Gary Numan Digest Sun, 10 Jan 99 Volume 1 : Issue 502 Today's Topics: Best Albums. Bravo!! Brazilian Numan Site - Vote for Numan as the best of 80's Each to their own !!!!!!!!!! Favourite album Favourite Album Shock Gary Numan Digest V1 #501 I've just seen NUMAN !!!! James finally gets Sacrifice extended :-) Listening to Exile Live on Vinyl Auction long live the King Matthew's Rant new songs, old noises... Numan related Replicas vs. all other Numan stuff Reply to Mathew Roberts' Survey Idea... Shop with Rare NUMAN stuff. Strange Charm requests The Apple interview ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 09:40:45 EST From: Jamesy999@aol.com Subject: Best Albums. To: NUMAN@cs.uwp.edu Fellow Numanoids, Best Numan albums. I love Exile (both versions), I love Sacrifice, I love Replicas, I love Telekon, I love Dance, I love 'em all...But I honestly cannot stand Machine and Soul (execpt U got the look). The day I bought M+S I remeber thinking " good grief..someone's dropped a bollock here" It's the most Un- Numan album ever... I love all Numan's studio work. As regards to the comments about Automatic. yep this one is a corker..Some of the tunes are catchy and it sounds lovely. Very crisp and clear. I would even go to say that Automatic is in my Top 5 Numan Favs. (my flame retardent suit is now on !!). I've been a dedicated Numanoid since '79 ( Hammersmith Odeon) and I think I've watch Numan grow and develop in the last 20 (TWENTY !!!!!!) years. Do artists get worse as they get older ????? possibly. But then again look at Numan and Depche Mode. (I'm not a DM fan but I do listen to them occasionally) Everybody's Infected.....'cept me Tony j ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1999 20:09:38 -0500 (EST) From: Machman@netdirect.net Subject: Bravo!! To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Troy L. Walters wrote; "by the time Gary finishes the new "album" (which could aptly be named "Return of the Hero" - after being sacrificed and exiled)." Ohyeah, that would work!! con't me in for a vote on that title!! Mark A Hubbard ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 07 Jun 1996 06:29:24 -0300 From: Marcos Tarquiano Vicente <marcosvicente@sol.com.br> Subject: Brazilian Numan Site - Vote for Numan as the best of 80's To: Gary Numan <numan@cs.uwp.edu> Brazilian Numan Site - The Best of 80s Let's vote on Gary Numan Hi, I've been here in digest for some days... and I know I finally decided to write to the list. I'm A Brazilian Numan fan, and I've made a site totally dedicated to the 80's. And of corse a Site dedicated to Numan,.. Well for some months, In the site there is an election of the best of 80's..... and it's hard to undertand why New Romantic are not the first ones.. Well I think Gary Numan deserves a much better position in the voting, as well Alphaville, A Flock of Seagulls and many others... well I'd like to ask to you to participate on this election and choose your best artists/best songs/best albums/album covers/clips/movies of the 80's... it's a very big election, and it's finishing, so please, let's make GN occupies the position he deserves the fist ones.... Please take a look at the site and please take part.... you can change a vote and then you can change the election... please .. let's put Gary Numan at the top of the 80's... the site url is http://www.geocities.com/~anos_80/ and inside it there's a site totally dedicated to Numan songs - The Brazilian Site http://www.geocities.com/~anos_80/ Please don't forget to vote A big GN Hug to everyone... -- ---------------------------------------------------- Marcos Vicente marcosvicente@unforgettable.com ICQ 4377163 Projeto Autobahn - Site Brasileiro dos anos 80 http://www.geocities.com/~anos_80/ ---------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 13:28:38 -0000 From: Pearson Mark <PearsoM@EU.MWHSE.COM> Subject: Each to their own !!!!!!!!!! To: "'Numan Digest'" <numan@cs.uwp.edu> Hi Y'all, It's been a while since I posted here but I am compelled to join the discussion r/e older timers etc. OK, I am a '79er (No big deal in that I guess) but moreover I am a UK '79er. Let me explain for those who don't know. When Gary emerged late78 early 79 he brought to the fore a whole scene that was thriving in the UK clubs. The New Romantic Scene was a very exciting thing to be a part of, Punk was dying on it's ass and suddenly there was this whole new thing there that meant that kids could dye