Heaven 17: Play To Win: The Virgin Years (10 CD-Book Set)

• Original members of Sheffield’s Human League, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh left after the first two albums and formed Heaven 17 in 1980. Named after a fictional band in Anthony Burgess’s “A Clockwork Orange”, they recruited Glenn Gregory on vocals (who had been the original choice for lead singer of the Human League).

• Signed to Virgin Records, debut single “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” attracted a lot of attention in March 1981, and a BBC Radio 1 ban. Debut album “Penthouse And Pavement” was released in September 1981 and was certified Gold the following year. Many more chart singles followed, including Top 5 hits “Temptation” and “Come Live With Me”, taken from a further four albums – “The Luxury Gap” (1983), “How Men Are” (1984), “Pleasure One” (1986), and “Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho” (1988).

• This 10 CD set includes the five original albums that the band recorded for Virgin Records, along with over a hundred bonus tracks: non-album A- and B-sides, 7” edits, US edits, instrumentals, 1980 demos, and four CDs of 12” remixes (many of which only saw very limited release).

• Housed in a 12” x 12” album-style book, the set will also include a 36 page 12” x 12” booklet with the lyrics, credits, photos, and ephemera from the band’s collection, and brand new annotation, based on new interviews with the band.