The Human League - Octopus (1995)

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The Human League - Octopus (1995)

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Octopus was the seventh full-length studio album recorded by British synthpop band The Human League. It was produced by former Tears for Fears keyboardist Ian Stanley and released by EastWest Records in 1995. It was the first new album from the Human League in five years after the termination of their long-term contract with Virgin Records. Octopus was the first Human League album which presented the band as a trio consisting of singers Philip Oakey, Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley. Former Human League member Jo Callis and Keyboard player Neil Sutton also contributed to the writing of the album. The album's sound is notable for the nearly-exclusive use of analog synthesizers, a marked change from the band's primarily "digital" sound in the mid-to-late 80s. Octopus saw a return to the public eye for The Human League, who had been out of the top ten since their 1986 album Crash. The first single "Tell Me When" received support from MTV in the UK and the U.S. and the song became the band's first top-ten hit in nine years, peaking at number six in the UK singles chart (the single also climbed to number thirty-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100). The Octopus album also peaked at number six in the UK, becoming the Human League's fifth top-ten album. It was later certified Gold. The album's second single, "One Man in My Heart", was a ballad sung by Sulley which also reached the UK top-twenty and the third single from the album, "Filling up with Heaven", was also a top-forty UK hit. Although the album was the Human League's best selling since the mid 1980s and created a resurgence in interest in the band; East West Records went through a complete change in management and decided to cancel the band's contract as well as those of other established artists. It took the band another six years before they released a new album on a new label (Papillion Records).