The Human League
Encyclopedia
The Human League are an English electronic
New Wave
band formed in Sheffield
in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.
The only constant band member since 1977 is vocalist and songwriter Philip Oakey
. Originally an avant-garde
all-male synthesizer
-based group, The Human League evolved into a commercially successful synthpop
band under Oakey's leadership, yielding the group's biggest-selling album, Dare
(1981). Since 1987, the band has essentially been a trio of Oakey and long-serving female vocalists Joanne Catherall
and Susan Ann Sulley (who joined the ensemble in 1980), with various sidemen
. The Human League has influenced many electro-pop, other synthpop, and mainstream performers including Madonna
, La Roux
, Moby
, Pet Shop Boys
, Little Boots
. and Parralox. They have been sampled and covered by various artists including Tony Christie
, Utah Saints
, Ministry of Sound
, Craig David
, George Michael
, KMFDM
, Robbie Williams
and Out of the Blue (Oxford University)
.
Since 1978, The Human League have released nine studio albums, four EPs
and thirty singles
. They have had four albums and eight singles in the UK Top Ten
, one of which was #1 (two in the US) and they have played over 350 live concerts. The band has sold more than 20 million records worldwide.
and Ian Craig Marsh
, who had met at youth arts project Meatwhistle, were both working as computer operators. Their musical collaboration combined pop music (such as glam rock
and Tamla Motown) with avant-garde
electronic music
. With the price of electronic components dropping in the mid 1970s, equipment became more affordable for the average consumer; Ware and Marsh purchased a Korg
700S synthesizer together and learned how to play it. Their musical reputation spread and they were invited to play at a friend's 21st birthday party. For the party, Ware and Marsh formed themselves into an informal band called The Dead Daughters. Their live highlight was a rendition of the theme of the British TV series Doctor Who
.
After a few more low-key, private performances, Ware and Marsh decided to officially form a band. Joined by their friend Adi Newton and another synthesizer (a Roland System-100
), they formed The Future and began to create music in their own rehearsal facility in a disused cutlery workshop in the centre of Sheffield. Although The Future was never signed and did not release material commercially at the time, a collection of demos from this period was released retrospectively on CD in 2002 titled The Golden Hour of the Future
, mixed by Richard X
. The association with Adi Newton was short; Newton left The Future and went on to form Clock DVA
. Ware at this point decided that he needed a singer rather than another keyboard player. The reason for this was twofold: record companies had been reluctant to sign The Future, as they couldn’t offer any "marketable" songs, and therefore a talented singer was required for any chance of commercial success; also the group only owned two synthesizers and could not afford a third.
Ware and Marsh searched for a vocalist, but their first choice, Glenn Gregory
, was unavailable (Gregory eventually became the lead singer of their later band Heaven 17
). Ware then decided to invite an old school friend, Philip Oakey
, to join the band. Oakey was working as a hospital porter at the time and was known on the Sheffield social scene for his eclectic style of dress. Although he had no musical experience, Ware thought he would be ideal as lead singer for The Future as "he already looked like a pop star." When Ware called on Oakey he found he was out, so asked him to join The Future by leaving a note stuck to his front door. He accepted the invitation, but early sessions were awkward. Oakey had never sung in front of an audience before, could not play keyboards and only owned a saxophone (which he could not play). Listening to one of Ware and Marsh's demos, Oakey was inspired to write some lyrics which later became the single "Being Boiled
".
With a new line-up, sound and vocalist, Ware decided that the band needed a new name. It would also allow them to approach record companies again from a different angle. Ware suggested a quote derived from the game Starforce: Alpha Centauri
, a science fiction wargame. In the game, 'The Human League' arose in 2415 A.D, and were a frontier-oriented society that desired more independence from Earth. Ware suggested that The Future rename themselves after the game and in early 1978 The Future became The Human League.
Using Future material, The Human League released a demo tape to record companies under their new name. The tape contained versions of "Being Boiled", "Toyota City", and "Circus of Death". Ware's friend Paul Bower of Sheffield new wave band 2.3 who had just recorded a single for Bob Last's Edinburgh-based independent label Fast Product took their demo to Last and he signed the band.
The band released their first single, "Being Boiled", in June 1978 which became Fast Product's third release. Although a limited release - because it was so unique and at odds with everything else on the market – it was picked up on by NME
who championed the band, although one guest reviewer, John Lydon
of Public Image Limited condemned the band as "trendy hippies."
Boosted by critical praise, on 12 June 1978 the band played their first live gig together at Bar 2 in Sheffield's Psalter Lane Art College (now Sheffield Hallam University
; a plaque now commemorates the spot in what is now a computer suite.)
With their reliance on technology and tape machines, the band had been nervous about playing live. After the Psalter Lane performance, they worried that they had appeared static and uninspiring. A friend of Oakey's who had been in the audience, Philip Adrian Wright
, who also had an art and photography background was invited to become the band's Director of Visuals with a remit to "liven up" the stage performance with slides, film clips and lighting.
The band's live performances began to gain momentum and acclaim and they were asked to support first The Rezillos
(featuring future band member Jo Callis
), then Siouxsie and the Banshees as early as September 1978. In December, 1978 David Bowie
appeared in the audience and later declared to NME that he "had seen the future of pop music." Later, the hit song by The Undertones
, "My Perfect Cousin", contained a dig at the perceived "arty" Human League in the lyric:
"His mother bought him a synthesiser/Got the Human League in to advise her/Now he's making lots of noise/Playing along with the art school boys"
In April, 1979 The Human League released their first EP under Fast Record entitled The Dignity of Labour
, which contained four experimental instrumentals. Although the EP barely charted, major record labels began approaching the band in an attempt to lure them away from Fast. Eventually in May, 1979, the band accepted an offer by Richard Branson
's Virgin Records
. Because of his label's early support, the band offered Bob Last the position as band manager.
In June, 1979 The Human League supported Iggy Pop
on his European tour before settling into recording their first single for Virgin. Despite being promised creative freedom, Virgin instead insisted on some sweeping changes to the band's style for their first single in order to make it more commercial. They insisted on conventional instruments and vocals as well as synthesizers. Because the band had accepted a large financial signing advance, Ware was in no position to refuse, but insisted that any releases in this style be credited to a pseudonym.
The band's first single under Virgin Records was the disco
influenced "I Don't Depend on You
", released in July, 1979 under the pseudonym "The Men". The single did not chart and had very little in common with the previous work of The Human League. It did, however, feature prophetic female vocals by guest vocalists Lisa Strike and Katie Kissoon sounding like the yet-to-be-formed future Human League of 1981.
Because the imposed style had not worked, Virgin permitted the band to return to their original style and the band recorded and released their first full studio album Reproduction
in August, 1979. The album and the single "Empire State Human
" failed to make any impact on the charts. After these flops, Virgin cancelled the band's December, 1979 tour. By this time, The Human League's role as UK electronic pioneers was usurped by Gary Numan
when his single "Are 'Friends' Electric?
" became a huge hit in the UK in mid-1979.
In April, 1980 the band was able to release an EP entitled Holiday '80
, containing the principal track "Marianne" and a cover of "Nightclubbing" (written by Bowie and Iggy Pop). The seven inch version of "Holiday '80" did well enough to get the band their first TV appearance on BBC TV Top of the Pops
on 8 May 1980 opening a Peter Powell
presented show with Gary Glitter
's "Rock and Roll Part 2". This was to be the only high profile TV appearance by the Oakey/Marsh/Ware trio on British television, with the sole exception of BBC2's Mainstream programme in late 1979, where a performance in the studio, complete with slideshow etcetera, was broadcast of the tracks "The Path Of Least Resistance" and the current minor hit "Empire State Human
".
In May, the band toured the UK. Philip Adrian Wright was now playing incidental keyboards in addition to his visuals role. It was the last time all four members performed together live. Also in May, the band released their second studio album Travelogue. More commercial sounding than Reproduction, it peaked at #16 in the UK, giving the band their first real success. As a result, "Empire State Human" was re-released and the band made their second appearance on Top of the Pops even though it only reached #62 in the singles chart.
Because of their lack of commercial success, Virgin refused to release further singles from Travelogue. The Human League was booked to conduct a tour of the UK and Europe in October – November, 1980 but the lack of success after two years of hard work and perceived lack of faith by Virgin set about severe internal conflict within the band.
The relationship between Oakey and Ware had always been turbulent, and the pair often quarrelled over creative and personal matters. Oakey was once observed chasing Ware up a Sheffield street, throwing bottles of milk from people's doorsteps at him.
The lack of success compared with the success of Gary Numan's work at that time had brought matters to a head. Ware insisted the band maintain their pure electronic sound while Oakey wanted to emulate more successful pop groups. The pair clashed continually, with Ware eventually walking out. Taking Ware's side, Ian Craig Marsh joined him. Manager Bob Last tried to reconcile both parties, and when that proved impossible various options were suggested including two new bands under a Human League sub-label. Eventually it was agreed that Oakey would continue with The Human League name while Ware and Marsh would form a completely new band, which became Heaven 17
. Two weeks before the UK/Europe tour the band split.
Retaining the Human League name came at a heavy price for Oakey; he was responsible for all Human League debts and commitments. Also, The Human League would have to pay Ware and Marsh one percent of royalties of the next Human League album under the Virgin contract.
With the tour only ten days away and the music media reporting that The Human League was finished now that "the talented people had left," promoters started threatening to sue Oakey if the tour was not completed as contracted. To complete the tour, Oakey had to recruit new people in a matter of days.
In an event that is now firmly embedded in popular folklore and regularly repeated by the media, Oakey and his then girlfriend went into Sheffield city centre on a Wednesday night with the intention of recruiting a single female backing vocalist. After looking in various venues, they visited the Crazy Daisy Nightclub
on High Street where Oakey spotted two teenage girls dancing together on the dance floor. Susan Ann Sulley (17) and Joanne Catherall (18) were just schoolgirls on a night out together. Neither had any experience of singing or dancing professionally. With no preamble, Oakey asked both girls to join the tour as dancers and incidental vocalists. He states that when he found out their age and that they were best friends, he revised his plan for a single female and decided that the two girls could look after each other on the tour. Originally just wanting a single female singer to replace the high backing vocals originally provided by Martyn Ware, he says that he thought having two female vocalists/dancers would also add potential glamour to the band. Because of the girls' ages, Oakey and Wright later had to visit Sulley and Catherall's respective parents to obtain permission for the girls to go on the tour.
