Customer Reviews

Hysteria

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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.

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...

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".

The fourth Human League album from 1984 has finally been re-released. This version has been digitally remastered and has 5 bonus tracks that were previously only available on deleted vinyl. Human League fans will love this..

Bonus Tracks:

1. Thirteen
2. The World Tonight
3. The Lebanon (Extended Version)
4. Life On Your Own (Extended Version)
5. The Sign (Extended Version)

I say 'sounds well mastered' as there is no mention whatsoever of it being mastered or remastered on the disc or booklet. Usually the remasterer/studio get a mention so I'm not sure it is a digital remaster. Does anyone out there know for sure?

However the sound is good, and most of the bonuses 'make' this reissue worthwhile. It's ages since I'd heard the 12" mix of "The Sign" or "Life On Your Own", and the former in particular comes across as a very strong League track/mix.

Interestingly Phil has disappeared totally from the band line-up in the CD liner notes, and poor Susanne gains a third 'L' in her surname, but other than that the artwork is nicely reproduced.

Not quite as strong as "Dare", as the underground feel had been replaced with something far more pop, but I was impressed how distinctive it still sounds, even in 2009!

Hysteria was the proper album-length follow-up to the Human League's 1981 New Wave classic Dare. It followed the excellent 1983 EP Fascination! which is, at the moment, out-of-print, but I highly recommend seeking it out in your local used record and tape stores. I think that most fans of Dare will enjoy this over-looked gem, as it has a similar sound and some excellent dance tracks.

"I'm Coming Back" is a fun, energetic track to begin the album. It has the characteristic Human League duel vocals between Phil Oakey and the girls plus driving synthesizers. The bridge and verses are better than the chorus. A better version of "I Love You Too Much" is on the Fascination! EP. The version on Hysteria is staler and does not have the driving synthesizers. It is still a very catchy track, though, and has an addictive bass beat. "Rock Me Again...(Six Times)" is a good dance track but nothing special.

"Louise" and "The Lebanon" can both be found on the Greatest Hits collection. "Louise" is a slow, story-telling song and "The Lebanon" rocks! It is the best track on this album and one of the Human League's best songs ever! The ending on Hysteria drags on a bit. I like the Greatest Hits edited version of "The Lebanon" better. A real gem on Hysteria is "Betrayed." It is a powerful track with haunting vocals and a Wall of Voodooish bridge. Actually, the RealAudio clip here on Amazon intrigued me enough to seek out this album. "The Sign" is an upbeat track and "So Hurt" is a slower yet catchy number. "Life on Your Own" is also found on the Greatest Hits package. It is a story-telling track like "Louise" but more upbeat. "Don't You Know I Want You" is another dance track which is better than "Rock Me Again." If Hysteria came out closer to Dare, it probably would have gotten more play. If you are a fan of Dare and missed this release, give it a try. It is a very solid album without the fillers that even Dare had ("Get Carter").

HYSTERIA was considered a faliure at the time as of course it followed DARE,but listening to it now it remains a strong body of work.It is a far more stripped back affair,which helps it sound fresh today.it contains The lebanon,Louise & life on your own all top 20 hits in the U.K.These tracks were probably not the best choices for singles,as The lebanon frightened a lot of fans away from the album(and it is in no way representative)I'm coming back & So hurt are classic League tracks