Dare!

bof sans trop d'intérêt fav: the sound of the crowd, Darkness (assez cool), Hard times aussi (DU-Dududu-dududu) On sent que ça a influencé MGMT par exemple 6/10

was one of a handful of LPs in the house in the 80s - can't say i'd give it much of a spin now other than for some curious nostalgia

Some good songs, some not so much. Don't you want me baby is an iconic 80's hit, this song alone raises the rating to three stars.. However, the first part of the album is quite meh.

I can have a good time if I am high or drunk listening to this in a party xD! The fake instruments are very funny but 1981.. Quite progressive I guess! Also the "Don't You Want Me" chorus is a hit, haha! 3 stars.

Alright. I thought I was gonna like it more.

Great singles. A bit much as an album, all very similar.

It was good but mainly because of the last track on the album

fine

Fun listen. Top quality pop musicj. I respect savin the banger til the end. And WHAT a banger!

Wasn’t interested in listening to this but it was actually ok. Pure 80s pop with all their hits made it semi-enjoyable.

For an album that's as old as me, I find the use of instruments available at that time fascinating. And they definitely saved the best for last. Overall, I just don't think the songwriting is particularly good, I would probably have enjoyed it more if it was instrumental. 6.5/10

Had some head hopping but it’s very one paced. I was a bit disappoint, but I had high expectations. The last song creeps into a 3, I’ll prob be singing this all day now.

it was different, not bad, just not something I'd listen to every day

It was pretty solid, very fun 80s pop! I liked it

Underground-y y pop-y a la vez. Lo que me pareció cool: grandes percusiones, tanto las de instrumentos como las de los beats electrónicos e incluso las percusiones que no sé si en realidad cuenten como percusiones porque vienen más bien del bajo. Como que no son sonidos súper catchy, pero sí lo suficiente para que me mantengan entretenido. No es mi estilo y no creo regresar al disco, pero he de admitir que suena bastante cool sobre todo las canciones como The Sound of the Crowd, Darkness y Seconds que suenan postpunk (quizás por la voz y las percusiones muy graves características del género?) con una fusión movidona disco-ish. Me imagino que está cool para los apreciadores del synth pop como andruk. 7/10. Track que más disfruté: Love Action por lo refrescante que ha de haber sido escuchar algo disco con una voz que no fuera irritablemente aguda.

Really good actually

3.8 + Solid 80s synth pop mixed with some interesting experiments like “I Am the Law.” Kraftwerk fingerprints all over but with enough pop to set it apart. “Don’t You Want Me” is a radio favorite, too. “Love Action” limps along towards the end. The track ordering is a little whacky - I can’t think of many albums where the smash hit appears last.

Ganz nett

10 canciones y 40 minutos. Desde el principio es puro sonido 80. En este disco está su gran, gran éxito: "Don't you want me". El disco bastante flojo para mi gusto, va mejorando hacia el final: Seconds, Love Actions y el remate de su éxito como última canción. Le doy 3 estrellas justitas.

Nostalgia again for me. I was raised on Human League. There are definitely some bangers on here, but unfortunately it's nothing that stands out as an amazing album, except for it ending on two belters

I know The Human League were pioneers in this sound, but it never did a whole lot for me. I always found it a bit cheesy, I like the instrumentation more than than the vocal stylings, but even then it's a little cheesy sometimes as well.

I came in wanting to like this but no, I was right the first time - human league are annoying. Interesting to hear the craftwerk influences though. Don’t you want me is a tune

MEGET elektronisk, som om en kun keyboard og trommemaskine. Kun et hit og det er heller noget særligt. Ikke min stil

Similar to soft cell in that I wanted so much more from the album. Disappointed

So, it's got that one song on it. You may not know the song, until you hear it, and then you're like, yeah, that one. So anyway, it's at the very end, and while the songs you have to wade through to get there aren't all bad, they're not that great either. Best track: Don't You Want Me

A little bare for my tastes, but fun.

Didn't really care for it.

Just what I expected.

Don't you want me is a banger. Album is devoid of any others. Probably deserves a place for historical relevance. 2/5.

That's one long slog to get to the only song with a hook. I'm sure that some of the synth tones were groundbreaking for their time, but it just doesn't hold up. Wait... The Human League had TWO female vocalists? Where the hell were they?

they have a couple of good ones...

Good synths

This is genuinely bad music. With some patience and time, I could reproduce most of these songs on the organ in my brother’s attic. With the exception of “Don’t You Want Me” this album is completely forgettable and one salad doesn’t make a fat man thin. Following that line of thinking I’ve gotta go with the overwhelming theme that they got lucky once and the rest of their music doesn’t belong on this project. I mean let’s be honest, they put the song last on the album because they didn’t realize the value it held either.

This is really bad. Like really really bad. They got lucky with Don't You Want Me which a good enough song, but the rest of the album is....well....really really bad.

kind of a one song album Will I listen to again: 4%

Not udder shite but derivative 80's synth pop. I have a hard time to enjoy this beyond surface value. Don't You Want Me infinitely iconic banger. I'm sure there is more of this band I'd appreciate but I didn't find much of it on this album.

Pretty weak music, even for 80s new wave. 2/5

At first I felt the album sounded as I would expect from an electronic band in the 80s but as the songs went on I found myself wondering why all the songs were so long I checked the length of the tracks an realized that it was just me getting bored in the middle of the songs feeling like they dragged on. Not something I want to feel while listening through an album. The fact that I felt the same in multiple songs makes it kind of obvious why I wont be coming back to this album in the future.

