Date: Sun, 3 Apr 94 05:00:15 CDT From: numan@cs.uwp.edu Reply-To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #73 Gary Numan Digest Sun, 3 Apr 94 Volume 1 : Issue 73 Today's Topics: A much anticipated birth announcement Another top 20 list Gary Numan Digest V1 #72 Introductory message My introduction My Top 20 ... ok 21 ... Faves New Subscriber Song Origins part 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 11:25:02 -0500 (EST) From: John David Skrentny Subject: To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Someone seems to like the Living Ornaments version of "I'm An Agent." I have the boxed set vinyl version of Living Ornaments, and this song is NOT on my copy. Does anyone know what the deal is? jds@isr.harvard.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 15:20:47 PST From: dlangs%sunstroke@sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: A much anticipated birth announcement To: LINKER@vms.sas.com, am136@freenet.carleton.ca, awrc@dcs.ed.ac.uk, He's here! Susan and Derek Langsford are proud, excited, exhausted and relieved to announce the birth of Trevyn James Hudson Langsford at Mary Birch Hospital for Women, San Diego on Wednesday 30th March. Yes, he came a bit early (17 hours). He just couldn't wait until the scheduled surgery time of 7.30am today. After Susan had survived bouts of regular contractions on Tuesday they started up again Wednesday morning at work and after a call to her OB we went to the hospital. The doctors thought it was time. Everyone came through the surgery fine. Susan felt much better this time as did I (I felt quite woosy last time :-). Trevyn came through with flying colours (Apgard scores of 9 and 9). His vital statistics: weight 8lbs 3 oz, length 21 inches, head circumference 14.5 inches. hair - yes! about 1 inch of thick dark brown hair We both shed a tear for Jory when Trevyn was delivered. Both of us remember the hopes and joy we felt when Jory was born and realised again how much we miss him. Trevyn will never replace Jory but we are so glad we have him. He has made us a family again. Mom and baby will likely come home Saturday. Derek ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derek H. Langsford Dept. of Biology dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu San Diego State University ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Mar 94 14:43:08 EST From: Bill ZKO 3-2/Y05 Subject: Another top 20 list To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Here is my list of 20 songs. I will add this as a qualifier though. This represents a snapshot at this time. At some other time, this list could change. Thats because I have a few real favorites and the rest are dependant on how I feel at the time. There are a few others on this list that I would also put on my top 5, but couldn't figure out mathmatically how to make 8 or 9 equal to 5, so I had to draw the line somewhere. Also read nothing into the order of this list. -- 1) Bombers 2) Are Friends Electric? 3) Down in the Park [Living Ornaments version] A couple of comments here. This is one of my top 5 picks. Reason is the synth sound. Being a keyboard player who prefers the older analog gear to todays digital synths this really appeals to me. I swear I used to have a version of this song that had Gary sing for the last verse. We are not lovers, We are no Romantics. We are here to serve you A different face but the words never change. We're so sad. I think I had recorded it from the King Bisquit Flour Hour years ago with 2 other songs, but I've never heard the version since. Anyone else remember such a thing, or have such a copy? This goes back more than 10 years now. 4) Steel and You 5) We have a Technical 6) Conversations 7) A Dream of Siam 8) I Dream of Wires 9) Please Push No More Another top 5 pick. Reason being I feel I can relate to the emotion and lyrical content of the song. 10) Slowcar to China 11) The Joy Circuit 12) We are Glass [Living Ornaments version] Another top 5. For the same reason as Down in the park. I think this version really rocks with a real big sound. 13) A Child with the Ghost Another top 5. Reason is this song stirs strong emotions towards a sister I had who died of Leukemia. I'm not really sure why it does this, but I'm aware of the effect it has on me. I do know that when I'm feeling down, and I want to feel even worse, I put this on. 14) God Only Knows 15) I Still Remember [R.S.P.C.A. version] I place this song in my top 5. I have never been able to figure out why I like this song so much. For those who are unfamiliar with this version. The lyrics on this version are different than on The Fury album. Gary did this version as a public service to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelity to Animals. I only know of it's existence on vinyl. I also like the version on The Fury as well. 16) The Machman 17) Love is Like Clock Law 18) I'm an Agent 19) Tracks 20) The 30's Rust -- You might notice a definite lack of representation for his most recent work. While I like some of the more recent stuff, I don't think it's anywhere near the quality of work that I feel is on this list. Although a song like