Gary Numan Digest Sun, 22 Nov 92 Volume 1 : Issue 10 Today's Topics: Another Karen Taylor appearance Berserker Video Track List, other videos, etc Beserker Video Ghost orders, comment Introductory message - Gordon Van Huizen ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 20:38:34 PST From: dlangs%sunstroke@sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: Another Karen Taylor appearance To: numanews@cs.uwp.edu Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 15:17:26 -0700 From: "BRIAN D. HAMMOND" Subject: Karen Taylor While on the subject of Karen Taylor, she also sang vocals on John Webb's single "The Experiment Of Love" in 1984 for Numa Records. Me! I Disconnect From You ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 20:08:30 PST From: dlangs%sunstroke@sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: Berserker Video Track List, other videos, etc To: numanews@cs.uwp.edu Date: Sun, 15 Nov 92 13:56:55 -0800 From: gvh@metrosoft.com (Gordon Van Huizen) Subject: Berserker Video Track List, other videos, etc. I have the Berserker live video tape that was distributed in the US about a year ago. Is there a newer one? If there is, I haven't seen it. The track list IS different than the UK release (and what is printed on the box) but unfortunately it isn't any longer (it runs 60 minutes). The actual track list is: Berserker Metal Remind Me To Smile The Iceman Comes Cold Warning Down In The Park I Die: You Die My Dying Machine Cars We Are Glass This Is New Love Are 'Friends' Electric? Not a bad trade-off really, but on EITHER tape I would have gladly scrapped "This Is New Love" in favor of "My Shadown In Vain". The tape oddly enough isn't HiFi. The sound quality on the two examples I have seen starts off poor and gets better over the course of the first few minutes. My apologies if this isn't the video you meant. I special ordered it through Tower Video when I heard it was available and subsequently kept seeing copies on their shelves for months! Also, has a video of the "I, Assassin" tour ever been released? When I caught the LA show of that tour it was being filmed (which was a real nuisance actually) and I'd been hoping to see a video show up one day. The live version of "This Is My House" was incrediible, IMO. Is anybody interested in trading videotapes? I have the Berserker tape I mentioned as well as "Micromusic" (1981 'farewell' concert) and "New Man: Numan" (a compilation of videos plus inreview clips, etc. circa 1982). These have been EQ'd quite a bit to improve sound quality (I have a 31-band pro EQ). I'm interested in the "Touring Principle" video (why oh why didn't I buy it in 1981???) and anything else that might be out there. If anyone wants info on the videos I have (track lists, etc,) I'd be glad to post it. I also have a copy of the withdrawn 'Photograph' LP if people are interested in hearing about the track list, cover art, etc. I don't know how common these things are or if they've been discussed in the digest before. Pardon the bandwidth if this is 'old news'. :-) Gordon ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 21:05:28 +1100 From: Erik Lecis Subject: Beserker Video To: numanews@cs.uwp.edu Folks, Just to add to the confusion re: the Beserker video, I have two differing versions of the video. First version: This is the current release that a friend bought from HMV Music in London earlier this year for #11.99. - it is by Castle Hendring, OCR no. 5 016898 202667. - it was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, 11th Dec, 1984. - produced by Phillip Goodhand-Tait for Trillion Pictures Ltd, 1984. - it is 60 minutes in length. - the front cover features Gary in a straight-jacket against a black background. - track listing is: We are glass, Beserker, Remind me to smile, Sister Suprise, Music for chameleons, The Iceman comes, Cold Warning, This Prison Moon, The Dying machine, We take mystery to bed, This is new love. - Importantly, the track listing DOES NOT represent the contents of the video! Version 2. I bought this second-hand for $15. - it is called The Berserker Tour by "The Video Collection". - OCR no. is 5 014138 040109, - catalogue no. on casette is VC4010PAL, - again, it is produced by Phillip Goodhand-Tait for Trillion Pictures Ltd, 1984. - the track listing is the same as for the previous version and DOES accurately reflect the contents of the video. - It is listed as running for 60 minutes, but is in fact longer, and contains a 5 minute preamble featuring Gary in his dressing room applying make-up and interviews with his clone-like fans. - The concert is "from December 1984, at the end of his sell-out tour". - it is from a totally different venue to the first video. My copy of the Music Master on Video Catalogue lists the following Beserker videos: - VHS: Released May '87 on Video Collection by Video Collection, catalogue no: VC 4010, - VHS: release Jan '86, catalogue no: 6121-5. Now, has anyone a copy of Gary's "Micromusic", released '88 on Palace Video by Virgin? This features gems like Trois Gymnopodies, Films, Cry the clock said etc. It runs for 2 hrs too! If people are interested, I can supply a listing of Gary's videos from the above book. - Erik. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 20:35:03 PST From: dlangs%sunstroke@sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: Ghost orders, comment To: numanews@cs.uwp.edu Hello! All people who ordered Ghost CDs should have received them by now. I think I was about the last to get mine, on Monday. The jewel cases were cracked on the two Ghosts and the one on the Berserker CD was shattered. If you have not yet recieved your discs let me know. Also if any got damaged in the mail I would like your comments so that further packaging precautions can be made with the next Fan Club release. As for the album itself, I like it. Far superior to Skin Mechanic which I listened to after Ghost. SM is so lifeless and the backing vocals are too much at the front of the mix. The performance seems quite flat and thin even though it is a very similar band and the same female backing vox pair. On SM the tracks from MR are particularly weak. Does that album not transfer well to live performance? Maybe they hadn't really worked it out. It also tells me that he should rely more on synths than guitar. One question I have. Does anybody know what the story is behind the belch at the beginning of "Call Out the Dogs" (at 0.00 for the track, after the Bladerunner sample)? I was kinda surprised when I first heard that. I like the live renditions of the Strange Charm tracks especially. If White Noise gets a CD release we're going to have umpteen live versions of certain tracks (AFE, DitP, IDYD, WAG). It would be nice if Gary did a tour chosing material rarely played live. Now that Ghost is done I wonder what will be next from Numa. Will it be the Ballad album, instrumentals or Strange Charm? I'll ask when I next phone and I don't know when that will be. That's all for now, Derek ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derek H. Langsford Dept. of Biology dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu San Diego State University ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 20:05:33 PST From: dlangs%sunstroke@sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: Introductory message - Gordon Van Huizen To: numanews@cs.uwp.edu Date: Sun, 15 Nov 92 14:52:42 -0800 From: gvh@metrosoft.com (Gordon Van Huizen) Subject: Introduction Message - Gordon Van Huizen I was just reading the intro letter and realized I hadn't introduced myself to the group... Hi! I've been listening to Numan since 1979. I was driving along at sunset when "Are Friends 'Electric'?" came on the radio (pretty amazing looking back on it that it got played on a mainstream rock station). I was blown away by the textures in it. I just kept driving so I could hear the rest of the song...since then I've been hooked. I have most of the vinyl and CD releases - I've picked up everything I've been able to find. For some reason I didn't pick up the 'Touring Principle' video tape when it was available (I imagined it would be on sale a lot longer) something I've always kicked myself for. I saw Numan live on two occasions: San Diego in 1980 (I had third row seats and was deaf for a week) and in LA for the "I, Assasin" tour. very powerful live shows. I feel pretty lucky that I got to see them. My listening tastes are pretty broad - from classical to post-punk and industrial. I'm a particularly big fan of progressive rock (ELP, King Crimson, etc.), electronic music (Synergy, Vangelis, Wendy Carlos, Kraftwerk...) and various forms of new wave and post-punk progressive (John Foxx, Ultravox, OMD, Dead Can Dance, Xymox, etc.). While I'm stating my tastes, I'd like to make a few comments about Numan's current direction - I get the feeling I'm not alone in this. It seems to me that he's been stuck in a rut for a VERY long time. The last release that I was really pleased by was Berserker. That's coming up on 9 years ago. I keep hoping that each new release will break out of it, but it's just getting worse, IMO. Each release has 2-3 good tracks (some of which are VERY good) and a lot of the same filler. The backup vocals since Berserker have been very irritating and the static "dance groove" song structure wore thin 6 years ago. The ballads are a welcome relief, but they've become extremely predictable and many sound nearly identical. I buy the singles in the hopes that the instrumental B-sides will help balance this out. I can't even rely on THIS anymore (with the possible exception of "The Hauntings") as most B-sides have become more of the same static dance/bad funk stuff. I think part of the problem with the most recent material is the choice of supporting musicians. One of the things that was cool about the first few phases of Numan material was that although it used a lot of synthesizer, players like Ced Sharpley really added a powerful punch. Now all we get are static drum machines. The live albums used to perk me up ("Ghost" was excellent, IMO) as the live versions had some dynamics to them and the new renditions of older material had a lot of impact. But most of "The Skin Mechanic" I find unlistenable. The frustrating part is that the guy is capable of so much. The openings of a lot of his recent material are excellent and hint toward powerful songs with rich atmospheres. Then the tracks fall into the same static dance beats with repeated exclamations of "I like xxxx", "I don't like xxxx" or "I need xxxxx". I'd prefer a CD full of eerie instrumentals with Blade Runner drop-ins to this stuff. My personal curve is that most everything through "Dance" was very good if not excellent, showing remarkable growth and sophistication with each release. "Warriors" worried me, "Berserker" gave me hope, and ever since "The Fury" I've been praying things will pick up. Oh well - enough ranting and raving. I'll try to stick to the positive stuff next time around. :-) Gordon Van Huizen ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************