3/10

The music is amazing but the annoying vocals ruin it for me.

Very synth. Idk. Aliens?

Not the worst of the 11 albums I chose to listen to today

I do not like this genre. Saved the best song for last, huh? 2/5

It's funny this, I guess it was cutting edge moody brooding music at the time but it sounds a bit silly and twee now. Hey guys check out my synth

No es tanto mi estilo

80s futurism hasn't aged too well imo -- but there is like a decent song here and there. I think if you want synth stuff there is just much better options all around now. I respect it but it ain't for me. 2

Annoying synths. Overly dramatic vocals, that I don’t think are very good or very pleasing to listen to. Lyrics are blah. Basically just alt 80s schlock. Didn't like this band then, don’t like this band now.

Best Song: Don't You Want Me. I spent the whole album wondering why this album was on this list, only to have the one hit wonder in the final position. And honestly, it's not even that big of a hit. Worst Song: Get Carter. In what world was this whistle song a necessary contribution to the album? Overall: Another extremely missable 80s record. Even the cover of the album lets you know that you're in for just that greasy, sweaty-dancefloor, bright lights style music.

Ah, interesting, blah blah, the foundation of punk, blah blah, provenance, blah blah meh meh.

Not a lot from this album that doesn’t sound the same

2.5

“Don’t You Want Me” is such a sonic stand-out. The detail work on that song, the attitude, the back and forth — fantastic. Holds up great. But the rest of the album pales in comparison and does not age gracefully. I will say, the opening song gave me hope. But alas, as much as I hate to go as low as 2/5, I think I have to this time. But with the caveat that “Don’t You Want Me” still deserves its place in the synth pop hall of fame. By the way, isn’t this a rather ironic name for a band so committed to electronic music and drum machines?

I didn’t hate this, but I am maybe more willing to indulge 80s pop than some. It doesn’t go fully overboard with the pop tropes and I think it’s pretty reasonable to listen to, but there’s nothing to elevate it. I have a soft spot for Don’t You Want Me from when it was a bit of an anthem at a previous job but that couldn’t lift the album on its own. Derivative.

It's quite mushy.  "Open Your heart" is a little coy with its little alluring blurps and whistles (it certainly doesn't end there either it's a feature by design in the album).  It's all quite tame for me and a little too pop gloss for me.  It's got a deep 80's synth and while it might have been innovative at the time it has a very retro feel to it and not for the better.  Camp pop and not so fun.

It's a rare situation when the genres listed for an album essentially describe everything you need to know about the album. This is just a nugget of new wave, electro/synth pop. It is what it is and not a lot more. The question is, do you like the genre? If you answered no then you are in for a rough 40mins. This is interesting as a cultural snapshot into a place and time but nothing more. Quite a few tracks would be fine in isolation but a whole album is a bit much. Just listen to one song and you've heard it all.

i was excited for this one. but nothing really grabbed me here as i'd hoped.

Made the list because of one mediocre song

They wrote a synth pop anthem that defined the genre. Unfortunately the rest of the album is ass.

Just no. One good song

This was not fun.

The idea of 80s synth music must be destroyed. Dorkiest music genre made in the last 100 years hands down.

"don't you want me" it's the only banger.

Muy 80s pop, muy comercial; anticipa el pop electrónico. Es bueno pero no lo volvería a escuchar. Lo más emocionante fue escuchar la última canción que es super icónica "don't you want me". Overall, va bene.

The '80's.... what a time to be alive. This was fun but nothing revolutionary. "Don't You want me" is classic though. 2.5 stars

Don’t you want me is a banger. The rest we pretty forgettable.

The "singing" is more a talking. Some southern dutch people talk roughly the same way this person "sings"...

offensive

Mostly really bad. Ends with a banger though.

Lowkey everything I dislike about 80s music - stupid synths, boring drum tracks, singer that pisses me off. Great!!

I had rock bottom expectations for this one. Heard a few tracks down the years and they’re just not for me at all. I would’ve given one star but Open Your Heart is a decent enough track.

I didn’t gel with this album. The singles are ok but the rest was just pretty bland New Romantic synth pop, no other tracks stood out. 2.2

I can appreciate that songs like Love Action and Don't You Want me are well written and I can understand why they are popular. But there's nothing about this style of synth pop that wants me to hear more. It's a lot better than Heaven 17, however the bar there is low.

wasnt the best

And I like the 80s but this was too much.

Boring. Pretty bland

Weak start, grew on me a little by the end. I don't really like this record, but Don't You Want Me is still a banger.

truth!

One hit wonder

A lot of these songs sound frantic and a little undercooked. I probably won’t listen again. BUT, it’s cool to hang out at the headwaters of a river that ran into all of my favorite music.

Synth instrumentals are annoying. Vocals aren't bad, but the effects make it sound like he needs a better mic.

mostly annoying disco synth whatever

Even for an 80s album, this one sounds so DATED.

Strong GTA Vice City vibes. It was fine to listen to, there seems to be a spectrum of sub sounds in the 80’s era synth wave, whether the bands go dark and moody like depeche mode and new order, or more happy and commercial vibes like flock of seagulls etc. Felt to me like human league hadn’t really decided where they fit in that spectrum on this album

You never know what to expect when being exposed to a full album of a one hit wonder. Sometimes the music is surprisingly good and you, well, wonder why none of their other songs ever broke through. This was not one of those times.

