| Higher and Higher: The Best of Heaven 17 | ||||
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 1993 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer |
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| Heaven 17 chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 Cover for the 1999 re-issue: Temptation – The Best of Heaven 17 | ||||
Higher and Higher: The Best of Heaven 17 is a compilation album by English new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, released in 1993.
The compilation includes singles from Heaven 17's first four studio albums Penthouse and Pavement (1981), The Luxury Gap (1983), How Men Are (1984) and Pleasure One (1986), plus two new remixes that were released as singles: "Temptation" (Brothers in Rhythm Remix), which reached number four in the UK Singles Chart in 1992 [1] and "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" (Rapino Edit), which reached number 40 in 1993. [1] The US version of the album includes the Tommy D Master Remix of "Penthouse and Pavement" in place of the original version. The remix was also released as a single in the UK in 1993, reaching number 54. [1]
In 1999, Higher and Higher was re-issued as Temptation – The Best of Heaven 17, featuring new artwork and the same track listing as the original 1993 version. [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Music Week |  [4] |
| NME | 4/10 [5] |
Upon its release, John Harris, writing for NME , was critical of the compilation. He commented on the label's "marketing tactic" for releasing it to capitalise on the success of the Brothers in Rhythm remix of "Temptation" and noted how, like "most '80s synth-pop", the tracks "sound hideously dated". He felt that many of them were "plinky-winky plodding affairs" which are "made even more unbearable by Gregory's pseudo-operatic vocals and terribly pompous lyrics". Harris concluded, "At best, Heaven 17 sounded like Blancmange with brains. At worst, they were three pretentious home keyboard enthusiasts who'd read too many books – and it was that aspect that usually held the upper hand." [5] In a review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that the album is "an adequate overview of [Heaven 17's] career", although he also described it as containing "too much music for casual fans", that the order of the tracks was "slightly illogical" and that the album is "not comprehensive enough for dedicated collectors". [3]
All tracks written by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware.
| No. | Title | From album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Temptation (Brothers in Rhythm Remix)" | New track | 6:53 |
| 2. | "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang (Rapino Edit)" | New track | 3:59 |
| 3. | "Let Me Go" | The Luxury Gap | 4:15 |
| 4. | "Come Live with Me" | The Luxury Gap | 3:34 |
| 5. | "This Is Mine" | How Men Are | 3:51 |
| 6. | "I'm Your Money" | Penthouse and Pavement | 3:17 |
| 7. | "Play to Win" | Penthouse and Pavement | 3:22 |
| 8. | "And That's No Lie" | How Men Are | 9:01 |
| 9. | "Contenders" | Pleasure One | 4:28 |
| 10. | "We Live So Fast" | The Luxury Gap | 3:48 |
| 11. | "Sunset Now" | How Men Are | 3:30 |
| 12. | "Trouble" | Pleasure One | 4:01 |
| 13. | "Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu)" | Penthouse and Pavement | 3:05 |
| 14. | "Penthouse and Pavement" | Penthouse and Pavement | 6:21 |
| 15. | "Crushed by the Wheels of Industry" | The Luxury Gap | 5:52 |
| 16. | "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" (original version)" | Penthouse and Pavement | 4:17 |
| 17. | "Temptation" (original version)" | The Luxury Gap | 3:32 |
Note
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC) [6] | 31 |
Heaven 17 are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1980. The band were a trio for most of their career, composed of former Human League members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh (keyboards) with vocalist Glenn Gregory.
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".
"Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" is a 1970 hit single for The Temptations. It was released on the Gordy (Motown) label, and written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong.
Penthouse and Pavement is the debut studio album by English new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, released in September 1981 by Virgin Records.
B.E.F. was a band/production company formed by former Human League members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh which became largely eclipsed by its best-known project, Heaven 17.
The Luxury Gap is the second studio album by English synth-pop band Heaven 17, released on 25 April 1983 by Virgin Records. It is the band's best-selling studio album, peaking at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart – eventually becoming the 17th best-selling album of the year – and being certified platinum by the BPI in 1984.
