Being Boiled - The Human League Synth Cover
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- Following on from my Roland System 100 feature video, here's a full cover of the Human League's first single, "Being Boiled" from 1978.
Breakdown:
I was very fortunate to receive a copy of the original beat patch from Martyn Ware via Robbie Puricelli. Martyn had passed on that it might need to tweaking and experimentation, which wasn't surprising given the nature of analogue gear.
The patch sheet gave me the pitched noise part and the snare and I found I needed to add a bit of EQ from my mixer to dial those in too. I also had had to adjust the settings in tiny increments for quite a while until it sounded very close. Strangely, I had to use the white noise on my 100 to get it to sound like the original recording as the pink noise that they actually used sounded too dull on mine. Maybe it's the age of the unit now!
Interestingly, they used a technique explained in the 104 sequencer manual where a CV from one of the channels can be used to alter the clock speed. If this is dialled in correctly then the note value can be set for each step of the sequence. This is how they got a 4/4 pattern within 11 steps, instead of 16. As I wanted an exact tempo, I cheated and used an external clock pulse via midi.
A puzzle: After the initial beat, another drum sound joins in. It's a sort of bass drum, but it doubles the snare, rather than providing a typical bass drum pattern. This could have been a manual overdub, but it could have also been done with the other two drum parts because I've seen at least one photo of the Human League with two 102 expanders at this time. Either way, it isn't part of the patch on the original patch sheet.
Next, there's the narrow pulse wave rhythm that appears throughout the song, again, it's not part of the original patch, so it was presumably an overdub. Did they put down a clock pulse at the outset and then use it for synch of a 2nd pass? That's my suspicion.
Finally, if you listen you can hear a track of synth FX running continuously through through song. Often it's ring modulator atmospheres, but there's some definite filter resonance and filter LFO mod tweaking in places. My belief was that someone just sat there and tweaked for the entire song on an available track and they blended it in as a texture and I subsequently found an extended interview with Martyn Ware on the Bonedo website where he indeed confirms that they did exactly that. The thinking was to make it sound more cinematic.
Bass line:
Dead easy - two sawtooth waves on the miniKORG 700S with a little detune, no attack and max sustain ("singing") with no release ("sustain"). The "sustain long" setting is used.
Roll the highpass filter up a bit and the lowpass slightly higher until it sounds right and make sure expand and bright are engaged for filter mod. That's basically it.
Vocals - double tracked, but I also used a 1979 Boss DM-2 on the send of my mixer for some vintage doubling. I don't know exactly what they did on the original, but it's definitely double tracked at the very least.
As someone who's listened to Travelogue probably 100 or more times, I have to say this is really spot-on!! Nailed the synths, and great vocals too.
Thank you!
Awesome stuff, great job with the vocals as well. Feels like you put quite a bit of thought into the production.
To this day I still can’t decide if I prefer this version or the one on Travelogue. This one does feel more raw, In a good way though.
Just a 100 😊
Totally agree, the synths are very close, but IMHO the vocals are spot-on!
@@markbelcher1777 Oh, maybe 101 ;) My dad gave me Dare and Travelogue on cassette when I was a kid...suffice to day Dare didn't get much attention lol
Travelogue was parked in my Walkman for about 2 years straight!
love those older human league hits,they had something eerie
Totally.
@@AlexBallMusic Empire State Human next, please.
they were original :)
One of my favourites. Loved Reproduction & Travelogue.
Great albums.
@Alex Ball I just love the raw synth sounds. Recently I found some Vile Electrodes tracks I like, Sanctuary, This is the last time & Proximity where I'm drawn to the synths once again. Thank you for this.
Absolutely fab. I remember hearing the John Peel session version in 1979(?) before geting the album. Saw them in concert shortly after that, only about 30 people in the audience so I got right to the front. I have to say they don't write songs about silkworms like that today.
Wow! What an awesome thing to have experienced!
...and yes. Distinct lack of songs about silkworms that conflate different religions.
I had to get the encyclopaedias out as a nipper to find out what the hell sericulture was.
Man I love the gritty lead synth on this. Absolutely loved it Alex. As a massive HL fan a huge thumbs up from me. You nailed it fella.
Thanks Mick!
Damn, it's weird hearing a cover this close, and yet still slightly different. This must have been so much fun to make.
It was really quite magical patching that beat in on an original 100 and hearing it coming back at me. 😍
Could you make a video explaining how the drum sequence really works in detail? Would really be great to understand how this is done.
