Dare!

Qu'est-ce que c'est que cette pochette moche ? Bon, passé la découverte de cette pochette qui fait franchement pas envie, je lis un peu la description de l'album, qui est apparemment un album particulièrement influent dans la synthpop ? Je dois avouer que j'en ai beaucoup bouffé depuis le début de la liste, donc je commence l'écoute avec un peu d'appréhension. Et bien, je dois dire que finalement, c'est franchement très bien. C'est plus créatif et plus recherché que ce que j'ai pu entendre précédemment. J'accroche énormément aux mélodies, c'est vachement intéressant. Je comprends comment un album pareil a pu être aussi fondateur. Allez, ça sera un 4 !

Another in a long string of fine albums with 1-2 great but not peak singles

Second album today and I was forced to wait almost 40 minutes for YOU WERE WORKING AS A WAITRESS IN A COCKTAIL BAR. That song is undoubtedly the reason this album is on this list at all, but the rest was solid enough.

Drugs Are Really Expensive.

Liked this more than I thought I would! Good road trip music. Before I had only heard Don't You Want Me. Not bad at all.

Listened to this last week. The dawning of new Romantics. Really enjoy this great tracks. Someone said they were one hit wonders well with 8 top ten singles i don't think so.

Лучшая лига - РПЛ

Mixed feelings on this one. It would be unrealistic to expect that every track would reach the level of Don’t You Want Me and it was good to find more variety than anticipated. Tracks like I Am The Law at least provided some change of pace, but there were segments of this that also sounded like they could have soundtracked games on the ZX Spectrum (showing my age!)

This was....fine. Don't You Want Me is one of the best new wave songs ever recorded, but the rest of the album is forgettable. I'm feeling generous enough to go three stars, but it probably doesn't warrant that third star.

Meh

These humans get some extra local love from me.

#7 - The Human League - Dare! From what I see this album is a bit of a one hit wonder with said hit coming at the end. I've looked at a few one hit wonder albums. Gotye's "Making Mirrors" for example. I'm eager to see if any of these songs will match up or even surpass the big one. Track 1: The Things That Dreams Are Made Of. Some of the synths in this track sound like someone doing karaoke in a factory workspace. Despite that I like this opening. Especially that earworm chorus. 7/10. Track 2: Open Your Heart. This time the synths remind me of Jethro Tull's Thick As A Brick track. Not too sure if I like this one as much. 6/10. Track 3: The Sound Of The Crowd. C'MON, C'MON, C'MOOOON! GHOST TRAIN! This might just be my Gorillaz bias coming in but I love this track even without Damon. No lie I might actually prefer this original song over Ghost Train. 9/10. Track 4: Darkness. We move on from Ghost Train to Kiss From A Rose followed by Elstree. Thankfully I also liked Elstree. I especially like the deep synths in this song. I dunno why. It just tickles my brain right. 8/10. Track 5: Do Or Die. Not much to say here other than the fact this is almost an instrumental song apart from the vocal bridges. It's alright. 6/10. Track 6: Get Carter. ...huh? I'll just count this an an interlude. Interlude/10. Track 7: I Am The Law. This is a creepy fucking sounding track. Holy shit the creeping speed of the song followed by the drawn out vocals gave me fucking tingles. 8/10. Track 8: Seconds. Probably my least favourite of the songs so far. All the others had at least something to grab my attention and hold it but this one was just nothing. 4/10. Track 9: Love Action (I Believe In Love). Woah. I really like that fast portion near the middle of the track. It was short but enough to pull me back into the last section of this album. Apart from that yeah this is another pretty average song. 6/10. Track 10: Don't You Want Me. The one-hit wonder I mentioned and...eh? It's fun. I can see why it's popular but...I dunno. Maybe I just hyped myself up for something more grandiose? 5/10. Overall: This album was a fun time even if it did slow down considerably in the second half. Don't know if I'll come back to it but I am def taking a few tracks back home with me. Favourite Track: The Sound Of The Crowd. Least Favourite Track: Seconds. Overall: 6/10 (⭐⭐⭐)

It flatlines through the middle and is a little boring by the end. Following a very creative Devo album did them no favors.

