Search - Human League :: Very Best of

A new wave classic

Eddie | Romania | 03/21/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"That's what you get for your money if you decide to own this album. I'm not quite sure if it is the most representative selection, but most of it is really good. Personally I'm not really keen on songs 2, 3 and 4, and I think it's a shame they're three of the five that are sampled here since they're nowhere near the rest, in quality or style.As to the others, it is a bit difficult to compare them as they do differ from each other. Together in Electric Dreams stands out as different and you can tell straight away it's Giorgio Moroder. Nothing wrong with it though, I think it's quite a sweet song, maybe a bit on the naive side. Human is one of my favorites, although it may sound a bit less electronic than the rest, but it does have an impressive musical quality. Being Boiled is also remarkable, although the situation is reversed here, I'd say it's the most electronica orientated piece of the album. It might sound a bit simple, but that's not bad and then you have to consider it was released about twenty five years ago and believe me, it stands the test of time.Don't You Want Me, Tell Me When and One Man in My Heart are too well known to comment, though I'll say that I always thought they're great songs. Heart Like a Wheel and Lebanon are somewhere in between these three and the ones above, but they are not just filling the disc, they make a very pleasant listen, they really do."

An excellent representation of a great band.

S. Hebbron | Leicester UK | 03/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have to say that I could not disagree with Iggy's review more, fair play to the review it's a valid opinion but does not fit with my memory of this band, let me tell you more.

This band, like me, grew up the late 70's and early 80's North of England. These times were depressing and grimy, politics were harsh and hard right wing in Britian and it felt like an living in an elitist regime of which the North fell foul.

The band's hometown, Sheffield, was particularly hard hit and it was impossible to believe that such an original and highly creative musical genre could develop from Sheffield at this time, but develop it did!

"Don't you want me", a popular single late in their commercial career, is not representative of their best. It is sugary POP trash in comparison to classics like "Love Action", "Being Boiled" and "Sound of the Crowd". These songs fueled a disaffected youth into thinking and feeling differently in times of gloom and dispondancy, not for nothing was this musical movement termed "New Romatacism" and it was starkly different genre and message from the years of Punk and New Wave which immediately preceeded, one felt contained, hopeful and nourished at a time of spectular dissillusionment.

Oakey's voice is masculine and powerful and in their height spouted emotional importence and explored his femininity to the hilt, this marked their appeal, exploring individualism in a time of samishness and bigotry. It was like having cavier instead of the same old mackerel paste.

The backing singers aren't great but that's the point, the songs are generation specific and speak strongly of their time, they embrace the beautiful in each of us and include us in on something grittly real, directional, safe and oddly beautiful.

I agree with Iggy that New Order, Yazoo and OMD were excellent but you cannot underestimate the power of the Human League and this album is a nice, tidy representation of their early career.

I kind of hate to say it, but in a way you had to be there!"