Gary Numan Digest Thu, 2 Jul 98 Volume 1 : Issue 447 Today's Topics: a pride day acknowledgement Box Set...Does is sound better? Do You Need The Service Tab Exile re-reviewed (at some length) first time. Intro Intro. Is Chris Evans a NUMANOID ?? Lakesiders... New member (ex lurker) news from NME (www.nme.com) Nicholson/Numan scam Numan Box Set - comments requested Numan remasters Opening message Prime Time Live Steve Webbon on: the new reissue albums subscribe Telekon extras/Trades Telekon on CD The Sleeproom Moves...again. the text behind "Sacrifice" Touring Principle video Where is NuWorld????? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 13:32:36 -0400 From: pnathan@entelchile.net (PATRICIO ARIEL NATHAN ALTMANN) Subject: To: from : patricio nathan fax in chile : ( 5 6 2 ) 7 7 7 3 6 7 4 santiago - chile dear sir , i need from you to know where i can buy an original used or new vhs pal or ntsc video copie from gary numan :"micromusic" and also the radio heart featuring gary numan cd album or lp . do you know any fan that has good quality video recordings from the current " exile " u.s.a. / european tour , interviews or backstage shootings , etc... please let me know for copies . in advance thank´s for all . sincerely . patricio nathan ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 23:33:10 -0500 From: Valerie Iglar-Mobley Subject: a pride day acknowledgement To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Dear all, This is just a little note to honor Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Pride day today. When I was a young teenage bisexual, the homoerotica of Gary's lyrics really helped me to struggle through. I felt completely alone in my environment, and hearing him sing about feelings I wasn't hearing anywhere else gave me great reassurance and validation. If anyone else out there connected with his homoerotica, I'd love to hear from you! Happy Pride Day to all! Go and tell someone who's queer that you love her or him. Love, Benjamin Iglar-Mobley ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1 Jul 98 23:50:45 -0400 From: Shane King Subject: Box Set...Does is sound better? To: "Gary Numan" Does anybody have an opinion on the box set? Shane King ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 10:38:00 +0100 From: Jon Bunting Subject: Do You Need The Service Tab To: Don McCrum In message , Don McCrum writes > >Any suggestions/ info on either a drum machine or a keyboard (type, price >range, etc.) would be greatly appreciated. > Where shall I start? Firstly nearly all keyboards have acceptable drum programs. How much are you going to blow? I present three categories. Cheapest Roland XP50 Does everything in one box (1000USD) Not quite so cheap Yamaha EX5 As above with the addition of sampling (2000USD) Rich bastard (poor after you've got it) 1. I assume you have a PC (MAC), with a soundcard that will usually have accept a midi interface. 2. Buy a midi interface. (15USD) 3. Buy (warez) a software sequencer, Cakewalk is as good as any (99USD) 4. Then, depending on when you do your bank raids, purchase the following... Yamaha AN1x (a keyboard) (700USD) (analog squelchy sounds) Korg TR-Rack(tone module) (1000USD) (class class class) Behringer MX1602 (mixer) (200USD) (boring but essential) Yamaha A3000 sampler(optional) (1250USD) (steal peoples stuff:) Finally, let me hear your grooves once you get it all going :) Cheers Jon Bunting rAwheAd http://www.rawhead.demon.co.uk/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 01:31:45 -0800 From: Pythoness Subject: Exile re-reviewed (at some length) To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Since my initial reaction to Exile was only slightly better than lukewarm (though I prognosticated that it would grow on me), I'm feeling impelled to publicly proclaim that I've decided it's a f***ing masterpiece. Long about the twelfth listening, I think it was, as I took a walk through the local park with Exile on the portable CD, I stopped dead in the bikepath and declared, "This is a f***ing masterpiece." Amazingly, no-one seemed to care. :-) The first discovery is was that it comes across much better at TERRIFICALLY HIGH VOLUME (for which discovery my neighbors are all very grateful, I'm sure) or on good headphones. The second was that the vague feeling of homogeniety I got from the first couple of listenings entirely disappeared when I gave the album my full attention--which I'm too damned grown-up to do very often anymore (oh, the adolescent hours I logged studying Replicas and Pleasure Principle!). I have to be walking or bike riding, in fact, and two nights ago I found myself riding the wrong way down a one-way street (I *never* use headphones when I ride on the street!) because I was so caught up in "Alien Cure." I think more space in the mix would give the album a better chance at grabbing people during the first or second listening (people who