In addition to Sulley and Catherall, Oakey employed professional musician Ian Burden
from Sheffield synth band Graph as a session keyboard player for the tour to cover for the keyboards of the now departed Ware and Marsh.
The tour was completed as advertised with the first date at Doncaster Top Rank but was less than successful. The music press was scornful of "Oakey and his dancing girls" and treated the new band line-up with derision. Many of the audiences who had paid to see the original all male line up, were not happy with the new band; Sulley and Catherall were often heckled and, on occasion, bottled.
On completion of the tour, Burden went on to his next commitment playing bass guitar in West Berlin
. Because of the professionalism they had shown and because he planned to use them further vocally, Oakey and manager Bob Last made Sulley and Catherall full members of the band, to be paid on a salary basis.
and the multi-million selling single "Don't You Want Me
".
In January, 1981 although they had survived the tour, the band was still in trouble. Heavily in debt to Virgin Records, Oakey and Wright were under pressure to produce results quickly. By February 1981 the band recorded and rushed out "Boys and Girls
". Sulley and Catherall (who had returned to school full-time) were not involved. The single reached #47 in the UK charts, the most commercially successful Human League single to that point. Oakey acknowledged that he needed to bring in professional musicians and so Ian Burden was tracked down and invited to join the band as a trial member.
Virgin's faith had been restored by "Boys and Girls", but they believed the band lacked professional production. In March, Oakey was introduced to veteran producer Martin Rushent
. Rushent's first move was to dispatch the entire band to Genetic Studios in Reading
, Berkshire
, away from the "unhealthy atmosphere" of Monumental Studios, Sheffield that they shared with Ware and Marsh's Heaven 17. The first result of the Genetic sessions was the single "The Sound of the Crowd
". The single was an instant success reaching #12 in the UK.
Bob Last believed that the band could be improved further by the addition of one more professional musician, so in April 1981 his associate Jo Callis
(formerly of The Rezillos
, a band Last had previously managed) was invited to become the final permanent member of the band. The next single, "Love Action (I Believe in Love)
", reached #3 in the UK in August 1981.
The band's commercial success and higher public profile prompted Virgin to authorise the release of a full album. The band set about arranging their existing material and demos into a viable album. Sulley and Catherall who had just left school immediately postponed their plans to attend university to work on the album. By October 1981 the album was ready and entitled Dare. Just prior to its release, Virgin released a single from the album, "Open Your Heart
", which equalled the success of the previous two singles. Dare was released in October 1981 and reached #1 in the UK. It spent a total of four weeks at the top spot over the 1981/82 period, remaining in the chart for 77 weeks and eventually going triple platinum.
Because of Dare's enormous success, Virgin executive Simon Draper instructed that a fourth single be released from the album before the end of 1981. His choice was to be "Don't You Want Me", a track Oakey considered to be a filler and the weakest track on the album. Oakey fought the decision believing it would damage the band, but was overruled by Draper and "Don't You Want Me" was released in December 1981. Aided by an expensive music video (a rarity at the time) directed by film maker Steve Barron
, the single went immediately to #1 and stayed there over Christmas 1981. The single became the band's biggest hit, selling over two million copies worldwide. Dare has since been labelled as one of pop music's most influential albums. Philip Oakey often plays down such claims, but at other times acknowledges its influence on modern music. In 2001, paraphrasing an NME headline from 1980, Oakey once famously quipped: "The Human League: one day all music will be made like this! And it is!"
" was re-released and became a Top 10 hit in early 1982. The band toured for the first time together internationally. Concurrently, Dare (later renamed Dare!) was released in the US by A&M Records
and "Don't You Want Me" also reached #1 there in mid-1982. A remix
album of Dare entitled Love and Dancing
was released under the group name "The League Unlimited Orchestra" (a tribute to Barry White
's Love Unlimited Orchestra), reaching #3 on the UK album chart.
In 1982, the band received the Best British Newcomer award at the annual Brit Music awards
, and Rushent also took Best Producer for his work on Dare. By the end of the awards party, a drunken Sulley and Catherall had lost the band's valuable trophy and it was never seen again.
In November, 1982 the Motown
influenced electro pop single "Mirror Man
" reached #2 in the UK chart, just missing another Christmas #1, which was taken by a novelty record by Renée and Renato
.
The Human League's work was now recognized on both sides of the Atlantic. In February, 1983 the band was nominated for the Best New Artist award at the 25th annual Grammy Award
s (though the award eventually went to Men at Work
.).
The follow-up single, "(Keep Feeling) Fascination
", was released in April, 1983 and peaked at #2 in the UK. The following months proved to be difficult ones for the band as they struggled to record a follow-up album to Dare under immense pressure from Virgin. A six-song EP
called Fascination!
composed of the singles "Mirror Man" and "Fascination" together with the new track "I Love You Too Much" was released from the original recording sessions for their new album, later to be named Hysteria. The EP was released in America as a stop-gap and also became a strong seller as an import in the UK.
In August, 1983 the band released "the UK's first video single" to capitalize on the growing market created by the increasing popularity of domestic home video tape recorders, called The Human League Video Single
. This was a short (12 mins) video tape cassette in either VHS or Betamax format, containing the music videos for "Mirror Man", "Love Action (I Believe in Love)", and "Don’t You Want Me". Although innovative, it was not a commercial success; as it retailed for £10.99 it was extremely expensive compared to vinyl singles averaging £1.99 in 1983. It did set the scene for further video and DVD releases by the band in the future.
The band spent many months agonizing as they tried to make a successor to Dare, and as things became ever more stressful, producer Martin Rushent left the project. At this point, the band ditched much of the material recorded so far and started over again with new producers Hugh Padgham and Chris Thomas (though some of Rushent's contributions to certain tracks from the earlier sessions were included on the released album). Nick Heyward of Haircut One Hundred mocked the band saying that "[he] recorded [his] entire album in the time it took The Human League to program one drum machine!"
Finally in May, 1984 the band released the politically charged single "The Lebanon
". The single peaked at #11 in the UK. This was followed shortly thereafter by the album Hysteria, so called because of the difficult and tense recording process. It entered the UK album chart at #3, however it climbed no further and critics and fans were divided by the new direction the band had taken. The second single was "Life on Your Own
" in mid-1984. The single missed the UK Top Ten, peaking at #16. With the parent album Hysteria failing to live up to expected sales, thoughts of a third single were put on hold.
Later that year, success outside of The Human League came for Oakey in the shape of the huge hit single "Together In Electric Dreams
", a collaboration with one of his idols, synth pioneer Giorgio Moroder
. The track was taken from the film soundtrack to Electric Dreams
and became a massive hit. Often now erroneously credited as a Human League single, due to its success and enduring popularity, the band have since adopted it for their live performances and it appears on their greatest hits compilations. Oakey and Moroder then recorded an album together for Virgin, Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder
, but this met with rather less success and the following two singles failed to make the UK Top 40. However, the success of the original Oakey and Moroder track encouraged Virgin to release one final single from Hysteria in November, 1984, the ballad "Louise
" was released and reached #13 in the UK.
After Hysteria, the group found themselves in creative stagnation, struggling to record material to follow up on their previous successes. Key songwriter Jo Callis departed, replaced by drummer Jim Russell. Bob Last quit as manager and was not replaced.
Worried by the lack of progress with their most profitable act, Virgin paired The Human League up with American R&B producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
, who had a proven track record with Janet Jackson
, the SOS Band
, Alexander O'Neal
, and Cherelle. Jam and Lewis had expressed an interest in working with the band after hearing their US releases. Virgin flew the entire band to Minneapolis. The four-month long recording sessions were beset with creative disputes, with Jam and Lewis having preconceived ideas on how they wanted the album to sound, rejecting most of the band's material (which would cost the band considerable loss of royalty income). The band eventually quit the sessions early amidst creative acrimony, although the personal relationships had actually been good.
The final result of the sessions was the Crash album. The album featured much material written by the Jam and Lewis team, and showcased their DX7-led sound. It provided a US #1 single, "Human" (#8 in the UK), but other singles made smaller chart impact. The album, while making the Top 10 in the UK, was not as popular as previous releases. Disheartened by being sidelined in Minneapolis and with the direction the band had taken, Adrian Wright left the band to work in film. Crash was generally more popular in the US and internationally than in the UK. The band toured in the UK and internationally in 1986 and 1987 to capitalize on their high profile at this time.
Although the group has been retrospectively identified with the New Romantic movement of this period, according to Dave Rimmer, author of New Romantics: The Look, "at the time [they] were no such thing." The band themselves have also consistently and strenuously rejected the label. The Sheffield scene in which The Human League formed pre-dated New Romanticism and took more influence from Kraftwerk
. Bands in the Sheffield scene were also referred to as Futurists, although Oakey himself has said: "We thought we were the punkiest band in Sheffield."
In 1987, Ian Burden also left the band.
In November, 1988 a greatest hits compilation album was released that reached #3 in UK. This was preceded by the release of the single "Love Is All That Matters
" from Crash.
In 1989, the band built their own studio in Sheffield, jointly funded by Oakey and a business development loan from Sheffield City Council
. Oakey believed if the band owned their own facilities it would cut down on the production costs of future albums and the band could become more productive.
. By now, longstanding members Adrian Wright and Ian Burden, together with newer recruit Jim Russell, had all left the band, although Jo Callis did return to play on some of the sessions and co-wrote two songs, including the minor hit single "Heart Like a Wheel
". New to the line-up were keyboardist Neil Sutton
who had worked with the band on the Crash tour of 1986, and guitarist/keyboardist Russell Dennett. At odds with the prevailing trend of US grunge
and the Manchester scene
the Romantic? album did not re-capture the group's huge commercial success of the 1980s with its second single "Soundtrack to a Generation
" barely charting. In 1992, Virgin abruptly cancelled their recording contract. Damaged by the failure of the album, their rejection by Virgin, harsh criticism in the media and facing financial ruin, the emotional well-being of Oakey and Sulley deteriorated badly. Catherall remained positive and she is cited as the principal reason why the band did not fold at this, their lowest point.
