The Human League - Dare (1981/2025) (Blu-ray Hi-Res)

The Human League’s iconic third studio album, Dare, will be reissued as an SDE exclusive blu-ray audio in October.
Produced by Martin Rushent, Dare was created by a new look Human League line-up that consisted of Philip Oakey (vocals, synthesizer), Jo Callis (synthesizer, guitar), Philip Adrian Wright (visuals, synthesizer), Joanne Catherall (vocals), Susan Ann Sulley (vocals) and Ian Burden (synthesizer). With the new personnel came a fresh, cutting-edge pop sensibility and the group used this to create an album that was not only an enormous commercial and critical success upon its release, but one which has since been hailed as one of the most groundbreaking records of its time.

The album featured four singles, including UK top 10 hits ‘Love Action (I Believe in Love)’ and ‘Open Your Heart’, as well as the transatlantic No 1 ‘Don’t You Want Me’ (Virgin Records’ first British and American chart-topping single). The album was also No 1 in the UK albums charts and peaked at No 3 in the USA, with The Human League being seen one of the leaders in the so-called Second Invasion of British pop bands in America.

With its hit singles coupled with the darker tone of some of the album tracks (‘Seconds’, ‘I Am The Law’), Dare’s stature and influence has only grown over time and it is regularly voted one of best albums of the 1980s in music polls. Q Magazine placed the album at No 69 in its list of ‘100 Greatest British Albums Ever’, at the turn of the Millennium.

The SDE exclusive blu-ray features a new Dolby Atmos Mix of Dare, created by John Barrett at Abbey Road Studios. Additionally, the disc includes a 5.1 Surround Sound Mix of the album and instrumental mixes in both Atmos and 5.1. Alongside this content sits the original 1981 stereo mix and bonus A-sides, B-sides, remixes and instrumentals from the original singles (in stereo).

Tracklist
1 The Things That Dreams Are Made Of
Written-By – Adrian Wright*, Phil Oakey*
4:20
2 Open Your Heart
Written-By – Jo Callis, Phil Oakey*
3:56
3 The Sound Of The Crowd
Written-By – Ian Burden, Phil Oakey*
4:07
4 Darkness
Written-By – John Callis*, Adrian Wright*
3:58
5 Do Or Die
Written-By – Ian Burden, Phil Oakey*
5:25
6 Get Carter
Written-By – Roy Budd
1:02
7 I Am The Law
Written-By – Adrian Wright*, Phil Oakey*
4:09
8 Seconds
Written-By – John Callis*, Adrian Wright*, Phil Oakey*
4:58
9 Love Action (I Believe In Love)
Written-By – Ian Charles Burden*, Phil Oakey*
5:01
10 Don't You Want Me
Producer – The Human League
Written-By – John William Callis*, Adrian Wright*, Phil Oakey*
3:59

A & B Sides
11 Boys And Girls 3:15
12 Tom Baker 4:00
13 Love Action (I Believe In Love) (Single Version) 3:52
14 Hard Times 4:54
15 Non Stop 4:18

Remixes / Early Versions
16 The Sound Of The Crowd (Complete) 6:28
17 Hard Times / Love Action 10:13
18 Open Your Heart / Non Stop 8:15
19 Don't You Want Me (Ext. Dance Mix) 7:32
20 Do Or Die Dub (Special Edit) 6:35
21 Darkness (Early Version) 4:16
22 I Am The Law ( Early Version) 4:15

Instrumentals
23 The Sound Of The Crowd 4:12
24 Hard Times / Love Action 11:07
25 Open Your Heart / Non Stop 8:41