don't already know that Numan albums are almost always worth a careful second or third listen)--but it might detract from the pleasure I'm getting from the very subtly detailed sound. It's like a dark tapestry that at first appears rather uniform, but on closer inspection turns out to be patterned in very rich and complex ways. The same about the rhythms--at first the beats-per-minute and the loops seem rather tedious (and maybe variety would help catch initial attention), but when given due concentration, the attention that Numan has given to the other available pulses give each song a unique way of moving--some slither, some course, some walk, run, or cascade (and more or less all of them have a fabulous, shall we say, reproductive rhythm [memo to self: must dump current boyfriend and find SO who likes this album]). The ornamentation provides lots of variety, if you give the album the attention it deserves. We've probably all noticed that it's a strong and confident album (and live, "Dead Heaven" and "Dark" came across like thunderheads over the sun!); in places (the coin-rattling sound at the end of "Dead Heaven," the 60-Hertz hum at the end of "Dark," the wonderful brassy clangs in "Innocence," the nightmare-plumbing percussion of "Angel Wars," for instance) it's not only exuberant but downright frisky. Compared to Outland (sorry to bring it up) it's a damned miracle. It also is a wonderful, cohesive whole. I've very much enjoyed Numan's occasional rambling and eclectic lyrics and music, but Exile is far more potent for its focus. Berserker is the last album that even comes close, for impact. While I'm coming around one track at a time in amazement (one line of "Alien Cure" went through my head for a full 24 hours), "Exile" is so far (and was initially) my favorite. It oozes out of the ground, winds slowly around your ankles, climbs up your body, opens huge batwings and glaring red eyes at midpoint, and suddenly closes over your head, cutting off light and hope forever, winding up the album with a long, sustained, satisfying feeling of abysmal suffocation. I can't imagine why anyone stuck the "bonus track" of "AFE" live on the US version. Ugh. It's like offering a Bugs Bunny cartoon as a bonus to a Hellraiser video. (Not to knock "AFE," by any means. Or Bugs Bunny. It's just terribly out of place, and adds nothing.) And, well, I'm sorry, but "Absolution" is on the bottom of the list. It works fabulously for the album as a whole: it comes in as a moment's break in the clouds, a cool wind in hell, a moment's respite from the maelstrom of the rest of the "story," and sort of brings humanity into a really nice momentary spotlight. And yes, yes, it's all very sweet (and I'm jealous as hell: the only song a man ever wrote about ME began "She lives with hippies/ I wish she lived with me"), but I do zone out a bit. It's just not as barbed (and hence not as catchy) as the rest of the material. And no matter how sincere, the lyrics aren't mind-bogglingly original. Not that I'm complaining: It's not a weak spot at all. So now I've set the record straight. :-) Exile can't replace Replicas in my affections, but it's giving it far more of a run for it's money than I *ever* thought a Numan album ever would again (at least since Berserker, which Exile eclipses). It is, probably to its detriment, a demanding listen, but it is definitely rewarding my attention. zg Ziggy Blum Ziggy's House O' Vermin zigi@ravenland.com --------------------------- Everything will be all right Everything will turn out fine Some nights I still can sleep And the voices pass with time... -Sisters ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1998 14:38:42 EDT From: CapBeefHrt@aol.com Subject: first time. To: numan@cs.uwp.edu hello all! my name is David Berson, and i've been a fan of numan since i was 17. although, I'm only 18 now. picking a fav cd from him would be hard since i don't have all of his cd's, and the ones i do have are excellent. my fav artists/bands are: david bowie, my life with the thrill kill kult, gary numan *of course*, bill nelson, electric hellfire club, the orb, monster magnet, & about a million others. i tried to play the guitar, but i wasn't particulary fond of it. i'm planning on learning the keyboards. that's about it. if anyone wants to chat, my e-mail is capbeefhrt@aol.com tata! ------------------------------ Date: 01 Jul 98 13:05:59 -0700 From: Bianca Jarvis Subject: Intro To: numan list Hi, my name is Miss Bianca, I am an 18 y.o. tattooed bisexual purple = haired taurean freek, as many people on this list (Hi Riana, John, Lisa, = etc.) can verify. My first brushes with numandom came at the tender age of = fourteen when I used to rummage thru the Rasputin Records (Of Berkeley, CA)= dollar record in search of Kraftwerk and Billy Idol records.I came across = Telekon and was vaguely compelled by the cute eyeliner wearing boy in the = space suit wielding a vaccuum cleaner hose.I figured "This is either going = to suck, or kick ass". So, I paid my dollar and brought my fine purchase = home, and indeed, it didn't suck!!!The music, in fact, accurately = reflected my spooky angst ridden pubescent state of mind, and I liked the = fact he had song titles like "I Die:You Die" and "Remind Me To Smile". = Like both me and John Foxx, Gary too wanted to be a robot (If a decaying = one!). For a while, I assumed that he was just either a one hit wonder or = just completely obscure, as no one I know had heard of him except my bro-= in-law who had Robert Plant's easy listening version of "I dream of wires".