The Human League
THE WAY IT WAS IN THE 70's
Martyn Ware and Ian Craig
Marsh were two computer operators in Sheffield
who both shared an intense
passion for German electronica pioneers
Kraftwerk. Armed with a few
months' savings, Ware was able to buy a modest
monophonic synth (a Korg 770S)
that had just become available on the
commercial market at an affordable
price. Despite having never played a
single note, Marsh and Craig
set themselves the task of understanding the
art of sound synthesis and
it wasn't long before their combined enthusiasm
began to exceed the limits
of the cheap synth.
The Dead Daughters were formed
for a gig at a friends 21st birthday party
in 1977 and the Korg was put
to the test by Ware with a rendition of the
groundbreaking theme from
the long running BBC sci-fi series Dr Who. Marsh
and Craig together with Adi
Newton had all enjoyed the experience of
playing live and they decided
to form a new band called The Future where
they would concentrate purely
on electronic music, something that was
quite unheard of at the time
in the UK. There had been some
experimentation with synths
during the 70's, but it was mostly the domain
of prog rock groups like Sky.
Ware was keen to distance himself from this
style of music believing the
melodic capabilities of the synth had not
been properly exploited.
The Future set about recording
some demos that were all mainly
instrumentals including the
hypnotic track Pulse Lovers that was a hint of
things to come. Even at this
early stage, the demo tape sounded quite
unlike anything that was being
produced at the time, and the band proudly
travelled down to London in
the hope of getting signed but the record
companies were predictably
bemused by the lack of guitars. Despite the
pioneering sound of The Future,
Newton decided to move on favouring a more
traditional approach to music
and formed Clock DNA. Convinced that they
were on the right path musically,
both Ware and Marsh felt they needed a
vocalist rather than another
musician to replace Newton.
Martyn decided that old school
friend Philip Oakey would be ideal to front
the band because they felt
that Oakey already looked 'like a pop star'
with his long fringe haircut
and left of centre fashion sense. The
invitation came in the form
of a note stuck on Philip's front door who was
surprised and delighted by
the offer. Oakey was working as a hospital
porter at the time and had
never considered performing in front of an
audience but he had admired
The Future from a distance and was impressed
that they had visited record
companies in London. Initially, Ware and
Marsh were unsure as to how
Oakey would fit in. They couldn't afford
another synth at the time
and the only instrument the new band member
owned was a saxophone that
he couldn't play. Things would soon click into
place however when Phil heard
a new instrumental that would later become
Being Boiled and it inspired
him to write lyrics for the track though he
was very nervous at presenting
them the next day. After hearing Phil sing
to Being Boiled, Ian &
Martyn were both amazed by the lyrics and Oakey's
distinctive vocal delivery.
With a new musical blueprint
in place, the trio set about finding a new
band name briefly considering
ABCD (bizarre as fellow Sheffield musician
Martin Fry would find worldwide
success with ABC just 3 years later).
Finally, they decided to take
a memorable quote 'The Human League' from a
sci-fi board game called Star
Force and set about recording three new
tracks on a two-track tape
recorder they had just purchased. The very
first Human League demo contained
Being Boiled, Circus of Death & Toyota
City all recorded in mono
and it soon caught the attention of Bob Last who
ran a small record label in
Scotland called Fast Records.
Being Boiled was released
in June 1978 after the League and Bob Last had
agreed a deal over the phone.
Although the single had a limited amount of
copies pressed, the song succeeded
in attracting the admiration of NME
whilst guest reviewer Johnny
Rotten described the group as 'trendy
hippies'! Being Boiled was
completely at odds with the prevailing punk
movement of the time. The
track was a stark slab of electronica that would
influence many artists in
years to come, memorable also for its lyrics
that linked silk worms with
Buddhism.
Encouraged by the critical
praise that followed the release of the debut
single, the group were convinced
to play live and the first gig took place
on June 12th 1978 at Bar 2
in Sheffield's Psalter Lane art college with
the help of backing tapes.
Although common practice nowadays, the use of
backing tapes proved to be
controversial at this time but they were
essential considering the
complexity of the bass lines and the hours spent
creating the sounds on temperamental
equipment in the studio.
With all three band members
being somewhat reluctant to play live, there
were worries that they had
appeared static on stage and Adrian Wright who
was in the audience for that
concert agreed to become the League's
Director of Visuals. Sharing
the group's love of sci-fi and pop culture,
Adrian eventually introduced
four large screens where he would project
slides from cult TV shows
such as Dr Who & Captain Scarlet as well as
famous images from recent
history that seemed to fit perfectly with the
League's lyrics.
Adrian's visual talents were
called into action almost immediately as the
group played their first London
gig in Music Machine on August 17th 1978
supporting The Rezillos (who
included future League collaborator Jo
Callis). The venue had something
of a rough reputation and fearing a
hostile crowd who would scorn
at the use of backing tapes & synths, the
League considered appearing
on stage wearing motorbike helmets. Music
critics responded favourable,
as did members of Siouxsie and The Banshees
who then invited the League
to support them on a small UK tour during
December. The band were happy
to accept the Banshees offer but fearing an
aggressive reaction from punk
fans, the group set about protecting their
synths from expected showers
of beer bottles by constructing fibreglass
shields. Some critics mistook
the shields as a statement in modern art but
previous fears about crowd
trouble proved unfounded as the League set was
a resounding success. Some
of the instrumentals were replaced with crowd
pleasers like the cover of
glam rock track Rock 'n' Roll and word of mouth
was quickly spreading. After
watching the League perform, David Bowie
commented that he had just
seen the 'future of pop music, whilst The
Undertones featured an affectionate
dig at the 'arty' League in their
memorable top ten hit My Perfect
Cousin.
Fast records released the
second Human League single in April 1979 in the form
of a 4 track EP of instrumentals
collectively called The Dignity of
Labour. Extremely experimental
in places yet ground breaking, the single
unsurprisingly failed to dent
the top 75. Despite the poor chart
performance, the League began
to get approached by major record companies
including Polydor but it was
the promise of creative freedom from Virgin's
Simon Draper that finally
tempted the League away from Fast Records.
Pleased with the support that
Fast Records supremo Bob Last had provided,
the band offered him the job
of Manager and signed a recording contract
with Richard Branson's innovating
label Virgin whose artists included The
Sex Pistols.
Shortly after supporting an
artist they admired a great deal namely Iggy
Pop, for a European tour,
the band set about recording their debut single
for Virgin. The track I Don't
Depend on You ended up being an uneasy
compromise between the League
and Virgin when bosses began to worry that
the record buying public would
not accept a song void of guitars. Despite
initial assurances promising
artist freedom, the League were forced to add
conventional instruments to
the track that included bass guitars and drums
but demanded that the track
be issued under the pseudonym of The Men. It
was an artistic confrontation
that confirmed how radical the League's
music had become, the thought
that record companies bosses panicked at a
pure electronic sound would
surely bemuse today's younger generation of
record buyers.
After seeking assurances that
similar conflicts would not arise further
down the line, The League
began recording their eagerly anticipated debut
album at the Workshop in Sheffield
and was completed within 3 weeks during
July before being handed over
to Colin Thurston for mixing and overdubs in
London.
Reproduction with its unique
electronic sound was finally released in
October followed shortly afterwards
by a taster single in the form of the
quirky and irresistible Empire
State Human. Experimental yet highly
engaging, the album received
lukewarm reviews and failed to make any
impact on the album charts
(though it did finally chart a few years later
in 1982). Disappointed by
the lack of sales, Virgin reacted swiftly by
cancelling the League's proposed
UK tour in November asking the band to
support the Talking Heads
instead. Reluctantly, the group agreed releasing
a press statement that revealed
their plans for the upcoming performance.
With tongue firmly in cheek,
the League suggested that they wouldn't
actually be on stage for the
performances and that their place would be
taken by backing tapes and
a slide show hinting that they would
occasionally view the show
as members of the audience.
David Byrne and co failed
to see the funny side and the League were
dropped from the support slot.
