Date: Thu, 8 Feb 96 01:00:02 CST From: numan@cs.uwp.edu Reply-To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #199 Gary Numan Digest Thu, 8 Feb 96 Volume 1 : Issue 199 Today's Topics: "THE DIGEST ASKS GARY - JANUARY 1996" Auction Closed Babylon 8 Poll results Back digests Berserker confusion - resolved? G.MISSES POLL + YANKS - GET YOUR ASS OVER TO THE 'PREMIER' TOUR!!! Numan FAQ version 2.0b -- correction Numan FAQ version 2.0b 96-02-06 SACRIFICE tour video Sending stuff to Gary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Feb 1996 14:10:07 -0800 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: "THE DIGEST ASKS GARY - JANUARY 1996" To: numan@cs.uwp.edu THE DIGEST ASKS GARY - JANUARY 1996 ----------------------------------- As usual, info on how to send questions are at the end of the session. Gary's responses to this month's and March's Digest Questions may be delayed due to the Premier Tour preparations and performances but he has promised to get to them when he can, even though I offered to put the session on hold until April - what a guy! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Laura Hamilton of Denver, Colorado, USA asks: Q1. In previous Q&As you mentioned that you don't read much sci-fi anymore. You have, however, referenced reading Clive Barker (horror). Have you ever read American horror writer H.P. Lovecraft who was most prolific during the 1920s and late 1930s? I ask because Lovecraft has written stories of pure horror ("The Dunwich Horror") and fantasy ("Dream Quest of Unkown Kadath"). If you are familiar with Lovecraft, do you like his stories? If unfamiliar, I think you may enjoy his writing and highly recommend him. A1. I haven't read any Lovecraft but I'll go out and get some as soon as I can. The more variety of influence I can get hold of the better. ---- Dan Coffey of Princeton, New Jersey, USA asks: Q2. Aside from your music, I was always a fan of the Police. Since you both kinda rose to popularity at the same time, though different musical influences, had you ever met Sting? I know they were regulars at the Marquee, which is why i ask.... A2. I've met him a few times. He used to record at my Rock City Studios in the Shepperton Film Centre and once took me around the set of one of the films he was working on but I can't remember what one it was. It was a horror film I think. Q3. Aside from forgetting lyrics, have you had any intensely embarrassing moments on stage? :) A3. Not really. I've had plenty of power failures and gear breaking down, that kind of thing, but nothing that was personally embarrassing. I did fall over once but I went over so slowly that people didn't know I'd actually fallen. I got my jacket hooked up on a girl singers clothes, started the wrong song, all pretty tame stuff. I must have been very lucky. Q4. How did you meet Nash the Slash and how many times have you recorded with him? (I had one of his albums with a two headed guy on it, but i can't recall the name...liked his stuff though) A4. I met him in Toronto when I was due to play there. He was doing a gig in a local club and someone took us all out to see him. I can't remember how many times we recorded things together, just once I think. Q5. You mentioned that you very much like Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love...i couldn't help but notice a striking similarity of that song to your 'New Anger' (aside from the chorus)...was this intentional? A5. Guilty. It was a clear influence that I let get the better of me. ---- >From Joey Lindstrom of Calgary, Alberta, Canada Gary, Just finished screening "The Unborn" to some unsuspecting folk, including one self-avowed "Numan-hater". Afterwards there came the usual discussion about strengths and weaknesses... and the overwhelming consensus was that the movie's strong point was the spooky music... a point that was initially raised by the "Numan-hater"! I let him prattle on for about 15 minutes before finally giving him the bad news. :-) With that introduction, it will come as no surprise that my questions this month are related to the "Unborn Project". Q6. This was a case where you were working with another musician (Michael R Smith) and under the direction of "somebody at the studio". How well did this relationship work out? Was the finished product something you consider yourself proud of? Was it something you consider to be YOUR work? A6. It worked very well. I'd done a lot of work with Mike before anyway, although not co-writing, so that was unlikely to become a problem anyway. The 'direction' was also very easy to live with. Yes I was very pleased with the music although a little disappointed at the extra reverbs and such like that were added to our final mixes when the music was added to the film after it left my studio. I felt that it took away much of the clarity and covered up some of the more intricate musical parts. I consider it to be as much mine as anything co-written can ever be. I don't think that the changes made by the film people, or the direction from that side, were enough for me to stop thinking of the music as mine, or rather ours. Q7. It occurs to me that further soundtrack projects might be an excellent way to re-establish your good name in North America without anyone (with prejudices) realizing it... and your work on The Unborn stands as an outstanding example of what you're capable of. My question to you is - is this something you are actively pursuing? I don't mean simply being ready to consider any offer... I mean are you actively SEEKING such work. A7. Getting the chance to write music for a film of serious consequence is far harder than getting to number one so I don't really see it as an easy option. I am not actively pursuing film work no, nor am I likely to in the near future. I think you may be underestimating how much music I can write in any given time. At the moment I am trying to finish Exile, I will, as soon as the tour is over, be mixing and editing the live album and video. I will probably tour again when the Exile album comes out and I still have to finish off the ballad album, not forgetting the possibility of the unplugged album. I also have to design all of the artwork for all of those projects plus the tour programmes, posters, t-shirts, itineraries, passes etc not to mention the light shows themselves plus a great deal of preparation for the musical elements of the tour(s). I also have 3 newsletters and a yearbook to complete the artwork for this year, the NuWORLD web site to maintain, an air display season to organise and fly in, plus a whole load more trivial but time consuming stuff. I'm also talking to Microprose concerning an ongoing relationship whereby I will write music for some of their computer games. None of the above takes into account the promotional efforts that go in to actually trying to sell all of this stuff. And I'm still trying to get on and write my 'Pray' book. This is quite a busy year already, but it's a fairly typical year in terms of workload. Bear in mind also that this only lists stuff that I will be doing in the UK. If things pick up my international commitments could make this list look like a holiday. This is a long winded way of saying that, at the moment, I don't think I could even consider doing a film let alone actively seeking one. I think film music is definitely something that I would like to do more of in the future but I don't see how I could do it now so there is no point in looking for that kind of work. ---- Hi! This is Matthew Tamea in London, UK (mtamea@caci.co.uk). Q8. I was watching the Dream Corrosion video last night and was remembering all the different tours you've done. For me I think the Emotion tour was one of the best, particularly so the trip out to Belgium with Pete and Frank. Brilliant! But I remember one night when you played at Leicester Polytechnic and there was a (false) fire alarm. Because of the delay caused by everyone having to go outside, the set had to be shortened, particularly as the show was on a Sunday and you weren't meant to play past 10:30. To the delight of everyone there though you did play on. There was a rumour that you incurred a fine because of this. Is this true? If so, how much did they sting you for?!? A8. I remember the incident very well but I can't remember if they actually carried out their threat of fining me for playing longer than they said. It always seemed a bit stupid to me that they would allow big rig concerts into their building, with all the smoke machines and paraphenalia of such an event, but leave all the smoke detectors in the hall turned on. If I had played up until the curfew fans would only have had about an hour of music which hardly seemed fair as it was the Polytechnics stupidity that caused the problem in the first place. Q9. I was just a-wondering...you've had some great backing singers in the past, but how come you never took Tessa Niles on tour? She did backing for so many songs and sounded great. I saw a Jimmy Nail concert on TV over christmas and she did a great job backing for him. A9. I asked her but she couldn't, or didn't want to, do it. I probably couldn't pay her enough money. She is brilliant and is able to work with the most successful people in the world who pay her a great deal of money I would imagine. ------------------------------- Andy McHaffie of Reading, Berkshire, UK asks: Hi Gary, I'm planning on sending you a tape of some interpretations of your songs, from a heavy techno dance floor version of "A Question Of Faith", to guitar versions of the same song, My Shadow In Vain, Down In The Park, Blue Eyes and Berserker. Q10. Would you be able to give me comments on