= After some searching, I came across my other 2 favorite numan records on = vinyl, "The Pleasure Principle" and "Replicas". I madly quested for numan = related info for years until I finally got internet access, but I did = become a JG Ballard fan in the process, after I heard that his writing was = one of Gary's Major inspirations (try reading "crash" and listening to "= cars" side by side some time).As time progressed, he became more = recognized in the media and we got to put up with all the terrible covers = of "down in the park" after what seemed like almost complete obscurity for = a while.At this point, I am happy to say I have finally seen Gary live, as = well as having met numanoids younger than myself (Hi Riana!!!). Still no = Numan tattoos, though. My non-numan musical tastes run towards Goth/Industrial, New-Wave/New-Ro, = and generally anything weird, foreign or electronic. My current Favorites = include Bowie/Iggy/Eno/Reed, Legendary Pink Dots, Siouxsie, Einsturzende = Neubaten, and a bunch of weird Japanese Pop Music. My interests include = editing a zine, editing web pages (www.angelfire.com/ca2/divineka and www.= angelfire.com/la/hoodrathoochiemama),getting various body modifications, = becoming multilingual, Shaving my eyebrows and worshipping transvestites = and Japanese Culture. Um, i guess that's about it! Let the flaming begin!!!= Miss Bianca ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1998 00:39:50 GMT From: "Michale Stembridge" Subject: Intro. To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Re: A brief introductory statement/bio Age: late twenties Locale: Atlanta, Georgia (USA) First Numan recording purchased: Cars/Metal 7" Year purchased: 1981 Most recent Numan recording purchased: Exile First Numan concert: 1998 (New York & Atlanta) Live impression: Vital, energetic, experienced road performer Perfect Numan Album: (in no particular order) Films Absolution I Die:You die Down in the Park Bombers Sirens Metal Dream Police We Are Glass Dark Instruments played: electric guitar, bass, keyboard(just a hack here, though :-) and various drum modules. Previously covered Numan songs: Cars, Sirens, You Are in My Vision Reading interests: Science-fiction, science-horror, splatter, science non-fiction, drama, fairy tales, gothic romance, mainstream horror, social & cultural studies, ect... Favorite Authors: Asimov, Clarke, Le Guin, Keirnan, Bornstien, Feinburg, Bach, Poe, Grimes, Saberhagen, ect... Mechanical interests: Auto repair & maintenence, off-road motocycles, motocross, supercross, grand prix auto racing, endurance auto/motorcycle racing (airplane/helicopter-phobic) Glad to be a part of the list! - Michale Stembridge ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 15:46:21 EDT From: Jamesy999@aol.com Subject: Is Chris Evans a NUMANOID ?? To: NUMAN@cs.uwp.edu Digesters, How did any one ever get the impression that Chris Evans likes Numan ?? I've never heard Evans ever say anything good about Numan so how did the rumour start ??? For the American Numanoids, Chris Evans is just a ginger, boring "personality" who takes great pride in buggering up the England football team and is an attention seeking immature wanker. I hope Numan NEVER goes on TFI FRIDAY as wanky nuts Evans would only take the piss out of him ....just to ensure HE gets in the papers.....wanker Tony J "Glory is Dead Evans" Exile ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 04:09:22 EDT From: Jamesy999@aol.com Subject: Lakesiders... To: NUMAN@cs.uwp.edu Digesters. Just saw a preview of a programme called "Lakesiders" on BBC1 Gary and Gemma are on it talking about getting married... Monday 8.30 PM BBC 1 Tony J ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 20:24:34 +1200 From: "D & J Hall" Subject: New member (ex lurker) To: Hello everyone, I must admit to lurking for the past 6 weeks, not wanting to interrupt the concert "footage" etc. (and probably being a little shy ;-) Ok, well, her goes... My name is Darren Hall, I'm 32 and an ex-pat pom, resident in New Zealand for the past 17 years. Not a lot of things "numan" happen down here in the antipodes, the last time being in 1980 (I think) when HE performed a (one!) concert in Christchurch. I first got hooked on Gary Numan in 1981 (15 years of