Back when I was growing up in Brockville (a dickless, backwater, podunk town on the edge of the St Lawrence River half way between Toronto and Montreal) I use to tune my crappy radio into CHEZ106 to record songs on my tape cassettes (yes, it was in the late 70s) from great artists like Rough Trade, The Cars and The Buggles. One particular song I wanted really bad was “Don’t You Want Me Baby?” from Human League. So desperate was I that I would fall asleep in my bed with my finger still on the record button, waiting for the song. I’d wake up in the morning with “RADIO SHACK” indented into my cheek, backwards.
I gave up at one point and went to the local Sams The Record Man on the main drag. The guy behind the counter wasn’t all that helpful because the Human League wasn’t heavy metal and was fairly popular. He went to his large index book (pre-computers, kids!) and found only one Human League album: Mirror Man, a extended play record a couple releases back from the hit I was looking for. What the hell, I ordered it.
It came in a few weeks later . When I entered the store, the guy behind the counter made damn sure I knew that he was disgusted in my musical choice, based solely on the fact that one of the male band members was wearing high heeled boots on the cover. While the song has warm connotations today of my budding love for Nu-Romance new wave, I’ll never forget the clerk commenting on my liking “those British fags”.
7 thoughts on “Keep Feeling Fascination”
I listen to this song more often then I probably should. Good to know I have company.
I have the Extended Version. It clocks in at 4:23 – a whole 1:10 longer than the single! WOW!
@ SharkBoy
CBS Records was notorious for that bait and switch in my DJ days. You’d pay the $5.99 for a George Michael 12″ (Extended Version) and it would be mere seconds different from the LP Version. Thieves, all of them. They’re getting it back now with all the file sharing. Greed never pays!
It does exist on CD, but may now be out of print. Whoa, hey! I just checked Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dare-Love-Dancing-Human-League/dp/B00007MB2U/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_k2a_3_img?pf_rd_p=304485601&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-2&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000007TF9&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0WHZ6Z5A7XPF5XVWH07F
I could never decide which chick was hotter. I think I wanted them both. Great makeup.
And just my opinion, but if you wanted real “British Fags” and I was behind the counter, I would have pulled out Spandau Ballet instead. True… So True…
I was lucky enough that when I was of age to buy albums, my sister’s best friend at the time ran a record store at the mall… I remember having her order a copy of an extended version of Babe We’re Gonna Love Tonight from Lime, a dance group from Montreal. Turns out the extended version was pretty much the same that was on their album, save few seconds…
Sounds like where I grew up. I remember being incredibly fed-up with the popularity of metal.
i’m sure that clerk went home to his house inside the pharmaceutical factory and sat around in tight tight pants and collared polyester shirt (with one button undone) with old people listening to VERY heterosexual bands… like the beegees and supertramp. yeah buddy, i see your hidden T-rex collection so SHUT THE FUCK UP.
stupid brockville. i bet he still lives there.
“Hard Times” was my favourite song. I think it was released on a special Human League Orchestra remix album or something. It had the remix of “Don’t You Want Me” that everyone loved at Stages. I’ve never seen it on CD.