Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Oh the 80s
Everybody needs love and adventure Everybody needs cash to spend Everybody needs love and affection Everybody needs 2 or 3 friends" - Oakley/Wright The second British invasion started here back in 1982 (Dare! Was released in 1981 in the UK and 1982 in the US) and it's easy to hear why so many yanks surrendered to the icy beats & smart lyrics made by cute boys with rebel without a cause haircuts. Dare! must have sounded insane in 1982 as it sounds ahead of it time in 2025 while other records from the same year by the likes of John Cogar and Foreigner sound extraordinarily limp and dated. Dare! is actually an album you must hear before your Dutch date with that cheap bastard known as the grim reaper. Go on then! Speaking of death, it's long been rumored that THE curmudgeon taste maker Lester Bangs died of an accidental drug overdose while listening to Dare! It's too bad as I think he would have had a real hard on for Hüsker Dü.
Classic
The soundtrack to my (late) uni football days. Me and my future best man rewrote 'Don't You Want Me' as 'Can't You Net It' and the rest is history...
Really good version of the genre. Enjoyed it!
This was so good. Well-written, well-recorded, well-polished, just perfect all arounnd. Don't You Want Me is of course their big radio hit off this album, but every track was as striking and completely different from the next in many ways. Obviously their general style and sound carried through the whole album, but I was constantly surprised by each track that came along and I loved it. I listened to it twice and considered a third time. Five stars.
I only knew two of their songs going into it, but this album passed the ultimate test with flying colors: I did dishes and cleaned the kitchen and made dinner while jamming to this bad boy, and then I started it over again!
I was a long haired hard rocker when this came out and I could not believe how good music could sound without guitars or real drums!! I loved this then and I still love it now. It’s a lot poppier than their previous 2 albums but all the better for it to be honest! Get your shoulder pads in, your make up on and have a dance!
The things that dreams are made of
Great album by one of the best 80s synth pop bands.
How to be not great yet create something, if not great, then special. That Phil Oakey understood the synthesiser was going to be important so hit it hard. That he wasn’t very good wasn’t the point. Or was he absolute genius? Brilliant album.
Dare! is a masterpiece that would be impossible to replicate today. Even if you were to get the same keyboards in the same studio with the same personnel, the writing and production would be significantly altered due to modernity. Part of its appeal is the bluntness and boldness of the synths and creativity with which the various sounds are matched to the bright, oscillating melodies. The sheer dynamic range and variety achieved with such a ridged set up is what pushes the band into such inspiring and surprising places. I don’t want this to sound like a patronising “didn't they do well”. What I’m saying is thank God they made this when they did because it’s just perfect. There is an incredible tension between the severity of the angular rhythms and the big, bold, bright purposes that they are employed for. The vocals match the keys, each syllable is shot out in a singular punch, arranging themselves into words. The lyrics and their delivery have an odd detachment to them, while covering a range of the most dramatic human emotions and experiences. Particular favourites are Darkness and Seconds but I don’t think there’s anything even remotely representing a dud across the tracklist.
This is the sort of album that should be on the 1001 list. A real game-changer in synth-pop thanks to the introduction of the Linn Drum at the last minute. Eight of the ten of the tracks could be hit singles (in fact four of them were), and the wit, melodicism and songwriting still shine through four decades later.
I’m a sucker for synth-pop so this was up my alley for me. Perfect example of an oldie but a goodie album, giving me the vibe of driving in Vice City again with 80s music blaring. Weakest song being I Am The Law and my favorite being The Sound of The Crowd(very nice upbeat tempo). Will be listening again when I need something for a late night drive. 5/5
Fucking amazing!
A perfect synth pop record. Every song is a small hit and the well known hit is the last song. Pretty bold move.
What a fantastic album. Every song is a banger.
This is #day224 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... hell yeah, here’s to the album that kickstarted the Second British Invasion, right? Seriously, folks giving this record low scores, what’s going on? It’s 1981, and the machines are taking over. With synthesizers becoming widely available, they quickly became the "toys" musicians were playing with, shaping the sound of the future… or at least the future from a past perspective. Dare! is a classic new wave, synthpop, and electropop record that would go on to define the genre for years. What else is there to say? If you haven't heard "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of", "Don’t You Want Me", and others, what have you even been listening to? This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day225.
A classic. Loved it back when it was released in the 80s and still love it now.
There was much I hadn’t realised until I finally put this record on. For one, the origin story. Initially asked to sing because he dressed interestingly on nights out, Phil Oakey was barely even in the band when they rebranded from The Future to The Human League. And by the time Dare was released, the founding lineup had entirely changed out (“The Ship of Theseus” might have been a more apt band name, on reflection). Then there’s the sort of embarrassing penny drop that Phil Oakey is also the one singing about electric dreams. Under different conditions, I might have gone my whole life never knowing that. The thing that most surprised me, though, was the appearance of “Don’t you want me” right at the back of the album. Now, had this been an AOR record, it being track 10 would have made sense to me. But this isn’t AOR, it’s big pop bangers (might this record, and that song, even be the birth of the modern concept of the “pop banger”?) – you don’t put your strongest material at the least accessible part of the vinyl. And you certainly don’t fight your management and record label when they suggest releasing it as a third single from the album. Phil, what were you thinking? Track one might help get us to half an answer. “The things that dreams of” – a Kraftwerkian verse into an anthemic, singalong chorus; a formula that repeats on “The sound of the crowd” and others also – puts me in mind of not The Nolans, Brotherhood of Man or ABBA … but Gang of Four (who, it transpires, also released music through Fast Records). Sharp angles, sparse melodic arrangements, sprechgesang lead, call and response dynamics in the backing vocals – everything I love about Entertainment is here, it’s just been blown out, lacquered and given a smokey eye mesmerising enough to hold a whole generation of TOTP viewers hostage. “Darkness” is a particularly arresting tune; essentially three well crafted sections welded together with heavy atmospherics, it has – and, arguably, to an extent, sort of throws away – the album’s only big crescendo. (That I’ve felt compelled to listen to the song at least 20 times this week may indicate that it isn’t at all a “thrown away” opportunity … it’s a guarantee you’ll be back.) Not that it’s all moody dramatics, though: “Do or die” is a full colour bit of buoyant dance floor bait; and has me wondering how much The League were listening to Talking Heads’ Remain in Light from the previous year. At any rate: so far, so post punk. And then we come to that final track. I’ve been hearing this song my whole life – but then haven’t we all? It’s a song so good and so ubiquitous that I’d be surprised if there’s anyone out there who doesn’t have a story they attach to it, a memory or an anecdote. (Full disclosure, hearing “Don’t you want me” for the first time through a proper pair of headphones recently was completely exhilarating.) So what is it about the song that works so hard for so many? Is it the completely unapologetic run up and down the scale; is it how that same dynamic – up, down, building up, breaking down – bares out in the story arc presented in the lyrics, right down to the prevaricating ‘change of mind’ reflected in that pre-resolution note noodle; is it how it taps into a whole spectrum of feelings – in the process nailing the relationship between bratty arrogance and aching vulnerability; is it simply the fucking “woah oh ah woah” of it all? Yes, probably, definitely, certainly and a million other things. What “Don’t you want me” definitely isn’t is a post punk song. It’s a big behemoth of a pop banger; an archetype; an apex type, even, whose place at the top of the synth pop food chain will probably never be seriously challenged (that the group were jealous of Gary Numan feels, years later, especially cute on that score). The thought occurs that – since it sits on an album full of songs that had me drawing connections with some of the more serious reference points listed above – maybe “Don’t you want me” is the most contrarian, punkest thing about Dare. Anyway, let it retain some of its mystery. For as long as there are hearts in our chests to yearn with, “Don’t you want me” will resonate. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll listen to the nine songs before it on Dare too.