age) on my last day of school in the UK. Me and a mate (Paddy where are you?) skived off and sat on a railway embankment listening to Replicas. Awesome. My fav Numan Album of all time has to be Berserker, with My Dying Machine as my favourite track (I really don't know why - perhaps it's the blue hair white leather?) I am only up to my 100th or so listen on Exile (Black hair/black leather?) but I think it might surpass Berserker soon, with the new version of Absolution as the best track ever (The Judges decision is Final) Since arriving in NZ I have actively sought out all of Garys albums on Vinyl, cassette and CD, but since '85 it seems the record companies lost interest and releases after the Fury on vinyl ceased to be. Occasionally a CD import turns up and I nab it. In '96 I visited the UK and managed to fill out my CD collection a little, much to the dismay of my wife, although even in England the lack of industry support for Gary was evident. My visit to London missed Garys concert by 2 weeks!! (Extremely bad planning on Garys part I thought). I am currently missing Sacrifice and Metal Rhythm/New Anger. Looking forward to my "Numa Years" collection to get Sacrifice. I have been a member of the GNFC but have since lapsed. I joined in September for the full wack and got a reminder in January for another years subs - Not on GNFC!! How about partial year fees!? I did not rejoin - especially since they pulled the mail order CDs but the arrangement with Eagle seems to be doing a much better job of distributing Garys stuff, I can't believe that I can find Exile in at least 3 record shops in Auckland! Heres hoping they can do the same for the back catalogue.! I have a wide interest in music (over 500 CDs) ranging from British Super groups Genesis, Yes Queen, Jethro Tull to mainly '80s synth bands, more recent tastes including Lightning Seeds, Bjork, Bic Runga, St Ettiene and AIR. There is some other cr@p in there too I guess. That said, Gary Numan has been the biggest influence on me musically, It seems that I always have at least one Numan CD in my Discman bag or playing in the car. I would love to hear from any other NZ based Numanoids, maybe we could form a "Great Southern Crazies" type fan club? Although the tour costs could be prohibitive, LOL. (Don't worry - I'm not going to sign off with a lyric) ;-D ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 12:41:01 +0300 From: arnis Subject: news from NME (www.nme.com) To: numan@cs.uwp.edu GARY NUMAN is planning to work with AFRIKA BAMBAATAA and Nine Inch Nails' TRENT REZNOR, following his live collaboration with MARILYN MANSON. Numan (centre, with new pals Beck and Manson) has already completed some preliminary work with Bambaataa. The pair worked on a new version of 'Metal', from Numan's 1979 album 'The Pleasure Principle', in London last week. The song is likely to be released as a single later this summer. An album is also in the works and Trent Reznor has offered to produce it. The collaborations have come about after Reznor and Manson turned up to shows on Numan's US tour which wound up recently in Los Angeles. When Numan met Reznor, the NIN frontman played him a version of 'Metal' he had recorded. At Numan's Los Angeles Palace show, he duetted with Manson on 'Down In The Park', from 'Replicas'. Numan said: "It's nice to know these people are aware of my stuff. Bands that I really like are saying they're fans." Meanwhile, Numan's entire back catalogue of albums has been remastered and is being reissued by Beggars Banquet in the UK on July 6. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 10:33:43 EDT From: DCGaySLP@aol.com Subject: Nicholson/Numan scam To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Is there anyone out there (like me) who sent money to Mat Nicholson at >'The >Record label' for the Nicholson & Numan sessions CD and video, and >never >received anything and did not get there money back. I too was an unfortunate victim of this, having charged my "purchase" way back in August 97 or so and having received nothing.....the truly amazing thing about this is that the website still lists the Nicholson/Numan thing as being available!!!! I vote we bomb them with email and or phone calls of protest...is everyone behind me??? I received this emailing from them in SEPTEMBER of last year: <> Their website is: http://www.recordlabel.co.uk/ REAL email address: recordlb@globalnet.co.uk They have a phone number, but I don't seem to have it (voice..not fax) I can't believe this place is still in business!!!! What a LIE!!! Several months later I received a email indicating the production was 'delayed'....and was given the option for a credit on my cc....which never happened.... Can any of the UK fans help us really bomb this place with protest?? I'd love to see the reaction!!! Rick "I touched Gary" in Washington DC :D dcgayslp@aol.