Mostly passing for Don't You Want Me

Haha I actually really found this interesting in the background driving, wasn't the greatest but kind of cool and could see why they hated their huge hit at the end, came out of nowhere as I didn't know what album you were talking about. A total departure from the rest of the album. A bit too much synth but also had some cool video game sounds, honestly torn

This was an interesting listen. Not the most exciting but not totally boring either. I obviously knew Don't You Want Me but had never listened to the verses before. Kinda developed a new appreciation for it when the female singer stepped into the second verse to correct the narrative of the first and I realized it had a lot more depth than it had at face value.

Putting your best song last is a power move that I can respect. Unfortunately I did not enjoy the rest of this

4/10

Det låter precis som man tror. Helt ok att lyssna på. Albumet avslutas med en riktig banger som alla känner igen. Solid trea.

Very happy to see this on the list. Actually listened to my vinyl copy last week. Great album. Glad I had a reason to listen to it again.

Disco année 80. Les riffs se répètent trop et trop de synthétiseur.

I was only familiar with the one hit single Don't You Want Me and I wouldn't have been able to name the band. I was blown away! Damn, what a great 80's synth pop album. They sound like Kraftwerk disciples with the repetitive beats and the cool electronica with the earworm lyrics and hooks, lots of cool ear candy. I was blown away, this has become one of my favorite 80's albums and then do some digging and find that they are a big influence on LCD which is one of my favorite bands. It is very danceable and super catchy. One of my knocks with a lot of electronic music is that it sounds soulless, they didn't fall into that trap here. I will be on the hunt for a copy of this for the collection!

Avant guard

It’s a fun album. Very of its time and a lot of it has aged a bit poorly but it’s a fun throwback with some really good tracks

Good. But prefer earlier stuff.

One of the trailblazers of synth pop and I’m here for it. Simplistic but compelling.

дуже фановий альбом, іконічно 80ті

7/10

3⭐️

No sabía que solo Don't you want me era la única buena.

There’s a lot to admire here in the production, but the big single aside I find this era of synth pop a bit impenetrable. As to Human League, I much prefer the Jam and Lewis collab.

Tellement 80's coded, pas spécialement mon style Darkness

Matty said, “What is this screeching? It sounds like the background music of an 80s video game home screen.” 🤣

2 out of 5. I found this album to be pretty bland, even for the 80's.

Is "Seconds" the worst song about a historical event ever written? ... All day, hiding from the sun Waiting for the golden one Waiting for your fame After the parade has gone Outside was a happy place Every face had a smile like the golden face For a second Your knuckles white as your fingers curl The shot that was heard around the world For a second It took seconds of your time to take his life It took seconds It took seconds of your time to take his life It took seconds It took seconds of your time to take his life Seconds of your time to take his life Seconds Seconds It took seconds of your time to take his life It took seconds It took seconds of your time to take his life It took seconds For a second It took seconds of your time to take his life It took seconds It took seconds of your time to take his life It took seconds For a second It took seconds of your time to take his life Seconds of your time to take his life For a second For a second For a second

music is love

I have not heard this before. I’ve heard Don’t You Want Me before hundreds or even thousands of times before but I’ve never heard any of the other tracks on this album before. I was missing out because this is some great synth pop. The only downer on here is I Am The Law which is a good song but is so dirgey that it takes the wind out of the sails since everything else is so upbeat. It’s odd to end it on Don’t You Want Me since that was the big hit and probably the best song on the album but apparently the band didn’t think so. It ends the album on a very positive note and makes it easy to relisten to the track a few times without interrupting the flow since I never get tired of that song. I’ll have to go through the rest of their discography.

Helt ok, hørtes akkurat ut som æ forventa da æ så omslaget.

80s synth at its finest! I would argue the 80s had the most experimental music sounds of any decade and without the experimenting we would not have a lot of the music we like today. I don't particularly like this, but I do appreciate it. 6/10 Top song... Don't You Want Me

This is the best album of the 80’s, contains the best song of the 80’s and is no doubt the most recognisable album of the 80’s. I loved the album back then and played it to death. The glossy gatefold album cover is a work of art and any self respecting music lover in the 80’s just had to have it. And what a haircut Phil! I still often play the album and the only negative thing I can say about it is that by today’s standards the production and sound is a bit thin and tinny. But for the reasons in my first sentence, this album is a sure fire 5 star marvel. 5/5 18/9/26

Very catchy synths. Quite dated sounding but in a fun way.

