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Octopus (The Human League Album)
''Octopus'' is the seventh full-length studio album recorded by the British synthpop 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. The album's sound is notable for almost exclusively featuring analog synthesizer, analogue synthesizers, a marked change from the band's primarily "digital" sound in the mid-to-late 1980s. Background The album saw a return to the public eye for the band, who had been out of the top ten since their 1986 album ''Crash (The Human League album), Crash''. Band ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual Phonograph record#78 rpm disc developments, 78 rpm records collected in a bound book resembling a photograph album; this format evolved after 1948 into single vinyl LP record, long-playing (LP) records played at revolutions per minute, rpm. The album was the dominant form of recorded music expression and consumption from the mid-1960s to the early 21st century, a period known as the album era. Vinyl LPs are still issued, though album sales in the 21st-century have mostly focused on CD and MP3 formats. The 8-track tape was the first tape format widely used alongside vinyl from 1965 until being phased out by 1983 and was gradually supplanted by the cassette tape during the 1970s and early 1980s; the populari ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Select (magazine)
''Select'' was a United Kingdom music magazine of the 1990s. It was known for covering indie rock, but featured a wide array of music. Launched in July 1990, its first cover star was Prince. After EMAP Metro bought ''Select'', they revamped its image, and it became known for its coverage of Britpop, a term coined in the magazine by Stuart Maconie. Its 1993 "Yanks Go Home" edition, featuring The Auteurs, Denim, Saint Etienne, Pulp and Suede's Brett Anderson on the cover in front of a Union Flag, was an important impetus in defining the movement's opposition to American genres such as grunge. Later, John Harris stepped down as editor, and was replaced by former ''Mixmag'' editor Alexis Petridis. Under Petridis, the magazine's image moved back towards its coverage on an eclectic array of music, aiming to reach what Petridis described as "a wide range of music fans". The magazine folded in late 2000, amid competition on the internet. Tagline * Pop Babylon! (circa 1994) * Mus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crash (The Human League Album)
''Crash'' is the fifth studio album by English synth-pop band the Human League, released on 8 September 1986 by Virgin Records. The album would provide the band with their second US number-one single, "Human", the same year. It was produced by the American production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who also wrote several tracks. Background After spending two years recording their fourth album ''Hysteria'', which met with only moderate commercial success, the band struggled to record further material. By 1985, musician/songwriter Jo Callis had left the group. Virgin Records, worried by the lack of progress in one of their leading acts, called the band principals to a meeting where a solution was sought. As the problem was perceived to be the lack of production, it was suggested that the band take up an offer to work with Minneapolis based production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Jam and Lewis had written for and produced the S.O.S. Band, Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal, and h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Analog Synthesizer
An analog (or analogue) synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog signals to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s, such as the Trautonium, were built with a variety of vacuum-tube (thermionic valve) and electro-mechanical technologies. After the 1960s, analog synthesizers were built using operational amplifier (op-amp) integrated circuits, and used potentiometers (pots, or variable resistors) to adjust the sound parameters. Analog synthesizers also use low-pass filters and high-pass filters to modify the sound. While 1960s-era analog synthesizers such as the Moog used a number of independent electronic modules connected by patch cables, later analog synthesizers such as the Minimoog integrated them into single units, eliminating patch cords in favour of integrated signal routing systems. History 1900–1920 The earliest mention of a "synthetic harmoniser" using electricity appears to be in 1906, cre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neil Sutton
Neil Sutton is an English musician, known for being a long term touring member for the synthpop group The Human League. He is best known as the on stage and studio keyboard player, but also has written various lyrics and composed instrumental tracks for the band and has numerous Human League album credits. His association with the Human League started in 1986, where he was employed as a session musician for the ''Crash Tour'' of late 1986. Studying as a Geology Undergraduate at Sheffield University, Neil took on a job at a Sheffield music instrument store. Philip Oakey came in one day and asked him to demonstrate some keyboards, then offered Neil the chance to go on tour with the band. Neil accepted and left his degree course. He was subsequently invited to work with the band further and joined the studio and stage team. In conjunction with band principal Philip Oakey, Sutton has composed a number of the Human League's lyrics and instrumental scores on the '' Romantic?'' (1990), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jo Callis
John William "Jo" Callis (born 2 May 1951) is an English musician and songwriter who played guitar with the Edinburgh based punk rock band The Rezillos (under the name Luke Warm), and post-punk band Boots for Dancing before joining The Human League.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 130-1, 240 Biography Callis was educated at the Edinburgh College of Art. He was a member of The Knutsford Dominators before forming The Rezillos in 1976. The band played many gigs in Edinburgh and Glasgow, during which Callis wore space suits and other hi-tech costumes. He wrote the Rezillos' 1978 hit "Top of the Pops". In late 1978, after the release of the band's only album, The Rezillos split in two, with Callis forming Shake along with Simon Templar (born Simon Bloomfield) and Angel Paterson. Shake released two singles before splitting. Callis joined Boots for Dancing in 1981. Callis released a solo single, "Woah Yeah!", in 1981 on the pop:Aural label, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Susan Ann Sulley