THE HIGHS & LOWS OF THE
80'S
The League forged forward
in this new decade despite the disappointments
of the previous year with
the release of the Holiday 80 EP that included
covers of Rock 'n' Roll and
the Bowie penned Night Clubbing as well as a
new composition called Marianne.
A superior version of Marianne was
recorded featuring different
vocals and treated drum effects but Virgin
refused to release it much
to the surprise of Phil and the band. This
improved version did however
appear on a rare Australian vinyl pressing of
Travelogue making it a collector's
item. With only 10,000 copies pressed,
the single failed to make
any impact and Virgin were quick to release a
single 7 inch of Holiday 80
dropping Marianne altogether and it reached 56
in the UK charts. The re-release
also provided the League with their first
ever appearance on Top of
The Pops despite the fact that the single had
failed to break the Top 40.
On May 15th, the League began
a 12-date UK tour kicking off at the Mayfair
in Newcastle and ending on
the 29th at the Unity Hall in Wakefield
W.Yorks. Adrian Wright now
appeared on stage as a full time band member
playing occasional keyboards
as well as orchestrating the background
projections. The tour was
also notable for the fact that it would be the
final time that this talented
group of innovators would perform together.
May also saw the release of
the second studio album entitled Travelogue
debuting at 16 on the UK album
charts. Still retaining a distinctive
experimental feel to some
of the tracks, Travelogue sounded more like a
complete album than its predecessor
with a hint of early synth pop, making
it more accessible. Reviews
however were mixed with some being
disappointed by the inclusion
of cover versions and reworked mixes of
older tracks such as Toyota
City and Being Boiled.
Overall, the album was a creative
success featuring adventurous drum
patterns and memorable melodies.
The technology used was simplistic and
hard to manipulate by today's
digital standards (sounds had to be created
from scratch as pre-set manufactured
samples were non existent), but the
analogue systems were pushed
beyond the known limits and the League would
be dubbed either as 'boffins'
or 'electronic pioneers'. The album would
also point the way forward
for future UK artists who viewed Travelogue as
a new form of music.
As the mini UK tour finished,
Empire State Human was re-released and the
first 15,000 copies contained
a free single of the Travelogue track Only
After Dark. Whilst it was
a distinctive cover version, the band would have
preferred a self- penned track
to promote the new album and there were
plenty of catchy tracks to
choose from such as Untouchables, Life Kills
and the haunting WXJL Tonight.
Virgin secretly went against the bands
wishes and had already pressed
the single; it was a move that angered the
band greatly.
Empire State Human reached
62 in the singles chart and the League were
awarded with the second Top
of The Pops appearance of their career but it
didn't stop the single vanishing
the following week. Surprisingly, Only
After Dark would be the only
single released from Travelogue on the back
of an established track, and
the perceived lack of faith from Virgin began
to lead the band into a period
of self-doubt and inner tensions.
By this time Martyn Ware had
become increasingly disillusioned by the lack
of chart success particularly
where singles were concerned and was unhappy
with the impression that they
were considered too 'arty'. It was always
the desire of the early Human
League to emulate the success of Donna
Summer's I Feel Loved that
featured the production skills of Giorgio
Moroder whom they admired
greatly.
The League were being hailed
as 'innovators' by NME and the rest of the
music press but the band was
never earning more than £30.00 a week each.
Tensions also began to run
high between Martyn and Phil whilst Ian was
unhappy with Adrian being
invited to share song-writing credits.
Disagreements over the creative
future and the fact that Gary Numan scored
the first major electronic
hit single having disowned his recent rock
past, proved to be too much
and November saw the departure of Ian and
Martyn. The two instantly
formed their own production label BEF (British
Electric Foundation) under
contract to Virgin before laying the
foundations for Heaven 17
who would also be managed by Bob Last.
Whilst the NME announced that
the creative talent had left the band, Phil
decided that he would continue
with the Human League despite the turmoil
and together with Bob Last
he signed a legal agreement with Martyn. It was
decided that Phil would retain
the title of the Human League but in return
he would have to pay Martyn
and Ian one pence from future royalties of the
next album and the singles
taken from it. Phil would also be responsible
in honouring the current financial
responsibility to Virgin (and the
debts). One of these commitments
included an imminent European tour and
the promoters were threatening
to sue the League if it wasn't completed.
With the music press instantly
writing off Phil's remnants of the Human
League, and opting instead
to follow the career path of Ian & Martyn, Phil
hastily set about finding
replacements in time for the up and coming tour.
The next event in League history
would be destined to go down in pop
folklore, forever referred
back to and sometimes doubted. With time
running out, Phil spotted
two teenage girls dancing at the Crazy Daisy
disco in Sheffield. With intriguing
dance routines and eye- catching
make-up, Phil felt they would
be ideal as dancers and both were invited to
join the band. Joanne Catherall
and Susan Sulley accepted the offer but
braced themselves from the
expected concerns of their parents but fears
were laid to rest when Phil
visited the girl's parents. Both girls were
still studying for their final
year at school, but eventually it was
agreed that the chance of
seeing Europe would be a good opportunity for
Joanne & Susan.
The arrival of the 'dancing
girls' was met with typical scepticism by the
music press who were now convinced
that the League were finished, but the
girls ongoing contribution
to the future success of the band would
ultimately prove invaluable.
The European tour commenced,
but the audiences were largely hostile to
Susan & Joanne (who had
both bought tickets for the UK leg of the tour
prior to Phil's offer). Audiences
had purchased tickets expecting the
original line-up and Germany
proved to be a real test for the girls who
had objects thrown at them.
Using backing tapes that Martyn
had prepared for an earlier tour, the set
list contained tracks from
Reproduction and Travelogue though Phil had
spent some time adding overdubs
to mark this new incarnation of the Human
League.
The tour itself was less than
successful but long time supporter and fan
Simon Draper saw enough in
these performances to feel relatively
optimistic for the future.
Once the tour had ended, Phil set about
recording some rough demos
at Monumental Studios in Sheffield where the
newly formed Heaven 17 were
busy working on their debut album Penthouse &
Pavement.
One demo called Letting it
Show (an early version of Open Your Heart)
confirmed Draper's belief
that there was potential and he sought the
production expertise of Martin
Rushent who was himself experimenting with
complex sound recording techniques
and analogue keyboards.
The first single of the new
look League under the guidance of Rushent was
rush released in February
entitled Boys and Girls featuring a B-side
dedicated to 4th Dr Who Tom
Baker (the actor had just quit the role after
7 years). Reaching a respectable
number 47, the highest chart position at
that time for a League single,
it stands as a bit of an oddity. Although a
likeable enough tune, the
track contained no hint of what was to come
belonging more to the Travelogue
period (it was added to the CD of that
album in 1989).
The real defining Human League
single however, came just a few months
later. Perhaps with the shortcomings
of Boys & Girls in mind, two
musicians were asked to join
the band. Ian Burden was a conventional bass
player whom Phil had met during
an earlier tour, whilst Jo Callas was an
experienced songwriter and
guitarist with former Scottish punk band The
Rezillos. Upon joining, both
were ordered to discard their guitars and
learn synthesizers. Concerned
about the unhealthy atmosphere that could
arise from two separate groups
recording at Monumental Studios, Simon
Draper advised the band to
continue recording demos at Martin Rushent's
Genetic Sound studio in Reading.
May saw the first release
that featured Ian Burden's song writing
partnership with Phil. Sound
of The Crowd was a sharp blend of melody,
machinery and pop sensibility
that awarded the band with their first top
20 hit. It was also the first
single to feature Joanne & Susan on backing
vocals, a stunning mix of
female interaction and sequenced synths that
would become one of the League's
most enduring trademarks.
Feeling somewhat vindicated
after what had been a few torturous months
following the departure of
Ian & Martin, Phil began writing tracks with
Adrian, Ian & Jo that
would take the appeal of Sound of The Crowd and
expand on it.
The first fruit of this recording
session was released in August entitled
Love Action (I Believe in
Love) peaking at number 3. The music press began
to take notice in the light
of this infectious track. A new style of pop
had been created, critics
began referring to the conventional guitar as an
antique and the Musician's
Union regarded the new technology as a major
threat to their inclusive
monopoly.
