One record at a time: 305. Gary Numan - Intruder

At long last we reach the end of my Gary Numan collection with his most recent album "Intruder".

I ordered my copy of this record directly from Numan's webshop so it came signed by the great man himself. "Oh that's impressive," you say - but in truth finding one that isn't signed is probably the more impressive feat. By 2021 Numan had a good idea of how to boost sales and signing as many copies as you possibly can helps no end. 

Like "Savage" before it, this album peaked at number 2 in the charts and offered confirmation that Numan had finally recovered from his early eighties career suicide. Unfortunately the rather tired post apocalyptic 'theme' seems to get another run-out, but thankfully most of the songs still allow the listener to apply their own interpretation. 

I get a definite sense of a clash between the old and the new on this record. The familiar industrial guitars and Arabic harmonic scales Numan now employs are here, but the old Roland CR-78 drum sounds and even Numan's own voice hark back to albums like "Dance" and "Warriors".

The songs are pretty good with "I am Screaming" offering a glimpse of what I imagine Depeche Mode would sound like if they were still any good. The title track is entertaining enough but it goes in for a bit of the old, "You can whisper your Lord's prayer, and pretend that it matters" vitriol that is truly tiresome at this stage. Big chunks of this record are simply a rehash of the previous album "Savage" - but when these records meet with such success, why change? 3/5

One record at a time: 304. Gary Numan - Savage (Songs from a broken world)

Having won over the doubters with his "Splinter" album in 2013, Numan returned with "Savage" four years later.

I backed the creation of this record via a Pledge Music campaign and received the signed deluxe CD along with paraphernalia such as a coaster, postcard and badge. I have no recollection of buying the vinyl but as it isn't signed I am guessing I bought it separately from the Pledge campaign.

The pseudo-Arabic styling of the sleeve and the terrible font have always been a little troubling for me. It's not just the cultural appropriation that feels uncomfortable but the size and spacing of the text is plain wrong. It seemed Numan has forgotten that this sort of thing is best left to the professionals and if he continues designing his own sleeves we run the risk of seeing a repeat of "The Fury" or "Machine + Soul".

The Arabic influence is carried over into the music with various elements in eastern harmonic scales weaved amongst the industrial noise we have come to expect from Numan. I am not sure if this is a concept album or not, but much of the material seems to be based on the idea of people living in a post apocalyptic world. Whilst ecology is important, it doesn't really affect me in the same way as the tales of love and death we heard on Numan's previous album. As you might expect there's a bit of God bashing scattered amongst the lyrics, and whilst I don't find this offensive, I do find it boring to hear the same sentiment album in, album out.

This album reached number 2 in the charts but it isn't quite as successful artistically as it was commercially. There are some great tracks with "My Name Is Ruin", "The End of Things" and "It Began With You" amongst my favourites - but there are also some recycled sounds and old ideas getting a retread. On the plus side the music is expertly produced and the mix blends the constituent parts to perfection. There are lots of reasons to like this record, but it just doesn't speak to me in the way "Splinter" did. 3.5/5

One record at a time: 303. Gary Numan - Splinter (Songs from a broken mind)

Back in August 2013 I wrote a rather dismissive post about the build up to the release of "Splinter" that can be summarised as: "It had better be as good as he says it is". 

Unfortunately, I don't seem to have followed this up with an apologetic post that said: "Yes it is as good as he says it is!". So I'm going to put that right today.

When it was released I bought this album on CD and I liked it so much I acquired the vinyl a few months later. I'm rather glad I did pick up this record as not only do I enjoy it, but it is now quite collectible and seems to sell for over £100.

The dark industrial sound of this record has been used by Numan since 1994 and he has always known how to write a tune - but there was some magic happening this time around. These songs touch on love, the fragility of relationships, inner doubt and ultimately, death. Whilst he does go on his usual "I don't believe in God" rants occasionally, Numan seems to be channelling something that is profound and affecting into many of these songs.