them via the Q/A sessions on the net ? A10. I would rather not to be honest. I'll be quite truthful with you and say that I like about one tape in a hundred of what people send me and I hate being put in the position of either having to tell the truth in that I think it was crap or, and this is normally what I do, lie through my teeth and say how good it was blah blah blah. The question and answer pages are not suitable for this kind of thing anyway as they have to be about things that everyone can share in. Talking about a tape sent to me in private is not very interesting for those people that haven't heard it. Apart from telling people lies about what I think I can't do anything to help anyway. I've noticed over the years how brutally honest fans can be about my music but I'm afraid that I can't do that to people. I don't like hurting peoples feelings so I would prefer it if people didn't ask me for my opinions on their stuff. Send it to me by all means but please don't ask me to comment on it. Q11. Also, in my Shadow In Vain, what does the phrase "Here am I, more roche 5 than pain" mean ? Its one lyric I've always wondered about, and have never heard the phrase Roche 5 anywhere else... A11. When I was younger, school age, I was sent to a psychologist in an attempt to find out why I was 'disturbed' as they put it. They put me on the drugs Nardil and Valium for about a year. Roche 5 was written on the Valium tablets. Q12. Would a possible way of getting back into people's musical consciousness be to go down the John Peel route again. After all, he's Britain's most respected DJ, and you did sessions for him with Tubeway Army.. A12. He's not my most respected DJ and the Tubeway Army sessions were over 18 years ago so I doubt they have much bearing on today's music scene. John Peel has had other things to say about me since then as well which you may not have heard. Not very nice so he can poke right off as far as I'm concerned. In your lyrics, the words that ring truest to me, and the words I always remember are from 'Zero Bars' where you sing "Time heals nothing. It merely rearranges our memories" However, in 'Heart' (I think...) you sing "Time will heal you. Time heals everything" Q13. Was this a conscious contradiction into the way your views have changed or are they both used in different contexts ? What would you say is the truest lyric ? A13. My views haven't changed at all. In the 'Heart' song those words were being sung from a third parties point of view and were meant to signify how much cliched crap people pour on you when they can't think of anything useful to say. I believe that the 'Zero bars' lyric is the truest. ---- >From Jorja Fullerton of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA: You are very brave to be so open and honest with your fans. You really go above and beyond. I cannot begin to tell you what your music means to me, so I will simply offer my most heartfelt, "Thank You". You are very much>appreciated here. Q14. I understand that you had a difficult time handling fame in the past. What do you now find so "amazing" about fame that you want to recapture it (something I don't doubt you'll accomplish), and how at this point in your life do you feel better equipped to deal with both the positive and negative aspects of fame? A14. Very hard to answer in anything less than a book but, to be successful at something that means the world to you is a very special feeling. To have people hang on your every word, on a massive scale, is very rewarding if at times a little daunting. To have people travel in their thousands to see you live is immensely satisfying and the kind of power that comes with making huge money is something that you just have to experience to appreciate. The world opens up to you like the sweetest smelling flower. I am better equipped to deal with it now because of my experience and age. I know better how to avoid as many of the negative things as possible and I know better how to enjoy the positive. You have to learn how to be famous and very few people are famous for long enough to really get the hang of it. I was so busy worrying about what to do next that I lost the moment. ---- Aaron Hannum of Chicago, Illinois, USA asks: Hello Gary, For the past year or so MTV and VH1 have been airing '1980s' or 'what ever happened to?' video specials. Whenever interviews are possible with the 80's bands the general attitude is they feel they have alot to answer for. i.e. they're either embarrassed or ashamed that they made that 'crap'. Even Bowie said at one point that he and Eno were completely responsible for that 'movement' and apologized. Q15. What is your attitude towards your early material and this total mockery that is made of the 80's? A15. This must be an American thing because over here the 80's are all the rage. Nobody is apologising for anything, quite the opposite as 80's clubs are springing up all over the place. I have no problems with any of my earlier material. I certainly don't think it was crap and I don't believe for one minute that Bowie truly believes that any of his early stuff was crap either. Who knows for sure? People have to remember that songs written in 1979 were not really intended to be put alongside songs from 1996 and compared. Everyone and everything changes with time. Likes, dislikes, attitudes, everything. You cannot have a career that spans three or more decades and expect all of that material to stand the test of time. If even a fraction of it does then you have done very well, and been very creative. Personally I like around the chart today and don't exactly see a great deal for anyone to be proud of. The 80's were no better or worse than any other decade. Q16. We all know of your love for films such as Blade Runner and The Terminator. Is there anything recent that has made an impact on you? A16. Not really. I'm told I was about the only person in the world that loved 'Stargate' but it didn't really have a major impact on me apart from opening my eyes to ancient Egyptian symbology and clothing. I thought that was very cool. ---- Scott Allen Abfalter near Detroit, Michigan, USA asks: Gary, I've seen a few written references to short stories you have written both on this Internet list and elsewhere. When listening to your music I find that your lyrics evoke some very strong images (some probably far different than you intended, but evocative nonetheless!) Q17. If your lyrics have such an impact, I'd assume your writing would too. Are your short stories available in any way (via fan club, via letter, via internet?) A17. No 'fraid not. All lost and long forgotten. I used to write for the same reason that other people like to talk and socialise. None of it seemed that important. Q18. Also, on an unrelated topic: Since you like Blade Runner, Aliens and that lot have you ever read William Gibson's 'Neuromancer'? For me Gibson is to prose like Numan is to music. If you have not done so, you might want to pick up a copy, I am sure you would enjoy it. A18. No, but I've heard a great deal about him and the book. He, I think, is the man credited for the 'Cyberspace' tag or something to do with Internet terminology at any rate. I will get the book. ---- Sue and Russ Ashworth of ? ask: Q19. When are you going to get the credit card facility up and running on NuZone? A19. I have been running regular updates on NuWORLD to keep people informed as to what is going on with the credit card situation. At the moment we are STILL waiting for them to approve us and send the little machine. Every date they have given us for completion has come and gone without any result so we are absolutely at their mercy. I believe that we will be able to handle Visa and Mastercard. Q20. The BBC gave you your shot with Tubeway Army when they showed "Are Friends Electric?" that time on TOTP. a/ What happened to make them become so hostile? b/ Why are they behaving this way towards you? c/ Is there a particular person we can talk to? d/ How can we help? e/ What about MTV? f/ Could we sidestep the Beeb by going for MTV? A20. a/ I don't know. b/ I also don't know. c/ No-one that will do anything. d/ Just keep buying the music and coming to concerts. Longevity is a powerful weapon. e/ Ask MTV. f/ MTV is good but has nowhere near the power in the UK that the BBC has. I would add that BBC television and BBC Radio One are very different organisations run by completely different people. I have no problem with any BBC organisation other than Radio One. Q21. I have a single in my collection: "First Night in Berlin" by Claire Hamill, on which you play. How did this come about? I never saw anything else by her... A21. She was married to Nick Austin who was a director of Beggars Banquet who asked me to play on the track. I've never heard the finished song strangely enough. ---- Brian Hammond of Denver, Colorado (USA) asks: Q22. My favourite track off of _Berserker_ has long been "This Is New Love." There is one thing about this song, however, that has always intrigued me. Just as the song completes its fadeout, one can faintly hear what sounds like a man saying "Oh, yeah!" while bongo sounding drums are being played. I once asked the members of this digest about this strange snippet and managed to stump them all (no small feat!). So, I was wondering if you could let us know what the "story" is behind this oddity. A22. No real story actually. It was just Zaine talking as he stood back from the microphone. Q23. Back in 1990, I spent a term abroad in the UK. One of the primary questions we were asked to ponder and answer, was if there exists a "special relationship" between the United Kingdom and the United