Gary Numan Digest Thu, 9 May 96 Volume 1 : Issue 225 Today's Topics: "THE DIGEST ASKS GARY - APRIL 1996" part 1 "THE DIGEST ASKS GARY - APRIL 1996" part 2 "The Fury"; My take. A little contest I cooked up Andy's Request and Hello A tidbit on The Fury bab 3 byebye....NO fair!!!! Berserker Discography Updates Nancy Boy review Nash The Slash new to list Numan Network SOUND QUALITY - Intro SOUND QUALITY - message to Gary SOUND QUALITY - response from Gary SOUND QUALITY - summary & suggestions for next step the fury (3 msgs) The Fury and TechnoNotice Why do I like Automatic? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 10:34:42 -0700 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: "THE DIGEST ASKS GARY - APRIL 1996" part 1 To: numan@cs.uwp.edu THE DIGEST ASKS GARY - APRIL 1996 --------------------------------- I feel I should never have opened my mouth. Up until April 25th there were only a handful of questions being asked this month. I posted to the Digest that a few more would be nice as 30 seems to be a reasonable number, offering a wide variety of subjects and hopefully keeping it interesting for Gary. Well, I inadvertantly opened the floodgates and in the last week I accumulated a total of 58 questions (with none from me)! Gary answered all 58 in two days. I think that really shows how much he appreciates his fans and also that he enjoys the sessions. Most of you are following the instructions for emailing questions but a few still are omitting your whereabouts. I'd like to see this info on every submission of questions. Even those who have done so before, otherwise I have to go look up prvious sessions to find the relevant info. Please make my job easier by including all requested info with each submission. Thanks, Derek --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dan Coffey of of Princeton, New Jersey, USA asks: Q1. Of all the albums that you recorded with a group of musicians, which was the most pleasant and why? A1. 'The Fury' although it wasn't really a group of musicians, just Mike and Ian. The reason is that we got on very well and I liked what they contributed to the album. ---- Si Wooldridge of Chippenham, Wiltshire, UK asks: Q2. How do you feel about the recent news of Status Quo planning to sue Radio One for lack of airplay, and also what the backdown they made over the Beatles (first saying they were boring and refusing to play their single, and then playing it anyway a few days later)? A2. I think the whole thing, from both sides of the argument, is pathetic. On the one hand you have people with a big stick who like to wave it around and on the other you have spoilt children who can't stand rejection. I wonder how they would feel if they had been turned down by Radio One for the last 13 years as I have. ---- Andy McHaffie of Reading, Berkshire, UK says: Hi Gary.. I recently bought the Techno Army CD, and have to admit I was pretty disappointed. I really don't like to be negative, but being sycophantic I guess is worse. It's probably my (and quite a few people I know's) least favourite Gary Numan associated recording. I realise that it's NOT a new Gary Numan album, but after hearing Sacrifice, and then some songs from Exile on the Premier tour, it was a real disapointment, and even your liner notes read almost like an apology. Some of the stuff such as Are 'friends' Electric, We are so fragile, and the remixes of Cars are real good, but other stuff such as "She's got Claws' and the Sacrifice stuff was at the other end of the spectrum. So, I guess my questions are: Q3. Was it completely up to you to do the album or was there some sort of contractual obligation to do it ? A3. I thought I'd made it quite clear that this was not a Gary Numan album or even a collaboration album such as the Sharpe and Numan 'Automatic' release some years ago. I also thought that I'd hinted quite strongly at various times that this was probably NOT the album for fans to buy so I'm amazed that anyone should be disappointed. What on earth did you expect if even I'm inferring that people should avoid it? I was paid twenty thousand pounds to spend two afternoons singing some vocals for cover versions of my songs recorded by another band, that's why I did it. Also, for what it's worth, when I agreed to do it I had been told that it was going to be a serious 'Techno' album. I'm not a great fan of 'Techno' as you probably know but it did seem to make some sense at the time. It was only later, once the deal had been done, that I first heard the actual music. Too late to pull out then and anyway I felt that I could disassociate myself from it, if need be, with the sleeve notes. The sleeve notes, in my opinion, make it crystal clear that the album was really nothing to do with me, apart from the vocals, and that it is most definitely not a Gary Numan album or collaboration of any kind whatsoever. Q4. And where would YOU place it up against your other collaborations ? A4. As I said it's not a collaboration so I wouldn't place it anywhere in a Gary Numan album list. It's a Techno Army album and that's the be all and end all of it. Thanks SO much for a brilliant tour ! ---- Ashley Fletcher of Melbourne, Australia asks: Hi Gary I've been a big fan since I left England in 1980, thanks for all the great music. My question is: Q5. What is your definition of New Wave music? A5. I have no idea I'm afraid. It seemed to refer to the late punk period for a while but then the term seemed to hang around and got tagged on to everything else that came along, whatever type of music it was, including the early electronic bands. Maybe it means different things in different countries. To me it is English music based around yourself and other bands from 78 to 82 era. The American press seems to have a different view. I ask because one day soon I will make a New Wave page based on that era. Therefore my second question would be: Q6. Can I quote your definition on the page? A6. Sorry, I can't really give you a definition. Looking foward to the new album and live video (if that will be commercially available) as I will probably never see you live in Australia. Thank you Ashley. ---- my name is michael ward and i am from liverpool, new york, usa gary, i have been a big fan of most of your different periods of work. Q7. does your outside work with other bands color your musical styles and tastes for different periods? A7. Not that I've noticed. I've not done that much outside work anyway but I can't really think of any of the acts that I have worked with that have made a difference to what I do. and, knowing the problems you have had with supporting outside bands (sounds like most were not particularly grateful) Q8. do you ever see yourself assisting other up and coming bands that are truly influenced by yourself? A8. It's possible I suppose, although being influenced by me is not a requirement for me working with anybody. It would depend on the band, time available and a few other things. thank you for your time. ---- From: Jeff Tolva (The Machman) of Elgin, Illinois, USA: After buying the "Techno Army" release, all I can say is that it's quite a departure from your more recent material. Q9. Why exactly did you do the album with Techno Army? Who is/are Techno Army as the sleeve says nothing about the group? A9. A lot of money and, initially at least, the passing thought that it may open up a few doors in the dance world. Not that I'm that bothered about getting in to the dance scene as I think I said on last months Digest Questions. Techno Army are a two piece who, I think, specialise in doing cover versions in alternate styles of other artists. I look forward to Exile even more now... I suppose as it's been a source of hair-raising discussion these past few months, I'll ask the question many have wondered. Many of us know of your hair transplant some years ago, but... Q10. Are you wearing a "hair piece" of some sort these days too? It really doesn't matter to me, but I was a bit curious -:) A10. I'm not sure but I don't think I could wear a hair piece even if I wanted to. I have now had three hair transplants, the first two being some years ago which were done using the older 'punch graft' technique. This was extremely painful an caused quite a lot of damage to the skin which I still suffer with on occasions. About three and a half years ago I had another one, using the new 'microsurgery' technique, which was a complete triumph as far as I'm concerned. I still have my vampire pointy peak at the front but the hair in it is now much thicker and it's allowed me to change my hairstyle as you've probably noticed. However, underneath all that is some quite unpleasant scarring, over two hundred stiches worth to be exact, and my head is actually quite 'bumpy' now because of all the surgery. That's why I don't think I could wear a hairpiece but, in any case, I don't feel I need one now anyway as my hair looks okay these days. Whatever, apart from dying it, I'm not intending to do anything else to it, it hurts too much. >From the Berserker archives: Q11. Do you recall why the two tracks: "Pump It Up" and "The God Film" (and "Child with the Ghost" inserts Derek) were NOT extended on the extended version(s) of Berserker? All of the other tracks from that album were extended and all tracks on subsequent extended albums were extended. A11. Not absolutely but I would guess that it was because those songs didn't have extended versions made of them. Thanks as always for your time, Gary! Jeff ----- Troy L. Walters in Indiana, USA Hello Gary. Glad to hear the tour was such a success, but wish I could have seen for myself -- someday... Q12. I've been wondering, especially since the Human CD, if you ever listen to Vangelis, Jan Hammer and/or Yello -- and if so, do you consider any of them