1. "The Path of Least Resistance"
Album Cover Image Courtesy of Caroline Astralwerks
2. "I Don't Depend on You"
Album Cover Image Courtesy of Caroline Astralwerks
Though hardly reminiscent of the experimental, almost anti-melodic sound advanced by the Human League's original lineup, this R&B/dance-laden track from 1980 remains a vital cog of the band's evolution toward conventional pop that would lead to its split. The velvety, occasionally spooky vocals of Oakey are the only major commonalities between this version of the group and its Oakey-led period of '80s stardom, but this tune makes a lot more sense within an '80s music context than do many of the stylized, Kraftwerk-inspired selections on the group's first two records. The presence of backup female vocalists in the song also foreshadows the changes that would steer the band's angular electronic pop into a more palatable sonic direction.
3. "Darkness"
Album Cover Image Courtesy of Caroline Astralwerks
4. "Don't You Want Me"
A long-term staple of '80s music playlists for good reason, this classic deserves its prominence, particularly in light of its lightning-in-a-bottle pop music effect earned through the combination of catchy melody and novel delivery. Sulley's lead vocal contribution provides the song with a dynamic he said-she said quality that promotes narrative drama at a rate not often found in pop music. Even better, the songwriting on display, whether or not Oakey recognized it at the time, will live forever through the unforgettable synth opening as well as the seamless melodic fluidity of verse and chorus. This was a No. 1 hit before it even hit the charts, a gold standard for the ability of pop music quality to share space with commercial appeal.5. "Mirror Man"
Album Cover Image Courtesy of Caroline Astralwerks
6. "(Keep Feeling) Fascination"
As the other big hit from Fascination, 1983's successful Human League EP release, this tune continued to carve an imaginative path in the ever-spreading surge of electronic, synth-fueled pop music at the time. Aside from the still recognizably haunting tone of the group's synth work, the Human League here also reveals innovation and inspired melody, particularly in the recurrent keyboard riff '80s kids remember so well. Even better, this track continues the later lineup's focus on pure fun, featuring one of the most enjoyable interplays of shared lead vocals in all of '80s music. Oakey's how-low-can-he-go vocal displays never fail to bring pleasure, aided by the melodic shift accompanying Oakey's croon, "And so the conversation turned..."7. "Human"
Album Cover Image Courtesy of Caroline Astralwerks
The career of the Human League as an organic purveyor of inventive synth pop that rivaled the genre's finest '80s offerings had unfortunately come to a close by the time of Hysteria, its long-awaited 1984 full-length follow-up to Dare. So even though the smash hit "Human" brought the group a major surge of popularity for 1986's Crash, that success came at a great cost to the band's distinctive, independent approach of the recent past. Clearly this is a top-notch pop song, but because it came from the Jam & Lewis R&B assembly line and did not reflect the quirk and personality of Oakey and his co-writers, it can't really be termed a true Human League effort without taking something away from the group's unique and earned early-'80s legacy.