Fucking brilliant! I"m a HUGE fan of THL MK1 and think Reproduction, Travelogue and their other early material, along with Kraftwerk and John Foxx Metamatic era, is the best and coolest synth music in history. You did this really, really good.
Cheers! Yeah, Metamatic is another I adore too. Wonderful era.
I have a smile plastered to my face like many over 50 year olds here. So to make sure I am not just imagining it, I listened to it a couple of times 😄 Love how you matched you vocals too 😃
It wasn't that song but another from the album "WXJL tonight" that smashed my mind. It was so big and spacey. Something special in the 80s. Great cover Alex. Wonderful to see the instruments doing what you couldn't imagine in at the time
Yeah, WXJL Tonight has to be my fave. Those shimmering synth arpeggios 😎
Yeah, totally. I was looking for original copies on vinyl during world record day, but to no avail. Got an original McCartney II, though. 😊
Went to a charity shop today and came away with human league unlimited orchestra album... love and dancing.
Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet..
Had to watch your vid first..
Alex you have nailed it again,hats off to you !
Brilliant album.
A cover so spot on sonically that YT automatically recognized the copyright.
😀
I regret that I cannot like this more than once.
Mr.Ball, with covers like these you are really spoiling us.
The ambassador has exquisite taste.
Nice job Alex! Superbly executed. Reproduction and Travelogue are two of my all time favourite albums. Its amazing really that that Reproduction in particular and to a lesser extent Travelogue, didn't initially have commercial success. Perhaps they were too ahead of their time? The albums are absolutely fantastic and its incredible what they achieved when you consider the equipment they had to work with.
You nailed it! Hands down, you’re my budda! 🙏❤️🙌
Thank you sir. 😀
INCREDIBLE video for INCREDIBLE talent! You rocks, man!
Feckin' bang on! 👍
Top draw, chap!
Thank you again sir! Was incredible to set it up and here it come back at me. 😍
Brilliant, loved it! Being Boiled and Toyota City were my favourite early Human League tracks, when Martyn Ware and Ian Craig-Marsh were members of the band.
Toyota City absolutely entranced me!
Absolutely fantastic. Love to hear other covers of such poignant electronic anthems. Brilliant.
Brilliant, the most authentic cover of an electronic classic you could hear. The Rockenteurs mentioned this track recently, it was a staple in the Blitz Club apparently. The B side of the fast version had a track called Dancevision from 1977. That was as ahead of it time as I Feel Love from DS. Would LOVE to hear a cover of that, my favourite HL track as it really was the future back then.
PHUCKINTASTIC ! ! ! ! ! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 BEAUTIFUL VOICE ! ! ! ! LESS IS MORE ! ! ! ! Goosebumps all over ! ! ! SPOT ON MATE ! ! ! !
wow great vocal
So gritty and real the performance is just perfect from synths to song, 3:54 the vocals are very very good..love it. Thanx from TAO von Sweden
A very good cover 👍👏👏 Excellent job!
One of my all time favourite earlier Human League tracks... superb cover Alex! 😉
Man, this song had such a huge affect on me before I even knew what it was. When I was a kid some of the late night radio DJs used to play extended, remixed versions of songs like Yazoo's 'Situation' that had load of music and cultural samples worked in. One had snippets of "Being Boiled". It wasn't until I was in my first year of college that I heard the the full song "Being Boiled" and it was the version you covered. It's still my favorite Human League song, and I can't even begin to count how many times I've listened to it. I always associated The Human League with early Korg synths, but I only more recently (last 5-7 years) learned of the MiniKorg 700 and 700s and the Roland System 100. You've done a fantastic cover that honors the original. Love it!
Probably the best song by the League. You've done a cracking cover version. Top notch.
A worthy tribute to a classic. Phil would be proud.
I can only echo the compliments of others, this is a fantastic cover, I hope you are rightly proud of it. I really liked the video too. Had a suitable retro feel and production.
That's a good phil oakey impression
The old oakey cokey.
Fantastic rendition of The Human leagues first single back in the late 70’s. You have nailed this classic track!
Spot on Alex! This is frigging great!
Holy moly 🎉 Great song and awesome performance Alex 10/10❤
Phil, that's you singing, isn't it? Stunning, brought back the shivers I got, listening the first time to The Human League.
absolutely delightful, skillful, insightful and mildly lacking in deeply felt teenage angst & confusion (which may be a good thing) - thumbs up + keep them coming!
Perfect recreation, killer song we used to play on repeat in our synth pop days.
