Octopus (Special Edition) [2CD]
The Human League

Octopus (Special Edition) [2CD]

SKU: #0190295402334

Celebrating 25 years after its original release, the 2CD Special Edition of the original album features a collection of demos, singles and edits with 7 previously unreleased tracks.

£10.99
3.7 out of 5 Customer Rating

23rd January 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of The Human League’s seventh studio album ‘Octopus’. To commemorate the release, the band is to reissue this iconic album in three formats, 2LP, 2CD and 1LP.

 

Featuring 7 previously unreleased tracks, the 2CD format includes the original album plus a second disc of demos, singles and edits. Also featured are two bonus tracks that the band made with Yellow Magic Orchestra - “Behind The Mask” and “Kimi Ni Mune Kyun”.

 

Originally released in 1995 by EastWest Records, 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 album that presented the band as a trio consisting of the singers Philip Oakey, Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley. It was produced by Tears For Fears Ian Stanley and former band members 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 synthesizers, a marked change from the band's primarily digital sound in the mid-to-late 1980s. The album saw a return to the public eye for the band, who had been out of the top ten since their 1986 album ‘Crash’. ‘Octopus’ was a commercial success. The first single, ‘Tell Me When’ became the band's first top-ten hit in nine years, peaking at number six in the UK singles chart, with the second single ‘One Man in My Heart’ also breaking into the top 20. The album also saw similar chart success peaking at number six in the UK, becoming the band’s sixth top-ten album.

CD1 – Original Album

  1. Tell Me When
  2. These Are The Days
  3. One Man In My Heart
  4. Words
  5. Filling Up With Heaven
  6. Housefull Of Nothing
  7. John Cleese; Is He Funny?
  8. Never Again
  9. Cruel Young Lover

 

CD2 - The Demos / Singles / Edits

  1. Tell Me When (Demo) *
  2. These Are The Days (Demo) *
  3. One Man In My Heart (Demo) *
  4. Words (Demo) *
  5. Filling Up With Heaven (Demo) *
  6. Housefull Of Nothing (Demo)
  7. John Cleese; Is He Funny? (Demo) *
  8. Never Again (Demo) *
  9. Cruel Young Lover (Demo) *
  10. Tell Me When (7” Edit)
  11. The Bus To Crookes
  12. Stay With Me Tonight (Single Version)
  13. Behind The Mask (YMO vs THL)
  14. Kimi Ni Mune Kyun (YMO vs THL)

* Previously Unreleased