This year, I have mainly been listening to...The Human League! Being an old Eighties New Romantic, the League are a band that have always been high in my consciousness, but until this summer I had seen them as being very much in the past. On summer holiday in North Wales, I came across their 2003 double album release of 'The Very Best of the Human League' in a chuck-out box, and it has been a constant on my car stereo ever since. This new collection of 'Original Remixes and Rarities' takes this retro feel a step deeper. It was great to hear again such classic b-sides as 'Hard Times', 'Non-Stop' and 'You Remind Me Of Gold' in particular, and to also have extended versions of some of their greatest singles on disc for the first time.
With the possible exception of the opening track, 'Being Boiled', a classic but a bit out of place to include here, this is a great compilation. There's always a long wait for new Human League albums, but this release will keep the many die-hard fans ticking over in the meantime.