There isn't a bad track on here but "The Calling", "Love Hurt Bleed" and "I am Dust" stand out immediately as being superior. The raucous "Who are you" and the deeply personal "Lost" would definitely be on my "Best Of Gary Numan" mix-tape too. It's a testament to Gary's skills that songs like "My Last Day" can be a hard listen as they are so affecting. This is the first Numan album where I realised I was listening to what he was saying rather than simply hearing a song. This album feels personal, it feels deep, it feels like Numan. Welcome back Gary, we missed you. 5/5

One record at a time: 302. Gary Numan - Hybrid

With the release of "Sacrifice" in 1994, Gary Numan's music took on an aggressive and darker tone. The irony here is that the sound Numan adopted was originally pioneered by Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and other artists he had inspired himself. Essentially Numan began eating his own young. 

Whilst "Sacrifice" sold as poorly as his other efforts in the late eighties and early nineties, its favourable notices acted as a lightbulb moment for Numan and he never attempted to pander to the radio again. The days of ill advised Prince covers, endless saxophone solos and domineering female backing vocals were at an end.

By the time this remix album was released in 2002 to mark his 25th year in the business, Numan was beginning to realise that his work was revered by lots of contemporary artists and people like Andy Gray, Flood and Steve Orborne were keen to be involved in this project. The liner notes hint at Numan's surprise at his new found credibility when he says of the record, "I had no idea it would turn out to be this cool. Thanks everyone."

I bought a box set of this album that included two CDs and a DVD housed in a numbered sleeve soon after it was released. To be honest I have no idea why I bought this album as I hadn't moved beyond a "best of" compilation I had bought ten years previously at the time. But buy it I did, and when I heard "Crazier" I knew I was about to buy even more of Numan's back catalogue. This coloured vinyl version was a re-issue from 2020.

Thankfully most of the tracks on this album are "re-interpenetrations" of Numan's material and not simply dance remixes that bear no relationship to the source material. The various artists and producers involved include Flood, Andy Gray, Curve and Alan Moulder. Not all of the versions presented succeed, but tracks like Numan's own mix of "M.E." and Mark Gemini Thwaite's version of "This Wreckage" add a new perspective on the classic originals. A worthy purchase for those already familiar with the source material. 3/5

One record at a time: 301. Gary Numan - Machine + Soul

If insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, then Numan had clearly lost the plot by 1992. At this stage in his career Numan desperately needed to produce an album that would improve his finances and recapture some credibility (chiefly the former). This album failed on both counts as it simply continued to plough the same furrow Numan had been failing with since the mid eighties.

When this album does make tentative efforts to innovate or move things forward, Numan gets things spectacularly wrong. Exhibit A: the sleeve. Exhibit B: a toe curling cover of Prince's "U Got The Look".

There's a quote from Numan about this album on the internet that sums things up well, "I put out a really shit album in 1992 called Machine + Soul which I’ll regret for the rest of my life." 

On this record Numan and producer Kipper act like musical magpies stealing from the nest of Jam and Lewis and throwing in various ideas lifted from the chart hits they were trying to emulate. "I Wonder" features the ubiquitous funky drummer loop and then moves into a programmed pattern that reminds me of "Shout" by Tears for Fears. "Cry" resembles something Price would have left on the cutting room floor and "Poison" sounds like the bastard child of Cameo and Yello.

Having savaged the album I'll now begin to make a case that it is marginally better than its predecessor "Outland". Songs like "Generator" and the title track are pretty well produced and despite the dominance of electric guitar and backing vocals, they sound pretty good. The single "Emotion" was totally out of step with anything on the radio in 1992 but it isn't devoid of charm. So whilst this could never be regarded as a 'good' album, it isn't as awful as some (including the artist) might have you believe. 2/5

One record at a time: 300. Gary Numan - Outland

"Outland" was originally released in 1991 and finds Gary on his knees. The music on this record was supposedly influenced by the production style of Jam and Lewis but Numan's attempts to write songs in a complimentary R&B/funk style fall completely flat.