After a couple of years the band had recovered enough confidence to put out demos to other record labels. Concurrently in 1993 they were invited to work with veteran Japanese electropop band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO)
which resulted in the EP "YMO Versus The Human League
". Released principally in Japan and Asia in April, 1993 the EP includes the songs "Behind The Mask" and "Kimi Ni Mune Kyun" ("I Love You") written by Oakey and Yukihiro Takahashi
, featuring the vocals of Sulley and Catherall.
In 1994, EastWest Records (a subsidiary of Time Warner
) showed interest in the band's demos and the material rejected by Virgin. They signed the band and paired them with producer Ian Stanley
(formerly of Tears for Fears
). EastWest financed expensive music videos and heavily promoted their releases. The first release was on Boxing Day
, 1994 and was the single "Tell Me When
", which gave the band their first Top 10 hit since 1986's "Human". It also topped the UK airplay charts for several weeks. The accompanying album, Octopus, returned the band to the UK Top 10 and later achieved a gold disc.
On the album cover artwork and in videos, the group was now presented simply as a trio of Oakey/Catherall/Sulley. In reality however, other musicians had input to the record, including producer Ian Stanley, with continued playing and songwriting contributions from Neil Sutton and Russell Dennett; and Oakey co-writing one track with Jo Callis.
The next single from the album was the ballad "One Man in My Heart
", which features Sulley on lead vocals. It reached #13 in the UK and was unique in that it was the only single by The Human League to feature a female only lead vocal until "Never Let Me Go" in 2011.
Their renewed success prompted the band to tour again for the first time since 1987, and they conducted a tour of the US and UK in 1995. Subsequent singles "Filling up with Heaven
" and the non-album single "Stay with Me Tonight
" also reached the UK Top 40, and a new remix of "Don't You Want Me" was released to capitalise on the band's revitalised profile. This was in the run up to a new "greatest hits" compilation in 1996, but which proved less successful than their first "Greatest Hits" album from 1988.
A change in management at EastWest in 1998 saw the cancellation of the band's contract once again. Afterward, the band co-headlined with Culture Club
and Howard Jones
on VH1
's 1980s "Big Rewind" nostalgia tour and made other concert and public appearances throughout 1997–2000.
.
The band released their next album, Secrets, in 2001. The band was still presented as the Oakey, Sulley and Catherall trio, although Neil Sutton was credited with keyboards, and co-wrote most of the material with Oakey. Despite being well-received by critics as their best album since Dare (the music climate at the time seeing a new interest in electronic pop music with the electroclash
movement), the band's new record label, Papillon developed financial problems, and was closed by the parent company shortly after the album's release, leading to poor promotion and sales. BBC Radio 1
also refused to playlist the single "All I Ever Wanted
" because, now in their 40s, the band did not match the radio station's demographic target audience.
Secrets entered the UK album chart at #44, but fell off the chart the following week.
Susan Sulley is on record as saying that the rejection of Secrets was "the lowest the band had been since 1992 and after putting in so much time and effort in to an album that then failed, nearly causing them to call it a day."
To accompany the then-stalled album, the band conducted the 2001 'Secrets Tour'. Along with Sulley and Catherall, the band had Neil Sutton on keyboards. Long time studio engineer David Beevers had become part of the on-stage line-up controlling the sequencers from behind his deck of twin Apple Macintoshes. Oakey further recruited multi-instrumentalist Nic Burke, then aged 21, who he had seen playing in Sheffield, to play electric guitar and keytar. To round off the line up in 2002, percussionist Errol Rollins was added to play the electronic drum kit. Rollins was replaced by Rob Barton in 2004.
As a point of honour the band refuses to use playback; they always play live and rehearse before every appearance, ensuring that no two performances are the same. This was clearly demonstrated in 2002, when the band was booked to appear on UK national TV channel GMTV
, where they were to play "Don't You Want Me" before being interviewed. The producer was astounded when the band arrived at 5 am (three hours early) expecting to set up and rehearse; it had been assumed they would just mime to playback. Joanne Catherall explained why on air during the interview: "We simply don't sound like we did 20 years ago; it would be wrong if we used tapes, so we do everything live."
In 2003, a second single from Secrets, entitled "Love Me Madly?
", was released independently as a private venture by Nukove, a small independent label especially set up to release Human League material, but it did not have funds for promotion and the single did not chart.
Throughout the following years, the band has continued to tour frequently, enjoying enduring success and popularity as a live act. In 2004, they released The Human League Live At The Dome
, a DVD of a live show in filmed at the Brighton Dome
complete with a compilation CD called Live at the Dome
. Prior to this, in 2003, Virgin records had released The Very Best of the Human League
, a DVD of most of their previously recorded music videos. The DVD sold well in the UK and US, and was accompanied by a compilation album of the same name.
At the end of 2005, the band together with EMI
released a compilation album of remixes called The Human League Original Remixes and Rarities
aimed at the DJ/Dance market in the US and UK.
As well as dedicated Human League tours, the band has since appeared at many independent concerts and festivals worldwide. They have played at such prestigious events as the V Festival
in 2004 and 2009, Homelands
in 2005, Nokia Trends
in Brazil 2005, and Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
in 2007
On 22 September 2006, the band performed on the US network television show, Jimmy Kimmel Live
. This was immediately before the highlight of 2006, which was the band playing to an audience of 18,000 at the Hollywood Bowl
, Los Angeles on 24 October 2006, one of their largest concerts to date. This was followed up by an 11-venue tour of Europe in November and December 2006.
The band has been the subject of, and appeared in, various TV documentaries and features such as Channel 4
's Made in Sheffield and the BBC
's Young Guns: The Bands of the Early 1980s. In June 2007, Sulley and Catherall presented a documentary on Sheffield’s pop music history entitled The Nations Music Cities for VH1
.
In November and December 2007, to mark their 30th anniversary (1977–2007) the band conducted their highest profile tour since the Secrets tour of 2001. The 'Dare! 2007' tour encompassed 20 European venues from London to Stockholm, most of which were sold out. Their set list included (for the first time ever) a performance of Dare played sequentially and in its entirety. This included Philip Oakey playing the Human League's instrumental arrangement of the theme from "Get Carter
" on an original Casio VL-Tone
from 1981. The remainder of the concert was dedicated to songs from the band's other albums and also included the Oakey/Moroder song "Together In Electric Dreams". The band invested heavily in the stage set and lighting for the tour, including elaborate high definition video backgrounds provided by set designer Rob Sinclair.
A 12" single remix of "Things That Dreams Are Made Of
" (originally from the Dare! album) was released in the UK in January 2008, by Hooj Choons
. It peaked at #2 on the UK Dance chart.
In August and September 2008, the band headlined the US Regeneration Tour supported by ABC
, A Flock of Seagulls
, Naked Eyes
, and at some venues, Belinda Carlisle
.
In November and December 2008, The Human League got together with Martin Fry's ABC
and Heaven 17
for 'The Steel City Tour' of the UK. This was Philip Oakey's concept of a joint tour of all three bands celebrating the original electronic music of early 1980s Sheffield
(the titular Steel City). Much was made in the UK media of the history between Heaven 17 and The Human League, the original events of 1980 and the fact they were now working together. Both Oakey and Martyn Ware were at pains to explain that any acrimony from that period had long since been forgotten.
The Human League were one of the headline acts on the line-up at Spillers Wharf on 30 May 2009, in the Newcastle/Gateshead Evolution festival. The Human League were one of the headline bands for Dubai's
first music festival, the 'Dubai Sound City' festival, between 5 and 7 November 2009.
On 11 December 2009, The Human League signed a new recording contract with UK based Wall of Sound
. They also have their own studio in Sheffield, and are managed by Sidewinder Management Ltd. The band continue to record and play live, with regular appearances at music festivals worldwide at many of which they are among the headliners.
Although the subject of retirement is often brought up in interviews, Oakey, Sulley and Catherall have all stated that they still enjoy performing and intend to carry on for "as long as they are filling concerts and people want to see them." Sulley often jokes that she "has to carry on because she doesn’t know how to do anything else."
was released in March 2011. It peaked at #44 on the UK Albums Chart
.
The first single from the album, "Night People
" was released on 22 November 2010 but failed to enter the mainstream UK chart. It did however reach #25 in the UK Indie chart. The follow up single, "Never Let Me Go" was released in the UK on 1 March 2011, however in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, "Egomaniac" was chosen as the second single.
A double vinyl edition of Credo was released on 25 July 2011, together with the download of "Sky", the third single from the album.
Susan Ann Sulley has used a number of name variations since the band was formed, and is listed by her current preferred name
Engineer David Beevers appears on stage as part of the band
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band formed in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.
The only constant band member since 1977 is vocalist and songwriter Philip Oakey
Philip Oakey
Philip Oakey is an English composer, singer, songwriter and producer.He is best known as the lead singer, frontman and co-founder of the famous English synthpop band The Human League. He has also had an extensive solo music career and collaborated with numerous other artists and producers...
. Originally an avant-garde
Avant-garde music
Avant-garde music is a term used to characterize music which is thought to be ahead of its time, i.e. containing innovative elements or fusing different genres....
all-male synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
-based group, The Human League evolved into a commercially successful synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
band under Oakey's leadership, yielding the group's biggest-selling album, Dare
Dare (album)
Dare is the third studio album from British synthpop band The Human League.The album was recorded between March and September 1981 and first released in the UK on 20 October 1981, then subsequently in the U.S...
(1981). Since 1987, the band has essentially been a trio of Oakey and long-serving female vocalists Joanne Catherall
Joanne Catherall
Joanne Catherall is an English singer; best known as one of the two female vocalists of the veteran English synthpop band The Human League.Born and raised in Sheffield, England...
and Susan Ann Sulley (who joined the ensemble in 1980), with various sidemen
Sideman
A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he or she is not a regular member. They often tour with solo acts as well as bands and jazz ensembles. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit...
