Gary Numan Digest Sun, 19 Oct 97 Volume 1 : Issue 374 Today's Topics: A Totally Unbiased (HAH!) Review Of Exile ciao Daily Mail Digest stats Elton John - Collaboration Elton John? Greetings from Davd Ellison hello How To Order Exile (If Yer Outside The UK) Long time no write! NME no Elton John Numan in Belgium on tour Selling off vinyl United States Release date of Exile WANTED: UK Yen CD ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Oct 97 08:36:43 -0700 From: "Joey Lindstrom" Subject: A Totally Unbiased (HAH!) Review Of Exile To: "numan@cs.uwp.edu" With "Exile", Gary asks the question: "what if Heaven and Hell were the same place?" I'm not sure this album offers any explanations, but exploring that question is sure one Hell of a lot of fun. ;-) The last three years have been very trying times for Numan fans, and no less so for Gary Numan himself. Three years after "Sacrifice", which was widely regarded as a return to form for Gazza, we are now rewarded for our patience. Three long years for fans, itching to hear something, ANYTHING, new from Our Man Gary, a man who suddenly has rediscovered himself creatively and then kept us all waiting for more. And three long years for Gary, who's been itching to RELEASE something, ANYTHING, new. But the record deal - the RIGHT record deal - had to come first. Was it worth the wait? To borrow a phrase from Captain Sheridan (from Babylon 5): "Abso-fragging-lutely, dammit!" To understand this album, it helps if you think of "Sacrifice" as a stepping-stone on the way to "Exile" - much of what eventually became "Exile" is present in "Sacrifice" (and even earlier albums), but "Exile" takes everything much further and puts it all together in a new way - Gary delivers on his promise of a "bigger, louder" version of Sacrifice. The guitars are crunchy and in-your-face, the vocals are louder... the whole thing just blasts its way out of your speakers. I should take a step back for a moment here and take a quick peek at my earlier review of 1994's "Sacrifice". While I loved the album overall, I took a few shots at Gary for what I felt were some serious production flaws, and indeed suggested that in future Gary should perhaps hire a professional to handle the production duties. Well, on the one hand, the upcoming single WILL be remixed by Gravity Kills, but as for Exile itself... well, I take my hat off to Gary and say that I was very, very wrong in suggesting that Gary didn't have what it takes to be a good producer. Very, very wrong indeed, because this is one of the best-produced albums I've heard in quite some time - Gary delivers a very emphatic "take that, Joey!" with all the subtlety of a swift kick in the ass. Can't say I didn't deserve it, either. :-) The drum loops *WORK* this time out - they work exceptionally well without sounding contrived or in-your-face. Gone is the in-the-mud subtle approach with the synthesizers and guitars - they're front and centre this time out. Gary's use of samples and synth-effects is well-thought-out although a WEE bit derivative in places (more on that later), but since it works so well I'll forgive him. :-) Sound quality is also exceptionally good. The "Exile" front-cover logo is somewhat perplexing - can anyone tell me what it's supposed to be? As I've remarked in the Gary Numan Digest a week ago, it looks to me like someone was watching Babylon 5 and decided to morph a Vorlon ship and a Shadow ship together - it looks quite cool but it's a shape that doesn't immediately fall into any recognizable "slot" in your mind, which causes you to look twice. This, in my opinion, is a decided advantage... non-fans who happen to spot this baby on the record store shelf might just take that second look at it. :-) And then we open up the jewel box, pull out the CD, place it in the player, put the headphones on, crank up the volume, and press PLAY. And what a ride. Track 1 - Dominion Day This song is the intended single - last I heard it was slated for release sometime in January 1998 along with a video. And it's one hell of an ass-kickin' track to lead off the album with: Gary lets us know very emphatically, and very early on, that his promise of a "bigger, louder" Sacrifice has been kept. Y'know, for a guy who insists he can't play guitar worth a damn, he manages to crank out some really engaging riffs. :-) This track is the obvious single track, with a driving beat, crunching guitars, and an anthemic chorus which changes subtly with each iteration (something a bit new for Numan). While nearly every track on this album is closer to "commercial" radio style than anything from "Sacrifice", this one AS IT APPEARS ON THE ALBUM isn't quite radio-ready. My fingers are crossed that Gravity Kills can turn the trick with their remix - and I think the chances are quite high, because this song is already VERY close to #1 single material. All