Dare (album)

Last updated

Dare
Dare-cover.png
Studio album by
Released16 October 1981 [1]
RecordedMarch–September 1981
Studio Genetic Sound (Streatley, Berkshire)
Genre
Length40:46
Label Virgin
Producer
The Human League chronology
Travelogue
(1980)
Dare
(1981)
Love and Dancing
(1982)
Singles from Dare
  1. "The Sound of the Crowd"
    Released: 24 April 1981
  2. "Love Action (I Believe in Love)"
    Released: 31 July 1981
  3. "Open Your Heart"
    Released: 2 October 1981
  4. "Don't You Want Me"
    Released: 27 November 1981
  5. "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of"
    Released: 21 January 2008

Dare (also released as Dare! in certain countries) is the third studio album by English synth-pop band The Human League, first released in the United Kingdom in October 1981 and then subsequently in the US in mid-1982. [8] The album was produced by Martin Rushent and recorded between March and September 1981, following the departure of founding members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, and saw the band shift direction from their previous avant-garde electronic style toward a more pop-friendly, commercial sound led by frontman Philip Oakey. [9]

Contents

Dare became critically acclaimed and proved to be a genre-defining album, whose influence can be felt in many areas of pop music. [10] The album and its four singles were large successes, particularly "Don't You Want Me", which both Rolling Stone and The Village Voice credited with kickstarting the Second British Invasion. [11] [12] The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and has been certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

A remix album based on Dare, named Love and Dancing , again produced by Martin Rushent was released in 1982. This included remixes of tracks from the Dare album in a continuous mega mix style which was groundbreaking at the time and according to Martin Rushent was very time-consuming to make.

History

In January 1981, the Human League consisted of Phlip Oakey and Philip Adrian Wright with newly recruited teenage dancers/backing vocalists Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley. After the acrimonious split of the original band in October 1980 and the subsequent recruitment of Sulley and Catherall, the new band had only just survived a European tour by bringing in session keyboardist Ian Burden to assist temporarily. As a result, the band was in substantive debt and only barely commercially viable. Under pressure to produce results from Virgin Records, original members Oakey and Wright returned to Monumental Studios in Sheffield to start recording demo tracks. They recorded the track "Boys and Girls" from the 1980 tour, which Virgin then released as a single. The "Boys and Girls" style was more reminiscent of the band's earlier work. Sulley and Catherall, who were busy studying for their A-levels, appeared on the cover of the single but did not perform on the track itself. "Boys and Girls" peaked at number 47 on the UK Singles Chart. Afterwards, Oakey would bring in outside personnel to take the band in a more pop and commercial-sounding direction.

Oakey's first move was to invite guitarist and keyboard player Ian Burden from their 1980 tour back to join the band full-time. Virgin had suggested that Oakey needed professional production and paired him with veteran producer Martin Rushent. He would move the band to his Genetic Sound Studios in rural Berkshire both due to the "unhealthy" atmosphere at Monumental Studios in Sheffield caused by the Human League sharing it with Heaven 17, and that Rushent's studios were better equipped for the type of music the band was making. A downside would be that the distance would cause problems for Sulley and Catherall who were taking their final school exams at the time and had to be bussed down from Sheffield regularly. [13] In the studio, the songs were built up from a simple Linn LM-1 drum pattern, with the arrangements written out on a chart as they went along: each note was considered carefully at some point for the best emotional effect, as per Rushent. Each song took a week, with the final drum parts recorded last to tape with all the drum fills in place. [14]

The first result of their recording sessions was released in April 1981 entitled "The Sound of the Crowd". The final addition to the band would be Jo Callis, the former guitarist and songwriter of the punk rock band the Rezillos.