It's not that this record is badly made, but the sound of a round peg being hammered into a square hole for forty minutes is challenging to listen to.

"Soul Protection" is just pseudo-R&B garbage that sounds like a poor man's "Rhythm Nation 1814". Don't get me wrong, I like Janet Jackson, I just don't like listening to a bad impersonation of it.

Songs like "My World Storm", "Devotion" and "From Russia Infected" are just too derivative and have a sound that doesn't suit Numan's voice. Adding well-known samples from science fiction films like Blade Runner or The Terminator doesn't add value or make the songs sound atmospheric; it just screams of desperation.

If the previous album "Metal Rhythm" was all about the sound of the Ronald D-50, then "Outland" is built on the Korg M1. Songs like "Heart" are swathed in the preset combination patch "Beauty" and sounds like "Lore" and "Finger Snap" pop up quite frequently. In fact Numan continued to use the "Beauty" patch on quite a few albums until Ade Fenton came along and rightly stamped it out a few years later. I can't warm to this album and whilst there are cheesier albums in Numan's back catalogue, this is the one I enjoy the least. 1/5

One record at a time: 299. Gary Numan - Metal Rhythm

Having struggled for a few years on his own record label, Gary Numan decided to sign with Illegal Records in 1988 and released the album "Metal Rhythm". 

On this offering Gary seems to be creating a kind of pseudo-industrial-funk full of Roland D-50 presents and ideas stolen from Prince. The first three songs are pretty much indistinguishable from each other and whilst they feature prominent female backing vocals, they are thankfully devoid of saxophone. Another slight annoyance on this record is the constant use of the same drum sounds. I am fairly sure Numan used a Roland R-8 here and I feel like I can hear the FATS1 snare sound on every track.

Numan only seems to offer us something original on "Devious" and "Voix" in which he recounts some of his experiences with the opposite sex. The single "America" has some nice rhythmical elements, but the sound still harks back to the PPG Wave albums he made two years before. There are some clever stabs at radio friendly pop with "Respect" and "Young Heart" but the sound was already out of step with 1988's chart fodder like Yazz and the Plastic Population or S'Express, so it's no wonder this album only found an audience with his loyal fans. I'm tempted to give this album a low score but I am conscious I have to allow room to go a lot lower. 2/5

One record at a time: 298. Gary Numan - Strange Charm

It's a shame "Strange Charm" isn't more highly regarded as, not only is it the best offering from Numan's 'wilderness years', it is one of his best overall.

I first heard this album when I began exploring Numan's back catalogue following the release of "Splinter" in 2013. My original pressing (replete with 38 year old cellophane) was purchased from eBay in 2014 and sounds very good indeed. 

Whilst I hate to find fault before we have even listened to any of the music, I do have to mention the sleeve. The grainy photo on the front is cropped from the cover of the Sharpe & Numan single "New Thing From London Town" and just screams poverty. The sleeve really does the music an injustice and has always confused me. 

However, it is worth mentioning that this vinyl has far superior sound reproduction to either of the compact discs of this album I own. Both the original Numa and the later Eagle records CDs have very strange mastering that sees the volume move up and down during tracks but the vinyl sounds much better.

The first time I played this album I wasn't too impressed by the dreary monotony of "This Is Love" and the horrible mess that is "This Need" left me totally perplexed. However, after playing the album a few times I realised the first track "My Breathing" was actually a work of genius and that the riffs on songs like "The Sleeproom" or "Strange Charm" have a habit of worming their way into your head. I also like the Sharpe & Numan single "New Thing From London Town" which is presented with revised lyrics by Numan himself. I even began to appreciate the relentless repetition of "I Can't Stop " eventually. Definitely an underrated album. 4/5

One record at a time: 297. Gary Numan - The Fury

Nothing says "I've lost the plot" quite like the cover of this album. Yet who amongst us can say we have never made a mistake? Happily, evidence of my wardrobe disasters from 1985 are safely hidden in photo albums only my mother has access to. Unfortunately for Gary Numan, his poor choices are preserved for eternity on a sleeve that is totally inconsistent with the music contained on the album.

