Human League

Hysteria

HEAR THE SOUND OF DEFEAT!

Review Score:

(10/10)
In 1984 I was a freshman in college, and when this album came out and I didn't care that everyone I knew hated it. All I knew was that I loved it and played non-stop for days. Perhaps the reason I liked HYSTERIA so much is because no one else did. Everyone else was busy listening to some run-of-mill mindlessness. I was busy trying to understand what had happened to the Human League I had fallen in love with in late '79. Where were the "pioneers" that gave us "MARIANNE", "TOYOTA CITY", "DANCEVISION", "THE BLACK HIT OF SPACE", "GORDON'S GIN", "LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF BUDDHA"?

I was searching for clues in their newest album: HYSTERIA.

"I Love You Too Much" does things for me I can't explain in words. It's the type of song that is like a window into Philip Oakey's soul. Yes, it is a pop song; and yes, it is a bit silly (all love songs are unless you happen to be in love); and yes, it only has a couple of stanzas... but the few words that Philip sings are so sad and so sweet, my heart breaks even today when I play it.

Then, There's "BETRAYED" and "SO HURT" - both truly capture the agony in Philip's voice, you'll think the man's pain is flowing through your own flesh.

The main complain I hear about the Human League is that they USED to be really good - past tense. Their first two albums REPRODUCTION and TRAVELOGUE were the best things of their careers, and it is a shame they did not sell very well. That's because their target audience was a very specialized "minority". The only people to whom those 2 albums made sense were cerebral and artsy individuals, exotiques and non-mainstream types.

HYSTERIA is the sound of a band in turmoil. It is the sound of a band faced with a world that gorges itself with mediocrity and does not recognize the genius of pioneers.

If you want to hear the sound of agony listen to "BETRAYED" If you want to hear the sound of pain listen to "SO HURT" If you want to hear the sound of despair listen to "LEBANON" If you want to hear the sound of defeat listen to "LIFE ON YOUR OWN"

1984 is the year I lost that "proverbial" innocence... that's why HYSTERIA makes so much sense to me.

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