THE PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY OF SUSAN ANN SULLEY
THE 1990s: FROM NADIR TO RENAISSANCE

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Susan  Portrait Photograph 1995

1990 - 'ROMANTIC?'

Promotional portrait for Romantic? 1990

The accompanying appearances on BBC 'Top of the Pops' and various TV shows reintroduced the band, now consisting of just Susan, Philip and Joanne to the public. What was notable from the TV appearances was Susan’s now dramatically striking appearance, gone was the harsh late 80s styling of 'Crash'. The now 27 year old Susan had completely reinvented herself in the style of the ‘supermodel' genre  that was prevalent in the media at the time. And a supermodel is exactly what she looked like. It was possibly her most glossy look ever and light years away from what a (female) music columnist once called  the "slightly scruffy Sheffield urchin".

When released in September 1990 the album Romantic?  was seemingly at odds with the prevailing music trends in the UK of U.S Grunge, Acid House and the 'Manchester scene'. Subsequently it was roundly savaged by the critics who declared that The Human League belonged to a now defunct previous decade. Romantic? would only spend 2 weeks in the charts. More hurtful to the band was that it (and they) were now also being criticised harshly by their label Virgin Records. Virgin made it plain that Romantic? had only been released to satisfy a contractual obligation. When Oakey had presented new material to Virgin he was asked if "he wanted to leave the label".  The second single from  Romantic?  "Soundtrack to a Generation" flopped badly in November 1990 failing to make even the top 75.  Although a well written, sweet and a quite profound track it was their worst showing in the charts since the Jam and Lewis mistake "I Need Your Loving"  bombed in 1986. Wounded by the criticism of Romantic? and the dismal failure of the second single, the band retreated to their new studio in Sheffield to 'lick their wounds' and work on new material. But they began to feel that they no longer "fitted in" with the British music scene.

1991 - 1993:  THE END...?

In 1992 after much criticism by Virgin and increasing acrimony between the label and the band, Virgin abruptly cancelled their recording contract.

The writing had been on the wall for some time, but it was still an utterly devastating blow to the band. By that point they had been told that they were finished by both music press and their 'employers'. And now for the first time in 15 years they found themselves without a recording contract, which almost always is a final death knell for most bands. They all took it badly, but Susan who is perhaps the most sensitive band member, would take it the hardest. She in particular suffered considerably during this period as a result of this and other turmoil in her life.

Outwardly the band were finished and this was mentioned briefly in the press, but even they could barely be bothered with the band anymore. Behind the scenes in a display of fortitude similar to that which Oakey and Wright had displayed in October 1980, the band refused to roll over and die meekly.

 By 1993 the group had recovered enough confidence to persevere with new material and put out demos to other record labels, they would encounter a remarkable amount of interest.

Some three years on the band were asked to discuss these events of 1992 in an interview for VH1's "Take it to the Bridge" talk  show. While Oakey made light of the band's nadir, Susan's mood darkened slightly and her bitterness toward Virgin was barely concealed in her answers.

Over a decade and a half on, relations between the band and their former label have thawed somewhat, but whether they are totally forgiven for the events of 1992 is debatable.

1994 - 1999:  THE EASTWEST YEARS

Not for the first time the public had forgotten The Human League, but this time there was a sense of permanency. Even fans, then without the benefit of today's internet rumour service believed that the band were over. It was thought that Romantic? had been their swan song and nobody expected to hear from them ever again. However behind the scenes in 1994 the Time Warner record label EastWest Records had picked up on the band's demos; particularly the material originally rejected by Virgin. Very quietly the band were signed up and paired with producer Ian Stanley to prepare the album that would soon become 'Octopus'.

The Human League 1995

In December 1994 in a deluge of publicity, was the announcement that The Human League were to release a single in advance of a full studio album. The single "Tell Me When" was released on 31 December 1994. It was a tense time, after 6 years of failure the band would have been happy with a top 40 result.

Unlike Virgin, EastWest had unwavering confidence in the band and had financed a very expensive video shot on location in Prague, Czech Republic. It was a very stylish affair with a standard of cinematography which had not been seen since Steve Barron's "Don't You Want Me" some 15 years earlier. It featured very stylised scenes of Philip, Joanne and Susan at various Prague landmarks. Susan often tells people that she doesn't dress up for videos and she looks exactly as you would find her on a night out in Sheffield. Be that as it may, but for the "Tell Me When" shoot  a tall, elegant, stunning, white faux fur bedecked Susan was certainly the smartest tourist on the Prague streets that day.