This album finds Numan on his uppers and full of...well...fury. Opening track "Call Out The Dogs" has Gary sneering at the new boys and wondering why DJs don't know who he is. Elsewhere songs like "Your Fascination" and "The Pleasure Skin" have some great ideas but they tend to be played out on the same recycled synth sounds. We continually hear samples from the film Blade Runner circling around as the grinding synths hammer out proto-industrial beats.

Unfortunately the overbearing female backing vocals and saxophone solos of old return on "The Disease" and the disastrous "I Still Remember". These tracks are a clear indication that Numan was still confused about what radio stations wanted. When you read either of his autobiographies it's amazing how fixated Numan was on securing radio play. Yet in seeking to appease the Gods at Radio 1 Numan lost the very sound that led to his success in the first place. And this is how you end up with an album full of industrial tinged electro pop fronted by a man in a red bow-tie. What a mess. 2/5

One record at a time: 296. Gary Numan - Berserker

After Numan left WEA/Beggars Banquet he decided to set up his own record label and subsequently released "Berserker" in 1984.

I bought a copy of the original pressing from eBay ten years ago and it is in great condition for a forty year old record (the sleeve isn't nearly as badly yellowed as the photo might imply). As an unexpected bonus, my copy turned out to be a misprint as the labels are completely blank.

Whilst this record sold poorly and signalled the start of a fallow commercial period for Numan, I think the music sounds better than anything on his previous three albums. Yes the prominent female backing vocals and terrible saxophone solos are still here, but they don't dominate in the way they did on albums such as "Warriors". The prominent sound this time around is the mighty PPG Wave System. 

In his autobiography Numan mentions sampling into the PPG so he must have been using a Waveterm A alongside a Wave 2.2. This system was expensive and notoriously unreliable but produced a unique timbre that can be heard throughout this record. You can immediately hear a churning bass and cold stabs from the PPG on opening track "Berserker" - sounds that will be recycled throughout the record.

Most of the best songs on this album are on the first side with "The Secret" and "My Dying Machine" being amongst my favourites. There's some great rhythm guitar on "This Is New Love" and "Pump It Up" is unintentionally hilarious - but actually quite good.

Yes the title and sleeve image are a bit naff, but I insist this is a good album. You might think everything sounds old fashioned today but when you consider this was released at the same time as the first album by Art of Noise, "Some Great Reward" by Depeche Mode and "Hysteria" by The Human League, it doesn't sound so out of place. This album deserved to do better. 3/5

One record at a time: 295. Gary Numan - Warriors

"Warriors" was released in 1983 and I own an original pressing along with a version from 2022 that is a particularly vivid shade of orange.

I find this period of Gary Numan's career quite interesting as it is well documented that Numan and co-producer Bill Nelson didn't exactly see eye to eye. In fact, the relationship was so bad that Nelson had his production credit removed and Numan remixed all of the tracks alone.

Ultimately this messy situation created a messy sounding record. You can hear there are kernels of good ideas in these songs but the execution is muddy and indistinct.

To my mind this is one of Numan's least electronic records. Whilst there is a good amount of synths and Linn drum machine, they are dominated by electric guitar, electric bass, viola and worst of all, an omnipresent saxophone. The amount of sax on these songs is truly ridiculous and this could almost be called "The Saxophone Album". Tracks like "The Iceman Comes", "The Tick Tock Man" and "I am Render" are reduced to extended sax solos with short passages of singing thrown in. I can tolerate the occasional 30 second burst of sax, but seemingly endless warbling drives me absolutely crazy.