I hate 80s music. This Album has whopping 2 songs that don't make me develop symptoms, that's something!

Listening session: march 4th, while getting ready in the morning Listened to before: listened to one song before Thoughts: of course Don’t You Want Me is a banger, but the rest is quite forgettable and just classic 80s stuff Favourite track: Don’t You Want Me

Synth pop. Over 800 entries to go and hoping this is the exception genre, and not the rule. As far as the genre goes, this is a fine example. Don't You Want Me Baby? is giving me misogyny ick today, although it was a real bop when first released. Why does the album cover photo give me Vanity Fair Karoline Leavitt photo icks?) ⭐⭐

Don't You Want Me is a next level great song. The rest, could do without.

There have certainly been worse things on this list. Thankfully, the saving grace here is how heavily The Human League leans into the synth nature of their music. Unfortunately, the vocals work against them. There is a clear best track here, with the three most popular songs also being my favorites. But still, the way The Human League writes and performs their choruses here was exhausting, repetitive to a fault. Which is a shame because I could see myself easily swaying the other way and having a nice 80's time with this album. Highlight: Don't You Want Me Lowlight: Do Or Die Surprise Hit: Open Your Heart

The aptest description of this album would be "a 35-minute slog to get to Don't You Want Me". Safe to say "synth pop" is a genre that does not translate well to the modern era, no matter how you spin it. Even something like Charli XCX's Brat has to be produced excellently, and make use of a great, well-established singer, for it to be listenable in any capacity. The Human League doesn't quite accomplish any of these (except for the synth pop part). The singing is poor, the production is brash and echoey (cementing Dare! firmly as a product of its time), and as far as I know, The Human League is a one-hit-wonder band with little justification for calling themselves "well-established". At least Open Your Heart is decent after the empty, lifeless The Things That Dreams Are Made Of. I think that's a recorder or flute mimicking the melody, and though goofy, it helps pad out the sound and dilute the horrendous synths. And the melody itself is passable. Do Or Die stands out mildly because it makes use of hand-percussion, which is much friendlier on the ears than their electronic counterpart. (Or, if the hand-percussion is actually electronic, it does a very good job of sounding otherwise.) Love Action is decent too, if only for its chorus melody. Nothing else stands out in the track, though. Of course, Don't You Want Me is the main act here: the singing is slightly better than usual, and the synths sound good only by imitating other instruments (staccato brass and disco-esque strings, to name a couple). And the singer worked out that he'd sound good if he harmonised with someone who actually does! Who knew? It makes the chorus not only bearable but surprisingly catchy. Songs like Get Carter and The Sound Of The Crowd are terrible. They deserve all of the lack-of-attention they've gotten. 2/5 Key tracks: Open Your Heart, Don't You Want Me

I don't get it.

Very 80s synth-popbwith a singer who can't sing but has an "interesting" voice

Valus ja logisev brit-pop 80ndatest. Muusika on tehtud veidraks lihtsalt sp, et see oleks veider, aga sel pole mingit head kiiksu, mis selle kuulatavaks teeks. See üks hitt "Don't You Want Me" veidike tõstab albumit, aga see on tõesti üks ainsaid kuulatavaid asju siit. 2.4/5.

Just not my thing

meh

Knowing only Don't You Want Me going in, I was looking forward to an album full of synth bangers. Unfortunately I was disappointed; most of the songs lack in energy and are clearly worse in overall production quality than DYWM.

Probably groundbreaking for it's time, it sounds like generic 80's synth pop by a one hit wonder

Miss me with the synth pop. I was gearing up to give this a 1 but then Don't You Want Me came on so this got the nostalgia bump.

Struggled with this one. I get that without the building blocks of this kind of synth pop you wouldn't have other more interesting artists picking up new technologies and going somewhere else with it. But this is definitely a genre of music that grates for me. Why? There is nowhere to hide in the simplicity of the song writing and arrangements, lack of any sense of depth or anything transcendent. I suppose the 'ordinariness' of it is part of the point, but I struggle with the lack of... spirit?? It's so grey. And not ironically grey. Maybe my ears got used to it, as I think the second half of the album is more interesting to listen to than the first, but it certainly not one that I will go back to. Not as bad as yesterday's album, so it's a 2. Total number of tracks: 10 'Fave' Track: Urg. Ok so the one I found most interesting was #7 'I am the law'. I'll dance at an 80's disco to #10 'Don't You Want Me'.

Maybe more like 2.5 just for the “don’t you want me baby” song

Synth-pop. Yawn.

One good song at least

I wanted to like this because I genuinely really like Don't You Want Me but the rest of it is roooooough. Even for a new wave band, the synths and drum machines are really cheesy, and the lyrics are too dumb for such a vocals-focused band. This might be a 1 if not for the final track.

bold adventures in making albums where only one song is good

I can't stand the album but I'll give it a 2 for influence

Oef, een britse synthetic pop band uit de jaren 80. Dat kan voor mij wel eens een bittere pil worden. Zie wel dat Dont you want me als laatste erin staat. Dat is iig wel een lekkere afsluiter! Terwijl ik dit typ speelt overigens het eerste nummer af en het is oke. Wel echt synthesizer to the max. Het album is afgelopen en ik wil eigenlijk zeggen; hehe. Vrij eentonig allemaal en eigenlijk gwn een one hit wonder; Dont you want me baby. De rest in alle eerlijkheid vrij matig met een overhoeveelheid aan synthesizer. 2 reten

I prefer the older, less commercial stuff by The Human League. Some nice tracks but in total a bit disappointing tbh

No private session used for Spotify. I didn't care for The Human League in the early 80's and I like them even less after listening to a complete album. This album contains everything I dislike about 80's music, nothing but synth.

