RECORD COLLECTION - ALEX

Heaven 17 - Penthouse and Pavement

With the release of The Human League's now famous "Dare" record, 1981 became the year that synth music became truly mainstream It was also the year that Heaven 17, founded by two refugees of The Human League, released a their own album, "Penthouse and Pavement." Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh had left The Human League due to creative differences. Whereas Philip Oakey wanted to pursue a poppier sound, Ware and Marsh were more interested in the experimental and conceptual side of music. It's impossible to talk about Penthouse and Pavement without referencing Dare; the two were recorded in the same studio, and at the same time with Heaven 17 working at night, and The Human League working in the day. Both records made extensive use of the same synthesizers, and both used the same the Linn drum machine (the opening bars of Penthouse and Pavement's title track and The Human League's "What Dreams are of Made Of" are nearly identical). But the results were vastly different.

Whereas the singles from Dare were about love and, well love, Heaven 17's "(We don't need this) Fascist Groove Thang" and "Penthouse and Pavement" were direct attacks on British society and the global order in a broader sense. Thatcher was at 10 Downing, Reagan was in the White House, and the new corporate culture was rapidly eroding financial regulations (sound familiar?). Throw in a bit of British class-ism, the ever present possibility of nuclear war, and Ware and Marsh were angry enough to eschew any songs about girls or parties. By contrast, the only overtly political song on Dare is "Seconds", a track about the death of JFK, definitely a safe subject that would appeal to one's liberal sensibilities without challenging the system itself. Musically, Heaven 17 embraced R&B and funk, and didn't shy away from complex rhythms and extended solos in sharp contrast to The Human League's considerably colder and more conventional (in terms of new wave) approach. The bass work throughout the album (particularly on Penthouse and Pavement) is stellar, and begs the question: Is it possible to drastically overplay while still being tasteful? If you're that good, then yes. Symbolically, the use of funk also helped underline that Penthouse and Pavement was not "establishment music" which new wave had ironically become once it hit the mainstream. For all of it's musical merit, there is no doubt that the lyrical content of Penthouse and Pavement negatively impacted the commercial success of the album as it did not chart as high or as long as "Dare", and a DJ at the BBC (who was also a supporter of the Conservative Party) actually banned it from radio play. The album's more conceptual side also lets it down at times, and leaves the listener wanting more songs, and less self-indulgent tangents. Still, the ideas and message behind Penthouse and Pavement are now more relevant than ever, and it only goes to show how little things have changed (and how they have gotten worse) since Ware and Marsh said what was on their minds.

Have you heard it on the news
About this fascist groove thang
Evil men with racist views
Spreading all across the land
Don't just sit there on your ass
Unlock that funky chaindance
Brothers, sisters shoot your best
We don't need this fascist groove thang