Human's Lib

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}

| rev2 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |last=Larkin |first=Colin |author-link=Colin Larkin (writer) |publisher=Omnibus Press |edition=5th concise |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85712-595-8}}

| rev3 = Record Mirror

| rev3score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}

| rev4 = Rolling Stone

| rev4score = {{rating|2|5}}

| rev5 = Smash Hits

| rev5score = 6½/10

| rev6 = Sounds

| rev6score = {{Rating|2|5}}

| rev7 = The Village Voice

| rev7score = C−

}}

Contemporary reviews of Human's Lib were generally negative, with many criticising the songs' music and lyrics as being lightweight. In Melody Maker, Colin Irwin called Jones "the aural equivalent of painting by numbers" and that although the sentiments expressed in the lyrics were worthy ones, "his sermons are embarrassingly glib". Irwin stated that only "Hide and Seek" and the title track were passable songs, and that overall "this is very shallow pop music dressed as something much more important and profound".{{cite magazine |last=Irwin |first=Colin |author-link=Colin Irwin (journalist) |title=Human Failings |magazine=Melody Maker |page=27 |date=10 March 1984}} Don Watson of NME wrote, "It's as hard to distinguish his music as it is to distinguish it from your carpet; conveniently, though, the lyrics are printed on the inner sleeve so that we may fully appreciate the complete lack of any novel observation in the songs ... What's so amusing about Jones' songwriting is the glib manner in which he brandishes threadbare platitudes as unique insights."{{cite magazine |last=Watson |first=Don |title=Just an Ordinary Jones |magazine=NME |page=33 |date=17 March 1984}} In Sounds, Tibet called Human's Lib "an LP of simple/simplistic electronic-pop tunes, irretrievably lightweight, that offer nothing new except more music to tap your feet and grin inanely to". He stated that it was "not an offensive record at all", but that "people should ask for something more demanding than aural air conditioning".{{cite magazine |author=Tibet |author-link=David Tibet |title=Lib and Let Lib |magazine=Sounds |page=32 |date=10 March 1984}}

In the US, Christopher Connelly of Rolling Stone stated that Jones "simply doesn't demonstrate the imagination or songwriting skill to produce anything truly memorable", and that "too often, his compositions are poor pastiches of already overworked synth exercises".{{cite magazine |last=Connelly |first=Christopher |title=Howard Jones: Human's Lib |magazine=Rolling Stone |issue=421 |location=New York |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/howardjones/albums/album/170003/review/5945662/humans_lib |date=10 May 1984 |access-date=28 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901090808/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/howardjones/albums/album/170003/review/5945662/humans_lib |archive-date=1 September 2009 |url-status=dead}} Robert Christgau of The Village Voice panned Human's Lib as a "revolving self-help manual" marred by Jones' "ressentiment" and unadorned synth-pop.{{cite news |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |title=Christgau's Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot |newspaper=The Village Voice |location=New York |url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/ts84-84.php |date=12 June 1984 |access-date=22 August 2013}}

More positive reviews came from Betty Page in Record Mirror, who said the album provided "lashings of beaty, intensely danceable chunks of electropop alternated with sincere and heartfelt one-man-and-his-piano ballads. And to a point, he does it very well ... for an occupier of the Middle Earth of chart pop, he's quite a grower, if not a wrencher of guts",{{cite magazine |last=Page |first=Betty |title=Sniff and Jones |magazine=Record Mirror |page=18 |date=10 March 1984}} and from Neil Tennant in Smash Hits, who commented that Jones had "a neat talent for writing melodic pop songs with clever hooks and real 1970s singer-songwriter lyrics. A must for all Supertramp fans."{{cite magazine |last=Tennant |first=Neil |author-link=Neil Tennant |title=Album Reviews |magazine=Smash Hits |volume=6 |issue=5 |page=37 |date=1–14 March 1984 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Smash-Hits/1984/Smash-Hits-1984-03-01.pdf |access-date=29 December 2024 |via=World Radio History}}

Mike DeGagne of AllMusic was more favourable in a retrospective review and stated that Human's Lib "is fueled by the nonstop synth-pop hooks and brightly textured melodies that went on to be a trademark of Howard Jones".{{cite web |last=DeGagne |first=Mike |title=Human's Lib – Howard Jones |publisher=AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/humans-lib-mw0000190438 |access-date=22 August 2013}}

All tracks composed by Howard Jones unless indicated otherwise. Track timings are taken from the original UK LP edition.

