
A&M Records | US | EP | 1983 | SP-12501
The Human League: Fascination! US EP [1983]
- [Keep Feeling] Fascination [extended] 4:56
- Mirror Man 3:48
- Hard Times 4:54
- I Love You Too Much [version 1] 3:18
- You Remind Me Of Gold 3:35
- [Keep Feeling] Fascination [improvisation] 6:12
I realized by 1981 that US record labels hated loose singles. In the American record industry, singles were only calling cards to sell more profitable albums. Thus a pair of non-LP UK singles by The Jam, would be bundled and sold as a five track US 12″ EP. Or the singles that The Pretenders put out in the gulf between albums one and two would get the same treatment. Thus it came to pass that The Human League, who were dealing badly with the pressure of hitting number one everywhere in the modern world with “Don’t Yo Want Me” found themselves foundering to make that all important follow up album to “Dare.”

Virgin | UK | 12″ | 1982 | VS522-12
The Human League: Mirror Man UK 12″ [1982]
- Mirror Man [[extended] 4:21
- You Remind Me Of Gold 3:36
- You Remind Me Of Gold [instrumental] 3:56
1982 had brought the “Mirror Man” single in the UK and while it had made a reasonably successful follow up at the number two UK slot, A+M, their US label wanted it only with an album to sell on the back of it. So America waited until 1983 to issue the “Fascination!” EP with the 7″ version of the A-side and the vocal B-side. “Mirror Man” was a shimmery slice of Martin Rushent-produced synthpop that was moving away from the more-Kraftwerk-like “Dare” sound to something more redolent of Northern Soul.
The rhythms were certainly Tamla-Motown influenced. When researching the UK release [which I never owned] I saw that the 12″ of “Mirror Man” had an extended mix and a dub B-side on it which I’ve never heard. Considering how in early 1982 I was all about The Human League, why have I never gotten a copy of this? I certainly collected all of their previous UK 12″ singles.
The B-side was “You Remind Me Of Gold;” a nice throwback to the earlier, off-kilter Human League sound. The squelchy lead synth and minor key string synths would be the last time that the band ever sounded this way. It really sounded like a track dating back to the “Boys + Girls” era of the band. I would not be surprised if that were the case, since we now know that the band were struggling with writing material after succeeding beyond their wildest dreams with “Dare.”

Virgin | UK | 12″ | 1981 | VS435-12
The Human League: Love Action UK 12″ [1981]
- Hard Times/Love Action [I Believe In Love] 10:09
- Hard Times/Love Action [instrumentals] 11:10
Amazingly, the “Fascination!” EP was the first US release of the Booker T influenced instrumental “Hard Times” which we first heard on the A-side of the “Love Action” 12″ UK single. If we had been reading the tea leaves correctly at the time, this seeming outlier was clearly pointing to the soul music influence that The Human League would have in their immediate post-“Dare” sound. The longer dub version of “Hard Times” did show up earlier in America as the first track on the “League Unlimited Orchestra” remix album.

Virgin | UK \ 12″ | 1983 | VS569-12
The Human League: Fascination UK 12″ [1983]
- [Keep Feeling] Fascination (Extended Version) 5:00
- [Keep Feeling] Fascination (Improvisation) 6:15
Once the band released “Fascination” in the UK, A+M didn’t waste any time in getting the single out in America along with the “Fascination!” EP. The single repeated the UK #2 placing of “Mirror Man” and in America, the solid #8 the song hit on the charts insured that The Human League would never be a one-hit wonder. Both sides of the UK 12″ were in the US EP, but there was no commensurate US 12″ single. In The States, the “Fascination” EP functioned as the very generous 12″ single version.
I always thought that the call and response vocals between the ladies and the deep baritone of Phil Oakey singing “hey, hey, hey, hey” owed everything to Sly + The Family Stone but I can’t remember which of their songs that this felt “sampled” from. The brash synth horns were way over the top and the “Improvisation” instrumental dub mix was a Martin Rushent specialty. The A-side was remixed by Chris Thomas for the 7″/12″ mix who would be taking over the reins from Rushent once he famously fell out with The League over their direction for a follow up.