In October, Virgin released
another single Open Your Heart confirming that
previous singles were no fluke.
This track came complete with a catchy
sequenced bass line that had
not been attempted before whilst the sleeve
provided an image for nightclub
goers at the trendy Blitz club in London.
The forthcoming album was
now complete and highly anticipated.
Dare premiered in late October
together with its pastiche of a Vogue
magazine cover to enthusiastic
reviews, but few could have foreseen the
effect that this collection
of songs would have on modern pop music.
Inventive Linn drum patterns
that varied greatly from track to track would
form the foundations of some
unforgettable pop moments. Dare presented
cleverly crafted pop with
multi-layers of melodic lead synths. Computer
driven bass lines using a
technique pioneered by Martin Rushent gave the
album a sense of power and
urgency that electronic music had lacked prior
to the release of Dare.
The rock establishment were
horrified at the lack of conventional
instruments and a bitter debate
developed over fears that the new
technology would banish guitars
forever. In a move against synths, the
Musician's Union even began
a campaign in the light of Dare called 'Keep
it Live'. They believed that
the keyboards could compose melodies 'at the
touch of a button' thus making
session musicians redundant. Unfounded
fears were also beginning
to surface regarding the use of this technology
during live concerts, but
it was just the typical wave of hysteria that
greets any advancement in
technology.
The UK singles chart prior
to Dare had previously been dominated by tired
old guitar heroes and dreary
ballads that belonged back in the 70's, when
Dare hit the airwaves it provided
a sound that was years ahead of its
time. The album was to change
people's perception of pop music forever.
Within a few short weeks,
the album had hit the number one spot and not
only would it herald an era
of electronic dominance, Dare would also open
the door for a rare and unexpected
UK pop invasion of the rock dominated
US charts in the months to
come.
Delighted but not completely
surprised by the success of Dare, Simon
Draper told Phil that he wanted
to lift a fourth single from Dare
believing that the track Don't
You Want Me would be a sure fire Christmas
Number 1. Phil and the girls
were less than impressed by the suggestion
feeling it would 'end their
career' and the prospect of releasing a fourth
single from the same album
was previously something never done by the
League. During the recording
of Dare, the track had not been a favourite
with Phil believing that it
wasn't as strong as the rest of the album
hence the reason why it ended
up as the final track. Simon Draper however,
was adamant that the single
would be released and Phil demanded that the
single should be sold with
a free poster, as the band believed the track
wouldn't sell on its own.
Simon gave into the request
and by the end of December; Don't You Want Me
complete with free fold-out
poster was enjoying a five-week stint at
Number One. The Christmas
single was aided by another League innovation
that no doubt boosted sales
even further namely the 3 minute pop promo.
Directed by Steve Barron in
the outskirts of Slough during one freezing
cold night, this stylistic
film within a film captured the mood and feel
of this period perfectly.
Shot entirely on film as opposed to cheap
looking videotape, it would
dictate how future pop videos would be made
and generated a whole wave
of male appreciation for Joanne and Susan. The
video was a perfect marriage
between glossy visuals and perfect pop whilst
the song itself featured the
classic vocal interaction between Phil and
the girls that would help
set the League apart from future electronic acts.
Don't You Want Me would become
a perennial favourite and would also come
to be regarded as one of the
80's most defining pop moments together with
Soft Cell's Tainted Love by
critics and pop historians. 20 years on, the
worlds most successful female
artist Madonna would fondly recall the first
time she heard Don't You Want
Me played at a New York nightclub, no doubt
embracing this determined
young dancer to the endless possibilities of
electronic music. By the closing
week of 1981, the Human League had the
number one album and single
with Don't You Want Me approaching sales of
one million copies.
The New Year began well for
the League with Don't You Want Me still at
number 1. Virgin boss Richard
Branson bought Phil a BMW motorbike in
appreciation for the League's
effort in securing Virgin's first UK Number
1 hit single, but Phil had
to return the gift as he couldn't ride it.
On the back of Dare's success,
Reproduction finally entered the UK charts
almost three years after its
initial release reaching number 34, giving
the original line-up the belated
success they so desperately wished for.
Virgin was also quick to re-release
Being Boiled in January and despite
the difference in musical
style to current material, the single reached
number 6.
In February another reissue
of the Holiday 80 EP reached number 46 whilst
the press reported Phil's
engagement to Joanne. At the annual Brit Awards,
the League were voted the
Best British Newcomer with judges forgetting
that the band had formed in
1978.
During the summer, the band
embarked on their most ambitious international
tour to date visiting countries
as far as Australia whilst Don't You Want
Me secured the number 1 slot
in the US selling another million copies. The
success of the single also
heralded a UK invasion of British music acts
not seen since Beatle mania
in the early 60's.
Meanwhile in the UK, Martin
Rushent presented Virgin with a collection of
dance remixes featuring tracks
from Dare. Mostly instrumental, the mixing
techniques used were highly
innovative and Virgin decided to release them
in July retailing at a special
budget price of £3.99. Entitled Love and
Dancing and credited to The
League Unlimited Orchestra, it became the
first remix album of its kind
narrowly beating a similar project by Soft
Cell called Non-Stop Erotic
Cabaret. Love and Dancing would lay down the
blueprint for future 12-inch
dance remixes and it proved to be the perfect
companion to Dare whilst fans
waited for new material. Within a few
months, the remix album had
gone platinum.
As soon as the tour had ended,
the group returned to Rushent's studio to
record new material and November
27th saw the release of the single Mirror
Man. Inspired by Ian and Phil's
love of Motown, the single was another
melodic classic peaking at
number 2 over the Christmas period, and the
productive partnership between
the League and Rushent sounded as vital as
the Dare sessions.
On April 17th another single
that many assumed would be included on the
follow-up to Dare was released.
(Keep Feeling) Fascination matched Mirror
Man's chart success reaching
number 2 with another distinctive pop promo
directed by Steve Barron.
The League seemed to be at the height of their
creative powers, but sadly
it would become the final recording released in
1983. As the single peaked
at number 8 in the States, the band retreated
to Air Studios to begin work
on the long awaited new album. The studio
sessions however became problematic
and stressful with Martin Rushent
finally quitting after creative
rows and indecision. In the light of
Rushent's departure, the band
decided to dump the material recorded opting
to start again.
With an autumn release date
now looking unlikely, Virgin salvaged one of
the tracks I Love You Too
Much and added it to the Fascination EP together
with Mirror Man and Fascination
remixes. Released for the North American
market only, the EP became
a huge selling import in the UK.
Chris Thomas was brought in
to replace Rushent for the ongoing sessions at
Air Studios but within a few
months the combination of intense recording
amidst a lack of direction
and a family illness, forced Thomas to quit
throwing the sessions into
further disarray.
During this period, the band
had spent two months labouring over a Linn
drum sound for the track Life
on Your Own. The pressure of trying to
duplicate the success of Dare
was clearly causing problems with the band
questioning every aspect of
every sound. The League were spending endless
days and nights within Air
Studios that was one of the most expensive
studios to rent in the country,
and Virgin accountants were having
sleepless nights.
Former Haircut 100 singer
Nick Heywood famously revealed that he had
recorded his debut solo album
in the time it took the League to program
one drum machine.
Worried by events, Simon Draper
brought onboard another producer in a bid
to bring some sense of discipline
to the sessions. In demand producer Hugh
Pagham was free after completing
work on The Police album Synchronicity
that had spawned the huge
international hit Every Breath You Take and had
a reputation for producing
quality work under strict deadlines.
Within months, Pagham was
able to move the sessions forward though Virgin
abandoned the expected October
release date with no new date specified.
1984
Things would remain quiet
until May 5th with the release of the
uncharacteristically guitar-led
single The Lebanon. The track was also
notable for its politically
charged lyrics rather than the themes of love
that had dominated Dare. The
Lebanon was something of a harsh shock to
regular fans despite its finely
crafted melody and the single failed to
reach the Top 10. The Lebanon
was probably the wrong single to release as
a taster to a highly anticipated
album, and Phil would later regard it as
a mistake. Despite the relatively
poor chart showing, the band was
confident that the next single
would perform better.