it relaly needs is a nudge over the top. I'm quite serious - this song has the potential to really make a dent on the charts, if everything is handled right. Track 2 - Prophecy I first heard this song during the Southampton gig on last year's Premier Tour. Very, very menacing sound, and combined with the stark lighting made for a very.... forboding... experience. This one is bound to be quite controversial particularly amongst those who've criticized Gary for his anti-religion stance. Lyrics such as "the body of Christ is as black as His soul" aren't gonna win too many friends among the Religious Right. But wait a sec... I'm religious and I'm certainly right-wing... so why the heck do I love this song so? Probably because I understand what it is Gary's really doing, and that's ASKING QUESTIONS about our beliefs and about ourselves. This song is Gary at his darkest... and as we know, Gary at his darkest usually translates as Gary at his best. Although definitely not single material, this will likely become a fan favourite. You can almost feel the demons ready to drag you off... Track 3 - Dead Heaven The first I heard of this was via Gary's web site, which allowed us to download a short clip from the song. Well, that clip is now a collector's item as this song has DRAMATICALLY changed - for the better. To be honest, when I first heard it, I thought to myself "oh dear... well, Gary always has at least one dud on every album, so be it". Boy, was I ever wrong - in fact, I'll go so far as to call "Dead Heaven" the strongest track on the album. In fact, were it not for the in-your-face anti-religious lyrics, it would have made a far, far better choice for a single - musically it would play on commercial radio as it stands with no remixing. There's an amazing twist on the chorus right near the end, too. Y'know, for a guy who insists he can't sing worth a damn, he sure belts out some awesome vocals on this track - nasty alternating with soothing. "Welcome to dead Heaven, welcome to shadows and pain." Track 4 - Dark To put it succinctly, this song lives up to its title. In spades. It starts out with menace, slides into forboding, then finishes up with terror. In fact, this song didn't change much from what we heard on last year's Premier Tour - which is fine by me, really. The track starts out quite tentatively and with a minimalist attitude, which works well given what he's trying to do. So when the chorus cuts in and blasts you out of your seat, it's all the more effective. The discordant notes in that chorus send shivers down my spine, heightening the experience. Track 5 - Innocence Bleeding Well, I won't go so far as to call this one "the dud" of the album, but it certainly is the weakest track. This is a relative measure, however - it's certainly better than most of the crap being peddled out there. It starts out promisingly enough, with Gary asking the question, "Do you believe in Heaven?". But while the lyrics are strong, the music seems to simply amble along without a clear direction. Perhaps that's what's intended and maybe I've missed the point. Fact is, this track doesn't leave me either hot or cold, it just "is". I'm gonna give it a chance, though, and make the effort not to skip over it while I listen to the album... after all, I once thought "Films" was a weak song but that sucker really grew on me over time, so maybe this one will too. And even if it doesn't - it's a mathematical certainty that not every fan is going to "get" every song. We're human beings, after all. Track 6 - The Angel Wars Another strong track, which leads off sounding like something you'd hear on "Human" but quickly moving up-tempo into a sort of industrial-gothic kinda melange. The original mix was relatively minimalistic by comparison, but now it's big and loud, which is contrasted by Gary's alternately soft and hard vocal delivery. In a few spots it almost sounds like it would have fit in on "Outland" (which is not a criticism by the way), or at least "Outland" as it would have sounded if it hadn't been wrecked by those silly twats at IRS. :-) Track 7 - Absolution OK folks, I know there seems to be a sharp division out there in regards to this track. About 90% of the North American fans I've spoken to regard this as one of Gary's best-ever tracks, many even saying it's *THE* best single he's ever released. But UK fans are almost exactly opposite, with about 90% proclaiming it "the worst thing he's ever done". I have two words for those people: "London Times". :-) Anyways, the song gets a big makeover here. What's interesting though is that it hasn't changed much musically. There's a few effects added in and it sounds like it's been reengineered because the audio mix is vastly different. The result is a transformation of a song that was originally very barren and cold and minimalist into something that's big and loud