influences on your work? A12. I don't have any albums by those people but I do like a great deal of Vangelis's film scores. He hasn't been a conscience influence but that doesn't mean that his work hasn't crept into my brain somewhere. I think Vangelis in particular is something of a genius. And thanks for helping to make the past decade-and-a-half (plus) of my life enjoyable. Your music heals me in ways I can not put to words (which is not always a good thing for a poet). You are inspiring, and a sure cure for the IDGAF Syndrome... (<-- see http://www.accs.net/users/tlwalter/idgaf.htm for info). Thanks, Troy L. Walters ---- Joey Lindstrom of Calgary, Alberta, Canada was heard to say: Dear Gary, My trip to the UK to see the Premier Tour was something I'll never forget. I'll save the gushing praise (grin!) for my letter to the Fan Club, but I would like to personally thank you for six wonderful shows, and for the graciousness you (and EVERYONE associated with you) displayed to your fans, including myself. Meeting you, at last, was a HUGE thrill. Q13. I know that in the past, several fans from outside of the UK have made the trip to see you perform live, and I personally know of at least THREE Canadians who came to see you this time around: Michel LaFontaine, Andy McKenzie, and myself. My question is this: what other far-away countries are home to fans who've made a similar trek (that you're aware of)? A13. I have someone who travels regularly from Japan. People have also come from Australia, New Zealand, all over Europe, many from Canada and America, Scandinavia, Iceland I think and I was told that someone from Russia turned up a few tours ago. Q14a I know you're booked to play two festivals in August (my ex-girlfriend plans to follow my footsteps and fly over to see them), with Exile coming out shortly after that (we hope, fingers crossed!). When do you think you might go out on tour again? Or to put it another way, how much time do I have to save my pennies for another trip? :-) I realize that you likely don't have any firm plans made just yet... I guess I'm sort of fishing for a "ballpark" answer, just your idea of when you'd LIKE to go out on tour again. A14a. A very rough ballpark time would be March/April next year. [Andy McHaffie asked similarly: Q14b Will you be touring again in the Autumn to promote Exile ?? I really hope so, because the 2 gigs I saw of the Premier tour were WONDERFUL!!! ] A14b. A tour in the autumn is now very unlikely. Q15. I was part of the "Numanoids On Tour" coach tour, organized by Peter Gilbert and Frank Drake. These fans on the coach, and a great number of the walk-in crowds at most of the venues, tend to look, dress, act, dance, and even sing "just like Gary". Now, I know that if I were in your position, this would quite frankly weird me out just a little bit. You've had to deal with this phenomenon for almost your entire career: how does it make you feel when you see/meet these people? (Don't get me wrong: these people, for the most part, tended to be ABSOLUTELY NORMAL in most respects and treated me like part of the family... I am not running them down. After all, I showed up wearing a garish ice hockey uniform with your name on the back!). A15. It does strike me as a bit odd from time to time but, in the main, I'm used to it. It's when I see them dancing, at various times, by using my stage movements that I feel most uncomfortable with it. Still, whatever makes you happy. Q16. Matthew Holbrook warns me that the British Government is considering a bill that would ban the importation of garish ice hockey uniforms, particularly those that are predominately red in colour and have big flaming C's on the front. If it became an election issue, would you vote in favour of such a law? (insert a great big huge grin right here!) A16. I'm just waiting to rent the video of that film called 'Canadian Bacon', the one where America declares war on Canada. I'll let you know about your ice hockey uniform after I've seen the film but, I have to say, it doesn't look good for you and your 'fashion' statement. All my best to everyone, and if you see Richard Beasley soon, tell him Joey from Canada still owes him a Premier Lager. ;-) ---- Al Crawford, Centreville, VA, USA: In the last batch of questions that Derek sent you, the old favourite about you working with Bill Nelson on _Warriors_ arose. Now I've heard this story several times, both from your side and his, and the two answers seem to tally exactly. However, the careful wording and tone of your responses have sparked a couple of questions that I'd really like to know your answer to. Q17. Every description of the working relationship between you and Bill seems to boil down to him finding you shallow (something you seemed to agree with in retrospect) and you finding him to be something of a pretentious git. Your relation of this, however, seems to indicate that, you, at least, have changed. Do you think that if you and he were to work together nowadays, things would be different? A17. To me, enjoying life comes a long way before art in terms of its importance so in that respect Bill would probably find me just as shallow. However, anyone that thinks that creativity comes from some fucking inerstellar beam is a complete twat so I really don't give a shit one way or the other. It boils down to this, I don't see music as being very important in the great scheme of things therefore I don't see my own little part of it as being important at all. I use music to express whatever I feel like expressing but I do not believe that creativity is some projected beam of inspiration. This may make me seem shallow to some people that seem to think that they are blessed in some way because they are creative. However, there are a great many ways to judge a persons depth of character and someone that makes such judgements about me on a brief acquaintance and a most questionable philosophy is perhaps the most shallow person of all. Q18. Was it a big disappointment? I get the impression that you were something of a fan and had looked forward to working with him, so was it all a big letdown? A18. Yes, it was a massive disappointment. I was a huge fan of Bill Nelson and had hoped that things would go differently. He was, and is, a very talented man. Thanks, Al ---- Andy Westwood of Kingswinford, West Midlands, UK <100771.653@compuserve.com>, asks: Although I'm not a musician, I've always been interested to know what instruments - particularly electronic instruments - you use. On early albums you used to list the synthesisers and drum machines used by each player on each track, and I'd listen hard to try to pick out the various sounds. Q19. How often do you change your keyboards these days? A19. Not that often. Every two or three years I drop some out and add some new things so I never completely change. It's more an evolution of equipment. Q20. Do you feel that synthesisers have become as powerful as they can get, and that you can now obtain all the sounds you want from the same kit, or do you feel the need to change frequently to avoid re-using the same sounds? A20. I think they can get a lot more powerful although with power comes complexity which is a real pain. I'm not overly concerned with not repeating sounds. If a sound is good then I see no reason for not using it several times. However, unlike a guitar, synth sounds can begin to date a record after a while and so a certain amount of gear change keeps things fresh. Q21. Was this why your heavy use of the PPG on 'The Fury' and 'Berserker' was seemingly limited to those albums alone? A21. Pretty much although it was also used on 'Strange Charm' before it slipped away. On a similar point, I'm interested in how you have played around with sampling over the years, although samples don't seem so prevalent in your more recent work, particularly Sacrifice and the new Exile tracks. Q22. Do you see sampling as being an integral part of your music these days? A22. Not really but then i don't really se sampling as being that different to conventional synthesis providing you're creating sounds and not stealing them. (Wjich I did quite shamefully when I stole all those film samples) Q23. And are you happier to use a straight sample (e.g. the spoken parts in 'Call Out the Dogs') or do you try to modify the sounds you sample to your own taste - in other words, how much do you have to treat a sound before you are happy to call it your own? A23. Impossible to answer really as it depends very much on the sample. These days I try not to use stolen samples at all so I don't feel the need to have to treat them. Any treatment made to the sounds is for the sake of the sound, not to try and disguise or change it into something I can call my own. Thanks for some EXCELLENT shows on the Premier Tour, probably the best yet. Here's looking forward to Exile. ---- Michael Zitaglio <102545.641@CompuServe.COM> in in southern New Jersey, USA says: Hello Gary, Hope you have recovered from the post touring blues, and the flu, and putting up with Holbrook and Company . Matt has told me all about the tour and I am sorry I missed it. Since you obviously have nothing better to do right now, I thought you could answer some questions. I obviously have nothing better to do! Q24. Have you seen any of the new season episodes of Babylon 5? They're excellent, so dont miss them. If you miss one, check out the Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 on the Internet. A24. I don't know. We've just started getting Babylon 5 again but I think they're repeats of a previous series. I'll have to look at the Lurkers Guide to see what the new series titles are. You mentioned concern about the ease of sending a message to the shows executive producer Joe Straczynski. Yes, it is that easy to