Hysteria was finally released
two weeks later (named after it's torturous
recording sessions) to much
media excitement. Complete with a confusing,
multicoloured gatefold sleeve
dubbed 'MANGUE' by critics, the album
received decisively mixed
reviews. The band had clearly avoided a Dare 2
clone opting for stark melodies
that had been stripped down to their
barest essentials. It was
a bold move away from other acts of that time
who were releasing lavishly
produced records that had little to say.
Hysteria entered the charts
at number 3 and the band believed that they
were popular enough not to
do any promotion after the initial release.
Within a few weeks, Hysteria
had dropped out of the top ten.
The second single to be lifted
from Hysteria was a more welcome return to
the familiar Human League
sound. Life on Your Own had a downbeat, haunting
quality to it but record buyers
opted for summer sounding records instead
and the single only managed
to reach number 16 during the month of June.
The 12 inch is notable not
only for the impressive remix of the title
track that included samples
of Norman Wisdom and additional arrangements,
but also for a track called
The World Tonight that was surprisingly
dropped from the final Hysteria
track listing.
In July, the band were finally
persuaded to do more promotion and they
performed a remixed version
of I'm Coming Back (a track that was sadly
never released as a single)
and Rock Me Again on the BBC's Oxford Road
Show pushing Hysteria back
up the charts.
A possible third Hysteria
single was put on hold when Virgin decided to
release a track Phil had recorded
with a producer he had admired greatly;
Giorgio Moroder. Lifted from
an obscure soundtrack to a relatively obscure
film, Together in Electric
Dreams was a catchy and likeable slice of euro
pop and it became a huge international
hit reaching number 3 in the UK.
The unexpected success of
the single after a lukewarm reaction to Hysteria
convinced Virgin to release
one final track from the album in November.
The ballad Louise was released
complete with an expensive promo and
performed slightly better
than the previous Hysteria singles enjoying a
ten-week chart run peaking
at 13. The B-side contained a remixed version
of choice track The Sign dashing
hopes of a single release. By the end of
the year, Hysteria would eventually
pass gold status in the UK but the
chosen singles hadn't really
boosted sales needed to recoup the costly
recording debts from Air Studios
and the League turned their attention to
recording a follow-up.
In January, the band regrouped
to record demos in Phil's 24 track home
studio together with Colin
Thurston who had co-produced the debut album
Reproduction. Within weeks
though, the band were dealt a huge blow when Jo
Callas, co-writer of some
of the League's finest moments announced he was
leaving to work with former
Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey. In the wake
of the unexpected departure,
former Associate drummer Jim Russell was
brought into the fold as a
session artist.
Impressed by the continued
international success of Together in Electric
Dreams, Virgin offered Phil
the chance to record further tracks with
Giorgio Moroder and sessions
for the new League album were put on hold in
March when Phil flew out to
Munich.
Phil was very keen on the
initial idea, but when he arrived at Giorgio's
studio, the legendary producer
had already recorded several backing tracks.
Phil spent just three weeks
writing and recording the lyrics and although
Giorgio was pleased with the
results praising Phil's vocals, the singer
would have preferred contributing
more to the music and there was a
feeling that the collaboration
had fallen short of expectations.
Upon returning to Sheffield,
Phil was back to recording the new League
album but once again the sessions
were proving problematic. Aided by a
lack of direction, Joanne
announces on Radio 1 that the band would release
a remix album of Hysteria
similar in style to Love & Dancing during the
summer but for reasons unknown,
the project never materialized.
In July, the second Oakey
& Moroder collaboration is released. Goodbye Bad
Times was an exciting taster
from the forthcoming album recorded in Munich
with a melody equal to Electric
Dreams. It received plenty of airplay but
record buyers seemed to prefer
a return to 70's stadium rock and opted for
Dire Straits instead. Goodbye
Bad Times remained stuck at number 44,
staying there for three weeks
before slowly slipping out of view.
The album Philip Oakey &
Giorgio Moroder (often wrongly credited as
'CHROME') was released a few
weeks later peaking at a disappointing 52
despite being blessed with
some instantly likeable tracks, but the failure
of Goodbye Bad Times had sealed
its fate.
The year became even less
memorable when the vastly underrated third
single Be My Lover Now barely
managed to scrape the top 75. Recording for
the Hysteria follow-up also
took a turn for the worst when Colin Thurston
walked out of one session
never to return and the album that was to appear
on an assigned release date
in September was delayed indefinitely.
The League's only publicity
was reduced to whispers in the gossip columns
of the music press, and many
began to believe that this elusive band had
gone their separate ways never
to return.
With no one to oversee the
recording sessions in Sheffield, Virgin became
concerned by the lack of new
material. In January, Simon Draper met up
with the band and suggested
that they should consider recording for the US
production team Jerry Jam
& Terry Lewis who had worked with Prince and
produced memorable hits for
the SOS band amongst others. Jam & Lewis had
just completed a new album
for Janet Jackson on the Virgin label that was
yet to be released and it
was felt that this style of electro production
could suite the League.
Being something of an admirer
himself of this up and coming production
team, Phil agreed but Adrian
was less than impressed. The following month,
the entire band was flown
out to the arctic conditions of Minneapolis
armed with the sessions recorded
with Colin Thurston in 1985. Jam & Lewis
were pleased at the prospect
of recording with the League, citing
Fascination as a track they
had always admired greatly. The Thurston
session tape was played but
the producers rejected most of them feeling
that many of the tracks weren't
strong enough.
Four solid months of stressful
recording followed that were full of vocal
retakes and some days would
end in creative disagreements. In the end,
session musicians and backing
singers were brought in as Jam & Lewis
sought a level of pitch perfection
that was simply alien to the appeal of
The League. The production
team's trademark was that of polished soul with
plenty of treble, whilst the
League always favoured an understated and
sometimes harsher sound of
pop that would stray from obvious
musical styles. Adrian eventually
gave up on trying to record soul styled
keyboard rifts that he was
completely unfamiliar with and decided instead
to spend the rest of the sessions
playing table tennis.
Meanwhile, the band was becoming
increasingly homesick with yearnings for
a decent cup of English tea.
Tired with green tea, Virgin eventually
shipped over a supply of tea
bags, but the band were ultimately missing
friends and family in Sheffield.
The recording sessions reached
breaking point when it became apparent that
only six of the League penned
tracks would make it to the album with Jam &
Lewis adding a few tracks
of their own. Song writing credits were
essential when it came to
the bread and butter payments once an album was
released. Jam & Lewis
were already receiving a huge production fee from
Virgin, and the League felt
they would receive little in the way of
royalties that were so desperately
needed. As a result, the sessions ended
in acrimony even though the
personal relationship between the band and the
production team had been a
good one.
The League left the sessions
earlier than expected and returned back to
Sheffield, whilst Jam &
Lewis were left in full creative control during
the final mixing sessions.
Upon returning, Adrian left the band unhappy
with the direction the music
had taken. He and Phil were no longer talking
to each other, and Adrian
had decided it was time to fulfil an ambition
of his to work in films.
The first new League single
since 1984's Louise was released in September.
The infidelity ballad Human
was a huge departure from the typical League
sound and critics were sceptical
of the soul influence and the fact that
it had not been written by
the Human League. The single itself however was
particularly impressive and
superbly produced. Other US artists had wanted
the track for themselves and
The League were always honoured that Jam &
Lewis had allowed them to
even touch it. Human was perfectly suited for
radio play and the single
debuted at number 8 in the UK.
After what seemed like an
eternity for League fans, the follow-up to
Hysteria was finally released.
Crash debuted at number 7 but ultimately it
proved to be something of
a mixed bag creatively receiving equally mixed
reviews. Moments of League
brilliance were evident in tracks such as Love
on The Run and The Real thing
but the inclusion of questionable tracks
such as Swang and I Need Your
Loving distanced the more traditional League
fan.
