One record at a time: 169. Heaven 17 - How Live Is

In 1998 Erasure threw their old friend Martyn Ware a bone and invited Heaven 17 to be the support for their Cowboy tour. Up to this point, Heaven 17 hadn't played live for many years, so they decided to record the shows for posterity.

Confusingly this recording has been released under various titles including, "How Live Is", "Live at Last", "Absolutely The Best Live" and "Deluxe Heaven 17 Collection" - but they all have the same content.

I'll be upfront and say that this is one of the cheesiest live albums you are ever likely to hear and I only own it because it was included in the box set "Another Big Idea".

Whilst this isn't a total car crash, the crowd is clearly overdubbed and no matter how enthusiastically Glenn may shout between songs, there is absolutely no atmosphere in the recording. The music and vocals are competently recreated but everything sounds flaccid and lifeless.

The highlights are the Brothers In Rhythm arrangement of "Temptation" and a faithful rendition of "Come Live With Me" but the breakbeat version of "Fascist Groove Thing" is a confused mess that comes nowhere near to the Big Beat sound it aspired to. There's an ill advised stab at "Let's All Make A Bomb" and The Human League's "Being Boiled" is butchered live on stage. 

The sleeve notes say that nothing the band created between 1984 and 1996 could be moulded into the electronic sound they were looking for, so we are presented with a 45 minute set culled from their first two albums and their then current offering "Bigger Than America". On this evidence the other songs had a lucky escape. 1/5

One record at a time: 168. Heaven 17 - Bigger Than Americs

Ultimately this version of "Bigger Than America" is a demonstration of how successful Record Store Day is as a marketing tool. This orange tinted vinyl was released as part of the annual eBay scalpers event in 2019 and it was the only vinyl pressing available at the time. As with all Record Store Day releases, we are made to feel these records would only be available for a short period and in limited quantities. 

Yet in reality there were lots of these records pressed and you can still pick it up cheaply today. To add insult to injury, another vinyl pressing was included in the "Another Big Idea" box set the following year; so now I own it twice.

For some reason the vinyl has a different sleeve to the CDs released in 1996. The images in the artwork repeat the same ideas as "Penthouse and Pavement" by portraying the band as businessmen or diplomats engaged in international affairs. Whilst his album also continues the band's obsession of appropriating soul/R&B motifs, this time it tries to marry them to a more refined brand of synth-pop than they were capable of in 1981.

Today, this album has something of a dated nineties sound. The high pitched bass drum on single "We Blame Love" sounds like that used by Snap! on "Welcome To Tomorrow" or "Get-a-way" by Maxx - both of which were released two years prior. The backing vocals on the album are provided by Angie Brown who is probably best known for singing on some of Bizarre Inc.'s biggest hits and almost every song has a dance friendly beat. In fact this album is probably the first time Heaven 17 consistently employed strong beats and basslines on a recording. The annoying slap bass and session musicians of the eighties have been dispensed with leaving an album that returns the band to their synth-pop roots.

Whilst of its time, this record is well produced and imaginatively realised. One thing I have noticed about Heaven 17 records is that you don't hear any synth presets; everything is crafted by the band. Generally these songs are pretty good with only the awful "Big Dipper" pulling things down with verses that sound like a bad poem written by an angry teenager.

Contemporary reviews of this album were not kind and it sold poorly. Whist this isn't exactly an album full of hits it deserved better than to be ignored. This record probably had no promotional budget and poor distribution; I certainly wasn't aware of its existence in 1996 and I probably would have bought it given the opportunity. Still, I own it twice now. 3/5

One record at a time: 167. Heaven 17 - Higher and Higher - The Best Of

In his autobiography Martyn Ware says this compilation was hastily put together by Virgin Records to capitalise on the success of the Brothers In Rhythm remix of "Temptation". Yet, I can't help but feel this album was born out of a marketing plan that included this new version of their biggest hit. 

The white label of "Temptation" went out in the summer of 1992 and must have been commissioned by Virgin as it uses the original stems and I can find no trace of a bootleg. The commercial release of the mix came in November and a remix of "Fascist Groove Thing" followed three months later. 

The album came out in March and must have had a healthy promotional budget as I remember seeing posters on bus stops and the like. There was even a remix of "Penthouse and Pavement" in April to round things out. To me, this doesn't seem like a campaign that was hastily put together but, I'm no expert.

The album starts with the full seven minute remix of "Temptation" which combines a ton of Korg M1 presets with the fantastic orchestra and vocals of the original. I guess the thought was that if people are buying this album on the back of hearing the new hit single they should receive instant gratification.

