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

Pet Shop Brilliance

This week marks the release of "Nonetheless", the 15th studio album by Pet Shop Boys. I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about this record as some of Neil and Chris's more recent albums haven't been good. I find "Hotspot" really quite grating and "Super" sounded like it was thrown together with little care or attention. The last album I really enjoyed was probably "Electric" but this didn't seem to stop me pre-ordering "Nonetheless" in about seven different formats (not all of them have arrived yet)

We have already heard the singles "Loneliness" and "Dancing Star" and I would rate them as middling (I found "Loneliness" particularly disappointing). However, the other tracks on this record are so good it almost makes me think the boys chose the worst songs to be singles in some perverse act of sabotage.  

Songs that had the potential to sound cheesy ("The Secret of Happiness") sound amazing in the hands of James Ford. The first time I heard "Feel" and "Bullet for Narcissus" I was delighted as there are some great melodies woven around traditional octave basslines and Kraftwerk inspired beats. If you don't understand the genre you might miss the point of "The Schlager hit parade" and some might find elements of "Why am I dancing?" a little repetitive, but there are no horrors on the scale of "Wedding In Berlin" or "Hold On" here.

Make no mistake this is a great album and I consider it their best effort since "Yes" in 2009. In fact I'll go one step further and say I haven't enjoyed a PSB album as thoroughly since "Very". Personally I am delighted they have moved away from Stuart Price and enrolled the brilliant James Ford to produce - everything sounds fresh yet familiar and the production compliments the compositions perfectly.

Predictably the least likely single on the album, "A New Bohemia" is slated to be released next - but it does have one of my favourite lyrics, "My life is a mess, like an unmade bed".

1. Loneliness 3/10                        6. A new Bohemia 7/10

2. Feel 8/10                                   7. The Schalger hit parade 7/10

3. What am I dancing? 7/10          8. The Secret of happiness 6/10  

4. New London boy 7/10               9. Bullet for narcissus 7/10

5. Dancing Star 5/10                      10. Love is the law 6/10

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