Dare
by The Human League

Dare by The Human League
Year: 1981
Release date: 1981-10-16
Overall rank: 837th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 473 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 10 albums of 1981 (8th)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (130th)
Award Top 1,000 albums of all time (837th)

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The Human League bestography

Dare is ranked as the best album by The Human League.

The Human League album bestography « Higher ranked
-
This album (837th)
Dare
Lower ranked (5,894th) »
Reproduction

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Mar
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Wayne: Up Close & Personal
Bugsy's Cabaret at Flamingo, Las Vegas, United States. United States
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May
06
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Foghat & Nazareth: Titans of Classic Rock!
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Mar
20
Fri
New Edition: The New Edition Way Tour
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, United States. United States
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Dare rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 837th | 1980s rank: 130th | 1981 rank: 8th
Filter Filter
Sort Sort by
YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026Juneof44Top 50 Music Albums of 198138/501
2026 zags7000Top 100 Music Albums of 198148/1003
2026fabm0List 198111/100 -
2026JohnnyoVirgin on the brilliant51/57 -
2026mikepenTop 100 Music Albums of 19812/1005
2026leniadTop 101-200 Music Albums of the 1980s4/44 -
2026 MadhattanJackTop 100 Music Albums of 198156/1002
2026bonnequestionTop 15 Music Albums of 19814/154
2026 johnnerTop 100 Greatest Music Albums54/10047
2026JohnnyoGreatest albums of 1981 by Ultimate Record Collector2/55 -
2026bonnequestionBest albums from '75 to '8487/100 -
2026LittleM1971Greatest Music Albums: 601-70085/100 -
2026stangetzawayTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s26/10015
2026HyggevinylTop 53 Music Albums of 198138/532
2026 daisyTop 40 Greatest Music Albums35/4015
2026 TamthebamTop 100 Music Albums of 198115/1004
2026bonnequestionTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s43/10012
2026matterhornriderTop 101-200 Greatest Music Albums71/100 -
2026 PasticheTop 20 Music Albums of 19814/204
2026Cheboygan74Top 21 Music Albums of 198115/212
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 414
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 2,055
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

Dare collection

Dare ratings

Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 473 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 473 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
50/100
 
03/01/2026 01:45 brent13  Ratings distribution  1,91968/100
 
70/100
 
01/15/2026 05:55 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  7,79370/100
 
70/100
 
01/15/2026 00:22 This_is_handsome  Ratings distribution  76979/100
 
90/100
 
01/14/2026 20:15 daisy  Ratings distribution  7292/100
 
95/100
 
01/07/2026 03:04 sgenrikh  Ratings distribution  15794/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 8% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 75.2/100, a mean average of 73.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 75.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 17.1.

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Dare comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 35 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
85/100
From 07/20/2024 13:54 | #304437
Solid!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 11/13/2022 09:54 | #291249
A classic 80's album in its style but the quality is scattered, and the music is inconsistent. There are one or two great songs on here but then there are also some poor ones that provide literally nothing to the album and should be removed such as I Am The Law. When its bad the music feels so slow and it drags so much that the whole record feels elongated. Also, it hasn't aged well and there are several moments which feel dated such as the synths which make me cringe in places. Overall, the only thing keeping this record high is the nostalgia for it and that last song which completely carries the whole record in my opinion.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 08/31/2022 17:24 | #289179
Classic 80s synth-pop, one of the first in that kind, very enjoyable.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 05/13/2022 17:01 | #285305
Decent album. Classic 80s music for that kind of vibe. Pretty consistently good music throughout. No surprises that jump out except the last song.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 04/27/2022 01:21 | #284697
After much exposure on MTV, the single "Don't You Want Me" hit #1 in the U.S. for 3 weeks during the summer of 1982 and the '2nd British Invasion' (new wave rock, synth-pop) was on. While I had been exposed to O.M.D. on College Radio, this album was a game changer for my circle of friends. My favorite album of 1982 (at this site 1981.)
Favorite Tracks: #3,4,8,9,10.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 01/20/2022 09:39 | #279735
A memorable album from my gay disco DJ times, I played it all the time
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
50/100
From 12/02/2021 14:10 | #276988
promising in some. disappointing in others
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 09/02/2021 22:03 | #273225
I like the sound on this album, but I did not care for most of the songs. Highlights: Darkness, I Am the Law, Don't You Want Me.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 05/10/2020 14:16 | #251200
Classic album. Wonderful mix of pop at its best with electronic brilliance. A brilliant trio to open, great tracks like I Am the Law in between, and the two classic singles to finish.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 11/17/2019 15:38 | #244949
No 808 or 303 on this. Drums are LinnDrum. Sleeve notes list all the gear they used. Great production by Martin Rushent.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1981
1. Moving Pictures by Rush
2. Computerwelt by Kraftwerk
3. Discipline by King Crimson
4. Juju by Siouxsie And The Banshees
5. My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts by Brian Eno & David Byrne
6. Time by Electric Light Orchestra
7. Faith by The Cure
8. Dare by The Human League
9. Damaged by Black Flag
10. Deceit by This Heat
11. Tattoo You by The Rolling Stones
12. Youth Of America by Wipers
13. Ghost In The Machine by The Police
14. Fire Of Love by The Gun Club
15. The Ascension by Glenn Branca
16. Heaven Up Here by Echo & The Bunnymen
17. Face Value by Phil Collins
18. Killers by Iron Maiden
19. Nightclubbing by Grace Jones
20. Movement by New Order
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