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Track Listings
| 1. (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang |
| 2. Penthouse And Pavement |
| 3. Play To Win |
| 4. Soul Warfare |
| 5. Geisha Boys And Temple Girls |
| 6. Let's All Make A Bomb |
| 7. The Height Of The Fighting |
| 8. Song With No Name |
| 9. We're Going To Live For A Very Long Time |
| 10. Bonus Track: Groove Thang (B.E.F.) |
| 11. Bonus Track: Are Everything 12' Version |
| 12. Bonus Track: I'm Your Money 12' Version |
| 13. Bonus Track: Decline Of The West (B.E.F.) |
| 14. Bonus Track: Honeymoon In New York (B.E.F.) |
Product Description
Product Description
2006 digitally remastered edition of the debut album by the group that was originally an ancillary project of the British Electrical Foundation or BEF, formed as a result of a rift in The Human League. Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware had separated from Phil Oakey (who retained the Human League moniker) and recruited vocalist Glenn Gregory, who not surprisingly sounded very similar in style to Oakey. Their objective was to give the synthesizer a more soulful sound. The trio's first single "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" became the first of a log string of UK hits, not at all suffering from a BBC ban due to the title. It was followed by "Play to Win", "The Height of the Fighting" and "Let's All Make a Bomb". This edition adds the 12" tracks of "Are Everything" (a Buzzcocks cover), "I'm Your Money" and the B-sides of BEF tracks "Groove Thang", "Decline of the West" and "Honeymoon in New York".
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I remember being devasted when the original Human League split up. Then, I cheered up a bit when I realised that I'd have twice the product to buy. Philip and Adrian quickly released the brilliant "Boys and Girls" and Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware roped in Glenn Gregory (who was first choice to be original HL vocalist) formed Heaven 17 and released the mighty "Groove Thang", which upset the BBC due to it's anti-Reagan stance.
This first album for me was the height of Heaven 17's powers, though I continued to soldier on with their releases, none matched Penthouse for energy or quality.
The original singles in extended form from this album were amazing, the extended version of the title track (shame it's not on here) was brilliant and showed that Martyn and Ian could programme a Linn just as well as Martin Rushent could!
There are two tracks that make this release for me. Firstly the excellent and haunting instrumental Decline Of The West, which is still one of my favourite tracks to this day...beautiful. The second is the cover of Pete Shelley's "Are Everything" which was recorded not too long after the Buzzcocks' original. It's nice to get this on CD. I seem to remember at the time, that this track started off their fetish for cover versions, which culminated in the two "Music Of Quality & Distinction" albums. Not sure why this track never appeared on those though.
Still, in conclusion, this is a really fine album, which still sounds fresh and vibrant.
Say goodbye to the penthouse and hello to your soul.
This first album for me was the height of Heaven 17's powers, though I continued to soldier on with their releases, none matched Penthouse for energy or quality.
The original singles in extended form from this album were amazing, the extended version of the title track (shame it's not on here) was brilliant and showed that Martyn and Ian could programme a Linn just as well as Martin Rushent could!
There are two tracks that make this release for me. Firstly the excellent and haunting instrumental Decline Of The West, which is still one of my favourite tracks to this day...beautiful. The second is the cover of Pete Shelley's "Are Everything" which was recorded not too long after the Buzzcocks' original. It's nice to get this on CD. I seem to remember at the time, that this track started off their fetish for cover versions, which culminated in the two "Music Of Quality & Distinction" albums. Not sure why this track never appeared on those though.
Still, in conclusion, this is a really fine album, which still sounds fresh and vibrant.
Say goodbye to the penthouse and hello to your soul.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This LP is a classic. A true ageless piece of work. Here you can trace quite a few future types of music here. The title track alone points towards future music from artists such as Squarepusher (in use of the bass), House music (the piano stabs in the instrumental breakdown) and, in Facist Grove Thing, the keyboard parts are copied lock-stock-and-barrel by 808 State in most of their early work.
Remaster has one major flaw, and the reason why this edition misses 5 stars of greatness. The MASSIVE audio dropout on the title track (just before the lines "Pistol, Pavements, No TV") is criminal, and just does not appear on the original LP, or any of the compilation LP's I have heard this on since (it was on 12"/80's comp perfectly). Shame. :(
Remaster has one major flaw, and the reason why this edition misses 5 stars of greatness. The MASSIVE audio dropout on the title track (just before the lines "Pistol, Pavements, No TV") is criminal, and just does not appear on the original LP, or any of the compilation LP's I have heard this on since (it was on 12"/80's comp perfectly). Shame. :(
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Virgin's reissues, approved by the band, are long overdue, and priced to attract casual listeners as well as die-hard fans. "Penthouse and Pavement" was BEF's first official pop album, after the Human League split (post the brilliant "Travelogue") and it's sparse sound, juxtaposed with political lyrics or convoluted love-songs, was an immediate critical success. Glen still sounds a bit like Phil Oakey here (less so on the warmer follow-up album)and some of the percussive tracks remind me of "Reproduction", but the whole thing works far better than the League's first album. The remaster is beefed up a bit on the lower end (not a bad thing) but retains the spikiness of the original release. Highlights - well there isn't really a bad track here! From the opening "Fascist Groove Thang" to the 'looped' outro of "We're Going To Live..." we are taken through a whole range of lyrical subject matter and rhythms. Some may sound a bit dated now, but that's not the point, this album is a classic of it's type.
The bonus tracks are also interesting, as most are either vinyl only or from the BEF import CD of "Music For Listening To", but all remastered. Some of the bleeps on "I'm Your Money" 12" seem to sound a little harsh in places, but that's probably exactly how they were meant to sound. As per another reviewer, it would've been even better if they'd added the 12" original mix(or instrumental) of "Penthouse", as it is different from the album version - and there is space here - but other than that this reissue is great. It's nice to see references to track titles on "Before After" in sleeve-notes too, just to remind fans they are still very much around!
The bonus tracks are also interesting, as most are either vinyl only or from the BEF import CD of "Music For Listening To", but all remastered. Some of the bleeps on "I'm Your Money" 12" seem to sound a little harsh in places, but that's probably exactly how they were meant to sound. As per another reviewer, it would've been even better if they'd added the 12" original mix(or instrumental) of "Penthouse", as it is different from the album version - and there is space here - but other than that this reissue is great. It's nice to see references to track titles on "Before After" in sleeve-notes too, just to remind fans they are still very much around!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Penthouse and Pavement? "Loadsaaaa' money!"
Its a strange analogy, but some 30 years ago synthesizers were possibly akin to social-networking. It was a development that everybody felt they 'had' to accustom to, and as such,... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Tom Cat
3.5 stars.
Some standout tracks and some hadhazard tracks on this album. I am listening to it for the first time in 2010 so that may explain why some lyrics 'Facist groove thing' seem very... Read more
Published 22 months ago by David 1969
AN eighties classic
This was Heaven 17's first album after leaving the Human League, and is really the true follow up to the excellent Travelogue. Read more
Published on 13 Nov 2009 by Anthony Bull
(We Need This) Heaven 17 Groove Thang
Listening to the remastered 'Fascist Groove Thang' a quarter of a century on and you wouldn't think that it was recorded within a week. Read more
Published on 21 Aug 2006 by orac
"Brothers, sisters we DO need this facist groove thang"
I've always loved this album from synth pop pioneers Heaven 17 and here it is, re-released with a digitally re-mastered sound, plus bonus tracks and all at a reasonable cost. Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2006 by Richard
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