| Line 45: | Line 45: | ||
*[[30 April 1981]]: The Sound Of The Crowd |
*[[30 April 1981]]: The Sound Of The Crowd |
||
*[[23 July 1981]]: Love Action (I Believe In Love) (7") Virgin |
*[[23 July 1981]]: Love Action (I Believe In Love) (7") Virgin |
||
| + | '''1982''' |
||
| + | *[[24 February 1982]]: Seconds |
||
'''1984''' |
'''1984''' |
||
*[[19 July 1984]]: Being Boiled (7") Fast Product |
*[[19 July 1984]]: Being Boiled (7") Fast Product |
||
Revision as of 01:03, 19 October 2014
The Human League are an English electronic new wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They had an early hit with "Being Boiled", then achieved greater fame after a membership change in 1980. Dare (1981), the band's most popular album, yielded the single "Don't You Want Me", a No. 1 hit single in the singles charts of the UK, USA and many other countries. The song is seen as the beginning of the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US. Other international hits include: "Love Action", "Open Your Heart", "Mirror Man", "Fascination", "The Lebanon", "Human" (a US No. 1) and "Tell Me When". 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. Since 1987, the band has essentially been a trio of Oakey and long-serving female vocalists Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley (both of whom joined the ensemble in 1980), with various sidemen. Since 1978, The Human League have released nine studio albums, four EPs, 30 singles and several compilation albums. They have had five albums and eight singles in the UK Top 10 including a number one single ("Don't You Want Me") and have sold more than 20 million records.
Links To Peel
Peel discovered the Human League in 1978, when he was sent a copy of the band's first single, "Being Boiled", by the Fast Product label (also responsible for early releases by The Mekons and Gang Of Four, among others). So impressed was the DJ with the song that he invited the Human League to do what turned out to be their only session for his show. After they signed to Virgin, Peel started slowly losing interest in the group as their music output moved away from their original avant-garde sound to a more pop synth direction, particularly after the major line-up changes that followed the relative commercial failure of their first two albums (compared with the huge success of Gary Numan). Nonetheless, when the band released "Louise" in 1984, Peel on Top Of The Pops from 22 November 1984 (TOTP) called it "one of their best songs, I think".
The line-up changes of 1980-1 saw the departure of Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware to form British Electric Foundation and Heaven 17, whose "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" debut single reached #29 in the 1981 Festive Fifty and was later a Peelenium 1981 selection. In their place came female singers Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall, as well as Jo Callis, formerly of Peel favourites The Rezillos and Peel session band Shake.
Sessions
The Human League - Peel Session 1978
One session only. The session version of "Being Boiled" was released on Movement: BBC Radio 1 Peel Sessions 1977-1979 2xCD, 2011 (EMI – CDPEEL 7779).
1. Recorded: 1978-08-08. Broadcast: 16 August 1978. Repeated: 15 September 1978
- Being Boiled / No Time / You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling / Blind Youth
Other Shows Played
The list below was researched only from the database of this site, Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive and Ken Garner's Peel Sessions. It is almost certainly incomplete. Please add further information if known.
1978
The Human League - Being Boiled (1978)
- 31 July 1978: 'Being Boiled (7 inch)' (Fast Product)
1979
- 30 April 1979: The Dignity Of Labour Pt. 2 (12” EP – Dignity Of Labour Pts. 1-4) Fast Product
- 11 October 1979: Empire State Human (LP – Reproduction) Virgin
- 22 October 1979: Almost Medieval (LP – Reproduction) Virgin
1980
- 16 January 1980: Being Boiled (v/a album - Fast Product - The First Year Plan) Fast Product
- 09 April 1980: Rock And Roll / Nightclubbing (double single - Holiday ‘80 EP) Virgin
- 14 April 1980: Rock 'N' Roll / Nightclubbing ('Holiday 80' EP) Virgin
- 22 April 1980: Marianne ('Holiday 80' EP) Virgin
- 20 May 1980: The Black Hit Of Space (LP – Travelogue) Virgin
- 26 May 1980: Dreams Of Leaving (LP – Travelogue) Virgin
- 29 May 1980: WXJL Tonight (LP – Travelogue) Virgin
- 09 June 1980: The Black Hit Of Space (LP - Travelogue) Virgin
- 23 June 1980: The Black Hit Of Space (LP - Travelogue) Virgin
- 26 June 1980: Being Boiled (7") Fast Product
- 02 July 1980: Life Kills (LP - Travalogue) Virgin
1981
- 16 February 1981: Boys And Girls (7") Virgin
- 30 April 1981: The Sound Of The Crowd
- 23 July 1981: Love Action (I Believe In Love) (7") Virgin
1982
- 24 February 1982: Seconds
1984
- 19 July 1984: Being Boiled (7") Fast Product
1993
- 05 April 1993 (John Peel Is Jakki Brambles): Don't You Want Me (JP: 'This was a number 1 in 1981 when I was about, ooh, about that high and as pretty as a picture.')
2001
- 20 December 2001: All I Ever Wanted -Alter Ego Remix (Klang Elektronik)
Top Of The Pops
- 25 December 1981 (TOTP): Love Action (I Believe In Love)
- 18 November 1982 (TOTP): Mirror Man #09
- 25 December 1982 (TOTP): Don’t You Want Me (video clip)
- 05 May 1983 (TOTP): (Keep Feeling) Fascination #03
- 22 November 1984 (TOTP): Louise #26 (JP:'That’s The Human League and “Louise”... one of their best songs I think. I mean I know you don’t care what I think, but I thought I’d tell you anyway')
- 28 August 1986 (TOTP): Human #10
Others