States or not. Some feel that the commonality of culture (particularly in the northeastern states) and language has resulted in especially cozy relations between the two countries. Others feel that this "special relationship" is a fabrication that masks a rather pragmatic foreign policy vis-a-vis the two states. I know you don't want to delve into political questions, so if this one is too "political" then simply ignore it. I was merely wondering how you felt about this issue. A23. I believe in the special relationship although I don't know why it exists. I'm also very glad that it does. It may have lots to do with an almost common language, it may be our connected history although Britain is connected with almost every country somewhere along it's empirical history line so that may not be it. I hope it's real and I hope it lasts. Q24. One of the other artists I collect is Nash the Slash. I was wondering if a) you are at all familiar with his solo work from 1978 - 1985 b) if you like any of his music c) what was he like to tour and record with? and finally d) if the opportunity arose again - and without too much expense on your part - would you consider recording with Nash the Slash again in the future? A24. a/ Not really. b/ Couldn't say because of a. c/ He was excellent to tour with, interesting and good fun. d/ Probably not because I've become a recording hermit again. I'd like to know what he's doing though and how he is getting on. ---- Vincent Attard of ?, Florida asks: Gary, I'd like to bring up something that might be a good idea. Q25. How about publishing a small tour biography book? I've noticed that many artists such as U2 and Queen have put one out and I think it would be a good idea. I understand that it is a lot of work compiling set lists and writing down particular instances of shows and such, but I'm thinking- If your live CD's sell well- why wouldn't a small Live Book? A25. I don't fully understand what this tour biography is. Is it a book that looks back at all of my tours or just one? I have no idea about set lists from previous tours apart from what's on the live albums which could be a problem. I have thought about putting out a photographic booklet of a tour that could I guess easily be made into a one tour biography. I like the sound of that. Is that what these other bands have done? Q26. I'm curious, you mentioned "Noise Noise" as being one of your personal favourite tracks. Why was it omitted off the "I, Assassin" release and instead used as a 'B' side? A26. It's become one of my favourites. When I finished recording it I had heard it so many times I was sick to death of it. That's often why I put the wrong songs on B-sides, it all depends on when they were recorded. The earlier songs that haven't been listened to for a few months tend to sound fresher than the more recently recorded things. Hence some very dodgy decisions on album track listings and singles. Q27. One song that I've always thought was brilliant was "Unknown and Hostile". What are your feelings on this song as you look back? I'm just curious also, according to album credits this song was the only song you played guitar on from 1984- 1991 when you played acoustic guitar on "Dream Killer". Why did you decide to pick up the axe on that one? A27. I think it's okay but nothing special. I don't remember playing guitar on it so I wonder if the credit refers to a sampled guitar. I would have to get out the original tapes to be sure and they're not here at the moment. Q28. I've never seen you live but have associated with a lot of fans who have and over the years songs like "War Songs" and "Strange Charm" have popped up infrequently during tours, but have never been done night after night. Is this because, these songs are difficult to get right on stage or do you like to play them only once in a while? A28. No those songs are easy to get right, most of my stuff is far from technical so it's very easy to get most of them right actually. Sometimes I drop things because I don't think that they have gone down very well, sometimes because I just go off them after a while. Some songs sound good on record but just don't seem to come across well live. It varies. Q29. Finally, can you ever remember just having a disaster with a song on a tour or in rehearsal and just saying "can that one!" A29. I tried to do 'Voix' for three years before I finally managed to get it to work well on stage. It has a very strange, disjointed percussion section running through it that actually supplies 99 per cent of the groove and I just couldn't recreate the same feel. Got it eventually though. ---- >From Tim Gould (tgould@alumni.caltech.edu), Pasadena, California, USA: Hi Gary -- Q30. "Dance" is my all-time favorite album and (it seems to me) marks a radical change in your musical style. Can you say what sort of things were going through your mind at the time you recorded it? A30. I thought it, the career, was possibly coming to an end. I was very bewildered by the things that had happened to me since becoming successful, blackmail, death threats, a wierdo on every corner or so it seemed. Love lost, all that kind of thing. ---- >From John Marques Carramao of Walnut Creek, California, US.A Q31. 'The Image is' & 'We Need It' really stand out to me thanks to the 'dreamlike' quality of the sound and the extra added inflection of emotion in your singing of these two songs. Further,'The Image Is' seems to be the forerunner of Absolution. I would be gratified to know what these two songs are about and if you had any thoughts on these two tracks that you would be willing to share with us. Thank you. A31. 'The Image Is' I can't remember at all I'm afraid. I've listened to it again but can't honestly say that it means anything to me. Maybe if I could see the lyrics it would all come back to me as they are too difficult to make out on the record. 'We Need It' is about how unpleasant fame can make a person. ---- Derek Langsford of San Diego, California, USA asks: In the past you said that you usually have to edit down your original recordings of songs to produce the regular length album, meaning you already have extended versions ready to go without having to do much if any remixing. Hence you can release extended versions at the same time or shortly after the original version. Q32. Does this also apply to your IRS albums i.e. is there an extended "Metal Rhythm" and "Outland"? I suspect not because there would have been extended mixes for the singles wouldn't there? Just checking :-) (BTW, copying recorded works is not illegal in the USA as long as it is for personal use or a gift :-) ). A32. It's not quite as simple as that actually as not all parts of original long versions are fully developed especially if obvious edit points are figured out before the mixing stage begins. Those underdeveloped parts are then worked on later. Also it's only been in more recent years, mainly due to hard disc recording technology, that I've recorded overly long versions of songs anyway. Before, when tape splicing was the only way to edit, it was far more important to record things in the way you wanted them to end up. There are no extended versions of 'Outland' or 'Metal Rhythm'. I think I may have explained this badly before but to give a full and accurate answer as to how I record and whether long versions are available or even practical we would have to go through the albums one by one. Q33. We know you are a fan of Depeche Mode but has that always been the case, even back in the days of their tinkley-bonk beginnings? A33. I liked them before but I love what they are doing now. Q34. Did you keep up with what other synth based artists were doing back in the late 70s/early 80s, specifically Ultravox, John Foxx, Yazoo, Blancmange, Visage and did you like any of these artists? Has your perspective on them changed over time? A34. Ultravox were good up until Midge Ure joined in my opinion, apart from 'Vienna'. John Foxx's solo stuff never touched me at all, didn't really like it. Yazoo and Blancmange I kind of missed for some reason although I remember one or two singles as being okay and Visage I always hated with a passion, well Steve Strange actually if I'm to be honest. I wasn't interested in what other synth artists were doing because, in my opinion again, I'd already begun to move on from my 'synthy' days with my use of other instruments being added to the synths that in themselves were developing into more interesting and capable machines. I did feel, and still do whenever I hear it, that a lot of the following wave of synth bands simply repeated the same old ideas in a lighter, more poppy kind of way. Q35. Do you have any more domesticated things you like to do - cooking, gardening? Do you eat out all the time or survive on Wagon Wheels with Gemma :-) and have a gardener? I find these activities very therapeutic and a means of getting away from technology and the rat-race gardening and cooking that is, not eating Wagon Wheels). A35. I have a tractor that I use to keep the grass down in my field. I only cook burgers and chips and we do not have a gardener although we do need one. My way of getting away from the pressures of the music business is air display flying. It requires so much concentration that you cannot afford to think of anything else. These days I also ride out on the motorbike a lot. Q36. Do you have a favourite cuisine - English, Italian, French, Chinese, Indian, Thai, German, Greek, American or other? A36. I don't like Chinese, Indian, Thai, German, Mexican, Japanese or anything wriggly. I like fish and chips, burgers, steaks, English roast, most meat, English pork sausages and fried chicken. I am not a vegetarian. I hate vegetables, ALL OF THEM. I do not eat sweets (as in fruit bon bons and all that) and I hate coffee. The only ice cream I like is plain old vanilla. I do not drink alcohol because I don't like it and I don't smoke. I am quite content to eat exactly the same thing everyday for months and not get bored with it whereas I notice that most people seem to prefer to eat something different everyday if they can. I am not interested in trying new foods at all and if I don't like the smell of something, which is most of the time, a gun to my head couldn't make me try it. Well maybe a gun but not much else. ---- That's it. Bye. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE NOTE! Send your questions via email to: Derek Langsford with a subject line of: Gary's Qs Include your real name and the town/city, county/province/state and country where you are located. Please follow these directions carefully and DO NOT post your questions to the Digest. Use a question from a posted session as a guide to the best format to use. Please write out fully the name of your state or province. I doubt if Gary would know the difference between MA, ME, MI and MO. It'd be really nice if you could copy the format of the questions as presented here. That would allow me to simply copy and paste questions into my email to Gary rather than spend an hour or so formatting them all. Questions are collated and sent to Gary at the end of each month and Gary's answers are posted ASAP after he responds. I reserve the right to delete and edit questions for content or length. Thanks to all who participated. Derek -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derek H. Langsford dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu Dept. of Biology Tel. (619) 594 2885 San Diego State University Fax (619) 594 7831 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Feb 1996 02:07:12 -0500 From: GYMnIF@aol.com Subject: Auction Closed To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello! My auction is now closed to new bidders. There are about 20 bidders actively pursuing the items, but that number will dwindle and everything should be wrapped up in less than a week, I hope I will post another list in a few weeks and either do another auction, or a set sale. Thank you to everyone who made bids, it is really appreciated. I hope I conducted the auction well and did not cause any hard feelings with anyone. -jim ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Feb 1996 14:20:59 -0800 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: Babylon 8 Poll results To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I have collated the results of my Babylon 8 poll. Again, this poll was fraught with frustration in that few Digest subscribers have been able to get the Babylon CDs due to very limited availability outside the UK and most of our subscribers are American. Perhaps when credit card orders are possible via NuWORLD purchases of the discs and interest might rise. I would certainly not read this lack of response as there being no interest. I would assume Gary could sell as many copies of a eighth volume as he did of the earlier Babylon volumes because it would contain hard to find material on the CD format. The series so far has been a huge relief to completists. The songs listed below are not yet on CD so demand for such a disc might be even greater because it would give the best value in new songs or versions on CD per disc of the whole series. Total number of votes - a rather dispppointing 9. votes Song ----- ---- 9 No Shelter 8 My Dying Machine Italian remix (came on 7" free with Numa compilation LP) 8 This Ship Comes Apart (long version from 12" - 7" version was used on vol 2) 6 New Thing from London Town extended 5 I Still Remember RSPCA 12" version (7" used on vol 3) 5 Machine And Soul (mix 1) from the 12" vol 1 4 The Skin Game nu mix (Ibid) 4 Soul Protection (live from "Machine And Soul" 12", volume 1) 4 Respect (live - Ibid) 4 I Can't Stop extended 12" (10" Club mix used on vol 4) 3 New Thing from London Town 7" 3 I Can't Stop 7" 3 This is Love 7" 3 Emotion (12" edit - slightly shorter than CD mix used on vol 6) 3 Machine And Soul (mix 2) from the 12" vol 2 3 From Russia Infected (live - Ibid) 3 Outland (live - Ibid) 2 My Dying Machine Italian remix instrumental 2 The Skin Game lycra mix (from Skin Game 12") 2 Confession (live - Ibid) 2 Your Fascination (live from "Machine And Soul" 12", volume 2) 2 On Broadway (1984 studio performance from Leo Sayer Show) 1 This Is New Love (1984 studio performance from Leo Sayer Show) 1 Paul Gardiner's "Venus in Furs" 1 Nick Robson's 'Stars' A couple of people included Beggars Banquet material which made me realize the intention for this series was lost on some people. So, from this, the most popular choices for a potential Babylon 8 of 6 songs are: No Shelter My Dying Machine Italian remix (came on 7" free with Numa compilation LP) This Ship Comes Apart (long version from 12" - 7" version was used on vol 2) New Thing from London Town extended I Still Remember RSPCA 12" version (7" used on vol 3) Machine And Soul (mix 1) from the 12" vol 1 and if the My Dying Machine Italian remix tapes indeed are sadly lost, as Gary indicated at one time, then "Skin Game" nu mix (from Skin Game 12") could be substituted. I would suggest putting them in chronological order on any disc. 1. My Dying Machine (Italian remix) 2. No Shelter 3. This Ship Comes Apart (long version) 4. I Still Remember RSPCA (12" version) 5. New Thing from London Town (12" extended) 6. Machine And Soul (12" mix 1) IMO, this would make a wonderful addition to the series. Despite the lack of poll response I think these songs would top the list for most Numan collectors and owners of the other Babylon volumes and go that one step further in completing the transfer of Gary's back catalogue to CD from vinyl. I understand that was not his original intention with the series but that was what was written on the flyer to Fan club members announcing the series, hence the suggestions of missing tracks. We should also realize that "No Shelter" and "New Thing" may need him to get permission from Mike Smith and Bill Sharpe and are not songs he considers his own, but, they are considered by fans to be part of his own catalogue and are extremely highly desirable to be put on CD. I told Gary that I realised he may be tempted to think that the lack of response indicates no demand and that making a volume 8 would be a losing proposition. I think if he asked most of his Fan Club members and they actually responded, they would like to see such a disc appear. I hope he will seriously consider it, even if it has to be postponed till very much later. Gary's reponse was: >I'm still a long way from making my mind up about a Babylon >8. As you know I've never really been that keen on it but it may happen. I think most of the fans who own the series would love to see an 8th volume with the suggested material. We'll have to wait and see. Maybe I will raise the issue again towards the latter part of 1996. Derek -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derek H. Langsford dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu Dept. of Biology Tel. (619) 594 2885 San Diego State University Fax (619) 594 7831 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Feb 1996 17:20:40 -0500 (EST) From: "Vincent Attard (COM)" Subject: Back digests To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hey out there... I've been trying to link into past digests and most importantly THE DIGEST ASKS GARY sessions and am having trouble. Thank you to Derek who sent me to a few web sites, but one site says no URL found and the other won't work either. Am I an idiot? These are what I'm searching: (Looking to get in through Netscape browser) http://www.archive.uwp.edu http://www.netway.ab.ca/numanoid/wwwebb.html What's wrong here Thanks guys Vince ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Feb 1996 11:39:39 -0800 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: Berserker confusion - resolved? To: numan@cs.uwp.edu In #198 Jorja questioned: >Yo Everyone: >If all of the songs on Berserker were written in 1984, why does the back of >my CD say 1991? Why did Gary wait so long to release this material (and, >until 1995, only to the fan club)? Did it have anything to do with Paul? "Berserker" was generally released in the UK in the fall of 1984 on vinyl (which ran about 45 mins) and on cassette (which ran 59+ mins and is the version released on CD). The album was not pressed on CD at that time, I assume, because CDs were only just coming on the market and there was little UK demand for them. The first CDs were almost all classical. In 1991 the UK Fan Club issued "Berserker" on CD for the first time but made it available only through the Fan Club. Numa had just been restarted and a distribution deal with Pinnacle had not been made. The original CD had p & c 1991 on it referring to the year of release of this CD. I think that was a mistake which has been carried over to the new CD as well. I asked Gary about it and he said: >The p and c date refers to the initial pressing of the CD version of the >album not the date of the original recording. The other, original, CD also >had 1991 on it. If this causes fans any confusion, and I suppose it could, >they can always look up one of many other sources of info, live albums, >tour programmes, newsletters, Nu-Zone etc to find an accurate discography >or other relevant info that would clear things up so I'm not overly >concerned. It would have been better if I'd put a reference to the original >recording date when I re-did the Berserker artwork but I didn't think of >it. If I am not mistaken, the p refers to publishing date and should have been 1984. The c refers to copyright and might also be 1984 or 1991 if it refers to the specific format. Anyway, I think it terribly misleading to newscomers to not even mention 1984 as the date the album was originally released. I wonder how many have not bought it because it appears to be an album that was recorded between "Outland" and "Machine and Soul" which no doubt might put a lot off from buying it if they didn't know the whole story. Who but a devoted fan would look up the info if they didn't know it already? I hope that clears things up. Derek -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derek H. Langsford dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu Dept. of Biology Tel. (619) 594 2885 San Diego State University Fax (619) 594 7831 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Feb 1996 20:36:25 +0000 From: sbarrett@iol.ie (Stephen Barrett) Subject: G.MISSES POLL + YANKS - GET YOUR ASS OVER TO THE 'PREMIER' TOUR!!! To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hi Numanoids, Although I'm new to the digest I assume that the Greatest Misses Poll is trying to get info about which songs the fans would most like to hear played live,especially those that have never been performed on stage or have'nt got an airing for 10 years.Am I right?Someone please tell me.Alrighty then here's my selection in no particular order: (1) ZERO BARS (MR.SMITH) (2) COMPLEX (3) THE PLEASURE SKIN (4) I WONDER (5) CRASH (WITH HARDER + MORE POWERFUL DRUMMING) (6) STRANGE CHARM (SHORTER VERSION) (7) SOMETHINGS IN THE HOUSE (8) RANDOM (FANTASTIC INTRO) (9) DON'T CALL MY NAME (10) THIS WRECKAGE (11) METAL (SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE SECOND 'PLEASURE PRINCIPLE' SINGLE) (12) REMEMBER I WAS VAPOUR (13) MUSIC FOR CHAMELEONS (14) SISTER SURPRISE (SINGLE VERSION) (15) I STILL REMEMBER (EITHER VERSION) (16) WHISPER OF TRUTH (FAR BETTER THAN 'YOU WALK IN MY SOUL') (17) MY DYING MACHINE (SINGLE VERSION) (18) TIME TO DIE (BEST LIGHTING SEQUENCE ON THE 'ISOLATE' TOUR) (19) CHANGE YOUR MIND (MORE POWERFUL VERSION WITH BILL SHARPE ON STAGE - GREAT ENCORE) (20) THE SKIN GAME (HIGHLY UNDERRATED - LYCRA MIX) Since I was added to the mailing list I've noticed how many American fans state that they last saw Numan live in 1980 or 1982 or NEVER AT ALL.I got into Gary's music in 1987 and has been one of my life's turning points.I first saw him live at Bristol's Colston Hall on the 'Metal Rhythm' tour.I witnessed an extraordinary show that night.NOTHING could have prepared me for the exhilaration,wonder,adrenalin,pure joy and astonishment that I experienced.The concerts I have attended since continue to light up my life and are truly some of the very best days of my life. When the house lights go down and the intro music blasts through the PA adrenalin pumps through your body that makes life so incredibly special.The roars of 'NUMAN' and 'GARY' fill the venue with unrestrained passion.Whistles and screams create a sense of anticipation that you wil not experience anywhere else.And then suddenly HE is there before your very eyes and you are spellbound!If only everyday was this magical.NO video,photograph or review will create the atmosphere of a NUMAN concert.I have no doubt in my mind when I say that you have not truly lived untill you see GARY NUMAN in concert. So my American friends I urge you to head straight to your bank(get a loan if necessary) and then go to your travel agent and make your plans and dreams come true.You can pay back the dosh and have memories you'll never forget.Don't be dissuaded by recent live albums:good as they are they don't capture the full power of the amazing live sound(more about this in my next message).Make 1996 the best year of your life so far.You won't regret it!!! Take care, Stephen Barrett ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Feb 1996 17:24:43 EST From: "Kay Teel" Subject: Numan FAQ version 2.0b -- correction To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Mea culpa! Already there is a correction to the FAQ: The FTP site is at: ftp.uwp.edu NOT at cs.uwp.edu You can find this FAQ as well as the full discography, etc., there. --Kay Teel teel@is.nyu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Feb 1996 16:31:45 EST From: "Kay Teel" Subject: Numan FAQ version 2.0b 96-02-06 To: datta@cs.uwp.edu, numanoid@jupiter.netway.ab.ca, numan@cs.uwp.edu _The Gary Numan FAQ_ Version 2.0b Compiled by Kay Teel with input from various members of the Numan Digest mailing list . Special thanks to Derek Langsford , Brian Hammond , Joey Lindstrom , Markus Dietrich . Report errors and additions to: Kay Teel . Much information was taken from: _Gary Numan: the Authorised Biography_ by Ray Coleman. !! Note: This FAQ does NOT include the complete Numan discography, which can be found in the ftp sites at: cs.uwp.edu and mirrors.aol.com/pub/music/lists/numan !! !! Note: For the latest Numan info, visit NuWorld, the official Numan website at http://www.numan.co.uk !! Contents: I. Biographical and Personal Info II. Common Questions (Personal, Lyrics, and Misc.) III. Collaborations IV. Covers of Gary Numan Songs V. Numan and IRS Records VI. Chart Positions VII. Numan Books VIII. Useful Addresses IX. CD Releases Section I: Biographical and Personal Info: 1.) The basics Gary Numan was born Gary Anthony James Webb on 8 March 1958 in Chiswick Hospital in London, England. He grew up in Ashford and Wraysbury. Parents-- Beryl (Lidyard) Webb and Tony Webb. He has a younger brother (adopted) named John. Schools: Gary attended Town Farm Junior School, Stanwell; Ashford Grammar School; Stanwell Secondary Modern; and Brooklands Technical College, Weybridge, which he left at age 17. He held various odd jobs after leaving college. Flying: Next to music, Gary's passion in life is his flying. He earned his first pilot's license in 1980. In 1981-82 he made his problem-plagued round-the-world flight. He has flown in numerous air displays, released a video on his hobby, and remains actively interested in flying. First guitar: age 4. First electric guitar: age 13. Began writing songs around age 15. Bands: (1) Crimson Lake. When he was 15, he was in the band for about 1 month before being fired. (2) Black Gold -- for a couple of gigs only. The band split up. (3) Mean Street -- Gary formed this band, which went through many names until at last settling on Mean Street. The rest of the band kicked Gary out, an experience he recounts in the song "Mean Street." (4) The Lasers -- Gary joined this band and met bassist Paul Gardiner. They formed Tubeway Army, then left the band, taking the name with them, and recruited Gary's uncle Jess Lidyard on drums. Tubeway Army were recording a demo tape at Spaceward Studios, Cambridge, when Gary happened across a synthesizer. He liked what he heard and changed the band's musical direction. Tubeway Army were signed to Beggars Banquet Records, an up and coming small label, in 1978. Tubeway Army released the self-titled first album (originally released in a limited edition blue vinyl pressing in a blue sleeve). The next album, _Replicas_ was released in the UK under Tubeway Army, but for all intents and purposes, Tubeway Army no longer existed at this point. 2.) Problems with the press From almost the start of his rise to fame, Gary has been beset by problems from the British music press. Bad reviews, misquoted interviews, and sniping comments were common. For a while in 1980-81, Gary refused to do any interviews, saying the papers would print whatever they wanted anyway. The press eventually went on to other targets, but the initial nastiness has meant a legacy of the British music press never taking Numan seriously. 2a.) Problems with the BBC The BBC boycott really took hold after 1980. As Numan has mentioned in one of the Images albums, "Down In The Park" was the one and only single of his to ever get good reviews. John Peel of BBC1 did like Numan and even allowed him to cut two Peel Sessions (most groups only got one). Numan's music was played on BBC1 during his peak years (1979 - 1982) but by _Warriors_ onwards, getting radio play became increasingly difficult. By the time he formed Numa Records in 1984, it was nigh impossible to get BBC1 to play anything more than once. Numan is left having to do promotional spots and interviews on independent radio in the UK because BBC1 still won't have anything to do with him. (Although they did play the single "Radio Heart" a little bit, it wasn't really a Numan single.) Section II: Common Questions: A.) Personal: 1.) Where did he get the name Numan from? Gary changed his last name to Numan around the time he formed Tubeway Army. He found the name by leafing through a London telephone directory and finding "Neumann," which he altered to "Numan." 