It’s just fine.

Vond dit saaier dan verwacht

Dit is niet hoe je synths goed gebruikt. Behalve Dont You Want Me, +1 ster daarvoor

De meest achterhaalde instrumentatie die ik in lange tijd heb gehoord. Vocals zijn matig tot slecht. De interlude halverwege is het allergrootste vraagteken hier. Er was blijkbaar iemand die dat matige nokia beltoontje had getikt op een synth en dacht: mijn album heeft beperkt ruimte van max 40 minuten maar deze minuut MOET ertussen. Deze plaat wordt gered van de shame-pile door Don't You Want Me, vandaar toch 2 sterren.

Before we get to the music, I hate this album cover. It’s so ugly I can barely look at it. One point deduction right there. The music is fine. Unremarkable britpop that pops out a couple of standout tracks. Even “Don’t You Want Me” becomes a bit of a plod. Not much to say here.

Undoubtedly a seminal synthpop record, but it lacks the hooks it needs to be a truly engaging listen. Don’t You Want Me tacked on as track 10… holy.

It’s interesting hearing these “futuristic” sounds from a time in the past. Didn’t really enjoy the album, but was fun to listen to once

1.8 Not that I particularly like the song but Dont you want me, drags this out of the proverbial 80's synth pop gutter.

Average

I'm just getting sick of new wave at this point. This album isn't that bad but it's getting harder to discern this from everything else I've heard

Does anyone know any of the other songs on this album besides “Don’t You Want Me”? All the songs nearly sounded identical

Remember listening to this album around 1982 on the bounce from the punk/new wave movement and found this a refreshing listen. Not so sure this time but an ok listen to be fair.

Very 80's, very mediocre.

Not my fav

For an album containing one of the biggest hits of the 80s, this is just kinda cromulent.

The 80s were a mistake.

perfectly fine, but incredibly repetitive and boring. at least it has some sick ass synth sounds lol

If a fax machine could make pop music.

Too eighties. Sounds dated.

2:5

Was okay

bland but the last song is a classic

All the early-80s features: Synthetic drums. Excessive harmonies. Peripheral noises. And all the reasons to lock the door to this era forever.

The opening track was horrendous, and the rest of the album wasn’t much better, the final track (despite being massively overplayed) was the only redeeming aspect.

Very 80’s, which is not necessarily a good thing. I, of course, knew and liked Don’t You Want Me, but I didn’t particularly like anything else.

This sucked. Afforded an extra point for “don’t you want me”

Did people in 1981 actually listen to this and think "I need a whole album of this music"?

A part don't you want me c'est un peu difficile a écouter ça a pris un gros coup de vieux. Ceci n'engage que moi! Next!

New Wave Pop is a burden on the ears Best Song: Don't You Want Me Rating: 3.5/10 Stars: 2

The whole album sounds like one song. It's not bad but dated and a little embarrassing.

Yet another early eighties new wave album. Didn't care for this. The music was just silly, and as a human I can definitively say I don't claim these guys. 1.5/5.0: Bad

Synth

Mhmm

Not my thing

1 catchy song does not a good album make

One good song does not make an album..

Eh, not that excited about this - even the hit at the end.

80's synth is not typically my jam, and there were a few bops (of course the classic club anthem "Don't you want me baby" fits here), but the rest were pretty unmemorable. The lyrics are dated and don't hold up either.

Os momentos mais climáticas e conceituais como em "Darkness", "I'm The Law" e "Seconds" trazem algo de interessante, mas na maior parte trata-se de pop dançante sem graça.

Ännu mera new wave. Nu i synthförpackning. Frågan är om detta tillsammans med grunge kan vara den mest överskattade genren inom populärmusik. Allt som oftast med stor brister i i själva låtsnickeriet. Ett sound blir då mycket viktigare än en i grunden bra låt. Flera av spåren kunde lika gärna gjorts av ett gäng finniga tonåringar på en fritidsgård i en medelstor bruksort i Mellansverige.Don’t you want me är så klart en bra låt och ytterligare en eller två låtar är okej (second) men i övrigt? Nej det här håller inte. Svag två.

The things that dreams are made of tycker jag är rätt bra. I övrigt är jag inte särskilt förtjust i albumet. Låter nästan som Freestyle emellanåt.

Ну и хуйня

Too god damn long

I've never realized how much I appreciate human drummers.

More dated rubbish. Saving the best track til last was smart.

It's coming up It's coming up It's coming up It's coming up It's coming up It's coming up It's dare

With whiney lyrics and incelian veiled threats of what life would be like without him it's a wonder the lead singer is single at all! Super '80's synth riffs that is instantly recognizable plus their one big hit. Otherwise not much to recommend here.

Rating: 2.3 Could have been absolutely fantastic but so many boring repetitive fucking around songs in the middle. This is an epidemic and needs to be remedied immediately.

Had higher hopes for this but, it’s boring. And surprisingly repetitive

meh

Generic 80s pop that was probably big back in the day, but I do not care for it now.

