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

One record at a time: 289. No-Man - Love You To Bits

By the time 2019 rolled around I'd rather given up on No-Man. It had been eleven years since their last album and both Tim and Steven seemed to be happy pursuing solo projects. 

To be honest I didn't really lament the lack of output from the band as their last efforts had left me feeling a little bored. Whilst the art-rock of "Schoolyard Ghosts" and the ambience of "Together We Are Stranger" might have their place, I longed for something with a pulse. I had no idea what to expect from this new album, but the sound that greeted my ears as I dropped the needle on this blue vinyl for the first time took my breath away.

Not only was there immediately the sound of a pounding bass drum, but it was augmented with analogue percussion that sounded just like "Ice Machine" by Depeche Mode. A driving synth bass rumbles under Tim's distinctive vocals as he sings of loving someone, "like I don't love you at all". "Love Me To Bits (Bit 1)" and its coda "Bit 2" left me dumbfounded and just a little bit emotional at how totally triumphant this record sounded. 

"Bit 3" kicks into life with some excellent drumming and Steven's precise guitar work before "Bit 4" heralds the return of the synths and a new leitmotif. Side one finishes with a reprise of the rumbling Moroder-esque synth bass from "Bit 1" but with a sprinkling of new lyrics.

The flip side opens with the subdued introduction of "Love You To Pieces (Piece 1)" in which Tim sings of a sticky love that left him weak. As the TR-808 style hit hats kick in, I can't help but anticipate the electronic tricks that Steven Wilson is about to pull out of the bag. Yes, we are hearing the same melody that was used on the first side, but the clever arrangement and Tim's constant development of the lyrics mean things never become boring.

"Piece 2" opens with an aggressive bassline and delivers one of the most amazing electric piano solos you'll ever hear. "Piece 3" continues to develop the relentless groove until things disintegrate into the welcome ambience of "Part 4" and "Part 5". For me this return to a more melodic and synth driven sound is manna from heaven. Also not to be missed is the magical "Love You To Shreds 1-3" on the single of "Bit 1". Amazing. I want more. 5/5

A forgotten gem

Five years ago I wrote a post about the remix 12" of "Inside Out" by Electribe 101. In my missive I complained this record seemed to have been miss-pressed as it had glitches, pops and all manner of background noise that ruined one of the best records the band released.

So imagine my excitement when lead singer Billie Ray-Martin announced the release of a four CD box set of parent album "Electribal Memories" that included the "MCM Mix" of Inside Out - my prayers had finally been answered. 

I did actually succeed in creating my own recording of the track with all of the artefacts edited out, but it took many weeks and I was never one hundred percent happy with it - but in the absence of the mix ever being released digitally, it was the best I was going to get.

So now I own a pristine digital recording of the mix and I only had to wait thirty four years. Patience is a virtue.