Crash (Human League album)
Encyclopedia
Crash is the fifth full-length studio album released by the British synthpop
band The Human League
in 1986. Unlike the band’s previous and subsequent albums it is R&B
influenced. Crash would provide the band with their second US number-one single "Human" the same year.
, which only met with moderate commercial success the band struggled to record further material and by 1985 they had lost both Dare
producer Martin Rushent
and musician/songwriter Jo Callis
. Virgin Records
, worried by the lack of progress in their previously most profitable signing, called the band principals to a meeting where a solution to the impasse in the band 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 recently become in-demand producers following their huge global success with Janet Jackson
's Control
album. Jam and Lewis had developed an interest in the Human League after the success of their U.S releases; they were also seeking an opportunity to cross over into the mainstream pop and saw The Human League as the perfect opportunity.
In February 1986 The Human League were flown out to Minneapolis to work at Flyte Time studios with Jam and Lewis. After initial enthusiasm on both sides the working relationship began to break down. Jam and Lewis had total control over the final album and insisted that their own tracks take precedence over the Human League's. Jam and Lewis were also intolerant of the bands' laid back working methods and their musician's lack of technical ability.
Keyboard players Philip Adrian Wright
and Ian Burden
had been sidelined by Jam and Lewis. Wright (an original member) would not recover from the humiliation, and feeling redundant he immediately left the band on return to the UK, a year later Burden would follow him.
After 4 months in Minneapolis, Oakey pulled the band out of further recording and they returned to Sheffield leaving Jam and Lewis to complete the album using session musicians. Oakey said later:
The album name was taken from a moment in the studio during the recording. Oakey described it thus:
Although at the time the band had all but washed their hands of the album post production, when released it quickly became an unexpected success. One of the Jam and Lewis compositions, "Human", was released as the album's first single and became the Human League's second number-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
(no.8 in the UK). The Album itself was more popular in the U.S than the UK. Follow-up singles "I Need Your Loving
" and the 1988 UK-only release "Love Is All That Matters
" were not as successful. But the album had succeeded in returning the Human League back to mainstream prominence both sides of the Atlantic five years after their Dare album. Oakey with hindsight states that it was this album that saved the band’s career and one of the main reasons they are still recording today.
In 2005, Crash was re-issued with extended versions of the three singles.
cover style of Dare artwork for Crash. He had persuaded Virgin Records to finance a studio photo shoot of the band with Vogues Paris
-based Photographer Guy Bourdin
. The band were flown out to Paris for the two day photo sessions. However on arriving at Bourdin's studio it became apparent that he was only interested in photographing the two female vocalists Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall
. Matters came to a head when Bourdin instructed the often-volatile Sulley to do a handstand wearing a mini-skirt, a pose she considered inappropriate. After she turned on Bourdin and the two clashed angrily, the photographer refused to work with the band and they walked out of the session with the loss of all fees. Oakey would later comment that we spent two days there, it took nine hours to set up one photograph and I daren't tell you how much money we spent.
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
band The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
in 1986. Unlike the band’s previous and subsequent albums it is R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
influenced. Crash would provide the band with their second US number-one single "Human" the same year.
Background
After spending two years recording their fourth album HysteriaHysteria (Human League album)
Hysteria is the fourth album by the British synthpop band The Human League, released in May 1984. Following the worldwide success of their 1981 album Dare, the band struggled to make a successful follow-up and the sessions for Hysteria were fraught with problems...
, which only met with moderate commercial success the band struggled to record further material and by 1985 they had lost both Dare
Dare (album)
Dare is the third studio album from British synthpop band The Human League.The album was recorded between March and September 1981 and first released in the UK on 20 October 1981, then subsequently in the U.S...
producer Martin Rushent
Martin Rushent
Martin Rushent was an English record producer, best known for his work with The Human League, The Stranglers and The Buzzcocks.- Early life :Rushent was born on 11 July 1948 in Enfield, Middlesex. His father was a car salesman...
and musician/songwriter Jo Callis
Jo Callis
Jo Callis is an English musician and songwriter who played guitar with the Edinburgh based punk rock band, The Rezillos , and post-punk band Boots For Dancing before joining The Human League.-Biography:Callis was educated at the Edinburgh College of Art...
. Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, worried by the lack of progress in their previously most profitable signing, called the band principals to a meeting where a solution to the impasse in the band 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
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
. Jam and Lewis had recently become in-demand producers following their huge global success with Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
's Control
Control (Janet Jackson album)
Control is the third studio album by American recording artist Janet Jackson, released on February 6, 1986 by A&M Records. Her collaborations with songwriters and record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis resulted in an unconventional sound: a fusion of rhythm and blues, funk, disco, rap vocals,...
album. Jam and Lewis had developed an interest in the Human League after the success of their U.S releases; they were also seeking an opportunity to cross over into the mainstream pop and saw The Human League as the perfect opportunity.
In February 1986 The Human League were flown out to Minneapolis to work at Flyte Time studios with Jam and Lewis. After initial enthusiasm on both sides the working relationship began to break down. Jam and Lewis had total control over the final album and insisted that their own tracks take precedence over the Human League's. Jam and Lewis were also intolerant of the bands' laid back working methods and their musician's lack of technical ability.
Keyboard players Philip Adrian Wright
Philip Adrian Wright
Philip Adrian Wright is an English musician, also known as Adrian Wright.Wright had studied film making at Sheffield Art College and was a friend of Philip Oakey. In 1978 he was invited to join the new avant-garde electronic band The Human League which composed of Oakey, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig...
and Ian Burden
Ian Burden
Ian Charles Burden was a keyboard player with the English synthpop band, The Human League, from 1981 up to 1989....
had been sidelined by Jam and Lewis. Wright (an original member) would not recover from the humiliation, and feeling redundant he immediately left the band on return to the UK, a year later Burden would follow him.
