Dag 1334: The Black hit of Space

After posting my first video onto YouTube the other day I spent some time last night having a look at some of the music videos they have on there. I was amazed at how much of the stuff I like was there.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have recently discovered this site (which has loads of great info about minimal synth and similar music from the late 70s and early 80s) and from this I discovered that the owner of this site also runs a weekly radio show on East Village Radio called Minimal-Electronik Plus. This is available as a podcast so I have subscribed to it and its been great listening to it each week on the train and the gym. One of the tracks I recently heard in this show was Alone by Colin Newman of Wire. I first heard this song when it was covered by This Mortal Coil on their album Filigree and Shadow. The original version was also used in the film The Silence of the Lambs. This is a great song but the only version of it I could find on YouTube was a clip from Silence of the Lambs. I did find some other interesting Wire clips too though, and also this fantastic video.

Apart from Minimal-Electronik Plus I have also been playing pr0nography by The Cure to death in recent weeks and particularly the track Siamese Twins. I had a look to see if I could find this track on YouTube and came accross this version with some modern dance going on to it (I bet DJ will like this). I realised that I had seen this on TV when it it was originally done all those years ago. I am hoping for a joint Critcal Mass/Cloudhands outing to see The Cure at the first possible oportunity.

Anyway, I then started looking for some of the bands I used to like back in those days and tried searching for I'm so hollow, who used to be one of my fave raves (I even used to have an I'm so hollow badge which was black with I'm so hollow..... written inside a cloud - wish I still had it).

Then I had a look for the Human League and found some pretty interesting early stuff. I bought Reproduction from iTunes a couple of years back (I had originally had it on vinyll, but haven't had a record player for about 15 years - in fact my kids don't even know what records or record players are), but I no longer had a copy of Travalogue, which I really used to like) so I did a search for Black Hit of Space (one of my alltime favourite Human League tracks of all time) and instead of coming up with a Human League version of it, it came up with this - which I think is great and I'm glad I found it.



This got me wanting a copy of Travelogue again so, as is ones want when its late at night and one has had a few drinks, I logged straight onto iTunes and bought it. I then tried to find something else to go with it and nearly bought A-Z by Colin Newman and spent quite some time deliberating on one of Twilight Ritual's albums, but in the end I managed to get away with just the Human League album.