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Jun 1998 22:58:06 -0800 From: Derek Langsford Subject: Numan Box Set - comments requested To: numan@cs.uwp.edu With the release this week of the Box Set, and UK fans probably having access to it before it gets elsewhere, I am hoping UK fans can post about it to whet non-UKers' appetites. Of particluar interest to me is the effect of the remastering. Derek ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derek H. Langsford "Numanews" San Diego, California, USA The Gary Numan Digest email numan-request@cs.uwp.edu to subscribe -----------------------------------------------------------------------------uwp ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 22:10:16 +0100 From: "Smith-Bolas" Subject: Numan remasters To: "Numan Digest" Hi everyone, After reading Jeff Tolvas last posting about the differences in the 'Telekon' remaster, I thought I would write in to find out if anyone else has noticed the end of 'Everyday I die', on the 'Tubeway Army' remaster. I haven't got the original anymore, as it went up in a fire but I was sure that the ending just stopped and didn't fade out as in the remastered version. Could someone confirm this for me? If so why has it been done like this? Also, after browsing my old tape collection I came across 2 Numan cassette singles. One was 'Are friends electric?' with 'Cars' on the other side. The other was 'We are glass' with 'I die: You die' on the other side. Both have got unusual cigarette packet type covers. Does anyone else on the digest possess these? And does anyone know how collectable they are? Thanks Gary Smith ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1998 19:26:28 +1000 From: "E. Bunce" Subject: Opening message To: Hi, I'm John in Melbourne, Australia. While I'm fairly new to the net, I've had some previous exposure to the Digest. A few years ago a friend in Adelaide compiled a book of all the early mailings from when the internet was not generally available and gave it to me - I was so excited! I couldn't believe the wealth of information it contained and I still refer to it. I've been a Numan fan since Cars (I heard it before AFE, perhaps Cars had more media exposure here). I'm also into electronic music generally (eg Tangerine Dream, Jarre), new wave/romantic (esp. Ultravox/Foxx/Visage) and techno (eg Orbital, 808 State, The Orb) as well as PWEI. Therefore I don't actually mind Random 2 unlike many (love Random 1 too). Although I enjoy listening to music I can't play anything - I don't think I have the aptitude & if I did learn it would take away the magic for me. I just finished reading the autobiography & enjoyed it a lot, it provided some interesting background to the man & his music (& his planes). I'm really looking forward to Gary's Australian tour - I missed the last one being only 13 years old at the time. I also look forward to receiving the latest via this mailing list. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1 Jul 1998 23:02:02 -0500 From: "PHILIP JACOBSON" Subject: Prime Time Live To: I coulda swore I heard part of "DARK" as some backing music on Primetime Live which aired Today's date.I wonder if it came from Exile or the Dark City soundtrack. Anybody else hear it? ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1998 19:18:52 -0600 From: "Joey Lindstrom" Subject: Steve Webbon on: the new reissue albums To: "numan@cs.uwp.edu" Some fans may be a little bit confused about exactly why Beggars Banquet has reissued, for the third time, some of Gary's early albums (specifically Tubeway Army, Replicas, The Pleasure Principle, and Telekon). As already mentioned here, these new reissues do offer something new: some have tracks never released before, others have alternate versions not heard before, etc. But most importantly for audiophiles such as myself, the sound quality is absolutely amazing - they sound like they were recorded yesterday in a high-priced studio. In a recent conversation with Steve Webbon, I mentioned to him that I was frankly a little surprised that, so far, we hadn't seen too many fans saying negative things about Beggars "milking the cow yet again" in regards to these reissues, and indeed seem to be appreciating these CD's as intended. Steve mentioned similar doubts and provided a detailed history of the decisions that went into each reissue, and asked me to forward that to you. So here it is: (Excerpt) - I'll answer this one first with a little history! Originally I compiled 'exhibition' as a 'best of' in 1987 and we put it on this 'new' format, CD. Back then CD was very much the underdog format behind vinyl and cassette and sales were fairly limited. There was no real indication that Cd would become so dominant within a few years. Consequently, when doing the first four albums I added the final 4 almost as bonus tracks. Since two albums wouldn't fit onto one CD, I tended to leave off the tracks that were available on 'Exhibition'. At that time I