Numan won the race to the title of electronic music pioneer, breaking through into popular consciousness with that game changing appearance on 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' in May 1979. The Human League on the other hand released 'Being Boiled' as their first single in June 1978, the same month in which Tubeway Army were trading punk rock power chords down in Acton at the White Hart (the gig that prompted Numan's first retirement from the live stage). In fact, Martyn Ware and Ian Marsh had been engaged in avant garde electronic tinkering since '77 with the pre-League band The Future. Take a listen to 'The Golden Hour of the Future' to get a taste of the noises coming out of Sheffield at a time when London, Manchester and Birmingham raged with punk rock.
'Travelogue' was the Human League's second studio album, released in the UK on 16th May 1980. Recorded perhaps with more of an eye on commercial success than its predecessor 'Reproduction', it did not contain the hit that they were hoping for. The associated 'Holiday '80' EP should have done that. 'Marianne' was a strong enough original composition. But for some reason, they appeared on Top of the Pops 'performing Gary Glitter's 'Rock 'n' Roll'.
In the Autumn came an acrimonious split with Phil Oakey and Phillip Adrian Wright going in one direction and taking the name with them whilst founders Marsh and Ware started over with Heaven 17. In early 1981 Martin Rushant entered the Human League's story and brought them huge success. Heaven 17 had to wait a little longer before success came knocking for their British Electric Foundation and their own 'The Luxury Gap' album of 1983 that ultimately went platinum.
However, it is those first two Human League that for me properly represent the pioneering aspect of British Electronic music, a time when nerdy would be musicians followed the example of Kraftwerk and set about building their own equipment that was both unpredictable and unreliable in equal measure, but that on a gooid day produce something truely different.
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