Hello Alex,
I recently discovered your channel and I must say, I can't believe it took me this long to find it! As a fan of old analog synthesizers and electronic music, I truly appreciate the content you create. In fact, I have a few of these instruments in my own collection. Your videos showcase a remarkable blend of talent and humor that keeps me thoroughly engaged.
Speaking of engaging, that Roland System 100 you featured is truly a remarkable machine! I had no idea that the Human League used it for the drums on "Being Boiled" - what an epic track! Your cover of it is absolutely astounding.
By the way, I'm currently watching your videos from the Philippines 🇵🇭, although I'm originally from Sweden. Thanks to your captivating reviews and demonstrations of these vintage machines, I feel a strong connection to my adopted home.
I want to extend my gratitude for the effort you put into making these videos and providing insightful reviews of these old machines. Your passion for the subject matter shines through splendidly. Keep up the exceptional work! /Christian
Wow❣️❣️❣️❣️ Alex you absolutely nailed it!! My hat off to you increadibly well done 😊👍
Very impressive! One of my favourites and you nailed the vocal! If you haven't already, you know you now need to do The Chauffeur, right?
Damn I love your channel!
This is great Alex. Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh and Phil Oakey will love it.
Alex Ball, you literally knocked this one out of the park. Absolutely brilliant! Even the vocals. You nailed Phil’s Vox. The lads would be proud.
I hope I didn't literally knock it out of the park, because that would mean some very broken synths. 😉
Glad you enjoyed it, it was fun to do. Martyn Ware has seen it, which is nice.
@@AlexBallMusic that’s awesome. Did Martyn have any comments or feedback? Sad fact, I bought the reissue Korg Mini Korg 700 due to THL Mk1 connection.
Yeah, he shared it on social media, which was nice. Glad you got 700FS, those are cool.
I've met you a couple of times at synth exhibitions and always wanted to thank you for doing this. Total respect for this authentic performance. Sheer brilliance, that demonstrates the seminal qualities of this track. Thank you.
This is bloody spot-on. Fantastic recreation and lovely to see that System 100 in action - stellar job 👏
What a great tune this is. Wow 😵💫😎
I absolutely can Not believe how spot on this is! Brilliant!
I'm super impressed, but dude, your vocals are so on point.
Takes me back to my post punk days. Standing at the bar in a club trying to look cool and to chat up the would be Siouxsies.
Good cover!
Well done Alex. Best cover of the fast product version of Being Boiled I've heard. Bang on mate. Now, please do Marianne!
Wow, well done. Synth and vocals. 👏👏👏
Thanks!
Great cover, brought all those school discos back again.
Oh, really nice to hear a splendid cover of one of my all-time favourite synth songs and nailing it. Also with good vocals. I was surprised after seeing an interview of Martin Ware where he felt wtf about the vocals. To me they felt rather inspiring and thought provoking, especially considering the time.
Had to come back for more. Superb!
How on earth did I miss this??? Brilliant!!
Cheers!
its even hard to believe it doable to make analogue sound today which is identical to 70s gear synthesizer , no only you achieve that but you are also sing amazingly!! and the sound its really like taken from Travelogoue Album . you knock me down!! superb job Alex!
I absolutely love this cover! It is purely fantastic and fabulous! It sounds just like the original and I additionally love your Phil Oakley accent which was a nice touch. Fantastic job! Keep this up!
Great on so many levels ! Really impressed.
Thank you for this wonderful cover.
Another awesome remake. Great to have all the 'how it was done' detail too - not that I pretend to understand more than about 25% of it.
Wow! This is Awesome 🖤 them synths sound gorgeous 👊
One of my favourite Human League tracks. Great cover.
Alec, you've done some cool stuff on this channel, but this is the coolest. By the way, if anyone is wondering, this song is indeed about the inhumanity of silk production.
Somehow I missed this when you put it out, but holy cow, nailed it or what, spot on with the vocals too.
Brilliant.! You’ve done a man’s job, sir. 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
I guess you’re through, huh?
Absolute Bliss 👌🏽 Spot on cover … the effort this must have taken really shows … Well played ❤️
That miniKORG is lovely!! Martyn Ware was playing one when we supported them in the summer last year. I remember just staring at it for about 5 minutes, trying my damned hardest not to touch it hahaha!!
I succeeded....somehow!!
Excellent cover Alex, very faithful. And I particularly like the vocals on this one! Solid solid effort!
Ah cool. Which band are you in?
Congrats on leaving the Korg alone. I would have just gone straight in there. 😀
@Alex Ball I'm in Electromantics with Ben Simpson (from PSN fame) 🤣
I would have normally been all over it, but Martyn was wearing a rather snazzy cowboy hat that night...and I didn't wanna cross him!!