their hair any colour they wanted and guys could wear make up and flambouyant clothes. I LOVED IT. I was crawling round my attic a few weeks ago and found my old make up box, it brought a tear to my eye. Damn there was some expensive shit in that box!!!!!!!!! I don't care what anyone says I still maintain I look 500% better with eye liner, mascara, blusher and lip gloss. I'd probably still wear it today if I thought I'd get away with it (LOL). This was a very dark and decadent time in the UK, it was at a time before the scourge of AIDS when you could club all night in dark atmospheric clubs and go home with complete strangers without the fear of it costing you your life. It was wild and exciting. Gender almost seemed irrelevant as guys looked like girls and vice versa. It was the most wonderfully liberating period of my life that was typified my the machine NUMAN. Replica's for me was the most wonderful thing I had ever heard, and funnily enough, I still associate it with MANY happy times, paradoxical I know. I cannot really comment on what occured in the USA at that time except for what I know based on what I have seen on TV. This is not me being Zenophobic or anything, but my perception of that period in the USA was that is was a poor watered down version of the UK scene. I think of movies like Pretty in Pink that features a bunch of kids in suits with rolled up sleeves and the occasional blue or bleached fleck in their hair. If that was as wild as it got I can fully understand machine NUMAN not really hitting the spot with some of our US friends. I think back to the look of abject horror on my Father's face the first time he saw my brother and I going out clubbing on a friday night made up to the eyeballs in pointy shoes and baloon pants with about 50 pleats in the front, both of us with bleached white hair a' la' David Sylvian. I still find it funny now as I sit and write this. I miss that time ssssooooo much I can't tell you. So for me Replicas, TPP and Telekon were like hymms to me. As I got older I grew with Gary's music. Yes, I went out clubbing in bad gangster suits and hats with the blue hair too. I brought all the albums as they came out and, on the whole loved them all. The last one I brought was Metal Rythym. That has great memories for me as I remember skiing down a Swiss mountain with that on my walkman. Fuck that album cooks!!!!!!!! America is great for the technique I swear. Stuff like Strange Charm, The Fury and Berserker also have great memories as they were made when I was busy playing in bands. In 1987 I played in a Numan tribute band called Young Things Don't Scream. We did tracks from Fadeout 1930 right up to My Breathing but it is the later tracks that really remind me of the band. I miss that too. I never really got into the albums after that as my focus became career and stuff. I did buy M&S (not over impressed but did like U got the look) but REALLY disliked Sacrifice. I thought it was a durge of the highest order. I thought most of it made INMAH sound like bubblegum pop, really!!!!! I have brought Exile but not really given it a fair play yet. I am reminded of a pissing contest I had in here with some guys (BI-M & AH) regarding homo-erotic lyrics and stuff. After many hours of debate with those guys I HAD to respect that they had their own reasons liking Numan's music the same way I have my own. As I write this their argumant becomes all the more obvious. I guess the deal is this, Numan's music is as widely liked and disliked as food, football teams, books or whatever commodity there is where people have a choice. My personal loves are based around memories I have of times I've had and people I have known and loved that still either bring a smile to my face or a lump to my throat when I think of them now. Everyone has different buttons to push and mine are pushed by what I've told you all here. No-one is right or wrong, just different that's all. My strongest feelings for Gary and his music are probably based on my past rather than the present. For a lot of you younger guys it may be the opposite and damned good luck 2 U. You are all very lucky to have an artist like Gary who is still around 20 years on making music to influence generations. Enjoy it !!!!!!! God, I feel somewhat naked here now !!!!!!! OK, on a lighter note, as a listener and a muso I love guitars and synths together so for me I guess stuff like I Die You Die and We Are Glass typify what