2.) I have an old Tubeway Army single that gives his name as Valeriun. Where did that come from? The band was trying to use "futuristic" names and Gary chose that one. The idea was soon abandoned. Gary's comment: "Quite probably my most stupid idea." 3.) Has Gary ever composed music for commercials? In 1978 he sang (but did not provide the music) for a Lee Cooper Jeans advertisement. Gary commented on this: "Apparently the man in charge of making the music for the ad heard my voice when a man in the next office was playing the blue album, several months before I had the success with Are Friends Electric. I was paid 40 pounds. Actually I was paid 40 pounds again because they changed some of the words and got me back in to redo it. I was ripped off badly, no repeat fees. When I asked if the ad was going to be made into a single, which was all the rage at the time, I was made to feel pretty small and sent on my way like a silly little boy. A few months later I was number one and took great pleasure in telling the same arrogant git of an ad man to fuck off when they asked me to sing the song again as they were going to put it out as a single after all." In 1982 he wrote the music for a 7-Up ad (UK only). He also wrote music for a French perfume commercial in 1994. Some of that music ended up on _Sacrifice_. It was not used by the perfume company as it was considered too dark. 4.) Has Gary ever composed movie soundtracks? He did the soundtrack for the horror film, _The Unborn_ (1991). As of 11/1/95, the soundtrack has not been released, though thefilm is available on video. A Fall 1995 Numa Records release, _Human_, contains music written for consideration for use in the film, although it isn't the actual soundtrack. 5.) When did Gary "retire" from touring and why? And why did he return to touring? In August 1981, Gary put on his highly-publicized farewell concerts at Wembley Arena, near London. He was still at his peak in popularity and had completed his very successful Touring Principle and Teletour tours. He lost money on all the tours, because of the huge shows he put on, but his main reason for announcing his retirement was pressure. He had risen to fame very quickly, and wanted to step out of the spotlight for a while. He wanted to concentrate on his music, and devote more time to flying. He also saw video as the future of music and planned to go into making short films but this never materialized. He returned to touring after the album _Dance_ was released. He missed it, and the fans had never stopped asking for his return. 6.) Has Gary had a hair transplant operation? He had one in 1982, and discussed it in detail in a _Smash Hits_ interview around that time. 7.) Didn't Gary live in America for a while? In 1982 he left the UK for tax reasons, and lived in Los Angeles for a year. 8.) Is Gary gay? Married? Gary is not gay, though some of his lyrics have been interpreted to contain gay-themed references. He is not married, and has been living with his girlfriend for several years. B.) Lyrics: 1.) Who was Jo the Waiter? Although "Jo the Waiter" is probably a fictitious character, Gary once dated a girl named Jo during the time he was keeping a notebook of story and lyric ideas. 2.) What are S.U.'s? According to the Coleman biography (p.70), S.U. was "a comment on his turbulent relationship at the time with Su Wathan, the press girl at Beggars Banquet." 3.) Where did MachMen come from? MachMen was an abbreviated form of Machine Men, taken from a comic strip Numan used to read. 4.) What is the Japanese bit in "This Wreckage?" Transliterated as: "wakareyo", it can be translated as "I am going to leave" or "I am going to part company [with you]." 5.) What were "letters like D.E.B." in "We Take Mystery (To Bed)"? Another comment on a girlfriend, Deb. C.) Misc: 1.) Has Gary been influenced by William S. Burroughs? Numan started reading Burroughs after hearing others talk about his writings. Numan is quoted in the Coleman biography (p.68) as saying, "I couldn't figure out Burroughs' books at all, but I did find I could get so many ideas from page to page." 2.) Has Gary been influenced by Philip K. Dick? Gary read the books by science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, and got many ideas from them. The title "Are 'Friends' Electric?" was probably modeled on _Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?_. Also, _Bladerunner_ (based on this novel) is one of Numan's favorite films, and he has used samples from the film in several songs. 3.) Who were his other influences? Other influences he has mentioned are: Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Ultravox with John Foxx, Kraftwerk. He mentions modeling his early, androgynous look on Bolan and Bowie. His Warriors image was drawn from Mad Max, and his Dance and I, Assassin image from watching old Humphrey Bogart films. 4.) What happened to Paul Gardiner? Paul Gardiner released a solo single, "Stormtrooper In Drag" backed with "Night Talk" (from _Dance_) which was a collaboration with Numan. Unfortunately, his addiction to heroin led him away from Numan, and in 1984 he died of an overdose. His single "Venus In Furs" was released posthumously on the Numa label. 5.) What is the symbol on the _Sacrifice_ album? It is a caduceus, a wing-topped staff with 2 snakes winding about it, carried by Hermes in Greek legend. To the Greeks, it symbolized fertility, sun-gods, wisdom, and healing. It is a common symbol for the medical profession. 6.) What is the album _Photograph_? It was a German compilation album released in 1980, apparently without Beggars Banquet's consent. For whatever reason, it was quickly deleted and has become a collectors' item, although it does not contain any rare or unreleased tracks. 7.) Is that really a sample from Tears For Fears song on "I Wonder" ? That really is a sample of Tears For Fear's "Shout" on there. In an interview with TFF's Roland Orzabal some years ago, he stated that he lifted the part himself by programming his Drumulator drum machine to play the same part played by a human in the song "Seen and Not Seen" on the Talking Heads album _Remain in Light_. 8.) Is it true Numan is planning a ballad album and an "unplugged" album? Yes, it seems so. We wait. 9.) What are some of the old band members doing now? Chris Payne and Ade Orange formed the group Big Noise UK. They released an album called _Good Morning Baby_. Also of interest, in the mid-1970's Jess Lidyard played drums on the albums _Druid Toward The Sun_ and _Fluid Druid_, which have been rereleased on CD in the UK. Section III. Collaborations: Billy Currie, keyboardist/violinist from Ultravox, played on The Pleasure Principle and toured with Numan on the Touring Principle tour. The group Dramatis (Rrussell Bell, Denis Haines, Chris Payne, and Cedric Sharpley) was formed from Gary's backing band. (Chris Payne had also co-written the Visage single "Fade To Grey.") Dramatis recorded "Love Needs No Disguise," with Numan on vocals, released one album (_For Future Reference_) and a few singles. As of 30/01/96, the Dramatis album had not been released on CD. In 1980, Australian pop singer James Freud traveled to England to work with Numan. Although it was planned that Numan would produce Freud's album, this fell through. Freud is credited ("handclaps") on the album _Telekon_. He later went on to join the group The Models, as did Roger Mason, who toured with Numan on the Teletour. The group Simple Minds are credited on the album _Telekon_ ("handclaps"). Numan co-wrote the songs "Found You Now" and "Style Kills" with Robert Palmer. Palmer also did a cover of "I Dream Of Wires." All of these are on his _Clues_ album. Mick Karn, bassist from the group Japan, played on Dance. So did Japan ex-member, guitarist Rob Dean, and Japan's publicist Connie Filapello provided the Italian spoken parts in "Boys Like Me." Pino Palladino played fretless Bass on _I, Assassin_ (1982). Pino is an acclaimed and extraordinarily talented bass player. He was quoted once in an interview as saying he is most proud of his work he did for Gary Numan on the _I, Assassin_ album. Roger Taylor, drummer from the group Queen, played on _Dance_. Nash the Slash, Canadian keyboardist/violinist and member of the on-again/off-again group FM, toured with Numan in 1980, playing electric violin on the song "The Joy Circuit." He also appears on the _Dance_ album (1981) on the songs "Cry, The Clock Said," "You Are You Are," and "Moral," and toured with Gary on the _Dance_ tour. Nash The Slash had a brief solo career (1977 - 1985) in which he released a few LPS, 12" and 7" singles. Teresa Bazar from Dollar sang backing vocals on "Noise Noise." Bill Nelson provided backing vocals to the song "Poetry and Power" and was involved with the production on the _Warriors_ album. Nelson had his name removed from the credits thought because by the end of the sessions Nelson had "artistic differences" with Numan and did not want his name on it. In 1985-89, Numan worked with Bill Sharpe from Shakatak to put out four singles ("Change Your Mind," "New Thing From London Town," "I'm On Automatic" and "No More Lies"/"Voices") and an album _Automatic_. He may have helped on Sharpe's solo album _Famous People_, the CD of which contains the 12" version of "Change Your Mind." Claire Hamil Yen (produced a few tracks) Big Noise (produced a few tracks) Most of the Numa label artists of 1984-87 Radio Heart: Appearing seemingly out of nowhere (though they come from Scotland), Radio Heart managed to get such big names as Gary Numan and Elton John to help them out on their first (and only) album _Radio Heart_. After three singles were released, an LP and CD of the album came out with Numan prominently pictured on the sleeve and with his name in big letters. This cover created the illusion that this was a Numan album when in fact it was not. Numa got mad and apparently had the clout to pull the plug on the whole deal. A good number of LPs had been released at this point but very few CDs made it out and it is now quite a rare find. The writers of _Radio Heart_'s music were two men named Hugh and David Nicholson. After _Radio Heart_ faded into obscurity, in 1994 a song called "Like A Refugee (I Won't Cry)" was released by a group called Da Da Dang. It was written by Hugh and David Nicholson and Numan was the guest vocalist. Numan co-wrote the song "Shame" with Nick Beggs (ex-member