It's a shame one instrument was allowed to eclipse everything else as there is some considerable merit in the electro-funk Numan and Nelson created. It would improve this album immeasurably if all of the saxophone were cut out and the b-side "Poetry and Power" was added. Unfortunately things remain set in aspic and the potential for these songs is lost. 2/5

One record at a time: 294. Gary Numan - I, Assassin

Unfortunately Gary Numan was always on the outside of the "Futurist" sound he had inadvertently ignited. By 1982 Numan found himself increasingly at odds with current trends and the likes of Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet had run off with his crown.

Having missed the mark with his previous album "Dance", Numan decided to throw funk sounds into the melting pot in an attempt to recapture some credibility and commercial success for the follow up "I, Assassin". You can predict the outcome.

As the hackneyed Linn LM-1 sounds introduce "White Boys and Heroes" you can't help but feel a certain sense of dread. There's a very distinct sonic palette employed on this record and it hasn't aged well. There are plenty of needless saxophone solos and the ARP Odyssey seems to have been wheeled out to provide a few nods back to a time when he was more successful. Pino Palladino's excellent fretless bass is almost as central as Numan's voice but it becomes a little too intrusive after a while.

Despite sounding a little old fashioned in execution, songs like "We Take Mystery To Bed" prove that  Numan could still write a tune and the funk of "Music For Chameleons" is better than almost everything on the previous album. 2/5

One record at a time: 293. Gary Numan - Dance

Gary Numan's first two solo albums achieved gold certification and reached number one in the charts. In contrast, his third effort sold so poorly that the record company were forced to use left over "Dance" picture labels on Numan's next album. 

This is a 2018 reissue is pressed on two purple vinyl discs and housed in a gatefold sleeve; it is a collector's dream. And yet, six years after it was released, this edition is still available for purchase at the amazing price of £21. It seems there has never really been a demand for this album.

So what's wrong here? Well, firstly the title is a complete paradox: there's simply nothing on this record to make anyone want to dance. The rhythms here aren't the robotic funk of old and now seem to take an angular approach that make them difficult to navigate. A strange facet of this album is its near constant use of programmed Roland CR-78 rhythms with live drumming dubbed over the top. Unfortunately the drummers are never quite in time and the effect is intensely annoying to me. Numan really should have just let the machines do it.

To my ears this album sounds more like an artistic statement than a pop record and the involvement of esteemed collaborators Roger Taylor and Mick Karn suggest a level of self indulgence that erodes the quality of the material. The sound of the album seemed to leave casual listeners behind and this remains one of Numan's most dispensable.

There are some reasonably good tracks on here with the single "She's Got Claws" being the standout. This version of the album features largely the same content as the original but substitutes "Moral" for a new Extended Version and adds some b-sides, along with the title track that was culled from the original track listing. Also included is the Paul Gardiner single "Stormtrooper in Drag" which featured Numan as co-composer, producer, musician and vocalist. Fittingly the Paul Gardiner single is one of the best things on this otherwise lacklustre affair. 1/5

One record at a time: 292. Gary Numan - Living Ornaments '79 and '80

"Living Ornaments" '79 and '80 were two live albums released by Gary Numan in 1980. Whilst both records could be bought individually, they were also released in a 'limited edition' box set that collected both discs together. As you can see I own the box set and an individual copy of  the '79 album. I think this is because I initially assumed the box set would be hard to find and decided to collect the albums singularly. However, I soon stumbled across a good condition box set at a reasonable price and the single '79 record I had purchased became redundant. 

The '79 disc kicks off with the impressive instrumental "Airlane" before Numan takes the stage for a rather brisk version of the monster single "Cars". Numan dismissively introduces "We Are So Fragile" as "an old b-side" before the band once again light the blue touch paper and go off like a rocket. These recording were made in the days before click tracks and the band must have relied solely on the rhythm section to dictate the speed of the performance. Drummer Ced Sharpley somehow manages to faithfully recreate the distinctive beat of "Films" and the band follow his lead with a faultless performance. There's an older Tubeway Army song "Something's In The House" which reminds us that Numan had already released three albums by the time he embarked on his sell out tour of the nation.

