Heaven 17 [1981] Penthouse And Pavement

PAVEMENT
[01] (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang
[02] Penthouse And Pavement
[03] Play To Win
[04] Soul Warfare
PENTHOUSE
[05] Geisha Boys And Temple Girls
[06] Let's All Make A Bomb
[07] The Height Of The Fighting
[08] Song With No Name
[09] We're Going To Live For A Very Long Time



amg: When synthesists Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware left the Human League in 1980, the decision seemed iffy; after all, the League appeared on the way up and would achieve global fame the very next year with Dare!. The first album from Heaven 17, Marsh and Ware's new trio with singer Glenn Gregory, wasn't greeted with quite the same commercial kudos when released in 1981, but it turned out to be an important outing nevertheless. Picking up where Kraftwerk had left off with The Man Machine, the group created glistening electro-pop that didn't skimp on danceable grooves or memorable melodies. What set Heaven 17 apart was the well-deep vocals of Gregory, who managed the difficult trick of sounding dramatic without seeming pretentious, and an overtly left-wing political outlook best expressed on the debut single "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang." Other standout combinations of witty lyrics and whiplash electro-grooves include "The Height of the Fighting" and "Play to Win," while the funky title track draws on American R&B for its popping bassline. Despite the catchy material, chart success proved somewhat elusive; the group didn't score a major hit until their next album, 1983's The Luxury Gap. Nevertheless, Penthouse and Pavement stands as one of the most accomplished debuts of the '80s. [Note: as part of the apparent effort to clear up some of the confusion between the band's British and American releases, the 1997 Caroline reissue adds a pair of bonus tracks.]
(amg 8/10)

Human League [1981] Dare!

[01] The Things That Dreams Are Made Of
[02] Open Your Heart
[03] The Sound Of The Crowd
[04] Darkness
[05] Do Or Die
[06] Get Carter
[07] I Am The Law
[08] Seconds
[09] Love Action (I Believe In Love)
[10] Don't You Want Me



amg: Dare! captures a moment in time perfectly — the moment post-punk's robotic fascination with synthesizers met a clinical Bowiesque infatuation with fashion and modern art, including pop culture, plus a healthy love of songcraft. The Human League had shown much of this on their early singles, such as "The Lebanon," but on Dare! they simply gelled, as their style was supported by music and songs with emotional substance. That doesn't mean that the album isn't arty, since it certainly is, but that's part of its power — the self-conscious detachment enhances the postmodern sense of emotional isolation, obsession with form over content, and love of modernity for its own sake. That's why Dare! struck a chord with listeners who didn't like synth pop or the new romantics in 1981, and why it still sounds startlingly original decades after its original release — the technology may have dated, synths and drum machines may have become more advanced, but few have manipulated technology in such an emotionally effective way. Of course, that all wouldn't matter if the songs themselves didn't work smashingly, whether it's a mood piece as eerie as "Seconds," an anti-anthem like "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of," the danceclub glow of "Love Action (I Believe in Love)," or the utter genius of "Don't You Want Me," a devastating chronicle of a frayed romance wrapped in the greatest pop hooks and production of its year. The latter was a huge hit, so much so that it overshadowed the album in the minds of most listeners, yet, for all of its shining brilliance, it wasn't a pop supernova — it's simply the brightest star on this record, one of the defining records of its time.
(amg 10/10)