Later it would become apparent
that the photo shoot for the album was just
as problematic as the actual
recording. Opting for a glamour shot similar
to those seen on the Paris
Vogue covers, Phil decided he wanted the
photographer responsible Guy
Bourdin to provide the album cover. Virgin
agreed though the photographer's
fee wasn't cheap and the band flew out to
Paris.
During the shot, Bourdin spent
most of the time photographing Susan &
Joanne and eventually asked
Susan to perform headstands against a wall
wearing a mini-skirt, but
Susan understandably refused and the
photographer lost his temper.
The band immediately quit
the sessions losing thousands of pounds
resulting in a bizarre and
blurred re-shoot from another photographer that
was equally regrettable.
In November however, the League
achieved a unique feat when Human reached
number 1 in the States becoming
one of the few UK bands that have had two
number 1 hits in the US Despite
doubts over the musical direction of Crash
(many felt it lacked the depth
of Hysteria), the album did succeed in
re-establishing the League
in the international market.
The success of the Jam &
Lewis produced Control album for Janet Jackson
however, pushed Virgin into
making a mistake that could have brought the
League's career to a premature
closure. Hoping to match the popularity of
Jackson's singles, I Need
You Loving was chosen as the second single much
to the horror of both the
band and the fans. It was widely considered as
one of weakest tracks on Crash
and the band were expecting one of their
own songs to be released.
Unsurprisingly, the track
stalled at number 72 (though it performed better
in the States), aided by what
was possibly the worst Human League video
ever in which the band appeared
to be going through the motions. Things
were made slightly more bearable
when Crash began selling well in other
territories and the band began
planning their first UK tour since 1982.
To promote the tour, the League
decided to play live on the infamous but
innovative Channel 4 music
show The Tube. Problems prior to going on stage
reached comical proportions
though with Phil threatening to quit the show
that was being broadcast live,
when the promise of being the closing act
was denied at the last minute.
The producer was reportedly close to tears
as his pleas for the League
to play fell on deaf ears, but Phil
reluctantly conceded not wanting
to see a 'grown man cry' even though the
band were quite right to make
a stance. After the back stage bust-up, the
appearance was a nightmare
for the band and it would be another 9 years
before they would play live
on TV again.
Thankfully, the problems encountered
during the Tube appearance were not
repeated on the Crash tour
with the band producing faultless performances
to a perfect set of hit singles.
The League toured into the
early months of 1987 to packed venues and
received glowing reviews from
the music press but Virgin failed to
capitalize on the success
and no further singles from Crash were released
at all during this period.
After the tour was completed,
the band once again retreated to Sheffield
signalling another long period
of inactivity in the minds of the fans. It
was during this time that
Ian Burden announced he was leaving and the band
never saw him again. It was
rumoured that Ian had fled to Romania to join
a circus where he would play
jazz synthesizer in a clown's outfit.
Almost two years on from the
last single release, Virgin unexpectedly
announced the belated release
of Love is All That Matters which was one of
the better Jam & Lewis
compositions from the Crash album remixed down to a
3 minute version. Reaching
number 41, it was the first Human League single
to be released on the new
CD format (CD singles were very rare during this
period), and would pave the
way for a Greatest Hits album two months later.
The TV advertised compilation
contained most of the hit singles but
ignored the equally innovative
pre -Dare tracks (though the VHS video did
include Circus of Death).
The Hits album entered the charts at number 3
and would eventually sell
more than 300,000 copies. Critics wrote
enthusiastic reviews acknowledging
the League as pop innovators, but many
saw the token hits compilation
as a sign that the band had reached the end
of their career.
Fearful of the frightening
recording costs incurred during the making of
Hysteria and Crash, Phil approached
Sheffield City Council about the
possibility of securing a
European loan in order to build a recording
studio. The Labour run council
was extremely enthusiastic about the idea
and the loan application was
successful. Construction began almost
immediately with Phil investing
his own money to ensure the project was
completed. With their very
own studio, the band believed that they would
now be able to release albums
on a yearly basis.
In the absence of new material,
Virgin finally get round to releasing
Reproduction & Travelogue
on CD with an impressive selection of bonus
tracks including various non-album
singles, EP's and a engaging flexi disc
interview. The two albums
continue to be steady sellers to this day though
promises of digitally remastered
versions are yet to materialize.
THE 90's: Virgin Blues &
East West Delights
Work commenced on the new
album and Jo Callas made a welcome and
unexpected return to help
out on some of the song writing duties together
with Dare producer Martin
Rushent hinting that the album would bring a
welcome departure in sound
from that of Crash. Neil Sutton and Russell
Dennett who had helped out
during the Crash tour were also invited to
become full-time members and
both contributed to several of the tracks
amidst the workmen and bricks
in the new studio.
Four years on from Crash and
the last official Human League single, August
saw the release of 'Heart
Like a Wheel', the first track Jo Callis had
contributed to since 1984's
Louise. Produced by Martin Rushent and
supported by two CD singles
featuring various mixes from William Orbit,
the track signalled a welcome
return to the sound of the Dare period. The
music press were also pleased
to see the League return to familiar ground
after the mistakes of Crash,
and a promo sampler entitled Dare To Be
Romantic? led to generous
and enthusiastic media coverage.
Prior to the release of 'Heart
Like a Wheel', the band appeared on chat
show Wogan to perform the
track together with Russell Dennett and Neil
Sutton on keyboards. Phil
had now reverted back to the lopsided haircut of
1981 perhaps in a bid to escape
the 'fashion model' look of the Crash
period, whilst the girls were
dressed to thrill.
The group's new image however,
seemed slightly odd as though they had just
come back from a biker's convention
at a time when people seemed to be
hooked by the sound and look
of 'Mad'chester.
Faceless DJ music had began
to usher in the era of dance music in the wake
of Acid & House, and feelings
that this comeback had been miss-timed were
re-enforced when Heart Like
a Wheel entered the charts at a disappointing
number 29.
The initial press excitement
of the League's return was replaced with
muted silence when Romantic
was released a few weeks later with little
fanfare from Virgin. The music
press reviews were harsh and unforgiving
with Melody Maker reviewing
Romantic under the headline 'Beazer Homes
League!' (the lowest football
league in the UK).
The album itself did have
conflicting styles. Attempts to cross over into
dance territory sounded half
hearted with some of the tracks being pulled
in all directions by various
producers. What Romantic seemed to suffer
from was a clear sense of
identity and the material featured would
certainly have benefited from
the guidance of just one producer.
Ironically, the tracks that
did work superbly, succeeded because they were
free from overdubs of whatever
the current fad was. Rebound and The 'Stars
Are Going Out' were real gems
hinting that Phil had stumbled across a rare
song writing talent in the
form of Neil Sutton. Today, the album retains
an odd charm to it and the
general feeling is that the album remains
vastly underrated with many
preferring Romantic to Crash.
Cult comedian Vic Reeves who
was enjoying star status during 1990 on the
back of his critically acclaimed
Big Night Out TV series, revealed himself
as a long time fan citing
Rebound as one of the League's finest tracks.
Phil would later return the
compliment by appearing in a TV pilot for
Reeves called 'The Weekenders'.
Romantic peaked at number
24 in the closing week of September before
disappearing from the Top
100 UK album charts after just two weeks falling
way short of the commercial
success that Crash had generated. Hopes of a
US reprieve were raised briefly
when 'Heart Like a Wheel' peaked at number
32 on the Billboard chart
(impressive as many UK acts fail to hit the Top
70 in today's climate), but
Romantic suffered a similar fate in America.
Virgin decided to release
one more single from Romantic in November opting
for the William Orbit produced
'Soundtrack To A Generation' with a myriad
of mixes over two CD singles
including a dub version of album highlight 'A
Doorway'. With it's poignant
lyrics ('Years have gone on in between. But
all I knew at seventeen. Is
all I know now'), coupled with a killer base
line, the single received
very little in the way of promotion or radio
support and failed to enter
the Top 75. The failure of 'Soundtrack' would
finally sound the death knell
of the band's long and fruitful association
with Virgin and the lyrics
to Romantic's finest track 'The Stars Are Going
Out' seemed to sum up the
League's apocalyptic future.