Bombers above is nowhere near as polished as his recent material. You gotta agree that lyrically it trounces all over the stereotypical Numan song of Late-> "I need it. I want it. Gotta have it". Bill Powers ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Mar 94 16:52:27 EST From: thx1138@angus.mystery.com (Scott Abfalter) Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #72 To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) I just got my copy of the Berserker video in the mail today at work and I cannot wait to get hom to see it. I've never actually seen a Gary Numan video except for Cars (one _once_ I saw the tail end of 'She's got Claws'...) so I am pretty excited here. That's all, just wanted to share my joy. Scott Abfalter -- Scott Abfalter (thx1138@angus.mystery.com) Mystery Spot BBS, Royal Oak, MI --------------------------------------------?-- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Mar 94 11:44:38 EST From: donbaby58@aol.com Subject: Introductory message To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I'm orignally from New Jersey and now reside in Los Angeles. I began listening to Gary Numan when the REPLICAS album came out and was immediately hooked. The whole underlying theme of the first four LP's (TUBEWAY ARMY, REPLICAS, THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE, TELEKON) really intrigues me and every song is fascinating. I have only moderately listened to Gary's album releases after DANCE - the transition to a new sound and getting away from a theme he articulated so well didn't do much for me (I like STRANGE CHARM, though). And I have really lost touch with his career in the last 3-4 years - that's why I'm subscribing to this mailing list. Other artists I enjoy include DEVO, Kraftwerk, and The Violent Femmes. I look forward to receiving and contributing to the mailing list and "if you're mindless please take mine". Don Lepore ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Mar 94 09:49:21 EST From: snelladams@aol.com Subject: My introduction To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I'm a journalist who's also quite a fan of Gary Numan. I'm a fan of Thomas Dolby and Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo, too, and I've pursued both of them in print. I've been listening to Gary Numan since 1981, when his video for "Cars" was first being played on MTV. I'd really like to do an article on him for Electronic Musician magazine. I'd also like to know if anyone else out there can recall a single he released in the late '80s called <>. I believe it was a collaboration with Brian Eno, but I can't find it listed on any discography. It wasn't just a dream, was it? Ellen Snell Adams, I2I, Inc., 4 Sunset Trail, Austin, TX 78745; 512-892-7776; fax 512-892-1527. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 06:05:00 -0800 (PST) From: terrym@netcom.com (Terry McConnell) Subject: My Top 20 ... ok 21 ... Faves To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I actually broke out my entire Numan CD Collection for this post. I listened to literally dozens of songs and narrowed it down to these 21 songs as my all-time favorites. I feel guilty that I couldn't delete one and make it an even 20 ... but, what the fuck. :) So, without any further ado ... here are my picks (in descending order from #1 to #21): 1. A Child With the Ghost One of Gary's greatest songs. This has got to be my all-time favorite Numan song. It's just so damn sad, beautiful, and haunting. The lyrics evoke raw imagery and emotion that are so sad and plaintive that you can't dismiss it from your head after it's over. The soft sax solo with the girls in the background is so well executed that you just want it to continue forever. 2. Warriors Where do I begin? Bass - I guess that's the most obvious. The smooth gloss of this song, and the incredibly emotive imagery of the lyrics easily make it one of my favorites. Without being a serious departure from synth, Warriors manages to combine guitar and percussion with a fresh and inventive style. Slick production value, and a really nice bass line highlight this song with energy and appeal. 3. White Boys and Heroes This song showcases an obviously matured Numan, writing an intense fretless bass line and rhythm track. The vocals match the music with perfect precision and engage the listener with harmonics and discord. This is a masterpiece of artistic endeavor and it's amazing that people pass it up as "just another Numan song." Listen closely at the bass line, rhythm, and chorus vocals ... it's phenomenal that someone sat down and wrote this thing. 4. Down in the Park It's a big toss up between the Living Ornaments (& Urgh! A Music War) and the studio versions of this song. I'd say whichever one produces the biggest, fullest, richest bass notes in the beginning is the winner (for me and my system, it's the studio version). This song must positively vibrate your innards in concert. What else can I say, but this is the "wall-of-synth" that every artist dreams he can create, but only Gary seems to be successful at. 5. I Still Remember >From the sax solo in the intro, to the passion in Gary's voice over the synthesizer-generated strings, this song radiates and pulsates with passion for living and creation. I Still Remember coats your ears like Pepto-Bismol coats your stomach with rich sound and full-bodied orchestration. A truly beautiful song that pulls you in and paints a melancholy landscape on your eardrums. 