The Human League Dare! [Import]

1 LP and 1 EP on 1 CD: DARE! (1982)/LOVE AND DANCING EP.
It isn't overstating the case to call the Human League's third album synthpop's SGT. PEPPER; not only did DARE! establish synthesizers as a viable musical tool on the US charts, it redefined what people thought of electronic pop. No longer did synth bands have to sound like Kraftwerk or Throbbing Gristle.
There are no guitars on DARE! but it's emphatically a pop record. Phil Oakey's gruff vocals blend surprisingly well with the untrained, girlish voices of new backing vocalists Susanne Sulley and Joanne Catherall, and the electronic melodies are expertly rendered by producer Martin Rushent into three-dimensional pop extravaganzas. Musically witty and unfailingly exciting, tracks like "Love Action," "Open your Heart," "Sound of the Crowd" and of course "Don't You Want Me" are as catchy as pop got in 1981, and darker tracks like "Seconds" and "Do Or Die" add depth. DARE! is a brilliant album even today.

• Genre: Pop
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 8/19/2014