Another single featuring Phil
on vocals for a local Sheffield band called
Respect was also released
around Christmas on the Chrysalis label.
Entitled 'What Comes After
Goodbye', the single suffered a similarly
depressing fate as 'Soundtrack
To A Generation'.
Few believed that they would
ever have another hit single and 1990 ended
on a depressing note whilst
The Farm enjoyed a Top 20 hit with their cover
version of 'Don't You Want
Me'.
With the band's confidence
severely affected by the commercial failure and
critical mauling of Romantic
(though some critics would later describe the
album as 'underrated'), the
band retreated back to their recording studio
where Phil finally began to
lay down some new demos. Convinced that a
radical departure such as
the one Crash had produced was not they way
forward, Phil stuck resolutely
to the belief that the League should remain
100% electronic. Demos that
were undeniably stamped with the League
identity were presented to
an indifferent Virgin who were perhaps hoping
for a radical new sounding
Human League.
Virgin at this time were undergoing
huge managerial changes as Richard
Branson looked to expand the
Virgin Empire into new business ventures.
Personnel who were once supportive
of the League were either moved on to
other departments or had left
to pursue other careers whilst the
supportive and loyal fan Simon
Draper was moved to Europe to oversee
Virgin interests in those
territories.
There were also worrying trade
rumours that Virgin were considering a huge
rethink with regards to their
music operations in the light of a declining
market share in CD sales.
Japan's influential band of
musicians that included Ryuichi Sakamoto (who
co-wrote the haunting classic
'Forbidden Colours' single with David
Sylvian in 1983), approached
the League through a producer to collaborate
on some tracks. Phil &
the girls recorded some vocals and sent them back
to Japan where they were released
on a single called 'YMO vs The Human
League' on the 21st of April.
Come the summer of 1992, the
industry whispers of drastic artist cutbacks
had sadly became true as Virgin
finally confirmed that they were 'letting
go' of almost half of their
recording acts with contracts being declared
as void. For the first time
since 1978, the Human League were without a
label despite completing promising
demos. Heaven 17 were also another of
Virgin's once revered acts
who were dropped by the company's new bosses.
When the news reached Simon
Draper in Europe, he was very saddened by the
loss of two innovative recording
acts. It was the end of a glorious era
and few doubted that either
band would survive and recover from Virgin's
loss of faith.
Understandably, both Phil
and Susan took the news very badly whilst Joanne
remained positively strong.
They had been extremely loyal to the label,
and despite the love - hate
relationship, it had been an amazingly
successful era for both parties.
As the news sunk in, Phil and Susan would
later admit in 1995 that the
psychological blow of being dropped would
lead them to seek professional
counselling in order to claw back some
confidence.
In a situation similar to
the period following Hysteria, the Human League
were once again perceived
as a forgotten band whilst they continued to
work on the demos originally
offered to Virgin. Royalties from older
singles being played across
the world were enabling the band to keep
afloat but they were virtually
broke having not had a major hit since
'Human' in 1986.
An unexpected confidence booster
arrived from an unlikely source however
when the innovative UK dance
act The Utah Saints released a single called
'Believe in Me' in early spring.
Reaching number 8 in the UK charts, the
single was a clever blend
of sampled tracks mixed with The Utah Saints own
unique style; it's main focus
being Phil's vocals taken from 'Love
Action'. 'Believe In Me' also
contained samples of Gwen Gutherie's 'Ain't
Nothin' Goin' On But The Rent',
a track that was in the UK single charts
during the time of 'Human'.
Phil's vocals though, were the most prominent
and it would be a single that
he would remember just a few years down the
line.
Towards the latter half of
the year, the band began to feel confident
enough to send the new demo
tapes to major record labels.
Unknown to most fans and the
public at large, one record company did come
forward after hearing the
demo tapes, though there was an element of
caution as former A&R
man at East West - Matt Hole revealed some years
later, "Their was a lot
of baggage to come with The Human League, and a
lot of that feeling well you
know the young man's business, the business
has changed maybe we should
actually be investing our time in a brand new
act rather than something
that was a bit of a dinosaur. But it was the
songs really; the songs on
the tape were impressive."
East West was a relatively
new label owned by the Time Warner Company
whose recording artists included
Simply Red and the groundbreaking dance
act The Beloved. Former Tears
For Fears keyboard player Ian Stanley was
also an A&R man at East
West at the time of the League signing. Something
of a synth expert himself
(Ian had co-written two of Tears For Fears
biggest and most memorable
hits: 'Shout' and 'Everybody Wants To Rule The
World'), East West gave him
the job of producing the League's new material
and bosses were pleased with
the initial results. The tracks were so
encouraging that East West
would guarantee a committed promotional
campaign for the new material.
By December, the impressive
promotional campaign was launched and many
fans were surprised to learn
that the League were due to release a brand
new single called 'Tell Me
When' on the 31st of that month. Full page
spreads began appearing in
the music press and glossy style magazines
showing the cover of the forthcoming
single designed by Mark Farrow who
had been responsible for the
Pet Shop Boys distinctive covers for both the
singles and albums since 1986.
After the traumatic experience
of Romantic four years earlier, how would
the League fare in a vastly
different pop arena? The emphasis was now very
much on manufactured bands
aimed at young teens and faceless dance music,
though Brit Pop was trying
it's best to challenge this worrying trend in
ballad-led chart music.
The UK's leading radio station
Radio One had ignored Romantic's singles
and the new single 'Tell Me
When' was about to face a tense make-or-break
test for both the League and
East West who had taken considerable
financial risks in signing
the band.
Midway through December, Radio
One took the encouraging step of adding
'Tell Me When' to their C-list
ensuring enough plays throughout the week
and the DJ's took to it with
great enthusiasm. The single sounded perfect
with its catchy chorus, classic
vocal interaction and punchy bass-line but
more importantly, 'Tell Me
When' had instant appeal. All it took was one
listen and despite it's retro
sound, the song sounded incredibly fresh.
Aided by Ian Stanley's superb,
crystal clear production, 'Tell Me When'
could match anything on the
timeless Dare. It was an inspired return to
form and within a week, the
single was added to the A-list resulting in
maximum plays. A chart entry
would now be guaranteed for a single that
seemed tailor made for radio
play.
When 'Tell Me When' did finally
appear in record stores (credited to Paul
Beckett & Phil Oakey),
the CD single included a remix by Utah Saints (as a
thanks to their impressive
single 'Believe In Me' back in 1993). Other
tracks included the likable
YMO collaboration 'Kimi ni Mune Kyun' that was
born out of the Japanese artist's
admiration for the League, and a warm
sounding instrumental by Dennett
& Oakey called 'The Bus To Crookes',
neither of which would appear
on the forthcoming album.
1995
The following week, 'Tell
Me When' exceeded expectations by entering the
UK charts at number 12 beating
the previous three singles from Romantic
and Crash that had all failed
to enter the Top 20.
It was the time of the volatile
UK chart. Singles were beginning to have
high chart entries before
sales would drop off alarmingly the following
week (this trend would get
even worse in the years that followed), and it
was becoming rare for singles
to increase their sales in the following
week.
After an impressive appearance
on 'Top Of The Pops' (the League's first
since September 1990), the
single bucked trends by rising to Number 7 in
the second week of release.
Looking even happier than they did during
their first TOTP's appearance,
the League were called back to perform the
song again for the second
of three studio performances (unprecedented
unless a single actually reaches
Number 1). Virgin must have looked on
regretting the day they turned
down the demo of 'Tell Me When in 1992
shortly before dropping them
from the label. The promo video for the
single was also particularly
stylish, shot entirely on location in Prague,
the beautiful capital of the
Czech Republic.
With the single reaching Number
6 the following week (where it would
remain for another 14 days),
the League were suddenly invited on just
about every music show that
was on UK TV at that time. Memorable
interviews and performances
included the BBC's 'Live And Kicking' and
'O-Zone' (where Phil would
promise that there would now be a Human League
album once every two years).