With plenty of advance radio and TV play, when the single hit the charts it entered at number 12 and bettered its position the following week. Instantly the pain of the previous 5 years was swept away. The band that people thought had died in 1990 were back with a vengeance. Octopus was released on January 23rd and became an instant commercial success eventually going gold. The band were invited to appear on various talk shows and TV interviews. Always a loquacious person;  now a much more media savvy Susan sweetly made mincemeat of interviewers who accused the band of being an 80s band or "being lazy and not doing anything for 10 years". Telling one interviewer in particular who suggested that the band were "making an 80s comeback" that: "we've never been away, we've never stopped working"

Firmly back in the Media eye, the more mature looking and elegant Human League were in demand to be photographed for various glossy magazines. Virgin Records executives apparently quietly seethed with jealousy, seriously  rueing their decision to sack the band.

Proving that "Tell Me When" was not a one off,  in March 1995 Octopus gave the UK another hit single with "One Man in My Heart". This track was a radical departure from the accepted Human League style. It was a female solo ballad written by Neil Sutton and sung by Susan on lead vocals, with Philip and Joanne providing minimal backing vocals. In the same way that 1981’s "Don’t You Want Me" was conceived solely as an album track. "One Man In My Heart" was never meant to be a single. EastWest with an eye on radio play, were adamant it was their choice as the second single. While the rest of the band were said to be comfortable with this, Susan herself was less than happy with the choice. Immediately before its release, she was publicly briefing that she was terrified on how it would be received and was bracing herself for a savage mauling by the critics. Privately she probably understood the risk, that if the single bombed it would make it impossible to issue a third single from the album and she personally might be blamed by the critics/media for damaging the bands new found success.                                                                                            

Music Video for "One Man In My Heart" - 1995

In the event, the single with its radio friendly lyrics was a resounding success reaching number 13 in the UK charts. Helped by the stylish accompanying video which was set in a Parisian café; (and would be cruelly described as "a Starbucks commercial" by some critics)  it gave the extremely elegant looking, now 32 year old Susan the best opportunity to demonstrate her considerable screen presence since "Don't You Want Me". Although the song was described as "Saccharine sweet" and "ABBA like" it was generally well received critically. Ironically Susan was now being criticised for her technical proficiency. A critic complained that he missed the “rough edges of the girl plucked from the Sheffield dance floor”. It was described years later in the music media as one of the best love songs of the 1990s.

Susan was ecstatic (and probably much relived) about the success of the single. She was invited to perform it on Top of the Pops, accompanied by Joanne and an uncomfortable looking Philip in the background forced to improvise miming with a prop electronic box that obviously wasn’t plugged in. Today, whilst of course it is acknowledged as a whole band effort, Susan remains justifiably proud of  what could be called ‘her hit’ and she usually sings it whenever the band plays live.

Possibly she would sound better on "Never Give Your Heart" in 2001 and everyone will always remember her from "Don't You Want Me" 1981, but 'One Man' is her career highpoint (she will almost certainly disagree!).

A common question is why she has never worked on side projects like Philip Oakey has, when she has such huge solo or collaboration potential. Whether or not she ever received any work offers as a result of 'One Man' has never been publicly disclosed. Always fiercely loyal to the band, when a similar question was put to her she replied along the lines of  "The Human League was all she wanted to do and she wouldn't consider doing anything else in music"

The third single from Octopus was a less slightly successful event but by no means a flop. "Filling Up With Heaven" was a delightfully upbeat single. While very radio friendly, it didn't really get any and it failed to capture the attention of the record buying public in the same way the two previous singles had; only reaching number 37 in the UK charts. It was released with one of the bands most visually underrated videos. Filmed in a minimalist studio, the colours were deliberately richly enhanced with swooping steadicam shots of the Susan, Jo and Phil.  Featuring a stunning, almost ethereal looking Susan complete with a luxurious blonde ponytail; it has been described as possibly the most attractive she has looked in any of the bands videos. A licensing dispute would condemn the video to be placed under virtual lock and key by EastWest and it is rarely seen on MTV/VH1 today. Her beautiful ponytail hair style would come and go twice over the next decade and is currently the one she models today, albeit worn 'up'.