A&M Records | US | 7″ | 1983 | AM-2547
The Human League: Fascination US 7″ [1983]
- [Keep Feeling] Fascination [7″ remix] 3:43
- Total Panic 3:29
Strangely enough, the “Fascination” 7″ [identical in the US/UK] had the hit mix of the song which US fans had to buy on 7″ to get, so that’s what I did. The real pull, though, was the instrumental non-LP B-side; “Total Panic.” <flash forward five years>

Virgin | UK | CD3 | 1988 | CDT24
The Human League: Fascination UK CD3 [1988]
- [Keep Feeling] Fascination (Extended Version) 5:00
- [Keep Feeling] Fascination (Improvisation) 6:15
- Total Panic 3:29
In 1988, Virgin Records had their program of re-issuing their 12″ singles of the last eight years on the delightful CD3 format. I snatched up a lot of bands I collected in this program. The “Fascination” 12″ and 7″ B-side first hit the silver disc here and I was happy to get not only the A-side but also “Total Panic” on CD.The title of which may have been an oblique comment on the behind the scenes conditions between Rushent and the band. But the ace producer had one more card up his sleeve. <flash backward back to 1983>

One day I need to start a hype sticker blog…
I suspect that the US only “Fascination!” EP found a brisk trade as an item imported into the UK because that EP was only sold in North America in 1983 and it contained a new song from the aborted “Dare” follow up sessions as produced by Martin Rushent. “I Love You Too Much” had complex Linn drum programming by Rushent and featured bass guitar from Ian Burden as had the “Fascination” single. It still had the sparkle we remembered from “Dare” with the kinetic synths having interplay with the Linn drum.
When I heard the version as produced by Chris Thomas and Hugh Padgham on “Hysteria” I was shocked to hear the difference. Even though Rushent was credited for drum programming, it sounded like the scalpel had been taken to his beats. The whole song was stripped back and minimal with the bass given more prominence and the synths diminished. Even the vocal production lacked bite in comparison.

Virgin | UK | 2xCD | 2012 | CDVD 2192
The Human League: Dare DLX RM UK 2xCD [2012]
Disc 1 – Dare + bonus tracks
- The Things That Dreams Are Made Of
- Open Your Heart
- The Sound Of The Crowd
- Darkness
- Do Or Die
- Get Carter
- I Am The Law
- Seconds
- Love Action (I Believe In Love)
- Don’t You Want Me
- The Sound Of The Crowd (12″ Version)
- Don’t You Want Me (Extended Dance Mix)
- The Sound Of The Crowd (Instrumental)
- Open Your Heart / Non-Stop (Instrumentals)
- Don’t You Want Me (Alternative Version)
Disc 2 – Fascination +
- Hard Times / Love Action [I Believe In Love] [Instrumental] 11:08
- Mirror Man 3:51
- You Remind Me Of Gold 3:38
- (Keep Feeling) Fascination [Extended Version] 4:59
- I Love You Too Much 3:20
- Mirror Man [Extended Version] 4:23
- You Remind Me Of Gold [Instrumental] 3:54
- (Keep Feeling) Fascination [Improvisation] 6:15
- I Love You Too Much [Dub Version] 5:53
- Total Panic 3:29
The “Fascination!” North American EP was a temporary stopgap measure that counted as an album in America and Canada and managed to spawn two top 40 singles; justifying A+M’s hand in making it happen. After “Fascination” went top 10, “Mirror Man” was released as an American single over half a year later. Well, it had worked once with “Don’t You Want Me,” but the magic only went as far as number 33 in the US Hot 100. About what the tepid song merited, really. The “Fascination!” EP remained a North American phenomenon from 1983 until the 2012 DLX RM of “Dare” for England included an enhanced “Fascination!” EP as a second CD.
It had the original production of “I Love You Too Much” and both versions of “Mirror Man” as well as “Total Panic.” And for good measure the dub B-side of the “Love Action” 12″ was included in full for anyone who didn’t have “League Unlimited Orchestra” on CD. and best of all, the dub mix of “You Remind Me Of Gold”‘ which was previously unreleased. This was a $12 Amazon item in 2012 [when I still bought from Amazon] but is scraping $40-50 [or higher] now. I should probably source one of these before they get much more expensive but if I don’t, I’ll live. Somehow.

Universal Music | JAPAN | CD | 2015 | UICY-77543
The Human League: Fascination! JPN CD [2015]
- Hard Times / Love Action [I Believe In Love] [Instrumental] 11:08
- Mirror Man 3:51
- You Remind Me Of Gold 3:38
- (Keep Feeling) Fascination [Extended Version] 4:59
- I Love You Too Much 3:20
- Mirror Man [Extended Version] 4:23
- You Remind Me Of Gold [Instrumental] 3:54
- (Keep Feeling) Fascination [Improvisation] 6:15
- I Love You Too Much [Dub Version] 5:53
- Total Panic 3:29
Then, three years later, Japan released a stand-alone CD of the bonus UK disc in the “Dare” DLX RM. It used the black cover that later pressings of the US EP had. I’ve never had one of those in the Record Cell but life’s too short to collect Human League sleeve color variations. I would like to have one of these but they are priced out of my…wait for it, league.
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