--------------------------------------------------------------------- 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) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (#2002-111) - Topics this issue: 1) SINGLES!, 2) New "Thing" from London Town, 3) PollMaster (and drivel), 4) N/A, 5) Digest (07/28/2002 18:01) (#2002-110), 6) Top 5 singles, 7) smack to the forehead, 8) Top 5 "Children", 9) Singles, 10) Another fan in Southam??, ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 03:35:49 +0100 (BST) From: =?iso-8859-1?q?NumPet?= Subject: SINGLES! 'morning all! My thanks to David for making it possible for me to vote - wholly and correctly - for the Top 5 Singles releases poll! I have now come to the following conclusion: Best releases are: 1 - RIP (go Gazza go!!) 2 - Dominion Day (I remember this played on the radio years before becoming a Numanoid so it must be excellent. And it is.) 3 - Down In The Park (The one that started it all for me when I was two years old. If I can remember it from *that* age....!) 4 - Are Friends Electric (The song that finally turned me around) 5 - All Across The Nation (tough one, but I admit to also remembering this one from my childhood, so it obviously made for a good single in those days - it fit the times). My personal top 5 singles is another matter entirely, thrown in for good measure: 1 - Down In The Park (remains the most stunning song (LO80 Version) and always stands out uniquely) 2 - Dominion Day (I was blown away by it when I first heard in on radio and was thouroughly intrigued by the soundscape of it) 3 - A Question Of Faith (call me heathen but I am mad about the Anubian Lights Mix of this, dark and unrelenting. Suberb) 4 - Absolution (The lyrics have it. A lovesong that says so much in a single line: I would walk out of heaven - just to be with you) 5 - I Still Remember (I have a soft spot for these songs - my first Numan cd had Empty Bed Empty Heart, I Still Remember and Time To Die on it. These, along with AFE, helped sway me into Numanoid-dom.) I'm looking forward to a b-sides poll - I won't be able to participate in it as I don't know them all and haven't had the opportunity to hear most of them (she said with sadness). My thanks to all, The Numpet searching for a crumPet! ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Everything you'll ever need on one web page from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts http://uk.my.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2002 22:51:53 EDT From: DCGaySLP@aol.com Subject: New "Thing" from London Town --part1_18a.b7796ec.2a7607c9_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi all... Just a blurb about this rather strange song......I've always wondered why the word "Thing" is used in this song.....it's such a vague word and means basically, well, AnYtHinG.......The song really doesn't allude to what the "thing" is and my take on the song is, all in all, it says nothing......granted it has a nice beat and good tune, but the lyrics are just completely lost to me. What the hell is the new "thing" from London town!? And I thought I was a Numan connoisseur :( Rick in DC --part1_18a.b7796ec.2a7607c9_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi all...

Just a blurb about this rather strange song......I've always wondered why the word "Thing" is used in this song.....it's such a vague word and means basically, well, AnYtHinG.......The song really doesn't allude to what the "thing" is and my take on the song is, all in all, it says nothing......granted it has a nice beat and good tune, but the lyrics are just completely lost to me.  What the hell is the new "thing" from London town!?  And I thought I was a Numan connoisseur :(

Rick in DC --part1_18a.b7796ec.2a7607c9_boundary-- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 04:07:06 +0100 (BST) From: =?iso-8859-1?q?NumPet?= Subject: PollMaster (and drivel) Thanks Ben - You are the PollMaster! > > Why don't I own it????!!!!! > > Because it didn't get a very wide release... and it > just sneaked past you! Must have - I wasn't a fan then...sniff.. > > Any releases from Outland?? > Uh, yeah, you named it yourself: > Heart (3/91) 43 Oopsies - I thought Heart was a collaboration...or was that Black Heart? Man I'm forgetting my Numanoidness! Must be my new job - too much informatioaaarrrgghhhh!!!!!!!!! > (Go ahead and slap me for being a smart-ass.) Ker-Thwack! Oh,but I digress (spank spank!) > Speaking of being on drugs, Yes, nifty little things aren't they? > I suppose you could wrestle the poll away from me-- > posts here do belong to > everybody-- but it was MY idea! I'm with Ben on this one!! > P.S. Thanks for the stats shot, NumPet. Uuuhhh...? I'll write soonish Ben(I do promise it will be before my birthday!!!), I've been soooo busy, looking forward to chatting again, Cheers, Linda (NumPet, the seriously bemused ant!) ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Everything you'll ever need on one web page from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts http://uk.my.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 11:17:11 +0000 From: "Paul Fay" Subject: Right. Top 5 Singles for today 1. Warriors 2. Music For Chameleons 3. Cars (quite sick of it now but at the time ....) 4. I Die You Die 5. Dominion Day _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 11:23:07 +0000 From: "Paul Fay" Subject: Re: Digest (07/28/2002 18:01) (#2002-110) > > >Voices (w/ Bill Sharpe) (??) ?? -- (anyone know on this?) > >I think you'll find this was the B-side to "No more lies", >and not a single,it also appeared on the Sharpe and Numan >album "Automatic". >And if we're including American singles, what about "Remind >me to smile"? > >Dave. I'm fairly sure that Voices was the single a-side in Germany with No More Lies as the b-side. Then again I could just be imagining that :) Paul _________________________________________________________________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 11:39:15 EDT From: MrRiPHRaPH@aol.com Subject: Top 5 singles --part1_66.24a68993.2a76bba3_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit My top 5 favorite singles are: 5-Down in the Park 4-We Are Glass 3-She's Got Claws 2-White Boys and Heroes 1-Sister Surprise I can't wait for the B-sides poll! Mike. --part1_66.24a68993.2a76bba3_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit My top 5 favorite singles are:

5-Down in the Park
4-We Are Glass
3-She's Got Claws
2-White Boys and Heroes
1-Sister Surprise

I can't wait for the B-sides poll!
