The Human League Anthology - A Very British Synthesizer Group

Secrets was a better Album than Dare but had no advertising since the Record Company went bancrupt during release. Credo is also great...

 

"...by far the biggest selling home entertainment media..."

Hmmm. I only know of 2016 sales figures (year to date) for the USA and Blu Ray outsells DVD nearly two to one. Perhaps DVD's are more popular than Blu Ray outside the USA?

* 2016 Sales of DVD's YTD (USA only) - 46.2 million units, $662 million

* 2016 Sales of Blu Ray Discs YTD (USA only) - 80.6 million units, $1.4 billion

 

I can only comment on what I hear and see in the UK and I can tell you that the sales areas for DVD's are still comparatively large in retail outlets compared to Blu-rays which are still given a tiny area in comparison. BD hasn't taken off in the UK anywhere near to the adoption rate of DVD. You never see BD's here in supermarkets whereas all major supermarkets will have a large DVD sales area (not to mention 'bargain bins' close to till / check-out areas).

 

My local Asda has a big Blu Ray section.

I think Supermarkets stock more DVD's because they are cheaper and people will impulse buy, but that's no indication of the relative success of BD to DVD. In fact if you look at the Amazon sales charts there are plenty of BD there, so it has taken off, but unfortunately at the same time people have moved away from physical media because of Netflix and the like. But there is a large market for BD amongst serious film fans who want to collect movies on the best possible format. They won't be buying DVD's.

 

As Jim says, there is reasonable widespread adoption of Blu Ray, but bundling in a DVD ensures the widest format compatibility for potential purchasers.

 

Another few days to go before the release. some early reviews say that it is a good compilation.

later
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1 error reported in the super deluxe version:

later
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Thanks for the info.

 

Still cannot believe its £20 a disc (3CD's and 1 DVD)

 

Certainly wasn't! "Dare" is the best pop album in music history.

 

A lot of the box is on Spotify. Most of the unheard stuff is a bit of a disappointment, just early vocal takes really. If that's your thing...

 

5 star review in Irish Times, which is nice, even if it gets a few people listening to them who wouldn't usually:

The Human League – A Very British Synthesizer Group album review: pop music radically altered »

 

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
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Surely the 2CD version must be the best 'best of' if you had to choose just one?

 

no, because, there's really nothing new or worthwhile even on the 2 cd set. as i mentioned they substituted mixes and
and other incorrect tracks, instead of being consistent with radio edits. basically, you have
to create your own best of using tracks from other sources.

later
-1

 

Ok, well I am just looking to update the original first greatest hits album and this will do just fine for me. The only thing that I find odd is the included instrumental version of Sound Of The Crowd.

 

I wouldn't go that far but it is iconic and certainly in the top echelon of synth pop /new wave albums. A synth pop masterpiece.

 

So what's the book like? Does it make £80 a reasonable price in your opinion? I'm not interested in the 2cd version, but I would have bought the Super Deluxe for the early demos.

 

Actually I am a big fan of the first 3 albums (in descending order of greatness) but my favourite post-Dare tracks are The Lebanon, Life On Your Own and Human.
I don't know why, but I like early 70s/80s experimental synth music, "new romantic" and 70s disco/funk. In general I like the darker side of music eg Goth/Punk/Post punk but also can't resist catchy pop like Keep Feeling Fascination! Maybe I need a shrink.

 

How on earth didn't this make the set?

 

I prefer that to the original!

 

Some people have reported a glitch with 'Open your heart'.
The sound drops out a bit on the left channel at the start of the 2nd verse.

Apparently other remasters and the SACD don't have this problem.

later
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I think that I will hold out for the deluxe edition, I am sure the price will drop come the new year.

 

due to a printing error, you can get a new booklet and tracklisting sheet:

The Human League offer to replace incorrect Anthology booklets | superdeluxeedition »

The Human League have apologised to fans for a printing error on the 3CD+DVD edition of their new anthology and have promised that replacements will be issued.

The band posted a note on their facebook page to say that they were “extremely sorry” that there has been a printing error on the outside back sheet and booklet of the initial batch of the four-disc set of A Very British Synthesizer Group which has an incorrect running order for the DVD – it should say that it contains 24 BBC performances, not 25 as listed.

The group go on to say that the record company (Universal) will send fans replacement booklets and back sheets at their expense, regardless of where they live.

later
-1

 

i ended up buying the set for US$75 and there are multiple sellers on Ebay and Amazon that have it for that price now.

at that price, if you consider the book half of the cost, it is well worth it. lots of nice pictures, and an essay on the group.

i'm sure the price will drop further if you choose to wait longer also.

later
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