--------------------------------------------------------------------- T H E G A R Y N U M A N D I G E S T (by subscription only - to unsubscribe, see bottom of this message) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (#2001-247) - Topics This Issue: 1) Mojo photos 2) So I turned on the crowd... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 10:33:22 -0400 From: Terry Burke Subject: Mojo photos I read the Mojo interview, and was happy to see photos of our hero smiling with one of his dogs. Great interview, go get a copy -it has Bowie on the cover. t3rry c!nc!nnat! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 11:19:49 -0500 From: "Val & Ben Iglar-Mobley" Subject: "So I turned on the crowd..." The eight lives of Gary Numan, top to bottom: 1) Living Ornaments 80 2) Living Ornaments 79 3) The Skin Mechanic 4) White Noise 5) the "farewell" show 6) Ghost 7) Dream Corrosion 8) Dark Light 1) Ah, exquisite. From the zenith of the machine. The renditions are crisp; the album is awe-inspiring. 2) A powerhouse of a concert, showing just how forcefully a synth can drive a sound. Not as varied, but with immense impact. 3) I don't get why 'noids don't like 'Metal Rhythm' and I don't get why we don't like 'Skin Mechanic.' To my ears, this clearly shows where he began to turn-- inevitably-- to industrial. Probably the best recording of "Down In The Park" live; every time I hear that machine-hiss intro, I automatically reach for volume knob to throttle it up. 4) Terrific sound to go with terrific imagery. A little less coherent, but the drums on "My Dying Machine" pound the heart chambers. (Quibble: are those taped voices at times on "Berserker"?) 5) The machine as it starts to bend through the experimental lens of 'Dance.' Still a wonderful concert, but getting a bit meandering, as if he were trying to cover everything in this his "last hurrah." I've never been enthusiastic about the slurred vocals. 6) The best of the worst. Amazing renditions of "Cars" and "My Breathing," but a lot of the rest of it sounds like a repeat of 'White Noise.' 7) What an incredible set list! What horrendous sound! Only two songs from the album this concert was supposedly in support of... is that an acknowledgement that the album was a misstep? 8) Sterile, paint-by-numbers renditions. With those long pauses between songs they lose their relationship to each other; it sounds less like a performance and more like an album played on "shuffle" mode. Nice that he was reaching back in the catalog again, but where's the imagination in the rendering? And a couple honorable mentions: 0) 'Live At The Roxy' -- I love his punk sound, so even with the wretched recording (which still sounds better than 'Dream Corrosion') this would rank pretty highly, but I have to disqualify it. Giving us a full album's worth of material otherwise unrecorded, this one would score right smack at the untouchable top... but that's an unfair advantage. 'Pure - tour edition' -- What an incredible tour, with the older songs integrated even more seamlessly than they were on the 'Exile' tour. If he'd given us a full album from this one, it would've easily beaten out the others for the penultimate spot... and would've been a serious contender for top honors. * * * If others are interested in joining in for a poll of the lives like we did here for the albums proper, feel free to submit your rankings as well. Now a question of live: The "live" disc of 'Down In The Park' or 'Strange Charm' or whichever that double-disc compilation is that has the studio disc and the live... is that a series of separate live songs, or is it a full transcription of another concert? I'd heard that Receiver or whoever had gotten a hold of a concert that Gary hadn't released (hence being able to give us songs like "America" and "Confession" that couldn't have been lifted from other live albums released on Numa). Was that disc that concert straight up? If it is, I'd say it qualifies as Gary's ninth live (and makes it a must-have for us completists). Ben "But I like the actors And I like the show" ---------------------------------------------------- Sign Up for NetZero Platinum Today Only $9.95 per month! http://my.netzero.net/s/signup?r=platinum&refcd=PT97 ------------------------------ End numan@garynumanfan.nu Digest [10/25/2001 18:01] --------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- T H E G A R Y N U M A N D I G E S T is produced, moderated, and distributed by Derek Langsford, Dave Datta, and Joey Lindstrom dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu, davdat@allmusic.com, Joey@GaryNumanFan.NU ------------------------------------------------------------------- To reply to the messages in this list, email: numan@GaryNumanFan.NU If you want to be removed, or someone wants to be added, email: listserv@GaryNumanFan.NU and include this line as the first line of your message body: SUBSCRIBE numan@garynumanfan.nu (email address) or UNSUBSCRIBE numan@garynumanfan.nu (email address) (email address is optional but useful if you have multiple addresses) If you want to switch between receiving Digests or individual posts, again send to listserv@GaryNumanFan.NU and include either of these in your message body: NORMAL numan@garynumanfan.nu or DIGEST numan@garynumanfan.nu ------------------------------------------------------------------ Please note: this mailing list is configured to automatically unsubscribe you if mail to your mailbox goes undeliverable for any reason. 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