Mike. --part1_66.24a68993.2a76bba3_boundary-- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2002 14:58:06 -0500 From: "Val & Ben Iglar-Mobley" Subject: smack to the forehead > 1) My World Storm (the US single remix) *shudder* Oops! I forgot that one. Thanks for reminding me, Chris. Gary's pick or not, it's still a single. So here's the revised list, with that one added in (just so it's all in one neat package): That's Too Bad (2/78) -- Bombers (7/78) -- Down In The Park (3/79) -- Are 'Friends' Electric? (5/79) 1 Cars (8/79) 1 Complex (11/79) 6 We Are Glass (5/80) 5 I Die: You Die (8/80) 6 This Wreckage (12/80) 20 Stormtrooper In Drag (w/ Paul Gardiner) (7/81) 49 She's Got Claws (8/81) 6 Love Needs No Disguise (w/ Dramatis) (11/81) 33 Music For Chameleons (2/82) 19 We Take Mystery (To Bed) 6/82) 9 White Boys & Heroes (8/82) 20 Warriors (8/83) 20 Sister Surprise (10/83) 32 Berserker (10/84) 32 My Dying Machine (11/84) 66 Change Your Mind (w/ Bill Sharpe) (2/85) 17 Your Fascination (7/85) 46 Call Out The Dogs (9/85) 49 Miracles (11/85) 49 This Is Love (4/86) 28 I Can't Stop (6/86) 27 New Thing From London Town (w/ Bill Sharpe) (7/86) 52 I Still Remember (RSPCA) (11/86) 74 Radio Heart (w/ Hugh Nicholson as 'Radio Heart') (3/87) 35 London Times (w/ Hugh Nicholson as 'Radio Heart') (5/87) 48 All Across The Nation (w/ Hugh Nicholson as 'Radio Heart') (10/87) -- No More Lies (w/ Bill Sharpe) (1/88) 34 I'm On Automatic (w/ Bill Sharpe) (5/88) Voices (w/ Bill Sharpe) (??) ?? -- (anyone know on this?) New Anger (9/88) 46 America (11/88) 49 Heart (3/91) 43 My World Storm (US-only single) (??/91) -- Emotion (7/91) -- The Skin Game (3/92) 68 Machine & Soul (7/92) 72 Like A Refugee (I Won't Cry) (w/ Hugh Nicholson as 'Dadadang') (4/94) -- A Question Of Faith (9/94) -- Magic (US-only single w/ "Dawn" cover) (??) -- Absolution (3/95) -- Dominion Day (??/98) -- Rip (7/02) 29 There they are, all 46 of Gary's songs to grace a single release. Any of those qualify for this poll; they were all singles, after all, whatever their genesis. > I'd rather have re-vamped or remixed versions of songs as > B-sides than some of the things Gary dreamt up in the early > days. Brilliant writing I must say if you take it for what it is, > but as a b-side to a chart record, a little disappointing. Well, I suppose everybody's entitled to an opinion, Ziggy. Yours is just wrong. (note: heavy sarcasm) I would much rather have a new song than a remix. Getting a new song by Gary is like getting a new short story by an award-winning science fiction author, while getting a remix is like reading a story we've already read before... only re-edited. They're interesting, and I suppose I do collect them, but not nearly as rewarding. As far as extendeds, as much as I love 'Sacrifice' I think the ext'd is boring. I've used this analogy before, but it's a good one. Imagine if Michaelangelo had created another "David"-- same subject, same pose, same physique, same medium-- only on a larger scale. It's the same sculpture, only larger. Would that be a "better" work of art? Personally, I don't think so. Bigger isn't always better. I think the 'Sac ext' albums drags; it's longer, but it doesn't offer anything new. It's the same album, just stretched out, with no previously hidden elements revealed in the process. That's the charm of remixes done right: they can bring different elements to the fore we may have missed by dropping the levels on some of the instruments and raising others-- truly re-mixing the sound. "Remixes" that are actually just DJs twiddling around with sound boards to create dance rhythms over the vocal track with the rest of the music dropped out entirely... don't qualify as "remixes" to my thinking. They're cover versions, albeit with the original singer contributing the vocals to the cover. And if the music is altogether different, they're not even faithful covers. The 'Exile' extended album, however, is wonderful. And I think the 'Machine + Soul' extended is better than the original (which I suppose isn't much of an accomplishment). 