FIVE STARS. LOVE THIS!!!
I can't objectively rate this album as it's part of my youth. I bought it on cassette. Loved it. My sister then borrowed it and left it on a school trip coach. I've never let her forget. Great to listen to it again from end to end.
This is the forty fifth album I’m rating. I’ve heard some great things about the band but I’ve never listened to a song so this’ll be my first time listening. Adding to my Playlist - The Things that Dreams are Made of, Open Your Heart, The Sound of the Crowd, Darkness, Do or Die, Get Carter, I am the Law, Seconds, Love Action (I Believe in Love), and Don’t You Want Me. Not Adding to my Playlist - Nothing. All in all I liked 10/10 songs. This was simply fantastic. It sound a lot like Duran Duran in a good way. This was just a fun catchy album.
"Dare" is the third studio album by English synth-pop band the Human League. Founding members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh left to form Heaven 17 and the band shifted direction from their previous avant-garde electronic style towards a more pop-friendly, commercial sound led by front man Phil Oakley (lead vocals, synths). Other band members included Philip Adrian Wright (slides, synths), Joe Callis (guitarist), Ian Burden (synths) and newly recruited backing vocalists Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley. The album was a huge commercial success hitting #1 in the UK and #3 in the US and saving their label Virgin Records. It was also critically acclaimed with some citing it as synth-pop genre defining. An electronic beat and bass and a synth melody open "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of." They layer the synths as Oakley sings about the simple times in life juxtaposed against a greater ambition. The third single "Open Your Heart" opens with a high-pitched organ-sounding synth and Oakley with higher-pitched vocals. Oh, there's a flute-sounding synth. "The Sound of the Crowd" is very 80's sounding with the synth, drumbeat and synth bass. There's people yelling and handclapping. Fitz and the Tantrums should be severely indebted to them for this song. The absolute gem on this album is "Seconds." An echoing drumbeat, haunting synth bass and layered melancholic-sounding synth-keys. Oakley in an emotionless voice. An absolutely fantastic synth melody. A song that was inspired by the JKF assassination. "It took seconds of your time to take his life." Laser sounds, spiraling synths and an electronic beat highlight their second biggest song on the album ""Love Action (I Believe in Love)" another catchy melody and a semi-autobiographical account of Oakley's relationship. Phil Oakley had to be convinced to release the closing song "Don't You Want Me" as a single. Susan Ann Sulley was co-lead singer by default. I bet they're both glad that happened. Not much to say here...I do like the ominous synth keys and might have sung the chorus once or twice; I might have been drinking. It's rare that you find an album so heavily back-loaded with their hits and best songs. But actually, this album is pretty much solid throughout. Very catchy melodies. You do hear the influence of their music (Fitz and the Tantrums, the Strokes). I can't think of a better poster child for 80's synth-pop than this album. And, it's a great album on top of that.
understand why it was so influential for eurosynth
You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar When I met you I picked you out I shook up and turned you around Turned you into someone new Now five years later on you've got the world at your feet Success has been so easy for you But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now And I can put you back down too Don't don't you want me? You know I can't believe it when I hear that you won't see me Don't don't you want me? You know I don't believe you when you say that you don't need me It's much too late to find You think you've changed your mind You'd better change it back or we will both be sorry If you dont like 80s synth pop then you absolutely arent going to be able to get past that, because thats what this album is chock full of. BUT if you can deal with that, there are some fantastic songs on here and with more depth than you may think. 5/5
Oooh, one of my all-time favorite synth pop bands! I don't own a lot of vinyl, but I own this one. The big hits are on here, but I also enjoy how moody and dark some of these songs get (Seconds is about the assassination of JFK). The Human League are underappreciated synth pioneers and deserve more attention - especially their early stuff. I got to see them live in 2023, and they sounded and looked just as fantastic as they did 40 years ago. I vote for Don't You Want Me as the best 80s synthpop song and video of all-time. It's very film noir...dark, brooding, and beautiful. 4.5 stars.
About 15 years ago I was in a record shop and my mate told me how good this was and how I should buy it. I thought he was taking the piss as I’d only heard ‘Dont you want me’ but bought it anyway as it was only £5. Never bothered listening to it until a decade later when LCD Soundsystem covered ‘seconds’ and I thought ‘surely this isnt the same Human League, I’ll check it out’. It’s now one of the many many albums I put in my ‘all time favourite’ list! Absolutely bangers from start to finish, bar the overplayed hit at the end. This for me is the very best of the best of that whole 80s synth pop movement, love it
Dynamic synth-pop/new wave. This is a much better album than I was expecting. Almost nothing is rote, and The Sound of the Crowd, Darkness, Do or Die, Seconds were super, and I already knew Love Action, and Don't You Want Me (also great, of course). I'm surprised how different all the tracks are - really well put together. One or two tracks drag, to be fair, but this is as solid a 4.5 as I've heard. Phil Oakley!
Pretty much every song on here is a classic, and the Rushent production really makes this shine. Simple, catchy, futuristic and stylish. The template for 80s synth pop.
The first album I ever bought with my own money. I'd buy it again, and again and again if I was ever left without this. Dare has a mystery throughout the tracks, yet it remains an accessible pop record. There's something lurking a little deeper underneath the lavish production, but you're never quite sure what. It doesn't even need Don't You Want Me to hit five stars. But I'd rather have it than not. Disclaimer: The League Unlimited Orchestra remix mini is even better.
Underrated album
10 tracks of perfect synth pop. The story of how the Human League split, leaving Phil Oakey without synth players; how Oakey found and recruited two schoolgirls in a club on the eve of an international tour; how they reinvented themselves as a premier synthpop band...every track is great.
Brilliant
Color me impressed. This feels like generic, run-of-the-mill 80s synthpop, but that sinister undertone that gradually becomes lighter until the hit arrives is actually quite thrilling, and reminds me heavily of the other synthpop greats. Wonderfully layered production, unique hooks, and a sense of pop music pride that it still wears on its sleeve despite the new wave boom trying its best to avoid it all still. I am thoroughly enthralled by most of this album, and consider it something quite amazing.
Needs to be listened to at volume, but a great album of its time.
I loved this, the 80s vibes just dripped off this and it climaxes in a banger of a song, campy OTT and cheesey AF
One of my favourite early synth pop albums
Didn't know lcd soundsystems did a cover for seconds, I like the original version, super cool
This album had not right to be this good. Each track is a world in it's own.
