I need to stop listening to the human league

architecture and morality (brilliant, accessible, wondrous)
organisation (bleakly majestic kraftwerk-lite)
orchestral manoeuvres in the dark (fascinating, slightly patchy debut)
dazzle ships (utter fucking genius. absolute godlike majesty. one of my favourite albums ever)

also, if you haven't already, spend some time here.

Yes yes yes!

on a similar silly-specs theme ... their image was fucking awful, but some of the music a flock of seagulls made was quite, quite wonderful in an HL-esque mournful-pop way.

Got lots of kraftwerk but no yellow magic orchestra.

Actually, though, Penthouse And Pavement by Heaven 17 to get the other side of the story.

hysteria ... i've not listened to it in years. ISTR it was pretty poor but had an awesome picture of the band on the inner sleeve.

x-post: marcello OTM about P&P. you'll probably prefer the second side of it :)

Now that is genius!

The answer is "Tin Drum"

What about Cabaret Voltaire?

I dunno what Dalek I love You re-issues there have been but they might be worth checking out.

But really - and this may start a religious flame war (bring it on!) the nearest thing to the first two human league albums is Gary Numan's Replicas. Of course this advice comes from a man who claims that Cabaret Voltaire's Crackdown / Microphonies / sensoria period was a direct response to Dare, so you've been warned...

If you get on fine / already know replicas with that album already, try wandering into the first three Ultravox albums and some John Foxx solo efforts.

for early ultravox - much of which i find a little too stilted and studiedly robotic - try "three into one", which is a distillation of the first three albums. "just for a moment" (i think that's what it's called) is a stand-out.

the cabs are great but they are by no stretch of the imagination synthpop.

the first two depeche mode albums are pure synthpop, of course: nobody's mentioned them yet. (i'd argue that everything from "construction time" on, superior though it is, isn't synthpop either, which is why i'm not going to mention it.)

the second yaz(oo) album is, IIRC, utter spunk.

no love for blancmange? they had their moments. those moments being "sad day" and the abba cover. and, er ... ach, they were all right.

http://www.a-human-right.com/RKBA/basics.jpg

1. Being Boiled - Travelogue Version
2. The Sound Of The Crowd - 12” Version - Complete
3. Hard Times - Love Action B-Side
4. Non-Stop - Open Your… B-Side
5. Don't You Want Me - Extended Dance Mix
6. Mirror Man - Extended Version
7. You Remind Me Of Gold - Mirror Man B-Side
8. (Keep Feeling) Fascination - Improvisation
9. Total Panic - Fascination B-Side
10. The Lebanon - Extended
11. Life On Your Own - Extended
12. Electric Dreams - Extended
13. Human - Extended
14. Heart Like A Wheel - Extended

Original Remixes and Rarities
~ The Human League
Release Date: November 7, 2005
 
Recommended because you said you owned Doctor Who - City Of Death [1979]

meh. never understood why they bothered, other than to show off the silly horn noise.

2. The Sound Of The Crowd (12” Versino - Complete) (12” Single)

worth buying for this alone.

3. Hard Times (Love Action B-Side) (3” CD Single)

meh.

4. Non-Stop (Open Your… B-Side) (12” Single)

i have this, but don't remember a thing about it.

5. Don't You Want Me (Extended Dance Mix) (12” Single)

do i have this? i'm sure i have a 12" of DYWM but i don't remember it being in any way different to the 7". ooh.

6. Mirror Man (Extended Version) (12” Single)

meh.

7. You Remind Me Of Gold (Mirror Man B-Side) (12” Single)

heheh, ridiculous baritone phil being ridiculous. meh.

8. (Keep Feeling) Fascination (Improvisation) (12” Single)

again, i have this. i don't remember how different it is to the "normal" version.

9. Total Panic (Fascination B-Side) (3” CD Single)

ditto.

10. The Lebanon (Extended) (12” Single)

GET THE FUCK IN!

11. Life On Your Own (Extended) (12” Single)

GET THE FUCK IN!

12. Electric Dreams (Extended) (12” Single)

GET THE FUCK IN!

13. Human (Extended) (12” Single)

GET THE FUC .. oh, sorry. meh.

14. Heart Like A Wheel (Extended) (CD & 12” Single)

ditto.

all in all: i'm buying it. thanks for telling us!

No not yet. I tend to value the six piece line up above others.
-- leigh (melodynelso...) (webmail), January 4th, 2006 3:53 PM

Leigh, if you've got Dare. Secrets is the one to get next. Perfect blend of the pop classicism of Dare and the more experimental moments of the League mk I.

it's ... REALLY, REALLY FUCKING GOOD. wow. i genuinely expected to hate it too.

There is no full version, as earlier versions don't include "Situation" and "The Other Side of Love", both clearly way better than "I Before E Except After C"

I did several years ago. Considering it contained that remix album (that I didn't have beforehand) plus the audio was way better than the mid 80s master I had previously owned, it was certainly worth it.

"Keep Feeling Fascination - improvisation" is also brilliant.

I TOLD YOU!! Have faith!

both clearly way better than "I Before E Except After C"

i disagree heartily.

Unimportant.
MK2 league (at least on "Dare") also had better songs though.

i listened to this today.

then i listened again.

and again. and again. it is awesome. you know that incredibly wonderful experience where you realise that a song you've kinda known for years is actually a thing of sublime wonder? well, it was like that. only better.

i now need to track down a copy of romantic? quick-smark. IIRC there was a song called "rebound" that was bordering on the godlike. i have a feeling it's one of those albums that will have matured exquisitely.

That Jo Callis guy has always intrigued me. I've always loved the Rezillos, for which he basically wrote almost all the songs, then for my favourite period of the Human League. This old interview from a keyboard magazine makes it pretty clear how integral he was to the band at the time: http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:RP0iBM5gwp0J:www.league-online.com/keyboard.html+jo+callis&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=4

There's a mk2 Human League bootleg called "Drumset Mystery" which has them closing the set with "Destination Venus", just as the Rezillos used to. I'd love to hear it.

Once in the late 80's I spotted Callis at a comic & toy fair. As a pretty insecure kid, I was just about crippled with anxiety cos I didn't know whether I should try to speak to him or not. Eventually it got so stressful that I had to leave.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eA6BruD9TI

"Circus of Death" + King of the Monsters (SNES).