Gary Numan Digest Sun, 23 May 99 Volume 1 : Issue 540 Today's Topics: 20/20 Bass chew bops Cleo artwork Dark City Soundtrack Empty Bed, Empty Heart Gary Numan Digest V1 #539 generalizations Major air play for Numan, well, kinda Mick Karn / Paul Gardiner On Broadway... Question.....of faith? Simon Joseph Telekon reissue ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 23:28:04 -0800 From: errora@earthlink.net Subject: 20/20 To: numan@cs.uwp.edu recently on the TV show '20/20,' there was a piece about poor driving techniques. guess which gary numan track was to be heard by the lucky fan? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 11:54:39 +0100 From: "Andy McHaffie" Subject: Bass To: "Gary Numan" Erm, the bass on Shes Got Claws was played by the Japan / Dali's Car bassist, Mick Karn (as was all of the fretless bass on Dance) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 May 1999 16:15:42 EDT From: JPMBZ@aol.com Subject: chew bops To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hi, I found a e-mail to you from 1994 about Chew Bops, was trying to find a site or person that know the (if any) value of unopened sets. Any ideas? Thanks, JP ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 11:14:52 +0100 From: Tom Gorham Subject: Cleo artwork To: "Gary Numan" >I understand fully about the difficulties of getting a client to co-oparate >on projects(I'VE SPENT SOME YEARS IN THE DESIGN WORLD)-However, that realy >is NO excuse for some of the most AWFULL FONTS i've seen on any packaging >in a long while!! And what exactly did you do in the design world? Professional bitch? The Cleopatra covers that I've seen are absolutely fine - if you want to blame anyone for poor covers, it's Gaz himself. One classic (Replicas), three half-decent (Tubeway Army- both versions - and The Pleasure Principle) and then it's a long slide downhill. Warriors was embarrassing even at the time, and The Fury's fonts looked naff in 1985. But worse came with Machine and Soul, which plumbed the depths. I understand Gary's girlfriend at the time designed these. Any guesses whether she made it big in the design world? At least Sacrifice looked quite good, and Exile had a decent front cover (the fonts looked strange though, almost as if they were shareware). Tom ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 09:50:29 -0400 From: "Mike Damrath" Subject: Dark City Soundtrack To: Gary Numan Pat Weber wrote: >I hear tell the soundtrack has a cut done by Gary and >I've been busily looking for a copy. I am close to resorting to ordering >it off the 'net. Pat, The Dark City soundtrack was definitely NOT written by our boy Gary. His inclusion in the project didn't happen until AFTER the movie was finished production and one song "Dark" (from Exile) was placed on the COMMERCIAL "Soundtrack" CD. It is the current annoying habit of Hollywood these days to put out an album of songs that have little to do with the movie other than sharing a common theme. Occasionally a little snippet or two of a soundtrack song may get slipped into the movie somewhere in foley. But usually it's an afterthought, and more of a marketing-guy decision and not the director's. The "Dark City" people did attempt to make it clear in their marketing that the "Soundtrack" CD was a collection of songs "INSPIRED" by the movie. It looks like an interesting collection of songs, but I didn't buy it, I already have "Dark" on Exile. Mike Damrath http://home.earthlink.net/~damrat ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 May 1999 15:24:01 GMT0BST From: "James Chapman" Subject: Empty Bed, Empty Heart To: numan@cs.uwp.edu There is no way this track could have been recorded during anything but the Berserker sessions. It has that heavy synth sound (PPG Wave?) and those "tubular"? sounds and "scraping a manhole cover" sounds which pop up all over Berserker , The Fury and Strange Charm, it's one of my favourite synth sounds, blasts the hell out out of my surround-sound speakers, even more powerful than a Polymoog. Also I don't think the bass is fretless, it sounds like synth bass to me which was introduced on Berserker. It is just possible that the track was written earlier but was modified to fit with the Berserker sound. And to those people complaining about the Cleopatra artwork, I'd like to see you do better! Especially when they don't have the original photos! Had to get that off my chest. James ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 16:44:57 +0200 From: "Jonathan" Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #539 To: "Gary Numan" From: "Peter Enright" You wrote: >To me this song is the story of one man's gradual slide into a powerful evil force. It could be symbolic of an addiction to anything we choose to consider as evil or decadent. He first compares himself to Jesus as he searches for disciples, others who feel as he, while becoming "dispossessed and alone" - clearly he is already alienated himself from mainstream society and giving himself up to this "other" force. He looks deeper into this evil and comes closer to its corrupting force, an all-too familiar theme for Numan's songs. Then confesses sexual desire for a virgin whom he equates with Jesus's mother, Mary, (she is used here as a symbol of Good) and tells her that he "will give you the one" - i.e. a child of Satan (shades of "Rosemary's Baby" here). He then goes on to describe how deeper he looked into evil and how closer he came to "your heaven" - i.e. Hell. Not only does he live a lie, but a glorious one, a lie so bad it is "glorified" - so he knows he is not living a truth. And he ends up totally consumed by walking into Dead Paradise - Hell itself.< Not bad your view, but nevertheless he used the terms "heaven" and "god" and not "hell" and "devil". So I would say that he means indeed God and not the devil, that he means the heaven and not the hell. He tries to say that there is no hell and no heaven, no God and no real devil. There is just a dead heaven and a dead paradise with a lying God. As he said in his lyrics: "I TOOK A VIRGIN LIKE MARY AND SAID 'I GIVE YOU THE ONE'. I CONFESSED TO DESIRE AND WATCHED THE WORLD COME UNDONE" IMO he talked in this 4 lines out of the viewpoint of God. He wandered like Jesus and realized that God just took someone like Mary, told her to give her the one, to create a simple illusion for the mankind. I hope it makes clear what I mean with my broken english. God created an illusion. To this he used someone like the holy Mary to make it complete. IMO I am sure that he tries to say in this text that the God he describes the only God is within a dead paradise. No lucky angels, no clouds, no spherical sounds, no love, no kindness, and so on. I think we all now Garys phases of self-pity, but slowly it seems that he recognizes īthat there is no help and no mercy. I don't think he is an atheist. I think he is more a man who believes that God is not the God like they have told us. It is a God who intrigues, manipulates and create illusions to keep us warm, but alone. To Pat: Yes, you are right, it has been "On Broadway". Also not my favourite one. I don't have seen "Dark City", yet, but I will change this in the next week ;-). I remember some sounds of Gary in the "Blade Runner" (the beginning of "Calling out the dogs" if I am right here), but I don't remember more. Do you remember more songs of Gary in movies? I'm gonna make a next try: I am looking for sheet music of Gary, music notes. Exspecially Down in the Park or other. Further I have heard a midi-song of a song by Gary called "Echo". What is this for a song? On which album I can find it? And, does anyone have a MP3 or something like that of "Echo"? Thank you very much for responses in advance. :-) Jonathan (Seth) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 11:07:07 -0700 From: theartdept@att.net (rod reynolds) Subject: generalizations To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello. As tempting as it was to sigh "bygones" over this, the spell check bad boy in me just wouldn't let it slip by ;o) Thanks for sharing, and I'm sure your opinion is unfortunately shared by several others. However two things, both of which have to do with your sweeping and emotional generalizations. 1. "the most AWFUL fonts I've seen on any packaging in a long while" is a bit harsh. How can you realistically lump the font from the Fury in with those on The Mix, Remodulate and Strange Charm. That is unrealistic and unfair, and I happen to like the latter fonts and artwork quite a bit. I think I mentioned way back that I designed the Fury in four or five versions (different fonts) and a committee chose the one that went to press. I also had no artwork to use except my old beat up copy of the original cd issue. I make no argument that The Fury cover is not that great. But I wouldn't say that about *all* the Cleo releases. 