Heaven 17 - How Men Are

it pretty much was the end of their career in terms of chart placings, though they seem to be doing OK with the live shows over the last decade or so.

I think of Bigger Than America as a companion to the Human League's Octopus which came out the year before, it seems unfair that Octopus went top 10 in the UK and Bigger Than America didn't even chart

that said, this album is stuffed to the max with a lot of perfect examples of perfection of 80s production excess.

the trumpet solo during this is mine, followed by the layered vocal chorus = genuine shivers up the spine,

the upbeat, everything will be ok, but hey, actually it wont cos life is shit groove of sunset now, never fails to hit the spot ..

etc ..

xpost.

yes, this is a great album left unloved.

this skin i'm in is pretty tedious going ..

both flamedown and reputation are pretty much h17 by numbers ..

whereas ..

..and that's no lie is next level pop.

for me it's all about the final section of the album and the definite build to the 'end of career' conclusion that is '.. (and that's no lie)'.
the false endings and the genuine end of the 80s excess party vibe, just hits so hard.

had i voted, that would have been my choice.

― mark e, Wednesday, April 1, 2015 7:53 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah, it would have been absolutely perfect if it had been the last song they ever released because it does have, as you say, these real "end of career" feel to it. The vocals at the end are fucking sublime, IMO. It's Afrodiziak (featuring a pre-Soul II Soul Caron Wheeler) isn't it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu0Xu0qbvZg

Ah... just forget it.

Heaven 17 to play their first US shows according to Slicing Up Eyeballs

saw them at a festival a couple of years back, and yeah, it was a festival for middle class old'uns.
but the fact is, h17 were insanely good.
so much better than i ever expected.