The Lebanon – Human League (1984)

Description

Additional information about this, Human League vinyl art.

Human League – The Artist/s

The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album Dare in 1981. The only constant band member since 1977 has been lead singer and songwriter Philip Oakey. Keyboard players Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh both left the band in 1980 to form Heaven 17. Under Oakey’s leadership, The Human League then evolved into a commercially successful New Pop band with a new line-up including female vocalists Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley. Since the mid-1990s, the band has essentially been a trio of Oakey, Catherall and Sulley with various sidemen.

The Lebanon – The Song

‘The Lebanon’  is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League, released as a single in April 1984. Written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey and keyboard player and guitarist Jo Callis, it was the first single from the band’s fourth album Hysteria, and was recorded at AIR Studios between 1983-1984. The song was conceived, written and recorded at a time when the band was under considerable pressure to follow up the enormous international success of their previous album, Dare. With its heavy use of bass and rock guitars, “The Lebanon” was a radical departure from the established synthpop sound of the Human League. Though the song does employ some keyboards, the use of guitars by the band was not lost on music critics who brought up the “no guitars rule” that the band had publicly adopted in 1981. The lyrics were an attempt to make a statement on the Lebanese civil war which had been exacerbated by the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 1982. The track is nearly always played by the band live.

The Lebanon Cedar  – The Shape

This record has been modelled into a Lebanon cedar or green cedar. The flag of Lebanon is formed of two horizontal red stripes enveloping a horizontal white stripe. The Presence and position of the Cedar in the middle of the flag is directly inspired by the mountains of Lebanon cedar. The Cedar is a symbol of holiness, eternity and peace. As an emblem of longevity, the cedar of Lebanon has its origin in many biblical references.

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