. The Human League has influenced many electro-pop, other synthpop, and mainstream performers including Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, La Roux
La Roux
La Roux are an English electropop duo made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Eleanor Kate Jackson, and co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Jackson describes their relationship as "very much a half and half sharing situation... not like a singer producer outfit", but also...
, Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
, Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
, Little Boots
Little Boots
Victoria Christina Hesketh, also known by her stage name/pseudonym Little Boots, is an English electropop singer-songwriter. Her stage name comes from a nickname given to her by a friend, a reference to her unusually small feet...
. and Parralox. They have been sampled and covered by various artists including Tony Christie
Tony Christie
Tony Christie is an English musician, singer and actor. He is best known for his track, "Is This The Way To Amarillo", a double UK chart success.-Career:Tony Christie has sold over 10 million albums Worldwide...
, Utah Saints
Utah Saints
Utah Saints is a dance band based in Leeds, England. The music is produced by Jez Willis and Tim Garbutt, who are joined on-stage by other musicians whenever the band plays live...
, Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
, Craig David
Craig David
Craig Ashley David is an English singer and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Born to Do It, Slicker Than Your Average, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Signed Sealed Delivered and a Greatest Hits album...
, George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
, KMFDM
KMFDM
KMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
, Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
and Out of the Blue (Oxford University)
Out of the Blue (Oxford University)
Out of the Blue is an all-male a cappella group at University of Oxford in England. The student-run group sings an eclectic mix of songs, focusing on covers of modern rock and pop hits....
.
Since 1978, The Human League have released nine studio albums, four EPs
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and thirty singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
. They have had four albums and eight singles in the UK Top Ten
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, one of which was #1 (two in the US) and they have played over 350 live concerts. The band has sold more than 20 million records worldwide.
1977: "The Dead Daughters" and "The Future"
Before adopting the name the Human League, the band briefly had two previous incarnations. In early 1977, Martyn WareMartyn Ware
Martyn "Teddy Bear" Ware is a British musician and music producer. He is the chairman of a local football team: PPA. As a founder member of both The Human League and Heaven 17, he was partly responsible for hit records such as "Being Boiled" and "Temptation"...
and Ian Craig Marsh
Ian Craig Marsh
Ian Craig Marsh is a former English musician. He was a founding member of the electronic band The Human League, writing and playing on their first two albums and several singles, until leaving in 1980 to form B.E.F...
, who had met at youth arts project Meatwhistle, were both working as computer operators. Their musical collaboration combined pop music (such as glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
and Tamla Motown) with avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
. With the price of electronic components dropping in the mid 1970s, equipment became more affordable for the average consumer; Ware and Marsh purchased a Korg
Korg
is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners...
700S synthesizer together and learned how to play it. Their musical reputation spread and they were invited to play at a friend's 21st birthday party. For the party, Ware and Marsh formed themselves into an informal band called The Dead Daughters. Their live highlight was a rendition of the theme of the British TV series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
.
After a few more low-key, private performances, Ware and Marsh decided to officially form a band. Joined by their friend Adi Newton and another synthesizer (a Roland System-100
Roland System-100
The Roland System 100 was an analog semi-modular synthesizer manufactured by Japan's Roland Corporation, released in 1975 and manufactured until 1979....
), they formed The Future and began to create music in their own rehearsal facility in a disused cutlery workshop in the centre of Sheffield. Although The Future was never signed and did not release material commercially at the time, a collection of demos from this period was released retrospectively on CD in 2002 titled The Golden Hour of the Future
The Golden Hour of the Future
The Golden Hour of the Future is a compilation album of recordings made by the electronic band The Future and early recordings by the original line-up of The Human League....
, mixed by Richard X
Richard X
Richard Philips, best known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for artists including Annie, Kelis, Liberty X, Rachel Stevens...
. The association with Adi Newton was short; Newton left The Future and went on to form Clock DVA
Clock DVA
Clock DVA are an industrial music, post-punk and EBM group from Sheffield, England. The group was formed in 1978, with two members, Adolphus "Adi" Newton and Steven "Judd" Turner. Along with contemporaries Heaven 17, Clock DVA's name was inspired by the Russian-influenced Nadsat of Anthony Burgess'...
. Ware at this point decided that he needed a singer rather than another keyboard player. The reason for this was twofold: record companies had been reluctant to sign The Future, as they couldn’t offer any "marketable" songs, and therefore a talented singer was required for any chance of commercial success; also the group only owned two synthesizers and could not afford a third.
Ware and Marsh searched for a vocalist, but their first choice, Glenn Gregory
Glenn Gregory
Glenn Gregory is an English musician. A founding member of Heaven 17, he was partly responsible for hit records such as "Temptation"....
, was unavailable (Gregory eventually became the lead singer of their later band Heaven 17
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
). Ware then decided to invite an old school friend, Philip Oakey
Philip Oakey
Philip Oakey is an English composer, singer, songwriter and producer.He is best known as the lead singer, frontman and co-founder of the famous English synthpop band The Human League. He has also had an extensive solo music career and collaborated with numerous other artists and producers...
, to join the band. Oakey was working as a hospital porter at the time and was known on the Sheffield social scene for his eclectic style of dress. Although he had no musical experience, Ware thought he would be ideal as lead singer for The Future as "he already looked like a pop star." When Ware called on Oakey he found he was out, so asked him to join The Future by leaving a note stuck to his front door. He accepted the invitation, but early sessions were awkward. Oakey had never sung in front of an audience before, could not play keyboards and only owned a saxophone (which he could not play). Listening to one of Ware and Marsh's demos, Oakey was inspired to write some lyrics which later became the single "Being Boiled
Being Boiled
"Being Boiled" is a song composed by Sheffield musicians Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, with lyrics by Philip Oakey, and recorded by them as The Human League...
".
With a new line-up, sound and vocalist, Ware decided that the band needed a new name. It would also allow them to approach record companies again from a different angle. Ware suggested a quote derived from the game Starforce: Alpha Centauri
Starforce: Alpha Centauri
Starforce: Alpha Centauri was a board game published in 1974 by Simulations Publications Inc. as one of their first science fiction games, a departure from their usual historical wargames...
, a science fiction wargame. In the game, 'The Human League' arose in 2415 A.D, and were a frontier-oriented society that desired more independence from Earth. Ware suggested that The Future rename themselves after the game and in early 1978 The Future became The Human League.
1978–1980: The original Human League lineup
The band released their first single, "Being Boiled", in June 1978 which became Fast Product's third release. Although a limited release - because it was so unique and at odds with everything else on the market – it was picked up on by NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
who championed the band, although one guest reviewer, John Lydon
John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
of Public Image Limited condemned the band as "trendy hippies."
Boosted by critical praise, on 12 June 1978 the band played their first live gig together at Bar 2 in Sheffield's Psalter Lane Art College (now Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University is a higher education institution in South Yorkshire, England, based on two sites in Sheffield. City Campus is located in the city centre, close to Sheffield railway station, and Collegiate Crescent Campus is about two miles away, adjacent to Ecclesall Road in...
; a plaque now commemorates the spot in what is now a computer suite.)
Philip Adrian Wright
Philip Adrian Wright is an English musician, also known as Adrian Wright.Wright had studied film making at Sheffield Art College and was a friend of Philip Oakey. In 1978 he was invited to join the new avant-garde electronic band The Human League which composed of Oakey, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig...
, who also had an art and photography background was invited to become the band's Director of Visuals with a remit to "liven up" the stage performance with slides, film clips and lighting.
The band's live performances began to gain momentum and acclaim and they were asked to support first The Rezillos
The Rezillos
The Rezillos are a punk/new wave band, who formed in Edinburgh in 1976 and still play gigs around the world in a re-formed line-up. Although frequently aligned with the punk movement, the Rezillos' irreverent glam rock image and affection for campy girl-group iconography, set them distinctly apart...
(featuring future band member Jo Callis
Jo Callis
Jo Callis is an English musician and songwriter who played guitar with the Edinburgh based punk rock band, The Rezillos , and post-punk band Boots For Dancing before joining The Human League.-Biography:Callis was educated at the Edinburgh College of Art...
), then Siouxsie and the Banshees as early as September 1978. In December, 1978 David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
appeared in the audience and later declared to NME that he "had seen the future of pop music." Later, the hit song by The Undertones
The Undertones
The Undertones are a punk rock/new wave band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1975.The original line-up of the Undertones released thirteen singles and four studio albums — The Undertones , Hypnotised , Positive Touch and The Sin of Pride — before disbanding in July 1983.Music guide Allmusic...
, "My Perfect Cousin", contained a dig at the perceived "arty" Human League in the lyric:
"His mother bought him a synthesiser/Got the Human League in to advise her/Now he's making lots of noise/Playing along with the art school boys"
In April, 1979 The Human League released their first EP under Fast Record entitled The Dignity of Labour
The Dignity of Labour
The Dignity Of Labour is a 12" vinyl record released in 1979. The tracks were written and performed by The Human League with the line-up Ware, Marsh and Oakey...
, which contained four experimental instrumentals. Although the EP barely charted, major record labels began approaching the band in an attempt to lure them away from Fast. Eventually in May, 1979, the band accepted an offer by Richard Branson
Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
's Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
. Because of his label's early support, the band offered Bob Last the position as band manager.
In June, 1979 The Human League supported Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
on his European tour before settling into recording their first single for Virgin. Despite being promised creative freedom, Virgin instead insisted on some sweeping changes to the band's style for their first single in order to make it more commercial. They insisted on conventional instruments and vocals as well as synthesizers. Because the band had accepted a large financial signing advance, Ware was in no position to refuse, but insisted that any releases in this style be credited to a pseudonym.
The band's first single under Virgin Records was the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
influenced "I Don't Depend on You
I Don't Depend on You
"I Don't Depend on You" is a disco-influenced song by the British Synthpop group The Human League released under the pseudonym The Men. It was released as a single in the UK in July 1979, but failed to chart...
", released in July, 1979 under the pseudonym "The Men". The single did not chart and had very little in common with the previous work of The Human League. It did, however, feature prophetic female vocals by guest vocalists Lisa Strike and Katie Kissoon sounding like the yet-to-be-formed future Human League of 1981.
