A bit of social-analysis seen through the noise and head of Sheffield's Heaven 17. One of the great (and smart) synth-funk- pop albums ever. One of the beauties of the album is that it's under-cooked with respect to production. In its own fashion, the 'sound' is minimal, and not fussy. Very straightforward and in one's face. Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware were members of The Human League who made two great albums (with them in it) that pioneered the electro-experimental-pop sound. Very urban in a JG Ballard landscape that one imagines Sheffield as in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They left Phil Oakley (lead singer/co-writer) of the League to form B.E.F. with the singer Glen Gregory, and in theory, Heaven 17 is an off-shoot of this company/production house/art collective. In many ways, a pop version of Public Image Ltd. "Penthouse and Pavement" is an album about Capitalism and everything wrong with it, yet, done with beautiful melodies and a steady dance beat.
This edition is very vinyl aesthetic. Side one is the Pavement side (probably Situationist minded), and two is Penthouse side. As the album format goes, this is very much thought out work of pop music making. The first song on the Pavement side is "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang," a song that by all means should be the rallying cry in every demonstration against the corporate and political world. Written in the Reagan/Maggie era, this song still holds up in today's environment. It's impossible not to shake your hips or move your hands up and down when this record is being played. The "Pavement" side is very groove orientated, compared to the pop leanings of the Penthouse, which has five incredible songs in a row. Starting off with "Geisha Boys and Temple Girls" (a play of gender in that song) that lead to "Let's All Make a Bomb" which is probably the catchiest song about bomb-making ever in the pop music world. "The Height of the Fighting" is a glam electro song, that also serves as an anthem, made perfectly for the local Football match or a political rally. The entire side two is extremely focused on this type of music, where one feels 'action' is taking place instead of talking. The album ends with "We're Going To Live For A Very Long Time" which never ends if you have a turntable that doesn't turn itself off. The song continues in the runout until one picks up the record needle. Fantastic end to a perfect album of its time and place (the early 1980s).
The one persistent style or influence that goes through Heaven 17 and early Human League is glam rock. The Human League covered Mick Ronson's "After Dark" and Gary Glitter's "Rock n' Roll Part 2" and "Penthouse and Pavement" is very much soul meets glam. Heaven 17 continued to make good records, including their work with B.E.F. (British Electronic Foundation), but never came close to the brilliance and great songwriting of "Penthouse and Pavement." Also note that the album is engineered and co-produced by Peter Walsh, who worked on the later Scott Walker masterpieces. And advice to the buyer, do get the British edition of this album on vinyl, just for the fantastic endless groove of "We're Going To Live For A Long Time."
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