1. The Things That Dreams Are Made Of - 4 It's really of its era. It's very much a track that hasn't stood the test of the time. It's just so rigid in its composition and the vocals are very monotone in nature. Like a poor version of a Tears For Fears track. 2. Open Your Heart - 1 Lyrically it's pretty poor and instrumentally it's even poorer. Really bad track. This hasn't aged well. 3. The Sound Of The Crowd - 4 More really cheap synthpop. Just really aged like milk kind of music. 4. Darkness - 4 It's alright. Kind of bubblegum pop, kind of cheap synthpop. It's enjoyable but it's not anything phenomenal. 5. Do Or Die - 6 Instrumentally and lyrically a lot better even if it is a little repetitive at times. Genuinely the best track on the album so far. 6. Get Carter - 0 Terrible sounding track. There's only one instrument and it sounds like nails across a chalkboard. Like a rejected Chrono Trigger song. 7. I Am The Law - 1 Instrumentally this is awful. Overall the lyrics are boring as well. It's like a cheap/budget David Bowie. 8. Seconds - 1 Extremely repetitive and dull. A track that could put you to sleep. 9. Love Action (I Believe In Love) - 4 More of a melancholic song. Repetitive and very cheesy, cardboard cut-out lyrics. Forgotten with the passage of time and for good reason as there's not anything remarkable about the track. 10. Don't You Want Me - 8 The more memorable song on an otherwise forgettable album, it's very 80s sounding but it somehow survived the test of time. Probably the only good track off the album. Average Rating: 3.3 Adjusted to 5-Point Scale: 1.65 Rounded Up: 2 Stars

I don't know, man. Is it a Must Listen? Nah. It's ok, especially if you love the 80's and keyboards. But, it's a little too same-y throughout. Not much that bugs me, except the 2 in the middle that are super repetitive. (Not going to go back and listen yet again, but the one about killing a guy in a minute. and the next one.) Their voices are fine, even adding some drama through inflection now and again. Could give it a 2.5 because it's not really bad and it does point musically at a point in time as a good representative. But if I'm asked to round on this one, I have to round down.

Don't You Want Me is obviously a banging classic, but there's not much else to engage.

I loathe the cover art of this album so much. The excessive white space, the incredibly uncomfortable cropping on the photo... it's like a graphic design "what not to do" sample. It's taken me weeks to convince myself to actually listen to the music lurking behind that awful image. I already know and dislike "Don't You Want Me" which doesn't help, but at least it's the last track so I can hit the stop button without remorse. Ugh, more of the same. Cold, naked synth and a pretentious douchebag on lead vocals, without much else to distract. It's not "catapult this into the sun" awful but it's getting buried in the "do not relisten" pile so I don't have to look at that awful cover again.

I wanted to like this more than I did. Don't You Want Me is still a banger though.

If it comes on the radio, I'm turning the dial. Bleech. 2

Everything bad about 80s music in one place.

Attractive and danceable melodies achieved through its synthesizers and percussion. A good use of various electronic effects, which I consider innovative for the early 80s. The bass lines captivated me in some songs and really transported me. However, I didn’t fall in love with any song. I believe each one has very appealing elements but there is always a part that disconnects me. I respect the album for its creative work and the identity it consolidated in pop and electronic music.

Not the worst of the endless UK 80's synth bands on this list, but can't say I'm blown away by a lot of this 2.5*

So 80s. Almost 70s since it was '81, but still painfully 80s. I feel like I've heard this album a hundred times on this journey.

No thanks. 1 radio hit. Meh.

Ikke direkte trivelig, men ikke vondt

This is so annoying. I mean, great mood and nice synth but the singing and lyrics just makes me mad. So much repetition.

“Don’t You Want Me” is one of the best one-hit wonders of the 80s, so I was hoping that this would be an amazing surprise and the rest of the album would be awesome. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Really bland, pretty boring 80s synth pop. “Don’t You Want Me” is the last track and obvious stand out. I was just waiting to get to that the whole time.

2 stars for Don’t you Want Me.

I started off really liking it until every song had the same singing style with overlapping synths. Needed a bit more

Not my cup of tea

A third of the Holy Trinity of Synth Pop. We definitely get the hits on this album, and between those two factors, it's earned its place on the list. I just can't get behind synth pop. Your record should not be able to be reproduced by a teenager and her Casio keyboard. Digital just sounds worse than analogue, and while that can be corrected for with songwriting, actual instrumentation, and other factors, neither The Human League nor any of its progeny manages to do it. 2

An album saved by the last 2 tracks. A lot of sequenced bobbins interspersed with shouting and blundering melodies. Not a lot to be fond of.

To much synth

411/1001

it's not really bad, but doesn't deserve to be on this list.

A classic. Just not for me.

The one song I recognized was the best one of the bunch

Reading the description I was convinced I was going to love this. Unfortunately I didn’t find enough differences between the songs and many of the lyrics too goofy. There’s still some good beats and hooks but it never rises to anything but ok. 2.5/5

All the buildup of a mediocre 80s band, just to lead up to the one song everyone knows from that one commercial on TV or movie trailer or whatever...

No songs really caught my interest, but didn't need to skip any.

This kind of represents a lot of the music of the 80s as a whole: it’s fine, but nothing really stands out about it and it’s instantly forgettable.

I enjoyed listening to this but the quality gap between the singles and filler is enormous.