and REALLY tugs at the heartstrings. I feared that this song would stick out like a sore thumb on the album, and indeed felt that perhaps it wasn't fair of Gary to re-use a song he released two years ago as a single. Those fears evaporated the moment I heard this one - I was always somewhat ambivalent about the original version but this one I fell in love with INSTANTLY. You will too. Track 8 - An Alien Cure Nice spooky intro and a haunting synth line that ebbs and flows throughout. Again, a big change from the original concert version, now accentuated by numerous effects and samples. This track would feel at home as the theme music to a horror movie (and not a shitty one like "The Unborn" either). "I took a virgin like Mary, said 'I'll give you the One', I confess to desire, watch the world come undone" - very strong stuff and not for the faint of heart or the weak of faith. :-) Track 9 - Exile A few other reviewers have referred to this track as the album's weakest, but I don't agree. Perhaps it's a simple matter of them not "getting" this song, just as I didn't get "Innocence Bleeding". Be that as it may, it seems obvious that yer either gonna love this one or hate it. Certainly it takes its time before finally deciding which way its gonna go, but at least it remains interesting while it makes up its mind. Gary's haunting vocals throughout the chorus are the clincher for me, though, plus an interesting "ringing" sample that is reminiscent of the early Babylon 5 episode "Mind War". All in all, the PERFECT song to close the album with. It should be noted that Gary's a Babylon 5 fan, and while he may deny any conscious influence, I think we can see in the logo design, plus B5-sounding samples and effects in the song "Exile" and indeed throughout the album, that he's definitely returned the sci-fi aspect to his music. And in fact, Babylon 5 often asks the same questions about God, about beliefs, and about ourselves, that Gary asks with "Exile", so any influence that B5 may have had is certainly very appropriate. Of course, I was half-expecting to hear Ivanova's voice at the end of the disc, saying "Commander, we have a problem." :-) So what are the prospects of this album? Is Gary gonna go #1 and appear on Late Night With David Letterman? Or will Exile be ignored just like Sacrifice was? In my opinion, I think the answer is "somewhere in between". I know that's a cop-out, but bear with me. I can't see it dying the way Sacrifice did, for two reasons. First, it's an even better album, and word-of-mouth alone should account for increased sales. But secondly, and more importantly, this time out we've got some actually promotional muscle behind it. How effective that muscle is remains to be seen, but the simple fact of the matter is that news of Exile's release is being heard by the average record-buying public, which may not even be aware that he's still about. Will it go #1? I don't think so. It's still too "different". This isn't to say that the music-buying public won't accept it. I mean that the average music director at the average radio station is going to ASSUME that the record-buying public won't accept it, because it doesn't "slot" easily into any category (which, as you know, is completely typical for most Numan albums). However, Eagle Records has the promotional resources of BMG at its disposal, and those folks are pretty darned good at convincing music directors to play their stuff, but I do expect some resistance. So while we may see Exile getting some serious airplay in some markets, I think the only thing that could potentially launch this album into the limelight would be a smashing success with the single in January, which would literally force music directors into programming the album. Much has been made of the anti-religious tones present on this album. Gary himself said that he was somewhat worried that he might have gone too far. But consider this: the only people talking about this are Gary and the fans. The music press has ignored it - it hasn't really been mentioned AT ALL, even in reviews. I'll go out on a limb and say that I don't think it will be any impediment at all to the success of the album, and in fact may help it. If Exile starts to sell, and the anti-religious issue comes up, it will lend the album a dose of notoriety that is a sure-fire way of boosting sales in a major way. The thing is, Gary's said all along that the MOST important element in all of this is the music. He's been through the IRS experience, where he was told to do it their way because they knew how to turn him into a million-seller. Well, that led to "Outland" and "U Got The Look" and also led Gary into the biggest creative drought of his career. Gary's taken no chances with Exile. Many songs have been revoiced since their earlier incarnations, the production is first-rate, the musical performance