Date: Sun, 28 Aug 94 04:00:11 CDT From: numan@cs.uwp.edu Reply-To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #94 Gary Numan Digest Sun, 28 Aug 94 Volume 1 : Issue 94 Today's Topics: Gary Numan Digest V1 #93 I'm worng Newcomer Reply:I am placing you on the Gary Numan List... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 17:57:17 -0700 From: bensonj@teleport.com (J. LeRoy) Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #93 To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) Hey, Quoth MidgeUre@aol.com: >that gagged upon first hearing the Janet Jacksonesque strains of "Soul >Protection" .... Well, he went on to talk about how good it is. I agree. Soul Protection is a really great song. I thought that a good deal of that album was pretty good in fact, because it was poppy without that "looking for a hit" feel that albums like The Fury et al. I thought it was the only post Berzerker album that used backup vocals effectively. I always feel abused by the back up vocals in the recent stuff. Not the least of which being "I Can't Stop," That woman is a wonderful headache generator. Soul Protection also talked about something other than Gary's boredom, which is a theme I've become rather ill of. That's a good thing about the Dadadadiddlywop stuff on this recent EP -- at least it sounds like it's in a good mood. I even like Gary when he's depressed, but the songs about boredom -- the I'm tired of this and that and everything else because I've seen it all and you're boring too, by the way, strain of Numansongs did nothing but engender that same boredom in me. That's a major reason why I like the First Album thru Berzerker albums. Numan seemed full of wonder at various things. He seemed like he was writing from an endless well of creativity. Even the highly melancholy _Dance_ was that way. It, like many of the Numan stuff, was about darker regions of libido and commerce, but it was so interesting. Even _She's Got Claws_, which could be seen as the song that started the bad female backing vocals, is an interesting song -- with a good video. But Outland, to me, was a ray of hope pulling out of the New Anger nightmare. New Anger was the pinnacle of the "I'm Bored With Everything and Here's Some Screechy Backup Vocals Bam Bam Bam" albums. Outland was more futuristic, hopeful in a dark way, showing people that they had choices in their lives to do things. I felt it was a turning point in Gary's music. But the DadaInformation Society thing worries me. I'll wait until I hear more. It all could go somewhere interesting. Oh, also, Re: the overall stuff on Outland, the Heart and Emotion EPs were also nice. They had an air about them that was refreshing. Even the "I've Seen that" In a glasshouse was okay. But songs like Hanoi made that because it was very new for Numan and it sounded like that Bladerunner - deep space sound was going to really evolve into something. I hope that sound comes back. Because it's crafted and not constructed. That was the way that the trio Dance / I Assassin / Warriors were, crafted. But like the rest of us, I suppose, I have faith in Numan and his ability to do things. The Fury is the only album I really dislike from end to end, despite my harsh words of other discs. ------------------------------ Date: 23 Aug 94 00:56:17 EDT From: Cory Nyberg <73024.2004@compuserve.com> Subject: I'm worng To: Hey guys, Just read this weeks post. I now wish I had not posted last weeks message after reading Dave's message apologizing for misunderstanding. The funny thing is that after writing all that I DID go back and listen to Outland. I want to correct my earlier assessment. To paraphrase Dave: the damn thing grew on me. I still think it could be better and am mildly dissappointed with Numan's recent releases, but there are some good songs on Outland. Dave, I am glad you made me go listen to it again. I got the Dream Corrossion EP this weekend for $9.98 here at Aron's in LA, the BEST import store in LA (shameless plug). They expect the full CD next week. I love the song selection. Noise Noise was always one of my favorite songs and Numan gave an ominous rendition here. I hope the full CD is filled with stuff like this. Very promising. Any news on NEW stuff? Gotta go listen to Outland... Cory ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Aug 1994 11:44:16 +0200 (MET DST) From: Anders Wahlbom Subject: Newcomer To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hi there! Being a newcomer to the group I thought I'd better introduce myself: My name is Anders Wahlbom, I'm 20 and I study English at the Gavle University College in Gavle, Sweden. Unlike most of you (judging from the old digests I downloaded yesterday) I am a fairly recent convert to Numan's music. It started like this: I started listening to electronic music in early 1989, after Jean-Michel Jarre's "Destination Docklands" film was broadcast on Swedish TV. Over the years, I've built up rather good collections of Jarre, Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode and Fad Gadget. In September 1992, I found the triple CD "Ruby Trax", on which Elektric Music released their first track "Baby Come Back", originally recorded by The Equals. I read at the same time in the NME (New Musical Express) that they had originally wanted to record "Are 'Friends' Electric?" Now, I had only heard about Numan before, but never heard anything more than "Cars", which they show now and then on MTV. So at