Talk about “I Want My MTV”. This album is a rare specimen, something I haven’t seen yet in my journey. It’s really, really boring! I can think of maybe two or three songs on this album that actually sounded different to me. The rest of them sounded the same. They all sounded over produced and awash with heavy synths. I would be able to excuse that if the songs were catchy, but none of them stuck in my head the way some other new wave classics have. No song felt like it had its own distinct identity or even a theme that I really liked. I’m trying not to say anything nasty about the band, because I know they tried their hardest to create a good album, but it really didn’t stick for me. Like I brought up at the start, it sounds like it was made to be played on MTV, and that’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.

It's not the 1 star I thought it was going to be a minute in, enough catch elements to snag a second star.

Meh

A fine singles band, but I don’t ever really want to listen to a full album by The Human League. Not a big new wave guy, so this was a bit of a struggle. Fun in bursts, but that’s about it.

# 515 : Dare! Slow and dreamy 80's Synth Pop, with the best two songs last on the album. Some fun instrumental choices, but this really is a one hit wonder and I found it rather ordinary. Favourite Track: Don't You Want Me. Listened: 02/07/2025

Good singles, hard to fill the album length

Meh, The Human League heeft eigenlijk maar één goed nummer imo en da's ook enkel maar omdat het een meezinger is. 1.5

It was alright. I'm not sure how this fit the best album criteria but maybe at the time it was more significant than it is now. Sometimes the synths were fire, other times it felt wonky. Many of the lyrics were just repetitive.

Oh brother

Expected to like this one because of “Don’t you want me” and “Keep Feeling Fascination”. Neither are what the rest of Dare sounds like. It’s just a drum machine and some tolerable singing.

More dulled emotion synth-pop, some on a groovier dance side and some a more straight new wave style, that has some catchy hooks but not much else to it to me. There’s cool little synth snippets in most songs, but not much to remember overall.

Quite repetitive. Darkness and I Am The Law were kinda fun though. And Don't You Want Me is always nice. Best son: Darkness

Not really a fan of his voice, they do have one or two slightly catchy songs

Not nearly as bad as I expected.

I did not care for this.

#596. It's not techno, it's new wave! And you're listening to Wave 103! Ok, ok, the Human League song that was in that game was not from this album, but it was the first thing I thought of. Anyway, this album would be ok, but 'The Thing That Dreams are Made Of' and 'I am The Law' are fucking bad, and they really drag the rest down. 2/5: not great overall

Gonna be carried by Do You Want Me Wow even that song sucks Early synth, this went number 1 in the UK lol

Somebody had to lead the way on new wave, I suppose. This is a sonic artifact. Like, "Don't You Want Me" still kind of bangs (and I enjoyed "Seconds"), but the rest of this sounds so rudimentary it borders on crude. I appreciate the genre-defining, pop-pioneering action going on here, so while I can't say I enjoyed my listen that much I am glad I've heard it.

Odd

2 absolute bangers but mostly complaining

le sobran 9 temas

Time capsule. Well executed but so many bands did synthopop better.

I thought I would enjoy the nostalgia much more than I did.

Don't You Want Me is the answer to the question of what song from the 80's is the one I can never remember at trivia night. Maybe listening to this album will help me for the next time, but chances are both will remain totally forgettable to me.

The only reason this gets 2 stars instead of 1 is because the one hit wonder song Don’t You Want Me finishes off the album.

Like Devo, but more stuck up and less fun.

10 songs that all sound the same.

This album reminds me why, in my formative years of music listening, I looked back to the 1970s inspiration. This album sucks.

Boring but inoffensive.

One iconic song from my youth couldn’t save this mess of an album.

Typical British new-wave album feat. a heavily-played, recognizable radio single. Not my cuppa tea.

It’s wasn’t a horrible album, but I still hate 80’s music. Don’t you want me is okay I guess. 4/10

nae det är inget vidare för mig. man skulle varit lite mer synthig så hade det nog funkat.

2 - One cool song and the rest is a fucking bore fest...sorry

I'm not even convinced I listened to the right version of this, but what I did listen to was pretty badly dated and annoying. 2.3/5

I guess this was fine. Just a lot of synths. A LOT. And a bit too much for my liking. And after a few songs, that drum sound gets annoying as well. "I Am The Law" is definitely my least favourite track on here. One thing I liked about this album is that it has a bit of a darker sound than the synth-pop albums I am used to and it still remains dancy. So that was interesting to hear. The first and the last track are my favourites; all the stuff between them is not really my taste.

Requiring an exam and license to operate a synthesizer may not be the worst thing ever. The one hit on the album is a song I’ve always thought was a bit irritating and the rest was worse

Two seconds in: oh no. We're in for a rough one. By the end: are we done yet? Oh thank god. Given that this is one of my least favorite genres, there was no way I was going to be into this. That said, I feel like I would probably really like this album if I liked 80's synth pop stuff. I think this is pretty good by the genre standards? 2.3 Side note from the next day: I'm watching the show "The Americans" right now, and the episode I watched last night featured a poster for The Human League on the wall of a girl's bedroom. Fun coincidence to see that twice in the same day.