Because the imposed style had not worked, Virgin permitted the band to return to their original style and the band recorded and released their first full studio album Reproduction
Reproduction (album)
Reproduction is the debut album released by British synthpop band The Human League. The album was released in October 1979 through Virgin Records Ltd....
in August, 1979. The album and the single "Empire State Human
Empire State Human
"Empire State Human" is a song by the British Synthesizer group The Human League. The song was written by Philip Oakey, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh...
" failed to make any impact on the charts. After these flops, Virgin cancelled the band's December, 1979 tour. By this time, The Human League's role as UK electronic pioneers was usurped by Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
when his single "Are 'Friends' Electric?
Are 'Friends' Electric?
"Are 'Friends' Electric?" is a 1979 song written by Gary Numan, released under the name of his then-band Tubeway Army as a single and on the album Replicas...
" became a huge hit in the UK in mid-1979.
In April, 1980 the band was able to release an EP entitled Holiday '80
Holiday '80
Holiday '80 is an EP released by the original line-up of the British synthpop band The Human League. The EP was issued by Virgin Records in the UK in April 1980, a month before the release of the band's second album Travelogue. The EP peaked at no. 56 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1980, but was...
, containing the principal track "Marianne" and a cover of "Nightclubbing" (written by Bowie and Iggy Pop). The seven inch version of "Holiday '80" did well enough to get the band their first TV appearance on BBC TV Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
on 8 May 1980 opening a Peter Powell
Peter Powell (disc jockey)
Peter Powell is a former disc jockey, popular on BBC Radio 1 in the late 1970s and 1980s, who has a second career in talent management.-Early career:...
presented show with Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter is an English former glam rock singer-songwriter and musician.Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s...
's "Rock and Roll Part 2". This was to be the only high profile TV appearance by the Oakey/Marsh/Ware trio on British television, with the sole exception of BBC2's Mainstream programme in late 1979, where a performance in the studio, complete with slideshow etcetera, was broadcast of the tracks "The Path Of Least Resistance" and the current minor hit "Empire State Human
Empire State Human
"Empire State Human" is a song by the British Synthesizer group The Human League. The song was written by Philip Oakey, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh...
".
In May, the band toured the UK. Philip Adrian Wright was now playing incidental keyboards in addition to his visuals role. It was the last time all four members performed together live. Also in May, the band released their second studio album Travelogue. More commercial sounding than Reproduction, it peaked at #16 in the UK, giving the band their first real success. As a result, "Empire State Human" was re-released and the band made their second appearance on Top of the Pops even though it only reached #62 in the singles chart.
Because of their lack of commercial success, Virgin refused to release further singles from Travelogue. The Human League was booked to conduct a tour of the UK and Europe in October – November, 1980 but the lack of success after two years of hard work and perceived lack of faith by Virgin set about severe internal conflict within the band.
The formation of The Human League 'Mk2'
The lack of success compared with the success of Gary Numan's work at that time had brought matters to a head. Ware insisted the band maintain their pure electronic sound while Oakey wanted to emulate more successful pop groups. The pair clashed continually, with Ware eventually walking out. Taking Ware's side, Ian Craig Marsh joined him. Manager Bob Last tried to reconcile both parties, and when that proved impossible various options were suggested including two new bands under a Human League sub-label. Eventually it was agreed that Oakey would continue with The Human League name while Ware and Marsh would form a completely new band, which became Heaven 17
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
. Two weeks before the UK/Europe tour the band split.
Retaining the Human League name came at a heavy price for Oakey; he was responsible for all Human League debts and commitments. Also, The Human League would have to pay Ware and Marsh one percent of royalties of the next Human League album under the Virgin contract.
With the tour only ten days away and the music media reporting that The Human League was finished now that "the talented people had left," promoters started threatening to sue Oakey if the tour was not completed as contracted. To complete the tour, Oakey had to recruit new people in a matter of days.
In an event that is now firmly embedded in popular folklore and regularly repeated by the media, Oakey and his then girlfriend went into Sheffield city centre on a Wednesday night with the intention of recruiting a single female backing vocalist. After looking in various venues, they visited the Crazy Daisy Nightclub
Crazy Daisy Nightclub
The Crazy Daisy Nightclub was a discotheque/dance club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England in the late 1970s to late 1980s. Located originally on the Corner of , Sheffield S1 1PU. It was known as The Beer Keller in the early to mid 1970s. In 1978 it was taken over by the Tetley company...
on High Street where Oakey spotted two teenage girls dancing together on the dance floor. Susan Ann Sulley (17) and Joanne Catherall (18) were just schoolgirls on a night out together. Neither had any experience of singing or dancing professionally. With no preamble, Oakey asked both girls to join the tour as dancers and incidental vocalists. He states that when he found out their age and that they were best friends, he revised his plan for a single female and decided that the two girls could look after each other on the tour. Originally just wanting a single female singer to replace the high backing vocals originally provided by Martyn Ware, he says that he thought having two female vocalists/dancers would also add potential glamour to the band. Because of the girls' ages, Oakey and Wright later had to visit Sulley and Catherall's respective parents to obtain permission for the girls to go on the tour.
In addition to Sulley and Catherall, Oakey employed professional musician Ian Burden
Ian Burden
Ian Charles Burden was a keyboard player with the English synthpop band, The Human League, from 1981 up to 1989....
from Sheffield synth band Graph as a session keyboard player for the tour to cover for the keyboards of the now departed Ware and Marsh.
The tour was completed as advertised with the first date at Doncaster Top Rank but was less than successful. The music press was scornful of "Oakey and his dancing girls" and treated the new band line-up with derision. Many of the audiences who had paid to see the original all male line up, were not happy with the new band; Sulley and Catherall were often heckled and, on occasion, bottled.
On completion of the tour, Burden went on to his next commitment playing bass guitar in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
. Because of the professionalism they had shown and because he planned to use them further vocally, Oakey and manager Bob Last made Sulley and Catherall full members of the band, to be paid on a salary basis.
1981: The build-up to Dare
1981 became the band's most successful period and culminated in the release of the influential, triple platinum album DareDare (album)
Dare is the third studio album from British synthpop band The Human League.The album was recorded between March and September 1981 and first released in the UK on 20 October 1981, then subsequently in the U.S...
and the multi-million selling single "Don't You Want Me
Don't You Want Me
"Don't You Want Me" is a single by British synthpop group Human League, released from their album: Dare on 27 November 1981.It is the band's best known and most commercially successful recording to date, and was the Christmas number one in the UK, in 1981, where it sold over 1,400,000 copies,...
".
In January, 1981 although they had survived the tour, the band was still in trouble. Heavily in debt to Virgin Records, Oakey and Wright were under pressure to produce results quickly. By February 1981 the band recorded and rushed out "Boys and Girls
Boys and Girls (Human League song)
"Boys and Girls" is a song by the British Synthpop group The Human League. It was released as a single in the UK in February 1981 and peaked at number 48 in the UK Singles Charts...
". Sulley and Catherall (who had returned to school full-time) were not involved. The single reached #47 in the UK charts, the most commercially successful Human League single to that point. Oakey acknowledged that he needed to bring in professional musicians and so Ian Burden was tracked down and invited to join the band as a trial member.
Virgin's faith had been restored by "Boys and Girls", but they believed the band lacked professional production. In March, Oakey was introduced to veteran producer Martin Rushent
Martin Rushent
Martin Rushent was an English record producer, best known for his work with The Human League, The Stranglers and The Buzzcocks.- Early life :Rushent was born on 11 July 1948 in Enfield, Middlesex. His father was a car salesman...
. Rushent's first move was to dispatch the entire band to Genetic Studios in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, away from the "unhealthy atmosphere" of Monumental Studios, Sheffield that they shared with Ware and Marsh's Heaven 17. The first result of the Genetic sessions was the single "The Sound of the Crowd
The Sound of the Crowd
"The Sound Of The Crowd" is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It became the band's commercial breakthrough, reaching #12 on the UK singles chart in May 1981....
". The single was an instant success reaching #12 in the UK.
Bob Last believed that the band could be improved further by the addition of one more professional musician, so in April 1981 his associate Jo Callis
Jo Callis
Jo Callis is an English musician and songwriter who played guitar with the Edinburgh based punk rock band, The Rezillos , and post-punk band Boots For Dancing before joining The Human League.-Biography:Callis was educated at the Edinburgh College of Art...
(formerly of The Rezillos
The Rezillos
The Rezillos are a punk/new wave band, who formed in Edinburgh in 1976 and still play gigs around the world in a re-formed line-up. Although frequently aligned with the punk movement, the Rezillos' irreverent glam rock image and affection for campy girl-group iconography, set them distinctly apart...
, a band Last had previously managed) was invited to become the final permanent member of the band. The next single, "Love Action (I Believe in Love)
Love Action (I Believe in Love)
"Love Action " is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League, released as a single in the UK in July 1981. It peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart, the band's first Top 10 success....
", reached #3 in the UK in August 1981.
The band's commercial success and higher public profile prompted Virgin to authorise the release of a full album. The band set about arranging their existing material and demos into a viable album. Sulley and Catherall who had just left school immediately postponed their plans to attend university to work on the album. By October 1981 the album was ready and entitled Dare. Just prior to its release, Virgin released a single from the album, "Open Your Heart
Open Your Heart (Human League song)
"Open Your Heart" is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It was released as a single in the UK in October 1981 and peaked at number six in the UK Singles Chart. It was written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey and keyboard player Jo Callis...
", which equalled the success of the previous two singles. Dare was released in October 1981 and reached #1 in the UK. It spent a total of four weeks at the top spot over the 1981/82 period, remaining in the chart for 77 weeks and eventually going triple platinum.
Because of Dare's enormous success, Virgin executive Simon Draper instructed that a fourth single be released from the album before the end of 1981. His choice was to be "Don't You Want Me", a track Oakey considered to be a filler and the weakest track on the album. Oakey fought the decision believing it would damage the band, but was overruled by Draper and "Don't You Want Me" was released in December 1981. Aided by an expensive music video (a rarity at the time) directed by film maker Steve Barron
Steve Barron
Steven "Steve" Barron is a director and producer, best known for directing the films Coneheads , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the innovative music videos for a-ha's "Take on Me" and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"....
