The Human League Album: “Dare/Love & Dancing”

Who says time travel hasn't been invented?

Pop this CD in your player, fix yourself a gin and tonic (or a Midori Sour), lie back in your recliner, and LISTEN!

Within seconds of the start of "Don't You Want Me?" you'll be immediately transported back to that dance floor in 1981, your hair fully spiked and highlighted, wearing your parachute pants, capezios, a short short skirt, a wife beater and an open deco shirt singing to your dance partner, "You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar, when I met you...."

According to Billboard Magazine:

"Dare! captures a moment in time perfectly -- the moment post-punk's robotic fascination with synthesizers met a clinical Bowiesque infatuation with fashion and modern art, including pop culture, plus a healthy love of songcraft."

For those of us in the U.S. for whom the sounds of the era (the late 1970's) no longer held the fascination they once had. Also, disco seemed to have become repetitive, in large part. Then.....then...out of England began to come a noise....a sound...not disco, not rock, not punk, but something much more different!

Long before there was a name for it (New Wave, as it would be called), there was The Human League.

The slick, smoothe sounds that groups such as The Human League were putting out struck just the right chord. The Human League really got started in 1977, but we, on this side of the pond, didn't know it. It wasn't really until 1981's Dare! that the U.S. got a good dose of what the latest British invasion had in store for us. Certainly, The Human League took a strong nod from Kraftwerk, but whereas that group's sound was far more "synthesized," The Human League did as their name tells us and added a much more human factor to the element. It softened out the technology and allowed the vocals to be front and center supported fully by dynamic synthesized sounds.

Is this all too much lavish praise to heap on The Human League? Not really. While there were many groups in England at about the same time creating a similar sound, it was The Human League that really were the first out the gate with the most fully realized, fully formed elaborate orchestrations of synthesizers and slick vocals.

Dare! is not their first album but it is quite possibly their most important album, because it cemented their amazing talent in the collective mind of the U.S. with the tremendously popular and danceable "Don't You Want Me?"

While each song on this album is a hit in its own right (if not charted as such), remember that it was widely received by the music industry as a benchmark album.

You will want this album so that you, too, can travel back to 1981 with no trouble at all!

Dare! is worth the trip.

The Human League. 1981. DARE!, one of the best synthpop albums to come from the best decade for music. Ah, where to begin? Anyone glancing at this review has certainly heard the smashing hit "Don't You Want Me," but this album has so much more to offer an electronic-minded listener. First, there is

1. "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of," a delightful, bouncy number featuring somewhat laughable lyrics, my favourite being "March, march, march across Red Square!" All in all, a fun, energetic track perfect for the urban dillettante. Next, we have

2. "Open Your Heart," a nice tune with rather decent lyrics and lovely synths--as usual. But the next track is possibly my favourite--or second favourite--on the disc. It is

3. "The Sound of the Crowd," which certainly deserved its number twelve spot in the British charts back in '81 soon after the original band split into Heaven 17 and what is now more or less The Human League. I adore this song! It features decadent, hedonistic dance lyrics and beats with Phil's signature delivery backed up by the girls. This song soon gives way into

4. "Darkness," a somewhat creepy, pessimistic song about madness and fear. Cool vibes throughout, though, and it segues nicely into

5. "Do or Die," which has extremely awesome synths all over the place--especially its synth solo in the middle part of the song--and it has a catchy, upbeat chorus. Then, we get

6. "Get Carter," an extremely short instrumental that acts as a prelude to

7. "I Am the Law," which would have fit perfectly on TRAVELOGUE, The Human League's 1980 effort. It's rather minimalistic and dour, with none of the bounce or flair that the other tracks possess, but it has interesting lyrics that actually make some sense. However, I usually skip this one and go on to

8. "Seconds," another creepy track, but this one concerns the Kennedy assassination--at least from what I can tell from the lyrics. Icy cold, this one song is perhaps another vestige of The Human League's creative and innovative period of their career. It certainly isn't like its more pop-oriented peers on this album. But! we're now at my all-time favourite The Human League track which is

9. "Love Action (I Believe in Love)," an all-around perfect pop tune--it reached no. 3 in the British charts--that encapsulates everything I love about the League: quirky synths (come on, check out the opening one! I never fail to smile when this pops on), cool vocals, and cheesy lyrics. Listen and love it as I have. Ah, but now we have

10. "Don't You Want Me," the League's most famous track, one still played on radios and Muzak all over the world, one performed at karaoke bars, one forever beloved by the masses...etc., etc. Everyone knows this song! And rightly so: it's pop perfection, and it helped cement that distinctive '80s sound, so infused with synths and Casio keyboards and British/continental elegance. But I'm digressing...The rest of this remastered edition is the 1982 remix album, LOVE AND DANCING, which features instrumental or dub-ish sounding versions of most of the songs found on DARE! This is a most worthy purchase. You will be happy for buying this epic synthpop/New Wave marvel, I can assure you.

Although this was The League's third album proper, it was the first as far as America knew. It was also a great perchase for me personaly due to the fact that this album was released five years before I was alive. The edition of "Love and Dancing" gave me a different perspective of "Dare" because of the original album's lack of instrumental versions that are present here. When "Dare" first came out, it only had the ten standard tacks recorded on it. So being born in the late 80's gave me a slight advantage over the people who were arond for the original thing. Needless to say, this album absolutely deserved all of the attention it recieved. It's a true triumph in terms of its music, lyrics, vocal arrangements, and total inovation in music history. For those who may not be completely familure with the true talent and creativity of The Human League, or are completely judging this band based on the two #1 singles that were released at the hieght of their popularity, you're missing out on a fantastic record from an extremely successful band during the early years of thier career. This is an essential record from one of England's earliest power-house synthesizer driven musical acts. An album that should be in everyone's collection.

I love the Human League from the very first time I heard their song "Keep Feeling (Fascination)", I bought their greatest hit albums, to their regular albums, and when I saw they had the Human League's album Dare Remastered with a bonus CD, League Unlimited Orchestra, I had to get it, and I wasn't disappointed. (The truth is I'm listening to the CD right now, Open Your Heart)

The songs are as clear as gold and is the quality is better than I can ever want in the Human League! As a part of the remastered CD is some extended added sounds, like in Sound of the Crowd is a echo, and in Love Action is a extended version which really completes the song unlike the regular version.

For people not very fond of remixes, at least give the Human League a go. I like remixes and of course I loved League Unlimited Orchestra, a compilation of the instrumental versions of some of their greatest hits! The greatest mix on there is Don't You Want Me, a whole seven minutes but kept me addicted with the instruments used in the original version making you want to dance!

The greatest part of the whole CD is the overall effort put into it. Two CDs in one! No 50 out of 80 minute CD, Human League performing all the way with the extra CD! This CD can be considered their Ultimate Greatest Hit CD!!! Whether a fan of the Human League or not, you can't miss the chance of getting this specially off of Amazon at a price worth it!!!

Dare - everyone who was anyone in the 80's has a copy of this on vinyl or cassette. But the League Unlimited Orchestra's Love and Dancing is a whole nother story. Club DJ's mixed the hell out of this with "Don't You Want Me", but the rest of the album is a must have as well. Human League fans will all agree; this one you just gotta have. Casual fans may want to just get Dare, or better yet, just get their Greatest Hits. I'm a huge Human League fan, so I'm biased and think everyone should love these dub versions, but not everyone loves every song by the League (hell, even I don't like every song - what WAS "Crash" all about?) so this may be more of one album then you'll want.