Human League Anthology - A Very British Synthesizer Band

[negative1]

If that is the only error, bravo to them. I waiting to receive my package and was ready for a whole page worth or errors.

no, its not, and it's not 'bravo'... errors are errors.

don't you want me 'baby' <- ridiculous that they let that through. and some other ones.

later
-1

[negative1]

finally, a good human league compilation has come out,
that is, if you get the super deluxe version.

the human league have pretty much been a disaster when
it comes to their collections.

at least 9 of them.. very plain, and boring... once in
awhile there's some new mixes or a new track..

wrong tracks, wrong versions, wrong track titles, etc, etc.
-------------------
greatest hits - 1995
the best of - 1997
the very best of - 1998
the very best of - 2003
essential - 2011
all the best - 2012
greatest hits on cd dvd - 2012
dont you want me collection - 2014
icon - 2015


on the other hand the best one (well at least for mixes)
--------------------------------
original remixes and rarities 2005


so it's been 11 years since something good has come out from
them.

depending on what you get, 2cd, 3cd+dvd, you might still end
up waiting for a 'good' compilation.

the lastest 'anthology', throws some extended mixes, and a
few edits in there for good measure.

so, it's really a mishmash, since you're really not getting
all the proper radio edits of songs either???

there's a few new edits even for 2016, but they aren't really
that impressive either.

the super deluxe version
-----------------------------------
i haven't seen the videos, so i can't comment on those.
however for the audio:

the demos and early versions are a great way to show the
progression that they have made, and the varying styles they've
gone through
--
early electro
rhythmic dance
soulful electronic
slow and melodic ballads
dance and upbeat electronica

of course, the songs are very bare, and simplistic versions.
many have different keys and tempos compared to the originals.
one is instrumental (soundtrack to a generation).

there is more polish in the later tracks though, which sound
more like nearly finished versions. the levels for the vocals
are sometimes very low, so be aware of that.

CD 3
-----
1 The Path Of Least Resistance (early version) - a very cool stripped
down version

2 No Time (The Word Before Last, early version) - again, a nice slow
and stark electro version

3 Being Boiled (State Of The Art Mix 1) - amazing version, love the
mix of the vocals, especially hearing the overdubs, and the keyboards
stand out

4 Stylopops You Broke My Heart (Marianne, early version) - a very
stripped down, but upbeat version, very good

5 I Am The Law (early version) - not that good, pretty much
similar to the album version, although i'm not a fan of their
slow songs, phil sounds good here.

6 Darkness (early version) - probably my favorite song out of
all the tracks on here, i love the lyrics, the vocals, and
the extra overdubs, which make it a little more dense. beautiful.

7 Louise (early version) - another slow song, that doesn't
really add much, or sound that different from the original

8 The Real Thing (early version) - here's a version that shows
off the vocals, and are much clearer to hear without all the
processing from the original. a fun take on the song.

9 Love On The Run (early version) - a little more subdued version
here, although i always thought the music reminds me of 'mirror man',
and the tempo also... still an interesting take on it.

10 A Doorway (early version) - excellent version, the vocals,
and music are great.i always thought this should have been
on the album, but it remains a treasure to discover.

11 F.M. (Soundtrack to a Generation, early version) - a very basic
instrumental take on it, i like it, especially since we don't
have to put up with the 'holy cows'. ugh.

12 Happening Woman (Filling Up With Heaven, early version) -
a super slow and very cool take on the song, gives it a completely
different feel. neat.

13 Give It Back (Houseful of Nothing, early version) - a very
different sounding dancey version of the song. excellent, and
well done.

14 New Start (All I Ever Wanted, early version) - a lot of these
demos were out when the album came out, but it's still cool to
here these versions as they develop. this version has a neat
progression and build up. excellent.

15 SH5 (Liar, early version) - again, a similar sounding version,
but still has a nice upbeat tempo. the vocals are mixed differently.
very good.

16 Biller 10 (Single Minded, early version) - a neat alternate take
on the song, great chorus, and nice keyboard playing. very good.

17 Jupiter 4c (Sky, early version) - a nice slow take on the song,
great vocals, it's lacking the girls in the backup, but still has
the feel of the original. well done.

=============================================

overall
----------
the 2 cd version is not worth it, unless you just want to be
complete and get a few new edits, and mixes. avoid



the super deluxe version, while pricey, is where the good meat
of the tracks are, especially if you like the demos, and early
versions, and are more there for the fans who have waited a long
time for extras to be released.

if you can't afford the boxset, and want to hear the tracks, you
can get the digital version.

overall, i would rate this compilation as very good for most fans,
and essential for hardcore fans and collectors.

glad to see the human league finally taking the time, and care
to do it right. hopefully there will be some more super deluxe
boxes of individual albums and maybe more.

later
-1

[WLR]

Another Human League compilation with a glitch on "Open Your Heart", surely in this day and age they can fix that!!!