2. "i think it's quite "rich" that you did not like the EAGLE covers" *I* never said that. I did say I didn't like the photo they replaced the original Strange Charm cover with as it is too dark, and found it strange that they didn't replace the Fury photos (which Gary doesn't like and I would have changed if I'd been given an alternative). I also said I didn't think the squiggly tumbleweed design added to the Machine and Soul re-issue was that great. But I most definitely did *not* write off the entire series. In fact I indirectly stated that (imo) the BB and Eagle re-issues *are* better than the Cleo ones, sadly, and wondered (aloud) how they obviously got Gary's support/input and we didn't. Onward and upward. Rod Los Angeles >Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 13:57:39 +0000 >From: "Danny Cushion" >Subject: cleo' art work >I understand fully about the difficulties of getting a client to >co-oparate on >projects(I'VE SPENT SOME YEARS IN THE DESIGN >WORLD)-However, that realy >is NO excuse for some of the most AWFULL FONTS >i've seen on any packaging in a long >while!! >I am not having a go on a personal level just as a design critique-the >FURY cover was a >badly out of focus photo wih what looked like old >hand-rendered "Leteraset" on it! >The rest of the covers are NO better..i think it's quite "rich" that you >did not like the >EAGLE covers that are (to be frank)far better than >Cleopatra's renditions..from what i >understand from various friends in >record-shops and fans..the Cleo' c.ds are the lowest >sellers out of all >the Numan albums! >Surly, Cleopatra must be aware of this? >I know of MAN Y seriuos collectors who won't touch the Cleo' stuff >becouse "the're so >shoddy" >Just MY thoughts on the subject! >Dan ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 16:31:09 -0500 (EST) From: Machman@netdirect.net Subject: Major air play for Numan, well, kinda To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello all, I heard Fear Factory's Cars the first time on the radio!! It is getting loads of play in this markets second largest station, which bills itself as Rock Alternative. Now, if they would only give Numan credit for singin on it as well..... Later, Mark Hubbard ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 01:05:25 -0700 From: Gregor Torrence Subject: Mick Karn / Paul Gardiner To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) Mark wrote: > Paul _could_ play fretless, Just listen to Paul on ' She's Got Claws ' >(It's hell to play) > I Think Paul's using his fretted Fender Precision Bass, > but the _way_ he Played it, it 'sounded' like a fretless :)) > Paul IS God. > Best Bass Player _ever_ Sure, Paul was a fine player, and a close friend to Gary, but lets get our facts straight: According to the liner notes on the vinyl pressing, the bass on She's Got Claws is Mick Karn (as is the saxaphone). On Dance, Paul only played on Night Talk. Someone named Mick Prague played on Stories, and the rest of the bass guitar on that album (five songs) is Mick Karn. > I dont know what instrument(s) Gary plays .. but i know Puul Liked >Fender P-Basses .. who does'nt ? Gary has always played a standard Les Paul (and a second, at that.) Mick Karn, I beleive, is partial to Waal basses, and has always played fretless from even the earliest Japan records. I've always respected Paul's playing on the earliest albums, The Plan and Tubeway Army. Even when things were a bit simple and rough around the edges, Paul's playing was more inventive than you might expect, especially from some one with a punk rock background. Gary's always had great taste in bass players. Sometimes I wish he'd call one or two of them back for some new tracks. Gregor. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 00:32:47 PDT From: "Craig MacNeil" Subject: On Broadway... To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Actually, there is a studio version of "On Broadway", done as a duet with Leo Sayer. It was recorded around the time of "Berserker", and to my knowledge has not been officially released. A snippet of it is on one of the "Images" lp's, but Ican't remember which one. As far as the Prince covers, TAFKAP could easily do a credible version of "We Take Mystery {To Bed}". I read somewhere that Prince was rumoured to have soundchecked with "Cars" during his 1999 tour. James - What's the alternate cover for Premier Hits? The US edition is the pic of Gaz in Dance gear. Also, cutout bins are where discontinued CD's {or vinyl} are put. They are usually discounted greatly. Get Happy, Craig _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 10:49:49 -0700 (PDT) From: Jay Ruiz