rings my bell. I loved the chuncking powerchords Gary used on the earlier stuff and way preferred his style to subsequent guitarists like Rrussell Bell. I prefer the heavier Les Paul sound to Bell's preferred Strat. Being a 30 something I also liked the Tubeway Army and Plan albums as they harked back to my days as a 15 year old punk (Something else that seemed a little more intense in the UK than in the USA). I also loved the early synth sounds like the Prophet and JP4. I still have some old analog syths and will probably never part with them. Stuff like the D50 just didn't have the same soul in my eyes. If I could have a wish with Gary's music I would love to see him go back to concentrating on 3 minute pop songs with guitars and synths. I'm not a great loved of loops and sequences. You also pay a price for doing that stuff when you come to gig. The early stuff is a piece of cake with a good 5 piece band and no toys. The later stuff becomes damned hard work and the performance suffers as a result (In my experience). Thanks Y'all for listening to this sad tosser piping on but I guess I'm really missing 1979 today. Happy New Year to you all !!!!! Luv on Ya-Axeman. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1999 09:58:40 GMT0BST From: "James Chapman" <James.Chapman@newcastle.ac.uk> Subject: Favourite album To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Well my vote for favourite album of all time goes to: BERSERKER Thank you very much, next poll please! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 15:24:04 -0500 From: "b. koski" <koskib@mail.portup.com> Subject: Favourite Album Shock To: numan@cs.uwp.edu <color><param>0000,7F00,7F00</param>> From: Matthew Roberts <<exile@compuserve.com> > Subject: Favourite Album Shock > > With all the voting going on, has anyone proposed a favourite album surve= > y? > Not just Numan, but anything people care to mention? </color>that's a mighty fine idea -- maybe it'll inspire some conversation that isn't an arguement. =) Brad's Top Fourteen (in no order what-so-ever...): Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five (amazing, touching pop music. yes, they have songs other than 'brick'; and yes, those songs are better.) Gary Numan - Tubeway Army (nothing <bold>that i own</bold> by gary has came close to this. i'm sorry, but i love it. well, actually, sacrifice may be a close second... and exile is second or third, depending on where i put sacrifice.) The Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime (possibly the best 'punk' album ever. amazing lyrics, amazing genre bending, rip d. boon.) Pavement - Brighten The Corners (wowee zowee is a close second by them... and the watery, domestic ep is even more pure genius.) Dead Milkmen - Now We Are Ten (if anyone knows where i can get this on cd PLEASE email me.) Love - Love Story 1966 - 1971 (disk one) (more or less the first album + da capo and half of forever changes.) Yo La Tengo - Painful (pure emotional genius.) The Pixies - Come On Pilgrim (EP) (short, but amazing.) Weezer - Pinkerton Mission of Burma - Vs. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Boatman Calls Radiohead - The Bends Sebadoh - Bubble & Scrape Nirvana - In Utero <nofill> --- 'you have to be trusted by the people that you lie to; so that when they turn their backs on you, you'll get the chance to put the knife in.' - pink floyd : go here: http://futon.resnet.mtu.edu/bk ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1999 00:59:30 -0000 From: "Antonio" <antonio@goffboi.freeserve.co.uk> Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #501 To: "Gary Numan" <numan@cs.uwp.edu> Nickfox said about my not liking Replicas very much - >Huh.............................. >You can't be serious man ? >'Replicas' is a masterpiece. >Don't take this the wrong way Antonio but in this case >you are talking a load of crap. >Please tell me what you were on when you wrote your article >"I want some" (purely for educational purposes) >:-) Hehe. I was high on life. If you want one, then get one. (that's a joke and in no way intended to be a personal attack!) I'd better say what I *do* like best. The Pleasure Principle, that to me is a defining moment in my life, and I think it stands up just as well today. All of it, except 'Engineers', which is great but a low point on an almost perfect album. 'Cars' I don't like much, but that's probably got more to do with it being the song that the anti-Numan brigade have always used as piss-take in the playground. 