Gary Numan Digest Thu, 29 Aug 96 Volume 1 : Issue 257 Today's Topics: Newbie to the list Numan vinyl up for auction Some minor corrections in discography Strange Charm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 17:28:24 GMT From: garage_sale@juno.com Subject: Newbie to the list To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I'm a newbie to the list. Favorite bands besides Numan are (in no particular order): King Crimson Frank Zappa and the Mothers Ultravox Weather Report Larry Coryell Jane Siberry Kate Bush etc... Saw two Numan shows in my life. A very good show at the Granada Theatre in chicago (sadly, the theatre is now gone) around the release of Telekon, and one rather lousy performance a year and a half or so later at the Park West in chicago. That's about it for now. Mark B. Weber garage_sale@juno.com http://members.aol.com/garagesail/website/monstera.htm (Monster Vinyl Auction Site) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 17:30:24 GMT From: garage_sale@juno.com Subject: Numan vinyl up for auction To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Visit the URL below for the Numan vinyl or email me for a list. There are also many other artists available. Mark B. Weber garage_sale@juno.com http://members.aol.com/garagesail/website/monstera.htm (Monster Vinyl Auction Site) http://members.aol.com/garagesail/website/numana.htm (Gary Numan Vinyl Auction Site) ------------------------------ Date: 26 Aug 96 09:20:37 +0200 From: Jean-Francois.MAINGUET@tcs.thomson.fr Subject: Some minor corrections in discography To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Receipt Notification Requested) Subject: missing songs in the list of Joey Lindstrom missing record in Dave's list I have downloaded a few weeks ago the list of songs maintained by Joey Lindstrom (to update my own list) and compared it to the Dave Datta's Gary Numan discography. It is a impressive and fantastic work! And also a bit disappointing to learn that a lot of songs are missing in my own collection... I have noticed that the following songs Fools In A World Of Fire Remix, Remake, Remodel Take Me Home are in the Dave's discography and not in the Joey's list. References are: 1985 Change Your Mind 8:24 Change Your Mind Remix, Remake, Remodel Fools In A World Of Fire 12" UK Polygram Records POPX 722 (picture disc) 12" UK Polygram Records POSPX 722 1981 Love Needs No Disguise Love Needs No Disguise Take Me Home Face To Face 12" UK Beggars Banquet BEGA 68T Also the songs of "live at the Roxy" 1977 are missing. In the updated list of Dave, I didn't find the following record I have: (it's a compilation album) 1994 Here I am 5:42 Emotion 6:19 The Skin Game 4:16 In A Glass House 4:29 Confession (live) 3:16 America (live) 4:46 Your Fascination 4:21 Time to die 6:38 Are Friends Electric? (live) 3:22 My Dying Machine 5:40 Here I Am 5:53 She Cries 6:50 We Need It 5:31 London Times 2:45 Rumour 4:01 Berserker CD Fr Receiver Records RRCD186 I hope this will help. Jeff. Jean-Francois Mainguet mainguet@tcs.thomson.fr ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 10:51:51 -0500 (CDT) From: Doug Finney Subject: Strange Charm To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Yeah, I'm a little late but it's not quite next month at the moment so here are my thoughts on Strange Charm. I picked up both SC and The Fury on cd at an otherwise pretty crappy record store in Austin, TX in late 1987 or early '88. Of course I didn't know at the time how fortunate I was to be getting them or I would have snatched them up sooner rather than taking a chance and waiting several weeks until they finally went on sale. Gary's first few albums had always been my favorites and at the time I still hadn't gotten into I, Assassin or Warriors, so was still hoping for a return to his earlier sound. This wasn't it, but happily I did like it. Gary's lyrical references to God have always interested me so any album that started off with the line "Assassination of the voice of God/ I don't know if I can do it" couldn't be all bad. "My Breathing" in general is a pretty good song, IMO and the unexpected violin gives it a unique feel. The sax doesn't always work for me in Numan's music but I like it in "Unknown and Hostile". More religious references and Gary on guitar (though that's obviously Rrussell on the solo) make this one a winner for me. I'm not sure Gary's ever done a ballad I didn't like. "The Sleeproom" is no exception with it's strong lyrics and sparse sound. "New Thing From London Town" isn't my favorite song, but I'd probably like it better as a b-side or something. I just don't fits the mood established by the first three tracks. Bill Sharpe keys some nifty hooks though so it's not like I skip this track or anything. "I Can't Stop" doesn't get the skip either, though I usually tune it out after the first two or three minutes. I like the music but this is definitely a case of too much of a mediocre thing. The title track gets things back on track (so to speak :) though the "I don't like it" chant is a bit annoying coming as it does right on the heels of the many "I can't stop it"s. But I love the main keyboard riff, especially when it's driving along below the dreamy synth patches between verses. I can't stop it, I don't like it, I need it. Hmm, do I detect a theme? The rehashes of "The Need" and "I Can't Stop" that turn up on later albums don't do much for me but as my first exposure to this particular chant, I still like "The Need". I'm a sucker for that fretless bass sound even when it's not in a Numan tune. In my eyes no one can replace Pino Palladino but Martin Elliot does a great job both here and on "This is Love". But the wailing sax and wailing female vox are bordering on waling torture after seven long minutes. I love "This is Love". It's one of the few songs I've heard where the overused "heartbeat" bass drum sounds good. The lyrics are heart-wrenching and Gary sounds quite emotional. It's usually the song I want to hear when I pull this cd out but I rarely skip straight to it. Though not my favorite Numan album, Strange Charm does rank somewhere in the top half. It's position is probably helped by the fact it was the first post-Telekon Numan album I really got into. And the handfull of stand-out tracks certainly don't hurt. This is love, this is pain disguised as a dream. Doug ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************