Subject: Question.....of faith? To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hi gang, Just a general question, for anyone who knows. There's been some serious slagging going on in the Digest about Eagle coverart vs. Cleo. My question is: Why does Cleo do up it's OWN coverart...for the US market...why not just...mmmm...use what Eagle has come up with..and be done with it? (This could further carry over, into why are there different 'bonus tracks'?...etc) Again, why not just release the Eagle versions, lock, stock and graphics in the States? In past, any Numan offerings would cross the Big Pond to the US as imports. Years ago when he was with Atco, here they never changed the coverart. The only 1 case I can think of, where things just weren't the same UK/US...was the "New Anger" CD from I.R.S. That's not quite the principle thing, tho, New Anger was, more or less, far removed from Metal Rhythm. Anyone who can shed some light...please do! Thanks Me _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 21:35:36 GMT0BST From: "James Chapman" Subject: Simon Joseph To: numan@cs.uwp.edu What's this I see? A message to the digest by Simon NOT slagging off Strange Charm or taking the piss out of me for liking it ? ;-) Whatever next? James ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 01:08:33 -0600 From: "Joey Lindstrom" Subject: Telekon reissue To: "Gary Numan" On Sun, 16 May 99 01:00:01 CDT, Tom Gorham wrote: >But I don't want f***ing noticeable differences! > >I bought Replicas and Tubeway Army on CD because my old LPs were >beginning to wear under the strain, the original lyric sheets had gone >awol, and I wanted to hear the early stuff included on the Tubeway Army >CD. > >Each of these CDs adopted the sensible option: You have the original >album in its entirety for the benefit of us old codgers who - strike me >down - actually LIKED the original, followed by the additional tracks, >which you can either take or leave (and a track 'The Crazies' is best >left to completists only). Telekon, on the other hand, requires you to >program the CD if you want to hear the original track listing, and >apparently mucks about with the mixes. Where were you in 1993 when Beggars reissued it without the alternate mixes? Oh, wait, never mind. I forgot... you didn't buy it because your nose was out of joint because they mucked about with the track order... I'm sorry, but I've never heard a sillier reason not to buy an album. Listen Tom - you go out and buy a copy of the new Telekon remix. Then send me a photocopy of the receipt so that I know you did actually pay for it. Also send along four dollars to cover my costs. I will then make you a new CD with the "alternate" versions replaced with the original versions (from the 1993) issue, and ordered in whatever freakin' order you like. You can stick it in your CD player and pretend it's vinyl. Will that make you happy? Boy, I've heard the expression "you can't satisfy everyone" but this really takes the cake... / From the messy desktop of Joey Lindstrom / Email: Joey@GaryNumanFan.NU or joey@lindstrom.com / Phone: +1 403 313-JOEY / FAX: +1 413 643-0354 (yes, 413 not 403) / Visit The NuServer! http://www.GaryNumanFan.NU / Visit The Webb! http://webb.GaryNumanFan.NU / / "Don't touch unless you mean it." / --Everything I Need To Know I Learned From Babylon 5 ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ****************************** _______________________________________________________________________ _____ ____ ____ _____ _____ / \ | | / \ / \ / \ / \ | |-----| |-----| | |-----| |-----| | | | G | | A | | | R | | Y | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-----| |-----| | |-----| |-----| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | N | E | W | S |=====| | | | | | | | & | | | | | | | \_____/ I | N | F | O | | | | is produced and distributed by Derek Langsford dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu -------------------------------------------------------------------------- To reply to the messages in this list, mail to: numan@cs.uwp.edu If you want to be removed, or someone wants to be added, you can mail to numan-request@cs.uwp.edu ----------------- The Gary Numan Digest is brought to you via Datta Production and Development, 905 97th Street, Kenosha, WI 53143 USA datta@cs.uwp.edu and computer resources courtesy of University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Datta Production and Development. 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