I remember when I first heard about The Human League. It was just after Christmas vacation in 1981, and one of the girls in the group had gone to England to see family, and had returned all a-bubbly about the latest pop thing. A few months later, Don't You Want Me was impossible to avoid, and those peculiar tone-deaf voices could be heard by simply turning on the radio.
I was of course too cool to actually like The Human League, but I'll admit a couple of things. 1. Keep Feeling Fascination was a fun, peppy song, and my definition of a guilty pleasure. 2. The Lebanon was actually a decent tune, and probably would have been better if a real band had played it. On top of a killer bassline, the 1984 tune actually had something to say. Radio in North America didn't much play it (maybe because the bombings in Beirut the year before, maybe because of the veddy British title).
As well, the video below was, well, crummy. You'll see The Human League trying to shake off the synthesizer band look and act more like a regular band ... with, um, limited results. Has a gritty rock band ever looked more styled?
The Human League are still on the go. They still have remarkably limited vocal range, but I doubt the fans care. They're getting older, after all, and the interview below will be interesting to those who still recall the band from the Dare! era.
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