6. 1930's Rust 1930's Rust is such a departure from Numan-esque that it must be treated separately as a bluesy, folksey tune. It's damn surprising that Gary's voice fits so incredibly well into this track with the harmonicas, bass, and percussion. This song is a perfect example of a minimalist effort _defined_. The sax solo is nothing short of inspired and can't be discarded. One of my perennial favorites, this song just makes me feel great. I just want to snap along and vamp. 7. The Iceman Comes As someone else remarked, this song sounds like it should be on Dance, not Warriors. It's as slow. moving, and haunting as Hell itself ... Gary's smooth silky voice is accentuated by the female vocals and sax in this song. Everything is so well blended that it's hard to discern where one instrument ends and another begins - the whole song feels like it's sliding down a sizable ice sheet, taking you along with it. 8. I Die: You Die Its just too damn bad that this song wasn't on the UK album release. This is a great song. When I first started listening to Gary, I thought this song was about an alien invasion force, but it is now (of course) obvious that it is about the record industry. Anytime that lyrics can fit into whatever mood you're feeling, be it depressed or happy, an artist is obviously at work. I love the bouncy synth line and the beat on this song. The hard darkness juxtaposes the synth so perfectly that it's hard to argue which is dominant. It's just plain good. "But I'm still frightened by the telephone." I wish the live performances of this could duplicate and expand on the energy of the original, but, none have to date (at least, not for me). 9. A Subway Called 'You' The intricate double(?) bass line carries the melody of this song and pulls Gary's vocals into the song. Gary doesn't merely _sing_ this song, his voice forms an intricate part of the synth backdrop. The orchestration for this song is one of the best Gary's ever done with Synth becoming voice becoming beat becoming sax -- everything just flows easily like so much liquid from the artist's canvas of sound. 10. The Joy Circuit I absolutely LOVE the instrumentation for this song. All of the string parts, and synthesized sound manages to nail you straight in the head and leave you with a great feeling. This was a great choice to wrap up Telekon with. There are even some nice bass licks to keep you bass-freaks happy. How can anyone hate this song? :) 11. Cry the Clock Said Haunting, lonely, expansive and deathly calm accurately describe this wonderful, and somewhat forgotten masterpiece. With nearly no melody to speak of, this intricate synth experiment succeeds on levels that were later built upon by Enigma and other recent trance-techno. Gary's quiet, yet raving lyrics haunt the shadowy corners of the soft-edged synth and nearly melodic rhythm track. Truly one of his most stunning works, this is a gem among gems that is especially worth listening to while peeling off CD with digital headphones. 12. Please Push No More I'm a sucker for Gary's slow songs, and this is one of the first slow songs of his that I ever heard (besides Tracks). This is a brilliant song, with Gary showing that he can actually "talk through" the lyrics while bringing emotion and melody to light. The end is the most stunning part of this song with the whale-like noises easily melding with the piano and string sounds. In a word: incredible. 13. Stormtrooper In Drag I honestly can't say why this is one of my favorites. It's rather simplistic, but well-executed. Perhaps it is Gary's superb performance with the vocals (yes, professional critic assholes -- that's _emotion_ in the singer's voice ...), perhaps its the keen amount of detail in the synth tracks: I don't know. I believe this song marks the debut of Gary using female vocals with that "doo do do" in the background of Gary's pleading, almost crying vocals. Surprisingly, they don't annoy me on this track. 14. I, Assassin Like soldiers marching into your living room, this song hits with a flurry of drums and percussive noise. Gary's voice smoothes over the rough spots in the chorus and sedates the intricate bass-work in the backdrop of this title track. The only thing that's really missing here is some sax and violins. 15. You Are In My Vision Some of the greatest lyrics ever written on paper or warbled through a speaker are hidden within the deep, dark recesses of this song. "Delicate bodies that decay beneath their clothing, play cards in an empty house in Paris. The wreckage of a hero lies broken in the corner, and everyone pretends they like to live that way..." A musically simple piece with absolutely non-stop KILLER lyrics makes this one of my favorites. 