The slightly ponderous "This Wreckage" opens the second disc but it receives a rapturous reception from the crowd. We rattle through a slew of solo and Tubeway Army material before we reach the fantastic "Remind Me To Smile" which sounds really good once it gets going. The '80 disc fills in the holes by including "Are Friends Electric?" and other high profile material that was omitted from the first album. Whilst the prospect of sitting and listening to both albums back to back feels a little like overkill, they feature some good performances that are easily digestible when consumed singularly. 3/5

One record at a time: 291. Gary Numan - Telekon

I bought this 2011 repressing of "Telekon" from Sister Ray records in London not long after it was released. You would be forgiven for thinking that there are more than enough copies of old Gary Numan albums knocking around, but this new version has the advantage of being spread across two discs and includes two tracks not featured on the 1980 release.

After the runaway success of "The Pleasure Principle" Gary went away, bought some shiny new polysynths (Prophet 5 and Jupiter 4) and set about recording his third "machine music" album. The first track "This Wreckage" is a petty dark piece with lyrics that hint at Numan's discomfort with his new found fame. Despite it's seemingly bleak tone there is a great hook running through this song as it stutters along in an angular, but strangely pleasing way. 

"The Aircrash Bureau" features Paul Gardiner's multitracked bass alongside some Roland CR-78 percussion and piano flourishes courtesy of Denis Haines. There's definitely a broader sonic palette here when compared to the previous album, but it isn't always to my taste. The song "Telekeon" is a case in point where the arrangement just doesn't work and the vocals are really quite irritating. 

One of the best songs on here is the brilliant "Remind Me To Smile" which has a catchy handclap motif and some funky rhythm guitar work. "Sleep by Windows" sounds more like something we would have heard on "Replicas" and feels like a step backwards. The first disc finishes with the rapid fire "We Are Glass" which was a single in 1980 but was not featured on the original version of the album.

"I'm an agent" is a pretty good song but I really don't like Numan's snarling vocal delivery. There's a bit more vivacity on "I Dream of Wires" which was even good enough for Robert Palmer to record a cover version. "Remember I was vapour" is another example of the surly vocal delivery Numan seemed to adopt in 1980 and it's not becoming.

The lament of "Please Push No More" is based on a good idea but it becomes boring and repetitive after five and a half minutes. The "Joy Circuit" proves that no matter how many times you overdub a single violin it will always sound like a terrible scratchy mess. We finish with another single omitted from the original pressing, "I Die: You Die". This song was a swipe at an increasingly hostile music press who seemed to have forgotten that their relationship with artists was one of codependence. In 2024 it's easy to see who had the last laugh when you look for a review of Numan's latest album in Melody Maker, Smash Hits or Sounds. 3/5

One record at a time: 290. Gary Numan - The Pleasure Principle

Sometimes, it's only when I come to write this blog that I realise there are some gaps in my collection. As I pulled the first Gary Numan LP from my shelf I couldn't help but wonder why Tubeway Army's first two albums weren't there. At first I wasn't sure if I had filed them under "T", but I soon realised that I don't actually own them on vinyl. So, for this entry, we will have to look at the first LP released under Gary's own name, "The Pleasure Principle". My copy is an original from 1979 that is in very good condition to say it is over forty years old.

Proceedings open with the instrumental "Airlane" which has a great melody and some breathless drumming from Ced Sharpley. It's no secret that this album features an enormous amount of the Polymoog keyboard (as distinct from the synthesizer model) preset Vox Humana and the sound is thrown straight at us here. Up next is the classic track "Metal" which has quite polished production to say it was recorded in 1979 by a man who was only 21.

This may be something of an anathema, but I am forced to admit that I'm not much of a fan of "Complex". For me this song is just too ponderous and the scratchy violin really annoys me. "Films" has a killer beat but there is more to enjoy here than just the drumming. Equally "M.E." is more than a just a repurposed sample - it's actually a really good song. 

