Customer Reviews

Reproduction

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I remember picking up the vinyl album of 'Reproduction' back in 1980. Now, 25 years later I decided to pick up the CD version with the wonderful inclusion of the Dignity of Labor 12" E.P. (Even including the Flexi-Disc) that I didn't get with my copy. I have had about 10-15 albums on vinyl that I went on to get the CD version of & this is one of them. Back in 1979 believe me this was a really new sound. Synthesized pop for a new generation. Actually pretty dark pop with heavy lyrics reflecting Philip Oakey's take on death and the human condition. Just check out 'Zero As A Limit' which is my favorite track. A slow echoing hand-clap repeating begins the song with Mr. Oakley's deep voice telling the story of someone going through the unfortunate motions of being run over by a car. The urgent increase in the simple hand-clap as the car approaches and the frenzied urgency of Oakey's voice brings the song to its inevitable conclusion. The whole album shows so much imagination & musical confidence and to my mind is a lesson in how to craft simply structured songs that can still work on a deeply emotional level. The whole album has great beats with beautifully programmed Synth lines. There really wasn't much else out there in the electronic field that was anything like this. Remember this is 1979. Strangely though this kind of music wasn't taking off commercially and it wasn't until some 2-3 years later with 'Dare' that the 'Human League' became popular, being lumped in with the 'New Wave' crowd. But for me this 1st release was their best. Both in terms of lyrical content and musical proficiency. And lets not forget the Cover, which at the time it came out i think was though of as rather controversial. Babies being danced on by late 70's yuppie's....Wonderful PS: Check out too the awesome rendition of 'You've Lost that Loving feeling' also. A wonderful remake.

Human League is usually synonymous with dodgy 80s pop but this is rather a surprising listen and a has a lot of bite to it. Odd lyrics with cold, almost ice glacier like synths and all in all a lot of fun to listen to. It really is a Human League album for non Human League fans

I was extremely skeptical of this album. I had the notion in my head that since the album was made almost 25 years ago it would sound like a rehash of Kraftwerk singles I already owned. Much to my surprise, it does not adhere to the minimalism one might expect in the late 1970s. This album has not only catchy pop music with wonderful harmonies and beautiful melodies, but some great instrumental ballads that might make even Vangelis jealous. The boys of Human League were quite ahead of their time.

There is little from this album that would not hold up throughout most of the 1980s, and even to today's ears with the resurgence of analogue synths in pop music. If you really love electronic music, this remastered copy is an album to own.

For anyone to be introduced to synthesizers should have this CD, Reproduction, the first official CD by the Human League, and now digitally remastered including extra track like The Dignity of Labour Part 1-4 and the Fast Product versions of Circus of Death and Being Boiled.

To begin, this remastered CD got me hooked from the first song, with that catchy chorus, "Jump onto the escalator, press the button on the lift". Some may consider from the lyrics of the songs that this CD is not a happy one, but the Human League, while they may have intense lyrics like in "Being Boiled", all their tracks seem to turn bad things into fun phrases you can sing at, feeling like a pop tune. I had been a fan of the Human League for a year now and when I got this CD, I knew they were a hit from the start, with famous hits on the CD including "Empire State Human" and a underrated "Morale...You've Lost That Loving Feeling". A great introduction to synthesizers and the Human League's potential

This is not nearly as interesting as the unfortunately way out of print compilation of an early incarnation of the Human League:Golden Hour of the Future
If you're expecting Cabaret Voltaire or Throbbing Gristle you probably will be disappointed (unless you go for T.G.'s occasional synth pop songs such as "United"). Other than that, the music has a dull depressive sound that (unlike say Joy Division) doesn't go anywhere. The lyrics can be irritating ("Dehumanization. Its such a big word. Its been around since Richard the third"-huh?). And the cover of "You've Lost that Loving Feeling" shows the direction the band were headed in. Though they started off in the post punk scene, they obviously wanted to be a synth pop band and after the first two albums achieved their success as just that, though they never had the creativity of other artists who combined synth pop with aspects of punk such as say, Ultravox:Ha Ha Ha
or the essential synth masterpieces of Kraftwerk who got the ball rolling for this genre as well as many others.

Takes me back to the '80's when I was much younger.
The CD itself is digitally remastered and you can tell.
I play it on my car player and the sub thumps big time.
If you liked the Human League when you were young then do yourself a favour and get this.
The modern tech we have now makes it sound unreal.
And the CD was shipped fast from the seller too.

I owned this, and travelogue on vinyl since they were originally released, which tells you something about my taste in music not to mention my age. Tracks 1-10 were on original album. The other tracks are extra tacks added to the cd version. I am not sure of the purpose of the flexi-disc addition to the cd. For those not old enough to remember these flexi discs were made of very thin plastic and given away on the cover of music magazines. Reproduction and travelogue are by far and away best albums they ever made, if a little on the dark side. If you're a fan of New Wave this is one of the album that's a 'must have'.

A great album with some absolute classic. If you want to hear some entire songs go on youtube.com and check out Empire State Human and the live version of Being Boiled. This release has inspiread a lot of artists. Skinny Puppy claims they're an inspiration. Also, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame said in an interview with Spin Magazine, "The excitement of hearing a Human League track and thinking, that's all machines, there's no drummer. That was my calling." Need I say more?

They were a sparse, all-electronic male band that produced this and the album "Travelogue" (see my review) that sounds way ahead of its time. Standout tracks include "Circus of Death", "Empire State Human", "The Path of Least Resistance", and their simply amazing cover of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling". It doesn't get better than this.

a mastepiece. a dark, complex sound that would inspire some of the greatest industrial bands of the 80's. you can hear the influece of throbbing gristle, as well. also recommended: visage, fad gadget, early ministry.