Gary Numan Digest Thu, 23 May 96 Volume 1 : Issue 229 Today's Topics: ATCO rumour Babylon CDs to be re-pressed Fury... New URL for The World Wide Webb Reference in "People" magazine, of all places something to smile sound quality - homing in on the problem? THE FURY The Fury / Pedder's poll ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 May 1996 09:48:23 -0700 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: ATCO rumour To: numan@cs.uwp.edu John Stubblefield, a non-on-line fan in Philadelphia I speak to periodically, heard that ATCO are going to release Gary's pre-NUMA albums on CD in the USA due to the resurgence of interest in Gary. This would be great news for Gary, if true, because it would give his Beggars Banquet catalogue much greater exposure in the USA, making it easily available to casual buyers or fans of other, currently more successful artists who are covering Gary's songs. If true, how would this affect US fans? For the fan who already has the UK 2CD issues or the Japanese Asylum sets, these would probably be quite unnecessary, but it might end up being the fist time that Gary's BB albums see separate CD issue (apart from Replicas that is). For that reason they may be collectible. First though, can anyone confirm the rumour? 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, 22 May 1996 09:40:22 -0700 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: Babylon CDs to be re-pressed To: numan@cs.uwp.edu This appeared on NuWORLD on May 22 >Due to considerable opinion, and demand, from fans around the world we have >now decided not to delete any of the Babylon CD series after all. We will >be repressing Babylon 3 and 7 in the near future and will almost certainly >repress any of the others that may run out of stock. We only hope you buy >them with as much vigour as you complained about their deletion:-) >Hopefully this will once again reassure you all that we do listen very >carefully to what you have to say and that we are always striving to do our >best, even if it means taking a considerable risk financially. Keep an eye >on the Numa Records section for the latest info on what's happening with >the Numa and Salvation CD's. It was followed by a picture captioned: >Gary, late 1977, long before deleting CD's was a hangable offence. So, many must have complained about the CD deletion. Isn't it nice to know Gary is responsive to fans concerns? 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, 19 May 1996 14:27:48 -0400 From: BDay0000@aol.com Subject: Fury... To: numan@cs.uwp.edu "Friends," Very interesting comments about The Fury. When I first heard the Fury I was floored. I loved it, all of it (still do =] ). I was very glad to hear that Numan's style hadn't altered to fit in with the latest fad or trend (that came later with Outland and M&S). The Fury was very powerful and unique. I am one of the few fans that prefers the sax and female vocals. I feel that they are showcased best on this release. Also, I feel that the entire layout is very classy ( is classy a word????). BTW, anyone know who did the percussion on this album? I don't beleive it is listed...Thanks!!! IMHO, Brad Day ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 May 96 19:41:39 -0600 From: "Joey Lindstrom" Subject: New URL for The World Wide Webb To: "numan@cs.uwp.edu" , I've got a slightly-changed URL for The World Wide Webb: Old URL: http://www.netway.ab.ca/numanoid/wwwebb.htm New URL: http://www.netway.ab.ca/worldwidewebb/ Additionally, the Sound Clip Contest has also moved: Old URL: http://www.netway.ab.ca/numanoid/contest/index.html New URL: http://www.netway.ab.ca/worldwidewebb/contest/index.html This is an interim change. I'll eventually be following Matthew's footsteps and getting a unique domain name for this site. /--------------------------------------------------------- / Joey Lindstrom / numanoid@netway.ab.ca / lindstrj@cadvision.com / http://www.netway.ab.ca/numanoid/wwwebb.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 May 1996 09:01:14 -0600 From: Scott Lucado Subject: Reference in "People" magazine, of all places To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Fellow Numanoids: Somebody left a copy of the May 13th "People" magazine in my cubicle, and while flipping through it, I found the following in a review of the group "Nancyboy." "...[Donovan] Leitch renders this major-label debut's 13 songs like a foppish young David Bowie with a pinch of early Bryan Ferry. Fortunately, he and his bandmates--especially [Jason] Nesmith, who provides searing guitar solos and tight harmonies--pull it off, thanks to witty lyrics and bouncy melodies that smack of Gary Numan, Blondie, and at times, even Cheap Trick..." I didn't know "People" had ever even heard of Our Hero. Scott scott_lucado@amrcorp.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 20 May 1996 23:34:16 +0200 (MET DST) From: na468@fim.uni-erlangen.de (Markus Dietrich) Subject: something to smile To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello Numanoids, we all know the story of Gary becomes NUMAN! But does anyone of you ever noticed that there is a socker player called Arthur Numan !!! A friend of mine gives me this information because he is a great socker fan and also knows me as a Numan fan. Arthur Numan plays in the dutch socker club called PS Eindhoven, and maybe we will see the name NUMAN displayed at a live socker game at TV while the european champion ship in the UK, because he is nominated for the dutch national crew! :-) :-) :-) P.S: Some times ago in a game between Eindhoven and Karlsruhe (germ.) NUMAN comes into the game in the 79. minute !!! (when else) -- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 May 1996 10:48:29 -0700 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: sound quality - homing in on the problem? To: numan@cs.uwp.edu In #228 Keith Dawe and Erin Tavano posted opposing thoughts