Friday night, window seat, Malt & Hops. Student soundtrack.
Synth pop masterpiece. I remember seeing this on cassette when I was at the record store growing up. First time listening all the way through. This whole thing is outstanding. The motorik beat in Seconds is a highlight. I hear a Kraftwerk influence and that's a good thing. Easy 5 stars for me.
So far out of my comfort zone but damn I loved this
Eeeeeelsk! Mikið af plötunni er \"dálítið\" niche en ég elska þetta allt!
I just love the energy of this. It's so upbeat but sounds cool at the same time. Maybe I am also in the mood for this today.
Excellent synth pop record. The catchiness is unmatched here, 8makes me wanna move a little bit Makes it a very fun listen. It’s all just great. Very cool!
Incredible album. This was where Synth began. Full of hits and with a real attitude. Love this era.
A totally landmark album
I loved it. Totally my 80s music. Well known song . Don’t you want me
Nice!
Oh my gosh. Banger, absolute banger!
Part of the soundtrack for the eraly 1980s. So many great tracks on this album: "Open Your Heart", "Love Action (I Believe in Love)", and the Xmas 1981 number 1 "Don't You Want Me".
On the surface, it just seems like a fun synth-pop album that sounds like someone snorted crystallized 1980s and sat down at a keyboard. But when you see that it was released in 1981, you realize that it wasn’t a distillation of the 80s—it was the catalyst! Though some of it sounds goofy by today’s standards, there’s a lot of bravery in an album as sparse, experimental, and synth-driven as this. For most of the album, every element is very plainly heard, nothing hiding behind lush production. And of course, it ends with the anthem “Don’t You Want Me,” an unforgettable and contagiously catchy song. Though it isn’t a perfect album, the “daring” behind it and its legacy earn it a 5/5.
Love it
Perfect! Great! Love it! Standouts: Don't You Want Me, These Are the Things Dreams are Made Of, Love Action, Open Your Heart, Sound of the Crowd, I Am the Law, Doe Or Die, Darkness, Hard Times (Bonus)
и это тоже, знаем, любим
Amazing synths, nice rhythms, has aged well
Great 80’s synth bop
This was really, really good.
Budget Depeche Mode
cool
Pre-listening thought: YES, I’ve been excited to get this. Post-listening thought: HELL YEAH!
I can't resist.
Silly 80's album like I love
Synthtastic!
This barely made it onto my favourite list, I just can't deny it's catchy as hell and great whenever it pops up on the radio
Good stuff!
Well, this is a shoe-in for a list like this, isn't it? The Human League's Dare was, in some ways, the start of the 1980s, at least from a musical perspective. Synth-pop and new wave had existed to varying degrees of success in the late 70s, but "Don't You Want Me" was one of the first songs to really prove that it they would be essential parts of the 80s sound, especially in America. Speaking of which, "Don't You Want Me" is a pretty great song. It progresses in some pretty neat ways and is just a total bop all throughout. As far as the 9 songs that precede it on the album, they're all good too, though I wouldn't call any of them better than "Don't You Want Me." "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" is a pretty good opener, and "Love Action (I Believe in Love)" works well as the penultimate track. When it comes to overall qualities of the album, the synths are rather "of their time," but I like them, okay? The inclusion of multiple vocalists gives the album enough variety to not bore me. The writing has some interesting moments, but nothing upsetting. Dare is just a really good synth-pop album. It's not going to change anyone's mind on synth-pop as a genre, but it's an important part of music history that I really enjoyed. 4/5.
This is the type of stuff I'm looking for and thinking of when I want to hear some quintessential 80's.
Inoffensive, fun, pretty cool album. The singles are massive, and everything else is fine
This album grew on my track by track. I get a lot of joy out of synth pop as a whole. Thought I wasn't going to love this but literally every track was better than the last. I am the law -- seconds -- love action -- don't you want me. One of the best album endings for a while.
Nice album
Great album
It's fine
Very fun synth pop. A very surprised 4 from me. Definitely worth the listen.
They invented music. Things that Dreams are Made of is quality. Generally a pretty decent album.
3.5/5
It must’ve been amazing to live through this as it came out. It might lose a little of its luster with how much followed it but it’s an early synth pop staple. I enjoyed the first half more than the second. They managed to still make the slower songs interesting. Rating: 4.3
Synth pop rules when it's done right. Exhibit A:
Synthy 80s goodness, easily a 4 star album for me.
Ha! This was so much better than I expected. I’m mostly familiar with Don’t You Want Me. That song is super fun, but in no way does this album justice. Glad I listened. 4 Boolean: True
A very good pop-py album
This was better than Don’t You Want Me + 9. I preferred the start, where it was channeling Kraftwerk, and found it lost it a little bit in the middle, where songs tended to drift by, including a weird cover of part of the Get Carter soundtrack (if you are going to cover anything from that it has to be Carter Gets the Train…). DYWM is great, though it a bit incongruent in the album, and has diminished through overplaying.
I love analogue synths. Could it be that the first commercially successful synth-pop album was also the last great synth album? (Yamaha releasing the industry changing FM chip and ushering in the age of synth-trash.) Perhaps. I want to hate it for the robotic rhythm tracks (that LinnDrum is, for me, a torture device). And the vocals are atrocious (technically weak AND pretentious), and yet . . . The synth work is just so interesting, and moving, and the sounds are so luxurious, that I loved it, in spite of my pathological criticizing.
I. love. synth rock. this isn't the best synth rock.
the things that dreams are made of isch huere sarkastisch oder? aso ich lieb wie minimalistisch und elektronisch dass alles isch. do or die huuuere funny percussion dinger. die songs slapped alli chli uf die glich art? sehr stampfig? huuuere geil alllles elektronisch aber chli pitchy halt well analog. und don't you want me chunt erst. freu mi. YOU WERE WORKING AS A WAITRESS IN A COCKTAIL BAAAR. insaaaaane banger. es stimmt alles i dem song. so so so guet. zwei prechorus für perfekte release. ischs de einzig mit mehrstimmige vocals? und mit wibliche vocals? he faaaast es füfi. überleggs mer no.
Great synth pop album. Catchy melodies and love the sounds of the synths. Favorite track(s) Seconds Don’t You Want Me
If someone said this is influential to 80s music for the rest of the decade I’d believe them. Can’t get more synth pop than this. Gets repetitive and the slower songs are not as good. But some cool grooves and Don’t You Want Me is very catchy
the first half was stinky poopoo and i couldn’t get why to this album was included but after “Get Carter” everything changed into a great new wave image, one of the best i’ve heard. the second half was good enough to cross out the drawbacks of the first one
Dope
oh hey another one i actually have on cd! i only (re-)ripped my copy like 4 days ago too. good timing. yeah this one's pretty solid. obviously "don't you want me" and "sound of the crowd" are both great, which is probably why they're the ones that popped off as singles, but i really like the slightly more sinister tone of "darkness" and especially "i am the law" too. overall i don't think there's a single bad track on here, but the sound is a little.... cute? like, maybe this is just a me thing but despite being an 80s release the synths are still sounding very basic, and that's cute to me. there's an appeal to it, but like. soft cell dropped non-stop erotic cabaret the same year, and i'm more likely to switch over to that then to go back in for yet another consecutive listen of dare, yknow? it's good, but there's better synth pop/new wave/whatever and there kind of always has been. but ive still listened to it countless times over the years and will continue to do so. just, not as much as i'd listen to soft cell, or erasure, or early depeche mode, or...
