Date: Sun, 2 May 93 04:00:09 CDT From: numan@cs.uwp.edu Reply-To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #30 Gary Numan Digest Sun, 2 May 93 Volume 1 : Issue 30 Today's Topics: Cars used in beer ad Comments - Early 80's music preferences comments on proposed compilations & Foxx More guitars...? NAGNFC for March - April 1993 Review: John Foxx - Metamatic/The Garden ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 29 Apr 93 14:20:24 PDT From: dlangs%sunstroke@sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: Cars used in beer ad To: numanews@cs.uwp.edu >From Richard=Paiement%DCN%DGBT=CRC=ADMSR@dgbt.banyan.doc.ca Mon Apr 26 09:06:49 1993 Date: Mon, 26 Apr 93 10:52:37 EDT From: Richard=Paiement%DCN%DGBT=CRC=ADMSR@dgbt.banyan.doc.ca Subject: Cars used in beer ad I saw mention of this on the net a while back, but I've been away for a week and couldn't write, but I can now confirm that an instrumental version of Cars is used in a new french-language television beer ad for the new Labatts ICE. Though I haven't yet seen the english-language version of this ad, I'm told that it is considerably different, so it doesn't necessarily use the same music. There is no reference to Numan, except for the use of pyramid shapes, which Gary used in the past. I forgot to specify that these beer ads are on Canadian TV, of course. Any astute beer drinker would have realized this, Labatts being a Canadian beer company. Cheers. Richard ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Apr 93 14:28:58 PDT From: dlangs%sunstroke@sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: Comments - Early 80's music preferences To: numanews@cs.uwp.edu >From TEELK@elmer1.bobst.nyu.edu Mon Apr 26 10:30:43 1993 Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1993 13:20:10 -0500 (EST) From: Kay Teel Subject: Re: Early 80's music preferences I've been catching up on two weeks' worth of Numan news, and I see there's been a lot of food for thought! At first, when thinking about my own situation, I was inclined to agree with the "preferences established between ages 13-22" theory, but on reading the several replies to this, I've changed my mind. I'm not completely disagreeing with it, either. I definitely agree with the idea of "eras of innovation." I do count myself lucky that I was at an impressionable age (13) just when the music was getting good! But I really have to confess to a lot of premature "old fogey-ism" when it comes to post-1983 (or even up to 1984) music. I find myself saying things like "The young people today have no taste!" So, yes, I admit it: I have a lot of nostalgia for the early 80s "sound" and I rank Numan's earlier albums at the top of the list. That being said, I have to say that I'd be a bit disappointed if he were to all of a sudden jump back to his 1980 sound (highly unlikely to happen anyway). What I do want to see is the same LEVEL of innovation as he displayed in 1980. He showed new ideas, gave us new sounds, or at least repackaged existing ones in new packages. And he used a much larger vocabulary than he does now (my biggest gripe with Numan music since "Berserker" is his lyrics). ((A close second gripe is the sax and the female "vox".)) I definitely agree that those early videos were 100 times better than today's! I do find it interesting that practically all of my favorite groups were formed or were popular between 1980-1983. Oh, and this reminds me of a sideline: For the most part, this music (like Numan, Ultravox, Visage, etc...) was NOT popular in the US at this (or any other) time. Despite "Cars." I have a sort of pop music annual from 1981 that lists the weekly Top Ten charts for the year for both the UK and US. The difference between them is incredible. So Numan et al. was not the music I was hearing on the radio all the time, these were not the groups I got to see on TV, etc. My two cents worth. --Kay Teel New York University ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Apr 93 14:16:47 PDT From: dlangs%sunstroke@sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: comments on proposed compilations & Foxx To: numanews@cs.uwp.edu >From wet!ken@netcom.com Sun Apr 25 14:35:31 1993 Date: Sun, 25 Apr 93 13:12 PDT From: wet!ken@netcom.com (kenneth stuart) Subject: Compilations; Foxx CDs Hello, In regards to compilations, my feelings coincide with Numan's most recent statement, ie that compilations should/could have different mixes. The corollary to this is that album reissues should be as original as possible in terms of mixes, covers, notes, etc. but with additions allowed (ie bonus tracks and recent retrospective liner notes --- in fact, I generally find the retrospective liner notes more interesting than the bonus tracks [which usually weren't on the album for good reasons :-) ] -- often the new liner notes provide valuable information not found elsewhere; for example, they enabled me to discover that the early blues-style Fleetwood Mac recorded a third album called "Mr. Wonderful" which I had otherwise never heard of [and will probably never be able to find anyway :-) ]. ). In any event, one can then find the original track in its original mix in the way it was originally intended (ie before the following track and after the preceding track). THEN, one can hear new remixes on the compilation (or possibly as a bonus track). After hearing about the Foxx CDs, I listened again to his first two albums. The first album, "Metamatic" is definitely a classic of the techno-pop/new- romantic genre. Foxx uses a lot of avant-garde techniques (note twisting, off-beat rhythms, odd synth textures, 12-tone and atonal composition, etc.) together with pop song structures to create truly unique pieces (such as "Underpass"), not to mention creatively poetic lyrics. The second album starts a trend of making his music more accessible and commercial, which continued through his third and fourth albums, and ended up making his music not at all unique and thereby not of interest to the record buying public (hence his new career as photographer :-) ). "The Garden" (the second album) has three or four excellent tracks, and a couple of quite forgettable ones. The best tracks here are, as mentioned, more commercial than the previous album's, and as such represent the most interesting material to Joe Average. But I would more strongly recommend "Metamatic" to the Numanoid who only wants to buy one Foxx CD (I recommend it more than any compilation, actually; see above about original album releases :-) ). However, if you have the curiousity and disposable income, "The Garden" won't disappoint you either. Beyond that, it is more a matter of taste, as regards the following two albums (and if Al is right, "The Golden Section" may not see CD release; "In Mysterious Ways" (the title is better than the material :-) ) was released on CD years ago.) Cheers, Ken ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Apr 93 14:25:29 PDT From: dlangs%sunstroke@sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: More guitars...? To: numanews@cs.uwp.edu >From Richard=Paiement%DCN%DGBT=CRC=ADMSR@dgbt.banyan.doc.ca Wed Apr 28 06:36:37 1993 Date: Wed, 28 Apr 93 08:04:08 EDT From: Richard=Paiement%DCN%DGBT=CRC=ADMSR@dgbt.banyan.doc.ca Subject: More guitars... ? In the latest issue (combined March and April) of the GNNAFC Newsletter produced by Jim Napier in the US, there is a text from Gary, probably reproduced from the UK Fan Club 1992 Yearbook, that is an overview of the year 1992. (I'm not re-typing it in the hope that someone else on the list will, but if no one does, I guess I could always do it.) [Derek here - I think I put that in a previous issue of the Digest awhile back] What got my attention was a mention that Gary has recently started listening to "The Sisters of Mercy" and two other bands who'se names I forget right now. He says that his music is becoming more guitar oriented. OH NO! I just hope Gary doesn't turn goth. Not that I don't like it, but I don't feel it would suit him. I heard most of the "Black Tie White Noise" CD from Bowie. WOW! I'm sure Gary could do as interesting stuff if he wanted. So what do others on the list think the problem is? Does anyone think that bringing a producer in the studio could give Gary's music the kiss of life? I don't know if this is common knowledge in the group, as I've never seen it discussed, but Gary signed a 5 album distribution deal with IRS in 1988 or so. The first album was of course New Anger, a repackaging of the previously released Methal Rhythm; then came the live album The Skin Mechanic. When it came time to record the next studio album, now known as Outland, IRS insisted that Gary use a producer. Heated arguments followed, with Gary adamant against the idea. This was the first cause of the delay in releasing the album, the second being a fire in the studio resulting in the loss of almost all album material. I kind of like to think that maybe IRS had the right idea, that the world was again ready for Gary, but a producer was necessary to help focus Gary's talent. Can Gary really be objective about his work after producing himself for over ten years? Ah well, we'll never know now. Just rambling... Richard [Derek here again, Paul Green said the fire story was a concoction to cover up the fact that IRS sent Outland back 4 times for remixing. Perhaps this, and if Gary insisted on producing his next album, was one factor in Gary leaving/being dumped from IRS.] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Apr 93 14:34:41 PDT From: dlangs%sunstroke@sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: NAGNFC for March - April 1993 To: numanews@cs.uwp.edu >From bhammond@diana.cair.du.edu Tue Apr 27 11:56:04 1993 Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1993 12:50:10 -0600 From: bhammond@diana.cair.du.edu (BRIAN D. HAMMOND) Subject: NAGNFC for March - April 1993 I recently recieved my latest fanzine issue from the North American Gary Numan Fan Club. It was a combined issue since the man who runs the club was busy moving last month and had little time for anything else. For those who may be interested, the new address is: The Gary Numan Fan Club 44 Rickard St. #E10 Cortland, NY 13045 For news, there was only a few items not mentioned here already. -2 Unlimited, the group who had a hit in the UK and Europe with their song The Magic Friend (a song which uses keyboard bits I beleive from Numan's Are 'Friends' Electric?) has now appeared in the states as a CD single. It is already being played in dance houses on the east coast. -the ballad album release date remains set for June. -the next album Vicious is still slated for Septmeber. -there's also mention of Numan doing a lot of work with other bands lately as his Outland studio is rented out to other groups. Sadly, there is no mention of group names or what contributions Numan has been making. [Derek here, This is the first time I have seen a release month for the ballad album. My understanding was they were trying to get it out in March but that obviously was not so. The tour dates also suggest September is due time for Vicious. Let's hope it is neither viscous or vacuous :) I am getting impatient for my 1993 UKFC membership bulletin] Me! I Disconnect From You ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 30 Apr 93 15:56:06 PDT From: dlangs%sunstroke@sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: Review: John Foxx - Metamatic/The Garden To: numanews@cs.uwp.edu >From awrc@dcs.ed.ac.uk Fri Apr 30 04:12:14 1993 Date: Fri, 30 Apr 93 12:08:15 BST From: Al Crawford Subject: Review: John Foxx - Metamatic/The Garden At Derek's suggestion, I'm posting these reviews of the recent CD re-releases of John Foxx's first two solo albums to the Numan list as well as to the regular places (rec.music.reviews and rec.music.misc) since he (and I) feel they might be of some interest to Numan fans. The eagle-eyed amongst you may spot one or two differences between these reviews and those that I posted to the net. I can but plead temporary insanity for the way I confused _Replicas_ and _The Pleasure Principle_. I know this is a capital offence amongst Numanoids, but I plead overwork and diminished responsibility :-) I quite definitely meant _The Pleasure Principle_, not _Replicas_. Anyway, here's the (corrected) review... ---- John Foxx first came to the music-buying public's attention in the mid 1970s. As the vocalist and frontman of Ultravox, he was instrumental in that group's growth during their initial experimental phase. This period saw their sound evolve from Roxy Music influenced art-pop through the cold, alienated anger of their "punk" album _Ha! Ha! Ha!_ into the more polished outfit that produced _Systems Of Romance_. By the time of Foxx's departure from the group, they had developed a clear identity of their own, taking their influences and building on them to produce the aloof, dislocated brand of synth-rock on which much of the synth-pop boom of the early eighties would be built. The original incarnation of Ultravox was a major influence on many of the up and coming artists of the time. Probably the best known was Gary Numan whose 1979 hit "Are `Friends' Electric?" was probably the very first synth-pop number one in the UK. Numan clearly acknowledged his debt to Ultravox and to Foxx in particular and parallels can be drawn between Numan's work and Foxx's early solo albums. After Foxx's departure Ultravox went on to far greater things with Midge Ure but, while Foxx's solo work never achieved the commercial heights reached by his old group, they were just as influential in their own way. In fact, I'd go so far as to class his solo debut _Metamatic_ as one of the classic albums of the genre, so Virgin's recent re-release of the album on compact disc is a welcome addition to the collection of synth-pop afficionados. John Foxx Metamatic Virgin CDV 2146 [UK] Total Running Time: 60 min 39 sec 1. Plaza 3.54 2. He's A Liquid 3.02 3. Underpass 3.56 4. Metal Beat 3.01 5. No-One Driving 3.47 6. A New Kind Of Man 3.41 7. Blurred Girl 4.19 8. 030 3.17 9. Tidal Wave 4.16 10. Touch And Go 5.37 11. Young Love 3.09 12. Film One 4.00 13. 20th Century 3.06 14. Miles Away 3.18 15. A Long Time 3.50 16. Swimmer 1 4.08 _Metamatic_ was originally released in 1980 and is very much a period piece, slotting nicely into the quiet gap between the disappearance of punk and the new wave and the success of New Romantic bands such as Visage or the new-model Ultravox, and contemporary with the likes of Gary Numan's _The Pleasure Principle_. In fact, _Metamatic_ is an ideal companion to that album, with both sharing a cold, detached style and hard, strongly electronic instrumentation. While Numan's robotic image became well-known, Foxx's distant "anorexic hairdresser" image failed to grab the public's attention in the same manner with only a smattering of singles making the lower reaches of the charts in contrast to Numan's string of top ten hits. The quality of Foxx's material was certainly comparable, but he lacked the self-promotional showmanlike qualities of Numan and thus languished in relative obscurity while Numan was at his peak. The disc starts off with "Plaza". Synths and electronics overlay a spartan, primitive