After 4 months in Minneapolis, Oakey pulled the band out of further recording and they returned to Sheffield leaving Jam and Lewis to complete the album using session musicians. Oakey said later:
The album name was taken from a moment in the studio during the recording. Oakey described it thus:
Although at the time the band had all but washed their hands of the album post production, when released it quickly became an unexpected success. One of the Jam and Lewis compositions, "Human", was released as the album's first single and became the Human League's second number-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
(no.8 in the UK). The Album itself was more popular in the U.S than the UK. Follow-up singles "I Need Your Loving
I Need Your Loving
"I Need Your Loving" is the second single to be taken from the British Synthpop group The Human League's 1986 album, Crash.This song was written by the song writing team of Harris/Lewis/Eiland/Rickey/Williams/Davis and like many others from the album, was aimed towards the US market, where the...
" and the 1988 UK-only release "Love Is All That Matters
Love Is All That Matters
"Love Is All That Matters" is the third single taken from the British Synthpop group The Human League's 1986 album, Crash. It was recorded in early 1986 at the Flyte Time studios in Minneapolis while the Human League were in residence recording Crash with producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.This...
" were not as successful. But the album had succeeded in returning the Human League back to mainstream prominence both sides of the Atlantic five years after their Dare album. Oakey with hindsight states that it was this album that saved the band’s career and one of the main reasons they are still recording today.
In 2005, Crash was re-issued with extended versions of the three singles.
Track listing
- "Money" (Burden, Oakey, Russell) 3:54
- "Swang" (Eiland) 4:36
- "Human" (Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis) 4:25
- "Jam" (Oakey, Russell) 4:20
- "Are You Ever Coming Back?" (Oakey, Russell, Wright) 4:53
- "I Need Your LovingI Need Your Loving"I Need Your Loving" is the second single to be taken from the British Synthpop group The Human League's 1986 album, Crash.This song was written by the song writing team of Harris/Lewis/Eiland/Rickey/Williams/Davis and like many others from the album, was aimed towards the US market, where the...
" (Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Davis, Eiland, Richey, Williams) 3:42 - "Party" (Burden, Oakey, Russell) 4:29
- "Love on the Run" (Burden, Oakey, Russell) 3:53
- "The Real Thing" (Burden, Fellows, Oakey, Russell) 4:17
- "Love Is All That MattersLove Is All That Matters"Love Is All That Matters" is the third single taken from the British Synthpop group The Human League's 1986 album, Crash. It was recorded in early 1986 at the Flyte Time studios in Minneapolis while the Human League were in residence recording Crash with producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.This...
" (Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis) 6:05
Additional tracks
- "Human" (extended version)
- "I Need Your Loving" (extended version)
- "Love Is All That Matters" (extended version)
Album artwork
The out-of-focus cover photo was used to disguise the fact that it was taken at very short notice to meet a print deadline, after the disaster of the planned original photo shoot. Oakey originally wanted to return to the VogueVogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
cover style of Dare artwork for Crash. He had persuaded Virgin Records to finance a studio photo shoot of the band with Vogues Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
-based Photographer Guy Bourdin
Guy Bourdin
Guy Louis Bourdin , born Guy Louis Banarès, was a French fashion photographer.-Life and career:Guy Louis Banarès was born December 2, 1928, at 7 Rue Popincourt, Paris...
. The band were flown out to Paris for the two day photo sessions. However on arriving at Bourdin's studio it became apparent that he was only interested in photographing the two female vocalists Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall
Joanne Catherall
Joanne Catherall is an English singer; best known as one of the two female vocalists of the veteran English synthpop band The Human League.Born and raised in Sheffield, England...
. Matters came to a head when Bourdin instructed the often-volatile Sulley to do a handstand wearing a mini-skirt, a pose she considered inappropriate. After she turned on Bourdin and the two clashed angrily, the photographer refused to work with the band and they walked out of the session with the loss of all fees. Oakey would later comment that we spent two days there, it took nine hours to set up one photograph and I daren't tell you how much money we spent.
Chart performance
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart | 25 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 40 |
| German Albums Chart | 14 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 33 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 32 |
| UK Albums Chart | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 24 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart | 28 |
Personnel
- Ken Ansell: Cover Design
- Gavin Cochrane: Photography
- Steve Hodge: Engineer
- Jimmy Jam: Producer, Bass, Keyboards, Synthesizers
- Terry LewisJimmy Jam and Terry LewisJames Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
: Producer, Drums, Percussion - Philip OakeyPhilip OakeyPhilip Oakey is an English composer, singer, songwriter and producer.He is best known as the lead singer, frontman and co-founder of the famous English synthpop band The Human League. He has also had an extensive solo music career and collaborated with numerous other artists and producers...
: Synthesizer, Keyboards, Vocals - Philip Adrian WrightPhilip Adrian WrightPhilip Adrian Wright is an English musician, also known as Adrian Wright.Wright had studied film making at Sheffield Art College and was a friend of Philip Oakey. In 1978 he was invited to join the new avant-garde electronic band The Human League which composed of Oakey, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig...
: Synthesizer, Keyboards - Susan Ann Sulley: Vocals
- Joanne CatherallJoanne CatherallJoanne Catherall is an English singer; best known as one of the two female vocalists of the veteran English synthpop band The Human League.Born and raised in Sheffield, England...
: Vocals - Ian Burden: Vocals, Bass, Keyboards
- Jim Russell: Drums, Percussion, Programming
- Paul Rabiger: Keyboards