of Kajagoogoo). Generator, formed by Numan guest guitarist Kipper, had Gary do voice-overs on their cover of "Are Friends' Electric?" in 1994. Gary collaborated on a new remix of "Are Friends' Electric?" with UK band Nancy Boy in 1995. Section IV. Covers of Gary Numan Songs: Big Hair: "Cars" ("Shall I Pee On Your Face and Make It Stick" 7" EP (Energy Records 1993)) Caroline Munro: "Pump Me Up" (Numa Records 1984 on 12" and 7") Christian Death: "Down In The Park" (live) (The Iron Mask CD) Foo Fighters: "Down In The Park" (performed live during 1995 tour) Generator: "Are 'Friends' Electric?" ("Are 'Friends' Electric?" CD single (two versions) with Numan contributing to the two spoken parts) Hole: "Cars" (performed live during 1995 tour) Jack'O'Nuts: "My Shadow In Vain" ("Taking Him Over" 7") Judybats: "Cars" ("Daylight" CD single 1991) Kool G Rap & DJ Polo: "Cars" (Road To Riches CD (contains samples from "Cars")) Marilyn Manson: "Down In The Park" ("Lunchbox" CD single 1995) Nancy Boy: "Are Friends' Electric?" [Parts 1 and 2] (UK CD single 1995) Replicants: "Are Friends' Electric?" (album on Zoo Records) Robert Palmer: "I Dream Of Wires" (Clues LP) Sir Mix-A-Lot: "Rippin'" contains samples from "Cars" (Swass LP) Sir Mix-A-Lot: "Lockjaw" contains a sample from "Zero Bars: ["Your silence is my trade"] (Mack Daddy CD) Smashing Pumpkins: "M.E." (performed live during 1995 tour) Tik & Tok: "A Child With The Ghost" (Intolerance LP 1984) And many, many, up-and-coming bands are covering Numan songs (or using Numan samples in their songs). Apparently a journalist for an American magazine went to interview Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson) at his studio and found him in the process of recording a version of "Metal." Section V. Numan and IRS Records: In 1987, Numan penned a deal with long-time fan Miles Copeland to produce _Metal Rhythm_ on Illegal Records (U.K.'s IRS counterpart). However, Gary's 3 record contract with IRS expired upon the release of _Outland_ and Gary was left without a U.S. deal once again. For _Metal Rhythm_, Gary wanted to call it "Cold Metal Rhythm" but was told it was too long a title. The UK release was the only one that contained Gary's own choices for the album. The US, continental European and Japanese releases of the retitled album _New Anger_ had two tracks omitted, 3 songs remixed, and two tracks from _Berserker_ added, one of which was remixed. Gary had nothing to do with the remixes. Gary was not happy with this level of interference in his artistic conceptions. IRS did not want to release the soundtrack Gary did for the movie _The Unborn_. This upset Gary as he was proud of the work he did for it and thought IRS would jump at the chance of putting out an album of music that has a film to advertise it. Gary wanted IRS to help fund a US tour to promote the US album releases of _New Anger_ and _Outland_. IRS would not. The lack of any advertising or promotion apart from a brief visit to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco made Gary feel IRS were not serious about him as an artist on their label. Even the attempt at issuing a US single from _Outland_ was half-hearted. The "My World Storm" US remix only appeared on 12" when CD5s were the more popular format for singles and the T-shirt offer associated with it fizzled with none being printed. Gary's comments on the IRS situation: "IRS fired me, or in music biz parlance, decided not to exercise their option. They messed with my songs in the most disgraceful way, behind my back and at times against my express wishes. They made me work with people who were completely crap and clueless [...] A most unpleasant period." Section VI. Chart Positions: (!!This section under development. If you know the chart positions for other countries, have up-to-date information, or have corrections to this list, please e-mail: teel@is.nyu.edu with the info!!) A.) UK Chart Positions 1.) Albums: Date Pos. Title Weeks Top10 23.06.79 1 Replicas 20 12 01.09.79? 22 Tubeway Army & G.N. 3 -- 15.09.79 1 The Pleasure Principle 10 7 13.09.80 1 Telekon 7 3 02.05.81 2 Living Ornaments 79-80 5 3 19.09.81 3 Dance 4 2 18.09.82 7 I, Assassin 3 1 24.09.83 10 Warriors 5 1 13.10.84 33 The Plan -- 1978 3 -- 01.12.84 39 Berserker 1 -- 20.04.85 27 With Noise (live) 3 -- 05.10.85 15 The Fury 3 -- B.) Singles: 02.06.79 1 Are Friends Electric? 11 8 08.09.79 1 Cars 8 5 01.12.79 5 Complex 6 3 31.05.80 3 We Are Glass 5 4 30.08.80 5 I Die : You Die 5 2 03.01.81 14 This Wreckage 4 -- 05.09.81 4 She's Got Claws 4 2 12.12.81 28 Love Needs No Disguise 1 -- 13.03.82 21 Music for Chameleons 3 -- 04.09.82 16 White Boys & Heroes 2 -- 03.09.83 10 Warriors 5 1 29.10.83 24 Sisters Surprise 2 -- 10.11.84 26 Berserker 3 -- 01.06.85 28 The Live EP 3 -- 17.08.85 28 Your Fascination 2 -- 28.09.85 38 Call Out The Dogs 1 -- 26.04.86 29 This Is Love 3 -- 05.07.86 25 I Can't Stop 3 -- 19.09.87 16 Cars (E reg model) 7 -- 01.10.88 46 New Anger 2 -- 03.12.88 49 America 1 -- Sharpe & Numan: 16.02.86 19 Change Your Mind 5 -- 30.01.88 34 No More Lies 2 -- 03.06.89 44 I Am On Automatic 2 -- Radio Heart (featuring Gary Numan on vocals): 28.03.87 35 Radio Heart 6 -- 13.06.87 48 London Times 2 -- Section VII. Numan Books: 1.) Coleman, Ray. _Gary Numan: The Authorised Biography_. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1982. 128 pages, b&w ill. ISBN 0283988762 The best and fairest assessment of Numan's life and work, but sadly out of date. 2.) Vermorel, Fred & Judy. _Gary Numan By Computer_. London: Omnibus Press, 1980. b&w and color ill. A shoddily-created book of photographs and quotes. 3.) _The Gary Numan Songbook, vol. 1_. London: Chappell Music Ltd., 1982. 79 p., b&w and color ill. Sheet music for 1978-1979 songs (covers songs on the 1st album, _Replicas_ and _The Plan_). Also contains a few reprints of articles. As far as is known, there were never any more volumes published. 4.) _Electric Shadows_. circa 1984. A scrapbook-like compilation of magazine articles and clippings. Section VIII. Useful Addresses: Gary Numan UK Fan Club Gary Numan Fan Club P.O. Box 14 Staines Middlesex TW19 5AU UK Check the NuWorld webpage at: http://www.numan.co.uk for complete fan club information. Gary Numan North American Fan Club (Official) Ron Cole and his wife attempt to provide UK Fan Club services to the rest of the world. For information, please write: Kristina Cole, P.O. Box 1412, Ridgecrest CA 93556-1412 USA. Fax: +1 (619) 384-2346 Gary Numan North American Fan Club (Unofficial) Contact: Jim Napier, 165 Enfield Center Road East, Ithaca, NY 14850. IX. CD Releases: A.) UK CD release of _Living Ornaments_ (BEGA 155CD): Yes, it was planned but Beggars Banquet could not find the tapes for the 1980 show. They wanted to put a full 75 mins of each concert on CD. Beggars Banquet told Numan that they would pair the Wembley 1981 farewell concert with _Living Ornaments '79_ instead. There has been no sign of this set yet. 70+ mins of the _Living Ornaments_ concerts can be found on the Japanese _Asylum_ Volume 3 CD. Even though '79 is edited down they merged it with '80 so it sounds almost like one concert. The omitted tracks are present as bonus tracks on other _Asylum_ Vol. 1 discs. B.) _Berserker_ CD: A _Berserker_ CD (with the cassette extended mixes) saw a limited 2000 disc release via the UK-only Gary Numan Fan Club in 1991. It was Numa's first release after the split with IRS but occurred before the distribution deal with Pinnacle which now distributes all Gary's Numa material. So only a few copies found their way out of the UK. The initial pressing ran out in 1992. The _Berserker_ CD was rereleased by Numa Records in fall 1995. For more information, visit the NuWorld website at http://www.numan.co.uk . C.) Derek Langsford's CDiscography: !! For full discography, visit the ftp site at: cs.uwp.edu or mirrors.aol.com!! (Last updated 2/2/96) This is a simple Discography of Gary's CDs, maintained because most people are interested in getting CDs rather than vinyl these days. It's also a lot smaller than the discography in the music archives which is available from cs.uwp.edu or mirrors.aol.com via anonymous ftp but it is over 115K long. Track listings are not included but pertinent details for collectors are mentioned. Availability ------------ Most of Gary's albums are UK issues. Those outside the UK will need to go to their local import dealer, an on-line source or a mailorder comapany. See Goldmine magazine for potential vendors. Gary's NUMA and Fan Club CDs can be ordered directly from NUMA via their WWW site at http://www.numan.co.uk International ordering is possible with credit card charging being ready sometime in February 1996. The availability status of each item in the CDiscogrpahy is noted after each entry. Please email corrections or additions to dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu ALBUM CDs --------- 1987 UK BEGGARS BANQUET issues ------------------------------ TUBEWAY ARMY & DANCE DELETED REPLICAS & THE PLAN DELETED THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE & WARRIORS DELETED TELEKON/I, ASSASSIN DELETED Two albums per disc but ommitted some tracks. Have been superceded by more recent 2 CD sets without ommission of tracks and addition of extras. Only of value to the completist collector. 