The band also appeared on the popular daytime
show 'This Morning' with Richard
& Judy as well as various MTV slots.
The same old grainy clip of
the 'Don't You Want Me' video accompanied all
appearances and the tired
old references to the word 'comeback' would
prompt Joanne to remind the
interviewer that 'we have actually never been
away', but busy working in
their studio. In some interviews, the
researchers had to be reminded
that there had been significant hit singles
since Dare from both Hysteria
and Crash, including a second US Number 1
with 'Human'.
It had seemed like an eternity
since the release of Romantic and on
January 23rd the oddly named
Octopus was unveiled complete with it's
striking profile shot of Phil,
the girls and futuristic logo (a cover that
Phil now say's he doesn't
like). Containing nine tracks of perfect
analogue pop, Octopus was
welcomed and praised by both the NME and Melody
Maker. Finally, the League
had produced an album that could truly be held
up to Dare.
Ian Stanley was instrumental
in giving the album a cohesive sound that
Romantic had lacked and the
whole thing was unashamedly electronic
compared to the rest of 1995's
album releases.
Octopus contained many highlights
with Phil having rediscovered his unique
talent for memorable lyrics.
'These Are The Days' was a classic return to
the Dare era though the message
it enforced was that the time for looking
back had passed, it was time
to move on. In terms of melody and pop
sensibility, Octopus was untouchable
and impressive. The album was also
fairly emotional in places
perhaps in reference to Phil's break-up with
Joanne some years earlier
on tracks such as the haunting 'Never Again', a
tortured love song where Phil
seems to reveal his soul.
Once again, the League had
refused to follow any musical trends with
Octopus containing some wonderfully
unfashionable analogue sounds. Octopus
also saw the League return
to their left-wing political roots as a
response to damaging Tory
policies especially in the North of England with
the decay of industry and
a lack of social policies. 'Remember society?
Bring it back…'
sang Phil to an irresistible sonic melody in 'House Full
Of Nothing', a reply to Mrs.
Thatcher's infamous announcement that there
was 'no such thing as society'.
The girls also sang the memorable line
'after 16 years of legalized
class hate' on 'These Are The Days' hinting
at the bitterness they all
felt at the time.
Media interest for the League
was at an all-time high, and full-paged
press adverts helped to guarantee
Octopus a UK album chart entry of Number
6 (beating Crash's personal
best by one place).
East West then created the
League's first ever official website despite
the fact that Internet access
in the UK was not that common. It was a
modest affair (like most official
sites during the early days of the
Internet) with some nice pictures
and brief biog based on the group's East
West output.
The second single to be lifted
from Octopus was the radio-friendly ballad
'One Man In My Heart' with
Susan singing lead vocals and was released on
March 12th as a two CD set.
It seemed a surprising choice at first and
wasn't quite as instant as
'Tell Me When', but the track was a real grower
and received plenty of radio
play and even led to some of the older 80's
League hits being played on
Radio One.
Phil had approached legendary
Swedish DJ/producer Denniz Pop (who had
produced an impressive mix
of Don't You Want Me called the SweMix version
in 1988), to provide versions
of 'One Man In My Heart' but Denniz was
sadly unavailable. Pop was
instrumental in setting up the production team
that would later have great
international success with Dr Alban, Britney
Spears and Five to name just
a few before sadly passing away with cancer
in 1998. The remix duties
were instead offered to Ace Of Base another
Swedish act enjoying huge
international success at the time and they
provided all of the 'TOEC'
mixes.
The single peaked at 13 after
another memorable 'Top Of The Pops'
performance with Phil trying
hard to maintain a straight face as he mimed
to some bizarre electronic
sounds behind a strange box-like instrument.
On June 11th, 'Filling Up
With Heaven' became the third and final single
to be released from Octopus
that included a mix of 'These Are The Days', a
track that really should have
been the second single. 'Filling Up With
Heaven' probably lacked that
instant appeal needed to generate radio play
though it became positively
irresistible after a few listens and was
joyously upbeat. It was a
feeling that was mirrored in the rarely seen
promo video - another stylishly
shot affair with impressive photography.
Due to lack of radio play,
the single only managed to enter the charts at
number 36 despite being a
song that still sounds fantastic today. No 'Top
Of The Pops' appearance for
this single though the band gave an impressive
performance of the track on
the 'ITV Movie Awards' hosted by Bob Monkhouse
in New York during mid June.
With no more activity planned
from East West for the rest of '95, old
label Virgin suddenly decided
to capitalize on their former stars by
releasing a Greatest Hits
package to replace the old 1988 compilation.
Released for the Christmas
market on the 23rd November, the new hits
package came with a revised
track listing to include 'Tell Me When', a
Snap remix of 'Don't You Want
Me' and a brand new track that was recorded
specifically for Virgin's
new compilation 'Stay With Me Tonight' licensed
from East West. On the wave
of continuing media attention, the hits
package entered the UK album
charts at Number 9 whilst the fairly average
Snap & Red Jerry 'Don't
You Want Me' mixes were released as a single
peaking at Number 16. A digitally
remastered video of the hits was also
issued with superb sound and
included the rarely seen 'Heart Like A Wheel'
and 'Soundtrack To A Generation'
videos though the track listing on the
sleeve was incorrect.
At the end of November, the
League made their first UK TV live appearance
since the wobbly Tube set
in 1986 on 'Later With Jools Holland' for BBC-2.
It was a stunning and memorable
performance that featured all the band
including the rarely seen
Neil Sutton and Russell Dennett. For those
watching on stereo TV sets,
the quality of the live keyboards, vocals and
percussion was nothing short
of impressive. Opening with 'These Are The
Days', the band then returned
to play the much-underrated Romantic classic
'The Stars Are Going Out'
before closing the show with the old Dare
favourite 'Sound Of The Crowd'.
1995 ended on a triumphant
note with two sold-out concerts at the Royal
Albert Hall venue in London,
the League's first live dates since 1987.
The entire year had been a
remarkable success story with Octopus reaching
gold status in the UK with
sales of over 100.000.
Twelve months after the release
of 'Tell Me When', East West decided to
try their luck with the new
track 'Stay With Me Tonight' that was recorded
for Virgin's Greatest Hits
compilation. Released on 14th January as a
single CD, the track was accompanied
with the excellent Space Kittens
remix. Produced and co-written
by Ian Stanley together with Phil, the
single was another perfect
slice of melodic pop with finely crafted layers
of synth effects. However,
the track lacked instant attraction for the
casual listener and Radio
One give it little in the way of airtime.
'
Stay With Me Tonight' only
managed to reach Number 40 on the UK chart, but
it's chances would surely
have been improved had it been released before
the Greatest Hits. Despite
it's poor chart showing, the League appeared on
GMTV and the late night music
show 'Hotel Babylon' for ITV where the band
gave a brief interview.
Future Music magazine would
be the last we would hear from Phil for quite
some time. When asked what
the future would hold for the Human League,
Phil replied, "We've
got to do the album that Octopus should have been.
It's got to have more tracks.
I think Ian [Stanley] wants to get more
involved in the writing so
he'll be a big component. We've all got the
songs, the subjects and the
titles, which is how we start.
"It took four years to
write the nine songs on Octopus. We gave them to
Virgin and they said, 'Do
you want to leave the label?'! That's alright
though. They did us a favour,
although we were a bit miffed at the time.
They had a tape with Tell
Me When on... It did so well, I still can't
believe it. It was up there
for weeks. Just brilliant."
After completing all remaining
promotion duties, the League returned to
Sheffield to begin work on
new demos for the follow-up to Octopus, an
album East West were expecting
in 1997. With co-writing credits on the
most recent single, Ian Stanley
was also expected to produce the new
album, but he unexpectedly
left to pursue other musical projects.
Recording began well in the
latter part of the year with the completion of
three tracks called 'New Start',
'Nervous' and 'S-H5' with new producers
Robin Hancock, Ross Cullum,
Jamie Cullum and Peter Davis.
During the sessions, Russell
Dennett had also decided to leave the band.