Pretty bog standard 80s pop record, nothing too special about it and a bit generic imo

While I can't deny the great songwriting of the obvious track, this album really does make you work for it. Tracks 2-8 range from boring to downright unlistenable. If Don't You Want Me wasn't on this record, this wouldn't have been remembered by the end of the 80s. Best Tracks: - Don't You Want Me - Love Action (I Believe In Love) - The Things That Dreams Are Made Of Worst Tracks: - I Am The Law - Open Your Heart Rating: 3/10

This album is really really only here due to one song. And it's a great song but come on. These songs seemed unfinished and underproduced. Weird 80s and not in an endearing way. 4.25/10 (2.125/5)

At least the "hit" was at the end of the album, so you had to go through the whole thing before you get to it. Kinda made a good build up to it, I was more involved with the other songs, even with the 80s synth sound. But still, I just thought it was... not memorable. And that's never good. NEXT.

Don’t you want me is an all time classic while the rest is just eh

not remarkable

that sure is one of the synth pop albums of all time

Luv the 80s me give me more synth Saying that, I was so bored apart from the last two songs

2.5/5 - I love all the elements separately, but put together it wasn’t my cup of tea. Standout track - do I even have to say it

Not a fan! The lead single “Don’t You Want Me” is fun for what it is, but this genre isn’t sustainable for an entire album, at least as presented here. “Everybody needs love and adventure / Everybody needs cash to spend / Everybody needs love and affection / Everybody needs 2 or 3 friends.” When I was listening, I was constantly put off by the shallow lyricism, but that might just be personal taste.

Unglaublich öde

Hm, I expected to like it much more than I did. Usually I enjoy synthpop but somehow here, except for the hit single which I love, I got really bored and tired of the sound. I'll try again some other time.

I don’t have that thing that makes me love 80s music like this. I can only appreciate it for about four minutes, so I’m fine with the hits. And their hit is a hit! Wasn’t really worth the rest of the album to get to that point though.

Groupe connu, par le hit 'Don't you want me' qui passait beaucoup à la radio et que j'appréciais beaucoup à l'époque. C'est donc la première fois que j'écoute un album entier du groupe. Et bien je suis un peu déçu. 'Don't you want me' continue à me plaire, mais les autres morceaux sont moins intéressants. J'ai quand même apprécié 'Do or Die' pour son chorus de synthé un peu recherché. C'est peu ... Finalement je comprends pourquoi je ne me suis pas intéressé plus à ce groupe ... A la même époque Ultravox (malheureusement pas dans la liste ... incompréhensible !) avais sorti 2 hits ('Vienna' puis 'The Thin Wall') vraiment créatifs et bien plus originaux. 40 ans après j'ai une bonne partie de leurs albums, et j'apprécie toujours de les écouter en entier ! Alors que Human League a complètement disparu de mon univers musical. =>2/5

Could have saved us a lot of time by putting don’t you want me as track 1!

So dated! That classic synth-pop sound! Took me back to my heyday, trip down memory lane and all that. But they were fairly generic for the era. I could’ve been listening to one of a number of bands. 2 for the nostalgia .

Shocked at how lame most of this is — repetitive, boring songs, uninteresting musicianship. And why are the only known songs the last 2 on the album? Still, “Don’t You Want Me” is so good it saves this from being a 1.

I knew this would be a struggle and it was. “Seconds” was surprising in a good way, though.

Too 80's

I enjoyed this album it was the exact poppy vibe I was looking for at the minute I listened to. "Keyboards and Cocaine" could basically describe the whole album and id heard "don't you want me" a million times but all around decent.

I get why this is here, but the synth pop thing doesn't do anything for me really. Don't you want me is a decent track though! 2

Maso

holy moly

Grating

This list has proven it's value for me once again. Only song that I knew from this album was Don't You Want Me and I can sing it along. I wasn't even able to name the band that has made it. Now I'm much wiser, thanks to this list. Otherwise, this synth pop is not so much my thing, so two stars for that one song.

It's an okay album, nothing really too great, it sounds like a not as enthusiastic Depeche Mode. The songs were a bit meh.

80's synth-pop cheese and representative of an era of music that did little to nothing for me.

Pure '80s 16-bit synth pop. Not terribly inspired but it a cheese what it sets off to do

The only real standout for me is Dont You Want Me- the rest of the album was just kind of generic-sounding synth pop. The songs all seemed to melt together. Overall- just fine

Ok. Not my favourite eighties album.

80s trash

Pleasant enough but electronics are oh so sterile and lacking in any feeling. Background music with little to commend it except that the vocals are very clear and the arrangements sometimes, but not very often, are interesting.

Don’t You Want Me is the only good song on here. The rest is extremely generic 80s pop. I could see how you’d need to listen to this if you’d never heard this kind of music before, but for the rest of us it’s nothing special

Vale a pena escutar todas as faixas até chegar no hit "Don't You Want Me", paradigma do tecno pop dos 80.

I know two things. One is I could have written all of these songs on my own DX-7 back in 1985. The other is I would sound like shit trying to sing these songs. Just like this singer.

According to the book Let It Blurt: The Life and Times of Lester Bangs, renowned music critic Lester Bangs died of an accidental drug overdose while listening to Dare. "Don't You Want Me" is pretty good.

Dare! Is almost comically 80s. It features Don’t You Want Me and a couple other good synth pop songs I Am The Law, Seconds stand out but it’s sounds so dated 5.6/10

Kind of refreshing hearing an 80s pop album that was completely unrecognizable. I will admit though, I grew tired of it about halfway through. This album just doesn't really hold up to the test of time in my book.

