The Human League - Crash Album

'Crash' is the fifth full-length studio album released by the band The Human League and was released in 1986. Unlike the band’s previous and subsequent albums it is an R&B influenced Album. After spending two years recording their fourth album 'Hysteria', which only met with moderate commercial success the band struggled to record further material and by 1985 they had lost both 'Dare' producer Martin Rushent and musician/songwriter Jo Callis. Virgin Records, worried by the lack of progress in their previously most profitable signing, called the band principles to a meeting where a solution to the impasse in the band was sought. As the problem was perceived to be the lack of production, it was suggested that the band take up an offer to work with Minneapolis based production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Jam and Lewis had recently become in-demand producers following their huge global success with Janet Jackson's 'Control' album. Jam and Lewis had developed an interest in the Human League after the success of their U.S releases; they were also seeking an opportunity to cross over into the mainstream pop and saw The Human League as the perfect opportunity.

In February 1986 The Human League were flown out to Minneapolis to work at Flyte Time studios with Jam and Lewis. After initial enthusiasm on both sides the working relationship began to break down. Jam and Lewis had total control over the final album and insisted that their own tracks take precedence over the Human League's. Jam and Lewis were also intolerant of the bands' laid back working methods and their musician's lack of technical ability. Keyboard players Philip Adrian Wright and Ian Burden had been sidelined by Jam and Lewis. Wright (an original member) would not recover from the humiliation, and feeling redundant he immediately left the band on return to the UK, a year later Burden would follow him.

After 4 months in Minneapolis, Oakey pulled the band out of further recording and they returned to Sheffield leaving Jam and Lewis to complete the album using session musicians. Although at the time the band had all but washed their hands of the album post production, when released it quickly became an unexpected success. One of the Jam and Lewis compositions, 'Human', was released as the album's first single and became the Human League's second number-one in the U.S. and number 8 in the UK. The Album itself was more popular in the U.S than the UK. Follow-up singles 'I Need Your Loving' and the 1988 UK-only release 'Love Is All That Matters' were not as successful. However, the album had succeeded in returning The Human League back to mainstream prominence both sides of the Atlantic five years after their 'Dare' album. Oakey, with hindsight states that it was this album that saved the band’s career and one of the main reasons they are still recording today.

Track listing
01 - Money
02 - Swang
03 - Human
04 - Jam
05 - Are You Ever Coming Back?

06 - I Need Your Loving
07 - Party
08 - Love on the Run
09 - The Real Thing
10 - "Love Is All That Matters

Click the link below to download the album:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=2ccb7d0cd98a6267aaca48175a79d1c34d6e1b669fabd6405621d66e282a0ee8