The Luxury Gap


The Luxury Gap is the second studio album by the English synth-pop band Heaven 17, released on 25 April 1983 by Virgin Records. It is the band's best-selling studio album, peaking at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart – eventually becoming the 17th best-selling album of the year – and being certified platinum by the BPI in 1984.
In contrast to Heaven 17's debut studio album Penthouse and Pavement, the singles from The Luxury Gap charted strongly, particularly "Temptation", which reached No. 2 on the UK singles chart and was the 34th biggest selling single of 1983. Other hits included "Come Live with Me" and "Crushed by the Wheels of Industry".

Recording

The Luxury Gap was recorded at AIR Studios on Oxford Street in the West End of London with co-producer Greg Walsh. It was recorded under the working title Ashes and Diamonds. The band's ambition was to combine their love of soul music with electronic music. Soul music was a particularly strong influence on the vocal arrangements, most notably on the song "Temptation", which became a hit single. Virgin Records did not require the band to work on a budget, which allowed them to write in the studio and to use the studio as a musical tool, creating complex and detailed arrangements and have three songs orchestrated.
Numerous synthesizers and electronics were utilized to create the album, among which include the Linn LM-1 and Roland TR-606 drum machines, the Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer, and the Roland Jupiter-8, Roland System-100M and Fairlight CMI synthesizers.

Critical reception

In a retrospective review, AllMusic critic Dan LeRoy called The Luxury Gap "one of the seminal albums of the British new wave", highlighting its "undreamed-of range" and music, which "showed just how warm electro-pop's usually chilly grooves could be".

Live performances

Heaven 17, in their current line-up of keyboardist Martyn Ware and lead vocalist Glenn Gregory, performed all of The Luxury Gap on 14 October 2011 at the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, north west London. The band performed the album using "3D sound" technology developed by Ware's Illustrious Company. The show was a sequel of sorts to the Penthouse and Pavement concerts the band played in 2010.
A new deluxe edition of the album in 2012 was promoted with a tour of the UK in October and November, followed by some December dates in Germany and Belgium. The band played the original album in its entirety, followed by a selection of Heaven 17 tracks and two Human League tracks: "A Crow and a Baby" and "Being Boiled". A cover version of the Righteous Brothers' 1964 song "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", similar to the one recorded by the Human League in 1979, and a cover version of the Associates' 1982 song "Party Fears Two" were also performed.
To commemorate the 35th anniversary of The Luxury Gaps release, Heaven 17 toured the UK from November to December 2018, again performing the album in full. And did the same again for its 40th anniversary in 2023.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh, and Martyn Ware.
Side one
  1. "Crushed by the Wheels of Industry" – 5:54
  2. "Who'll Stop the Rain" – 3:04
  3. "Let Me Go" – 4:23
  4. "Key to the World" – 3:42
Side two
  2. "Temptation" – 3:34
  3. "Come Live with Me" – 4:18
  4. "Lady Ice and Mr Hex" – 3:46
  5. "We Live So Fast" – 3:49
  6. "The Best Kept Secret" – 5:09
The US Arista issue of the album omitted "Who'll Stop the Rain" and "Let Me Go", both of which had appeared on a US-only release titled Heaven 17 in 1982. They were replaced with re-recorded versions of "Let's All Make a Bomb" and "Song with No Name".
2006 remastered edition bonus tracks
  2. "Let Me Go" – 6:22
  3. "Who'll Stop the Rain " – 6:15
  4. "Crushed by the Wheels of Industry " – 6:59
  5. "Come Live with Me" – 4:34

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.
Heaven 17
Additional musicians
Production