T R A V E L O G U E
 UK
release date: 31.05.80
Label: Virgin Records
LP: V2133
Cassette: TCV 2133
CDV 2260 (1989)
Digitally Remastered Edition
UK release date: 06.01.03
Purchase
the remastered Travelogue here.
Track
Listing
01:
THE BLACK HIT OF SPACE
02: ONLY AFTER DARK
03: LIFE KILLS
04: DREAMS OF LEAVING
05: TOYOTA CITY
06: CROW AND A BABY
07: THE TOUCHABLES
08: GORDON'S GIN
09: BEING BOILED
10: WXJL TONIGHT
EXTRA TRACKS ON 1989/2003 CD RE-ISSUE:
11: MARIANNE
12: DANCEVISION
13: ROCK 'N' ROLL/NIGHTCLUBBING
14: TOM BAKER
15: BOYS AND GIRLS
16: I DON'T DEPEND ON YOU
17: CRUEL
PRODUCED
BY THE HUMAN LEAGUE
& RICHARD MANWARING
UK Chart position:
16
Singles
released:
Holiday
80 (April 1980)
Re-released Jan 1982
Highest UK Chart entry: 46
Only After Dark (June 1980)
NOTES:
Taking
a full five months to produce compared to the three week recording
sessions that produced Reproduction, Travelogue sounds more like
a polished product. The end result was an album that the League
were more proud of and it set the blueprint not just for future
League albums but Heaven 17 as well.
Pop was embraced though the technology used still had limitations
and Travelogue retains areas of experimentation evident on the debut
album.
Atmospheric
vocal effects and complex drum patterns give the album a unique
edge and the future impact that this album would have was immense.
Future
artists including Martin Gore of Depeche Mode were heavily influenced
by this collection of songs (The Dignity of Labour added to the
1989 CD re-issue was often played before performances of the Devotional
Tour).
The Times recently described Travelogue (& Reproduction) as
"so hip that it hurts" with synth layers and effects that wouldn't
sound too out of place on contempary dance records.
References
to cult TV and an almost apocolyptic sci-fi soundscape, the album
retains a healthy sense of humour evident on tracks such as "Black
Hit of Outer Space", and Crow And A Baby".
70's TV personality James Burke (a scientist who presented mainstream
science programmes on the BBC), got a name check on the album and
one of his famous quotes was 'One in fifteen people will have a
supernatural experience in their lifetime".
CHOICE TRACKS:
Crow
And A Baby
The Touchables
Life Kills
WXJL Tonight
orac october 2001
Travelogue
Click
on album cover to purhase this budget-priced classic
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