The band formed in 1980 when Marsh and Ware left The Human League. Shortly after leaving, they formed a production company titled British Electric Foundation. This company would later become ‘Heaven 17.’The name of the band is a reference to the novel ‘A Clockwork Orange,’ by Anthony Burgess in which there is a band named ‘The Heaven Seventeen.’
While still under the alias of Britsh Electric Foundation, the pair recorded an album titled ‘Music For Stowaways’ as well as an LP titled ‘Music for Listening To.’ Shortly after completing these albums, Ware and Marsh called upon their friend Glenn Gregory to serve as the vocalist for their band. The band released their first single ‘(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang’ to an unimpressed audience; the lyrics were seen as overly-political, and the single was banned by the BBC. This was a setback for the band as The Human League had been a huge success in the years before. Although the singles didn’t do very well, the album as a whole managed to peak at number fourteen on the United Kindom Albums Chart, giving the band some headway in the music industry.
In 1982, under the name Heaven 17, the group released a new single titled ‘Let Me Go.’ Although the song didn’t manage to break into the top 40 on the Singles Chart, their next single ‘Temptation,’ released in 1983, managed to soar to number two on the charts, giving Heaven 17 the exposure they needed and wanted. ‘Temptation’ was one of the nine songs on the album ‘The Luxury Gap,’ which managed to reach number four on the UK Albums Chart. By 1984, the album had been certified as platinum by the BPI.
Many albums from British Electric Foundation and Heaven 17 are still available for fans to purchase today. Check through online music stores or pop into your local music retail store to purchase any of the numerous albums by these talented musicians. For updates about concerts, be sure to check the official website of the band.