send him a message and talk to him. His address is 71016.1644@compuserve.com. I'm sure he would love to hear from you. I told him about you and that you like his show. I even sent him tapes of 8 of your albums. He listened to the Pleasure Principle and was so so about it. He still has to try out the others. Give him a buzz, it may be interesting. If you post on the Compuserve B5 forum, you will get an answer right away. If you send a message to his personal E-mail, it may take a while, since he gets a lot of messages. He goes to England all the timefor conventions, by the way. Terri and I were at the Farnborough Air Show in 1992. It was the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. It was a tremendous show. Q25. Were you there and were you flying, and what did you think of the Russian aircraft? The SU-27, and Backfire Bomber were impressive. A25. No I wasn't there but I love the Russian stuff. Q26. Did you get the Harvard painted yet? A26. Yes, it's now black and in American markings. At the moment I'm having a lot of trouble with the oil pressure. The engineers say it's okay but it isn't and I'm getting a bit fed up with it. Terri wants to know what you thought of New York City when you were there. Q27. Was there anything in particular that you saw or visited that you liked? Her favorite place is the Metropolian Museum of Art. She is fascinated by Ancient Egypt. A27. I didn't visit anywhere really, just working. An Argentinian trid to pick a fight with us because of the Falklands War, I saw an old lady get mugged and I got into trouble with the police. Q28. Terri also wants to know what makes you laugh? What do you think is funny? When she gets the blues, she watches old I Love Lucy episodes on video. What do you do? A28. We have a TV series called 'Men Behaving Badly' which I think is brilliant. Another one called 'Filthy, Rich And Catflap' and a great Irish sitcom called 'Father Ted'. I also like 'Friends'. I saw some of the pictures of you, Matt Holbrook, and Joey Lindstrom eating Pizza at a hotel during your tour. Now I know you love burgers and chips and, as an American, I can appreciate that. But as an Italian American, Pizza and Milk? EEyyuu! That would give me some case of agita! GN. The Pizza wasn't mine. I hate Pizza. I love milk though and for several days on the tour it was the only thing that kept me going. Q29. Are you interested at all in Carrier Aviation? I'll be going on some travel at air bases and at sea so I'll try to keep the aviation "badges" as you call them, flowing. A29. Very much. I have several videos about carrier aircraft, modern and old. Take care of yourself. Dont take life too seriously. And please... don't stress yourself out. Thanks alot for your time and come on over to America. Mike, Terri, and Victoria ---- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 10:36:23 -0700 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: "THE DIGEST ASKS GARY - APRIL 1996" part 2 To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Stephen Barrett, , from Naas, Co. Kildare, Republic of Ireland asks: Hi Gary, Q30. I read that you are currently writing your first novel,which I believe is called 'Pray',and would like to know what stage you're at and when do you expect it to be published? A30. It's still at the 'very early days' stage unfortunately. To really get on with it I would need to take at least six months, if not more, away from music and all other distractions. Because of that a publish date is impossible to predict. Q31. When do you expect to release the live album and video of the Manchester Apollo show recorded on the Premier Tour? I absolutely loved the 3 shows I attended and think 'An Alien Cure' is one of your best songs ever. I long to hear it on the EXILE album. A31. Because of the amount of new songs on the live album it will have to come out after 'Exile' which puts it very much towards the end of the year. I'm not so concerned about the video but I can't mix the sound until I've finished 'Exile' because of time problems so that will probably be out at the end of the year as well. Q32. I confess that I've no idea what the songs 'Music for Chameleons' and 'Sister Surprise' mean lyrically. I'd really appreciate an explanation as to the meaning of the words please. A32. I'm sorry it would take me too long to go through the entire lyric of both those songs. I can't remember them very well anyway so I'll have to listen to them and refresh my memory. Can you ask me again next month? Q33. What make-up did you use on stage for the Premier Tour shows? A33. Don't know what it was all called. A fairly pale foundation (which sweated off by about song five anyway), some old Biba browny coloured blusher for my cheeks which I've had since I first started. A Rimmel eye liner pencil and a waterproof Mascara that wasn't the slightest bit waterproof. By the end of each show the entire make-up effort was plastered all over my shirt collar and jacket. Q34. I talked to Gemma after I got your autograph at HMV Manchester and she mentioned that you're coming to Ireland for an air rally in May.Is this true? If so when will you be coming and where will you be in Ireland? A34. Gemma is in this lovely little world all of her own sometimes. I don't know of an air rally in Ireland so I think she may have been confused or perhaps she meant an air display at North Weald which is near London. In England. Thank you for answering my questions and I look forward to meeting you soon. ---- Mark Darmofal (mhdst4@vms.cis.pitt.edu) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA asks the musical question: Q35. In an earlier Q and A you said (paraphrasing) "I write the music first; the words last." Are your instrumentals then, the result of failed attempts at words, or when you write a piece of music, do you know whether or not it will be with words or an instrumental. One song I'm particulary curious about is "Children." A35. One or two I think were songs that I couldn't find vocal lines for rather than a failed attempt at words. Mostly though they are songs that I felt sounded complete without the need for words. Q36. Do you have any funny/infamous/bizarre stories that you can remember from your last US tour? I heard a rumour that you and Chris Slade had a bit of a row. A36. Without wishing to sound like a pathetic little 'lad' none that I could easily talk about. My attitude to touring and what I hoped to expereince during them was very different then. I did say to Chris Slade that it would be better if he kept his drinking until after the show as he played very badly when he was drunk. He kind of hit me and pushed me down the bus into somebody bigger who pushed him all the way back again much to my relief. Q37. You've dyed your hair blond, blue and black, but aside from a little dollop, never red. How come? A37. In the early days I had enough problems with Bowie comparisons without adding that piece of fuel to the fire. Q38. Early on in your career, you've gave a great deal of credit to John Foxx. Did you ever meet him and if so how did you two get on? A38. Yes I did meet him and he was okay. I didn't get any kind of character vibe from him at all. For some reason though I didn't trust him at all but then again I didn't really trust anybody then. Q39. Would you ever consider working with Mick Karn again? A39. No. (Gary's original reply was a little more colorful than this but after bringing it to his attention he withdrew the comment for public distribution). Q40. Why is the song 'Warriors' called 'Warriors?' A40. A good question to which I'm afraid I have no answer. I can't remember. Q41. Will there be any videos for the singles or songs from 'Exile'? A41. That depends on what record company puts out the record and how much budget is available. Thanks, bye-bye. ---- Tony R. Boies from Winchester, Virginia, USA asks: Q42. Assuming you have a son or daughter, he or she may become interested in flying. In the wake of what happened to Jessica Dubroff (the 7 year old who died trying to fly across the U.S.), do you think that there should be (more) age restrictions for pilots? A42. I think it's perhaps a little foolish to allow people to fly at any age other than the one that allows them to get a licence and fly solo. Tony R. Boies - http://www.shentel.net/nutmusic/tony/tony.html ---- Matthew Tamea of London, England asks: Hi Gary. Q43. How's tricks? A43. Okay, I think. (anyone else have any idea what this is about :-) Q44. What ambitions in aviation do you have left, if any? A44. To fly World War Two fighters. Q45. I am seriously considering a job as a pilot with British Airways. Whilst it's not quite aerobatic displays, would you recommend it? How does John find it? A45. I would recommend it if you love flying but you would have to be able to put up with a very strict routine and 'old boy' hierarchy. John doesn't fly for British Airways but loves flying airliners. Q46. Did you have anything at all to do with the Witchman Remixes of Cars or was it a project that occured unbenown to you? A46. I knew nothing about it at all. I don't even know whether they are official or not. Later - Matthew ---- Dan Coffey of of Princeton, New Jersey, USA asks: Hi Gary, Just wanted to preface saying that your Nu-World site is amazing and I don't know how you do all that. Secondly, I think I can speak for American fans when I say we were #*@$&! on tour with ya :) I have a few questions: Q47. I think I remember you saying that you don't drink or take drugs. Was that always the case, even in the Tubeway Army days?..it seems alot of up and coming artists rely heavily on such vices. I would think that has helped your longevity... A47. Always. To be honest though I'm not a great advocate of the No Drugs message so I just keep my thoughts to myself about