, the single went immediately to #1 and stayed there over Christmas 1981. The single became the band's biggest hit, selling over two million copies worldwide. Dare has since been labelled as one of pop music's most influential albums. Philip Oakey often plays down such claims, but at other times acknowledges its influence on modern music. In 2001, paraphrasing an NME headline from 1980, Oakey once famously quipped: "The Human League: one day all music will be made like this! And it is!"
1982-90
Capitalising on the success of the album and their recent #1 hit single, "Being BoiledBeing Boiled
"Being Boiled" is a song composed by Sheffield musicians Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, with lyrics by Philip Oakey, and recorded by them as The Human League...
" was re-released and became a Top 10 hit in early 1982. The band toured for the first time together internationally. Concurrently, Dare (later renamed Dare!) was released in the US by A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
and "Don't You Want Me" also reached #1 there in mid-1982. A remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
album of Dare entitled Love and Dancing
Love and Dancing
Love and Dancing is a remix album released by the British synthpop band The Human League in 1982. It was released under the name "The League Unlimited Orchestra" as a nod to Barry White's disco-era Love Unlimited Orchestra...
was released under the group name "The League Unlimited Orchestra" (a tribute to Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
's Love Unlimited Orchestra), reaching #3 on the UK album chart.
In 1982, the band received the Best British Newcomer award at the annual Brit Music awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
, and Rushent also took Best Producer for his work on Dare. By the end of the awards party, a drunken Sulley and Catherall had lost the band's valuable trophy and it was never seen again.
In November, 1982 the Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
influenced electro pop single "Mirror Man
Mirror Man (song)
"Mirror Man" is a Motown-inspired song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It was released as a single in the UK on 27 November 1982 and peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart. It was written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey with keyboard players Jo Callis and Ian Burden...
" reached #2 in the UK chart, just missing another Christmas #1, which was taken by a novelty record by Renée and Renato
Renée and Renato
Renée and Renato was a female/male vocal duo, who had a UK Number one hit in December 1982 with "Save Your Love". The follow-up single "Just One More Kiss" peaked at #48...
.
The Human League's work was now recognized on both sides of the Atlantic. In February, 1983 the band was nominated for the Best New Artist award at the 25th annual Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s (though the award eventually went to Men at Work
Men at Work
Men at Work are an Australian rock band who achieved international success in the 1980s. They are the only Australian artists to have a simultaneous #1 album and #1 single in the United States . They achieved the same distinction of a simultaneous #1 album and #1 single in the United Kingdom...
.).
The follow-up single, "(Keep Feeling) Fascination
(Keep Feeling) Fascination
" Fascination" is a dance song performed by British synthpop group The Human League. It was composed by Jo Callis and Philip Oakey....
", was released in April, 1983 and peaked at #2 in the UK. The following months proved to be difficult ones for the band as they struggled to record a follow-up album to Dare under immense pressure from Virgin. A six-song EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
called Fascination!
Fascination!
Fascination! is an EP released by British synthpop band The Human League in 1983. The EP was issued by Virgin Records as a stop-gap release in between the albums Dare! and Hysteria....
composed of the singles "Mirror Man" and "Fascination" together with the new track "I Love You Too Much" was released from the original recording sessions for their new album, later to be named Hysteria. The EP was released in America as a stop-gap and also became a strong seller as an import in the UK.
In August, 1983 the band released "the UK's first video single" to capitalize on the growing market created by the increasing popularity of domestic home video tape recorders, called The Human League Video Single
The Human League Video Single (1983)
The Human League Video Single is a compilation of music videos by the British Synthpop group The Human League released on VHS and Betamax format tape, and marketed as a "video single," released in the UK in August 1983....
. This was a short (12 mins) video tape cassette in either VHS or Betamax format, containing the music videos for "Mirror Man", "Love Action (I Believe in Love)", and "Don’t You Want Me". Although innovative, it was not a commercial success; as it retailed for £10.99 it was extremely expensive compared to vinyl singles averaging £1.99 in 1983. It did set the scene for further video and DVD releases by the band in the future.
The band spent many months agonizing as they tried to make a successor to Dare, and as things became ever more stressful, producer Martin Rushent left the project. At this point, the band ditched much of the material recorded so far and started over again with new producers Hugh Padgham and Chris Thomas (though some of Rushent's contributions to certain tracks from the earlier sessions were included on the released album). Nick Heyward of Haircut One Hundred mocked the band saying that "[he] recorded [his] entire album in the time it took The Human League to program one drum machine!"
Finally in May, 1984 the band released the politically charged single "The Lebanon
The Lebanon (song)
"The Lebanon" is a song by the British Synthpop group The Human League. Written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey and keyboard player Jo Callis, it was recorded at Air studios between 1983-1984. Originally an album track on Hysteria, it was released as a single in the UK and the U.S...
". The single peaked at #11 in the UK. This was followed shortly thereafter by the album Hysteria, so called because of the difficult and tense recording process. It entered the UK album chart at #3, however it climbed no further and critics and fans were divided by the new direction the band had taken. The second single was "Life on Your Own
Life on Your Own
"Life on Your Own" is a song by the British Synthpop group The Human League. Written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey, Keyboard players Jo Callis and Adrian Wright, it was recorded at Air studios between 1983-1984...
" in mid-1984. The single missed the UK Top Ten, peaking at #16. With the parent album Hysteria failing to live up to expected sales, thoughts of a third single were put on hold.
Later that year, success outside of The Human League came for Oakey in the shape of the huge hit single "Together In Electric Dreams
Together in Electric Dreams
"Together in Electric Dreams" is a song by the British singer and composer Philip Oakey and producer Giorgio Moroder. It was written by Oakey and Moroder and recorded for the original soundtrack of the 1984 film Electric Dreams....
", a collaboration with one of his idols, synth pioneer Giorgio Moroder
Giorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
. The track was taken from the film soundtrack to Electric Dreams
Electric Dreams (soundtrack)
Electric Dreams is a soundtrack album from the film Electric Dreams, released in 1984Several popular rock and New Wave musicians of the 1980s contributed original music to the film's soundtrack. It was available throughout Europe but remained unreleased on compact disc in the U.S. until September...
and became a massive hit. Often now erroneously credited as a Human League single, due to its success and enduring popularity, the band have since adopted it for their live performances and it appears on their greatest hits compilations. Oakey and Moroder then recorded an album together for Virgin, Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder
Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder
Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder was a collaborative album released in 1985 by Philip Oakey, lead singer of the electronic band The Human League and seminal electro producer Giorgio Moroder, whose early records had been a major influence on Oakey....
, but this met with rather less success and the following two singles failed to make the UK Top 40. However, the success of the original Oakey and Moroder track encouraged Virgin to release one final single from Hysteria in November, 1984, the ballad "Louise
Louise (song)
"Louise" is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It was released as a single in the UK in October 1984 and peaked at number thirteen in the UK Singles Chart. It was written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey with fellow band members Jo Callis and Philip Adrian Wright...
" was released and reached #13 in the UK.
After Hysteria, the group found themselves in creative stagnation, struggling to record material to follow up on their previous successes. Key songwriter Jo Callis departed, replaced by drummer Jim Russell. Bob Last quit as manager and was not replaced.
Worried by the lack of progress with their most profitable act, Virgin paired The Human League up with American R&B producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
, who had a proven track record with Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
, the SOS Band
The SOS Band
The SOS Band is an American musical ensemble, founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 1977. Originally known as Santa Monica, the 'SOS' initialism in the band's name stands for Sounds of Success.-History:...
, Alexander O'Neal
Alexander O'Neal
Alexander O'Neal is an American R&B singer. He is best-known for the songs "If You Were Here Tonight" and "Fake", and the duets with Cherrelle, "Saturday Love" and "Never Knew Love Like This".-Biography:...
, and Cherelle. Jam and Lewis had expressed an interest in working with the band after hearing their US releases. Virgin flew the entire band to Minneapolis. The four-month long recording sessions were beset with creative disputes, with Jam and Lewis having preconceived ideas on how they wanted the album to sound, rejecting most of the band's material (which would cost the band considerable loss of royalty income). The band eventually quit the sessions early amidst creative acrimony, although the personal relationships had actually been good.
The final result of the sessions was the Crash album. The album featured much material written by the Jam and Lewis team, and showcased their DX7-led sound. It provided a US #1 single, "Human" (#8 in the UK), but other singles made smaller chart impact. The album, while making the Top 10 in the UK, was not as popular as previous releases. Disheartened by being sidelined in Minneapolis and with the direction the band had taken, Adrian Wright left the band to work in film. Crash was generally more popular in the US and internationally than in the UK. The band toured in the UK and internationally in 1986 and 1987 to capitalize on their high profile at this time.
Although the group has been retrospectively identified with the New Romantic movement of this period, according to Dave Rimmer, author of New Romantics: The Look, "at the time [they] were no such thing." The band themselves have also consistently and strenuously rejected the label. The Sheffield scene in which The Human League formed pre-dated New Romanticism and took more influence from Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
. Bands in the Sheffield scene were also referred to as Futurists, although Oakey himself has said: "We thought we were the punkiest band in Sheffield."
In 1987, Ian Burden also left the band.
In November, 1988 a greatest hits compilation album was released that reached #3 in UK. This was preceded by the release of the single "Love Is All That Matters
Love Is All That Matters
"Love Is All That Matters" is the third single taken from the British Synthpop group The Human League's 1986 album, Crash. It was recorded in early 1986 at the Flyte Time studios in Minneapolis while the Human League were in residence recording Crash with producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.This...
" from Crash.
In 1989, the band built their own studio in Sheffield, jointly funded by Oakey and a business development loan from Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors...
. Oakey believed if the band owned their own facilities it would cut down on the production costs of future albums and the band could become more productive.
1990s
In 1990, the band released their last album for Virgin Records, Romantic?Romantic?
Romantic? is the sixth studio album by the English synthpop band The Human League. It was issued by Virgin Records in 1990 and was the band's first album of new material in four years...