70s synth-pop. Tou know what it sounds like, no surprises.
I had fun with this one. Its just solid early synth pop. Kinda has a slight darkness to it. Just a little goth. But the synths are the star here. Every song has some section thag stands out with that instrument. Don't you want me is obviously the stand out song here. Its one of those songs thay everyone knows but maybe they dont know the details. Its just been placed in the public consciousness forever. But darkness and do or die are my other standouts. Both killer songs. Very enjoyable in all aspects. Not the creme de la creme but very great indeed
Its a good album. You can feel the 80's in the album, the music genre makes it statement here and it was solid album.
Два альбома подряд из 80-х, да ещё каких! Обожаю.
Shadowy, first-wave electro-pop, with some indelible high points. 'Dont You Want Me' is the enduring classic and stands head and shoulders above all else as the classic encapsulation of pop and synth. The rest of the album doesn't try to be as commercial, exploring some interesting darker corners. Lyrically there's much of the kitchen sink about it - clubs, relationship struggles, bleak news items, snippets of normal life - putting them at odds with most other electro-pop contemporaries. Melodically it's on a par with 'Lexicon of Love', but leaning more into the colder sound of desolate, Krautrock synth (rather than lush than 80s bass and strings). The pop sensibility, Krautrock influence and gothic leanings put this in another league. The Human League! Haaahahhahaa
Fun 80s album with an all-time 80s banger at the end.
There weren't any songs that I completely loved, but I do like their overall sound. New Wave and 'futuristic' sounding, but somehow not to the detriment of the music. I liked a lot of the lyrics too.
Quintessentially 80s. It’s suit jackets with shoulder pads and the sleeves rolled up. It’s Max Headroom, Roland Rat and Loadsamoney in album form. It’s synth-pop gloriousness.
Pretty funny to realize that both Human League and Soft Cell helped plant the roots of synthpop, both had a smash runaway hit, and both of their debuts are completely tonally dissonant to their hit songs. Dare (ha) I say, shockingly brilliant and an essential synthpop recording. Veers towards weirdness occasionally but tends to stay pretty well aligned.
Obviously all 4 stars are for Don't You Want Me but the rest of the songs are not really my thing.
Solid listen
The first thing the first track on this album made me think about was: Does "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" have any relation to "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)"? It seems like one is "answering" the other. But only at first glance. I always insist that all electronic music should have followed the Synth Pop style of the early 80s forever. This, for me, is the peak. From then on, it's all downhill.
Dubious going in, but the beeps and bloops kind of work. Especially if the primary objective is to make people sing “Don’t. Don’t you want me? Doo Dee doo dee doo deet doo doo, doo dee doo dee doo dee DOO Dee” all day long.
An album with a history that couldn't be further from the truth: before its demise, two co-founders left the band, and the third, vocalist Philip Oakey, decided to replace them with two schoolgirls. It all smelled like a fiasco, but the result was an album featuring the band's greatest hits and, arguably, electronic standards for the just beginning 1980s. While The Human League had previously produced music in the vein of Gary Numan, here they simplified it a bit, thereby "revitalizing" it. The synthesizers are still neon, the drum machines are still as combative, and everything still sounds like music from the future, but something makes it more human and dreamy, sometimes dark, sometimes romantic. The Vogue-style cover seems odd at first, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. And with the epic Don't You Want Me, surprisingly the last track on the album, the band has secured a permanent place in the electronic music pantheon.
the synths
One of the first and biggest synth-pop albums with Don't You Want Me. But there are other good songs on this album too. I like Love Action.
New wave 80s that won the hearts and minds of the British.
A beginning of the 80s? I think it is. Very good album, even there are some mid tracks
Classic 80's sound. Solid album from front to back.
Это довольно неплохой синт-поп/нью-вейв альбом и даже несмотря на электронное звучание (которое частенько старится довольно сильно) альбом всё равно звучит бодро и достойно. Закрывашка альбома хитяра конечно, и клип шикарный.
Don’t You Want Me is such an incredibly catchy instant classic. The other songs obviously aren’t as good but they don’t ruin the overall feel of the album. Very solid
A futuristic, distinctly ’80s sound that hints at what was still to come. I actually enjoyed the second half of the album more—it feels like they loosen up and really let their sound breathe.
Good fun! Not a personal highlight, but it's a defining sound, with big hits.
I was expecting to just be waiting for the last song, but this was a fun listen all the way through!
Seconds was great! I really enjoy the LCD sound system version of that song
Me parecio que sonaba interesante estuvo bien 7.5/10
7/10
Too much synth.
1981!? Surprisingly spartan and icy, not far off from their industrial music roots despite containing the rightfully ubiquitous pop banger "Don't You Want Me" and the slightly less ubiquitous "Love Action." I dig this in a vintage Soviet synthpop way, dour-faced with too much make up, glowering over synthesizers. I like to imagine them dragging an audience unwillingly through "I Am the Law" before bopping into the hit.
Dare brings the pop element to update a sound rooted in Kraftwerk’s pioneering electronics, to great results, but I’m drawn especially to more austere tracks like “Seconds” and “Darkness.” Not sure what to make of the fact that legendary music scribe Lester Bangs fatally overdosed while listening to this album, but it presages many trends of synth-pop and electronic dance music and absolutely holds up.
Like having to tell the proverbial man from Mars that the same Ministry that gave us "Stigmata" also made the lightweight dance pop LP "With Sympathy", imagine telling someone that heard The Human League's 1978's single "Being Boiled" (a protest against killing silkworms) that 3 years later, the group would add some ladies and have a single that sold 1.5 million copies in the UK alone. Kinda simple song structures, and the hit is the weakest song of the bunch, but this album holds up.
Excellent album - two/three real stand outs plus the big hit - Don’t you want me - really torn, but gone 4
good album with a great banger ending
Tempted to give it a 5 star but ultimately decided that it’s probably more nostalgia why I love this album so much for the time in my life when this was released!
I WANT YOUR LOVE ACTION. I love the confidence of 80s synth, they said things with power, you know, the synth is ripping and it's so good. I will say, this isn't an album of wall to wall bangers, but it is generally very very good. When you think of 80s synth pop, I personally think of this. Sure there are much cooler and more experimental offshoots, but this sent me on a very fun synth binge.
Category: Easy to listen to on a sunday morning
Just some great synth-pop. Amazing flow too!
80s synth is something I've heard a lot in my childhood and beyond, its comforting and usually enjoyable. Found some new favorites outside of "Don't You Want Me?" and a new appreciation for the band
This was honestly surprisingly good!
May be a bit flat in places, but giving it some time, it's an enjoyable record. I like the minimalism and turns within the songs. Seems as though they were working pretty well with the technology available at the time.