The Rapino Brothers try to weave the same magic that helped Take That by remixing "Fascist Groove Thing" but, whist this is a good mix, the source material isn't strong enough to make it a hit. As "Let Me Go!" begins its less pronounced dynamics and the terrible Linn LM1 beats betray its relative vintage. Some of the band's best material follows with "Come Live With Me" and "This Is Mine" which would have provided the perfect ending for side one but in their wisdom, Virgin added another two songs. Despite the fact that 7 tracks (including a seven minute remix) have been crammed onto side one the sound quality is pretty good and is better than some "audiophile" 180g pressings I have heard recently. Cutting is clearly a lost art.

Unsurprisingly the vinyl doesn't have room for the 9 minute album version of "And That's No Lie" found on the CD, so side two kicks off with the lacklustre trilogy of "Contenders", "Sunset Now" and "Trouble".  Next we encounter the dreadful single version of "Height of the Fighting" which is both a poor composition and has a horn section that sounds like it was playing in a different key. "Penthouse and Pavement" is presented as the full six minute album version with its incessant Linn LM1 beat, block piano chords and annoying bass. The album version of "Crushed by the Wheels of Industry" comes next followed by the original mixes of "Fascist Groove Thing" and "Temptation".

Ultimately this compilation was good enough to make me investigate Heaven 17's back catalogue but it has a bit of a scatter gun approach. Sometimes we get excessively long album mixes and other times we are presented with edits or single versions. There are other Heaven 17 compilations which seem to have a more consistent approach that would probably suit the casual listener more than this album. I also don't understand why Virgin didn't issue the Mark Picchiotti remixes of "Let Me Go!" in support of this album as they are far superior to those of both "Fascist Groove Thing" and "Penthouse and Pavement". 3/5

One record at a time: 166. Heaven 17 - Teddy Bear, Duke and Psycho

I'll be clear and say that I only own this album on vinyl because it was included in the "Play to Win" box set. This album comes from a time when Heaven 17 had completely lost their way and were about to be dropped by Virgin Records.

The terrible title (which reflects the band member's nicknames) matches the disappointing photography and the lacklustre music. The songs are yet another attempt to amalgamate R&B and Soul with pop music but emerge as bland 'composition by numbers'. 

The first three tracks, "Big Square People", "Don't Stop for No One" and "Snake and Two People" are well produced and have some pleasing melodies. 

The standout track is undoubtedly "Train of Love in Motion" which chugs along nicely. Personally I'm not a fan of the other single released from the album "The Ballad of Go Go Brown" as the lyrics are a little contrite and the idea of harmonica on a Heaven 17 track is an anathema to me. The other tracks are unremarkable and devoid of any melodic elements.

To me, this album represents rock bottom for Heaven 17. Out of ideas and having betrayed their roots, the band went on hiatus following this effort. It took eight years for the band to recover from this and release another album but you could argue they were never the same again. 2/5

One record at a time: 165. Heaven 17 - Pleasure One

"Pleasure One" was Heaven 17's fourth album and was released in 1986. Here I will be playing an original UK copy, but there is also an orange vinyl from the "Play to Win" box set in my collection. Neither get played much.

This album found the band, and Martyn in particular, backing away from electronic instruments and using more session musicians to deliver "instant satisfaction". Unfortunately what the band delivered was a rather dull album with few highlights.

The single "Contenders" kicks things off with its pop/soul groove that features bass guitar, rhythm guitar and acoustic drums. Whilst this is a bright and chirpy song it sounds like everyone is trying too hard. "Trouble" is another uninspiring song that was never going to be a hit. 

The blue eyes soul nonsense continues with "Somebody" which is a bit flat as a composition but is a very finely polished production. "If I Were You" is bad enough to make me curl my toes and it seems to go on forever. "Low Society" is a poor Level 42 sound-a-like that annoys me - it's not a homage, it's just appropriation of someone else's sound. The band were clearly proud of the horn arrangement for "Red" but forgot to include a tune. 

There's a ballad called "Look at Me" and a couple of generic mid tempo tracks to see us out. This album is beautifully produced and has a real polish, but unfortunately the songs are forced an uninteresting. There's no doubt that when this album was made, Heaven 17 were leaving behind any notion that they were a synth-pop band and they saw more virtue in getting a conventional band to play a song as they produced it. This approach doesn't appeal to a lover of electronic music and it didn't seem to strike a chord with the record buying public either. 1/5

One record at a time: 164. Heaven 17 - How Men Are

Having achieved a massive hit and some respectable album sales with their previous album, Heaven 17 invested in a Fairlight (well Ian did) and locked themselves away to record "How Men Are" in 1984.

I like this record. This is just as well as I seem to own 3 copies: the 2019 blue version from the "Play to Win" box set, an original UK pressing and a 'European' version. I had completely forgotten I already owned an original 1984 copy so mistakenly bid on another on eBay and won it. I only discovered my mistake when sliding the record into its space on the shelf. It's not the first time this has happened, and it probably won't be the last.