Susan Ann Sulley (born 22 March 1963), formerly known as Susanne Sulley and Susan Ann Gayle, is an English singer who is one of the two female vocalists in the synth-pop band The Human League. Born and raised in Sheffield, England, as a schoolgirl in 1980, Sulley (aged 17) and her friend Joanne Catherall were "discovered" in the Crazy Daisy Nightclub in Sheffield by Philip Oakey, the lead singer and a founding member of The Human League. They soon were asked to provide full vocals by Oakey as an experiment. Sulley is a joint business partner in the band, which still records and performs. The Human League has dominated Sulley's life; she has been a singer all her adult life and has never had any other full-time job. She explains: "Joanne and I weren't ambitious; we didn't want to be in a pop group. We were just two girls at school who wanted to go to university." Early life and education Sulley was born in Sheffield, UK, on 22 March 1963. She spent all her early years in the G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joanne Catherall
Joanne Catherall (born 18 September 1962) is an English singer who is one of two female vocalists in the English synth-pop band The Human League. In 1980, Catherall was a 17-year-old school girl when she and her best friend Susan Ann Sulley were discovered in Sheffield's Crazy Daisy Nightclub by Philip Oakey, the lead singer and a founding member of the Human League. The pair then joined Oakey in forming a new and subsequently commercially successful band line-up. Catherall has remained in the band ever since, working constantly over the next 30 years. She is a joint business partner in the band, which continues to record and tour. Sheffield 1980 and "''The Crazy Daisy''" The Human League had recently split acrimoniously over creative differences, leaving only two of the original four members, Oakey and Philip Adrian WAdrian Wright, to continue. Crucially, The Human League was contracted to a European tour starting within a week. Already in debt to Virgin Records, Oakey had t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philip Oakey
Philip Oakey (born 2 October 1955) is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the lead singer, songwriter, and cofounder of British synth-pop band the Human League. Aside from the Human League, Oakey has enjoyed an extensive solo music career and has collaborated with numerous other artists and producers. Oakey was among the most visually distinctive music artists of the early 1980s. At the height of their success, the Human League released the triple platinum-certified album '' Dare'' and Oakey cowrote and sang the multimillion-selling single "Don't You Want Me," a #1 single in both the U.S. and UK, where it remains the 28th-highest-selling single of all time. Oakey has been lead singer of the Human League for more than 40 years. With the band, he has sold more than 20 million records worldwide. He continues recording and performing internationally. Early life Oakey was born on 2 October 1955 in Hinckley, Leicestershire. His father worked for the G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwide success over time, with the success of platinum performers Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, Devo, Tangerine Dream, Genesis, Phil Collins, OMD, the Human League, Culture Club, Simple Minds, Lenny Kravitz, the Sex Pistols, and Mike Oldfield among others, meaning that by the time it was sold, it was regarded as a major label, alongside other large international independents such as A&M and Island Records. Virgin Records was sold to EMI in 1992. EMI was in turn taken over by Universal Music Group (UMG) in 2012 with UMG creating the Virgin EMI Records division. The Virgin Records name continues to be used by UMG in certain markets such as Germany and Japan. Virgin Records America Virgin Records America, Inc. was the company's North American ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
EastWest Records
East West Records (stylized as east''west'') is a record label formed in 1955, distributed and owned by Warner Music Group, headquartered in London, England. History Upon its creation in 1955 by Atlantic Records, the label had one hit with the Kingsmen's "Week End" and went into hibernation until 1990, when Atlantic revamped the imprint as EastWest Records America. In America, Atlantic senior VP Sylvia Rhone was appointed Chair/CEO of the fledgling label. Under Rhone's leadership, EastWest Records America shot to mega success with several multiplatinum acts such as En Vogue, Pantera, Yo-Yo, Adina Howard, Das EFX, Snow, Gerald Levert, AC/DC, The Rembrandts, Dream Theater, Missy Elliott and MC Lyte. EastWest also distributed other imprints, such as Interscope Records, Motor Jams Records, Mecca Don Records and The Gold Mind Inc. Meanwhile, over at the Electric Lighting Station in London (headquarters of WEA International in the United Kingdom) artists such as The Beloved, Tan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tears For Fears
Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new wave synthesizer bands of the early 1980s, and attained international chart success. The band's debut album, ''The Hurting'' (1983), reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, and their first three hit singles – "Mad World", "Change", and "Pale Shelter" – all reached the top five in the UK Singles Chart. Part of the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US, their second album, ''Songs from the Big Chair'' (1985), reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200, achieving multi-platinum status in both the UK and the US. The album contained two ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number one hits: " Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", both of which reached the top five in the UK with the latter winning the Brit Award for Best British Sing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