on the sound quality issue. I do realise that some subscribers are frustrated that they have been considered party to the questioning of Gary on this issue when they do not agree with it. Let me restate that I only indicated that "some" subscribers have concerns. I did not pretend this to be a majority or offical opinion and I will tell Gary that some do not agree with the Digest addressing him on this issue. Please be assured that no implication has ever been given that all Digest subscribers agree with the contention that the sound quality of Gary's CDs has varied over time since him being in control of virtually the whole process. Keith, I think, brings up a very good point for those who don't believe there is a problem or who think that each CD sounds like Gary want them to. Numerous songs have appeared on many different CDs. Comparison of the different CD sources clearly shows that significant sound quality differences occur among them. It must be concluded then that something is causing this variation other than our ears or stereos. My suspicions lie with the mastering for CD process. Gary's songs sound great on the Receiver Records compilations "The Other Side of Gary Numan" and "Here I Am", but generally not so good on his album CDs, the "Isolate" compilation or "Babylon" CDs. Mayking Records UK pressed "Here I Am" Babylon 3-7 and all of Gary's post-Machine and Soul NUMA catalogue including "Dream Corrosion". If a selection of Gary's songs can sound great on one CD, not so good on others and another album sound quite bad, and all come from the same CD maker, one can only conclude that, for those songs, the problem lies in the mastering for CD, not with the pressing and not with the original tapes. This I think is the problem for his pre-Sacrifice material. I am not sure this is the answer for "Sacrifice" and on. Without a great sounding "Sacrifice" song from another source, it is impossible to tell. Does anyone have that German synth compilation? A comparison of "Seed of a Lie" from that and "Sacrifice" could tell us a lot. Respectfully, Derek -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derek H. Langsford dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu Dept. of Biology Tel. (619) 594 2885 San Diego State University Fax (619) 594 7831 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 May 96 02:42:00 UTC 0000 From: p.whinnery@genie.com Subject: THE FURY To: numan@cs.uwp.edu "THE (what? no title track!) FURY" When I walked into Tower Records and saw The Fury early in 1986, I picked up the CD and actually held it in my hands...then put it back and bought the vinyl album instead. You see, we did not yet own a CD player and I knew I wanted to hear this immediately. To this day, I still regret that moment for it would have been my 1st CD ever, but alas it was another which I can no longer remember, and as irony would have it, in the next few weeks we did buy our CD player which is still in use today. As for The Fury, I liked it overall on the first listen. It was jazzy, pretty smooth.. but a little more commercial sounding. Not as synthy as the earlier stuff and less funky (ie, no fretless) then Dance and I,A (remember I had not even heard of Berserker at this point). But where did those GIRLS come from? Gary with female vocal back-up? It was so...un-Numan! My throat hurts just hearing those soprano voices! I was happy to see him still using the sax though, and I loved the new suited Numan look since Dance. Needless to say, I haven't heard The Fury in awhile as I hardly ever listen to the old vinyl collection and although I have replaced all of my other Numan albums with CDs, this one still alludes me. I pulled the album out from the depths of the dusty closet of vinyl storage and gave it a new listen. As hindsight, I can now hear premonitions of the Outland album in Creatures, and even a little bit of the newer Sacrifice style in some of the intros. If only Gary could do more songs that sounded as well as his intros (before that heavy disco drum beat kicks in)! I think this is one of the few albums where I can actually understand most of the words. After hearing this album again after so long...I realize that I miss the saxophone. My favorite tracks then and now are GOK, COTD and ISR. But I would also like to note Miracles and Pleasure Skin as great songs. Actually, GOK is probably in my top ten fave Numan songs. This album didn't "inspire" me to do anything, I simply just liked it..not as well as some, but better than others. I guess I would rate it slightly above average. The wailing females still annoy me and can only be saved by the wailing sax. I await the re-issue of this CD if only as an easy means to play the six tracks worthy of hearing (minus TD, YF and Creatures of course). - Jorja / Philadelphia "I don't remember..." "I still remember..." "I like to forget..." "God Only Knows". ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 20 May 1996 13:59:22 +0000 (GMT) From: Andy Subject: The Fury / Pedder's poll To: numan@cs.uwp.edu When this came out, I was pretty excited about it, having got into Gary Numan in a big way a few years before. I absolutely loved it, my favourite tracks at the time being Your Fascination, Tricks, Creatures, and This Disease. However, listening back to it these days, it seems just TOO 80s...its got that digital synth sound that seems to really date it; and now Ive really gone off squawking saxophones. I still play it now and again, and I still like Creatures and This Disease, but I think I've also got into God Only Knows now. At the time it seemed like a bit of a filler; the same way as I see The Pleasure Skin.. Overall, I liked it, perhaps not in the top5, but not in the bottom 5 of his albums either... Incidentally, did we ever get any results from Donald Peddre's ambitious poll ? Andy McHaffie ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************