On the flip side, "Tracks" is reminiscent of "We Are So Fragile" from the previous album and sounds a little bit too derivative for me. Similarly "Observer" is almost a rehash of the monster single "Cars" which is also included here and is rightly revered as groundbreaking synth-pop. I have always found the melody and main riff from "Conversation" strangely intriguing and consider the song to be underappreciated. Things round out with "Engineers" which doesn't break from the well worn sonic palette employed by the rest of the disc. This album broke new ground when it was released and it still continues to fascinate today. 4/5

The 'live' minefield of Gary Numan

Along with my New Year's resolution to not buy any new music by Bjork, I have vowed to fill in some of the holes in my Gary Numan collection (and there are very many).

As a relative newcomer to the music of Gary Numan, the main thing that strikes me is the mind boggling number of releases. There are 20 studio albums, of which 5 have been released in two versions (extended and regular editions), the majority of his output from the Numa label has been released in a remastered/expanded form, there are untold number of compilations (especially licensed budget ones), lots of fan club CDs and bootlegs of every variety.

2004 and the new 2014 "Redux" edition of  'Electronic Pioneer'

The only thing that helps me keep track of what I own and what I am chasing is the Discogs website and my Numan bible: "Electronic Pioneer: An Armchair Guide to Gary Nuaman" by Paul Goodwin. This book is a good source of information and has helped me prioritise what I should buy. If you are drawn towards Gary's back catalogue, I'd recommend you track down a copy (it's screaming out for an index and colour images however).

But despite this book and all of the online discographies, the one area of Gary's back catalogue that mystifies and appals me in equal measure are his live recordings. Every studio album (and some compilation albums) seem to have resulted in a tour and an associated live recording being released. It is unclear if these live albums are released to recoup financial losses incurred on the tour (such with Jean-Michel Jarre's "The Concerts in China" or Mike Oldfield's "Exposed") or if Numan sees genuine value in releasing them. Personally, I can see little merit in some of these albums. The vocals on "White Noise" are indistinct and muddy. Paul Goodwin describes the version of "This Is New Love" included on this album as 'truly dire' - and he's being kind.

The number of Numan live albums is staggering

"The Skin Mechanic" is a clumsy, soulless journey through Roland D-50 presents (just like a few Numan studio albums). "Dream Corrosion" finds Numan at rock bottom with poor material and audio that doesn't even sound live. It's almost as if he sampled some crowd noises, rigged up his D50 (again) and sang his way though his back catalogue. "Dark Light" is a fine sounding album that is just let down by terrible artwork.

"Scarred" features more prominent guitar work but remains smeared with "Digital Native Dance" and other D-50 presets that had been out of fashion for 15 years by the time the record was released. "Engineers" was dragged out of the vaults by Beggars Banquet, dusted down and released almost 30 years after it was recorded. And as good as it sounds, I can't understand what it adds to the roughly contemporaneous Living Ornaments '79, '80 or '81. More recent offerings such as "Hope Bleeds" and "Replicas Live" are quite good individually but when considered in the context of Numan's back catalogue they just feel like overkill. Other recent releases such as "Jagged Live" seem to generate some debate as to whether it is was "live" at all.

"Ghost" is one album I am yet to track down (strangely from a tour held to promote a compilation album) along with "Telekon Live" and "The Pleasure Principle Live". I even want to acquire CDs that don't even appeal to me such as the "Fragment" albums or the recent "Big Noise Transmission". Why do I have this compulsion to own this stuff? What power does Numan posses? I must say I have noticed that his fans seem to be the most loyal, vociferous and devoted I have ever come across. Maybe, just maybe, he's beginning to exert this power over me.

Emo heaven is on the way

So, with releases by both Nine Inch Nails and Gary Numan to look forward to this autumn, the Emo and industrial-loving side of me has much to look forward to.

Reznor's free mp3 "Copy of A" sounds fresh and really rather excellent (especially as it's free). The single "Came back haunted" is also a brilliant teaser that leaves me optimistic that "Hesitation Marks" will be a great album. The "How to Destroy Angels" project left me a little underwhelmed, so I'm looking forward to the resurrection of the NIN moniker.

