OVERLOOKED: HUMAN LEAGUE "ROMANTIC"

In 1990, the Human League were considered "washed up" and terribly out of fashion, and this album - released at the dawn of the "grunge" movement - did nothing to change that.  As a result, "Romantic?" has often been cited as a low-point in the band's career and the object of much harsh criticism and ridicule.  However, it has always been one of my favorites.  First and foremost, although I had been a fan of the band for awhile before this album was released, "Romantic?" is the first Human League album that I bought when it was released.  I became a fan only after the band's previous album, 1986's "Crash," had already landed in cutout bins (the album failing to provide further singles to match the #1 success of lead single "Human").  I had gone back and purchased most of the earlier albums by this point and was completely thrilled to discover "Romantic?" since I had assumed the band had split up in the years after "Crash."
"Heart Like a Wheel," the lead single from "Romantic?" only made it to #32 in the U.S., signaling tough times for the once-mighty League, and I only heard it on the radio a handful of times - and worse, never caught it on MTV, the network that had once been so kind to the band now seemed to turn a blind eye.  But it didn't matter to me.  "Heart Like a Wheel" remains one of my top favorite songs of all time, League or otherwise.
The opening track, "Kiss The Future," is for me one of the unfortunate low points on the album and is perhaps the most obvious attempt by the band to adopt a "modern" sound.  The heavy-handed sampling and new-jack or house inspired piano mixes uneasily with the League's trademark vocal delivery and electronic sound.  I find the chorus particularly offensive and for me is easily the worst opening track out of all their albums.  Luckily, from there things go uphill quickly, with the female-vocal driven track "A Doorway (?)" presenting the first time the girls had what was basically lead vocal duties.  This one mixes the "current" music sound with the League sound more successfully and probably could have been a single.  Up next is the aforementioned "Heart Like A Wheel" followed by the dreamy slow-jam, "Men Are Dreamers," which is another personal favorite.
Closing out side one is "Mister Moon and Mister Sun" which musically has a lot in common with "Kiss the Future," but is luckily a much better song.  Still sounds a little too much like they are trying to sound up-to-date, but it works fairly well.
Flipping the record over to side two (although in all honesty, by this time most people were buying CD's, which is what I bought the album on - I only found it on vinyl years later with the original price tag still on it) we begin with the second single, "Soundtrack to a Generation."  This is another low-point for me.  Starting out with so much promise with a great, nostalgic title, things quickly fall apart with a soulless drum beat pounding away over some uninspired synths.  The verse is OK, but things get ridiculous fast when the chorus begins with the girls exclaiming "HOLY COW!"  Indeed!  It's a "what were they thinking?" moment for sure.
Why the record label chose to release this song as the follow-up to "Heart Like A Wheel," I'll never know.  There are so many better choices!
The mysterious, atmospheric "Rebound" (mixed by William Orbit) is a great rebound from the previous track, and is perhaps my favorite album track here.  This is another song that saw the females taking the lead vocal duties.
"The Stars Are Going Out" probably should have been the second single, and in fact the band performed this song live on the Jools Holland show years later, indicating that they still regarded it highly.
The last two tracks are alright but nothing too exciting, and a little too samey: "Let's Get Together Again" which is apparently a cover of the Glitter Band, although I've never bothered tracking down the original; and "Get It Right This Time."  Oddly enough, both of these songs, as similar as they are, also have a great deal in common with "Get Together," a song off the League's new album "Credo."
It's obvious from the artwork and some of the lyrics that the band was struggling at this point and it does carry over to the music a lot, but all-in-all, it's not as bad as some people make it out to be and despite it's shortcomings is still a better album than "Hysteria," and perhaps "Crash" (if you can even really count that as The Human League).  If you're a fan of the band and haven't bothered to listen to this album I'd recommend checking it out and making up your own mind.

Rating: OOO (three out of five O's)