is spot-on, and the vocal performance is, without a shadow of a doubt, Gary's finest of his career. The music did come first, and nobody at Eagle Records pressured him into changing anything. But we all know that Gary isn't really that "commercial" an artist, "Cars" and "AFE" notwithstanding. Exile sees Gary go a VERY long way in bridging the gap between "going commercial" and maintaining the unique "Numan-ness" that drew all of us long-term fans in the first place. He manages both yet compromises nothing, but the fact remains that he is NOT, and never will be, the Spice Girls. Nor does he wanna be. Nor do I want him to be. Nor, I believe, do you. I think a reasonable, and attainable, goal for Exile would be for it to enjoy some chart success along with some critical success, enough to make the music industry and the record-buying public take another good, hard look at the man they used to kick around like a mangy dog. Gary is fighting to win some respect, and if he's given half a chance, Exile is the album that will accomplish just that. I've got my fingers crossed for Gary - I'm not the selfish sort of fan that would prefer to see him remain somewhat anonymous, as a "well-kept secret" of music afficianados. I want to see those bastards at NME and other so-called magazines beg Gary for forgiveness for all the nasty things they've said about him over the years. But most of all, I want to see Gary finally get the respect that he's earned over 20 long years in the music business. And that's not a whole hell of a lot to ask for, is it? /-------------------------------------------------------------------------- / From: The Desk Of Joey Lindstrom +1 403-606-3853 / EMAIL: joey@lindstrom.com numanoid@ab.imag.net lindstrj@cadvision.com / WEBB: http://www.ab.imag.net/worldwidewebb/ /-------------------------------------------------------------------------- / I got my driver's license photo taken out of focus on purpose. Now when / I get pulled over the cop looks at it moving it nearer and farther, / trying to see it clearly... and says, "Here, you can go." / --Steven Wright /-------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 10:07:39 +0000 From: Stefano Meneghetti Subject: ciao To: Gary Numan welcome to the numan-net. stefano from Italy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 14:19:12 -0400 From: Kelly Johnson Subject: Daily Mail To: Gary Numan There is an excellent review of Exile in today's Daily Mail (17/10). Not = a "news"paper I would normally buy but..... The album is only given 3 out o= f 5 but the criticism's are reasonable and the reviewer say's some very nic= e things: "...Numan has become a name to drop in hip circles..." "...it is actually a surprisingly (???) accomplished album of rich sonic textures that reflects it's maker's newly-acknowledged status as one of t= he godfathers of the electronic generation. Numan's well-tuned ear for melody and his ability to build a mood through= electronic sound..." "...well-constructed songs such as Dominion Day, the Eastern-spiced Dead Heaven and the slow, tranquil Absolution..." "...with most of the songs underpinned by relentless electro-percussion, = it is easy to see why Numan was regaled by something approaching hero-worshi= p by elder statesmen of the hip-hop scene..." "...Numan is not averse to embelleshing songs with gentle acoustic guitar= flourishes and the odd piano interlude. The music here is all the better for the variety." "...it stands as a lucid and coherent album that will delight his army of= die-hard fans." Oh yeah. and there's a big picture of Gary from The White Room. Fans outside Britain probably won't appreciate how amazing this is. No, really! Gary was the anti-christ in this country until about 2 years ago.= ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 22:31:29 -0700 (PDT) From: Derek Langsford Subject: Digest stats To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Someone asked on the Digest about Digest stats on why people left. Well, we don't keep any. We just passed 5 (or is it 6) years of the Digest. Here are the latest stats courtesy of Dave Datta. ! 14 AU Australia 1 BE Belgium 7 CA Canada 1 CZ Czech Republic 3 DK Denmark 1 FI Finland 2 FR France 6 DE Germany 1 IS Iceland 5 IE Ireland 1 IT Italy 2 JP Japan 1 NL Netherlands 62 NET Network 3 NZ New Zealand 7 ORG Non-Profit 1 SG Singapore 2 ZA South Africa 1 ES Spain 5 SE Sweden 1 CH Switzerland 201 COM US Commercial 33 EDU US Educational 1 GOV US Government 59 UK United Kingdom 1 US United States 421 members I think that is down from the last time -- we were approaching 500. Maybe I need to advertise on the newsgroups more :-) Derek San Diego, California ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 20:57:29 +0100 From: Klaus Sauer Subject: Elton John - Collaboration To: Gary Numan There was no real collaboration between Gary and Elton John. Elton John plays the keyboards on the RADIO HEART-Album on the tracks "Strange Thing" and "The Victim". Another "Connection" to Elton John is, that the DRAMATIS-Album and the most of their Single-Releases are on Elton John's ROCKET-Label. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Klaus Sauer, Kirchstr. 10, 45699 Herten, Germany http://www.herten.netsurf.de/~klaus.sauer/MachSoul.htm klaus.sauer@herten.netsurf.de ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 23:20:11 -0700 (PDT) From: Derek Langsford Subject: Elton John? To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Gary did not work with Elton John. They both contributed to the Radio Heart album but did not perform or record together. Derek San Diego, California ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 01:32:29, -0500 From: WNQJ62A@prodigy.com (MR DAVID R ELLISON) Subject: Greetings from Davd Ellison To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Greetings fellow Numanoids My name is David Ellison from Dallas, TX USA, originally from Boston, MA. I've been a Numan fan since 1979. My favorite Numan albums are Replicas, Telekon, and Sacrifice. I play keyboards and one band I was in, we did a version of "Are Friend's Electric? I'll be in England from Oct 23-31 to see Gary for the first time, on his Exile '97 Tour. Love to hear from anyone who will be following the tour. I'll be at the shows in London on the 26th and in Bristol, Cambridge and Guilford. David WNQJ62A@prodigy.com (and soon at NUMANBOY.earthlink.com) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 00:00:16 -0400 (EDT) From: NickYak@aol.com Subject: hello To: numan@cs.uwp.edu My name is Nick Barracto, I have been a serious fan of Newman's machine era (l978-81) since l988 when I rented the Touring Principle video. I met many who saw his l980 US tours in NY and they all say he was amazing live. I play drums, and I also like Alien Sex Fiend, Peter Murphy, and allot of gothic. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Oct 97 07:52:25 -0700 From: "Joey Lindstrom" Subject: How To Order Exile (If Yer Outside The UK) To: "numan@cs.uwp.edu" As many of you may have found out by now, Exile is not yet listed on most importers' computer systems (including CDNOW.COM and CDCONNECTION.COM). If you're in a hurry to get Exile (and you SHOULD BE!), and you don't live in the UK (where you can just wander into the local HMV or Virgin), I've found a mail-order house that will help you out. Furthermore, they've kindly offered to discount Exile down from its =9C13.99 (that's in pounds sterling) list price, down to =9C12.49 (again= , POUNDS STERLING, people!). Please be sure to mention somewhere in your order that you spotted this advertisement on the GARY NUMAN INTERNET DIGEST to get this price. Ordering information, as provided by Jason at Badlands, is as follows (sorry, there's no web site): =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D BADLANDS 11 St George's Place, Cheltenham Gloucestershire, GL50 3LA, UK. Tel: (01242) 227724/25 (FROM US/CANADA: 011-44-1242-227724 or 011-44-1242-227725) Fax : (01242) 227393 (FROM US/CANADA: 011-44-1242-227393) email: badlands@cityscape.co.uk POSTAGE RATES ALL ITEMS ARE SENT BY FIRST CLASS POST. OVERSEAS ITEMS BY AIR MAIL. PLEASE NOTE THAT A DOUBLE CD COUNTS AS TWO ITEMS AND A 4 CD BOX SET COUNTS AS 4 ITEMS AND SO ON. For The UK =9C1 for the first item plus 50p for each extra item For Europe =9C2 for the first item plus =9C1 for each extra item For the rest of the world =9C3 for the first item plus =9C1.50 for each additional item PAYMENT DETAILS By far the easiest and most efficient way of making purchases from antwhere in the world is to send us your credit card details. If this is not possible then we can accept personal cheques drawn on a UK bank account, Postal Orders, cash (=9Csterling only) sent by registered mail. USA DOLLARS Unfortunately we cannot accept payment in US $ unless you add an additional $15 which is the cost of paying dollars in to our UK bank account. You will also need to contact us for a quote based on the current exchange rate. =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D If you're dialing from outside the UK, Canada, or US: first, dial your international access code (typically "00" in most countries), then "44" for the UK. Then, dial the rest of the number as specified but be sure to drop the leading "0", which is used only when dialing within the UK. I ordered my two copies by emailing Jason at the above address and sending along my Visa information, but it should be noted that email is not a secure means of data transmission: if you're worried about your Visa number falling into unscrupulous hands, it might be best to fax your order or phone it in. Bear in mind that at noon in the UK, it is 7am Eastern Daylight Time, 6am Central, 5am Mountain, and 4am