'Numan? Huh - "here in my car..."' I like Tubeway Army a lot, as well. And I like some of The Plan, too. And Telekon. All of Telekon. Even the title track. Maybe I am talking crap to your mind, but I never liked Replicas all that much, and yes, I did get it in 1979. I got it, Tubeway Army and TPP for my 13th birthday. And I wasn't allowed to go to the Touring Principle Manchester show, which pissed me off no end, but I was old enough at 14 to go to the Teletour gig here. (£3.75 a ticket, that was :) - and the programme was £1.00) How times change! There are things on Replicas I love - It Must Have Been Years and You Are In My Vision and Me, I dissconnect From You - but I'm very sorry, it is not to my mind a Numan classic. I like Metal Rhythm best out of the mid-period Numan albums, then Outland. I am not keen on Strange Charm or Machine and Soul, but I love Dream Corrosion (that is my favourite tour and my favourite live album). I cannot account for my tastes, I just know what I like and what I play often, and what I haven't played in donkey's years. Replicas fits into the latter category. What it does have, though, is my favourite Numan cover art, and though I don't like the original version of Down In The Park all that much (I think it sounds a bit weedy) it is one of my favourite live songs and I love the 20th anniversary version. I may have been unfair to Automatic - I must admit that is the only Numan album that I have never played all the way through in one sitting (I have played every track at least three or four times since I got it when it was released, though...) It's just too... poppy... it doesn't feel like a Numan album to me. I did like the Dadadang song, though. Out of all the Sharpe/Numan stuff, I liked Voices and I liked the 12" version of New Thing. There is one song on Automatic I remember thinking was good, but like I say, that album has been in a cupboard for over 5 years. I will try to make time to give the album a fair listen. Maybe. And like I said, though I say I don't rate these albums, they are still great. I'm comparing them not against Boyzone, but against other Numan albums. I'd much rather listen to Replicas than to Take That and Party ;) All flames to be directed straight to my e-mail account or to the digest... oh - happy new year! Antonio http://www.goffboi.freeserve.co.uk ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 09:40:44 EST From: Jamesy999@aol.com Subject: I've just seen NUMAN !!!! To: NUMAN@cs.uwp.edu Fellow Numanoids, I've just seen Numan in a most unusual place. I took the family to the world famous London Dungeon ( a sort of wax worky horror display thing). I was looking at the scene " Killing of Thomas Abeckett" and to my amazment I noticed that one of the wax work guards is a dead ringer for Numan. Even the kids said it looked like Numan. The guard has a great big bloody sword in his hands and is about to do the evil deed on Mr Abeckett.....(oh no,, not more religous stuff !!) Very spooky. Well done the digest and all concerned for the 500th posting. Everybody's Infected......'cept me. Tony j ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1999 10:32:25 GMT0BST From: "James Chapman" <James.Chapman@newcastle.ac.uk> Subject: James finally gets Sacrifice extended :-) To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Well my parents are wonderfully tuned in to my needs. On Christmas morning, I had this present and I knew before I opened it it was a CD. I opened it and I just saw this black square. I then looked at the catalogue number and saw it was NUMACDX 1011 and when I saw the X, I jumped for joy. I enjoy listening to it, and the best extensions are Deadliner, Scar, and Love And Napalm. But none of the extended versions are as good as Dominion Day or The Angel Wars on Exile ext. However I like Sac. better than Exile so I rate them about the same- both worthy additions to the Numan collection. What struck me was how similar it looked to the regular album cover-it took me a few seconds to actually realise it was the extended mixes - with Exile you know straight away! So I now have all the albums on CD (except Radio Heart but that seems to have made a non-appearance and anyway it's not really a Numan album), regular and extended. Unless that is, Strange Charm has an extended version. I am fairly sure it doesn't, but I remember when I got The Fury extended at an indie