I'll be honest, this felt a little like a psychology experiment. I found myself giggling because of the absurdity. These tunes may have been fire at one point but now they have aged like a nearly half-century old condom and will likely see as much use.

Album : 24/1089 Songs known going in : 1/10 Favourite song : Don't you want me (or darkness if i was to pick one not previously known) Cover Art: remind me of elvis on the bauble Rating :5/10 notes : I love a synthesiser where have all the synths been so far in these ratings. I cant help having a little wiggle. It's wigglable music I wouldnt put most of it on (other than my GOAT Don't you want me) but I wouldnt turn it off if it came on.

3.5 stars because i love this era of music but got real tired of it realll quick

An archetypal slice of 80s new-wave pop. It’s shimmery, glossy, and drenched in neon, gliding through your head as easily as it goes in. Most of the album is stylish but non-adhesive: pleasant in the moment, forgettable afterward. The lone exception is the closer, “Don’t You Want Me,” which radio programmers correctly identified as the only truly sticky track. It’s the one Human League song that survives on every Best-of-the-80s compilation for a reason. Overall: a perfectly fine listen, but not one that lingers. Rating: 3/5

It was all right. Bizarre that their seemingly most famous song is just dropped at the end of the album

Interesting artifact. Kind of reminiscent of 1920s and 30s blues recordings - not in sound or scope, but as a curious document of time and era, or at least as “the early days” of the genre. 2nd side is pretty much perfect with tone and tunes.

My subjectivity is showing on this one. I have a natural aversion to anything that sounds so 80's as this does. Lots of keyboards and faux electronica and not great vocals leaves me cold, although i can admit they write a good pop song now and again. On the positive side, i have a pro sheffield bias and know how high this is held. I'll never chose to listen again, but its a good example of its time and place

Pretty weak 3, feels dated

I was quite torn, idk if it's a 3 or 4/5 (it's a 3,5). I like the bass, but not many songs stood out apart from the famous single (which is awesome)

I'm 70 percent finished with this journey, and I've now discovered another album that we should all just skip to *that* song. Oh, you know which one. That clearly the reason this lackluster 1980s cheese made this list. Favorite Track: "Don't You Want Me".

This was pretty enjoyable 80s synth pop that I enjoyed a bit more than I expected I would. First side was stronger than the second side, I think though. Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars.

One of the original, ultimate 80s electronic albums, sparse enough not to be mainstream pop, but clever and catchy enough to get attention, Dare! hit the shops in 1981. It's a grittier and darker album, more Northern, than Depeche Mode's Speak and Spell that came around the same time, it's one of the album's that I've played to death since the mid 80s and i absolutely love it. Don't You Want Me, probably overplayed on the radio, is still a fantastic example of early 80s electronic pop - a stand out song in a decade - and Sound of the Crowd and Love Action are also great songs. Of the unreleased songs, the ethereal pipes on the the chorus of The Things That Dreams Are Made Of send shivers down my spine even now, and the gunshot percussion in Seconds drives the song telling the story of the JFK shooting. A classic album from the beginning of an era of brilliant electronic music. 5 stars.

It was… fine? That’s the thing with 80’s synth pop. I could tell you exactly how this album sounded before I even started playing it. Full of all the staples you’d expect, loads of synths, electronic drums with an incredible amount of gated reverb added, speak singing in a lower than expected register and a handful of beeps and boops to fill out the rhythm section. I don’t doubt that in the early 80’s when this came out, that it was groundbreaking and no one could imagine this futuristic sound ever sounding dated. But as with the majority of 80’s synth pop, it sounds incredibly dated today. Probably the worst decade for music aging terribly. That being said, I didn’t hate this album, but I didn’t love it either. I found it just a bit middling for the most part, hard to tell some tracks from another as it seems they found a handful of presets they liked and then made an entire album out of them. The last two tracks, which happen to be the best known singles from the band, really are the best on here. Bit of a double edged sword, though, as on one hand it left me on a high to finish, but also highlighted how much the preceding tracks were lacking. In between a 2 and a 3 out of 5. I’m going to give another listen later today before deciding where to rate tomorrow morning.