The first release from the now complete new team came in July 1981, "Love Action (I Believe in Love)", which peaked at number three in the UK. By September 1981, the album was finished and provisionally entitled Dare, after a Vogue magazine cover (U.K., April 1979, Gia Carangi). Oakey explained the story behind the album name at the time:

I like it because the Mekons used to have a song called "Dan Dare". In fact, it was ripped off from a cover of Vogue about two and a half years ago. They had a whole series of covers which featured just one word like "Success", "Red" and "Dare". I shouldn't say that, should I? [15]

To prepare for the album's release (set for the end of October 1981), "Open Your Heart" was released - it went to number six in the UK. It was accompanied by a high-end promotional video. When the album was released, it was condemned by the Musicians' Union, who believed the new technology employed by the Human League was making traditional musicians redundant among other concerns; they would begin a "Keep It Live" campaign believing that bands like the Human League would be able to perform concerts at the touch of a button. [13]

Virgin executive Simon Draper's next choice would be the track "Don't You Want Me", the duet that Oakey had recorded with teenage backing singer Susanne Sulley. Oakey was unhappy with the decision and originally fought it, believing it to be the weakest track on Dare; for that reason, it had been relegated to the last track on the B-side of the vinyl album. Oakey was eventually overruled by Virgin. [13] It would go on to become the band's most successful hit, selling millions of copies worldwide and becoming the 25th highest-selling single in the UK (as of 2007). [16] It was also the Christmas number one for 1981.

Release

The album was a massive commercial success, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart in its second week of release. The album's release was expected to be the climax of an enormously successful year for the band, but Virgin Records' Simon Draper decided he wanted an additional single from the album before the end of the year. [13] By Christmas 1981, Dare had gone platinum in the UK, and the Human League had a number-one album and number-one single concurrently on the UK charts. Dare would eventually remain on the UK Albums Chart for 71 weeks. [16] A remix album, called Love and Dancing , was released in July 1982.

International releases

The single "Don't You Want Me" was released with an expensive and elaborate promotional video created by film maker Steve Barron. Music videos were a relatively new phenomenon, and cable TV station MTV had only just started up to capitalise on this new media but had very little material to work with. Virgin Records syndicated the video to MTV which was played around the clock. Because of the interest the video generated in "Don't You Want Me", Virgin licensed the release in the US of the single and the album. The licensee for the US was A&M Records who renamed the album Dare! The addition of the exclamation mark was because A&M wanted to differentiate their (US) release from Virgin's original release in the UK. The release of Dare! immediately mirrored the success of the UK; and in mid 1982 it reached number three on the US Billboard 200 and the single "Don't You Want Me" was at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Although critics were not as universally applauding as in the UK, the commercial success of Dare! would set the scene for the band's return to the US charts several times in later years.

Dare earned considerable income for record labels Virgin and A&M; in Virgin's case, it gave the label the first chart-topping album since Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells in 1973. "Don't You Want Me" was the label's first-ever chart-topping single. The success of Dare was responsible for saving the label from impending bankruptcy. A very grateful Richard Branson sent Philip Oakey a motorcycle as a thank-you present, but Oakey had to return it as he couldn't ride it. [13]

As well as the commercial success in the US under A&M, in 1982 Dare was also highly successful in Australia, Japan, France and Germany. Dare has been re-released several times since its original creation. The 1997 U.S. CD release on Caroline Records included the additional B-side tracks "Hard Times" and "Non-Stop". In 2002 (UK)/2003 (U.S.), another re-release combined Dare and Love and Dancing on one CD. In 2012, a 2-CD box set compiled Dare, several bonus remixes and an expanded version of the Fascination! EP, which was released separately in Japan in 2015. [17]

Packaging

Dare internal gatefold artwork 1981 - Sulley and Catherall Darecovergate.jpg
Dare internal gatefold artwork 1981 – Sulley and Catherall

The cover art and other album artwork are based on a concept that Oakey wanted, that the album should look like an issue of Vogue. The final design is a joint effort between Philip Adrian Wright (also the band's director of visuals) and graphic designer Ken Ansell. Its typography and design closely resemble the cover of German Vogue's May 1981 issue, featuring Paulina Porizkova. Oakey is solo on the front cover with Sulley and Catherall on the internal gatefold, Wright on the back cover, and Callis and Burden on the inner sleeve. The artwork has been reproduced in numerous forms for various re-releases and sold as posters. [18]

Explaining why the band's portraits are close-cropped and the girls had their hair tied back for their photographs, Susan Ann Sulley explains, "We wanted people to still be able to buy the album in five years, we thought that hair styles would be the first thing to date. We had no idea people would still be buying it 25 years later."

