Gary Numan

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Cdrodkey · #1 Post by **Cdrodkey** » Wed 07 Jun 2006, 9:55 pm

I'm new to the forum.

To pick up a side comment from the "Buggles" discussion, any Numan fans out there? I have often dreamt/wondered what a PSB/Numan collaboration or cover would look or sound like. I have heard Numan say in interviews that he's not interested in pop music, often naming the Pets or Erasure as examples, and his direction lately has been to more "Nu-metal" or for the NIN demographic.

This might have just been rumor, but I remember years ago that PSBs were announced by someone, perhaps Beggars Banquet, to be included on a Numan tribute album called "Random" which actually made some impact and notice in the US (don't know about the UK). It had some names on it, most notably Saint Etienne, who did a fantastic cover of "Stormtrooper in Drag," which has later added onto one of their CD collections. PSB ended up not being on the 2 disc set.

As I think about it, Numan's music is often very, very simple and his lyrics are either unintelligible or off-the-wall, say, nonsense? I can't imagine Neil singing some of his songs--I had Numan's Exile on in my car today and I just can't hear Neil singing "pray to me, I'm the black messiah" or some such nonsense.

Anyone else?

the last call · #2 Post by **the last call** » Wed 07 Jun 2006, 10:00 pm

Gary Numan's latest album is just awful.

Jareth · #3 Post by **Jareth** » Wed 07 Jun 2006, 10:02 pm

I like his album Pure.

Cdrodkey · #4 Post by **Cdrodkey** » Thu 08 Jun 2006, 3:38 am

I very much liked the last string of records: Sacrifice (though the recording quality is awful), Exile, and Pure--I can't decide what I think of the new one, Jagged. It's as pretentious and self-indulgent as his worst work, but I have to respect the risk. Or maybe it isn't a risk, but giving what he thinks his audience wants. This I can't decide.

Nonetheless I like some of Numan's more obscure stuff--the Dance album, Warriors, even Berserker. If you know what I'm talking about, I read somewhere that he is/was going to be doing an anniversary concert of doing Telekon in its original style with his current band, which would be interesting...

No Muscle Mary · #5 Post by **No Muscle Mary** » Thu 08 Jun 2006, 8:40 am

I like Exile, Pure, Sacrifice too. I've only listened to his new one once or twice because I wasn't too impressed. Maybe I'm just too happy these days to be listening to such gloom, I'll give it another spin in winter.

Looking forward to seeing him at the Electric Picnic tho.

Someone asked Neil if he was a fan recently. He said something like 'I like Cars' but he wasn't familiar with his later work, which says enough really. Clearly not a fan.

Boy Strange · #6 Post by **Boy Strange** » Thu 08 Jun 2006, 9:59 am

The Hybrid album was really good. Probably thanks to the people who worked on it, tho - Andy Gray, Sulphur, Flood etc. A Numan/PSB collaboration would be awful!

Your Funny Uncle · Thu 08 Jun 2006, 10:14 am

If PSB can work with Rammstein, they can work with Numan...

West 4th · #8 Post by **West 4th** » Fri 09 Jun 2006, 3:26 am

I just tooled around on the iTunes store and his stuff does sound darker but it's pretty good.

Eldritch · #9 Post by **Eldritch** » Fri 09 Jun 2006, 6:55 am

I got a collection of his early singles, which is excellent, so after that I have bought some of his albums, but only to find out that Numan is definitely not an album artist. I think his problem is that his albums are usually very uniform – all the tracks sound always almost exactly the same. Which doesn't mean that the albums sound the same, not at all, it's just that there's no diversity within the albums at all. Except of course Replicas, but that was Numan still finding his feet. Are "Friends" Electric, Cars, We Are Glass, We Take Mystery and so on are all pretty excellent though.

Of his latest albums I have Exile and Pure, which are alright in their synth/gloom/rock monolithicness, but still no great shakes in the song department, and the constant bashing of religion gets on my nerves (no, I'm not religious, I just find it a bit boring subject to write whole albums about). I'm in no great rush to buy the new one, although I'm not ruling it out.

Synature · #10 Post by **Synature** » Fri 09 Jun 2006, 8:18 am

Numan was one of my all-time favorites for many years. It's funny to see that people in this community have the same complaints that I did. Bad recording quality on a couple of albums (not to mention crap sound during a concert I attended). A whole album going on about God would have been OK but he did at least three religion themed albums in a row. That was a turn off for me, not due to religion but I find it odd that whole albums are devoted to something he doesn't believe in. Truly great Numan is found in the early years, Tubeway Army - Berserker. Nothing since has even compared though I do think he's on a better track now then he was in the 90's. I agree with Boy Strange, "Hybrid" is really good. As well, "Random" has quite a few noteworthy performers and is probably the most quality tribute album I've ever heard. I could imagine PSB doing a Numan cover using his lyrics but creating their own music for it. Marilyn Manson worked the hell out of "Down In The Park" so anything is possible. Then again, I also liked the idea of PSB with Pete Burns until I heard the nightmare offspring they created.

Cdrodkey · #11 Post by **Cdrodkey** » Fri 09 Jun 2006, 10:38 pm

I saw Numan twice and he was great both times--in Pittsburgh and in Chicago, two very different crowds, after Exile came out and then after Pure.

I am actually very religious, and I don't find his (anti) religious music offensive--sometimes it's really good or even intelligent or honest: Prayer for the Unborn, Dominion Day, Exile (the song), The seed of a lie, Little InVitro, etc. In fact, I heard he broke down after singing Little InVitro the only time he ever did it live--not sure if that's true.

Didn't Neil write a review of Depeche Mode's Blasphemous Rumors that made fun of the song because it was kind of dishonestly anti-religious? Am I imagining this? This would have been from the journalism days.

But it is getting old and pretentious.

Hybrid is good. The Andy Gray mix of Prayer for the Unborn is incredible.

I could hear PSB doing something like Love Needs No Disguise or Remind me to Smile--imagine the latter as a butched out anthem...?

Danimal · #12 Post by **Danimal** » Sat 10 Jun 2006, 12:01 am

I got into Numan back in 1997. There wasn't a lot of new groups that I liked back then, so I went through a phase going through old records looking for artists I had missed the first time around and discovered Numan. I originally bought the Beggars 2 CD reissues, which I liked alot, but the later single disc remasters of his seventies/early 80s stuff was a revelation! Replicas, The Pleasure Principle, and particulary Telekon sound amazing, even today. A really big surprise for me was what a strong (but relatively unknown album) Warriors is. Something of a departure from the rest of his output, very laid-back and Bowie-esque--an excellent one to listen to late at night. I'm also a big fan of Exile and Pure, but I'm having a hard time getting into the new one. The songs really seem to be missing from this one or maybe he's even taken his new sound too far???
Anyone who hasn't seen him live I definitely recommeded checking out one of his shows, even if you don't like him. His live shows are very strong and his ticket prices are usually criminally inexpensive so it's a quite cheap night out. Give him a try, he might change your mind.
As for the PSB covering him, Every Day I Die or Complex would suit their style quite well.

Eldritch · #13 Post by **Eldritch** » Sat 10 Jun 2006, 6:45 am

Cdrodkey wrote: Didn't Neil write a review of Depeche Mode's Blasphemous Rumors that made fun of the song because it was kind of dishonestly anti-religious? Am I imagining this? This would have been from the journalism days.

A snippet of the review is actually printed in the booklet of Depeche Mode's Singles 81-85 (there is a positive and a negative review of every song, a rather funny idea):

"Blasphemous Rumours on the other hand is a routine slab of gloom in which God is given a severe ticking off"
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