 August 2015 03:28 (eight years ago) link
Not sure how much he knocked their stuff into shape but you can't polish a turd as they say.
Compare the demo of Don't You Want Me to the version of the song that everyone knows, and you'll understand exactly the difference that a great producer makes.
― Vast Halo, Friday, 7 August 2015 21:32 (eight years ago) link
Let me help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o19RDxjoZ6w
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 7 August 2015 21:34 (eight years ago) link
the definitive Rushent interview is in Simon Reynolds' book.
Yeah, it's amazing how the big intro hook was originally the bassline of the bridge(!)
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Friday, 7 August 2015 21:54 (eight years ago) link
Not saying Rushent is not important to the Human League - he was! Would love to hear eg. "Party" produced by him. But it's not like everything he touched turned to gold. He was quite capable of producing patchy albums by great bands who were not delivering good songs or performances - eg. The last batch of Buzzcocks releases prior to their breakup in 1980.
They were low on ideas without Jo Callis, who contributed a lot imo and Wright, who apparently didn't do much.
Basically they were not in a place to deliver a decent album at this point and I doubt Rushent would've changed that much.
― everything, Friday, 7 August 2015 23:07 (eight years ago) link
Yeah, Callis did a hell of a lot on Dare - Ian Burden, too.
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Friday, 7 August 2015 23:13 (eight years ago) link
>>Like that's making the rounds. It's by V/Vm.
Is it really? http://www.vice.com/read/the-guy-who-remixed-human-leagues-dont-you-want-me-is-working-on-a-remix-to-aquas-barbie-girl-0804
― Michael F Gill, Friday, 7 August 2015 23:22 (eight years ago) link
A shimmering, ardent review from Brad - everything I live for in music writing.https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-human-league-dare/
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Sunday, 17 May 2020 13:54 (three years ago) link
That's a great piece! Putting it on again now.
― Gavin, Leeds, Sunday, 17 May 2020 14:18 (three years ago) link
thanks y'all! sort of a miracle i ever finished it, thank you for reading
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Sunday, 17 May 2020 15:02 (three years ago) link
Yeah, really enjoyed this piece. Haven't listened to the albums since Astralwerks reissued them almost 15 years ago, but your version tracks with my memories.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Sunday, 17 May 2020 15:06 (three years ago) link
Yeah, great stuff, Brad, thanks.
― Louder Than Bach's Bottom (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 17 May 2020 15:12 (three years ago) link
Yep, props, Brad!
― pomenitul, Sunday, 17 May 2020 15:29 (three years ago) link
that really is an exemplary piece, kudos
― Brad C., Sunday, 17 May 2020 15:31 (three years ago) link
Rushent would listen to the rough mixes of Dare songs when he returned home from the studio and couldn’t figure out whether the album they were making was brilliant or terrible.
Remember having the same thought when they first performed 'The Sound of the Crowd' on Top of the Pops. 'Genetic Engineering' by OMD would also produce the same baffled reaction from my friends at school, before we finally decided on 'brilliant' for both tracks.
― Portsmouth Bubblejet, Sunday, 17 May 2020 15:37 (three years ago) link
Would love to see it expanded into a 33 1/3 book. Just such an extraordinary story; loses the key talent in the band, recruits two schoolgirls and a couple of refugees from post-punk bands and ends the year with a decade defining commercial and critical success.
― Dan Worsley, Sunday, 17 May 2020 15:43 (three years ago) link
Yeah it's an incredible story, looking forward to reading this. I always wondered if it was true that the sleeves were painted white, twice over so the cover stood out next to the other records. Certainly sounds good.
― piscesx, Sunday, 17 May 2020 16:18 (three years ago) link
Wow, Brad. Superb.
I think I first learned the extent of Rushent's involvement in Reynolds' Rip It Up and Start Again.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 17 May 2020 16:25 (three years ago) link
As I said above, I think that "Don't You Want Me" is the perfect example of the difference that a great producer can make to a band's fortunes. I'd been thinking about the subject again recently after happening across a fascinating interview with Jo Callis. Although he was an accomplished guitarist, he recalled that he knew so little about keyboards on his arrival in Sheffield, that Martyn Ware took pity on him and brought him to a music store to buy a "piano chords illustrated" book. (Incidentally, I think it says much for Ware's good nature that he helped out a newcomer who was aligned with the "opposing" camp.)This is not to deny the originality or creativity of the band members, but none of them had the anything like the technical ability to have refined DYWM into the world-beater it became. Such is Oakey's vocal charisma that it wasn't until I heard the song in an instrumental form (via the Love and Dancing remix), that its musical complexity jumped out at me. It's a mosaic of interlocking parts which must have been a true labour of love to sequence together with the technology of the era. In a time before DAWs and synthesiser presets, when every sound had to be set up from scratch, somebody needed to be able to imagine the song's entire structure in their head in order to bring it into existence. My guess is that the visionary was Martin Rushent!
― The multiplying villainies of nature / Do swarm upon him (Vast Halo), Sunday, 17 May 2020 16:57 (three years ago) link
Jo Callis was brought in for his pop songwriting track record rather than as a musician presumably. He wrote almost all the Rezillos songs including their big hit, and co-wrote about half of Dare including Don't You Want Me.
― everything, Sunday, 17 May 2020 17:15 (three years ago) link
he was indeed hired for songwriting and just kind ended up joining the band
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Sunday, 17 May 2020 17:16 (three years ago) link
i had that detail in my piece but it got lost between drafts