{{Track listing

|headline=Side one

|title1=Conditioning

|writer1=music: Jones, lyrics: Bill Bryant

|length1=4:32

|title2=What Is Love?

|writer2=music: Jones, lyrics: Bryant, Jones

|length2=3:45

|title3=Pearl in the Shell

|length3=4:03

|title4=Hide and Seek

|length4=5:34

|title5=Hunt the Self

|writer5=music: Jones, lyrics: Bryant, Jones

|length5=3:42

}}

{{Track listing

|headline=Side two

|title6=New Song

|length6=4:15

|title7=Don't Always Look at the Rain

|length7=4:13

|title8=Equality

|writer8=music: Jones, lyrics: Bryant, Jones

|length8=4:26

|title9=Natural

|writer9=music: Jones, lyrics: Bryant

|length9=4:25

|title10=Human's Lib

|writer10=music: Jones, lyrics: Bryant

|length10=4:03

}}

Many CD editions substitute a 6:32 mix of "What Is Love?" (identical to the extended mix from the 12-inch single except that the vocal echo at 2:52 is missing) for the 3:45 album version and add "China Dance", an instrumental B-side from the "Hide and Seek" single, as a bonus track (track 11).

In May 2024, Cherry Red Records released new special edition versions of both Human's Lib and the follow-up album, Dream into Action as CD + Blu-ray packages. The releases feature new mixes of the albums by Stephen W. Tayler. The Blu-ray contains both 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio and 96/24 LPCM stereo versions by Tayler, plus Dolby Atmos versions of "What Is Love?", "Hide and Seek" and "New Song" (Farmyard version) mixed by Bob Clearmountain.

• Howard Jones – synthesizers, keyboards, vocals, drum machines
• Davey Payne – saxophone on "Pearl in the Shell"
• Stephen W. Tayler – engineer, mixing; saxophone on "Pearl in the Shell"
• Ben Rogan – assistant engineer
• Colin Thurston – producer and engineer on "New Song"
• Rupert Hine – producer on all other tracks
• Simon Fowler – photography
• Steg – artwork

Howard Jones used the following equipment on Human's Lib:Howard Jones 25th anniversary tour book (2008){{cite magazine|title=Human Evolution|first=Ian|last=Gilby|magazine=Home Studio Recording|date=July 1984}}

• Roland Jupiter-8
• Roland Juno-60
• Yamaha DX7 (×2)
• Sequential Circuits Pro-One
• Sequential Circuits Prophet T8 – MIDI'd to two DX7s
• Moog Prodigy
• Memorymoog
• Roland TR-808 drum machine
• E-mu Drumulator drum machine
• Simmons SDS-V drum module with SDS-6 sequencer
• LinnDrum – owned by Rupert Hine

Various drum sounds replaced with real drum samples from an AMS digital delay.

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{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=album|artist=Howard Jones|title=Human's Lib|award=Gold|relyear=1984|certyear=1986}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|artist=Howard Jones|title=Human's Lib|award=Platinum|number =2|relyear=1984|certyear=2004|refname="bpicert"|id=3044-2487-2}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Howard Jones}}

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Category:Howard Jones (English musician) albums

Category:Albums produced by Colin Thurston

Category:Albums produced by Rupert Hine

Category:Elektra Records albums

Category:Warner Music Group albums

Category:1984 debut albums