When you already have half the songs downloaded, you know it is a great album. Overall, a great album with lots of bangers! Listened to the whole thing twice, because why not!
This was far more solid and full of tunes than I had expected. It's not perfect, but if it hadn't taken a slight dip in the middle, I would have considered five stars. I'm somewhat in amazement that I enjoyed a full album of 80s synthpop, but it was just so well done. Even the annoying hit that has been played to death holds up here, and having it at the end of the album is a nice bookend. Four stars.
Fav: Don’t You Want Me Least Fav: I Am The Law Pure 80s, love those synths so much
I generally fuck with 80s pop 🤷♂️ Does get repetitive
The first time I listened to this album, I was grinding out an A-Rank on Colorful Mall; the second time, I was walking around the mall in a leather jacket. The presence of this album was a big surprise to me: I'm a big fan of Don't You Want Me, but I never would have assumed The Human League to have been a band with the notoriety or acclaim to appear on this list. The surprise was a pleasant one, however; this brand of deep-voiced alternative electropop a la The Dare is exactly up my alley. I know most of this list is gonna be more rock- or folk-leaning, so any album that represents a break from that status quo is always a welcome breath of fresh air. I imagine this is an album which I am in the minority for liking as much as I do, but all of its strengths play right into sounds and genres I have a deep love for. I still can't get a gauge on how serious Don't You Want Me is, though; I think it's deliberately creepy, but it could also just sound like that, in the same way that many "romance" songs of this era do. Highlights: The Things That Dreams Are Made Of, The Sound Of The Crowd, Get Carter, I Am The Law, Seconds, Don't You Want Me
Very creative production, and the lyricism is surprisingly good for this era of pop.
4/5. A good album, and an excellent rep of its genre. Most people will find a couple songs that they like here, and the rest of the album is very listenable. If you like synth pop a ton, you probably already listen to and love this album already. It's New Wave, almost the platonic ideal of it. When God thinks of New Wave, a mix of cleverly arranged synths dance over an infectious beat as a distinct overdubbed British voice sings wavely over it, a perfect mix of quirkiness and then-cutting-edge music production techniques. This album, in other words. It's really pleasant. The melodies, both the vocal lines and some of the synth lines that accompany them, range from decent to great. The singer is awesome, especially when he enters the deep end of his register.
Synth-pop isn't a favourite genre of mine but there is no more essential example of it than this. Dated? Of course - that will happen with a style defined by using the latest technology of the time. But if this sounds quintessentially 80s it is because it set a large part of the template for what the 80s would be.
if you look for "80s" in wikipedia you'll find this album
ost ok
4/5 7.89/10
very fun felt like i was in an 80s movie
A couple of real bangers on here. Had no idea.
Sleek, tightly programmed synth lines, rubbery electronic bass pulses, crisp drum-machine patterns, and coolly detached yet melodic vocals move this synth-pop album like stepping into a brightly lit shopping arcade at night—stylish, efficient, and irresistibly catchy, keeping me entertained enough to forget the grey clouds on a winter day.
Much darker than I expected and I appreciate that.
Lowkey sparkly.
I think this old new wave is so fun!
Classic sound and original eighties anthems
7/10 A bit of a disappointment, but I did have high hopes. Don't You Want Me is an all time classic, and the rest is pale in its light. Some of those songs are decent enough, but there are bits where it all just drags a bit.
The definitive sound of the 80’s!
That still works. Don't you think so, baby?
I can dig it. Obviously, I have heard Don't You Want Me a million times. Never really knew anything about The Human League, reminds me of Soft Cell.
Znam toliko dobrih pjesama od Human League, kako je moguće da je na ovom albumu samo jedna od njih (ili dvije)? Međutim i na ovom albumu je kolekcija finih 10 pjesama, ne traje dugo, nema ništa posebno loše, ovo mi odgovara, sve je ok.
Mon écoute partait vraiment mal, le chanteur me gossait et l’instrumentation décousue de synthé m’étourdissait. Je sais pas ce qu’il s’est passé entre-temps, mais j’étais VRAIMENT rendu dedans à la fin, le groove et les tounes étaient magiquement devenues très bonnes. À réécouter
I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of 80's synth-pop, because the synths and effects make music very much dated and could become annoying over time; but this was a good album. Great songs, and the 80s synth textures are mostly chosen with good taste. "Don't You Want Me" was easily the best song and leaves you with a good aftertaste at the end of the album. "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" was one of my favourites, too. All in all, a good inclusion in this list, and I can see it being a very influential album in pop music.
very good, didnt expect it to be this good
amo ouvir esses hits que nunca pensei muito sobre de onde vem e poder conhecer melhor de onde vieram <3
Some very fun songs on this one.
01) The Things That Dreams Are Made Of - 10,0 02) Open Your Heart -10,0 03) The Sound of the Crowd - 8,5 04) Darkness - 8,0 05) Do or Die - 8,0 06) Get Carter - 5,0 07) I Am The Law - 7,0 08) Seconds - 8,5 09) Love Action (I Believe in Love) - 10,0 10) Don't You Want Me - 10,0 TOTAL: 8,50 (85/100) Current ranking: 135/764
features the finest synth-pop song about the JFK assassination out there
4.1
Day698 - put this in the time capsule to represent the 80’s so no one can forget those sweet synth sounds
Would I listen to it all? No, but there are a few hits in here that I put on mixtapes (playlists) all the time.
I enjoyed this a lot. I can imagine tracks from this album mixing well with more modern electronica. The appearance of the Get Carter theme threw me for a minute, but was cool. Yeah! Alright!
Classic synth pop.
Fantastically fun! Really enjoyable all the way through. I liked the little ways they take the 80s genre and really make it unique.
I always sing along to Don't You Want Me when it comes on the radio. Nice 80s synth pop. Four stars.
Starts off well, falls away in the middle and finishes with a couple of classics in Love Action and Don't You Want Me which is arguably the greatest ever synthpop song and still sounds great today.
Its got a fair bit of filler (philer?) But when its good its good Are there many more iconic, era defining tracks like Don't You Want Me? Naw, there urnae Bangin
The 80s had arrived. Pop but still with a darker edge and a cracking couple of singles at the end. A conservative 4
I think the eighties sound is cool again. I dig it.
goes crazy style
makes me wanna dance in leg warmers
кайфовт
British beep boop music
Synthy as fuck! Pretty fun to bop around to. Wear some good headphones when you listen and its like you're getting laser massage on your brain.
A great experience.
Essential new wave album of the 80s, still holds up
Know what, I liked it.
Listened Before? N The Human League is awesome! This album is no exception although its a bit unusual in it's arrangement - with their big US hit sitting at the end of the album. I really liked this one. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Don't You Want Me
Hey I know that last song! I didn't know the name of the band or album it was on haha.
Very 80s. Very very 80s. When I was able to put that aside, though there’s some really really solid pop songs on this record. Bumped from 3 to 4 by imagining like lady Gaga or someone like that doing modern, better produced covers - I think they would slap.
First listen to the album if not all the songs, nice!
