Electronically Yours, Martyn Ware
Electronically Yours, Martyn Ware
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Electronically Yours
Vol. I: My Autobiography

Author: Martyn Ware

Narrator: Martyn Ware

Unabridged: 9 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/25/2022

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

This is a music autobiography to remember. This is the story of Martyn Ware.

The Human League and Heaven 17 were among some of the most pioneering bands of the 1980s, with Ware having played an integral role in each of their numerous successes. A young lad from the heart of post-war Sheffield, Ware formed The Human League a few years out of school in his early twenties. Described by David Bowie as 'the future of music', it wasn't long before the band become known for their innovative and infectiously catchy singles such as 'Being Boiled', touring with the likes of Siouxsie and the Banshees and Iggy Pop before Ware's departure. Heaven 17 followed suit, with their soon-to-be classic albums, Penthouse & Pavement and The Luxury Gap, featuring several colossal hits. Ground-breaking icons in new wave and synth pop, both groups remain some of the biggest-selling bands across the UK and worldwide.

In Electronically Yours, Martyn takes us through his incredible route to stardom; from his austere upbringing in various council houses and close teenage friendship with former-bandmate Phil Oakey, to the white-hot experimentation in the 'Synth Britannia' era and his production career, which allowed him to work with some of the world's greatest singers, including Tina Turner. But it's not just his life inside the industry which is compelling; a proud socialist, Martyn writes poignantly about politics - how it can be a soulful, personal, moral duty - and its role in his music creation and Britain today. With charming meditations on culture, humour, travel and sport, Martyn also shares his love of 60s films, explains why Venice is the most beautiful city in the world, and reveals how Sheffield Wednesday has forever been his first and eternal passion.

A huge page-turner and always warmly told, Electronically Yours sees Martyn talk candidly for the very first time about his extraordinary journey. Discover amusing anecdotes, raw confessions, and moving reflections of a life well and truly lived at the height of the music industry.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Richard on January 28, 2025

Heaven 17, along with Ben Elton and Alexei Sayle, gave substance to this 80s teenager's fledgling lefty world view. I suppose I was always going to enjoy this book. I very much enjoyed reading about the gestation of songs, the meaning behind some of the lyrics, the effort that went into producing ea......more

Goodreads review by Steve on March 11, 2023

I got this on Audible for £2.99, read by the author. Martyn Ware, out of Sheffield became a founder member of the Human League until he was, literally, out of the Human League, just before they went on to record Dare. His loss is probably everyone else's gain as not only do we get the Human League's......more

Goodreads review by Martin on April 03, 2023

I have been a Heaven 17 fan since I first heard their songs back in 1982. I owned vinyl of their earliest records and in recent years picked up the Play to Win: Heaven 17 - the Virgin Years boxset on CD. They are one of my all-time favorite 80's synthpop bands. So, I was very excited when I saw Mart......more

Goodreads review by Steve on October 04, 2023

It was so good to read Martyn's book - and cool that I met him at an event where he kindly signed it for me too. This volume charts his life up until about 1992/3 - with the second volume promised for a future date. He doesn't go into huge detail about his childhood, covering it in a couple of chapter......more

Goodreads review by Robbie on February 08, 2023

Martyn Ware gives fascinating and entertaining insights into his work with The Human League, Heaven 17, BEF and others in a book that is entertaining and forthright.......more


Quotes

Martyn's memoir is at times hilarious, insightful, and bittersweet. He's a man who is owed much more credit for his contribution to the British electronic music legacy.

Wonderful, down to earth . . . a great story. From Heaven 17, to all of the miracles and magic that my life has seen.

Martyn is trusty, encouraging, charming, helpful, musically skilled . . . [This is a] great book.

A man with a synthesizer trailblazing his way to some of the most innovative moments in music in a generation.

This is a 100 per cent authentic Sheffield story. From the city's humble streets and football terraces to the very limit of the possibilities where the fearless creation of wonderful ground-breaking music can take you. F*ckin' brilliant story, brilliant book, brilliant Sheffield man!

Enthralling . . . An emotionally intelligent, honest book Record Collector