The Vault: Heaven 17’s “Penthouse” Forum
Yet another remastered, import-only classic crossed our desk this week: The 25th anniversary edition of Heaven 17’s classic Penthouse And Pavement. For those of you who’ve yet to read Rip It Up And Start Again, Heaven 17–along with Human League and ABC–were a big part of England’s early-’80s “Sheffield scene,” which was driven by white-boy funk and big synthesizers. This, of course, is not be confused with the “Rob Sheffield scene,” which is driven by zing-filled references to Morrissey and Laguna Beach.
Two of our favorite tracks are below. We won’t get into the backstory of H17’s political leanings here, but take a listen, and ask yourself: Am I, in some way or another, somehow contributing to facist groove thing?
Heaven 17 – (We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thing [MP3, link expired]
Heaven 17 – Let’s All Make A Bomb [MP3, link expired] (bad timing, yes, but good tune)