electronic beat as Foxx's distant vocals paint a surreal picture of a cold, cleanly modern society. "He's A Liquid" is in similar vein, with bizarre lyrics and a complete absence of emotion in the vocals. Foxx's first (and biggest) hit was "Underpass". It hasn't aged particularly well, and sounds very 1980, but it's still a good song, oozing that peculiarly bleak futurism that's characteristic of the more po-faced electronic pop artists of the time (Numan, early Human League etc). "Metal Beat" is distinctive - tinkly synths over sparse metallic percussion and Foxx's clearly enunciated vocals dotting around the stereo image. "No-One Driving" is rather poppier and less stylised, with Foxx's vocals less stilted and a richer sound. This was also a single, although it was a smaller hit than "Underpass". "A New Kind Of Man" is in similar vein. "A Blurred Girl" echoes back to the sound of the last Foxx-era Ultravox album, with primitive rhythm machine percussion and a similar vocal style. "030","Tidal Wave" and "Touch And Go" are all fine tracks and have lyrics that are...well, distinctive - Foxx has admitted to reading waaaay too much J.G. Ballard while working on this album, and it shows. Since the original album was rather short, Virgin have added half a dozen bonus tracks to this CD re-release, and every one is essential. You might think from the flatulent synth brass of the intro that "Young Love" was an early Soft Cell track, but it soon becomes apparent that the song is something of a missing link. With its 1979 copyright, it's no surprise that the song stands exactly midway between _Systems Of Romance_ and _Metamatic_ stylistically. Foxx's lyrics have not yet fallen into the surreal detachment characteristic of his early solo work, but the strongly electronic instrumentation is closer to _Metamatic_ than anything Ultravox ever did. It's a good song too so it's something of a surprise that it never appeared on an album. "Film One" is a very atmospheric instrumental that originally appeared as the B-side of the "Underpass" single. The combination of bleepy electronic percussion and soaring, distorted synth works beautifully and the track, while vaguely redolent of Gary Numan's work, would have been a standout on any Numan album of the period. "20th Century" is another B-side, this time from the "Burning Car" single (the A-side appears on the _Assembly_ compilation). The song was originally written as the theme music for an early 80s British music/arts TV show, "20th Century Box". Extremely sparse and packed with wonderfully primitive electronic bleeps, whistles and clunks, this almost-instrumental is a worthy addition to the disc. The next two tracks are somewhat out of place. The "Miles Away" single fell between _Metamatic_ and _The Garden_ chronologically but owes more to the latter than the former in feel, since by the time of his second album Foxx had thawed somewhat and moved away from the cold, primitive sound of his debut. "Miles Away" reveals a rather chirpier, happier Foxx and lyrics that show some signs of his moving away from blatant Ballardisms towards the more inward-looking, spiritual lyrics that characterised his later work. It's unmistakably an "up" song with cheerful vocals and gorgeous soaring synths, and is reminiscent of Gary Numan instrumentally. In fact, the resemblance of the outro to the intro of Numan's "Conversation" (from _The Pleasure Principle_) is downright eerie. "A Long Time", originally the B-side of "Miles Away" was originally co-credited on the single to Foxx and Shake/Shake, a group (signed to the Compact label) consisting of his regular sidekicks Jo Dworniak and Duncan Bridgeman. While not nearly as "up" in feel as "Miles Away", it's another great track. The disc is finished off by "Swimmer 1", which originally appeared on the "Dancing Like A Gun" 12" single. The track's an instrumental that sounds very similar to Ure-era Ultravox, with powerful percussion and a guitar solo that sounds very like Billy Currie's viola. Overall, this re-released _Metamatic_ is a wonderful disc. The original album was good enough, one of the synth-pop classics, but the addition of these six extra tracks has lifted it head and shoulders above its original release. Perhaps the only gripe I have is with the sound quality, since many of the tracks have considerable amounts of hiss. Since this happens only on tracks from the original album (the bonus tracks are clean) and the hiss varies in volume, it's more likely to be due to some artifact of the original recording process (_Metamatic_ was, after all, recorded in an eight-track cupboard called Pathway Studios) or to deterioration of the master over the past thirteen years. Still, even with these flaws I have no hesitation in giving... Erland Rating: +4 Sometime between _Metamatic_ and _The Garden_, Foxx began to thaw. His lyrics became less surreal and abstract, his image softened considerably and the hard electronic sound gave way to a subtle blend of synths and guitars. John Foxx The Garden Virgin CDV 2194 [UK] Total Running Time: 