shop in Newcastle, they had a Strange Charm CD and its cat. no. was NUMACDX 1005 and surely X means eXtended. Did it just have extended versions of the singles? I didn't have the money to buy both the CDs and when I went back a couple of weeks later, it had gone. Infact the following is what I picked up in 1998 (in order) Berserker extended Exile The Fury extended Dream Corrosion Dark Light Random 2 (although I sold it - I'm thinking of buying it again being the near-completist that I now am) Outland Ghost Techno Army Both Dominion Day singles The Mix The Numa Years Living Ornaments 79 Living Ornaments 81 Human The Peel Sessions Exile tour bootleg (Chicago, May 11) Heart CD single Tubeway Army Replicas The Pleasure Principle Telekon White Noise Automatic The Fury-Cleopatra reissue (I have 3 Fury CDs!) Metal Rhythm (I got it on vinyl earlier in the year) The Skin Mechanic Machine and Soul extended Exile extended Sacrifice extended Not bad, eh? I make that a grand total of 41 CDs (counting doubles as two). Some of the ones I have mentioned are the only copies I have seen, and several I got through the digest, and count myself incredily fortunate to have got hold of. It seems as though persistence eventually pays off :-) BTW, does anyone know when Dance, I Assassin and Warriors are being reissued? James (off to buy a safe to keep all my rare CDs in :-) ) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 23:03:36 +0000 From: vickers@netcomuk.co.uk Subject: Listening to Exile To: Gary Numan <numan@cs.uwp.edu> Well, I know I've listened to Exile at least 59 times straight through, and it gave me the impression of being a "GROWER" straight away. First listening: well, I expected a disappointment, so I wasn't disappointed. But, actually, I'd like to listen to it again, because it did do something for me, and so on... I can't listen to it when anyone else is in the house - my wife comes back very fragile from work, and I can't listen to it when I'm at work, and I don't listen to it when I'm asleep, and so..... I've listened to it at least 59 times. What a boring person I am. Paddy Vickers Proud member of Boys Like Me. (For a good religion try www.bahai.org) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Jan 1999 05:38:06 -0500 From: Stevorama <alniter@ix.netcom.com> Subject: Live on Vinyl Auction To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I'm using EBAY to auction off some stuff as I'm saving for a new computer and other goodies. At the moment I'm auctioning the 2-disc set "Live at Ipswich". For those interested the auction is at the following location..... http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=55196913 thanx.. steve in orlando ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Jan 1999 19:36:24 -0600 From: Valerie Iglar-Mobley <iglarmobley@earthlink.net> Subject: long live the King To: The Gary Digest <numan@cs.uwp.edu> Dear numanoids all, I agree with "Rick in DC" when he posted in #501 calling for an end to personal attacks on each other. Discussing the relative merits of Gary's different albums is just fine with me; I enjoy hearing what my comrade 'noids think and what everyone's tastes are. But arguing about whether others are real fans or not just isn't too cool. I'm reminded of a Morrissey fanzine I read once, in which the fans were sniping each other in such petty ways. "Oh, I say, my quiff is just quiffier than your quiff!" Let me just say that I think King Richard Carter is a righteous guy. He's the first numanoid I've done any trading with, and he's been a great virtual-friend to me. He runs a cool '80s music site, and he was generous enough to let me guest-author for it when he featured Visage as one of the artists being covered. And come on, I think it's pretty obvious his title is tongue-in-cheek. I thought he made some valid points about how we come to like this or that recording better than others. Let me say, for myself, my favorite Gary album is indeed the first one I bought: 'Telekon'. I imprinted on it, and I consider "the machine" era to be Gary's golden years for his music. I think it made such an impression on me because I was so much younger, then. I was really new to experiencing music and finding out what I liked. 