Critical reception

Dare was almost universally critically acclaimed in the UK. In Melody Maker , Steve Sutherland celebrated the fact the album would irritate guitar-rock traditionalists, saying, "All let's-pretend-pompous it's cornily consistent, cultured, crude, elegant, cheap ... anything you want it to be. Me? I think it's a masterpiece. Sure to upset some, sell to millions more and so it should the way it tramps all over rock traditions. A trite sound, a retarded glam image and a mock respect. All the appeal in the world ... Dare should show up the pathetic farce of pop mythology once and for all." [19] Smash Hits critic David Hepworth called it "chock-full of precise, memorable melodies delivered with style and humour". [20] Noted music critic Paul Morley wrote in the NME , "Dare is the second intoxicating intervention to be produced out of the great split [referring to Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware leaving the first incarnation of the Human League, and their album Penthouse and Pavement released with their new band Heaven 17], and already it's the first Human League greatest hits collection ... Much more than ABBA or whoever you like, the Human League signify that deliciously serious, sincerely disposable MOR music can possess style, quality and sophistication ... I think that Dare is one of the GREAT popular music LPs." [21]

In the US, Rolling Stone rated Dare four out of five stars, with reviewer David Fricke commending the Human League for finding "an appealing balance between modern technique and tuneful charm" on an album of "artfully grabby" songs. [22] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice was less impressed, giving it a "B−" grade and remarking that "Philip Oakey comes on like three kinds of pompous jerk." [23]

According to the book Let It Blurt: The Life and Times of Lester Bangs, renowned music critic Lester Bangs died of an accidental drug overdose while listening to Dare. [24]

Awards

Dare featured in multiple year-end polls for 1981. It was ranked the sixth best album of 1981 by the NME, [25] and was voted Album of the Year in the 1981 Smash Hits readers' poll. [26] Martin Rushent received the Brit Award for Best British Producer at the 1982 ceremony for his production on Dare, while the band won the award for Best British Newcomer. [27]

Legacy

Retrospective professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [28]
BBC Online 5/5 [29]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [30]
Muzik Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [31]
Pitchfork 9.1/10 [2]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [32]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [33]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [34]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 9/10 [35]
Uncut 10/10 [36]

Dare has appeared on several lists of the greatest albums of all time. Sounds magazine ranked it the 81st-best album of all time in 1986 and the 44th-best album of the 1980s three years later. [37] [38] In 1990, Dare was listed by Rolling Stone as the 78th-best album of the previous decade. [39] Q placed the record at number 69 on its 2000 list of the "100 Greatest British Albums Ever";[ citation needed ] the same magazine, in 2006, ranked Dare the 19th-best album of the 1980s. [40] In 2006, British Hit Singles & Albums and NME organised a poll in which 40,000 people worldwide voted for the 100 best albums ever, with Dare placing at number 77. [41] Slant Magazine listed it in 2012 as the 86th-best album of the 1980s. [42] In 2013, NME ranked the record 111th on its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". [43] Meanwhile, Uncut ranked Dare 132nd on its list of the 200 greatest albums of all time in 2015. [44] Paste placed Dare at number 34 on its 2016 list of the best new wave albums. [7]

The album was also included in the 2018 edition of Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [45]

25th anniversary

Dare Tour 2007 artwork - Sulley, Oakey, Catherall Darecovergate2.jpg
Dare Tour 2007 artwork – Sulley, Oakey, Catherall

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of Dare (and the 30th anniversary of the formation of the band), the modern-day Human League (Oakey, Sulley and Catherall from the original 1981 band lineup) conducted a special Dare 2007 tour of the UK and Europe playing the original album live in full during November and December 2007. An updated version of the album's cover artwork, now with recent photographs of Sulley, Oakey and Catherall in the style of the original artwork, accompanied the advertising for the tour. [46]

Martin Rushent, interviewed in the July 2010 issue of Sound on Sound magazine, said he was working on a remastered 30th anniversary edition of the album which would include new mixes of its tracks using real instruments rather than synthesisers. [47] However, Rushent died in June 2011 with the project unreleased.