Pacific. These people likely operate during "regular business hours" so keep that in mind before calling. /-----------------------------------------------------------------------= --- / From: The Desk Of Joey Lindstrom +1 403-606-3853 / EMAIL: joey@lindstrom.com numanoid@ab.imag.net lindstrj@cadvision.co= m / WEBB: http://www.ab.imag.net/worldwidewebb/ /-----------------------------------------------------------------------= --- / In 1947 something crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. Some believe four / aliens were discovered at the site and that their remains, as well as / the flying saucer, are being held in an Air Force installation 100 / miles north of Las Vegas in an area known as Area 51. UFO-ologists / insist that the four aliens and manager, Brian Epstein, accidentally / crashed their own flying saucer. Yeah, because they can travel 350 / million light years dodging black holes, asteroids and comets, but / those New Mexico telephone wires are a real bitch! I think two of the / four aliens might have survived the wreck, escaped from Area 51 and / made it to Vegas where they have been doing nine shows a week under the / name Siegfried and Roy. / -- Dennis Miller /-----------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 19:07:11 +0100 From: Alistair Neil Subject: Long time no write! To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Greetings all- Just a little bitty note wondering if anyone on the list will be at The Pavillion in Glasgow for the Oct 31 concert? Gimme a post if ya are :-) PS: Craig (You know who you are) please email me! Clea ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 16:30:20 -0400 From: Matthew Roberts Subject: NME To: Gary Numan NME managed to take the piss out of Gary Numan this week and be fairly funny. A first? They were explaining how a group of rock stars are lobbying to have Briti= sh Summer Time standardized with the rest of Europe. But typically our Gaz i= s the outsider: "Gary Numan is lobbying for the clocks to be put forward 5,241,600 hours saying, 'Britain needs to look to the future and adding 60 years to the clock will put us there. A time where the world can appreciate a certain type of music! A futuristic music! Made by a man who looks a bit like a futuristic robot! Just imagine it! A future world NOW! With one man providing the space age soundtrack! People would wear suits made of silve= r foil! There'd be trips to Mars!' Gary 'couldn't say' exactly what form this music would take, or who would= make it, but he did add 'and flying cars!' apropos of nothing." Well I know it's not that funny but they haven't had much experience. Matthew Roberts ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 16:27:55 -0400 From: Matthew Roberts Subject: no Elton John To: Gary Numan Paddy asked in #373 on which tracks Gary had collaborated with Elton (he was mediocre once, now just plain awful) John. People will be relieved to hear that Gary has never collaborated with Elton. The connection is down to the Radio Heart disaster. After Gary did= 3 singles with them in 1987, they put out an album with Gary's picture on t= he front. Of course, Gary only contributed vocals to 3 songs so it was incredible that they tried to make it look like a Numan album. Gary's opinion is clear - the Numan camp demanded that the album be withdrawn fr= om circulation - with limited success. So what about Elton John? Well according to the label notes, he played keyboards on 2 of the tracks, none of which were the same ones Gary appeared on. 'God' knows how you're supposed to know it's Elton playing keyboards but I'll give Hugh Nicholson the benefit of the doubt (and I guess Elton would be far more likely to sue for misrepresentation than Ga= ry would). The moral of the story? If someone offers you several thousand quid to record a song, think about it very carefully. And get paid up front. Paddy, sorry there's nothing to learn at the Museum of Modern Art. = I read Moby Dick. It's about a whale. Some people call it a meta...metaf....metafour???? Ha, rubbish! Everyone knows a whale is a big= fish. Matthew Roberts ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Oct 1997 15:46:06 +0200 From: joeri Subject: Numan in Belgium To: Gary Numan Hello, At 9.05 am Gary Numan an Gemma landed at National Airport. Me, Jean Guy,Els, where there. Gemma told me that the album photograph is the only one she hasn't got. I told her she could buy mine, autographed. I showed the a picture of my dog, a shar-pei, a dog who has to much skin, and they thought it was cute. Thats why they laugh at the picture on Nuzone. After Gary signed some albums it was up to the hotel where the interviews took place. I was invited to go there. I spoke to the woman who's responsible for the distribution of "exile" here in Belgium. I got an exlusive black and white photograph. I talked to all the journalists, they were amazed by the kindness of Gary and Gemma. Gary told a journalist that he lost his wedding ring but he found it. Jean-Guy(a Numan fan) was alowed to be there in the room where an interview took place.