'Telekon' was also the first "alternative"/"new wave" album I ever picked up; before that I was into-- get this-- The Who, after first getting into... Kiss. At that point, though, to my ears Gary was leading the charge for the second British music invasion, and I was quite conquered by it. So I say let's keep some respect and appreciation for each other. Haven't we all taken enough flack for being fans of Gary Numan without haven't to turn the heat up on each other? For my part, I'm grateful for the comraderie I've found with you all. On that note, I should take a moment and say I hope my post about the "Angel Wars" video idea didn't offend anyone. Nobody has complained about it, but I realized only after I sent it that it was going out on the eve of the highest of the high holy days on the Christian calendar. (As far as I know, anyway.) I didn't mean to be disrespectful; I just wasn't thinking about the timing. I am a rabid anti-Christian, but I have a great appreciation for my fellow Christian 'noids for sticking by the man despite his atheism. I must confess, I imagine there probably aren't too many atheists who listen to Christian music. love to all, Benjamin Iglar-Mobley proud member of the 'Boys Like Us' *** "Just my steel friend and me, I stand brave by his side." ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 16:34:53 -0500 From: "Michael J. Damrath" <damrat@earthlink.net> Subject: Matthew's Rant To: Gary Numan <numan@cs.uwp.edu> Dear Matthew, >I agree with the sentiment though that some old bastards tend to cling >on to the old music (I'm assuming anyone who says Replicas is Gary's >best album must be over 25). Don't we realise we sound like our >parents???? "What's that rubbish on the television?", "It's not as good >as in my day".... I for one think Numan's new music is incredibly great. Exile and Sacrifice rank in my top 5 of all time to be sure. However... OF COURSE people tend to love strongest the music they listened to the most while living their most exciting years of life. 18 years ago I was 16 years old (lesse... 18 + 16 = 34 years old! EGAD what a fossil!), and thus my favorite Numan records are I, Assassin and Telekon. It only makes sense, that's how humans work. >It's a human weakness for sentiment. It's commonly known as living in >the past. It's not unique to Numan fans, nor should we be >surprised. Sentiment a human weakness? I would rather consider it one of mankind's greatest stregnths. Oh well, you'll be an old fart yourself someday Matthew. Mike Damrath http://home.earthlink.net/~damrat ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1999 21:44:02 -0000 From: "Andy BOUCHER" <andy@boucher.freeserve.co.uk> Subject: new songs, old noises... To: "numan" <numan@cs.uwp.edu> This is my first post to this newsgroup; I've very much enjoyed reading = all the recent debate regarding the old v new music. I've been a fan since 79 when I saw the Touring Principle in the UK. = I've cried my eyes out at Wembley,=20 I've seen most (but not all) the tours since then, I've got all the = records/CD's, etc., etc., - I'm sure you get the picture. =20 My own view is, in common with the majority and simply put, GN used to = be brilliant, he lost his way and is now brilliant again. Anyway, to the point. What I would really like to hear from GN is a new = song, but using just a few of his old synths - the Prophet 5, Arp = Odyssey, Minimoog, JP-4 (random arpeggio only!), CP30 and, of course, = the mighty Polymoog.=20 I gather he's not keen on real drummers any more, so I'd allow him to = use loops, but only on the condition that he uses the CR78 (a la Remind = Me To Smile, Cry the Clock Said, etc., ) as well. Before I get a load of abuse, I'm not rubbishing his new stuff / = instrumentation, but I'd really love to hear, for instance, Absolution = with the above instruments. >From interviews that I've read with GN, I don't think he even owns those = old synths any more, but most if not all of the sounds he used can be = re-created on his current set-up. I suppose GN would look at this as = creatively living in the past, which would be correct to a degree, but I = don't think instruments (or their sounds) should be discarded just = because they're old. Look how popular old analogue synths are in dance = music.... I've owned models of most of the above synths - and in short, they're = bloody awful - they break, go out of tune, they're heavy, but I = challenge anybody with a modern synth to match the power and warmth of a = Polymoog through an old analogue phaser / flanger - GN's certainly never = done it. As I said, this is my first post so forgive me if I'm covering old = ground. I'm