Great album. The Sound of the crowd. Love this
Good backbeat, production is clean
I'm a sucker for albums that are sequenced well, and this one really caught me. It opens with a good but not great salvo of singles, peaking for the first time with "The Sound of the Crowd", before it settles into a middle section of less hooky but still solid album cuts. These, for some reason, include a cover of the theme to the theme to the great Michael Caine gangster movie, Get Carter, and a song that is allegedly inspired by Judge Dredd, which at that point was still a comic character. That song, "I Am the Law", flows seamlessly into "Seconds", which kicks off the final, meticulous stretch of the album. "Seconds" is great, maybe the best song on the record to that point. Then they hit you with "Love Action", a song that would be the best song on any other synthpop album (and still comes awfully close here), but isn't, because the album closes with one of the most monolithic singles of the 1980s. Talk about finishing strong.
Guilty pleasure album. 4.
The Sound of the Crowd Love Action (I Believe in Love) Don't You Want Me
3.5/5
Great album. Could be a 5.
Good album, starts strong and finishes strong but has a bit of an underwhelming middle section.
Dare by The Human League is an essential 80s synth album that perfectly captures the sound and style of the era.
Nice hair nice sounds nice shoes
I feel like this is probably only on the list because of Don't You Want Me. That being said, this album is well within my music taste and I really loved it. Synth pop/new wave is just the best and is always going to float my boat. The dreamy, slightly surreal 80s sound is definitely in full force here, I give it a 4 since there are a couple tracks I didn't love as much (Get Carter and I Am The Law). Don't You Want Me is SUCH a good song what a way to finish off the album
My favourite revelation on this path so far - not that I didn't know the album, but I have felt the need to play it on repeat and the non-singles have really hit home. I must now find a decent vinyl copy. Are there any other classics where the main hit / best songs are at the end?
What a fun time! And ending on a universal crowd-pleaser? Wow, what a time. Synth-pop will get me EVERY TIME.
Dated but a valuable inclusion to the list. Don't You Want Me was a bit of a tease, but there wasn't anything that could follow it on this album.
Such a good clasic
Solid
Some fairly enjoyable 80s pop. The songs are all solid, and the vocals are decent. However, there's not much passion in the arrangements. The songs are quite processed, which makes sense when you consider the type of music.
Vraiment plus l'fun que je pensais
Solid 80s album.
I think I quite liked it
dakle niskoključno uživah slušajući čitav album... i onda završi s takvom benger-hitčinom. jel malo krindž i pederski? jest. al šta sad, svidjelo mi se
Listened to before: No Somehow I always believed The Human League were a second class runners up band of the 80s, but somehow I was wrong. This is a perfectly produced synth pop album of which almost every sojg could have been a single (and probably was). Emotionally something's missing for me, so just 4 stars. But this album deserves a listen.
Driving pop stuff. This is 1980s sound right at the beginning of the 1980s. And it's good, more deep layered than other albums of the time. Only after a while you want a bit of different stuff.
80's pop albums got me in a chokehold, it's getting a 4. Not a guitar in sight.
I meant to listen to this after I saw them live a few years ago after I realized they weren’t a one-hit wonder like I had thought. “Dinky” is how I’d describe this & lord knows I love the dink! There’s some real Sega Genesis energy to the synth. Plus, bald icon.
Exceeds Expectations. Good throughout. Loses a point for the low-key misogyny that would continue into later emo music.
I knew Don't You Want Me. Other than that, I had no idea what other songs that Human League did and I thought they were a one-hit wonder. I was wrong. This album sounded exactly like I expected while also not sounding very much like I thought additional Human League songs would sound. Dare! is a really great group of synth-pop songs and I wish I were less lazy and would go to their first and second albums to see how their sound had evolved on their third album. This absolutely deserves a spot in this book. Some of my favorite tracks were: The Things That Dreams are Made Of Open Your Heart Do or Die Seconds Love Action (I Believe in Love) Don't You Want Me Since I'm a sucker for good synth-pop I will probably add this one to my collection.
A fantastic representative of 80’s music! Not a bad song on the album.
This album is so…eighties. And a good one. The hit is so..good eighties.
80s synth 🤩🤩🤩
Fun synth pop record, i really liked the production but some of the songs were incredibly repetitive so 4/5
i love sheffield i wish it was real. open your heart was a highlight for me.
Another one from High School that I love! Keep Feelin' That Fascination! #musicsky #albumsky #musicchallenge 4/5
I once bumped into Phil Oakey on three separate occasions in one day in Sheffield. I joked that I had a celebrity stalker.
I really enjoyed this, despite not being a big fan of synth driven music. The album contains a surprising number of accessible chart hits that I was already familiar with (“don’t you want me” was my first 12” purchase!) but even those tracks I didn’t know were of a high standard and offered enough variety to keep me interested. It’s a great album, and maybe I like synth pop more than I realised.
So unabashedly eighties that I have no choice but to dig it.
Pretty good for the genre. Points for probably innovative.
Surprisingly great! Jam-packed with tunes, Don't You Want Me is actually one of the weakest tracks.
The Things That Dreams Are Made Of 3.5 Open Your Heart 3.4 The Sound of the Crowd 3.6 Darkness 4 Do or Die 3.8 Get Carter (instrumental) 3.2 I Am the Law 3.4 Seconds 3 Love Action (I Believe in Love) 3.1 Don't You Want Me 4.1 Score: 3.51
Favorites: Darkness, Seconds, Don’t You Want Me Just some damn good electronic music, with one of the best pop songs you’ll ever hear at the very end. This is by far the best Human League album, but I highly recommend their early work as well.
Love it. Favourite track is The Sound Of The Crowd 4/5
I love Dare. All lyrics are quite inventive and worth listening to. Hooks a plenty. Energy dips here and there but near flawless for me. 8/10
From the first few opening notes I thought this wouldn't be for me - but I ended up liking it
Have never listened to one of their albums and it went almost exactly as I expected. great fun
done for dancing
simple electronics/waveforms etc, but good songs.
Iemand heeft een keyboard gekocht en is er lekker mee aan het klooien geslagen. De jaren-tachtigsound zoals we die ooit vervloekt hebben, maar die we (zeker gezien wat er nog meer gemaakt blijkt te zijn in dat decennium) steeds beter zijn gaan waarderen. Het klinkt allemaal nog behoorlijk fris, aanstekelijk zelfs, en d'r staat een hit op, wat altijd leuk is. Krijgen de hits ook eens context. Ik kon deze 40 minuten prima meerdere keren aanhoren.
Great start, great end and pretty good in the middle. I totally missed that there was a Rezillo on this.
P decent, I'd like to listen to this again when I have more time
Nostalgic for me. Although I've never listened to the whole album, I'd listen to it again.
I have a soft spot for the kind of music The Human League makes. Makes me feel like I'm in the back seat of a white 2000 Honda CR-V. I do think the sounds got repetitive as the album went on. Don't You Want Me is one of my favorite songs, it just has that addictive quality to me.
Very good
learning that i love 80s synth pop! listened to this one twice
77/100. A good and iconic synthpop album, packed with catchy hooks, sleek production, and a defining sound of the early '80s
Great 80's pop. 'Nuff said.