the next record fair I bought an old secondhand copy of "Are 'Friends' Electric?", thinking that if an ex-Kraftwerker wanted to cover it, it couldn't be all bad! And it wasn't; I was hooked at once. Over the next year, I raided all second-hand record shops I could find. As Numan isn't very popular in Sweden, I managed to find just about every Beggars Banquet single (except IDYD) very cheaply: never more than $4. Problem is, it's been very lonely, since all my friends wrinkle their noses every time Gary is mentioned. (If they ever heard of him at all, that is.) So within a year I had sneaked out all albums (except the original "Metal Rhythm", which I still haven't seen, and "M+S", which is available on import only - Numa has *no* distribution in Sweden :-( ), including Radio Heart, Sharpe & Numan et.c. Anyway, I know two (yes, two) people in Sweden who own any Numan records at all; both of them own the "Berserker" 7" only. I have only met *one* other Numan fan in my life: an Englishman who came over to Stockholm to see Elektric Music live in May this year. So you can imagine that I was pleased when I learned about this mailing list! Apart from Numan, I enjoy listening to most things electronic (Jarre, Kraftwerk, Depeche, Fad Gadget, EBM/industrial), but I can also appreciate most other styles of music: classical, rock'n'roll, heavy metal, folk, ethnic music et.c. (You can make this list as long as you like.) Greetings, Anders W. You end on reel one, you end on reel one PS. What happened to Elektric Music's AFE? Well, I talked to Lothar Manteuffel, and he explained to me that they had wanted to change the lyrics a bit, so they had tried to reach Gary to get his approval. But Gary was out on tour at the time, and when they eventually got hold of him (he gave them permission to do what they wanted with it BTW) it was too late to finish it and get it onto the "Ruby Trax" CD, so they had to make do with the other track they had recorded. They have no plans to release their AFE at a later date. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Aug 1994 01:59:27 EDT From: GJBA26A@prodigy.com (MR CHRIS R KIBBONS) Subject: Reply:I am placing you on the Gary Numan List... To: datta@cs.uwp.edu, numan@cs.uwp.edu -- [ From: Chris &\or Louise Kibbons * EMC.Ver #2.0.P ] -- Hello. My Name is Chris Kibbons. I am a nearly 30 year old living in Minneapolis, MN. I have a wife, Louise, and a one year old daughter, Michaela. I found your list description in AOL. I have been working on my own personal computer for 5 months now, allthough I have been working with computer in general for the past 2 years. I absolutely love communicating with other systems, and hope to have my own connection to the Internet as soon as it becomes financially feasible. I have been a Gary Numan fan since 1980. The first Numan album I ever heard was Replicas, in the basement of a friend of mine. We were prepping ourselves for what was to become my first ever concert experience, Gary Numan's Pleasure Principle Tour. Obviously, this was after The Pleasure Principle came out. I was almost immediately in Love with this music. This was the cutting edge. It really got me started listening to "alternative" music. I still have to say that this concert was one of the best that I've ever seen. It was so cool-in the literal sense. In retrospect, I guess that I would have classified his music as "from the dark side", allthough at the time it touched a vein in me that to this day has never been touched again. Over the course of the years, I've slowly fallen out of touch with Gary's music. The main contributing factor for this was the fact that it was incredibly difficult to find his music in America. When I did find it, usually the price range was way to much for me to afford. So when I saw this list server, I was eager to jump at the opportunity to sign up. I have been a musician for over 15 years. I can honestly say that Gary Numan's music played a large influence on how I went about my own musical writing. I started out on bass, then for many years played keyboards. I also was (and still am) a big Devo fan. The only real thing that they share in my mind is the general simplistic approach to music writing they both employ. This was to become my approach, also. Simple parts mixed with other simple parts, over and over again, suddenly made for a piece of music that was so complex and exciting. I liken it to the music of Bach, but I won't make any direct comparisons. Just the single line of music to start, adding another single line, until you have a masterpiece of melody versus countermelody. Ah, I could go on and on... But I will spare you. Currently, I don't participate in any sort of musical endeavors. My passions have turned more toward the computer. I guess that after 15 years, I needed to stop and take a new direction. I still pick up the guitar at times (my latest instrument), but I tend to be an observer now more than a contributer. My other musical interest include Nine Inch Nails, who in some ways seem alot alike Gary Numan's music in that they take the simple path forward, and the lyrical content leans toward the dark side. Other than that, I have a very diversified listening collection, which I will spare you the details of... I just want to thank you for having this service, as I am excited to be in touch with Gary Numan's music once again. Chris Kibbons ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************