new to the newsgroup - be gentle with me... =20 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1999 12:47:36 -0500 (EST) From: Machman@netdirect.net Subject: Numan related To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello Paul, Hope you have been enjoying your experience with the Numan Digest, and the people therin. A few digests back, you mentioned that you had a CD copy of Sharpe/Numan, but did not mention if it were a single or whole lp or what. LMK, as I may be interested in a copy. I have a two CD singles, "I'm on automatic" and "No More Lies". Are these the same that you have, or do you have something else? Thanks, Mark A Hubbard ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 08 Jan 1999 09:47:11 -0800 From: Robert Trousdale <escher@turbonet.com> Subject: Replicas vs. all other Numan stuff To: Gary Numan <numan@cs.uwp.edu> Right, well since I have come out of lurkerdom I may as well post on this subject too... OK, now, any of you who doubt my Numan fan credentials can ask Joey L. or Derek L. (not related :-) who have both met me and can vouch for me :-) I personally do not like Replicas at all, I don't think AFE is a good song, and I am sick of hearing every Tom Dick and DJ remix remake and remodel the damn thing... THAT BEING SAID... as far as ALBUMS go, I think it is one of Gary's best in that it paints a picture and tells a story from song to song... it is a concept album so to speak... I just don't like it. What do I like? Well, if someone pointed a gun at my head and told me "Choose a favorite Numan album or I blow up your house" I would first look at them funny and ask why they are threatening my with a squirt gun while wearing a robe and boxer shorts in the middle of January and then reply "The Pleasure Principle". Or I might say "Berserker" in either case, I would be answering correctly and presumably, my house would be saved. Enjoy! (Escher now dons his flame retardant underwear and bathrobe... "where did I put that SuperSoaker™?") -Rob ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 08 Jan 1999 09:38:03 -0800 From: Robert Trousdale <escher@turbonet.com> Subject: Reply to Mathew Roberts' Survey Idea... To: Gary Numan <numan@cs.uwp.edu> Hmmmm... Top albums of all time (not just Numan) What a neat idea! Inspired me to come out of lurkerdom. We have a magazine up here in Seattle called "The Rocket". They run a feature called "Desert Island Disks". In other words: If you were lost on a desert island forever and had only ten albums with you, what would they be? (we will assume that you also have something to play them on, and enough food, fresh water, etc..) 1. Strange Cargos - William Orbit. His best of compilation, since I can only have one from each artist right? 2. The Pleasure Principle - Gary Numan. For FILMS, not for CARS. :-) 3. Remain In Light - Talking Heads. One of my all time favorite albums that I do not yet own on CD for some stupid reason... 4. Higher And Higher - Heaven 17. One of their compilations... must have a copy of "Crushed by the Wheels of Industry". 5. Oxygene - Jean Michel Jarre. The first album I ever lusted after... at the tender age of six :-) 6. UFOff - The Orb. A band I have liked for a long time, and this compilation was just released. A good retrospective and some cool remixes. 7. Down to the Moon - Andreas Vollenwieder. I cannot expalin his music to anyone who has not heard it... anyone else care to give a try? 8. Dubnobasswithmyheadman - Underworld. They used to be Freur, then they found drugs I guess :-) 9. The as yet unreleased forthcoming album by Banco de Gaia. Based only on the short little snippets I have heard on his web site. If I have to choose a currently available album, then "Big Men Cry" by Banco de Gaia. 10. Avalon - Roxy Music. Love it. Hard to do this list... very hard. I bet it would change over time too, but I can say for certain that at least five of these albums have been on the list since I first did it for fun back in '89. The other five albums have come out since then. Wonder what it will look like in another ten years??? :-) -Rob ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Jan 1999 10:36:42 +0000 From: Peter Arnett <peter.arnett@virgin.net> Subject: Shop with Rare NUMAN stuff. To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello Numanoids, Just got back from a shopping spree in Leeds where I found a shop with plenty of Numan CD's and albums, there is some pretty rare