The epitome of '80s synth pop. Not my favorite genre, but this is best of breed.

Out of a group split that produced the (more fancied) Heaven 17 Phil Oakey was staring failure and ruin in the face until he got teenagers Joanne and Susan to sing on half the album - most significantly its four hit singles. I was 11 when this was released and it is a defining pop statement for my generation. There were not many records that sounded like this at the time (OMD, Visage, Depeche maybe) and Martin 'Stranglers' Rushent's production is fresh and clear. The non singles have some good tracks in there and sound a little more akin to Oakey's work with Martin Ware and Craig Marsh. I can't imagine 1981 without this music.

used to have a song from this album (dont you want me)not anymore

Not for me

not for me

I don’t know if I necessarily needed to hear The Human League’s Dare before I died, but it was an enjoyable UK New Wave synth-fest. It was smart of them to stick their best song—and really their only well-known single, “Don’t You Want Me”—on the very back of side B, making you earn it to get there.

I found this album pretty boring to be honest. Making 10 songs with the exact same synth sounds and vocals is a strange goal, but they pulled it off.

Open Your Heart sounds like Pokemon battle music

Of course my final album would be some 80s over-produced and synth heavy album.

Some bangers straight out of the early 80s

Pretty iconic sound with some bangers. You could do way worse in the genre.

Boring new wave album

First time played for a couple of decades at least. Excellent production & so many hits.

I started this and went ugh too synthy. Then I remembered I've listened to over a thousand albums here and should actually review this. There's such good attitude here. It's catchy when it wants to be, it's got a strut to the style, and these guys must've partied. Don't You Want Me is a top to bottom hit that's an effectively perfect version of this style, but the entire album is interesting if you give it a chance. Equally in approach, sound, and the choices they are making instrumentally (through the synth). I still feel it sits too heavy in a style that isn't my #1, but the review is broader than just my initial feeling.

This is so 1980s that I should hate it, but the way it is massaging my brain I can't hate it. This is pretty fun music to make up new educational lyrics to. Try singing about the food pyramid, saying no to drugs or brushing your teeth over any of the songs. "The Sound of the Crowd" really won me over. Oh come on "Seconds" Of course "Don't you Want Me" There wasn't a moment I disliked. The production is great. I think I need to give this a 5.

Its like they knew how to make good music but didnt until the end

A pretty average album, nothing stood out except the last track which stood out due to being extremely overplayed over the years. 2.5/5.

Heard it before. I do like synthpop so I like this album too. And honestly Don't You Want Me is kind of one of the more meh songs on the album 3/5

Really liked this more than I thought, so much more than "You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar". Could see a lot of influence of Industrial and modern dance edm and pop. But not the meme You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar.A cocktail bar.You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar.Working in a cocktail bar.You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar.Cock, cocktail bar.You were working as a waitress in a cock... tail bar.You... You were working...You were working as a waitress in a cock-cock-cock-cocktail bar!Cocktail bar! Cocktail bar!Cocktail-cocktail-cocktail-cocktail bar-bar-bar-ar-ar!Working as a waitress in a cocktail bar.Working as a waitress in a cocktail bar.I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar, that much is true.I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar.I guess it's just what I must do. You... You were working...You were working as a waitress in a cock-cock-cock-cocktail bar!Cocktail bar! Cocktail bar!Cocktail-cocktail-cocktail-cocktail bar-bar-bar-ar-ar!Working as a waitress in a cocktail bar!

I’d remembered this being a sharper break from the sound of the earlier Human League records, but on this listen it felt much more like a gradual softening of their abrasive elements for the most part. Then “Don’t You Want Me” arrives to usher in a whole new epoch.

Solide und nicht schlecht

2.5 stars A lot of samey pop new wave stuff. But the killer well known single that ends the album makes it worth it. But not really an album I’d give another listen to.

