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
