How Men Are

1984 studio album by Heaven 17
How Men Are
Studio album by
Heaven 17
Released24 September 1984 (1984-09-24)[1]
StudioAIR Studios and CBS Studios (London, UK)
GenreSynth-pop
Length38:18
LabelVirgin
Producer
  • B.E.F.
  • Greg Walsh
Heaven 17 chronology
The Luxury Gap
(1983) 		How Men Are
(1984) 		Pleasure One
(1986)
Singles from How Men Are
  1. "Sunset Now"
    Released: August 1984
  2. "This Is Mine"
    Released: October 1984
  3. "...(And That's No Lie)"
    Released: January 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Record Mirror[3]
Smash Hits[4]

How Men Are is the third studio album by English synth-pop band Heaven 17, released on 24 September 1984 by Virgin Records. The album peaked at No. 12 in the UK and was certified Silver (60,000 copies sold) by the BPI in October 1984.

Three singles were released from this album: "Sunset Now" (UK #24), "This Is Mine" (UK #23) in 1984, and an edited remix of "...(And That's No Lie)" (UK #52) in early 1985, which was the first Heaven 17 single to fail to reach the UK Top 40 since "Let Me Go" at the end of 1982.

Although digital sample-based instruments such as the Fairlight CMI and the LinnDrum drum machine were still responsible for most of the album's sounds, How Men Are marked the beginning of an increased usage of acoustic instruments in Heaven 17's music. A small orchestra is employed on three tracks, and two tracks make use of the Phenix Horns Esquire, Earth, Wind & Fire's famous brass section. Another notable contribution to this album was made by the vocal group Afrodiziak, who sang on four tracks.

In 2006, Heaven 17's first three albums were remastered and reissued with bonus tracks.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh, and Martyn Ware, except where noted.

Side one

  1. "Five Minutes to Midnight" – 3:46
  2. "Sunset Now" – 3:35
  3. "This Is Mine" – 3:51
  4. "The Fuse" – 3:05
  5. "Shame Is on the Rocks" – 3:59

Side two

  2. "The Skin I'm In" – 3:46
  3. "Flamedown" – 2:59
  4. "Reputation" (John Wilson, Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh, Martyn Ware) – 3:03
  5. "And That's No Lie" – 10:02
Additional tracks
2006 remastered CD bonus tracks
  2. "This Is Mine (Cinemix)" – 8:43
  3. "...(And That's No Lie) (Re-mixed to Enhance Danceability)" – 6:17
  4. "Counterforce II" – 3:08
  5. "Sunset Now (Extended Version)" – 5:21

All bonus tracks originally appeared on various formats of the singles taken from the album and had never appeared on CD before. "Counterforce II" was originally a B-side from the "Sunset Now" 12-inch single, and was also released under the title "Chase Runner" on the Electric Dreams soundtrack.

Personnel

Heaven 17

Session musicians

  • Greg Walsh – Fairlight CMI programming, Roland System 100 bass (3)
  • Nick Plytas – Roland System 100 simulated classical guitar (6), acoustic piano (8, 9)
  • Ray Russell – guitars (5, 7, 9)
  • John Wilson – guitars (8), bass guitar (9)
  • Mo Foster – fretless bass (6)
  • Phenix Horns Esquire – horns (3, 7)
  • Michael Harris – flugelhorn (3)
  • David Cullen – orchestral arrangements and conductor (1, 6, 9)
  • Afrodiziak – backing vocals (2, 4, 8, 9)

Production

  • B.E.F. – producers
  • Greg Walsh – producer, engineer
  • Jeremy Allom – engineer
  • Ray Smith – cover paintings, photography, cover concept

Charts

Chart performance for How Men Are
Chart (1984) Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[5] 28
European Albums (Music & Media)[6] 21
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] 31
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[8] 28
UK Albums (OCC)[9] 12

Certifications

Certifications for How Men Are
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[10] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Heaven 17 are men". Record Mirror. 22 September 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 3 October 2021 – via flickr.com.
  2. ^ Allmusic review
  3. ^ Page, Betty (29 September 1984). "Albums: Men-tal stimulation". Record Mirror. p. 22. ISSN 0144-5804.
  4. ^ "Rimmer, Dave (27 September 1984). "Album Reviews". Smash Hits. Vol. 6, no. 19. EMAP Metro. p. 25.
  5. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Heaven 17 – How Men Are" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  6. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 1, no. 31. 29 October 1984. p. 8. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  7. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Heaven 17 – How Men Are" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Heaven 17 – How Men Are". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  10. ^ "British album certifications – Heaven 17 – How Men Are". British Phonographic Industry. 8 October 1984. Retrieved 19 April 2021.

External links

  • How Men Are at Discogs (list of releases)
  • v
  • t
  • e
Studio albumsCompilation albums
  • Higher and Higher: The Best of Heaven 17
Singles
Related articles
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
  • MusicBrainz release group