(Le Soir newspaper) Pictures of Jean-Guy can be seen on the Nu-zone Web-site. Gary told Jean-Guy I should wait for a chat, so I did. My wife also took pictures at the hotel, you can see them at my prophecy web-site. http://home.planetinternet.be/~joeri/numanbrux.html A journalist asked me to do a review of "exile" for the Belgian Stage-Magazine, I'm working on it now. Before Gary gave his last interview he said to the girl of "Eagle records Belgium": I still want to speak to that couple over there. At 18:00 a friend and Numan-fan, Luc de Visscher arrived and at 18:15 (after his last interview)we had a chat with Gary for 45 minutes. He was very satisfied about "exile".Different thinking he said. He's looking forward for the tour and is hoping he can perform abroad. He told us what we can expect of the tour, lots of moving lights, the songs(he couldn't remember all of them). A new version of A.F.E, Metal, etc. Those songs gonna be HUGE he said. The atmosphere was great, I was calm, it was if I had known Gary for years.I almost invited Gary and Gemma for dinner. When my wife asked him about having children, he replied not to have any for the next 2 years. He also said he liked some Bryan Adams songs(my wife is a Bryan Adams fan). Oh yeah before I forget, An Pierle (on Random) CD,had a chat with Gary. She's very nice and smart(even Gary thinks so). After hearing that Beggar's Banquet probably are releasing her cover of A.F.E. as a CD-single to promote "Random" she was still very calm. She even didn't sign a record-deal with Sony-Belgium. I'm not ready yet:she said. As top of the bill Luc de Visscher drove Gary and Gemma to the airport. I've never seen a man so happy, Gemma even said to me:"are you leaving yet?". Gary and Gemma were so kind, it's strange meeting Gary on such an occasion. Gary and Gemma, thanks for everything, see you in London. Joeri, ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 09:16:32 +0100 From: Matthew Tamea Subject: on tour To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Brad Day wrote: >Can anyone tell me if the Numanoids On Tour has been opened up to >part-timers, or, is still for the entire tour only? For anyone who doesn't know about this, Pete and Frank have now incorporated a new 'thing' into this whereby you don't have to do the whole tour if you don't want, but can do any 7 consecutive nights of the tour you like. Matthew > > ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Oct 1997 15:34:54 -0400 (EDT) From: SteelHanky@aol.com Subject: Selling off vinyl To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Robert wrote: > I've now completely duplicated my Gary Vynal collection with CD's. > Is anyone interested in buying oold Numan Albums? I've got practically > everything including picture discs, Japanese pressings and rarities. I have found folks aren't buying vinyl. I had a list for sale a few weeks back, ALL THAT'S LEFT is vinyl, the videotape and CDs were snapped up immediately. I figure the Numan vinyl collectors already have everything they need. Not too many of his 12"ers are hard to find. Indeed, just how many THOUSANDS of the "promo" White Boys And Heroes were pressed? Heck, those puppies were EVERYWHERE for a while! And of course, the "regular" vinyl LPs are STILL abundant in used record shops. Especially Telekon, for some reason. If there's ONE Numan album in the dollar rack, it's Telekon. Usually three or four of 'em too. I'm interested in what other digest folks have in their collections. Are your vinyl collections complete? I'm not expecting a response like "Oooh, all I need is that elusive "Call Out The Dogs" 12 incher!", because all that stuff is out there in sufficient quantity, I think, to satisfy the demand. --- JAD... ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Oct 1997 09:55:09 -0500 From: Brad LaVoise Subject: United States Release date of Exile To: GARY NUMAN DIGEST When is the release date for Exile here in the States? Also when is the book available here, or should one order it. Brad ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 23:17:22 -0700 (PDT) From: Derek Langsford Subject: WANTED: UK Yen CD To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I periodically ask in the Digest if anyone is willing to part with or can find me a UK (or Japanese) copy of the Yen album "Air". Yen supported Gary on one of his tours and they thank Gary, Beryl and Tony in the credits. I have the US copy but preferring UK and Japanese CDs, I'd love to get one of them. Please email me if you can help out. Derek San Diego, California ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************