felt that single CD's of Dance, The Plan, I, Assassin and Warriors would only have a limited appeal and wouldn't justify the expense of issuing them on CD. Within 2 years CD's came into their own and made it a bad decision. However, our Japanese licensee was a keen Numan fan :-) and was willing to sponser the mastering of the whole catalogue on the Asylum series. CD's were much bigger in Japan, so it made economic sense for them. We undertook the project, and used the latest equiptment (the audiofile) to do the transfers. I persuaded them to do 9 CD's (they wanted 8, I needed 10!) so again, some tracks were mixed up, especially the living ornaments sets. With the increasing viability of CD sales, I soon regretted hacking the albums about but in 1993 Gary's sales were not very good, so again I doubted the sales potential of the last 4 albums. Most CD's were full price then so the solution seemed to be again to double up albums but sell them at single CD price. The artwork was one of the first jobs we did on the apple mac - I wasn't very experienced, had no budget, and though they seemed OK at the time, I've lived to regret it! The mastering was based on the Japanese Asylum which in turn used the 1987 / 88 transfers. Onward into the nineties, CD decimated vinyl and cassette, and, more importantly the digital technology improved enormously. The big critisism of CD's was that they sounded 'flat' and 'lifeless' compared to analog vinyl. All true!! Luckily, I've established a relationship with John Dent who has been mastering for years, is very diligent and has his analog to digital equiptment specially adapted by leading 'inventors' - he really cares about (and invests in) getting the best sound, which is more than many mastering studios. So by 1998 we've worked hard with Gary to raise his profile and it's become viable to remaster the albums using today's equiptment. Now, I know 90% of the listeners do not have expensive hi-fi domestic systems and probably can't distinguish the difference between the old and new CD's (maybe "the new ones sound louder"). I'm well aware that all the record companies slap a "digitally remastered" sticker on the CD's hoping it will increase sales - actually, it's utterly meaningless because you HAVE to digitally remaster to get the music onto CD! Whilst most CD's done in the last few years are perfectly good I'm a bit of a perfectionist and want the BEST sound available. Having sat in John Dent's studio and listened to source comparisons on a great hi-fi, I can tell you there is a Big Big difference. Previously, most CD's are mastered from VINYL CUTTING TAPES. These are the tapes made when the vinyl record was 'cut'. What happens is the artist brings the STUDIO MASTER TAPES to the cutting room and then the sound is altered to achieve the best sound FOR THE VINYL album. This often meant taking a little of the bass out and compressing the sound, especially if it's a long album, to fit on the limited groove space. However, with CD's there is no such sonic restrictions and comparative tests showed me that the earlier generation STUDIO masters sound more detailed and brighter that the subsequent CUTTING masters. For the Beggars re-issues I now try to track down all the masters of a song, we anaylise which sounds best, and use that. HOWEVER, this is dangerous waters! Basically, it's not always clear which tapes were originally taken to the vinyl cut. During the recording there can be a track mixed and marked up as a master, then the artist later does it again, with slight changes and calls that the master! So this leads onto the first query... 1) Where did this "I Die: You Die (Alternate Version)" come from? And why was it included instead of the original vinyl mix? 2) Where did these versions of "Remember I Was Vapour" and "Remind Me To Smile" come from? I'm told the former is lacking a synth line that "crossed" from one speaker to the other, whereas the opening 12 seconds of the latter differs from the original. - I borrowed a studio master of 'Telekon' side one from Gary's archives and that had a note that "Remind Me To Smile' was a USA mix. At the time I wasn't sure if it had actually been used, (subsequently I suspect not), but I decided to go ahead and use it on the USA reissue of 'Telekon'. 