Band  Publicity Photograph -  1995

Now emboldened by their renewed commercial success and the gold selling Octopus album, the band started concentrating on doing what they wanted to do with their music. In 1996 they were invited to appear as guests on the respected music show 'Jools Holland Tonight' for UK BBC 2. The trio made a concerted and admirable effort to appear more 'serious' and less 'poppy'. Their set list would consist of a darker rendition of "The Sound of the Crowd'" (now 15 years old). And from Octopus:  the well written swipe at 80's nostalgia and Thatcherism "These Are The Days'" plus from Romantic? the intriguing almost accapella "The Stars Are Going Out". The band's serious image didn't involve much change for Philip and Joanne except darker clothes and in Joanne's case darker make up. Susan on the other hand had undergone yet another 'butterfly like' style transformation. Gone was the mid 90s sophisticated 'business woman' look of  "One Man'" and the cute, girly look of  "Filling Up With Heaven".  In yet another style incarnation an incredibly slender (and to be frank, possibly too slender!). Susan was now sans ponytail and sported an intentionally distressed  cropped hair style. She was dressed  in leather trousers and a simple black t-shirt, her eyes made up  almost jet black. It was dramatic change that totally suited the mood of the set, while still quite beauteous it just didn't seem right for her given the femininity of her previous styles. It was a style that didn't last long as she evolved it into a more gothic look by the late 1990s.

In 1997 a management shake up in EastWest would see the band's 'friends' in the company moved on or resign. Behind the scenes, the corporate ground was dramatically shifting; something the band were oblivious to while they worked on the ninth album in Sheffield.

In mid 1998 the band took the surprising decision, (given their attitude to nostalgia and being pigeon holed as an '80s band') to take part in a 1980s nostalgia tour of the USA with the likes of long defunct band Culture Club. Explained away as "easy money"  it was indicative of their perilous financial state. With their extensive live experience, the band were the highlight act of the 'Rewind tour 1998'.

Susan on "Jools Holland Tonight" - 1996

Although the tour kept the wolves from the door. It would give endless ammunition to those, who three years later would  belittle them as 'an 80s band ' as they tried to promote the next album in 2001.

On return from the tour in Autumn 1998, the band were "let go" by the new management of EastWest despite the success of Octopus.  EastWest wanted to move in an another direction and this didn't include The Human League. Lightning had struck twice and again the band found themselves without without a recording contract and with their 'stock' in decline. Unlike the previous sacking this time the band were hardy fazed, but the end again seemed nigh. Philip had always said that the band "isn't over until it goes bankrupt". 1998/1999 would be one of these close calls. The band would be kept afloat by Philips back catalog royalties and another 80s nostalgia tour in the winter 1998 with the 'Rewind 2'  tour with Culture Club again and fellow Sheffield band ABC.

In 1998 public nostalgia would start to take a new form:  now nearly 2 decades since their formation; the band were 'old' enough to generate 'historical' interest. BBC Tv commissioned a documentary series called "Young Guns" about the history of  bands of the early 1980s. The Human League featured heavily and a typically 'interestingly' dressed Susan was interviewed with Joanne aboard a Sheffield Supertram. Many other 'historical' documentaries would follow over the years some informative, others frivolous such as "I love1980".  Susan's natural flair for interviews and documentaries is something that the band would capitalize on, her gregarious and loquacious nature best suited her to dealing with journalists, something Philip and Joanne don't enjoy. Whenever a media company wanted a Human League interview they would usually get a very chatty (and usually bubbly)  Susan. Very high profile events would still  always get the full trio. The role of defacto group spokesperson would have its down side too and poor Susan has ended up doing  some extremely banal and time wasting interviews as well as some outstanding media events.

As the second Millennium drew to a close and the world awaited universal computer melt down. The Human League were still in the media, and being kept afloat by adhoc concerts on the nostalgia circuit. But as a mirror of their situation in 1989 they had dropped from public consciousness. However unlike the similar situation a decade previously, this time it was to prove to be a relatively short hibernation.

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