66 min 04 sec 1. Europe After The Rain 4.00 2. Systems Of Romance 4.04 3. When I Was A Man And You Were A Woman 3.38 4. Dancing Like A Gun 4.11 5. Pater Noster 2.33 6. Night Suit 4.24 7. You Were There 3.50 8. Fusion/Fission 3.49 9. Walk Away 3.55 10. The Garden 7.09 11. Young Man 2.54 12. Dance With Me 3.32 13. A Woman On A Stairway 4.28 14. The Lifting Sky 4.45 15. Annexe 3.05 16. Wings And A Wind 5.18 This is perfectly illustrated by the first track, "Europe After The Rain". True, there's a little synth here and there and the percussion is electronic, but the most noticeable characteristics of the song are Foxx's vocals (considerably softened and far less distant) and his piano and acoustic guitar work. "Systems Of Romance" has a more driving sound, with Philip Robert's live drums being supplemented by ticking sequencer rhythms and the playing of ex-Ultravox guitarist Robin Simon. Foxx restricts himself to vocals, guitar and the mysterious "Human Host". "When I Was A Man And You Were A Woman" (neat title, huh?) is similarly excellent pop, with Foxx playing lead guitar as well as singing. "Dancing Like A Gun" (another odd title) echoes back to _Metamatic_ with its surreal lyrics and more prominent synth, although Robin Simon once again supplies lead guitar and there's an Ultravox-ish synth bridge. "Pater Noster" is, umm, well, it's a synthed-up Lord's Prayer sung in Latin over a disco-ish beat, synths and "the Human Host". It's certainly different. Foxx's religious beliefs were highlighted more clearly (and certainly less quirkily) in his later work, such as _In Mysterious Ways_. As disco-fied church music goes though, "Pater Noster" is pretty good. Robin Simon's guitar and Jo Dworniak's bass feature prominently on "Night Suit", which finds Foxx in an atypically relaxed and soulful mode. The lyrics are clever, if typically surreal. Both "You Were There" and "Fusion/Fission" are good, the latter relying strongly on Simon's guitar. "Walk Away" is a real standout track, possessing real grandeur. It's moderately paced, with overdubbed vocals and competent piano work by Foxx, but the synth/guitar solo is what makes it just that little bit special. The original album was tailed off by "The Garden", a long atmospheric piece with Foxx in unusually romantic mood. A good track, apparently recorded out of doors at The Garden studios and with the birdsong in the background that that entails. As with _Metamatic_, Virgin have added bonus tracks to the album. The choice of tracks is a little odd though, with most of them being contemporary with his third album _The Golden Section_ rather than _The Garden_. First of the bonus tracks is "Young Man", the B-side of the original single release of "Endlessly". It's not one of my favourite Foxx tracks, although the combination of synths and acoustic guitar works nicely. "Dance With Me" is rather rarer, and was originally released on the B-side of the bonus single given away with some versions of "Endlessly". Nice to have, but definitely non-essential. The same is true of "A Woman On A Stairway" (the B-side of "Your Dress"). "The Lifting Sky" was the C-side of the "Your Dress" double 7" pack and is a nice piece of quality pop, with an unusually chunky beat for Foxx. However, it does show signs of some of the negative characteristics that were to feature in his later work - over-emotive vocals and female backing vocals. "Annexe" is a wonderfully quirky piece, with Foxx forsaking his own legacy for a piece of pure 60s guitar pop. Perhaps the only feature that places it outside that decade is the percussion. Great, cheerful stuff that appeals largely because it sounds so atypical. The disc is rounded off by "Wings And A Wind", the obscure B-side of the equally obscure "Like A Miracle" single. Those who've heard _The Golden Section_ may find it familiar, since it owes a lot to the track "Running Across Thin Ice With Tigers" that appeared on that album. It's got new lyrics and isn't just a direct copy, but there's a very strong resemblance between the two. While _The Garden_ isn't a bad album at all, it really isn't to the same standard as _Metamatic_. The bonus tracks certainly help, but they just aren't as...essential as those on the first album. Still, it's a decent enough album with a bunch of good songs on it, so I'll give it... Erland Rating: +2 So what to buy? Well, the Foxx fans will no doubt want both. Fans of Numan and his ilk would be best to stick to _Metamatic_, since _The Garden_ is more of an acquired taste. For those completely unfamiliar with Foxx's work but who think they might be interested in it, the best bet would probably be Virgin's earlier Foxx compilation CD, _Assembly_ which gives a fair covering of all four of his albums as well as throwing in a handful of non-album tracks. -- Al Crawford - awrc@dcs.ed.ac.uk Department Of Computer Science, The University of Edinburgh Rm 1410, JCMB, Kings Buildings, Mayfield Rd, EDINBURGH, EH9 3JZ, Scotland Tel: +44 (0) 31 650 5165 Fax: +44 (0) 31 667 7209 ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************