16. I Wonder (Big toss up Between the Extended Version and original) First, I love the way this song transitions from sounding distant in the intro to being suddenly right in your lap after about a minute. Second, this song is just damn well written. It's amazing that it never made it to US airwaves - this is the kind of sadness and emotion that ambient houses were created for. This song just happens, and once its over you forget that you were craving it. It is very elusive and very cool. 17. M.E. (Living Ornaments Live Version) I never really liked the original version of this song from The Pleasure Principle. I always felt that Gary's voice was too heavy in the mix, and if it weren't for that, I'd probably have liked the studio version. However, the Living Ornaments live version has so much energy and power, that it begins to match Gary's hard-edged vocals. The lyrics are typical of the "disconnection" message throughout The Pleasure Principle and the fat analog synths in the live version accentuate the desolate nature of the song. 18. The Skin Game Golly darn it ... despite myself, I actually like this song. Really nice use of samples, and the guitar in the intro (and throughout the song) is reminiscent of the chord progressions in I Die:You Die. This song is non-stop energy from start to finish. The girls in the backdrop are a little annoying, but it all washes with "Uncle Gary's" lyrics in the foreground. This one has a great message too ... "What have you got to loose?" indeed. 19. Heart One of my friends described this as "one seriously depressing song." Geez, how right he is. I'm gay, and I can relate to these lyrics about absolute desire and raw emotive power (even though the subject is female!). The counter-melody in the chorus fits so well and feels so right that you don't even notice it. 20. Friends Simple rhythm and a driving beat characterize this song, with lyrics that rapid-fire at you from dead ahead in the middle of the road. Musically, this is nothing to write home about, but with lyrics like: "Don't touch me with your painted little fingers, cause I know where they've been." you're drawn into the twisted, sex-addicted, heroin-shooting, vibrating images obviously inspired by a cross between William S Burroughs and Philip K Dick. 21. Jo the Waiter Jo begins with an acoustic, almost soothing, countrish sound, and with each passing verse, builds into a well-developed rhythmic western-rock fusion. Gary did it way before Depeche Mode and Personal Jesus, and managed to do it with more flair. Well-executed bass and rhythm with lyrics that are just vague enough to imply homosexuality, drug use, and loneliness without pulling you into the abyss of emotion that you thankfully, only observe, characterize this cool ditty. Terry ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Mar 1994 11:01:51 -0800 (PST) From: Pablo Bellon Subject: New Subscriber To: numan@cs.uwp.edu ***************************************************************************** Hello, I'm (obviously) a new name on the list. I became a die hard Numan fan at the young age of eleven back in 78. Have acquired a healthy percentage of his releases, though people have scammed various albums through the years (was particularly peeved when Warriors got jacked). I always thought he was a musician/artist before his time, but I felt after Strange Charm he actually started losing some charm (musically). Have New Anger, but haven't bothered to check up on his work since that album. Please clue me in! Totally unfamiliar with Metal Rythm and Machine + Soul releases. Hey, thought there was a few songs were overlooked in the top twenty vote. What about the extendo of "Change Your Mind"?!? I'm glad someone mentioned M.E.T.A.L. "...I'd like to pull the wires from the wall... with you." Looking forward to the dialogue... - pablob@coopext.cahe.wsu.edu ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 01:01:31 -0700 From: bhammond@diana.cair.du.edu (BRIAN D. HAMMOND) Subject: Song Origins part 2 To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Do You Need The Service: Originally the B-side to the "Down In The Park" 7" and 12" single. Later appeared on the Unreleased Recordings volume 1 EP in 1985 (in black and yellow vinyl). Put on both the US and Canadaian versions of Exhibition in 1987 (LP, CD, and MC). Appears on Asylum and the recent BB 2 on 1 CDs. We Have A Technical: Just to clarify from last time, first appeared in 1985 on the Unreleased Recordings volume 2 (on black and red vinyl). Later on Asylum and BB 2 on 1 CD. Young Heart: On UK copy of Metal Rythm (CD, LP, LP gatefold, LP PD, and MC). Fortunately, IMHO, it didn't make it onto the US copy of New Anger. The Image Is: Originally on the 7" and 12" of "We Take Mystery [To Bed]". Later on Asylum and the BB 2 on 1 CD. Great song. Pump It Up: On Berserker (LP, MC, CD). Caroline Munro does a cover of this song for Numa records in 1984 (on Numa Records Year 1 LP, MC, 12" and 7"). On Broadway: Originally appeared as a free single with slect copies of UK pressings of Telekon. It was b/w a live version of "Remember I Was Vapour." Both songs later appear on Exhibition, Asylum, and the BB 2 on 1 CDs. Me! I Disconnect From You ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************