Great synthesis pop

Enjoyed

I mean yeah don't you want me is an all time banger but they got nothing else to show for it, boring ass synths and this is coming from a synth fan

This is an album that I know. I actually prefer the earlier stuff, which aren’t as well known as being major innovations when it came to synth pop. Revisiting today, I found myself surprised by the strength of the synths in the songs leading up to the hit. They remind me to some degree of the earlier stuff, although more polished and produced. The hit holds up decades later. Overall the album is excellent even if it has aged a little bit. The synths are impressive for 1980 but not 2026. Still comfortably a four star album.

Last song was pretty popular, but somewhere between 2 and 3 stars

전체적으로 평범한 느낌의 곡이었다. Overall, it was a song that felt ordinary.

A much more forgettable album than I would have thought. The synth felt very sharp and unappealing to listen to for the majority of the runtime. There are some decent hidden gems on this album, but not a lot to dig into. To say nothing of including one of the most annoying songs created. Top tracks: Darkness, I Am the Law

This genre and style of music is just not for me. 80s pop tends to be a bit too monotonous with exception of a few artists that have more rock influence. Got bored of this one real quick, but it was cool to hear the big hit and know it's origin

Not on Spotify

I like one song

Holy synth! At first I was pissed at this album. What the fuck even were the 80s. How did the synthesizer corrupt the minds of the entire world to like this maximal amount of synths. Fuck it add another synth layer on this review while we’re at it. Never before and never again will the aesthetic of the 80s exist and I am very thankful for that. When the album rolls along it kind of hits though. Sounding like a defunct department store where the books are kept by hand, it pops along with one hand on the synth and the other hand also on the synth. It may not be cool by any standards, but minimum wage back then could buy you something nice and this album could soundtrack a pretty good life. I’m simultaneously disgusted and impressed by this album.

today we've got the third album from synthpop band the human league. after the founding members of the group left, the band changed their sound to something considered more pop friendly. with the remaining members in the band, including new producer martin rushent, the crew wrote song after song by simply firing up a dinky drum machine and finding the right chords and sounds. oh, synthpop... the 80s were objectively a goldmine for this genre. even when the decade only barely started, already records like these come out with intriguing love songs, perfect, consistent drumbeats, weird plucks and sweeping analog string sounds. it's so unbelievably 1980s to the point where you might love it to death or you might scoff and turn off the stereo because of how dated it sounds. is the sound great? yeah, i wanna say so. is this an album that defines pop music from this time? abso-freakin-lutely. but is this a perfect five-star album? ... no, i don't think so. besides the hit singles and few underrated tracks, a lot of tracks ended up being not as entertaining as i thought they would be... just more of the same, with all the vocal performances and synthy zips, zaps and zings. probably one of the few albums where i feel extremely guilty about giving four stars.

Vaca catch up

Fine.

Really solid, smart pop record. And in a flip to the conventional wisdom, back-loaded the biggest hits. Undeniably worth the listen and its place on this list.

boring

Some classics !! Synth sound dates it but in a good way

Don’t you want me baby. Not really, sorry.

Very disappointing 80s synth pop drowning out the occasional stronger darker moments.

I’m not sure it’s a fair listen as such. I listened to this on holiday, through a small Portable speaker, loud enough to slightly drown out the shite nearby bar music but quiet enough to not annoy the neighbours (classic Eurocamp set up for more context), and half cut. Tbh, I enjoyed it, but I have some longstanding liking for ‘the league’ not that I’ve listened to anything other than the singles. It’s kind of a Gary Numan copy, but with enough of its own swagger to give it its own identity.

It takes off later, but it’s worth it! The later half or so was exactly the glamorous 80s British synth and I love when this project gives me these instead of another generic rock album

Very typical 80s album. Not bad, but nothing exciting really. One stand out solo song, nothing else to it really.

Listened before?: only the last track i think The Things That Dreams Are Made Of - 4/5 Open Your Heart - 3/5 The Sound of the Crowd - 5/5 Darkness - 4/5 Do or Die - 4/5 Get Carter - no rating I Am the Law - 3/5 Seconds - 4/5 Love Action (I Believe in Love) - 4/5 Don't You Want Me - 5/5 Average score: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘Don’t you Want Me’ might be their biggest song but this album was much more than just that track (and interesting to put it at the very end). This project is showing me how much I enjoy synth-y 80s music but I liked the dark tones here as well.