Howard Jones - Human's Lib (1984)

Note: I listened to the 2018 Cherry Red "Remastered & Expanded" reissue with 1 bonus track.

Mea culpa: I didn't buy this album back in 1984 when, even by my own reckoning, I probably should have. Heck, a cassette wouldn't have left my car's Pioneer deck for weeks. This thing was (and is) right up my alley: bouncy, melodic, upbeat Euro synth-pop from a guy my high school classmates had never heard of - complete with requisite videos on MTV. Nevertheless, I didn't buy my first HoJo album until 1985 when I picked up a vinyl copy of Dream Into Action.

With the exception of a couple of sax parts, Jones is a one-man band and isn't afraid to use every sequencer and tape track available to layer his sounds. Hooks abound and even though I'm not much for lyrics, even I can't ignore the overall positive demeanor of this album.

I read complaints about this CD using the 12" extended version of What Is Love? instead of the original album version, but since I never heard an original version it doesn't make any difference to me (but I'll be the first to admit that switch would bother me to no end if I'd owned the '84 release). Track-by-track breakdown in the liner notes is most appreciated and the remastering is superb.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★): "poor pastiches of already overworked synth exercises"
• Smash Hits (6½ out of 10): "A must for all Supertramp fans."
• Stereo Review: "may have just rescued new music"
• Robert Christgau: (C-) 
• Billboard: "quirky, accessible pop/rock"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #59
• Billboard Rock: #21
• CashBox: #88

Tracks: I like all cuts - don't skip any - but since we're already here, let's rank 'em:

1. What Is Love? (#33 pop)
2. New Song (#27 pop) - once named "The Happiest Song of the '80s" and it's hard to argue against that pick
3. Pearl In The Shell
4. Hide And Seek - that glorious chorus!
5. Natural
6. Don't Always Look At The Rain
7. Equality - I dig the ethereal synth break
8. Conditioning - the opening slot was the perfect placement for this one.
9. Hunt The Self
10. Human's Lib - this dark, minor-keyed tune just seems out of place here.

Bonus track: China Dance is the instrumental b-side from the Hide & Seek single and was a b-side for a reason.

Exclusive CD longbox photo courtesy of
Dirk Digglinator of the Hambonian Archives.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: So why didn't I purchase this album when it was released? It was a matter of timing.

I first saw the video for New Song on MTV in December 1983, was hooked and immediately wanted to buy the album but, of course, it wasn't to be released in the US for six more months. By the time June 1984 rolled around, I had moved on to other interests and forgotten about wanting that album. Elektra's poor planning, my loss.

Previously revisited for the blog:
In The Running (1992)
Dream Into Action (1985)