'I die: You Die" wasn't on the original vinyl UK album and we've previously used a single Cutting copy to master it. However, I found a studio tape which SOUNDED much better, but turned out to be a slightly different mix. As the original single mix was remastered on 'Premier Hits' I thought it would be a bonus for fans to include this version. I wasn't aware that 'Vapour' was different!! Again, this must have been another mix. Actually, I think it's cool for fans to have these alternatives. I try to ensure we're using the correct versions but the sonic rewards of using the studio tapes outweigh the risks of wrong mixes. (End excerpt) Let me add here that Steve isn't being overly optimistic when he speaks of the improved sound quality. Several have mentioned it already and I add my voice to the chorus: these discs sound INCREDIBLE. I have removed the older reissues from my CD changer in favour of these versions - the sonic detail is absolutely amazing. The next question I asked Steve was in regards to the next four albums and whether we might see them reissued also. The answer was: that depends on how well these ones sell. If they do well, the other four will be reissued NEXT YEAR. Bear in mind that doing the remastering and repackaging isn't cheap. Oh, and he added this comment: (Excerpt) Before anyone asks, I left off 'Fadeout 1930' and 'Don't be a Dummy' from Tubeway army because there wasn't time with the Roxy show. They'll be added to 'The Plan' if we do it. (End excerpt) Silly me, I hadn't even noticed the omission of these tracks... :-) So, it seems it's literally up to us. If we want the next four, we gotta buy the first four. :-) / From Joey Lindstrom joey@lindstrom.com / Interocitor Dot Net http://www.interocitor.net / / 'Savage' describes a cultural condition, not a degree of / intelligence. / -- Lazarus Long, "Time Enough For Love" / (Robert Heinlein) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 14:13:43 -0700 From: "David Boulais" Subject: subscribe To: ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 05:30:28 -0400 From: Brian Moloney Subject: Telekon extras/Trades To: Gary Numan >machman@interaccess.com (Jeff Tolva) Can anyone tell me what was unique about the "US version" of "I Die: You Die"?< The differences I spotted were... 1 The drum machine is much higher in the mix during the chorus. 2 Gary sings "Tear meTear meTear me " = On the uk version he sings "Tear me. Tear me. Tear me" Gettit? 3 He sings "and now I FEEL young" differently. The 'USA' version was used on the video. The 'USA version' on Exhibition was in fact the UK mix, so I was very pleased to get this version at last= ! What a shocker on Remember I Was Vapour! I was listening to it in the car= and I even checked the balance on the CD player! Trades Does anyone have a good audio copy of 'Praying to the Aliens' sung on Saturday Night Live to trade? I've got 'Cars' from the same show, most UK= live TV work and all the PAL videos. = I've got some rare original tapes in good condition to trade - Cars/We Are Glass - Beggars double A side cassette single AFE/DITP - Beggars double A side cassette single Berserker Extended Numa Chrome White Noise Numa Chrome Fury Extended Numa Chrome Drop me a line if you're interested Regards Brian ArtemisGroup@Compuserve.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 14:21:49 -0400 From: Matthew Roberts Subject: Telekon on CD To: Gary Numan The UK release of Telekon (re-mastered and released as a single CD) includes the alternate version of I Die : You Die. = I don't know about the US CD, but the recent Japanese release only includ= ed the normal version. This 'alternate' version is the one from the original promo video in 1980= as it appears on New Man Numan. As far as I know, the only other way of getting it until now was on a (mythical?) white label which I've heard about but never seen. It was supposed to be on the b-side of one of the 1987 releases of Cars, but tha= t turned out to be just the usual version. (Doh!) I've played the CD, and it definitely is the alternate version this time,= so for any completists it should be worth spending =A310. = However, it's not VERY different, just a different mix, so don't blame me= if you're disappointed. Vocally, It's different on "Tear me, tear me, tea= r me" & "I'm still frightened by the telephone" which you can actually hear= on this version. The chorus has more pronounced percussion. A nice touch (for an old fan like me) is that the CD's themselves are in the style of the original record labels - remember the old red Beggars Banquet logo, and then the custom Telekon label? Now all we need is the 12" version of Music For Chameleons.... Steve? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 23:53:13 -0400 From: Sean Caszatt Subject: The Sleeproom Moves...again. To: numan@cs.uwp.edu On July 1st, the old URL for THE SLEEPROOM website will no longer be supported. The new (and currently only correct) URL for THE SLEEPROOM is: http://web.raex.com/~downstat/sleeproom/ This move was anticipated and a brand new version of THE SLEEPROOM awaits you at the new location. -- Sean Caszatt | When children kill children, E-Mail: downstat@raex.com | Don't it make them wonder? ICQ# 12497679 | Don't it make them question http://web.raex.com/~downstat | their faith? -- Gary Numan ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 01:36:45 -0500 From: Valerie Iglar-Mobley Subject: the text behind "Sacrifice" To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Dear all, Don Crum wrote in just this past digest, suggesting