How Men Are is the third studio album by English synth-pop band Heaven 17, released on 24 September 1984 by Virgin Records. The album peaked at No. 12 in the UK and was certified Silver by the BPI in October 1984.
"Temptation" is a single by British band Heaven 17, originally released in April 1983, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart. This was the second single to be taken from their second album, The Luxury Gap, after "Let Me Go" in November 1982. "Temptation" was certified silver by the BPI in May 1983, for sales exceeding 250,000 copies.
Before After is the seventh studio album by the English synth-pop band Heaven 17. It was originally released in September 2005, on the label Ninthwave, nine years after their previous album, Bigger Than America.
Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho is the fifth studio album by English synth-pop band Heaven 17, released in September 1988 by Virgin Records, the band's last studio album for the label.
Naked as Advertised is the eighth studio album by the English synthpop band Heaven 17. It was originally released in 2008, on the label Just Music, three years after their previous album, Before After. The album contained re-workings of tracks such as "Temptation" along with versions of Martyn Ware songs best known from his time with the Human League, including "Being Boiled" and "Empire State Human", as well as a cover of The Associates' hit "Party Fears Two". Following the departure of Ian Craig Marsh in 2007, this is the first Heaven 17 album with the band consisting of the duo of Glenn Gregory and Ware.
"(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" is a song by British synth-pop band Heaven 17. It was their debut single, released on 6 March 1981, and the lead single from their debut studio album, Penthouse and Pavement (1981). It was a minor hit in the UK in 1981, despite being banned by the BBC. It was also a minor dance hit in the US. It developed from an instrumental, "Groove Thang", that Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh created earlier that year for Music for Stowaways, an album they released as British Electric Foundation.
"Come Live With Me" is a song by the British synthpop band Heaven 17, which was released in 1983 as the fourth single from their second album The Luxury Gap. It was written by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, and produced by Marsh and Ware and Greg Walsh. "Come Live with Me" peaked at number 5 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for eleven weeks. It would be the band's last UK top 10 hit until the Brothers in Rhythm remix of "Temptation" in 1992.
"Contenders" is a song by the British new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, which was released in 1986 as the first single from their fourth studio album Pleasure One. It was written and produced by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware. The song reached No. 80 in the UK and spent four weeks on the chart. It also reached No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Dance/Club Play Singles Chart.
"Crushed by the Wheels of Industry" is a song by the British synthpop band Heaven 17, released in 1983 as the fifth and final single from their second studio album The Luxury Gap. It was written by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, and produced by Marsh and Ware and Greg Walsh. It reached number 17 in the UK Singles Chart and would be the band's last top 20 hit in the UK until 1992's Brothers in Rhythm remix of "Temptation".
"This Is Mine" is a song by the British new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, which was released in 1984 as the second single from their third studio album How Men Are. It was written by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, and produced by Marsh and Greg Walsh. The song reached No. 23 in the UK, remaining in the charts for seven weeks. It would be the band's last Top 30 single until 1992's "Temptation "
"...(And That's No Lie)" is a song by the British new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, which was released in 1985 as the third single from their third studio album How Men Are. The song was written by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, and produced by Ware and Greg Walsh. It reached number 52 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for five weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single.
Music for Stowaways is the debut album by English electronic act British Electric Foundation (B.E.F.), formed by musicians Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh. The album released in the United Kingdom as a limited edition cassette in March 1981 by Virgin Records, who also released an LP version of the album titled Music for Listening To later in the year with a different track list and cover art, aiming its release for export markets. The Stowaways version was originally released concurrently with Ware and Marsh's first single with Heaven 17, "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang", itself a developed version of the Music for Stowaways track "Groove Thang".
"The Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu)" is a song by British new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, released in 1982 as the fifth and final single from their debut album Penthouse and Pavement. It was written by Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory, and produced by Ware and Marsh.
"I'm Your Money" is a song by English new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, released in 1981 by Virgin as a non-album single. The song was written by band members Ian Craig Marsh, Martyn Ware and Glenn Gregory, and produced by B.E.F..