[negative1]

Another Human League compilation with a glitch on "Open Your Heart", surely in this day and age they can fix that!!!

maybe it's on the cd? where. the digital version is fine.

later
-1

[humanracer]

The glitch is on the master although I think one of the Dare remasters tried to correct it

The sound drops out a bit on the left channel at the start of the 2nd verse.

[WLR]

The glitch is on the master although I think one of the Dare remasters tried to correct it

The sound drops out a bit on the left channel at the start of the 2nd verse.

Spot on that's where it is. I also think the sound on that particular track is awful as well, maybe to much compression, the rest sound well balanced, there must be an issue with the original recording of that track.

With todays technology you would have thought that they could "repair" the track.

[Fred Taghon]

The glitch is on the master although I think one of the Dare remasters tried to correct it

The sound drops out a bit on the left channel at the start of the 2nd verse.

Spot on that's where it is. I also think the sound on that particular track is awful as well, maybe to much compression, the rest sound well balanced, there must be an issue with the original recording of that track.

With todays technology you would have thought that they could "repair" the track.

I don't have the new anthology but I do have the 1997 USA Caroline reissue does appear to have some audio glitch around the beginning of the second verse. I also have the 2002 remaster and the 2012 remaster coupled with "Fascination" and both of those reissues sound fine - no glitch.

[BigManRestless]

And I've got the SACD and it sounds fine on there too.

[WLR]

The glitch is on the master although I think one of the Dare remasters tried to correct it

The sound drops out a bit on the left channel at the start of the 2nd verse.

Spot on that's where it is. I also think the sound on that particular track is awful as well, maybe to much compression, the rest sound well balanced, there must be an issue with the original recording of that track.

With todays technology you would have thought that they could "repair" the track.

I don't have the new anthology but I do have the 1997 USA Caroline reissue does appear to have some audio glitch around the beginning of the second verse. I also have the 2002 remaster and the 2012 remaster coupled with "Fascination" and both of those reissues sound fine - no glitch.

Just dug out my 2CD Dare/Fascination and you are correct the error does not appear on "Open Your Heart" on that collection, which makes it even more bizarre they have included the glitched version on the new compilation.

[André]

The box set price is not budging for £79.99 on Amazon and there doesn't seem to be any second hand ones or cheaper ones on market place. Out of curiosity how much, those of you who haven't bought it because of the price, would you realistically pay for it? I guess I'd personally be ok with £45.

[moni]

The box set price is not budging for £79.99 on Amazon and there doesn't seem to be any second hand ones or cheaper ones on market place. Out of curiosity how much, those of you who haven't bought it because of the price, would you realistically pay for it? I guess I'd personally be ok with £45.

The only thing that appeals to me about this is the 3rd disc and i seriously wouldn't pay more than £30 if i was going to buy it. The artwork is terrible looking and the first 2 discs are just a joke and you would be far better buying the greatest hits from about ten years ago which doesn't contain an instrumental of a single. For what you get with this it must be the most overpriced box set ever released.

[negative1]

i found a copy for US $75 and have ordered it from a 3rd party on discogs.

should be here in a few weeks.

as i said, waiting helps to see if the price drops.

later
-1

[moni]

i found a copy for US $75 and have ordered it from a 3rd party on discogs.

should be here in a few weeks.

as i said, waiting helps to see if the price drops.

later
-1

I still feel even £60 is way too expensive for this box even more so when you compare it to those Sinple Minds and Tears For Fears box sets which were a hell of a lot cheaper and included loads more stuff than what this does and yes i know the TFF boxes are expensive now but i was talking about when they were first released. As i mentioned before the first two CD's are a mess and anybody looking for a proper best of collection would be better looking elsewhere. I bought those Heaven 17 box sets of P&P and The Luxury Gap which contained two CD's and a DVD as well as postcards and a poster and i payed around £10 for each one now that's the way to do it.

[negative1]

i found a copy for US $75 and have ordered it from a 3rd party on discogs.

should be here in a few weeks.

as i said, waiting helps to see if the price drops.

later
-1

I still feel even £60 is way too expensive for this box even more so when you compare it to those Sinple Minds and Tears For Fears box sets which were a hell of a lot cheaper and included loads more stuff than what this does and yes i know the TFF boxes are expensive now but i was talking about when they were first released. As i mentioned before the first two CD's are a mess and anybody looking for a proper best of collection would be better looking elsewhere. I bought those Heaven 17 box sets of P&P and The Luxury Gap which contained two CD's and a DVD as well as postcards and a poster and i payed around £10 for each one now that's the way to do it.

i'm sure if i waited a few more years, the human league boxset would be a lot cheaper too. i could wait, but i can't wait that long.
to me its a fair price, and even if i didn't like it, i know a few people that would buy it, or want it.

later
-1