. By now, longstanding members Adrian Wright and Ian Burden, together with newer recruit Jim Russell, had all left the band, although Jo Callis did return to play on some of the sessions and co-wrote two songs, including the minor hit single "Heart Like a Wheel
Heart Like a Wheel (song)
"Heart Like a Wheel" is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It is taken from the Romantic? album of 1990.-Background:"Heart Like a Wheel" was the first single to be taken from the Human League's Romantic? album of 1990...
". New to the line-up were keyboardist Neil Sutton
Neil Sutton
Neil Sutton is a long term associate member of the veteran British synthpop group The Human League. He is best known as the on stage and studio keyboard player, but also has written various lyrics and composed instrumental tracks for the band and has numerous Human League album credits.His...
who had worked with the band on the Crash tour of 1986, and guitarist/keyboardist Russell Dennett. At odds with the prevailing trend of US grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
and the Manchester scene
Music of Manchester
-The pop groups of the 1960s and early 1970s:Manchester had an impressive music scene before 1976, with groups like The Hollies, The Bee Gees, Herman's Hermits, Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders, Freddie and the Dreamers in the 1960s and Barclay James Harvest and 10cc in the early 1970s. Top of the...
the Romantic? album did not re-capture the group's huge commercial success of the 1980s with its second single "Soundtrack to a Generation
Soundtrack to a Generation (song)
"Soundtrack to a Generation" is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It is taken from the album, Romantic?, from 1990.-Background:...
" barely charting. In 1992, Virgin abruptly cancelled their recording contract. Damaged by the failure of the album, their rejection by Virgin, harsh criticism in the media and facing financial ruin, the emotional well-being of Oakey and Sulley deteriorated badly. Catherall remained positive and she is cited as the principal reason why the band did not fold at this, their lowest point.
After a couple of years the band had recovered enough confidence to put out demos to other record labels. Concurrently in 1993 they were invited to work with veteran Japanese electropop band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO)
Yellow Magic Orchestra
Sakamoto first worked with Hosono as a member of his live band in 1976, while Takahashi recruited Sakamoto to produce his debut solo recording in 1977 following the split of the Sadistic Mika Band...
which resulted in the EP "YMO Versus The Human League
YMO Versus The Human League
YMO Versus The Human League is an EP released in Japan and Asia in April 1993. It was released by Alfa Records and is a collaboration between Japanese electropop/synthpop band Yellow Magic Orchestra and British synthpop band The Human League....
". Released principally in Japan and Asia in April, 1993 the EP includes the songs "Behind The Mask" and "Kimi Ni Mune Kyun" ("I Love You") written by Oakey and Yukihiro Takahashi
Yukihiro Takahashi
Yukihiro Takahashi is a Japanese musician, who is best known as the drummer and lead vocalist of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, and as the former drummer of the Sadistic Mika Band.-Biography:...
, featuring the vocals of Sulley and Catherall.
In 1994, EastWest Records (a subsidiary of Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
) showed interest in the band's demos and the material rejected by Virgin. They signed the band and paired them with producer Ian Stanley
Ian Stanley
Ian Stanley is an English musician, songwriter and record producer...
(formerly of Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears are an English new wave band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesiser bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into...
). EastWest financed expensive music videos and heavily promoted their releases. The first release was on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
, 1994 and was the single "Tell Me When
Tell Me When
"Tell Me When" is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. Written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey and Paul C. Beckett, it was recorded at 'Human League Studios', Sheffield in 1994...
", which gave the band their first Top 10 hit since 1986's "Human". It also topped the UK airplay charts for several weeks. The accompanying album, Octopus, returned the band to the UK Top 10 and later achieved a gold disc.
On the album cover artwork and in videos, the group was now presented simply as a trio of Oakey/Catherall/Sulley. In reality however, other musicians had input to the record, including producer Ian Stanley, with continued playing and songwriting contributions from Neil Sutton and Russell Dennett; and Oakey co-writing one track with Jo Callis.
The next single from the album was the ballad "One Man in My Heart
One Man in My Heart
"One Man in My Heart" is a song recorded by British synthpop band The Human League. It was released as the second single from the band's album Octopus...
", which features Sulley on lead vocals. It reached #13 in the UK and was unique in that it was the only single by The Human League to feature a female only lead vocal until "Never Let Me Go" in 2011.
Their renewed success prompted the band to tour again for the first time since 1987, and they conducted a tour of the US and UK in 1995. Subsequent singles "Filling up with Heaven
Filling up with Heaven
“Filling up with Heaven” is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It is taken from the Octopus album of 1995.“Filling up with Heaven” was the third and final single to be taken from the Octopus album. It was jointly written by lead singer Philip Oakey and Producer Ian Stanley...
" and the non-album single "Stay with Me Tonight
Stay with Me Tonight
"Stay with Me Tonight" is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League.It was jointly written by Philip Oakey and producer Ian Stanley, features lead vocals by Oakey; with backing by co-vocalists Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall. Post production by re-mixers 'Space...
" also reached the UK Top 40, and a new remix of "Don't You Want Me" was released to capitalise on the band's revitalised profile. This was in the run up to a new "greatest hits" compilation in 1996, but which proved less successful than their first "Greatest Hits" album from 1988.
A change in management at EastWest in 1998 saw the cancellation of the band's contract once again. Afterward, the band co-headlined with Culture Club
Culture Club
Culture Club are a British rock band who were part of the 1980s New Romantic movement. The original band consisted of Boy George , Mikey Craig , Roy Hay and Jon Moss...
and Howard Jones
Howard Jones (musician)
Howard Jones is a musician, singer and songwriter. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of synthpop. Jones, who was equally popular in the U.S., appeared at Live...
on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 1980s "Big Rewind" nostalgia tour and made other concert and public appearances throughout 1997–2000.
2000s
In 2000 the band signed to Papillon Records a subsidiary of the Chrysalis GroupChrysalis Group
Chrysalis Group is a UK media company. It was founded by Chris Wright, who remains chairman and was listed the 1,000th richest person in the UK in The Times Rich List 2009...
.
Electroclash
Electroclash is a style of music that fuses New Wave and electronic dance music. It emerged in New York and Detroit in the later 1990s, pioneered by acts including I-F and those associated with Gerald Donald, and is associated with acts including Peaches, Adult, and Fischerspooner...
movement), the band's new record label, Papillon developed financial problems, and was closed by the parent company shortly after the album's release, leading to poor promotion and sales. BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
also refused to playlist the single "All I Ever Wanted
All I Ever Wanted (The Human League song)
"All I Ever Wanted" is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It is taken from the Secrets album of 2001 and was released as its first single. It is currently their most recent single released on a major label...
" because, now in their 40s, the band did not match the radio station's demographic target audience.
Secrets entered the UK album chart at #44, but fell off the chart the following week.
Susan Sulley is on record as saying that the rejection of Secrets was "the lowest the band had been since 1992 and after putting in so much time and effort in to an album that then failed, nearly causing them to call it a day."
To accompany the then-stalled album, the band conducted the 2001 'Secrets Tour'. Along with Sulley and Catherall, the band had Neil Sutton on keyboards. Long time studio engineer David Beevers had become part of the on-stage line-up controlling the sequencers from behind his deck of twin Apple Macintoshes. Oakey further recruited multi-instrumentalist Nic Burke, then aged 21, who he had seen playing in Sheffield, to play electric guitar and keytar. To round off the line up in 2002, percussionist Errol Rollins was added to play the electronic drum kit. Rollins was replaced by Rob Barton in 2004.
As a point of honour the band refuses to use playback; they always play live and rehearse before every appearance, ensuring that no two performances are the same. This was clearly demonstrated in 2002, when the band was booked to appear on UK national TV channel GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
, where they were to play "Don't You Want Me" before being interviewed. The producer was astounded when the band arrived at 5 am (three hours early) expecting to set up and rehearse; it had been assumed they would just mime to playback. Joanne Catherall explained why on air during the interview: "We simply don't sound like we did 20 years ago; it would be wrong if we used tapes, so we do everything live."
In 2003, a second single from Secrets, entitled "Love Me Madly?
Love Me Madly?
"Love Me Madly?" is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It was released as the second single from their 2001 album Secrets.- Background :...
", was released independently as a private venture by Nukove, a small independent label especially set up to release Human League material, but it did not have funds for promotion and the single did not chart.
Throughout the following years, the band has continued to tour frequently, enjoying enduring success and popularity as a live act. In 2004, they released The Human League Live At The Dome
The Human League Live at the Dome (DVD)
The Human League Live at the Dome is a DVD by veteran British Synthpop group The Human League, containing a recording of a complete concert...
, a DVD of a live show in filmed at the Brighton Dome
Brighton Dome
The Brighton Dome is an arts venue in Brighton, England that contains the Concert Hall, Corn Exchange and the Pavilion Theatre. All three venues are linked to the rest of the Royal Pavilion Estate by an underground tunnel to the Royal Pavilion in Pavilion Gardens and through shared corridors to...
complete with a compilation CD called Live at the Dome
The Human League Live at the Dome
"The Human League Live at the Dome" is a compilation album by British Synthpop band The Human League recorded during a live concert at the Brighton Dome, UK on December 19, 2003...
. Prior to this, in 2003, Virgin records had released The Very Best of the Human League
The Very Best of the Human League (DVD)
The Very Best of the Human League is a DVD by veteran British Synthpop group The Human League, containing most of the band’s music videos recorded up to that point, digitally re-mastered...
, a DVD of most of their previously recorded music videos. The DVD sold well in the UK and US, and was accompanied by a compilation album of the same name.
At the end of 2005, the band together with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
released a compilation album of remixes called The Human League Original Remixes and Rarities
The Human League Original Remixes and Rarities
Original Remixes & Rarities is a compilation album by English Synthpop band The Human League. It consists most of extended mixes and B Sides that did not appear on rereleases of the band's albums or on compilations...
aimed at the DJ/Dance market in the US and UK.
