I found Gary Numan!

[Steamer]

I'm in my 30's but only just really discovered what a musical talent this man is! Other than 'Cars' which I'm sure most people know I'd not heard much else by Numan.

It was actually watching The Mighty Boosh that triggered me to go in search of more Numan music and I'm stunned - Our Friends Electric and Metal are awesome tracks.

Anyone else care to share a view on Numan or suggest some other tracks of his that are worth finding?

I hear he is a bit of a PistonHead himself, as well as a Propeller Head

[lazyitus]

He used to have a TVR. (May still have one?)

He married one of his stalkers. That's right. A legit stalker.

He has a pilots licence.

He once crashed a plane.

I haven't listened to his work for a long while. May have a listen later.

[Steamer]

I remember seeing him on some motoring program a while back and he also had a Mitisubishi L200 Warrior...

...it was actually that review that put me off L200's and I bought a Navara instead - so thanks Gary, I you one for that too!!

[funk odyssey]

he stills plays live quite a lot but don't go if you like how the hits sound on record....

after being out of music for years he made a live comeback when bands like Nine Inch Nails etc started talking about him.

He now plays all his stuff in a much more heavy industrial style - sounds good too!

[Ferg]

He flies his Yak out of Earls Colne, watched him many times.

[pedant]Are Friends Electric?[/pedant]

[arebrec]

lazyitus said:

He used to have a TVR. (May still have one?)

he had a black TVR Cerbera, now owned by a fellow p'her, he was interviewed once saying how he enjoyed getting up early and taking it for a blast through the heathrow tunnels

[chevy-stu]

arebrec said:

lazyitus said:

He used to have a TVR. (May still have one?)

he had a black TVR Cerbera, now owned by a fellow p'her, he was interviewed once saying how he enjoyed getting up early and taking it for a blast through the heathrow tunnels

It was also going wrong with electrical problems all the time.. His old guitarist now works with me and told me of the times he had trouble.. Nice bloke though apparently...

[catso]

I always thought his music and look were absolute cack but sometime time ago I watched a recent interview with him and he said that he always thought he looked cool but now, looking back he could see that he really looked like a wänker - which sort of redeemed him slightly.

[smiller]

I suppose, in the early 80's, he was "of his time" and I must admit - when I was 11 - I loved the music.

I still like "Are Friends Electric", and these lesser known ones:-

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=WnvOGO387ag

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=cksIn_mK0Co

[Yugguy]

Try his later stuff, Rip, for instance, dark industrial metal.

[Ozone]

Steamer said:

It was actually watching The Mighty Boosh that triggered me to go in search of more Numan music and I'm stunned - Our Friends Electric and Metal are awesome tracks.

Anyone else care to share a view on Numan or suggest some other tracks of his that are worth finding?

:

Airlane is good, also When Machines Rock, Down in the Park is a classic, if you like a bit more punky, Bombers and You are in my Vision.

If you want it abit more out there search for 'On Broadway' the live version, solo by Billy Currie of Ultravox, spine-tingling.

HTH

[minimoog]

Steamer said:

Anyone else care to share a view on Numan or suggest some other tracks of his that are worth finding?

Punky guitar-driven New Wave with a very dark Philip K Dick sensibility running through: Tubeway Army (1978)

More sci-fi themes but with plenty of synths: Replicas (1979)

Ditch the guitars and go 100% synth. For many - me included - the signature Numan sound: The Pleasure Principle (1979)

More sophisticated synthscapes and many people's fave Numan album: Telekon (1980)

Sci-fi stuff left well behind now and into personal introspection. Fortuntely still dripping with Polymoogs, Odysseys, and Prophets: Dance (1981)

Firmly into risible image territory (some kind of gay Al Capone here) and getting a bit boppy and commercial. Hasn't forsaken the synths though and quite a few good tunes still present: I Assassin (1982)

Another dodgy image (some kind of gay Rob Halford this time. Er, I mean just Rob Halford ). Just about hanging in there with the tunes but getting very patchy now: Warriors (1983)

Into overdrive with the laughable image (blue hair and lips anyone?) and the songwriting is tailing right off now: Berserker (1984)

I'm Brian Ferry with a PPG Wave. This killed it for me although going back to it 20 years later there are a couple of decent tracks: The Fury (1985)

1986 - 2000: the wilderness years, for me anyway. Put my Numan LPs away and forgot about them/him.

I'd like to be Trent Reznor please: Pure (2000)

I'd still like to be Trent Reznor please: Pure 2 er I mean Jagged (2007)

The above two are alright if you like grungey metal. Haunted for instance is a bit of a tune. There are some other releases worth checking out during this time - have a look at Wikipedia for info.

Personally I think the first 5 albums are absolutely bloody brilliant and each one is very different. Properly innovative and unique in songwriting and sound. After that it gradually descends into farce until the renaissance with Pure and some kind of critical rehabilitation on the back of his acknowledged influence on some big names.

Go buy the early stuff

[Adam B]

Down in the park is a gem (way better than the the well-known cars and are friends electric), and he was very influential despite having limited popularity

used to love his stuff, now inspired to buy a best of off amazon - got to find the old one I had on cassette (white cover with red writing from memory)

ta!

Edited by Adam B on Thursday 23 October 23:22

[Adam B]

found it - "Exhibition"

can any afficionado recommend the best (recorded not live) "best of"? He is one of those artists who has more best of albums than standard albums

Edited by Adam B on Thursday 23 October 23:27

[minimoog]

Well if you want Route 1 to the early stuff then I suppose it has to be

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Premier-Hits-Best-Gary-Num...

[Ozone]

minimoog said:

Personally I think the first 5 albums are absolutely bloody brilliant and each one is very different. Properly innovative and unique in songwriting and sound. After that it gradually descends into farce

Go buy the early stuff

BloodyHell, i couldn't agree more !!!

I still can't get my head around the fact that the original Human League split up due to 'Are Friends Electric' getting to number one....

[telecat]

Ozone said:

minimoog said:

Personally I think the first 5 albums are absolutely bloody brilliant and each one is very different. Properly innovative and unique in songwriting and sound. After that it gradually descends into farce

Go buy the early stuff

BloodyHell, i couldn't agree more !!!

I still can't get my head around the fact that the original Human League split up due to 'Are Friends Electric' getting to number one....

Personally I love "Strange Charm" although it does have some strange "level" decreases in some tracks. Outland also has some good tracks. The remaining albums until parts of "Sacrifice" and the very dark "Exile" are patchy.

Going back to "Warriors" Bill Nelson's Guitar work especially on such as "Poetry and Power" gave it a different feel which despite the strained relationship they had as Artist and Producer was mainly left alone when Gary wiped Nelson's production out. This is due to Numan feeling that despite everything Nelson "did a lot of very inventive things on [Warriors] which, because of our differences, I failed to fully appreciate at the time. To be with him in a room when he was playing guitar was an honour. I would just sit back and listen and all my antagonism would float away."