The album kicks off with the schizophrenic "Five Minutes to Midnight" which switches between melodic verses and the snide 'yeah yeah yeah' refrain of the chorus. In fact the vocals on the chorus sound like they are cut straight from the football terraces.

The backing vocals of Afrodiziak dominate the single "Sunset Now" which features a wandering Fairlight bass and occasional synth motifs. Yet, like many Heaven 17 songs, "Sunset Now" doesn't have a strong hook and isn't an obvious single. On the other hand, the excellent "This Is Mine" has a fine melody and some stunning production that place it amongst the band's best efforts.

"The Fuse" is a bit of a mess but at least the incessant Linn LM1 of the first two albums has been replaced by an incessant LinnDrum. The next track "Shame is on the Rocks" is rather syncopated and lacks a bassline, but somehow it succeeds. Things slow down for "The Skin I'm In" and Glenn is allowed to croon over the top of a "simulated Spanish guitar" derived a Roland System 100.

When making this album the band seem to have developed a fondness for multi tracking backing vocals and "Flamedown" is a prime example of this. I can't imagine how much studio time they wasted. Another aspect of this record is the increasing use of acoustic instruments played by session musicians. Whilst songs like "Reputation" undoubtedly sound far more accomplished than anything on the first two albums, you can sense the essence of the band beginning to peter out. 

The album finishes with the 10 minute opus "And That's No Lie" which features a mesmerising coda that has to be heard to be believed. Whilst I like the version on the album, the single mix provides a lusher arrangement. My memory tells me Martyn is playing a Yamaha DX7 on the video but it turns out I was thinking of the performance on The Tube.

Sometimes this album gets lost in exploring the art of what's possible technically rather than concentrating on how best to realise the potential of the material. Too many of these songs are centred around syncopated rhythms and stuttering sequences that rob them of any momentum. I know Heaven 17 are good and I am a fan, but I do wish these early albums had more groove. 3/5

One record at a time: 163. Heaven 17 - The Luxury Gap

Happy New Year! Now, let's rewind forty years...

The sleeve of this record is one of those images that suffers when it is crammed into a CD case. Touches such as the peeling in the top left corner or the outline of the schooner get lost when the image is reduced. I also love the faintly gormless look on the band's faces which gives the impression they have just emerged from an all night party (or studio session).

My original 1983 pressing comes from a time when a new chart album only cost £4.29 and it has the sticker to prove it. I bought this record five years ago from ebay and, whilst it is playable, its not in the best condition. Happily I have a pristine yellow vinyl from the "Play to Win" box set for better fidelity.

This record was a more concerted effort by Heaven 17 to incorporate soul and blues influences into their music. Their debut "Penthouse and Pavement" had attempted the same feat but achieved mixed results. For this record, the band had access to much better instruments, newer technology and unlimited studio time. Therefore it is unsurprising that this album is sonically more refined and features more considered songwriting.

The first song "Crushed by the Wheels of Industry" isn't a radical departure from the sound of the first album but does have some funk influenced flourishes. The Wikipedia article for this song cites a contemporary review that suggests it is the best the band have produced to date but it is, "still less than great". I think that is a fair summary as, whilst this song has some good moments, it simply doesn't have the strong hook required to propelled it up the charts.

The intended pop/soul/electronic mélange is realised more clearly with the second track "Who'll Stop the Rain". Despite the soul influences this song is the usual assortment of piano, Linn LM1 and synth burbles that don't quite click into place.

Martyn Ware regards "Let Me Go!" as one of the finest songs the band produced and for once, he's right. The melody on this track is great and when you throw in the burbling TB-303 bassline and some interesting lyrics you have a sure fire winner. When released as a single the song didn't become a hit and Ware places the blame with BBC Radio 1 who refused to playlist it. Yet, as I remember, the record buying public were obsessed with immediate pop tunes like "Uptown Girl", "Karma Chameleon" or "Billie Jean" in 1983. Subtle melodies underpinned by a TB-303 and glissando synths were a step too far for the majority of the record buying public back then.

As "Let Me Go!" didn't make much impression on the charts, I wasn't aware of it at the time of release. In fact, I didn't really come to listen to Heaven 17 in earnest until 1992 when the Brothers In Rhythm remix of "Temptation" became a big hit. I used to think the original version of "Temptation" sounded frail and old fashioned, but today I'd argue the pounding TR-909 and Korg M1 presets of the remix have dated much more than the superb original we hear on this album.

"Come Live With Me" is another hit single that deserves your attention. Too many times Heaven 17 failed to hone the winning formula, but this and the proceeding track mark their commercial peak.

"Lady Ice and Mr Hex" is a jazz influenced number that points to the sound of future albums where the band threw the baby out with the bathwater and stopped using electronic instruments. Things improve with the surprisingly catchy dance track "We Live So Fast" which also lends is melody and chord structure to the less frenetic final track, "The Best Kept Secret".4/5