Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.

Monday, August 1, 2011

The Human League - Original Remixes & Rarities (2005)


UK import

Only for the serious Human League fan. I guess that means I fit that category. OK, I'll own that; I loves me some technopop. As the disc title suggests, this is a mixed bag of b-sides and extended versions. This is risky business: an extended version is great if you like the song, but a painful 6 minutes if you don't and most b-sides are b-sides for a reason. This was purchased more out of curiosity than anything else. As the critic from allmusic.com says, "Original Remixes & Rarities is a useful accessory for fans but -- unsurprisingly -- it's not the least bit essential for anyone else." Come to think of it, some of the "rarities" aren't even that rare, having been released in 2003 on the remastered Dare/Love & Dancing CD.

Tracks:
1.Being Boiled (Album Version)1980
2.The Sound Of The Crowd (12" Version)1981
3.Hard Times (Love Action B-Side)1981
4.Non-Stop (Open Your Heart B-Side)1981
5.Don't You Want Me (Special Extended Dance Mix)1981
6.Mirror Man (Extended Version)1982
7.You Remind Me Of Gold (Mirror Man B-Side)1982
8.(Keep Feeling) Fascination (Improvisation)1983
9.Total Panic (Fascination B-Side)1983
10.The Lebanon (12" Extended)1984
11.Life On Your Own (Extended)1984
12.Together In Electric Dreams (Extended)1984
13.Human (Extended Version)1986
14.Heart Like A Wheel (Extended Mix)1990

My favorites here are Hard Times (the B-side from the 1981 single Love Action), and the extended versions of (Keep Feeling) Fascination and The Lebanon. One of the better songs isn't even a Human League song: Together In Electric Dreams is a collaboration between the League's Philip Oakey and über-producer Giorgio Moroder. Written for the 1984 film Electric Dreams, the song was a bigger hit than the movie. It's one of the best upbeat, feel-good songs of the '80s. You'll want to stay away from the other tracks, particularly Non-Stop, You Remind Me Of Gold, Total Panic, and the dreaded Human.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Secrets (2001)
Greatest Hits (1988)

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