Hysteria [Original recording remastered]

Human League | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 6, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Blue Plate Caroline
• ASIN: B000AA4LHS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #348,914 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HEAR THE SOUND OF DEFEAT!, May 4, 2000

By 

Foot Artist (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hysteria (Audio CD)

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.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dare II, November 21, 2005

By 

Lucas (Holland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hysteria (Audio CD)

From the look and the sound, this is really Dare II for me. The drum sounds on most of the tracks is typical Human League. I like the songs a lot, just like Dare. What made this album worthwhile to purchase is the complete set of 5 bonustracks that were missing from the initial cd release. I still own the maxi singles (The 3 L's ;-)) from 1984 (The Lebanon, Life On Your Own & Louise) on which the beautiful Thirteen, The World Tonight and The Sign (Extended Version) stood. Louise came with a superb poster of the band. The one thing that wasn't included here was the instrumental version of The Lebanon, but we don't miss that one that much. Because of the remastering it's still 5 stars ;-) Nice to have...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Overlooked Gem, April 25, 2001

By 

G. Joseph Evans (Port Jefferson Station, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hysteria (Audio CD)

In 1984 The Human League finally came out with new material after a two-year hiatus. "Hysteria" blends the synth-pop style from 1982's "Dare" with guitar and bass. The result stunned many diehard fans, who felt that the band had changed the formula too much. Therefore the first single "The Lebanon" was virtually ignored. Well in the United States anyway. It made the top 10 in the U.K along with it's other two singles "Life On Your Own", and "Louise".

"Hysteria" seemed to be a very natural progression from "Dare" as each album had been from the one before it. Fans however, may not always be willing to grow with a band, which unfortunately forced this album to flop rather dismally. Still it is what it is, a collection of synth-pop songs that are socially relevant, intelligent, sincere, political and catchy at the same time. The best songs, other than the singles, are the reworked "I Love You Too Much" (the original all-synth version appeared only on the 1982 EP "FASCINATION!"), the beautiful "Betrayed" about the survivors of a war, and the lovesick anthem "So Hurt". "Don't You Know I Want You" was also a radio hit but never made the charts either in the U.S. or in the UK. All of these tracks remind us that singer/songwriter Philip Oakey is truly one of the most poetic lyricists of all-time. The only dud song on the album is the League's rather annoying attempt at disco with the cover version of "Rock Me Again, and Again, and Again, and Again, and Again, and Again (Six Times)"...and that's exactly how it appears on the album.

Hysteria was also the second and last album for this particular lineup of The Human League (known to fans as "the "Dare" lineup"). Jo Callis left the group shortly after this album was released, although he did collaborate with the band on their 1995 album "Octopus". "Hysteria" was followed in 1986 with the album "Crash".