Oakey has stated that upon discovering the girls were only teenagers and also best friends, he invited them both so they could look after each other on the tour for safety. He has also said that he thought having two women as vocalists and dancers would also add glamour to the band. Because of the girls' ages, Oakey and Wright later had to visit Sulley and Catherall's respective parents to obtain permission for the girls to go on the tour. Their parents let them join the band under the provision that Oakey would keep them safe. Sulley also reported that both her father and Catherall's went to the girls' school and convinced them that the experience of touring could be highly educational because of the travelling involved. [16] Manager Bob Last tried to reconcile both parties, and when that proved impossible, various options were suggested, including two new bands under a Human League sub-label. Eventually, it was agreed that Oakey would continue with the Human League name, while Ware and Marsh would form a completely new band, which became Heaven 17. Two weeks before the UK/Europe tour, the band split. [7] [ unreliable source?] In May 1980, the band toured the UK. Philip Adrian Wright was now playing incidental keyboards in addition to his visuals role. It was the last time all four members performed together live. Also in May, the band released their second studio album Travelogue. More commercial-sounding than Reproduction, it peaked at No.16 in the UK, giving the band their first real success. As a result, "Empire State Human" was re-released and the band made their second appearance on Top of the Pops, even though it only reached No.62 in the singles chart. At the end of 2012, the band undertook the 'XXXV Tour' across Europe and the UK to celebrate 35 years in existence. The shows were critically acclaimed. The UK's Daily Telegraph said "as good a night's entertainment as you are likely to find anywhere on the planet". [41]

The Human League has influenced many electropop, other synth-pop, and mainstream performers, including Pet Shop Boys. [ citation needed] Moby and Little Boots are longtime fans of the group. [46] [47] They have been sampled and covered by various artists, including Ladytron, Utah Saints, George Michael, Robbie Williams and LCD Soundsystem. [ citation needed] On completion of the tour, Burden went on to his next commitment playing bass guitar in West Berlin. Because of the professionalism they had shown and because he planned to use them further vocally, Oakey and manager Bob Last made Sulley and Catherall full members of the band, to be paid on a salary basis. In March 2014, "Don't You Want Me" re-entered the Top 20 of the UK Singles Chart, thanks to a social media campaign from the fans of Aberdeen F.C., who won the Scottish League Cup the previous weekend. They have adopted the song as a terrace chant, citing their midfielder Peter Pawlett with the lyrics changed to "Peter Pawlett Baby". [42] The band's first single under Virgin Records was the disco influenced " I Don't Depend on You", released in July 1979 under the pseudonym " The Men". The single did not chart and had very little in common with the previous work of the Human League. It did, however, feature female vocals by guests Lisa (Liza) Strike and Katie Kissoon, sounding like the yet-to-be-formed future Human League of 1981. [12] Although they released their last album in 2011, the No.44-charting Credo, the now three-piece Human League continue to tour. 10 Human, 1986

In 1992, Virgin abruptly cancelled their recording contract. Damaged by the failure of the album, their rejection by Virgin, harsh criticism in the media and facing financial ruin, the emotional well-being of Oakey and Sulley deteriorated badly. A., Rosie. "How many Prague Landmarks can you Identify from these Music Videos?". praguego.com . Retrieved 11 October 2021. Since 1978, the Human League have released 9 studio albums, a remix album, a live album, 6 EPs, 29 singles and 13 compilation albums. They have had 6 top 20 albums and 13 top 20 singles in the UK and had sold more than 20 million records worldwide by 2010. [3] [4] As an early techno-pop [5] act that received extensive MTV airplay, they are regarded as one of the leading artists of the 1980s Second British Invasion of the US. [6] History [ edit ] 1970s: Early years [ edit ]

In November 1982, the Motown influenced electropop single " Mirror Man" reached No.2 in the UK chart, just missing another Christmas No.1, which was taken by a novelty record by Renée and Renato. [18] Don’t You Want Me’, a clever duet between Oakey and Sulley, examining the death of a love affair from both perspectives, was a song the band never wanted to release as a single, but it became the biggest selling single of 1981, and proved that the best Christmas Number Ones are the ones which aren’t about Christmas at all and, if this year’s chart topper can even come close, it really will be a seasonal miracle.

Credits

On 22 September 2006, the band performed on the US network television show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The band's highlight of 2006 was a performance to an audience of 18,000 at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, on 24 October 2006, one of their largest concerts to date. This was followed up by an 11-venue tour of Europe in November and December 2006. Masterton, James (1 January 1995). "Week Ending January 7th 1995". Chart Watch UK . Retrieved 16 September 2021. In 1989, the band built their own studio in Sheffield, jointly funded by Oakey and a business development loan from Sheffield City Council. The disintegration of that line-up, engineered by their then-manager Bob Last, came about because there were “too many egos” for one group, Oakey freely admits that he and Ware were both “pompous and arrogant” at that time. The founding duo left to form Heaven 17, giving Virgin Records two great synthpop acts for the price of one but, more pressingly, giving Phil Oakey the headache of a European tour with no band members. The Human League at the Brighton Centre 16.12.21 (pics Andy Sturmey)