1990 JAPANESE SETS from ALFA ---------------------------- ASYLUM 1 (4 CDs) DELETED The Plan, Tubeway Army, Replicas and The Pleasure Principle + bonus tracks ASYLUM 2 (4 CDs) DELETED Telekon, Dance, I, Assassin and Warriors + bonus tracks ASYLUM 3 (1 CD) DELETED Living Ornaments 80 + some of 79 (missing LO 79 tracks are bonus tracks on Asylum 1) Japanese issue of almost everything in Gary's Beggars Banquet catalogue. Available for only a short time and now increasingly rare. Great artwork, full lyrics, discography and tour schedules to 1989 made this set so beautiful, other labels could only dream of doing such a good job. 1993 UK BEGGARS BANQUET reissues -------------------------------- TUBEWAY ARMY & DANCE CURRENT REPLICAS & THE PLAN CURRENT THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE & WARRIORS CURRENT TELEKON/I, ASSASSIN CURRENT Bascially, repeats Asylum 1 & 2 in 2CD packages. Not as lavish as Asylum but has the music if you missed them. The "I, Assassin" CD differs from the Asylum version in that it has a new track "This House is Cold" and uses the album version of "We Take Mystery (to bed)" whereas Asylum used the extended mix of WTM and does not have "This House is Cold". NUMA 1984-1987 catalogue CDs (UK) --------------------------------- dates refer to album release/CD release BERSERKER (extended mixes) 1984/1995 CURRENT Originally issued on CD through UK Fan Club in 1991, now available from the UK as a general release with slightly different artwork. Pressing number was limited so get it while you can! WHITE NOISE (2CD) 1985/1993 CURRENT Berserker tour concert. THE FURY 1985 OUT OF PRINT Expected to be repressed and available in 1996. STRANGE CHARM 1986 OUT OF PRINT Expected to be repressed and available in 1996. GHOST (2CD) 1987/1992 CURRENT Exhibition Tour concert. IRS RECORDS (1988-91) --------------------- METAL RHYTHM (UK only) 1988 DELETED NEW ANGER 1988 DELETED US/Ger/Jap CD Album of Metal Rhythm material. Has 8 MR tracks, 2 of which were remixed (Devious, New Anger) and adds a William Orbit remix of "My Dying Machine", plus "A Child with a a Ghost". THE SKIN MECHANIC (1 CD) Live 1989 DELETED OUTLAND 1991 DELETED Both these albums appeared with same tracks in UK, US Germany and Japan. NUMA 1992-present (UK only) ---------------------------- all CDs released at time of first issue. MACHINE + SOUL 1992 CURRENT MACHINE + SOUL extended (error pressing) 1993 WITHDRAWN contained only the 9 album tracks while listing the bonus b-sides on the disc and inserts. MACHINE + SOUL extended 1993 CURRENT Corrected the error pressing. DREAM CORROSION (2 CDs) 1994 CURRENT Dream Corrosion Tour concert. SACRIFICE 1994 CURRENT SACRIFICE extended 1995 CURRENT DARK LIGHT (live 2 CDs) 1995 CURRENT Sacrifice Tour concert. HUMAN 1995 CURRENT Music from the Unborn Soundtrack sessions, composed with Mike Smith. EXILE DUE SEPT 1996 SPECIAL REISSUES ---------------- REPLICAS 1995 CURRENT resissue from specialist UK label. No bonus tracks. Compilations (UK only unless otherwise stated) ------------ EXHIBITION (2 CD) 1987 DELETED UK/Ger/Can/Jap 2CD set. Gary's first Beggars Banquet CDs. Canadian version has Voices, No More Lies and Change Your Mind, plus Cars E' Reg. Model twice! THE COLLECTION 1988? (Castle) CURRENT Gary's first compilation on another label. ISOLATE 1992 CURRENT First CD from reformed Numa label. DOCUMENT SERIES presents GARY NUMAN 1992 (Doc) CURRENT Rehash but has the extended mixes of "We Take Mystery" as on Asylum and "White Boys and Heroes" which is not very noteably different from the album version. For completists only. THE OTHER SIDE OF GARY NUMAN 1992 (Receiver) DELETED First of 3 albums contracted for release by Receiver Records. Decent compilation of Numa material that compliments Isolate. THE BEST OF GARY NUMAN 1978-1983 1993 CURRENT Another UK/Ger/Jap 2CD 'best of" from Beggars Banquet, very similar to Exhibition. Even has the same liner notes and pictures. Was released to promote the 2CD album reissues. HERE I AM 1994 CURRENT Second Receiver compilation has some unique tracks including the 7" single mixes of "Berserker" and "My Dying Machine" plus "London Times", a Radio Heart song. PREMIER HITS (BB/Polygram) DUE MARCH 11 1996 Gary's 7" BB singles compiled on one CD. Released to further interest raised by use of "Cars" E. Reg Model (retitled "Premier mix") as used by UK Carling Lager TV and cinema advert. CD SINGLES/EPs (all UK unless otherwise stated) -------------- Label Peel Sessions (Studio Live) DELETED StrangeFruit Selection OUT OF PRINT Beggars Exhibition (Jap CD3 EP) OUT OF PRINT Alfa New Anger DELETED IRS America DELETED " Heart DELETED " Emotion CURRENT Numa The Skin Game CURRENT " Machine and Soul 1 CURRENT " Machine and Soul 2 CURRENT " Cars EP (UK/Ger) CURRENT Beggars Dream Corrosion Live EP CURRENT " A Question of Faith CURRENT " Absolution/Magic CURRENT " Absolution/Magic Ltd Ed Pic CURRENT " Dark Light Live EP CURRENT " Cars Premier Mix DUE FEB 26 1996 Beggars/ Polygram UK FAN CLUB-ONLY music releases ------------------------------- BERSERKER (extended mixes) OUT OF PRINT Original pressing of 2000 copies sold out in late 1992. RADIAL PAIR Video Soundtrack CURRENT BABYLON 1-6 back catalogue issues CURRENT The Babylon series fills many holes in Gary's Numa CD output covering the 1984-87 and 1992-present eras containing 12" mixes, b- sides and a few never before released tracks. BABYLON 7 DUE FEB 1996 INTERVIEW CDs ------------- IMAGES 1-10 (UK Fan Club) ? These interviews by Peter Gilbert document Gary's career. So far they are only available via the UK Fan Club and on vinyl. Transfer to CD has been promised over time. IMAGES 11 (UK Fan Club) CURRENT Interview OUT OF PRINT Interview from Fury era (cover has b&w Fury era photo). Poor quality sound and a poor interview overall. Collaborations -------------- ALBUMS AUTOMATIC (with Bill Sharpe) UK/Ger OUT OF PRINT Gary wrote and sang the lyrics on this album which is more 80s club/dance orientated than his solo work. Contains "Change Your Mind". ALL ACROSS THE NATION (with Radio Heart) Holl FEW EXIST This CD is probably the rarest Numan CD. The album was quickly withdrawn after release when Gary realized it might mislead fans into thinking it was a new Numan album when in fact he only contributed to 3 tracks which were unlike anything else he was doing at the time. Supposedly only a few hundred CDs were pressed in Holland with fewer than that getting to stores. TECHNOARMY DUE MARCH 18 1996 Gary has rerecorded vocals for this UK Castle Communications release. A single may appear as well. SINGLES I'm On Automatic (with Bill Sharpe) UK/Ger OUT OF PRINT No More Lies (with Bill Sharpe) UK/Ger OUT OF PRINT Voices (same tracks as No More Lies) OUT OF PRINT All Across The Nation (with Radio Heart) UK OUT OF PRINT/very rare Adrenalin (Numan/Yen) UK OUT OF PRINT Yen supported Gary on tour and appeared on this single. Like a Refugee (with Da Da Dang) part 1 UK CURRENT Like a Refugee (with Da Da Dang) part 2 UK CURRENT Gary supplies vocals. Are 'Friends" Electric? (with Generator) UK CURRENT Gary redid spoken parts of song. Are 'Friends' Electric? vol. 1 (w/ Nancy Boy) UK CURRENT Are 'Friends' Electric? vol. 2 (w/ Nancy Boy) UK CURRENT Gary remixed one version in a Sacrifice style. TechnoArmy UK Single may be released in Feb/Mar 1996 OTHER ----- Several tribute albums may be released in 1996 including one from Beggars Banquet UK featuring many of today's "in' bands. Beggars Banquet are promising to release Living Ornaments 79/The Wembley Farewell concert on 2 full length CDs in 1996. The full 80 concert tapes have been lost, apparently. There are also numerous various artist compilations which feature Gary but mostly the tracks are "AFE" and "Cars". "Cars" '93 sprint appeared on the "Speed" soundtrack CD but was not used in the movie. "Change Your Mind" with Bill Sharpe never had a CD single release but the the 12" mix can be found on the Canadian compilation "Hardest Hits, Volume II" CD. This series supposedly had a US release in 1995 but I have only seen it as a Canadian import. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Feb 1996 12:45:49 -0500 (EST) From: "Vincent Attard (COM)" Subject: SACRIFICE tour video To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hey guys........... I still have that "Sacrifice" tour boot video from London if anybody is interested. Also in- Oxford 1992 (Isolate tour)- Audio On the way- Leicester 1991 (Outland)- Video (w/rare performance of 'Devotion') If any of you want to trade, e-mail me......... Vince ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Feb 1996 12:14:24 -0800 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: Sending stuff to Gary To: numan@cs.uwp.edu In #196 stefano@hynet.it (Stefano Meneghetti) asked: >Stefano from Italy. >I enjoy to play my Korg M1 in my spare time and some time I do some >interesting stuff. I woulfd like to send the midi files to Numan. >What do you think is a good idea? >I also would like to send to him some sketches of my computer art works do >you think it would be possible? >Stefano Meneghetti Nice to have someone from Italy with us. As Gary indicates in an answer to a question in January's Q & A's (see this Digest), he appears to be happy to receive things but requests that people not expect him to comment on them as he feels his honest opinion may be disappointing, if not offensive. Things can be mailed to the Fan Club address in the UK: Gary Numan Fan Club PO Box 14 Staines Middlesex TW19 5AU UK And while Gary is on the net I don't feel I we should be filling up his email box with MIDI or GIF/JPEG files. Maybe putting the files on a floppy and mailing it would be a better approach. Just remember Gary has a Macintosh Quadra computer. Hope that helps, Derek -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derek H. Langsford dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu Dept. of Biology Tel. (619) 594 2885 San Diego State University Fax (619) 594 7831 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************