Catchy 80s synth pop. I was jamming hard. Sure, it feels a bit dated like a lot of 80s stuff, but it's just fun.
This album is unashamedly synth-pop, it's hard to imagine it existing at another time, but I wouldn't say it's 80s in a bad way. They properly lean into it, to the point where it sounds more like Kraftwerk-esque electronica than new wave at times. The synths are not just there to provide basic melody, they really create some varied sounds with them. I can't quite give this 5* because the quality dips in the middle. But Don't You Want Me is such a banger, it leaves it on a high note, so definitely good enough for 4*
It’s ok, really 80’s synth
80s
So many synths and drum machines! I'm actually not sure if there were any traditional instruments on this album at all. Luckily, I was a big fan of this fully electronic sound, and I enjoyed hearing all the different kinds of synthesizers. The melodies are catchy and the songs are memorable. Favorite Song: "Do Or Die"
between this, architecture and morality, and non-stop electric cabaret, v few genres have had a year as explosive as 1981 was for synthpop. this is my least fave of the three but its probably the most populist of them,,just lots of great songs but more than that lots of great Sounds, theres prob not more then two or three synth tones on this that i wasnt immediately in love with lol. tbh other than its insanely predictive elements (certainly more music copied this record then those other two) im not super interfacing with this as a vibrantly Singular piece of art but i cant rly quibble with the actual listening experience!
One of my favorites in the 80th.
good Synth pop
this is pretty solid, everything on here sounds exactly as i thought it would. yep. i liked it. low 4
The Human League is one of those groups I only knew for a few singles: "Don't You Want Me" and "Being Boiled". I did not have much of an idea for what I was going to get into with Dare, save for the one single I knew at the end and the general understanding that they are a synth-pop that underwent a massive lineup change for this album after founding members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh left over creative differences with lead vocalist Phillip Oakley. This was Oakley's revisioning of the band into a more forward-thinking pop sound, and I'll admit it was pretty good. Sure, this album was always going to blurt out what period it's from with the synths and programmed drums. Opening track "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" might as well be a litmus test for one's enjoyment of this record. But even then, it's still an excellent capture of that early synth-pop. Between the eclectic synthesizer work, the occasional female vocal backup from Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley, and Oakley's distinctly English high-pitch vocals, there's an off-kilter flair with the group working these hooks that made them sound distinct as a formative act. This sounds like the kind of music that would become influential to a lot of electronic pop groups. In that regard, I consider Dare to be in the same camp as Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark's Architecture And Morality as a good introduction to the synthpop genre, which is as good of praise as I can give it.
Pelotazo absoluto en 1981. Don´t you want me brilla con luz propia en el disco, así como entre los mejores hits de los 80. El resto no está lejos de este tema sobre todo los otros singles del álbum: Open Your Heart, Love Action, The sound of the crowd y la inicial The things that dreams are made of. Do or die es juguetona, pero queda lastrada por su marcado tinte de principios de los 80. La labor del productor Martin Rushent fue, por razones obvias, fundamental. La lista de sintetizadores empleados es ingente para la época: Casio VL-1 Korg 770 Korg Delta Linn LM-1 Roland Jupiter-4 Roland MC-8 Roland System 700 Yamaha CS-15 Cierto es que ya estaban Kraftwerk, e incluso en modo más pop The Buggles o M (y sobre todo New Order), pero The Human League con este disco fueron la espita que abrió la puerta a toda una generación de música y estilos: New Wave electro-pop. Depeche Mode y OMD, entre cientos y cientos, bien que tomaron nota. I am the law y Seconds son una muestra evidente. Fuera de la banda, que no pudo igualar jamás el nivel y éxito de este disco, Oakey compuso junto a Moroder el pepinazo: Together in Electric Dreams. Este disco marcó una época por todo: producción, sonido, vídeos, estilismo, (que gente que apenas tenía voz ni sabía cantar tuviera ese resultado) y sobre todo por su tremendo éxito.
классический синти поп 80-х. звучание ретро причтное
Loved the classic song Don't You Want Me. I also really liked Open Your Heart, Darkness and Do Or Die. Overall a good album.
I forgot about this one.
Yes, I DO want you, baby. This album has some incredible ear worms powered by next generation synths that you'd pay an arm and a leg for in 2025. Even if some of the lyrics are a little underwhelming, each track hooks you in just in instrumentation alone.
Don’t You Want Me has long been a synth-pop favorite of mine, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the rest of the album just as exuberant and danceable as its lasting hit.
I want to like this album more than I actually do, because I like The Human League and I really enjoy "Don't You Want Me" (obviously - I am a human being). There are a couple of meh songs though and since there are only ten songs at all that's not a great percentage. 3.5 rounded up
Some really enjoyable 80s pop
Good synthpop album. Nothing less, nothing more
Quite a good album with some sick beats
Love it, classic new wave! You can hear the influence on so many later electro-pop bands. Sparse, melodic hooks, great beats. Favorite song is, of course, Don’t You Want Me, but also liked Love Action, Darkness and The Sounds of the Crowd. 3.75⭐️
nothing special but fun. 4
The Human League - Dare! Very catchy album that depicts the 80's aesthetic really, overall it's great. 1.- The Things That Dreams Are Made Of = 7/10 2.- Open Your Heart = 8/10 3.- The Sound Of The Crowd = 7/10 4.- Darkness = 10/10 5.- Do Or Die = 9/10 6.- Get Carter = 5/10 7.- I Am The Law = 8/10 8.- Seconds = 9/10 9.- Love Action (I Believe In Love) = 10/10 10.- Don't You Want Me = 10/10 FINAL SCORE: 8.3/10
everybody needs two or three friends
Classic synth pop at its finest. I feel like this would've been groundbreaking at the time of release
This was hitting at a 3, totally dated synth pop. But then the last track, the classic hit Don't You Want Me came on and man oh man is that a classic that has held up despite the dated synth sounds. Uplifted comfortably to a 4, and clearly belongs on the 1001 list for that track alone.
Classic electronic pop music
DON'T YOU WANT ME BABYYYYY? DON'T YOU WANT ME? OOO-OOOOH, DON'T YOU WANT ME BABYYYYY? DON'T YOU WANT ME? OOO-OOOOH, Absolute Banger und ich bedanke mich bide Human League (Nomal e The Band), dass sie das Meisterstück je produziert hend. Und lucky us, gits bi dem Album mit Love Action und The Things That Dreams Are Made Of no zwei wiiteri Bangers wo in guete 80er-jahr-synth-pop-albe in Dauerschleife chönd gspielt werde. Absolut verdienti vier DON'T YOU WAN'T ME BABYYYYYYYYYYY?
hallo the whoman league direkt chömed erinnerige uf. und zwar nöd wie ich 1981 ih min oversized blazer schlüpfe und in miami gang go beach volleyball spiele, sondern ah die paarwüchigi ära wo "Don‘t You Want Me“ gfühlt am timon und mis lieblingslied gsi isch und mir bim gmeinsame choche ah de missionsstrass zämme chli s‘fudi gschwunge händ, good times <3 die restliche lieder hani glaub alli nonie bewusst glost, aber han öppe 4 als provisorischi staubfänger ih minere oldies playlist platziert 4 roland juno-106s uf d‘theke
7/10
Fun vibe, 80s or whatever. Not sure that the musical style and the lyrics really go together? "I Am the Law" is nicely menacing.