As well as dedicated Human League tours, the band has since appeared at many independent concerts and festivals worldwide. They have played at such prestigious events as the V Festival
V Festival
The V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...
in 2004 and 2009, Homelands
Homelands
Homelands was a British music festival which consisted mainly of Dance music, both live acts and famous DJs. The event was held at Cheesefoot Head near Winchester, Hampshire, and was one of the most popular British festivals of this genre. It was run by Live Nation UK.A Scottish edition of the...
in 2005, Nokia Trends
Nokia Trends
Nokia Trends is a project created by Nokia in Brazil in 2001 which promotes a cultural exchange between the vanguards artistic, cultural and musical....
in Brazil 2005, and Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
The Festival Internacional de Benicàssim is an annual music festival which takes place in the village of Benicàssim, province of Castelló, Valencian Community in Spain. It focuses mainly on pop, rock and electronica artists, as well as having other elements besides music like short films,...
in 2007
On 22 September 2006, the band performed on the US network television show, Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
. This was immediately before the highlight of 2006, which was the band playing to an audience of 18,000 at the Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
, Los Angeles on 24 October 2006, one of their largest concerts to date. This was followed up by an 11-venue tour of Europe in November and December 2006.
The band has been the subject of, and appeared in, various TV documentaries and features such as Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Made in Sheffield and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Young Guns: The Bands of the Early 1980s. In June 2007, Sulley and Catherall presented a documentary on Sheffield’s pop music history entitled The Nations Music Cities for VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
.
In November and December 2007, to mark their 30th anniversary (1977–2007) the band conducted their highest profile tour since the Secrets tour of 2001. The 'Dare! 2007' tour encompassed 20 European venues from London to Stockholm, most of which were sold out. Their set list included (for the first time ever) a performance of Dare played sequentially and in its entirety. This included Philip Oakey playing the Human League's instrumental arrangement of the theme from "Get Carter
Get Carter
Get Carter is a 1971 British crime film directed by Mike Hodges and starring Michael Caine as Jack Carter, a gangster who sets out to avenge the death of his brother in a series of unrelenting and brutal killings played out against the grim background of derelict urban housing in the city of...
" on an original Casio VL-Tone
Casio VL-1
The VL-1 was the first instrument of Casio's VL-Tone product line, and is sometimes referred to as the VL-Tone. It combined a calculator, synthesizer, and sequencer...
from 1981. The remainder of the concert was dedicated to songs from the band's other albums and also included the Oakey/Moroder song "Together In Electric Dreams". The band invested heavily in the stage set and lighting for the tour, including elaborate high definition video backgrounds provided by set designer Rob Sinclair.
A 12" single remix of "Things That Dreams Are Made Of
Things That Dreams Are Made Of
"The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" is a song by the English synthpop group The Human League. It was originally recorded for the Dare album of 1981. It was remixed, remastered and released as a dance EP single in 2008; partly to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Human League, 26th...
" (originally from the Dare! album) was released in the UK in January 2008, by Hooj Choons
Hooj Choons
Hooj Choons is a house record label formed by Alex Simons and Red Jerry in 1990. The first release was "Carnival de Casa" by Rio Rhythm Band, however, it was not until 1992's release of Felix's "Don't You Want Me", which Red Jerry and Faithless founder-member Rollo co-produced, that Hooj Choons...
. It peaked at #2 on the UK Dance chart.
In August and September 2008, the band headlined the US Regeneration Tour supported by ABC
ABC (band)
ABC are an English band, that charted ten UK and five US Top 40 singles between 1981 and 1990. The band continues to tour and released a new album, Traffic, in 2008.-Formation:...
, A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls are an English New Wave band originally formed by brothers Michael "Mike" Score and Alister "Ali" James Score , with Frank Maudsley , Michael Kuby , H.J...
, Naked Eyes
Naked Eyes
Naked Eyes is a British New Wave band that rose to prominence in the early 1980s. Originally a duo, the band is known largely for its singles: a cover of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David standard " Always Something There to Remind Me" , as well as the band's subsequent hits "Promises, Promises", "When...
, and at some venues, Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments...
.
In November and December 2008, The Human League got together with Martin Fry's ABC
ABC (band)
ABC are an English band, that charted ten UK and five US Top 40 singles between 1981 and 1990. The band continues to tour and released a new album, Traffic, in 2008.-Formation:...
and Heaven 17
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
for 'The Steel City Tour' of the UK. This was Philip Oakey's concept of a joint tour of all three bands celebrating the original electronic music of early 1980s Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
(the titular Steel City). Much was made in the UK media of the history between Heaven 17 and The Human League, the original events of 1980 and the fact they were now working together. Both Oakey and Martyn Ware were at pains to explain that any acrimony from that period had long since been forgotten.
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
first music festival, the 'Dubai Sound City' festival, between 5 and 7 November 2009.
On 11 December 2009, The Human League signed a new recording contract with UK based Wall of Sound
Wall of Sound (record label)
Wall of Sound is an independent record label based in London, England. It is part of the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, a European independent music company....
. They also have their own studio in Sheffield, and are managed by Sidewinder Management Ltd. The band continue to record and play live, with regular appearances at music festivals worldwide at many of which they are among the headliners.
Although the subject of retirement is often brought up in interviews, Oakey, Sulley and Catherall have all stated that they still enjoy performing and intend to carry on for "as long as they are filling concerts and people want to see them." Sulley often jokes that she "has to carry on because she doesn’t know how to do anything else."
2010s
A new album, CredoCredo (The Human League album)
Credo is the ninth studio album by The Human League. It is their first studio album since Secrets in 2001. It has been produced by fellow Sheffield act I Monster and is released on Wall of Sound....
was released in March 2011. It peaked at #44 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
The first single from the album, "Night People
Night People (The Human League song)
“Night People” is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League, released on 22 November 2010, it failed to chart.The single features remixes from Cerrone, Mylo, Emperor Machine and Villa. The single reached No...
" was released on 22 November 2010 but failed to enter the mainstream UK chart. It did however reach #25 in the UK Indie chart. The follow up single, "Never Let Me Go" was released in the UK on 1 March 2011, however in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, "Egomaniac" was chosen as the second single.
A double vinyl edition of Credo was released on 25 July 2011, together with the download of "Sky", the third single from the album.
Discography
- ReproductionReproduction (album)Reproduction is the debut album released by British synthpop band The Human League. The album was released in October 1979 through Virgin Records Ltd....
(1979) - Travelogue (1980)
- DareDare (album)Dare is the third studio album from British synthpop band The Human League.The album was recorded between March and September 1981 and first released in the UK on 20 October 1981, then subsequently in the U.S...
(1981) - Love and DancingLove and DancingLove and Dancing is a remix album released by the British synthpop band The Human League in 1982. It was released under the name "The League Unlimited Orchestra" as a nod to Barry White's disco-era Love Unlimited Orchestra...
(1982) - Hysteria (1984)
- Crash (1986)
- Romantic?Romantic?Romantic? is the sixth studio album by the English synthpop band The Human League. It was issued by Virgin Records in 1990 and was the band's first album of new material in four years...
(1990) - Octopus (1995)
- Secrets (2001)
- CredoCredo (The Human League album)Credo is the ninth studio album by The Human League. It is their first studio album since Secrets in 2001. It has been produced by fellow Sheffield act I Monster and is released on Wall of Sound....
(2011)
Present members
| Philip Oakey Philip Oakey Philip Oakey is an English composer, singer, songwriter and producer.He is best known as the lead singer, frontman and co-founder of the famous English synthpop band The Human League. He has also had an extensive solo music career and collaborated with numerous other artists and producers... |
Joanne Catherall Joanne Catherall Joanne Catherall is an English singer; best known as one of the two female vocalists of the veteran English synthpop band The Human League.Born and raised in Sheffield, England... |
Susan Ann Sulley | Associate members |
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 Oakey in 2007 |
 Catherall in 2008 |
 Sulley in 2008 |
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| 1977–present | 1980–present | 1980–present | ||
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Past members
| Martyn Ware Martyn Ware Martyn "Teddy Bear" Ware is a British musician and music producer. He is the chairman of a local football team: PPA. As a founder member of both The Human League and Heaven 17, he was partly responsible for hit records such as "Being Boiled" and "Temptation"... |
Ian Craig Marsh Ian Craig Marsh Ian Craig Marsh is a former English musician. He was a founding member of the electronic band The Human League, writing and playing on their first two albums and several singles, until leaving in 1980 to form B.E.F... |
Philip Adrian Wright Philip Adrian Wright Philip Adrian Wright is an English musician, also known as Adrian Wright.Wright had studied film making at Sheffield Art College and was a friend of Philip Oakey. In 1978 he was invited to join the new avant-garde electronic band The Human League which composed of Oakey, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig... |
Ian Burden Ian Burden Ian Charles Burden was a keyboard player with the English synthpop band, The Human League, from 1981 up to 1989.... |
Jo Callis Jo Callis Jo Callis is an English musician and songwriter who played guitar with the Edinburgh based punk rock band, The Rezillos , and post-punk band Boots For Dancing before joining The Human League.-Biography:Callis was educated at the Edinburgh College of Art... |
Former additional musicians |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ware in 2003 |
 Callis in 2008 |
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| 1977–1980 | 1977–1980 | 1978–1986 | 1981–1987 | 1981–1985 | ||
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Awards
- 1982 BRIT Award - Best British breakthrough act
- 2004 Q Award - Innovation in sound
- 2008 ASCAP Award - for 20 million U.S radio plays of "Don't You Want MeDon't You Want Me"Don't You Want Me" is a single by British synthpop group Human League, released from their album: Dare on 27 November 1981.It is the band's best known and most commercially successful recording to date, and was the Christmas number one in the UK, in 1981, where it sold over 1,400,000 copies,...
" (in 2007)
Further reading
- Story of a Band Called "The Human League" by Alaska Ross (Proteus July 1982) ISBN 978-0862761035
- Human League(Perfect pop) by Peter Nash (Star 21 October 1982) ISBN 978-0352311511
- Beats Working for a Living: Sheffield Popular Music 1973-1984 by Martin Lilleker (Juma March 2005) ISBN 978-1872204260
External links
- "Blind Youth" - Fan site: History of the original Human League (pre-1981).
- "Philip Oakey of The Human League: Here Comes The Mirror Man" - Interview with Philip Oakey of The Human League - Rocker Magazine, 2011