these things. I know the harm they can cause directly and indirectly but I've also seen the harm that drinking causes. It's the fact that one is illegal to the point of serious prison and the other is completely legal that irritates me. Hypocrisy beyond compare. Q48. I noticed that some live songs sound so much like the albums they were from, which I find amazing. ie I Dream of Wires on Dark Light. Do you find that a problem with the changing equipment and programming personnel over the years? or is it down to a science. A48. One of the advantages of using synths and sequencing is that you can re-create songs very well live. Not always but often. Changing equipment does cause problems from time to time as some sounds are just not achievable on a different instrument. It can create a lot of work trying to simulate these older sounds on new equipment. Q49. I wondered If you have heard the Foo Fighters version of your Down in the Park yet? I find that they do it justice.. A49. Not yet but I've heard it's very good. I must say that I find all these bands covering my stuff very flattering. Q50. Having played everything from Pubs, to Wembley, do you prefer a specific sized venue...would you enjoy playing stadiums if given the chance, or do you fancy the 1000-2000 seat venues more? A50. Smaller places have a more intimate atmosphere, the larger gigs lose that but make up for it in sheer size and 'event'type vibe. I love them both. I would love to be able to play stadiums and arenas again. Thanks again for the great Web-site!, looking foward to Exile, and a fourth remix of Cars :) I'll bet you stopped smiling right there. DAN ---- Joey Lindstrom of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, pondered the following: I have no idea under what circumstances you left Beggar's Banquet back in 1984. However, they did do a reasonable job at promoting you, both at home and abroad, due to their affiliation with WEA. I gather that their flood of re-re-rereleases of your old material (including being the original movers behind the Premier Hits album) means that they still consider you to be "marketable". Certainly they're still making piles of money from the back catalog, as are you. Q51. In your search for a record contract that would include North American distribution again, would you consider rejoining the Beggar's Banquet fold after a 12 year absence? Just a thought... A51. Very much so and we are considering asking them if they would be interested in signing me again. I'm not sure they would be though as they have made no hint or offer since I left them in '84 or whenever it was. ---- My name is Jonathan West and Im a Firefighter/EMT from Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A. and I would like to thank you for all the years of joy your music has brought me. I know you could have retired happily years ago and just continue to "share" your music with us out of shear graditude. Q52. What I have always wondered was a little about the process of how you compose. Drumtrack first? Bassline first? or perhaps lyrics. A52. Normally drum tracks first at the moment although these things do change over the years. Often the drum track will go dowm with a simple guide drone to give a basic structure. Then a certain amount of keyboard layering to start to make it sound like a song. After that a rough guide vocal without lyrics. A bit more instrumentation, working around the guide vocal, then lyrics and real vocals, Final instrumentation which I call the 'Nitty gritty' period, then the mix and it's done. Q53. How long does it take for you to write a song? A53. 'Absolution' took about 4 or 5 hours including the recording and mixing. 'Cars' took about 10 minutes but that was only the tune and lyrics not the recording. At thje other end of the scale some songs have been worked on over a period of two years or more. Not exclusively you understand but as part of a package of songs. I hope you stick to just you and khe delay in releasing Exile result in any extra material being added to it ? A56. Afraid not. I've been very busy with other things throughout the delay period, what with 'Cars' etc so I've had no time to do anything on 'Exile' for a while. Congratulations on the Premier tour. I'm really looking forward to the Video and CD. ---- >From Mike Sugimoto (sugimotl@cuug.ab.ca) of Calgary, Alberta, Canada Hi Gary. I wanted to start out by saying how much of an influance your music has been on both my artistic life and my real life. Probably one of the biggest has come from "The Seed of a Lie." Q57. What inspired you to write that song, and what exactly is it about? A57. It's about bitterness and feelings of revenge after someone you loved and trusted suddenly turns on you and leaves. Thanks. Joey Lindstrom can't shut up about how much fun he had while he was over in England with you. I'm jealous. Cheers, ---- Stefan Andersson in Sweden asks: Q58. What is/was your relation to Prince? ..and what do you think of the two covers you did of "U Got the Look" and "1999" A58. I've had no relationship with Prince at all, never met him, never spoke to him. I thought my version of 'U Got The Look' was okay but I wasn't so keen on '1999'. I only did those two songs because IRS made me anyway. Thanks! Stefan --------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE END (phew!) PLEASE NOTE! Send your questions via email to: Derek Langsford with a subject line of: Gary's Qs Include your real name, town/city, county/province/state and country. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 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: Sun, 5 May 1996 06:30:35 -0400 From: "Insomnia Rising" Subject: "The Fury"; My take. To: "numan@cs.uwp.edu" Good idea, this subject-a-month thing. Here goes. "The Fury" was and is indeed a strange album to me. It seemed like forever had passed between "Warriors" and "Berserker" with the latter being a big reward for the wait (it took me long enough to find here!), so when "The Fury" finally came in I practically cut my fingers off opening the thing (I got vinyl since I couldn't wait another week for the CD to come in). With the exception of the very songs Derek mentioned ("..Dogs", "Miracles", "...Remember"), the words that came to mind were 'holding pattern'. Most of the songs seemed fit to a mechanized musical pattern; "Creatures" and "Tricks" seemed almost improvised. I began to worry that one of my musical idols was straying far from genius, as had Marc Bolan before him. I also began to hope that Gary would live long enough to redeem himself, although the three songs mentioned earlier pretty much did that in my eyes. Would've made a great EP. Since I tried to collect all songs Numan, a pleasant surprise awaited me in the B-sides to the 12-inch singles from the album. I have always been a fan of the darker, more experimental stuff ("Sacrifice" rules!), so the B-sides in general and "Anthem" in particular were a BIG rush!!!!! That synth pulse rocks me in a big way. So, all in all, "The Fury" sounded like a fair album with a few great songs. Those songs reminded me he had it in him, and that maybe this was not the beginning of a major downward slide. Either way, I wished him luck, and knew that I'd buy the next one with my fingers crossed. Rock on- Steve in Florida -- http://www.netcom.com/~alniter 'a mind is a terrible thing' ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 05 May 96 10:29:27 -0600 From: "Joey Lindstrom" Subject: A little contest I cooked up To: "numan@cs.uwp.edu" Y'ever listen to a radio station, and they bring out one of those contests where they play a short piece of audio and you've gotta be the seventh caller to correctly identify all of the tracks contained in the audio clip? Well, I've done something similar, except I've used Numan tracks (with no vocals present) and I've gone with somewhat longer song-bits. Basically, there are TWO audio clips, each with ten songs. You've gotta download the first one and get at least seven right (easy!) before you can go on to the second clip (which is harder). Complete contest details, plus links to the audio clips, can be found at the following URL: http://www.netway.ab.ca/numanoid/contest/index.html If you do not have web access, this game is still open to you. Simply email me at numanoid@netway.ab.ca and I will mail you back with: 1) The full contest details. 2) Both sound clips. (1.6 megabytes total, you will need to specify what format to send in... UUENCODE, MIME, or BINHEX). Contest closes June 30th. Good luck, and I hope you have fun with it. /--------------------------------------------------------- / Joey Lindstrom / numanoid@netway.ab.ca / lindstrj@cadvision.com / http://www.netway.ab.ca/numanoid/wwwebb.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 14:52:42 -0400 From: Micromuzak@aol.com Subject: Andy's Request and Hello To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hi All: A few weeks ago I fell into a fantastic tape exchange with Andy Mchaffie. He truly is an example of a great Gary Fan. Andy and I have swapped Gary Covers that we have done. Andy's versions are very fresh and I welcome others in the digest to do what we have done. It is very fun! I side note to all the lashings out lately on the digest. I simply pass over the lot,,now back to Gary. My opinion on the Techno Army thing (thanks Andy for the tape...I'll save my cash), this is a bloody mess. Enough said. I too wonder why Gary even agreed. I think some of my covers are better than this. Yikes!!! One last message for Andy. What does ACE mean? I am currently under review of your original stuff. I think I owe you more of my modern, guitar-based, original stuff. The lot I gave you is not very representative of what I am doing. It just reminded me of Gary. I'll send more soon. BTW, my address is micromuzak@aol.com I look forward to your review of my original stuff as well as your review of my Numan covers. Talk to you soon Derek, thanks for everything you do.... Your the man! Talk to you all soon! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 02:53:55 -0400 From: PhilipJ414@aol.com Subject: A tidbit on The Fury To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I had this on picture disc which I sold a long time ago (dumb dumb dumb) which is a whole other topic in itself -- however, I did use one of the tracks, "Miricles" as part of a term paper. It was just supposed to be a written report, but the music was so appropriate I couldn't resist. The report was on Henrick Ibsen's "A Dolls House", which was a play written to speak out for women's rights. In the end, Nora (the woman) who up to this point is a ditzy wife trying to do everything she possibly can for her husband, finally throws in the towel and decides to pull the Helen Ready thing on Torvald (the man. With this name, I would have left him long before) Anyway, one of the lines is "I don't believe in miracles..." Jane Fonda actually played Nora in the Film version. I got a B on the paper -- the teacher said it was an A paper, but I'd been out of class for a long time (finally quit smoking pot, and came back with my tail between my legs asking if I could finish out the semester.) Oh God, now you all know I was a pothead! I haven't done the drug since, so there -- it's been at least 7 years. It's funny how a person can recall different times in his or her life by the music they were into at the time. I will put in my two bits on these topic things when I feel I have something to say, and with any luck my next posting won't be as lame as most of you probably feel this one is. Toodaloo for now -- phil ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 06:35:45 -0400 From: "Insomnia Rising" Subject: bab 3 byebye....NO fair!!!! To: "numan@cs.uwp.edu" To finally be able to order the Babylon series without paying huge fees for currency exchange is sorely balanced by the announcement that Babylon 3 is sold out and possibly discontinued. I have two questions for the Numan organization: 1. If it's the first to sell out, does this not clue you in that it's the most popular of the series and should be re-pressed immediately? 2. How will you know if demand warrants re-pressing? You won't know how many want it if we can't order it, eh? I find it ironic that NuWorld encouraged us to wait for the credit card system to avoid hassle. For a true fan, the biggest hassle is not being able to get the release you want most. Wiping brow and stepping down- Steve in Florida -- http://www.netcom.com/~alniter 'a mind is a terrible thing' ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 15:30:43 -0500 (CDT) From: Amy E Logsdon Warner Subject: Berserker To: numan@cs.uwp.edu A good friend of mine picked up the Berserker cd in London for me last week (as I haven't been able to get anyone to order it for me here) and I noticed that it is *exactly* the same as the album (same photos, track sequence, etc.) so I was wondering if they had not released an updated version, so to speak when they re-released it awhile back. It was my impression when the fanfare of the re-release was going on that it was actually a different cd with the same tracks, I mean it was Berserker, but updated. Am I mad? Amy ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 08 May 1996 21:31:11 -0500 From: machman@interaccess.com (Jeff Tolva) Subject: Discography Updates To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hi all, As your unofficial official discographer, I thought I'd let you know that a special May 3, 1996 Gary Numan discography is available for viewing on the Aircrash Bureau website as well as the UWP music archives. Although I usually get an update out quarterly, there were quite a few corrections to be made as of late and so goes the reason for this "special" update. The "Techno Army featuring Gary Numan" CD is one of the few additions to the discography since the last update. I hope it's helpful especially to our newcomers to the Digest! Check it. The Machman ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 05 May 96 22:35:44 -0600 From: "Joey Lindstrom" Subject: Nancy Boy review To: "numan@cs.uwp.edu" Spotted this in my local paper, it's a review of Nancy Boy's self-titled album. NB, you'll recall, covered "Are Friends Electric?" some time ago. (by Dave Veitch - Calgary Sun - Sunday May 5 1996) NANCY BOY - Nancy Boy (Sire): Contrived glam and retro-new-wave from a band led by the sons of Donovan and The Monkees' Mike Nesmith. Kitsch overload. Rating: 1.5 stars (out of five) Geez, the rest of the reviews got at least three paragraphs. :-) /--------------------------------------------------------- / Joey Lindstrom / numanoid@netway.ab.ca / lindstrj@cadvision.com / http://www.netway.ab.ca/numanoid/wwwebb.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 11:47:19 +0000 From: Phil Marsh Subject: Nash The Slash To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Can anyone fill me in on any info concerning Nash? I have 4 albums of his and some singles, but have no idea what he did after his American Band-Ages album. I know prior to being Nash he was in a band (FM ?) and his real name is Jeff Plewman (and not "Nashville Thebodiah Slasher" as he once told "Smash Hits" magazine!), but nothing more. If anyone can help fill in the gaps, I'd be very grateful. If info appears on an old list, just point me in the right direction (I'm going through the archives, but it takes a while!). Phil Marsh pmarsh@bpmf.ac.uk ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 10:31:14 -0600 (MDT) From: LISA A DIEDRICH Subject: new to list To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (n fan list) Hi all, I'm new to the Gary Numan mailing list. I would really like to trade Numan video with people on the list - I am especially looking for Gary Numan's videos (good quality!) and concerts (the one from 1980 which was released on video, I've seen it but would like my own copy). I have some rather rare UK tv appearances of Gary Numan from the mid to late 80's which I could tape in trade. This includes several interviews too. I cannot find Gary Numan's 85 album Beserker (?) anywhere - on vinyl or cd. Does anyone know where I can find it? I'm curious to know what other bands/artists you all enjoy listening to...other favorites of mine include David Bowie, Blondie, Adam Ant, Bauhaus, Siouxsie, Human League, Duran Duran, Thompson Twins, Rolling Stones, Madonna, T.Rex, Eno, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, The Buggles, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Japan, etc. Bye! Lisa ldiedric@du.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 08 May 96 09:48:00 BST From: Matthew Tamea Subject: Numan Network To: Numan Mailing List I have to say that I think all the crap that's being said about the so called secret club is just that - crap. Why can't people understand what this thing is? All it is is a mechanism for web site authors to exchange information so that they can actually put it on their sites. It's not hierarchical or regimic. What it does mean is that they'll have to work a lot harder to make their own sites more original if they all are sharing the same sources. It's damn hard work maintaining a web site. Okay so it may not be that taxing to create, but it's keeping them up to date that's the hard part, and it takes a lot of work. No-one is getting paid to do this, they're only doing it so we can all go look at them. So what's the problem??? Lecture over - Matthew ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 16:49:22 -0700 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: SOUND QUALITY - Intro To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Discussion about the sound quality of Gary's post-1991 releases have been occurring with just about each new release and there perhaps is no recent album/release, apart from "Human", that has not been criticized in the Digest for one reason or another. Several people have suggested I bring up the issue with Gary. Well, I did so this week and Gary responded very quickly. It has taken a while for me to get to this point for several reasons. One, my workload has and continues to be a strain. Two, I knew this could be a very touchy subject, as I would be just telling him that many think his albums are sub-optimal with some sounding pretty bad. So it has taken time to craft an email that puts across our concerns but without telling him he's a crap producer and to go hire someone else for "Exile". I did not want to jeopardize my adn the Digest's contact with him over this. I initially forwarned him that the email was coming in a previous email. I think that prepared him for it. Anyway, I'm submitting the emaiI sent to him and his response in separate postings. I anonymously quoted two posters in my message to illustrate the serious nature of the concern. Also I'd like to suggest where we go from here in a separate post. I'll try and make these emails all appear as a series in order within the Digest by careful choice of subject lines. >From what Gary said, we have an opportunity to help Gary here. He is very open to suggestions. 