Tired of the cold climate
in Sheffield, he headed immediately to Spain
where he joined a reportedly
'sinister' electro circus.
The anxiously awaited follow-up
to Octopus failed to appear. With no
revised release date offered,
the band continued to work in Sheffield. The
Internet saw massive expansion
throughout the year and although call
charges were extortionate
especially in the UK, Human League fan sites
began to appear most notably
with the Australian site 'Dare!' attracting
most hits.
It was the year that lightning
would strike the League twice. Their
current label East West began
to undergo extensive management changes
(just like Virgin did in '92)
and those who had supported the League were
either pushed out or jumped
labels.
With no hint of what was to
come, the League continued to work on a cover
of Gary Clail's classic electro
track 'Human Nature' (originally a hit in
1991) a track the League had
played live during the Albert Hall dates in
In the summer of 1998, the
League received an unexpected offer from old 80's
sparring partner Boy George
to join a lucrative tour of America together
with Howard Jones called The
Rewind Tour aimed primarily at the 80's
nostalgia market. With strict
instructions that would only allow the big
hits to be added to the set
list, Phil and the band decided that it was
too good an opportunity to
turn down. Despite the success of Octopus, the
band still had large overheads
to pay as well as the maintenance of their
studio and hired staff. It
was one of the first tours of its kind and the
success of the 80's revival
touring circuit has spawned many different
lineups since and is still
going strong selling out venues such as Wembley
Arena that has a 20,000 plus
capacity.
Almost every act that had
a hit record in the 80's have taken part (except
for Flock of Seagulls who
are still waiting by the phone).
When the band returned after
a few months, they discovered that the new
management at East West had
decided to drop them from the label together
with The Beloved. For the
second time in six years, the League were dumped
facing an uncertain future.
Former A&R man for East
West would later reveal on BBC-2's 'Young Guns'
documentary, "Octopus
was a very successful album, it was top ten for
quite a long time. It was
a gold record in the UK it did pretty well in
America so we brought them
back so by the end of 95 The Human League were
high in the public's consciousness
and the media's.
Then it was a problem that
they were taking a very long time to think
about the next record. After
I left East West records a new regime came
into the company and they
were actually let go."
Meanwhile, another new website
appeared called Hysteria again from
Australia with stylish web
design and extensive content. It would go on to
become an invaluable in keeping
League fans informed for the next two
years.
In the winter, the League
were coaxed back into appearing on the bill of
the UK leg of the Rewind Tour
again with Culture Club headlining and a
welcome return to the big
stage for fellow Sheffield innovators ABC.
The huge success of the tour
led to much media interest and although the
League were without a record
label, they appeared on GMTV to be
interviewed by Lorraine Kelly
who had last flirted with Phil in 1990 on
the same show (then called
TV-AM). They also performed two hits 'Human'
and the more recent 'Tell
Me When' for the programme.
The year ended with another
TV appearance this time on BBC-1 for the peak
time special 'Winter's Wonderland'
where Phil, Jo and Sue performed the
original version of 'Don't
You Want Me' with two unknown keyboard players
though Neil Sutton was still
thankfully with the band.
Media fascination with the
League continued in January with the screening
of a documentary called 'Young
Guns' that focused on the leading artists
of the early 80's. Brilliantly
researched for the most part, the programme
documented the early beginnings
of the band and featured Phil Oakey with
Martyn Ware and Ian Craig
Marsh being interviewed together for the first
time since 1980. Filmed around
Sheffield, 'Young Guns' also featured
contributions from Joanne,
Susan, Jo Callas, Simon Draper and the much
missed Adrian Wright. Running
for 30 minutes, a glorious backdrop of
analogue keyboards was also
shown whilst Phil & the girls were interviewed
in their rarely seen studio.
Narrated by long time fan and singer of the
original synth pop duo Soft
Cell - Marc Almond, this particular episode
was pure heaven for Human
League fans.
Another TV appearance followed
in March this time playing themselves in
the made- for- TV comedy film
'Hunting Venus' that starred British
comedians Martin Clunes and
Neil Morrisey. The film featured the
fictitious reunion of an old
80's band in the 90's and ended with the
League performing 'Don't You
Want Me' - 'Hunting Venus' was never released
on video and is locked away
in a film vault where it will never be seen
again..
Things remained quiet until
August when it was revealed that Phil had
recorded some guest vocals
on the forthcoming All Seeing I single. Also
from Sheffield, All Seeing
I had scored two impressive Top 20 hits with
the infectious 'And The Beat
Goes On' followed by 'Walk Like A Panther'
with 60's crooner Tony Christie
(a track written by Pulp's Jarvis Cocker).
Before its release, the League
played two gigs firstly at London's Astoria
followed by a PA in Ibiza.
'
''The First Man In Space'
(again written by Jarvis) became Radio One's
'Single Of The Week' during
the week of the total eclipse in the UK
('total' only for those in
a boat moored 20 miles south of the Isle of
Wright). It was a wonderful
track with lyrics that wouldn't have seemed
out of place on either Reproduction
or Travelogue and the song also
featured cameo vocals from
Joanne and Susan.
To promote the single, Phil
unexpectedly joined the All Seeing I live in
the dance tent at Reading
festival to perform the track to a wildly
enthusiastic audience whilst
Blur played on the main stage. All Seeing I
also performed 'And The Beat
Goes On' with a delightful, but shy female
vocalist and Jarvis Cocker
came on to sing 'Walk Like A Panther'. It was a
memorable evening with Stuart
Pearce's superb Las Rhythm Digital
performing in the same tent
just a few hours earlier.
The song entered the UK charts
at Number 27 in early September and
appearances on 'Top Of The
Pops' (where Phil sang live) and 'The Pepsi
Chart Show' for Channel 5
followed. Phil was also interviewed by Jamie
Theakson for the 'O-Zone'
(BBC) on the same tram line in Sheffield that
featured on the 'Young Guns'
documentary. When asked what the meaning was
behind the bizarre video,
Phil replied that he had no idea, "the director
wouldn't talk to me"
he joked.
Phil's association with All
Seeing I continued when he recorded two stints
as a DJ entitled 'The History
Of The Synthesizer' that were streamed from
the official All Seeing I
website. Phil played a selection of his
favourite electronic records
that included Alice Deejay's 'Better Off
Alone' before retreating back
to the studio in Sheffield for another
mini-hiatus..
2000 and beyond
After much time spent mulling
over their various options the band again defiied their critics
and the overwhelming sense of lethargy that can overcome 'older'
acts by signing to new label 'Papillon' and, in 2001, released
the widely critically acclaimed 'Toy' produced album 'Secrets',
the first single from which 'All I ever Wanted' was the bands
first Top 40 hit since 1995.
This was followed by
a successful December tour of the UK and, since Papillon was closed
by it's parent company in early 2002, live work has continued
to be the main focus of the band's activities with live shows
in Europe and, this coming November, Japan and Australia. This
has been accompanied by widespread sampling of the bands extensive
back catalogue by other Artists, most notably by Richard X on
the Top 5 single 'Be Nobody' with Liberty X and on his next release
'Finest Dreams' featuring Kellis which is currently on the Radio
One 'B' list.
September 2003 saw the release of a new Virgin compilation 'The
Very Best Of', bringing fans right up to date with all the bands
singles and followed two weeks later by the 'Best Of' DVD, the
first time any the bands promo videos have been available on this
format .At the end of 2004 the band did an extensive sold-out
UK tour.
Last year some of the bands performences at Primavera in Barcelona
with Iggy Pop and New Order, ,Homelands, MTV/Nokia Trends Festival
in Sao Paulo and Dublin's Electric Picnic Festival alongside Goldfrapp,
Kraftwerk and The Flaming Lips, and they have also just completed
an extensive UK tour in November/December 2005.
This year the touring starts off with several dates in Ireland
starting in Dublin March 13TH .
Dates in March are:
Mon 13th Dublin Vicar Street
Tue 14th Dublin Vicar Street
Thur 16th Waterford Ten
Fri 17th Carlow Music Factory
Sat 18th Cork The savoy
Sun 19th Limerick Trinity Rooms