Fantastic! Great version!
Thanks Andrew
A brilliant cover my friend …. Remember going out and buying the albums “ Travelogue & Reproduction …. The best £8 I ever spent …. Thanks for the post and the memories 👍🎧🙏🕺😎😁🇬🇧🍺🍻🤘🏴
Great! 🙏🤩
Fab. And a reminder of the amazing pop sensibilities Human League had. They knew exactly how to make a great pop song.
Brilliant cover. Love this song so much...
You’ve created a little masterpiece re-creation here. Superb!
Brilliantly done! The things that dreams are made of (dub edit) would be a real challenge 😁
Alex you have nailed this. Well done mate! This is brilliant!
Really impressive Alex, your vocals sounds brilliant. Always great compos and good gears.
Cheers Eric!
That was great! Such a cool track. When I was like fourteen I picked up some random compilation record in Greenwich Village that had this one it and I just loved it. Really well done.
Went to a silk factory outsude Beijing and saw the cocoons trundle down a conveyor belt and, yes, being bpiled. This song was on loop in my head the whole time. The place stank of vinegar, I stank of Chinese hooch, and I declined to buy the silken goods offered afterwards, Return to Mulberry.
Top work on the Rolanndery, a real treat. You should challenge one of the hot young virtualosos to a retro-off, hardware vs software.
I visited the same in Vietnam, I couldn't get Phil's wise words out of my head the whole time I was there!
Danke für dieses klasse Cover. Echt gut gemacht!
OH! that was a great cover of one of my favorite song from that era. 🙂 And thanks a lot for sharing the patch and the extra info! Bad thing is that I now need a miniKORG 700S and to have my System100 sequencer repaired, to make my own go at it. I don't have the system 100 mixer but that might be substitutable. And I probably would need som singing lessons as well.
Marvellous. I knew it would be worth waiting for. 👏🏻
Astoundingly accurate cover Alex, top work indeed!
With the right coaxing and tracking, the System 100 can really shine. I had a 102 many moons ago and it left me wanting rather at that point, I don't think I appreciated the filter enough compared to now.
My 104 lasted a bit longer in the studio, but eventually I coudn't justify keeping it as I could buy several of something more versatile for the cash.
I've heard many stories of past 100 ownership and now a pining to have it back, but it seems you happily moved on. You're right, you can get a stack of gear for the price, which is rather appealing. 😀
Love that lead synth so so so much.
Brilliant stuff and I also appreciate the detailed notes in the description.
Thank you sir.
yes yes yes yes.... very well done!!! yes!!
Absolutely brilliant!, spot on 🙌
Cheers!
Spot on 👍. Just like Warm Leatherette it was when we were figuring our own British synth sound. Then came that amazing debut of Tubeway Army on TOTP and we never looked back.
Brilliant! I hope that you cover some more 'mark 1' League songs in the future :)
Perhaps we'll do some more League shenanigans at some point. 🙂
Pay with krugerrands✌️
@@AlexBallMusic A cover of Dancevision by The Future would be epic :)
Rock N Roll Part 2 please
@@rachelar The whole of Holiday '80 would be wonderful :)
Blimey, I didn't realise you'd get the vocals that close too!
Brilliant cover best I've ever heard. Made the hairs on the back of my neck stick up. Relatively new to the channel so catching up with your older videos. Keep up the good work mate.
Thanks John!
Hello Alex: This was amazingly good. I remember this song very clearly from when it was first released. (Yes, I'm that old.) I had to listen careful to check, that yes, it really was you doing the vocals.. Thank you.
great work and very cool hands on performance. Loved this album when it first came out. Still a good one.
I thoroughly enjoyed that. Great work!
Nicely done, Alex. Spot on! Takes me right back to grade school at that party (you know the one) when I had inside info that Becky Hanson indeed liked me as I had hoped, and I finally had that perfect long close, staring silence with her in relative darkness and separation from the other kids, and then totally blew my moment at getting a kiss, struck by complete and utter awkward paralysis. This is forever what being boiled means to me. Becky, if you're out there, my wife says she's giving me a hall pass for this one!😙
Phil will enjoy this very much.
Nicely done Alex, brings back a lot of good memories, good vocals too.
Kudos for this.. Excellent use of gear.
Brilliant work Alex
Great effort!
Class. Really enjoyed that. And what a glorious tune. Thanks a lot.
Absolutely bang on. Love it.🎹🤖⚡️