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, 8 May 1996 16:50:12 -0700 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: SOUND QUALITY - message to Gary To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello Gary, I am sure the Digest will deal with whatever you reply as long as you don't excommunicate us :-) That would sadden and depress virtually all of us. OK, here goes: I like to think that the Digest and my acting as a conduit enables you to get feedback on fan's concerns in a timely manner without you having to deal with each one of them individually. I think it has worked out well so far, from the perspective of on-line fans and, I hope, from your's too. The internet also enables on-line fans to discuss issues that they would otherwise not have the opportunity to raise or the desire to do so with you in person. The Digest is also a place where Numan fans can be more honest than in any personal interaction if the subject is controversial or critical. I understand your reasons for not reading the Digest in order to avoid the more brutal things that sometimes are said. Please appreciate this is not an easy email for me to write. I and the Digest subscribers highly value the contact I have with you and I would not want to jeopardize that with anything stupid, pointless or insubstantial. I have felt compelled to bring to your attention this subject that has come up repeatedly in the Digest over time. Many feel it is something you should be made aware of, if you are not already, with the hope that the problem can be solved. This is not an attack on you, but an expression of frustration that things are not as good as they can feasibly be. I hope you will take any comments as constructive advice rather than criticism per se. That is what this is all meant to be: an expression of concern and some friendly advice. Please know that all who have posted about it are huge fans. Otherwise they would not be subscribed to the Digest and would not care enough to say anything about this subject. The intention of their email has been to try and define the problem with a view to its remedy. OK, so what is this all about: Sound production/engineering/quality of your more recent output --------------------------------------------------------------- There is no question about the musical content which has thrilled most fans since "Machine and Soul". Even "Machine and Soul" and "Outland" are respected because you felt they were right at the time, despite them not pleasing fans as much. What many are worried about is the situation with each release on the sound reproduction. It appears that some find problems with all your albums since you started recording at your Outland studio, others only a few. Still, I think there are valid points being made. I've built up a rather large file of comments, mostly constructive criticism but some are a tad on the "brutally honest" side. If you'd like to see them all, I'd be "happy" to send it to you. In the meantime, I'll only quote a few of the more analytical and less critical things that have been said in the Digest in recent months. I get the impression some Brits think this is a peculiarly American phenomenon, but that isn't true. Careful and critical listeners to your CDs from all over are, to varying extents, distressed by the situation. I've removed names to avoid identifying individuals. I'm really sorry if this is hard for you to read. I am not sure how else I could break it to you without it coming over as being critical. There are also many other suggestions as to what could be causing the perceived problems. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Poster 1 > during this mixing process, a lot of >people use devices in conjunction with the mixer to alter the sound. for >instance, you can use a spectral enhancer to clean up the sound, make it >more crisp, etc.. thse are not amazingly expensive, and i would think gary >would have one, but it's conceivable he doesn't. the lack of an enhancer >could explain the muddy sound. >OVERALL QUALITY: ultimately, though, it might not be a problem with gary's >mixing process (since he has the experience, and presumably the equipment) >or his recording to DAT. the other aspect of mixing down is that the >musician mixes according to what sounds best to him. sound reacts >differently with all people, however, and changes a great deal from one >environment to the other. it makes a difference if gary's studio is >spacious, or cramped. it makes a difference if he's got tons of bookshelves >and carpet, or stucco walls and wood floors. it makes a difference if he >cranks his music out over amplifiers, or works in headphones. it may be >that gary's mix sounds perfect to gary's ears in gary's studio. the reason >big-time professional albums sound "better" (such as the duran2 you >mentioned) is that they're all done in studios optimsed for recording, with >a sigificantly higher recording budget. studio time is painfully expensive, >and we know that gary is working on his own, at home, in part to curb those >expenses. so regardless of mixer quality and experience and noise-gates and >spectral enhancers, the difference in sound quality may be purely >subjective, based on the fact that gary is working out of a room in his >house, and the perfect sound mix there is not perfect everywhere. poster 2 > If one wants to proove without a doubt that the Dream-Corrosion > album lacks quality, what you need is > a pc with a CD-ROM capable of transfering CD-DA directly to hardisk > (Toshiba/Sony should work NOT 'Creative cdroms or mitsumi they > don't work) > > Shareware programs to transfer the audio like dac22.zip,dido4.zip > and the wonderfull cool152.zip to manupulate the audio. > all available from the internet. > > Now grab a few seconds from various tracks on that album > load those into cool152 program > do a spectrum analysis of the track your interested in , > and there you have it, > on all tracks ,a constant drop which ends at around 10-12Khz > the level above 10Khz is very low and there is nothing listenable > above 14Khz > > compare this to other high qulity recording and SEE the difference. > > If you have a 16bit sound-card you can use the 'cool' program to > compensate and reboost the almost nonexistant trebble, > to something very listenable. > Make a cassete which sounds better than the CD. > > I also had a look at 'sacrifice' , The albums quality is fine > but the muddy bass is probably the choice of sample or instrument, > and lack of high-pitch percussion instruments. could be delibarate > so that the album does not sound bright. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- As I have indicated there's lots more where this came from but some of it is not so constructive or kind. While I do agree with many of the observations (you already know I am a careful listener), and have asked such questions before, as overseer for the Gary Numan Digest, I feel some responsibility to the Digest subscribers to do so again because "Babylon 7" triggered more posts and emailon the issue. Gary, this subject has been discussed since "Machine and Soul" was released, and I'm quite positive that the people who are saying these things truly have only your best interests at heart. They are only looking to see an already-excellent product made even better. Yet, while this viewpoint may represent a majority of Digest subscribers, it may not necessarily represent a majority of your fan base. You may not even agree with it yourself. You may want to tell us to just "bugger off". What are your own thoughts on this? Have you yourself noticed any drop or variation in quality in the recent finished-product CDs compared to your pre-1991 CDs? And if so, what do you think might account for it? Cordially and respectfully yours, as ever, and hoping I won't need an asbestos suit :-), 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, 8 May 1996 16:50:44 -0700 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: SOUND QUALITY - response from Gary To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello Derek, Thanks for the message about the sound quality of my 'Outland' recorded releases. I can't find any reason to be offended as the comments appear to be well considered and genuine, scientific even. I've spent most of the night and morning, I didn't sleep well, thinking about this and have come up with a number of puzzling facts. This is still all a bit of a jumble at the moment so I may dart from one topic to another. First of all I apologise for being a bit dismissive of this subject when it was first mentioned but I genuinely can't hear a problem. However, I've known for some time that my hearing is failing, an aviation medical first alereted me to the fact, but I'm assured by the doctors that it is related entirely to the level of hearing volume and not frequency specific. I now wonder if this is true and so the first thing I must do is get my hearing thoroughly checked out to see if I am lacking anywhere. On the other side of that however is the fact that the various albums recorded and/or mixed here have been mastered at no less than four different mastering rooms. These rooms are supposedly neutral in terms of frequency response and the engineers that operate these rooms are, supposedly again, highly skilled people that pick up on any innaccuracies in a studio and adjust the final tape accordingly thus ensuring a high quality finished product. This should mean that, even if my hearing was below standard and my studio of poor quality frequency-wise, the faults should have been detected and corrected by any of, and probably all of, these mastering rooms. In fact on the first album, Outland, that was recorded here I had the final tapes analysed at one of the mastering rooms quite carefully, and brutally, so that I would know exactly where my own studio was lacking. The results were very encouraging in that the engineer was highly impressed with how close to neutral my room was except for a slight dip in bottom end which was attributed entirely to my only having 12" drivers. In retrospect this would also mean that I might have too much or too little bottom end as I have no way of hearing what's there anyway. So possibly problem one