Numan has so far given nothing away regarding his latest effort but, unfortunately, the press release for "Splinter (Songs from a broken mind)" sounds nothing short of desperate.  

 
"Sounding both cutting-edge and classic Numan, it marks his best work since the late 70s, early 80s heyday"

Surely there is nothing worse than stating a well established artist's new work is both cutting edge and classic? Similarly the suggestion that this new album is Numan's "best work" since his chart heyday is dismissive of a large body of his work and frankly sounds, well......desperate.

Numan's last album "Dead Rising Son" only had about three plays in this house. It sounded like a set of left over demo recordings and unfinished songs. Wait.......ohhhh....it was you say? Yes, it sounded like it. "Splinter" simply has to be better.

However, both albums have one thing in common: brilliant artwork Lets hope the music lives up to the visuals.

In time?

Until recently I always thought it was pretty easy to play in time with a sequencer. Since acquiring an electric guitar I have realised it is in fact, not that easy. Yet syncopation or just plain ‘playing out of time’ drives me mad.

Nowhere is the difficult nature of playing in time with a sequencer more painfully illustrated than on records made in the late 70’s. Take ‘Beat the clock’ by Sparks – you an almost hear the drummer cursing the producer (the inimitable Giorgio Moroder) as he frantically tries to keep up with the pulsating bass sequence. I always cringe at the timing on Gary Numan / Tubeway Army records such as “Me! I disconnect from you” and especially “We are so fragile” where the poor drummer stands no change until the guitar comes in to cover the millisecond variations in timing which sound so wrong.

 

Of course Mike Oldfield couldn’t stand things being out of time either and even went as far as re-recording “Tubular Bells” so that it was quantized. But would “Replicas” sound as good if it were re-recorded? Well “Tubular Bells 2003” would suggest some bits would sound better and others not.

Personally I would love it if the multi track was stuck in pro-tools and quantized. I can hear some people saying “Oh noooooooo, that’s takes away from its charm and naivety” or “It’s the only human element in an electronic recording and adds something”. Well no, sorry, it just spoils it. And whilst yes, I now appreciate that it’s hard to play along to a click track or sequencer, it doesn’t mean I want to listen to it.

Sell me it again Sam

Having recently purchased the ‘remastered’ versions of Blancmange’s three albums and with New Order’s ‘collectors’ editions in the post, I have begun to consider why I’m buying music I already own. 

In recent years, I have purchased numerous ‘remastered’ CD’s including the entire back catalogue of Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, Pet Shop Boys and Yello, along with various reissued versions of albums by Front 242, Level 42, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Gary Numan. These are the CD’s that immediately come to mind, I am sure if I thought further there would be many more. The amount of money I have spent is quite staggering and yet I already own much of the music I am buying; I am being sold the same thing twice. So why am I a sucker for reissued albums and singles? 

Well firstly, there is the lure of previously unreleased material or remixes that are otherwise difficult to acquire. Secondly, these CD’s boast that they offer considerably enhanced audio quality. We are also enticed by new or improved artwork, which provides a feeling of luxury or elitism. 

Yet the reality is not always the experience we are promised. On purchasing a new ‘remastered’ CD, I often find myself immediately jumping to the bonus tracks. Often it becomes apparent why this ‘unreleased’ material was not made available originally: its crap. I have even come across CD’s where the master tape is obviously missing and thus a recording has been made from a vinyl source. Hardly the high fidelity experience you are enticed with. 

Similarly, 99% of reissued CD’s seem to have been created by people unfamiliar with the artists work or just plain incompetent. Often you will find that tracks have substituted for their ‘single mix’ or an uncredited alternate version with absolutely no explanation. Remixes are often labelled incorrectly, glaring omissions are made or the running order has been altered. Not one of the reissued CD’s I have purchased have been immune from one, or more of these mistakes. So record companies take note: if you want people to buy even more of the music they already own, get someone competent to compile it.