stuff in all this (the only problem is that I didn't have enough money to buy it all!!). Anyway the address is as follows: VINYL TAP Rare Records/CD's 27/29 Call Lane LEEDS West Yorkshire England LS1 7BT Tel: 0113 2451110 Fax: 0113 2450790 e-mail sales@vinyltap.demon.co.uk web site http://www.vinyltap.co.uk I managed to find a Cd called Asylum 3 which features Living Ornaments 79/80 - quality is excellent. It was released by BB. Does anybody have any info on the ASYLUM range? Take Care Peter ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1999 23:07:36 -0800 From: theartdept@att.net (rod reynolds) Subject: Strange Charm requests To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello. I am right now working on the Strange Charm re-issue for Cleopatra in America (and Canada) and thought I might pose some questions... I think generally my target audience is people NOT on this list, as we die hards already have everything, and I've seen a few comments regarding the Remodulate set on which I went to a lot of trouble to get two new to cd tracks included and people scoffed that they didn't want to buy a 2 cd set just for two songs (understandable I suppose, but I as a fan would have loved to buy Remodulate (in fact I did buy a couple copies for Christmas gifts). 16 page booklet!! Liner notes by Gary himself!! (I wanted to put that on the cover.. but... oh well.) Anyway... do you think generally it's best to stick to the original artwork (I'm talking about Strange Charm here and possibly Machine + Soul which is up next) or should I try something a bit more exciting... I am going to use the photos from the box set (although some of them are rather unspectacular and overly... shall we say... "blue"), probably in the booklet, but how about on the front or back cover?!! Ooooh! There's a fine line between sacrelidge and innovation I fear... (Cleo wants the 'Gary Numan' on the front to be bigger then the 'Strange Charm' for example). I begged Gary for 'out take' photos (and tracks) but he declined (*sigh*). I considered taking some stills from the Shadow Man videos (which I have) but its kind of blurry and we know how well *that* would go over ;o) As for the bonus tracks, on the box set I didn't think the b-sides to All Across the Nation and Radio Heart were particularly appropriate on the Strange Charm disc. Plus there is a lot of instrumental music from tracks 9 onward... it's nice but kind of... dull (*gasp*!!). I am thinking of putting the NTFLT 12" mix on since it would be so appropriate here and interesting to newbies as it has completely different lyrics (anyone have the definitive version yet for the liner notes?), and then I suppose the 12" mix or the 10" mix of I Can't Stop (a song which admittedly I have a hard time getting through in any form)... which one of those was *really* on the Babylon cd?! Speaking of which is anyone interested in the rare (on cd) Numa tracks such as Hohokam, Caroline Munro, Paul Gardiner, John Webb, etc which in theory Cleopatra has the rights to. Personally I would *love* to do the Numa Records Year One cd (and include 12" mixes). We'll see how Cleo reacts to that but I'm not hopeful. I talked to Gary about it ages ago and he said they'd "think about it" but didn't seem at *all* interested. If anyone has some (concert?) pics (was there a'Strange Charm' tour? 'Ghost'?) they want to send me for inclusion let me know NOW. Feel free to throw suggestions at me (but soon because it's happening as we speak). Be nice ;o) Best wishes, Rod Los Angeles ps: Cleo heads yesterday confirmed release of Exile Extended in the US but there still is no date - they just said "soon". Since releases are _generally_ booked three months ahead, we're looking at March or April... ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1999 23:32:24 +1300 From: "D & J Hall" <halldj@ihug.co.nz> Subject: The Apple interview To: "Numan Digest" <numan@cs.uwp.edu> Does anyone else wish Gary hadn't said this? "Technology is allowing people to record in ever increasing quality but with ever greater scope for the moderately talented to sound positively gifted. " My wife (the anti-numanoid of the south pacific[1]) took this as Gary talking about himself!!! AAAaarrrrrrrrrgggggh! Darren Hall [1] Actually, she did own a copy of Replicas BEFORE I did. She says she only bought it to p!ss me off. Me, I reckon she really likes Numan. ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************