After Dinner Speakers: The Human League, Steve Cram, Howard Stringer

The history of the Human League is essentially that of two radically different UK bands, one experimental and arcane, the other melodic and commercial. The first incarnation of the Human League formed in the summer of 1978 with a line-up comprising Ian Craig Marsh (b 11 November 1956, Sheffield, England; synthesizer), Martyn Ware (b. 19 May 1956, Sheffield, England; synthesizer), Phil Oakey (b. 2 October 1955, Sheffield, England; vocals) and Addy Newton. The latter left soon after the band was named Human League and was replaced by Adrian Wright (b. 30 June 1956, Sheffield, England), who was credited as "visual director". Early in 1978, the band was signed to Robert Last's Edinburgh-based independent label Fast Product. Their first single was the unusual "Being Boiled', which sold 16,000 copies and resulted in them securing a tie-in deal with Virgin Records. Their debut, Reproduction, sold steadily, while the EP Holiday, "80, won them an appearance on the prestigious television show Top Of The Pops. By this point, Philip Oakey's pierced nipples and geometric haircut had made him the focal point of the band. This led to some friction within the Human League, which was not overcome by the chart success of their second album, Travelogue. Matters culminated at the end of 1980 with the shock departure of Marsh and Ware, who went on to found BEF and its offshoot Heaven 17. In return for a percentage of royalties on future releases, Marsh and Ware allowed Oakey to retain the name Human League. Instead of recruiting experienced musicians as replacements Oakey, somewhat bizarrely, chose two teenage girls, whom he discovered at a Sheffield discotheque. Susanne Sulley (b. 22 March 1963, Sheffield, England) and Joanne Catherall (b. 16 September 1962, Sheffield, England) had absolutely no knowledge of the music business, had never sung professionally, and were busy at school studying for A-levels when Oakey made his offer. The new line-up was completed by bass player Ian Burden (b. 24 December 1957, Sheffield, England) and former Rezillos guitarist Jo Callis (b. 2 May 1955, Glasgow, Scotland). The new band contrasted radically with the cold, remote image of the original Human League and pursued a pure pop Holy Grail, which delivered a series of UK hits during 1981. "Boys And Girls", "The Sound Of The Crowd", "Love Action" and "Open Your Heart" paved the way for the band's celebrated pop album, Dare!, which sold over five million copies. An extraordinary year ended with the excellent Christmas chart-topper, "Don't You Want Me", the biggest-selling UK single of 1981. The song was particularly notable for its use of a double point of view, which was brilliantly captured in the accompanying video with Oakey and Catherall trading perspectives on a fragmenting relationship. The track went on to become a number 1 in the USA, spearheading a British invasion of "new pop" artists. The Human League then took a long sabbatical, interrupted only by a couple of further hits with "Mirror Man" and "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" and a mini-album of dance remixes. The 1984 comeback album, Hysteria, met a mixed response, although the attendant singles, "The Lebanon", "Life On Your Own" and "Louise", all reached the UK Top 20. Oakey ended 1984 by teaming up with disco producer Giorgio Moroder for a surprisingly successful single ("Together In Electric Dreams") and album. A further two years passed before the next Human League album, Crash, and, along the way, Wright and Callis departed. Several of the tracks on the new album were composed by producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, among them the sublime US number 1 hit, "Human". Another four years passed before, in 1990, the Human League returned with a new album, which met a cool response. Following a lengthy break from the public eye, and just when the world had seemingly buried them, they returned five years later with Octopus and a series of sparkling hit singles. Much of the freshness and simplicity of Dare! was present in the new collection. Singles such as the UK Top 10 hit "Tell Me When" indicated a strong grasp of how repeated hooklines in pop songs can creep into the subconscious - and cannot be resisted. A new chapter began in 2001 with another career relaunch and a favourable critical reception for Secrets. Despite their erratic career, the Human League has shown a remarkable ability to triumph commercially and aesthetically, and usually at the least predictable moments.