Octopus (Human League album)
Encyclopedia
Octopus is the seventh full-length studio album recorded by British synthpop
band The Human League
. It was produced by former Tears for Fears
keyboardist 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 which presented the band as a trio consisting of singers Philip Oakey
, Joanne Catherall
and Susan Ann Sulley. 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 the nearly-exclusive use of analogue synthesizer
s, a marked change from the band's primarily "digital" sound in the mid-to-late 80s.
Octopus saw a return to the public eye for The Human League
, who had been out of the top ten since their 1986 album Crash
. The first single "Tell Me When
" received support from MTV
in the UK and the U.S. and the song became the band's first top-ten hit in nine years, peaking at number six in the UK singles chart
(the single also climbed to number thirty-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
). The Octopus album also peaked at number six in the UK, becoming the Human League's sixth top-ten album. It was later certified Gold.
The album's second single, "One Man in My Heart
", was a ballad
sung by Sulley which also reached the UK top-twenty and the third single from the album, "Filling up with Heaven
", was also a top-forty UK hit.
Although the album sold well and created a resurgence in interest in the band, East West Records went through a complete change in management and decided to cancel the band's contract as well as those of other established artists. It took the band another six years before they released a new album on a new label (Papillion Records).
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...
. It was produced by former Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears are an English new wave band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesiser bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into...
keyboardist Ian Stanley
Ian Stanley
Ian Stanley is an English musician, songwriter and record producer...
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 which presented the band as a trio consisting of singers Philip Oakey
Philip Oakey
Philip 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...
, 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...
and Susan Ann Sulley. Former Human League member 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...
and Keyboard player Neil Sutton
Neil Sutton
Neil Sutton is a long term associate member of the veteran British 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...
also contributed to the writing of the album.
The album's sound is notable for the nearly-exclusive use of analogue synthesizer
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques 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 and electro-mechanical technologies...
s, a marked change from the band's primarily "digital" sound in the mid-to-late 80s.
Octopus saw a return to the public eye for 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...
, who had been out of the top ten since their 1986 album Crash
Crash (Human League album)
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...
. The first single "Tell Me When
Tell Me When
"Tell Me When" is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. Written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey and Paul C. Beckett, it was recorded at 'Human League Studios', Sheffield in 1994...
" received support from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
in the UK and the U.S. and the song became the band's first top-ten hit in nine years, peaking at number six in the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
(the single also climbed to number thirty-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...
). The Octopus album also peaked at number six in the UK, becoming the Human League's sixth top-ten album. It was later certified Gold.
The album's second single, "One Man in My Heart
One Man in My Heart
"One Man in My Heart" is a song recorded by British synthpop band The Human League. It was released as the second single from the band's album Octopus...
", was a ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
sung by Sulley which also reached the UK top-twenty and the third single from the album, "Filling up with Heaven
Filling up with Heaven
“Filling up with Heaven” is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It is taken from the Octopus album of 1995.“Filling up with Heaven” was the third and final single to be taken from the Octopus album. It was jointly written by lead singer Philip Oakey and Producer Ian Stanley...
", was also a top-forty UK hit.
Although the album sold well and created a resurgence in interest in the band, East West Records went through a complete change in management and decided to cancel the band's contract as well as those of other established artists. It took the band another six years before they released a new album on a new label (Papillion Records).
Track listing
- "Tell Me WhenTell Me When"Tell Me When" is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. Written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey and Paul C. Beckett, it was recorded at 'Human League Studios', Sheffield in 1994...
" (Beckett, Oakey) - "These Are the Days" (Oakey, Stanley)
- "One Man in My HeartOne Man in My Heart"One Man in My Heart" is a song recorded by British synthpop band The Human League. It was released as the second single from the band's album Octopus...
" (Oakey, Sutton) - "Words" (Dennett, Oakey)
- "Filling up with HeavenFilling up with Heaven“Filling up with Heaven” is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It is taken from the Octopus album of 1995.“Filling up with Heaven” was the third and final single to be taken from the Octopus album. It was jointly written by lead singer Philip Oakey and Producer Ian Stanley...
" (Oakey, Stanley) - "Houseful of Nothing" (Beckett, Oakey, Stanley)
- "John Cleese: Is He Funny?" (Oakey)
- "Never Again" (Callis, Oakey)
- "Cruel Young Lover" (Beckett, Dennett, Oakey)
Chart performance
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums Chart | 76 |
| UK Albums Chart | 6 |