Virgin40

Dare was one of the Virgin Records albums selected for special picture disc release to mark the 40th anniversary of the group's erstwhile record label. [48]

Track listing

Side 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Things That Dreams Are Made Of"Oakey, Wright4:14
2."Open Your Heart"Callis, Oakey3:53
3."The Sound of the Crowd"Burden, Oakey3:56
4."Darkness"Callis, Wright3:56
5."Do or Die"Burden, Oakey5:25
Side 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Get Carter" (instrumental) Roy Budd 1:02
7."I Am the Law"Oakey, Wright4:09
8."Seconds"Callis, Oakey, Wright4:58
9."Love Action (I Believe in Love)"Burden, Oakey4:58
10."Don't You Want Me"Callis, Oakey, Wright3:56
CD bonus tracks (Caroline Records, CAROL 1114-2, US, released 1997)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Hard Times"Oakey, Wright, Callis5:42
12."Non-Stop"Callis, Wright4:15
Dare/Fascination! 2CD box set bonus tracks (Virgin Records, CDVD 2192, UK, released 2012)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."The Sound of the Crowd" (12" version)Burden, Oakey6:28
12."Don't You Want Me" (extended mix)Callis, Oakey, Wright7:31
13."The Sound of the Crowd" (instrumental)Burden, Oakey4:12
14."Open Your Heart/Non-Stop" (instrumentals)Callis, Oakey/Callis, Wright8:41
15."Don't You Want Me" (alternative version)Callis, Oakey, Wright3:57

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. [49]

The Human League

Additional personnel

Studio equipment used

The following studio equipment was used in the recording of the album: [50]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Dare
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [71] Platinum50,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [72] Platinum100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI) [73] Gold50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [74] Platinum15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [75] 3× Platinum900,000^
United States (RIAA) [76] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Human League</span> English synth-pop band

The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album Dare in 1981 after restructuring their lineup. The album contained four hit singles, including the UK/US number one hit "Don't You Want Me". The band received the Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough Act in 1982. Further hits followed throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, including "Mirror Man", "(Keep Feeling) Fascination", "The Lebanon", "Human" and "Tell Me When".

<i>Crash</i> (The Human League album) 1986 studio album by the Human League

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Oakey</span> British singer

Philip Oakey is an English singer-songwriter who is the frontman and co-founder of the synth-pop band The Human League. Aside from the Human League, he has enjoyed an extensive solo music career and has collaborated with numerous other artists and producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't You Want Me</span> 1981 single by the Human League

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanne Catherall</span> English singer

Joanne Catherall is an English singer who is one of two female vocalists in the English synth-pop band The Human League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human (The Human League song)</span> 1986 single by the Human League

"Human" is a song by English synth-pop band the Human League, released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, Crash (1986). The track, which deals with the subject of infidelity, was written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The song topped the charts of the United States, becoming the band's second single to top the Billboard Hot 100 after their 1981 single "Don't You Want Me". It also went to number one in Canada while reaching number five in Germany and number eight in the band's native United Kingdom.

<i>Hysteria</i> (The Human League album) 1984 studio album by the Human League

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<i>Octopus</i> (The Human League album) 1995 studio album by The Human League

Octopus is the seventh full-length studio album recorded by the British synth-pop band The Human League. It was produced by the former Tears for Fears keyboard player Ian Stanley and released by EastWest Records in 1995. It was the first new album from The Human League in five years after the termination of their long-term contract with Virgin Records. Octopus was the first Human League album that presented the band as a trio consisting of the singers Philip Oakey, Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley. The former Human League member Jo Callis and keyboard player Neil Sutton also contributed to the writing of the album.