a "structure" to the "Sacrifice"/"Dawn" album. I would like to go that one better. "Exile" was pitched as an album that tells a story, and the songs do seemed to have related themes, but it seems to me like the "Sacrifice" album truly relates a complete storyline, with a beginning, middle, and end. It's a story that takes place completely internal to the hero, and really comes clear when the songs are taken in a somewhat different order. Let me go through the songs and translate the plotline as conveyed by each: "Pray"... The storm brews. Our hero senses something is wrong in the world, but isn't sure what it is. "A Question of Faith"... His faith is broken, he is bereft. He starts his journey to understand and recover. "Bleed"... Without his faith to sustain him, his is vulnerable to the 'voice' in the dark-- a voice of temptation, the voice of his conscience? We're not sure; perhaps both. Anyway, without a certainty of faith in a god, he feels vulnerable. "Deadliner"... He succumbs. He drifts into sleep, a weakened state of submission, and is ravaged by the 'voice', by doubt and uncertainty. How can a mortal carry on without belief in an absolute? "Love and Napalm"... Unable to withstand the dark voice, our hero submits to evil. He revels in it; his moral uncertainty is too frightening to him, and so he gives himself over to the 'darkness' to avoid having to choose. "Scar"... But even placing his 'faith' in the darkness cannot sustain him; he can sense that this, too, is not an ultimate answer. He is again beset by doubts, though he tries to deny it-- afraid of having to again face uncertainty. The entire song is one long denial of having any needs, wants, doubts-- of having any weakness. But he "doth protest too much;" his overblown denial betrays an underlying uncertainty. "You Walk In My Soul"... Our hero finds an oasis from his inner turmoil in another's love. In contact with a one's opened heart, he feels rescued from his tortures. So, out of desperate gratitude, he expresses his love in absolute, overblown terms. "Now you are my reason for living." "Desire"... Our hero wonders whether his feelings are noble and ideal, or base and earthly; is this love. or "desire"? And can a mortal love be his redemtion, or does that 'dark voice' still wait for him... somewhere? "Magic"... [I think the 'you' of this song has a double meaning: God and the narrator's loved one.] Our hero finally finds some peace. He acknowledges that mortal love can be a salvation, and still be limited or earthly. It only requires one to believe in the other person. There is no God, but we have each other on this planet. It can be enough. "The Seed of a Lie"... Human love is imperfect. We sometimes let each other down. But his words here are not overblown. He has found some peace; he can accept human failings. He has felt the love of another, and knows it is real, for all that it may be ephemeral. He can withstand the hurts, the losses, the voice of doubt or fear, because he believes... in love, in human contact, in humanity. Even if he never finds it again with another. He will no longer be searching for a god that was never there in the first place. * * * Well, what do you think of my interpretation? Feel free to e-mail me or post your responses; I'd love to hear them. I love that album; I place it right up there with his best. I particularly enjoy hearing it as a story like this; I've recorded it for myself with the songs in this order just so I can hear the "text" of it. Love, Benjamin Iglar-Mobley ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 23:42:40 -0500 From: Valerie Iglar-Mobley Subject: Touring Principle video To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Dear all, Let me just sign in here and say I'm also one of the lucky few who managed to snag a copy of this terrific video. But I'm perfectly willing to share this ggod forutne with my fellow Numanoids, so if you want to e-mail me with your snail-mail address, I'd love to work out a trade whereby I could send you duplicate! (Remember, this one is out of print and no longer available, so we wouldn't be taking away any proceeds from The Man.) Write to me and let me know you're interested. Maybe we could arrange a trade of some kind. I'm eagerly intersted in getting a copy of the 'Automatic' album with Bill Sharpe, or any kind of copy-- video or audio-- from this most recent or the last tour. Love to all, Benjamin Iglar-Mobley ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 22:12:49 EDT From: DCGaySLP@aol.com Subject: Where is NuWorld????? To: numan@cs.uwp.edu SCREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!!!!!! I just tried to access NuWorld and got a "Error: unable to access site...site may not exist" message....What is happening???? Help!!!!! HELLLLLLLLPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!! ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************