but, as I've said, such a problem should ultimately be discovered and corrected by the mastering room anyway. I have never had any indication from any of the mastering rooms that I have a severe problem with my studio. In fact I've never had any indication that I have even a small problem with my studio. The changes made at that mastering stage have always been relatively small and one engineer went so far as to say that my studio put out stuff that was consistantly more neutral than the legendary 'Maison Rouge' studio in London. This was all very encouraging and has no doubt been one of the main reasons for my slightly arrogant confidence that you were wrong and I was right. Still, we live and learn. Also remember that Kipper was involved with 'Machine And Soul' and has expressed no dissatisfaction with the end result at all. I would value his opinion very highly if he had come back with a negative view of the final sound. I'm not saying this as an argument against the Digest comments only as another reason for my confidence previously and now as to why I'm so puzzled. I would need to know what albums appear to be the most affected or most distressing to people if I am to truly focus in on where the problem lies. The studio does have aural exciters and the desk has a four band fully sweepable EQ which is extremely good. The studio also has hard disc editing and is mastered to DAT although the main recorder is analogue, a 21,000 UK pound machine though so we're not talking cheapskate here. The equipment is not the very best that money can buy but it's hardly crap either and so I don't thing the fault lies there. So if the studio is okay, which it is according to the mastering rooms and at least 'should be' if the equipment is anything to go by, where else could the problem be coming from? My own ears obviously but, as I've said, the mastering room should be able to correct that and warn me of any deficiency. Could it be the manufacturing process? Possibly but I'm sure that these albums have been spread across more than one manufacturer so probably not. One album could be blamed on one manufacturer but not a string of albums via several manufacturers. Another little fact that also causes me even more confusion is that I once had dinner with a studio engineer of some considerable success and reputation for high quality. In fact he had recently recieved yet another award for engineering excellence. During dinner he was remarking on the fine quality of the engineering on the 'Machine And Soul' album and was amazed that it wasn't recorded in at least a 48 track digital studio. This would be one of the 'big budget' type studios that supposedly sound 'better'. It is also worth remembering perhaps that I owned a 'big budget' studio for many years, 'Rock City' at Shepperton. The 'big budget', and for that you should simply read 'very expensive to be in', comes from a number of things many of which are totally unconnected with sound. Having a full time maintenance engineer for example, as these studios are 24 hour a day concerns, is one cost passed on to the client. They often have accommodation and catering laid on and you pay very heavily for that but it's nothing to do with sound. They nearly always have in-house engineers whose wages have to be paid and these men can earn a fortune. I was paying our in-house engineer 130 UK Pounds a day in 1983 so imagine what it could be now. We used to have our Rock City studio 'sounded' regularly by some so called expert, who as usual cost a fortune, who would come in and wiggle a graphic equalizer around for a bit and then go home. It was all rather pointless as the sound of the room would change considerably with each visit so you never knew what was going on. I imagine that some of these people are very good but some aren't and the client pays for that poor service by paying ridiculous rates for an apparently high quality 'big budget' studio. Some even have swimming pools and 4 wheel drive buggies to play on. Some have gyms to work out in, none of these things have anything to do with sound. In 'big budget' studios you pay very heavily for what amounts to distractions from the job in hand. They can also have some rather lovely sound equipment but I kept the best stuff from 'Rock City' so I am reasonably well equipped. I intend to hire in a spectrum analyzer and have my own look at the room that I work in. Strangely enough we're actually in the process of designing another, much larger, studio outside of the house but it won't happen until after 'Exile'. The new room will have larger monitors for one thing so that should eliminate one area of uncertainty. Derek, you said in your e-mail that this topic was raised after 'Machine And Soul' but does it also apply to 'Outland' as that album was recorded here as well? I gather that if 'Babylon 7' has stirred it all up again that is because it featured tracks recorded here but many of the other Babylon series did as well so what's the story there? I need to know these things to try and track down exactly where the problem appears to come from. I can trace back albums to different mastering rooms and manufacturers for example. Just how many subscribers feel this way and are they predominantl American? I don't ask this so that I can just say 'Fucking Americans' but because it may have a bearing perhaps on export CD's being manufactured in a different place or on a different machine. The only problem that I've noticed is that the Extended Mix version of 'Sacrifice ' was a tad muddy compared to the original, and I recognise what I did wrong there. Do subscribers think that the original 'Sacrifice' was as bad as other recordings made here or was that getting better. Can't think of anything else at the moment but feel free to post this to the Digest if you wish. Bye for now. Gary Numan. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derek H. Langsford dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu Dept. of Biology Tel. (619) 594 2885 San Diego State University Fax (619) 594 7831 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 17:07:18 -0700 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: SOUND QUALITY - summary & suggestions for next step To: numan@cs.uwp.edu So the major points that Gary raised were: 1. He can't hear a problem but admits his hearing is failing and will have it checked out. 2. Recording/mixing/mastering has taken place in 4 different but frequency neutral rooms. 3. Due to only having 12" drivers, he can't really know what is happening at the bottom end of the spectrum of sound. 4. He's not had anyone say anything bad about his studio set-up and his output has been praised as being neutral, hence his derision in the past. 5. Kipper made no comment about M&S, and Gary trusts Kipper's judgement. 6. Gary wants to know which albums are affected. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 7. Gary does not fault the recording or mixing equipment in his studio. 8. Any problems should be picked up in the CD mastering room. (This might be a poor assumption) 9. He does not suspect CD manufacturer. 10. He's confused by criticism of M&S as it was complimented by a well known sound engineer. 11. He feels expensive studios are too heavy on unecessary peripherals to be used by him. 12. He intends to rent a spectrum analyzer to run some tests. 13. He's planning to build) HERE I AM - very good (MPO, France) SACRIFICE - flat sounding mid and low range, noise floor too high? (Mayking Records UK) SACRIFICE EXT - muddy and flat low end, noise floor. (Mayking Records UK) DARK LIGHT - fine, much better than DC. (Mayking Records UK) HUMAN - fine IMO (Mayking Records UK) BERSERKER 1995 - very similar to 1991, maybe a little better mid range. (Mayking Records UK) BABYLON 1-7 (1 & 2 Disctronics UK, 3-7 Mayking Records UK) 1 - very clear high end, poor low end 2 - " 3 - " 4 - " 5 - less good high end as 1-4, muddy low end 6 - " 7 - terrible high end, muddy/boomy low end Suggestions to Gary: Listen to the mastering of "Here Am I" on the "Here I Am" compilation and compare to Babylon 1. The song sound exquisite on HIA, lacking on Babylon 1. Listen to 'Absolution', 'Whisper of Truth' and 'Play Like God' on Baylon 7 and compare to the tracks from the Absolution CD5. CD5's are much clearer. ----- Does someone else want to collate and summarize this info as I worry it will take too much of my time at the moment. I've already spent way too long dealing with this. If anyone wants to volunteer please email me. In the meantime, think about each album CD and decide whether any have deficiencies that you think Gary shouldknow about. If someone offers to collate the material, I'll let you all know and we can start emailing about it. Derek (who really needs to do some real work now and then :-) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derek H. Langsford dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu Dept. of Biology Tel. (619) 594 2885 San Diego State University Fax (619) 594 7831 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 11:18:11 -0400 (EDT) From: "Michael R. Ward" Subject: the fury To: numan digest i remember buying this as the first cd of my collection in a bargain bin at a price of $10. i was so glad i only spent that much on it. there have been several periods in mr numan's career that have alluded me (ie. machine and soul, metal rhythm-new anger,automatic) and also the fury. the fury just left me cold after first hearing it. like outland however i have come to find it quite enjoyable to listen to. i have often found gary's music not right for the mood i'm in but when i go back to it i realize the strength of his craft. this album to me has the style of metal rhythm without the pop-wimpy sound gary seemed to flirt with on new anger. while