I listened to it for the first time (since I had the LP) on the train this morning and here are my thoughts:
1. Black Hit of Space.
This track is, in my opinion, one of the best Human League songs ever and was definately an inspiration for the Strange Devotion track Danger Line. I remember when travelogue came out one of its criticisms was that it had been over produced. I agreed to some exstend and always thought this one was of the tracks that suffered from this. I always thought the live version sounded better, but it is still a great song full stop.
2. Only After Dark.
I always thought this was one of the weakest tracks on the album - it's ok but not as good as the rest.
3. Life Kills.
This is another great track and very much in that early Human League style. The only thing that lets it down is those analogue brass sounds. I have never liked brass sounds from analogue synths. In fact I haven't liked them from digital synths either. If you listen to any of my stuff you will notice that I never use brass sounds on anhy tracks. Anyway, apart from the brass sounds this is a great track.
4. Dreams of Leaving.
This is an absolute classic and up there with the best Human League tracks ever. It is even quite a moving song in many ways. The opening verse makes one think of people trying to escape from an opressive regime (and or country). We then get a fantastic analogue instrumantal section and move into the last verse which is very similar to the first but the location has moved to a modern day office environment - very clever lyrics indeed.
5. Toyota City.
This is the first instrumental on the album and, as could be guessed from the title, it has a bit of a japanese feel to it. Maybe not an outstanding track, but good nonetheless.
6. Crow and a baby.
I hadn't heard this album for such a long time that I had forgotten most of the tracks. This was one of the few that I didn't forgot and I can even remember them playing it live. This is classic Human League - great stuff.
7. The touchables.
When I read through the track listing before playing this I felt I had no idea what this track was - I couldn't remember a thing about it, but when it statred playing and I heard the line "Speaking of which, what is your choice" and realised that I had been singing this line to myself regularly for years without even realising what it was. I have no idea why and as the song went on I realised I had no memory of the chorus at all - it just seemed to be that first line that I had kept on my mind for all those years. In fact, listening to it now I have to say all in all it is one of the weaker tracks on the album. I wonder why that first line had stuck in my mind for so long?
8. Gordon's Gin.
This is the second instrumental on the album and I remember this being one of my favourites back then, when I was about 16 years old. It still sounds great.
9. Being Boiled.
Being boiled was the first Human league single and tghis is a souped up re-recording of it. I remember being absolutely stunned when I first heard the original - I don't think I had ever heard anything like it before. This is one of the 2 Human league tracks that Strange Devotion played live. This version is still really good, but it does suffer a bit from over production and it has those brass sounds in it.
10. W.X.J.L Tonight.
This is the last song from the original album, though the iTunes version has 7 extra tracks. This is another really great Human League track. It is about the death of radio shows with DJs and is somewhat moving in some strange way - you really feel sorry for the guy who is singing it (I mean the radio DJ guy, not Phil Oakey).
11. Marianne.
This was originally a single and I remember buying it and I can remember them playing this track live. It still sounds good after all these years.
12. Dancevision (instrumantal)
I reckognised this track so I must have had it on some format first time around but I can't remember what it is from - maybe it was the b-side to Marianne? I know I could quite easily find out using the interconnected world wide internet and a computer but I'm just not going to do it.
Great instrumental with a great ending
13. Rock 'N' Roll/Night Clubbing
This is a couple of cover tracks that blend together. I love the way the drums/handclaps slow down as the first song becomes the second. I remember having this back then, but again can't remember if it was an A side, a B side or something else ebtirely. I also remember these tracks from seeing them live. The other cover they used to do live was Perfect Day. I can remember that after seeing them at Wakefiled Unity Hall on the last date of the travelogue tour (which would also be the last gig they played before Ian Marsh and Martin Ware left to be replaced by 2 girls Phil oakey met in a night club) I managed to get back stage and asked one of them what that track was and they gave me a look that said "how on earth could you possibly not know" as they told me it was a Lou Reed track.
14. Tom Baker
I can remember having this track and I think it was the B side to Boys and Girls. I'm pretty sure I liked it at the time, but now I'm not so keen on it. I think the proper Doctor Who theme is better.
15. Boys and Girls
As just mentioned I bought this single when it came out - I have a feeling it was the first release of the new Human league lineup. Again, I thought it was good at the time, but it doesn't sound quite so good now.
16. I don't depend on you.
I have never heard this track before and it sounds like a rather average sounding funky type of disco track and not like a Human League track at all.
17. Cruel.
This is another instrumental and, again, I had never heard of it before. It is just nowhere near up to the standard of the original Travelogue album tracks. These last 2 tracks might just as well have been left of as far as I'm concerned. They sound like a completely different genre of music.
18. The Weekly Woss Weport.
That's strange, I thought there were only meant to be 18 tracks on this release? Its like some sort of strange black hit of space style occurence where no matter what I press on my iPod it just comes up with Weekly Woss Weport and which ever way I turn I see that cheeky grin in font of me so without further ado her we go:
Before we get the first guest we have tghe obligatory joke and this one was about a water butt that is shaped like a bottom - I prssume you have to be American to appreciate this one properly. Personaly, I didn't think that this was a genuine product.

The first guest is Jamie Foxx (who I have never heard of before) and I must say his rendition of YMCA just doesn't fit in with the style of Travelogue at all. He then tries to make ammends by singing some other song but it still has no synths and simply does not fit on this album.

Next up is someone whose name sounds like Beth Ditto, but as I have an ear infection I may not have heard it correctly. I haven't heard of her either. A quick search on t'intenet reveals that I did hear the name correctly and she is a singer who has appeared on the cover of NME. It seems she is from Arkensaw (which is pronounced Arkansas).

Now it is Michael Ball's turn to talk to the hersuit Mr Woss. This is not the best line-up I have seen on this show so far (although I'm sure there are plenty of people who would disagree with me). So, we are now a bit into Mr Balls slot and I have to admit he has come accross much better than the previous guests did.

To round the show off we have yet another band from Sweden. Last week it was The Hives and this week it is Peter, Björn and John. They are not too bad at all.

So, all in all, despite Mt Ball being able to raise a few laughs, this episode of the Jonathan Woss Show made a very disappointing end to a fantastic Human League album which doesn't sound half as over produced now as was reported at the time.

Now I am going to watch an episode of Futurama before going to sleep.

Next week we hope to get James Burke on the case, or at least involved in some capacity or other.