Dare!

I can still remember the effect this album had on me when I first heard it way back in 1981. I would listen to it on headphones and marvel at every note of every layer. I had simply never heard anything like it before, and to be honest, it blew me away. In the early eighties, people were really beginning to tire of thrashing guitars that lacked melody and all that hopeless American rock that filled up the European charts. Dare was the first successful mix of electronics with pure, commercial pop. Taking it a step further than the godfathers of electronica Kraftwerk, the League brought in sequencers and mixed it with their love for cult films and fashion. The album contains synth baseline which are still being imitated by dance acts today some 20 years after this classic album was released. Dare paved the way for groups such as Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Heaven 17, & New Order. It was a period when music was reinvented and enhanced.
This landmark album represents the very nucleus of electronic music that many would copy and it's relevance today cannot be under estimated. It is rare nowadays to find an album that has so many strong tracks but Dare still manages it effortlessly. Highlights include" Seconds" and "The Things that Dreams Are Made Of" which are pure brilliance with killer hooks.

Dare remains a true masterpiece and a record that everyone should cherish.

I have said in my review of Kate Bush's "The Hounds of Love" that that is the best album of the 1980s. This one comes a very close second.

It is very rare for a pop album to be as original, ground-breaking and perfect as this one. It is a thrilling blend of stark-sounding early Human League and the newer, warmer sound they forged with the addition of the two girls. It is packed full of gorgeous tunes, any one of which could have been a hit (and 4 were).

"Things That Dreams Are Made Of"

For a 12 year-old boy in 1980s suburban England, this was an exciting glimpse into the glamourous world of travel as Oakey sang about driving across the Golden Gate Bridge and march march marching across Red Square, while also name-checking Norman Wisdom and ice-cream. A few of his favourite things. Wouldn't catch Julie Andrews singing about them, though, and certainly not in that gorgeous baritone!

"Open Your Heart"

My favourite Human League song and one of the best pop songs ever written. It is such a strong song that the verses sound like choruses with their uplifting hooklines. Play it to a friend who is depressed. If it doesn't cheer them up then they must be dead.

"Sound of the Crowd"

To anyone tarting themselves up ready for a night out, get ready to this song. That's it, lard on the slap, nice and glam now!

"Darkness"

When I first heard this song, I was genuinely scared. It is Stephen King set to music. Oakey's apocalyptic (I like that word) vocals and the church-organ-like synths, plus the desperate lyrics make a potent combination.

"Do or Die"

I still don't know what this song is about but who cares? I just love the rasping synth sound and tribal drum patterns.

"Get Carter"

The album's only instrumental and inspired by the Michael Caine film of the same name.

"I Am The Law"

Inspired by Judge Dredd, this song is most reminiscent of early Human League - minimalist, stern and dominated by Oakey's vocal. I love the way he prolongs the last word "law" as the song slides down into the next one, which then lifts you up again. Great juxtaposition.

"Seconds"

Considering its subject matter - the assassination of President Kennedy - this song is surprisingly poppy. Probably one of the first ever songs to be written about stalking.

"Love Action (I Believe In Love)"

I always used to think that the beginning of this song sounded like a cat going "miaow, miaow, miaow"... Great tune when it gets going though, and apparently a bit of a confessional.

"Don't You Want Me"

What can I say? This track consistently turns up on the "100 Greatest Songs"-type programmes and deservedly so. It charts the story of a cocktail waitress plucked from obscurity and made into a star by a man she no longer loves. The man is simultaneously threatening and pleading, the woman defiant and the song, gorgeous. Avoid Snap's remix, though, if you ever come across it.

A perfect synthpop album which has stood the test of time with not a duff tune in sight.

I feel in love with this album the first time i ever heard it. This is the ultimate album of the 1980's. Phil Oakey is at his vocal best with songs such as Open your heart and Love action. The splendour of the synthesizers and the harmonious addition of the drum machine. I could go on for hours about the sheer beauty of this album. A must have for any music collection, and one that will never age.