this is not my favorite of his work, i can listen to it. unfortunately something i cannot say about machine and soul. p.s. i really think derek's idea of featuring a different cd each month to be excellent. i often find albums that i can not listen to at all to become my favorites after approaching them with a different mind-set ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 15:53:12 -0400 From: ThDieckman@aol.com Subject: The Fury To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Although I might be a lit late on this topic, I won't miss the chance to praise The Fury here. It was the real reason for me to start collecting *everything* done by Gary. Of course, I started with A.f.e. and loved some material afterwards. I bought the following albums, but it was Warriors that made me think "never again". The following time my mind changed again but Berserker was't that convincing. And then Your Fascination came. What a song! And the follow-up Call out the Dogs was even better, I still think its one of his best ever. And, everyone will be surprised, I love the female backing vocals. The whole album seemed to me as an absolute unique style of doing music, and BTW has a brilliant and strong title. This made me the big Numan fan I am now and as you might guess I am as well a fan of Gary's later material like for example Metal Rhythm, which to me is similar in certain aspects to The Fury. However, the strange This Disease is convincing as well as the rythm orientated Creatures and Tricks and the ballad I Still Remember. You see, a brilliant album. I hope this is a little counterpoint to Derek's view ;-) Bye Thomas ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 08 May 96 10:35:00 BST From: Matthew Tamea Subject: The Fury To: Numan Mailing List Following on from Dereks Great Fury Challenge, I have to say that I seem to like completely the opposite Numan music to the majority of fans. Talking to others about it is quite funny as I always seem to like what others hate. Don't get me wrong - I still think Techno Army is a pile of cack :-) In that respect I actually liked The Fury. The tour was fantastic too and the music was really powerful. I agree with Dereks comment that in a way it seemed the PPG was writing the album and not Gary. After receiving the entire Babylon series yesterday I had a listen to Tribal which I think is better than Call Out The Dogs. Interestingly enough it's produced just by Gary and not with The Wave Team. It certainly has a different feel to the rest of The Fury about it. The tracks on The Fury do all have a very similar feel about them. But then again so does Sacrifice. The major advantage that The Fury *does* have over Sacrifice though is that whilst it is heavily programmed, at least by doing the drums in this way the actual drum pattern can be easily modified to make it different during the chorus or the bridge or whatever. With Gary using sample breaks for Sacrifice this became a lot harder and so each track has the same drum pattern running all the way through it with no variation. A different break of the same BPM could have been used but wasn't. Still sounds good, but less varied. Tessa Niles has fantastic vocal power. Yes maybe too much in parts, but no-one can say that she isn't a damned good singer. Even Gary has said this and personally I thought it a shame that she didn't tour with him. The extended mixes that originally came out on tape provided, in most cases, some decent reworkings of the original tracks. God Only Knows which was good on the album version became even better, and I Still Remember always stayed with me. A sad song anyway, it was made even sadder that my parents moved house for the first time and I left a lot of friends behind; it always reminds me of that time (altogether now - aaaahhhhhhhh!!) My favourite track though has to be tricks which is the one track I really remember from the tour - brilliant. Very powerful. It may not be my favourite album, but I do very much enjoy listening to it on the rare occasions that I do so. I usually play the latest album to death so the previous ones tend to suffer in that repsect. Later - Matthew ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 05 May 96 10:23:43 -0600 From: "Joey Lindstrom" Subject: The Fury and TechnoNotice To: "Gary Numan" Brian Moloney: I loved your "TechnoNotice" song titles ("U Took The Hook" and "A Question Of Faith" jumped out at me as real knee-slappers). I didn't DETEST this album quite as badly as everyone else apparently has. I rather liked the reworking of "I Die: You Die", actually, as well as all three versions of "Cars". "She's Got Claws" would have worked except for the Casio-like brass section. It seems to me like this album was only 70% finished (with the exception of the final two "Cars" remixes, which contain oodles of raw power and energy). It could have been so, so, so much more. But I'll take it. Having said this, and coming out MILDLY in support of it, I must say that perhaps the biggest problem this album has is that the people behind it obviously don't have a CLUE what Gary Numan is all about, and most importantly what his music is all about. A "techno" rework of a song does *NOT* mean you take a dark, moody song like "Deadliner" and turn it into a happy-go-lucky song. NO NO NO NO NO! What kind of drugs are these people on? Listening to this makes me think of Gary Numan, 40 years from now, playing small Vegas nightclubs for $100 a night with a Casio on his lap. MY WORST NIGHTMARE! Folks, I'll put it to you this way: if you can stomach paying the full price of this CD for two very good, very FAST AND FURIOUS versions of "Cars", then go ahead. Otherwise, this one is for completists only. And on to The Fury: sorry Derek but I find I'm completely, 100% opposed to you on this one (surprise!). I ordered both The Fury and Strange Charm on the same day, via my local import dealer, and they arrived about three weeks later. The first one I opened up was The Fury (I flipped a coin). I played it... and wound up playing it four times in a row before I could finally convince myself that it was time to play the other one! The entire album grabbed me immediately by the throat and wouldn't let go. And it still hasn't. Unlike Berserker, it doesn't seem to have a "common theme" throughout... instead, it has a theme that progresses... starts out slow and menacing, then gets fast and funky, then slows down and becomes introspective. Kinda like me on a Saturday night out with the boys. :-) In fact, that's exactly the type of image this album brings to my mind. Having said this, I'll admit that this album is certainly not for everyone. My room-mate, Blaine, loves practically everything on the "Dance" and "I, Assassin" albums, but he could not find one song on "The Fury" that he didn't hate. I don't just mean that he wasn't fond of these songs... he absolutely hates them, and leaves the room whenever I put this album on (making it an occasionally useful tool). Like you said Derek, you either love it or hate it. But Blaine's problem, I think, is that he hasn't given it much of a chance. This is something I've been guilty of: it's only VERY recently that I've come to appreciate "Dance" (an album I once despised but now enjoy). Maybe all some of the Fury-haters need to do is allow it the chance to grow on them. Play it at low volume while you work, or while you're at home reading a book. Try it... you'll like it! :-) And doesn't Gary look oh-so-cool in the white suit and red bow-tie? :-) /--------------------------------------------------------- / Joey Lindstrom / numanoid@netway.ab.ca / lindstrj@cadvision.com / http://www.netway.ab.ca/numanoid/wwwebb.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 00:46:11 -0800 From: qm8c-fdl@asahi-net.or.jp (Christopher Fidel) Subject: Why do I like Automatic? To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Fellow Numanoids: I've read many letters in the digest saying how "Automatic" is a crap album, I'm just curious to know for what reason's those people hate it. When I first heard the album (vinyl), I was taken back by how different it was from everything Numan had done up till then. For me there is a warmth to it, I fell good when I listen to it. Back in 85 when I heard "Change Your Mind" I was blown away by the bass line -I loved dancing to that song. It took me nearly 7 years to find that 12" single, when I finally did find it I got it for $1.00. I don't know what emotional state Gary was in when he did the album, but it clicked with the emotions I was going through back then. My best memory of listening to Automatic was when I was working in Japan in 1990, I would listen to it while riding the train home, the warmth of the music and dusk on the horizon made me relax and just feel great. I'm back in Japan working again, and yes, I do have a copy of Automatic with me -though the copy isn't all that great. The music still makes me feel good. These are my personal feelings about Automatic. The last thing I want to do is piss someone off for my liking the album. I would just like to know why some of you don't like the album. If you have the time to share your reasons for not liking it please e-mail me. I don't want to turn this into an argument, just a friendly exchange of opinions. Lastly, if there is someone who has a CD of Automatic they would like to sell I would be interested in buying. I was contacted by Marcus Deitrich who said he would sell me his copy for $30 U.S., but that was a while ago and he hasn't gotten back to me. I'd be willing to pay the same to someone who has a CD they want to sell. Please don't be too brutal in your opinions. An Electric Friend; Christopher Fidel qm8c-fdl@asahi-net.or.jp ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************