Great band. Great album. Great songs. Fun listen.
If you were to imagine what the rest of the album that contains "Don't You Want Me" sounded like, it would be this. I don't like electronic music as a rule, but I liked this.
Think it's mostly a testament to how much LCD Soundsystem I've been listening to but I thought this was really good. That said, Gary Numan definitely influenced LCD and I thought his album was bad so human league must be decent. Songs with a proper bass run and shorter notes were the best, ones with more wishy washy synth not as good. Had different opinions about the singing from one song to the next, when it works it works and when it doesn't it gets on my nerves. Having said all of this, enjoyed it.
Have loved this album since it was released. Still pull it out once in a while although the synth heavy sound has not aged terribly well.
I genuinely had no idea as to the depth and acuity of the Human League's song craft. I think I'd fallen prey to thinking that they were lightweights in comparison with their peers. Well, I've already made that mistake with their Sheffield contemporaries ABC, and whaddya know, I've tripped up again. However, whilst ABC's Lexicon of Love is one of my favourite ever - ever - albums, this merely reaches outstanding. You know who else came from the Steel City? Def Leppard. What a hotbed of talent. Sheffield!
80s Music at its best. I really enjoyed this album. There are some great pop songs on this album like Open your heart, The things that dreams are made of and dont you want me. Favourite song: Love action ( I belive in love) and dont you want me. Least favourite: All good Album artwork: Cool cover
Hey! Guess what! I like New Wave. And this is like. PEAK new wave. I love it.
En allant dans cet album j'avais un peu peur qu'il n'y aille que "Don't You Want Me" qui soit bonne et que le reste donne l'impression que ce n'était qu'un single feu de paille. Mais globalement c'était très solide. Je ne dirais pas que c'est le meilleur album new wave que j'ai entendu dans cette liste, mais l'instrumentation était bonne, très bonne production, très bon flux. À garder en rotation. 8/10
Liked it.
I need to know what drug some 80’s album cover artists were on. Like, whose idea is it to put your face in a rectangle window in a void. And why is Phillip Oakey staring at me with that much eyeliner? Anyway, I’m a sucker for 80’s synth. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine that gives the decade its standalone vibe. It’s a weirdly nostalgic feeling… which is weird because I was born in the 90’s. It is a bit synth overkill here, and the tracks do get a little repetitive. But it’s perfectly serviceable for what it is. Honestly, I didn’t expect to get some sinister sounds from the likes of Darkness and I Am The Law. It’s different from what I heard from the Human League before… which was really just Don’t You Want Me. Really, the beauty of this generator is making me listen to albums from bands I heard one song from, just so the song I was familiar with all along ends up my favorite. Still, this was pretty fun and I certainly got into the vibe a couple of times. It’s 80’s as hell, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Favorite track: Don’t You Want Me Other hits: Open Your Heart, Darkness, I Am The Law, Love Action (I Believe In Love), Do or Die
Classic from back in the day!!
Nema ovdje ništa drugo ni približno zarazan kao dont you want me ali je i dalje fora i nekako ugodno naivno
So different and unique. His voice, the music and lyrics. A good album.
Liked it more than i thought i would
8/10 Holy shit I love a synth or two. 12-21-2024
Deliberately put off listening to this in full as I know how revered it is but don't know it beyond the hits. Though I've known those hits basically as my very earliest musical memories, so they have always been with me. And it has come up so late Into my journey, in the last 100, like a delightful cherry on top of my 1088 cakes. Big fan of Pulp, and from the opening bars of this record it's influence on them is clear. Certainly on Intro and HisnHers at any rate. What a fucking banger Open Your Heart is, and so uplifting. I guess if you hate synth pop you won't like this, but I feel that the quality of the songs here should overcome even that. However, I like synth pop, because it's great, and so naturally I absolutely love this.
It's perfect pop from the 1980s and a genre defining album. I'm not into the 80s sound but I have to give credit where credit is due - it's a great album even if it isn't really my taste. And, it was clever to put the big hit at the end of the album. 4/5.
November 25, 2024 HL: "Don't You Want Me", "Open Your Heart", "Darkness", "Love Action", "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" Love some human music 🤖
# Album Name: Dare! # Artist: The Human League # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: This album was a complete grower for me. I knew their hits - love action and dont you want me. So i thought id give it a chance. Normally, theres not many 80s synth albums i can listen to all the way through. However, this album is a very good album in the genre. Despite what anyone says of Dont you want me, its an absolute classic from the era, Great song. Love action is another ive heard dashed around countless 80's albums. Another good song. Seconds was a complete grower too. Other good tunes - Open your heart, sound of the crowd, darkness, Overall, i loved the vibe and synth feel of this album. Plenty of great catchy tracks on this one. # Top Tunes: Dreams are made of / Love action / Dont you want me / Open your heart / sound of the crowd / darkness / seconds # Would I listen to it again? Of course my horse
Great album.
The first track was ok. Second track, open your heart, is really good. Track three is good right off the bat too. The lead single was the closer on the album?!? This album is really good.
Own 2 of their albums (Hysteria Crash) knew only Don't You Want Me from this album. Not all tracks are as good as that but there is enough here to like.
4.0
Kuinka paljon maailmassa onkaan hienoja pimpom-synamelodioita! Tälläkin levyllä monta upeaa. Ekassa biisissä on mahtavat sanat, ja vika ehdoton klassikko. Ne myivät koko levyn mulle, vaikka välissä on no jaa -biisejä. Vähän kuin kirjan kansi: tavallaan upee, tavallaan vähän kauhee.
Always love some good synth pop
This was fun! Plus a star for don't you want me
The Human League dropped their album with their big fuckoff hit on it at the perfect time: the tech was nerdy enough to experiment and sport rough edges to its synth sound and yet cool and cutting edge enough to avoid total obscurity. the idea that you could make a No. 1 hit with nothing but electric instruments that wasn't pure novelty probably inspired more young artists than Yaz or M or Hot Butter did. that's the benefit of going pop, everyone can see you being weird and call you a trendsetter. still, it can be a bit silly to hear some of these synths, especially with the confusing 1-2 whiff of "Get Carter" and "I Am The Law". despite how cool songs like "Seconds" and "Do or Die" can sound, there are still bits on here that remind you you're listening to a band named after a faction in StarForce who were notorious for covering the Doctor Who theme live.
first listen some classic 80s synth
You can't just keep saying "I am the Law," lieutenant-yefreitor. But for serious, I don't think I've ever actually listened to this whole album, and shocking nobody, it's good 80s synthpop - it lags a bit at points, but the bangers bang. And now I'm going to be singing Working as a Waitress all day.
OMG it’s the album we got three copies of that all skipped! Yay vinyl!