Going strong for the "Worst of the 80s" prize, aren't ya? Close but not there yet, honey. "Worst COVER of the 80s" though... A cover as fascinating as it is horrible, and yet the more I look at it the more it intrigues me. What's the deal with that woman's face? Is she trapped in that rectangle by the ugly fonts above her? And the look in her eyes doesn't even remotely suggest "daring"—I would say "frightened" or "slightly confused" or maybe even "awaiting your answer to her extremely difficult riddle, which could either let you pass freely or kill you". Nevertheless, the 80s were a terrible time for music.

2.2 1x too 80s

Dare! is quite bad really, terrible 80s synth pop with only one notable, massively overplayed song. Open Your Heart is the only other song I didn't mind really, new wave was crap, tempted to give this a 1 but I didn't hate it, it's just rubbish. Might squeak a 2 because Don't You Want Me Baby is still a little bit cult in spite of everything.

Don't like Birt Synth-Pop

Definitely one of those: there's that one really catchy song on it and the rest is just kind of fine new wave albums to me.

These guys are one-hit-wonders. Do yourself a favor and skip to the last track, then never turn it on again.

I had this album, love the nostalgia and enjoyed it as background. Hard to think of it as essential though.

I'm shocked that a hit 80s song that represents almost the entire modern legacy of a band comes from an otherwise completely forgettable and/or annoying album! probably the only time that's happened

I had never heard of this band, and was listening to it and was nonplussed. Then the last track hit and I realized that they have a song that everyone has heard hundreds of times. Which I'm not sure if that's why it's on this list or if the album itself is considered worthy on it's own merit, but regardless the whole thing was kind of run of the mill and underwhelming for me as far as English synth-pop bands from the 80s are concerned.

报听

Really? Well … I actually kinda liked it. Not an album I had to hear before I died but I expected to want it to end and it was alright. And “Don’t you want me” is an excellent song.

Sista låten har man ju hört och den funkar men fram tills dess är det en öken av meningslös synth.

This album sounds like ripped stonewashed Jordaches, neon leg warmers, and Member’s Only jackets. That’s not a compliment. There’s really only one good song on here (Don’t You Want Me, obviously), and if I’m being honest with myself I probably only like that out of nostalgia.

Considering how huge Don’t You Want Me is, the rest of this album felt a bit repetitive and monotonous throughout. Like one big synth noise that then culminated in the aforementioned track. Meh, it screamed peak 80s

An album filled with a bunch of forgettable songs and one hit at the end doesn’t qualify for this list. Try again. 2/5

Lot of build up for Don't you want met. Boring 80s album that is not my jamb. 2.5 stars

i dont like it

This was okay. It's open of those albums I feel I ought to rate higher because of its influence - and I do like a bit of eighties synth pop! - but most of the album felt fairly forgettable. (Except, of course, that closing track...)

Boring. Monotone. Repetitive Not for me thanks. But I have to say Don't You Want Me is a banger. Only good song on the album 2 ⭐️

One-dimensionally synthy, despite the the singers all having strong voices. "Don't You Want Me" is uniquely hooky and relatable, a near-perfect artifact of its day and era, but lord knows one's heard that song more than enough time for life and there's no good reason to hear any more of this record. Thank god at least that the editors didn't try to convince us this was like Kraftwerk or Neu.

This wasn't great 80s music. The one hit on here isn't worth it, either. 2/5

Nothing major to note. The best track was last—have to agree with another reviewer that it was a pretty neat trick.

Really buried the lede here with the big hit being the last song. Anyways the album sounds super dated and cheesy with these synths and really simple melodies. Not my thing

Their one hit is on this album (in case you were wondering).

Don’t you want me saved this crap album from being. 1

Went back and forth on 2 or 3 for this one. On one hand, it's historically relevant. On the other, it's just boring. Other than one or two tracks, this album was a bit of a slog. We'll call it 2.5/5

I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to this again, though its' importance can't be understated. Especially with Don't You Want Me's featured spot on MTV as it was just beginning to feature videos, Dare! had a wide ranging impact on music and culture in the 80's. 2.5/5

2.25

Yeah, not really. One great single and a bunch of other songs that feel like send-ups of songs from this time period. Just not great. Except that one song thats excellent.

I have a soft spot for 80s synth bands, but beyond the 1 single everyone knows, this largely made me grateful we no longer live in an era of spending a ton of money on an album where you only like 1 song.

Well that was a trip down memory lane - and nowhere near as bad as I remember it!

More of the same canned synth-pop rom the early '80s brings the same melodies and danceable beats as every other canned synth-pop artist. The tracks are, as usual, upbeat that capture the 80's electronic vibe. Terribly repetitive, lacking depth to keep engaged throughout. Overall, I tolerated it, even if it doesn't hit many marks.

Jeg har alle dage syntes at Human League er Bilka Talking Heads. Catchy nok album, bliver trukket under middel fordi den er så uessentiel selvom der er et par bangers (2)

Kæft det er flabet at smide bedste og eneste gode sang i slutningen.. Øv. Synes at man kunne høre ret direkte inspiration til James Murphy på den her plade?

it's ok, not really into synth pop. their songs sound kind of quirky and repetitive.

The Things That Dreams Are Made Off - 2/5 Open Your Heart - 2.5/5 The Sound of The Crowd - 2.5/5 Darkness - 3/5 Do or Die - 3/5 I Am The Law - 0/5 Seconds - 3.5/5 Love Action - 3/5 Don't You (Want Me Baby) - 4/5 Overall - 2/5