<i>Love and Dancing</i> 1982 remix album by The Human League

Love and Dancing is a remix album by English synth-pop band The Human League, released in July 1982 by Virgin Records. Issued under the band name "The League Unlimited Orchestra" as a nod to Barry White's disco-era Love Unlimited Orchestra, the album was principally the idea and work of producer Martin Rushent and contains dub-style, largely instrumental remixes of songs from the band's multi-platinum selling album Dare (1981), along with a version of the track "Hard Times", which had originally been the B-side of the single "Love Action ". Rushent was inspired by hip hop turntablist Grandmaster Flash and created Love and Dancing on a mixing board. He created vocal effects by cutting up portions of the Dare tape and manually gluing them together. In total, over 2,600 edits feature on the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Ann Sulley</span> English singer (born 1963)

Susan Ann Sulley, formerly known as Susanne Sulley and Susan Ann Gayle, is an English singer. She is one of the two female vocalists in the synth-pop band The Human League, contributing co-lead vocals on the conflicting duet "Don't You Want Me" with the band's founding member and lead singer Philip Oakey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Life on Your Own</span> 1984 single by the Human League

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sound of the Crowd</span> 1981 single by The Human League

"The Sound of the Crowd" is a song by the British synth-pop group The Human League. It became the band's commercial breakthrough, reaching #12 on the UK singles chart in May 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open Your Heart (The Human League song)</span> 1981 single by The Human League

"Open Your Heart" is a song by the British synth-pop group The Human League. It was released as a single in the UK in October 1981 and peaked at number six in the UK singles chart. It was written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey and keyboard player Jo Callis. The song features a lead vocal by Oakey and female backing vocals by Susanne Sulley and Joanne Catherall, analogue synthesizers by Jo Callis, Philip Adrian Wright and Ian Burden. Drum machines, sequencing and programming were provided by producer Martin Rushent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Action (I Believe in Love)</span> 1981 single by the Human League

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Don't Depend on You</span> 1979 single by "The Men" aka the Human League

"I Don't Depend on You" is a disco-influenced song by the British synth-pop group the Human League released under the pseudonym The Men. It was released as a single in the UK in July 1979, but failed to chart. It was written by Philip Oakey, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh; was produced by Colin Thurston and featured guest backing vocalists Katie Kissoon and Lisa Strike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirror Man (The Human League song)</span> 1982 single by The Human League

"Mirror Man" is a 1982 song by the British synth-pop group The Human League. It was released as a single in the UK on 12 November 1982 and peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart. It was written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey with keyboard players Jo Callis and Ian Burden, and produced by Martin Rushent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Things That Dreams Are Made Of</span> 2008 single by the Human League

"The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" is a song by English synth-pop band The Human League. It was originally recorded for the band's 1981 album Dare, but was only released as a single in South Africa. Various remixes were released as a dance EP single in February 2008 which reached number two in the official UK Dance Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louise (The Human League song)</span> 1984 single by the Human League

"Louise" is a song by English synth-pop band the Human League. It was released as a single in the UK on 5 November 1984 and peaked at number thirteen in the UK Singles Chart. It was written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey with fellow band members Jo Callis and Philip Adrian Wright. The song features a lead vocal by Oakey and female vocals by Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall, analogue synthesizers by Philip Oakey, Jo Callis, Philip Adrian Wright and Ian Burden. The producers were Chris Thomas and Hugh Padgham. Although enjoying modest success when released as a single, it appeared on Melody Maker’s list of 50 top singles of 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Like a Wheel (The Human League song)</span> 1990 single by The Human League

"Heart Like a Wheel" is a song by English synth-pop band The Human League. It was the first single to be taken from the Romantic? album (1990), and was written by former band member Jo Callis with Eugene Reynolds and features vocals by Philip Oakey, Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley; with synthesizer by Neil Sutton. Recorded at Genetic Sound during 1990, it was produced by Martin Rushent who was reconciled with the band after a seven-year gap.

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Bibliography