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Customer Reviews: Read 18 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

very good May 21, 2004
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

many critics and fans have said this is human leagues worst album. i disagree. i think its one of their best. it includes some of their most beautiful songs like human, are you ever coming back, love is all that matters, and i need your loving. looking back, maybe using jam and lewis as their producers wasn't their best move but at least it brought them their biggest hit, human, and i think helped them survive their one hit wonder status. get this album, it really is good.

1 out of 5 stars

Oakey Loses his Marbles September 19, 2003
4 out of 7 found this review helpful

Phil what have you done. The whole Human League sound was so British and you go to Minneapolis and try to be American. What's more you turn your back on true synth pop by declaring in the sleeve on the album "no sequencers used on this recording". What a slap in the face to Dare, their multi million selling elector pop album. This album is truly awful with only a few tracks being bearable at all. Human is a beautiful song - it just isnt really a league song. I remember reading a lengthy article in NME or Melody Maker after this album came out and it was quite clear that lead singer Phil Oakey thought this whole album was a mistake. It took them out about 10 years to make up for this rubbish with the great album Octopus. If your looking for your first taste of Human League - steer clear of this stinker.

5 out of 5 stars

Crash Still Sounds Good To Me After Almost 20 Years ! October 7, 2005
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

This is the Human League album that left music critics and die-hard fans of their previous work scratching their heads.It was also like a bitter sweet project in that it yielded their last #1 hit here in the states (after that, every other album came and went without a memorable tune or hit).Human League received a lot of backlash for being deemed as "pop-sell outs" and for coming stateside to record this project with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis at the controls...I remember one music reviewer in a popular magazine years ago referring to Crash as nothing more than outtakes or rejected songs, leftovers from the Minneapolis Jam & Lewis, Prince protogee clan (Jesse Johnson & The Revue, Ta Mara & the Seen, SOS Band, Cherelle, Alex O'Neal, The Time...you get the gist).It all had that sort of electronic mid-80's funk & soul meets pop-new wave hybrid character.

In a positive light,Crash is also the album that finally gave lead singer Phil Oakey a vocal workout instead of the usual dead pan droning we were accustomed to.The guy can actually sing with emotion as highly evident on Human(also read somewhere that Oakey did several takes on Human under the guidance of Jam & Lewis so that he could give that "warm" vocal performance). Also, the cold,harsh, dark and stark synthesized sound of the New Wave era had finally thawed out with Crash (there are slight echoes of Fascination that can be heard on Crash).True, a lot of synth work and electronic drums were used for this project but to a more refined and casual sound ! Can't forget their number one smash single Human came off of this project (not since Don't You Want Me did HL have a #1 single)...

In retrospect, Crash had a very mature, flexible, accessible and warm updated soundscape. Harsh critics could not fathom why England's pioneering and inventive techno-new wave HL members would want to "Americanize" their musical image or "funk it up". The end result, and for me personally, is that Crash made many take notice of the Human League that they could go beyond their "Don't You Want Me" early days on MTV. The musical talents, writing, and ingenious soul-pop melodies from both the Jam & Lewis camp and the Human League actually worked (so what if it all has a polished feel)!

Standout tracks:Money (upbeat), Swang (electronic funk), Human (melodic and memorable), Jam (likeable dance tune), Are You Ever Coming Back ? (haunting, melancholic,atmospheric), I need Your Loving/Love Is All That Matters (very much the Jam & Lewis, Janet Jackson Minneapolis sound popular at the time).

The other tracks, while not as on the same level as the above mentioned hold their own (Party,Love On The Run,The Real Thing).Here's where I think most critics and fans or listeners began to see where these three tracks are almost similar in sound and structure;some said this is where the original album released began to loose a little steam. It's still fun and nothing that will make you hit the skip button.

Bonus Tracks: Nothing to really write home about, but they are definitely a welcomed edition.The remixes are not so far out that you cannot recognize the songs (as so many other artists do when remixing, they literally trash their own material and make it totally unrecognizeable).

This is also my favorite Human League release... Crash is the only title I can literally listen to all the way through unlike their other albums in their catalogue ! Crash is a worthy Human League title to give a spin. Do not try to strain yourself reading into the lyrics or listen too hard to the material.It may all be simple, but it's simplicity in it's smoothest form. Listen with an open mind.Don't believe music reviews of 20 years ago that Crash lacked style or substance.Crash has plenty of style and substance as well as soul (three s's) ! Three f words come to mind: It's fun, funky, and feel good stuff !!!

2 out of 5 stars

The Human League Crash(ed)! October 5, 2004
2 out of 7 found this review helpful

"Crash" is my least favorite Human League album. Why? Because Terry Lewis, Jimmy Jam, & Janet Jackson have absolutely nothing in common with The Human League. Except maybe an occassional pop lyric. The Human League's signature sound is synthesizers, drum machines, and guitar samples. This album could have been a solo effort for any of the Human League members. And they could have gotten away with it! It's not a bad album, it's just a musical departure for the League. Tracks I liked are: "Love is all that Matters", "Party", and "Love on the Run".

4 out of 5 stars

Excellent album they did with Jam and Lewis! October 7, 2004
2 out of 4 found this review helpful

I was surprised that Human League had a hit in 1986 with Human. And I liked it that they did it with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the same year that they had that major hit with Janet Jackson's Control album. They actually pull it off on this album, despite adapting to the R&B-ish sound of the album. I like Money, Swang and Love Is All That Matters, which has that industrial sounding groove to it. Some songs sound a little bit like Janet's Control album songs, but HL actually is good on them. They are known mostly for their new wave synth pop, but Jam and Lewis updated their sound without compromising the group's integrity.

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