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Gary Numan

First three: Tubeway Army, Replicas and The Pleasure Principle are all well worth having IMHO. I bought Replicas when it first came out and was knocked out by how new and different it sounded to my then glam/prog ears. Must dig it out for a spin at some point. I'm pretty sure he did an album later on with Mick Karn from Japan, if so I must get to hear it at some point.

I was just discussing this at work yesterday whilst listening to Music for Chameleons. We were convinced it was Mick Karn on bass, as the whole track sounds more like Numan guesting on a Japan song. Wiki reckons it was someone called Pino Palladino, who is Welsh apparently!

Then I learnt he worked on an album called Dance and said about working with Numan:

"...things turned sour when the album was released, or rather, the single, with a B-side I hadn't been told about or paid for."
 
I had the "Living Ornaments" set on Vinyl and still do in storage. If memory serves was a some really good live stuff.
 
I watched a documentary on iPlayer last night mainly about the recording of Splinter but a bit of career retrospective too. More of a fly on the wall format, with some great insight into his troubled mind, well worth the watch, although it's called Android in La La Land, it actually humanises him a lot, but not in a glamorous way at all.

Criminally under-rated in reality. Down in the park, what a song.


SJB.
 
I watched that a few weeks ago when first broadcast. An interesting documentary about an interesting bloke. He needs to show his Minimoog more respect though.
 
I watched that a few weeks ago when first broadcast. An interesting documentary about an interesting bloke. He needs to show his Minimoog more respect though.

Yeah I thought the same about the synth....Just a 'tool' as he explained unlike his original guitar which he treasured.
 
Watched it earlier today. Interesting chap. Some of those synths were a bit dusty !
I liked some of the instrumentation on the new stuff but I've never really liked his vocals.
Always remember him mostly though for when he was first on TOTP in summer 1979, he was something quite different then.
 
My sister was very into Numan in the 1980s and early 90s. I've just raided her record collection which is in storage in my spare room and am playing Replicas as I type. For someone who was naturally against him on principle because a sibling was a fan, all I can say that it isn't as bad as I remember. This may have more to do with it being played at comfortable listening volume on a good system rather than maximum volume on a cheap 1980s music centre. Ah, memories!
 
I dismissed Numan back in the day (although he was always a kind of a guilty pleasure). Remember seeing Steve Morris of Joy Division and Tony Wilson interviewed on Telly and were asked about Numan. Steve Morris sounds like he couldn't stand him ("With all due respect to Mr Numan...") !

Suspect a lot of bands who thought they were paying their dues were cheesed off by this Johnny come lately. Since watching the recent showing of the Numan doc on BBC4 - I have a bit more respect for Gary (he should ditch the syrup though and go for the Brian Eno look).

In the last few weeks I have acquired the late 90s Beggars reissue CDs of Replicas, Pleasure Principle and Telekon. Good Sleeve notes too - amused by the anecdote that the light saber weapon he is swinging on the Telekon sleeve is an old tube from his ma's hoover! (I like the fact that he doesn't take himself too seriously).
 
Always a big fan of Numan myself, I was there at the start of his fame & was lucky/unlucky enough that many said I was his double & can remember being quite literally mobbed whenever I went to his gigs! I remember being at a Devo concert in Sheffield & it seemed the whole of the balcony suddenly started chanting "Numannn, Numannn", & when I turned to look they were all pointing at me!

Replicas to Telekon was the best electronic music I had ever heard & still holds up well, & although subsequent efforts were a bit hit & miss I got into him again from the Pure album, & Jagged & Splinter are really good too. I have seen him countless times over the years, & met him at after show parties a couple of times, Shepherds Bush being a particular favourite. A great live act still.
 
I'm loving that anecdote Mr Chaser! Photographic evidence would be an amusing diversion to the festivities...
 
Cars in the charts in 1979 which marked my attendance at "the big school" for the first time. Aged 11. To me it means my eyes opening to the sophistication of the electronic age, coming soon after Buggles' classic Video killed the radio star.

In some ways this stuff is now as dated as Commander Straker's 1980s cars (as seen in the 1960s) or the 1930s vision of modern futuristic giant flying wings or Airstream chic. How we saw the current present, or the future, in the past. Compare the bridge of Archer's Enterprise with that of Kirk's.

I also remember some kind of Gary Numan themed electronic art exhibit at Ferens Gallery in Hull at the same time as Cars.
 
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A missed opportunity for a comeback tour.

Joe
 
Mr Webb, all hail Mr Webb. First four albums are superb, Telekon is the best of the bunch for me.

I have a set of coloured vinyl, (clear red, blue and yellow), 12", 45rpm EPs. I must have bought them 30 years ago (!!) and have never played them.
 
Seen him a few times in concert. He comes across as very natural during breaks in performances and seems to generate a really good rapport with the crowd. I really like the newer Savage (Songs from a broken world) album as well as the excellent albums mentioned above.
 


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