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Rating:
The EP “The dignity of labour” included as bonus tracks along with the historic single “Being boiled” would be enough to justify purchasing the recent CD reissue of “Reproduction”.
In that mini-LP, we indeed discover a completely different side of the Human League compared to the more well-known one: it consists of instrumental electronic experimentation tracks that were astonishing for their time and so ahead of their era that they sometimes seem to have been made in '89 rather than '79.
The album itself, however, is not inferior; the coordinates within which the compositions range are clearly derived from Kraftwerk but nonetheless far from mere imitation, with a taste for austere, cold but also dark melodies and the use of drum machines so impactful they injure the eardrums.
And then Phil Oakey, who sang with his splendid warm and baritone voice melodies that, in contrast, were icy (too bad his voice wasn't always well-highlighted by the repertoire).
The best examples of this formula are the anthems “Almost medieval”, “Circus of death”, “The path of least resistance”, “The world before last”.
In “Blind youth” and “Austerity/Girl one”, the style remains the same but the melodies are this time more pronounced.
Only in the track “Empire state human” can one truly speak of blatantly melodic and “easy” pop: despite the malicious who may see it as a “Claudio Cecchetto ante litteram” piece, the tune nonetheless represents an enjoyable and pleasant variant of their otherwise always austere style.
By contrast, Phil Spector's cover “Morale…you’ve lost that loving feeling” with an Oakey who improvises as a soul singer and an ending with plenty of backing vocals seems rather embarrassing; all this, however, does not spoil what will remain by far the best album of the Sheffield group.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Almost Medieval (04:34)
There's something in your soul that makes me feel so old
In fact I think I've died about six hundred times
There's less of me now and more of me then
I'm moving back to the age of men
Jump off the tarmac there's no stagecoach speed limit
Outside the office hangs the man on the gibbet
Soft lenses, grow to glasses
Small world, dimly seen through cataracts
Your program, newspaper
So they say
Rumour spread by word of mouth, jump onto the escalator
Press the button on the lift, raise the dust on old stair carpets
Endless treads like waves of regret
Now it seems I'm going madder
Falling off this rotting ladder
Soft lenses, grow to glasses
Small world, dimly seen through cataracts
Jump onto the escalator
Press the button on the lift
Raise the dust on old stair carpets
Endless treads like waves of regret
Now it seems I'm going madder
Falling off this rotting ladder
Your program, newspaper
So they say
Rumour spread by word of mouth
Jump onto the escalator
Press the button on the lift
Raise the dust on old stair carpets
Endless treads like waves of regret
Now it seems I'm going madder
Falling through this rotting ladder
There's something in your soul that makes me feel so old
In fact I think I've died about six hundred times
There's less of me now and more of me then
I'm moving back to the age of men
Jump off the tarmac there's no stagecoach speed limit
Outside the office hangs the man on the gibbet
Jump off the tarmac there's no stagecoach speed limit
Outside the office swings the man on the gibbet
02 Circus of Death (03:51)
Spoken Intro :Why in just a few moments we're off to Hawaii to join Steve McGarrett and the team for tonight's adventure
Nine o'clock flight from Hawaii
The Trident is just touching down
We're waiting here on the tarmac
McGarrett is wearing a frown
He's here to help with a problem
A blood-spattered curse on our land
Please cast your eye over this map, sir
This business is quite out of hand
The circus of death is approaching
It's pathway is painted in red
Before it the frightened and helpless
Behind it a trail of the dead
The narcotic that forges their union
Is a substance known only to one
To the clown it is known as dominion
It's a secret that he'll give to none
The drug which gives the clown power
Means the circus can never be stopped
And his dream can go on unhindered
Till the last human being has dropped
Spare me and my family, I've done you no wrong
Go away, please let us be, I've known you for too long
03 The Path of Least Resistance (03:27)
Faced with the choice, what would you say?
The path of least resistance, It seems the only way
But can we look a little further? To level four I think
Self-belief's the answer, and not another drink
The safe method, the only way, you rationalise your course
Stay part of the crowd, and never find the source
Feel wanted, feel numb, just stay as you are
The truth is - comfort kills, and you don't need that car
So sad, the early grave, when all the fun's for free
Start digging the early grave, and keep it warm for me
Faced with the choice, what would you say?
The path of least resistance, It seems the only way
But let's look a little further, to level four, I think
Self-belief's the answer, and not another drink
The safe method, the only way, you rationalise your course
Stay a part of the crowd, and never find the source
Feel wanted, feel numb, just stay as you are
The truth is, comfort kills, and you don't need that car
04 Blind Youth (03:16)
No future they say
But must it be that way?
Now is calling
The city is human
Blind youth take hope, you're no Joe Soap
Your time is due, big fun come soon
We've had it easy, we should be glad
High-rise living's not so bad
Blind youth take hope, you're no Joe Soap
Your time is due, big fun come soon
Dehumanisation
Is such a big word
It's been around since
Richard The Third
Dehumanisation
It's easy to say
But if you're not a hermit
You'll know the city's okay
No future they say
But must it be that way
Now is calling
The city is human
Blind youth take hope, you're no Joe Soap
Your time is due, big fun come soon
Blind youth take hope, you're no Joe Soap
Your time is due, big fun come soon
We've had it easy, we should be glad
High-rise living's not so bad
Blind youth take hope, you're no Joe Soap
Your time is due, big fun come soon
Blind youth take hope, you're no Joe Soap
Your time is due, big fun come soon
Blind youth take hope, you're no Joe Soap
Your time is due, big fun come soon
09 Zero as a Limit (04:01)
Take the lovebird
Kiss the stranger
Leave the trailer
Take the car
Feel the sound rushing over you
QED
See my finger
The way it points you
Follow blindly
Into the road
Feel the sound rushing over you
QED
See the stranger
Getting nearer
Iron teardrop
Collision course
Feel the sound rushing over you
QED
See the blood now
Overflowing
No more compression
Compression done
Feel the sound rushing over you
QED
I saw it happen
You saw it happen
We saw it happen
It can't be true
The stranger crashing into you
I saw it happen
You saw it happen
We saw it happen
It can't be true
(Repeat four times) The stranger crashing into you
(Repeat ten times) Into you
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