'M+S' sounds too cacophonous at times, with instruments and sounds lying on top of each other and vying for our ears; with the extended, at times the sounds are stripped away and the song structure is a little more revealed. It's easier to appreciate the album then. (I think it helps that my copy is a mis-pressing that doesn't have the extra tracks, so that I can enjoy it just as an album instead of a compilation.) I agree that some of Gary's choices have not been the best. "This Wreckage" as a single pick makes me wonder what Gary was thinking. "Remind Me To Smile" seems like the glaringly obvious choice. You know, I wonder if he did that deliberately. I wonder if he was purposefully trying to screw over his career. I wonder if that's why he left the other two singles off the album and publicly threw in the towel by declaring his retirement from touring. He's said he thought those were mistakes, but I wonder if they were his way of trying to save himself from stardom which he's admitted he couldn't handle at the time. Maybe he was admitting as much when in "Dance" he sang, "I need to crash for my sake." David Cassidy shot to stardom as a bubblegum popster and teen hearthrob star of 'The Partridge Family'... but he really wanted to be a Rock 'N Roller. When his show was cancelled, I've read he was ecstatic with joy, because he was being freed from a kind of stardom he hated... even though he later felt destroyed by his relegation to "has-been" status. I wonder if the same kind of personal arc was going on with Gary. He had achieved stardom, but he couldn't handle what he found it to be about, and he thought being released from it would be good for him... even though later he'd find out the fall would be much, much worse. I wonder. Ben ------------------------------------------- Introducing NetZero Long Distance Unlimited Long Distance only $29.95/ month! Sign Up Today! www.netzerolongdistance.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 13:11:16 -0400 From: Michael Tressler Subject: Top 5 "Children" Hey y'all Using Ben's singles list as my guide (wow, never knew there were that many Numan singles), I've painstakingly chosen: 5. A Question of Faith 4. Are Friends Electric? 3. I Die: You Die 2. We Are Glass 1. Cars It was very difficult to leave off great songs like Dominion Day, Berserker, Call Out The Dogs and many others, even Machine & Soul! Perhaps a top ten would have been nice. As for selecting Cars as number one, let me explain. For most of us in the U.S., that single was the first Numan we'd ever heard. For me, Cars and the whole PP album will always be the most special Numan song(s) because it (they) brought me into this whole world of Numania. It's always a treat to hear the words "here in my car..." on the radio. Yes, it branded Numan a "one hit wonder" in America but just about anybody here knows his name now, thanks to that one beautiful song. I don't think Gary or we as fans should be ashamed of Cars, but embrace it as perhaps the most enduring song of the 80's/new wave era. Regarding the extended albums--I don't own any (yet). Are they available anywhere to buy? I don't remember seeing them listed on amazon.com or cdnow.com, but I could be wrong. And if they can't be store-bought, who among us would be willing to burn copies for us poor schleps who don't have them? One last item, just to comment on Ben's using the "children" comparison with Numan songs/singles. I know Ben didn't mean for the terminology to be taken so literally (so please don't take offense), but I wish to point out that "second or last-born" children are of no less value or importance in a family. I'm sure there are sad cases where a second, third or fourth child in a family is not wanted and unloved, but I would guess that is the exception and not the rule. My second son was unplanned and therefore "unwanted" (before the pregnancy) but he has brought the same amount of joy to our lives as our first, and we cannot imagine life without him. I just don't think it's appropriate to even suggest last-born children are unwanted and unloved, that's all. :-) Peace Mike ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 20:57:14 +0100 From: "David Dickinson" Subject: Singles One single that I missed off my list was the PROMO ONLY "THIS IS MY LIFE", which was taken off "THE PLAN" to help promote the album. Although this single was not on general release, it was strictly a promo only 7".It would probably fit into the list before Berserker in '84. Dave. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 22:56:24 +0100 From: "Vickers" Subject: Another fan in Southam?? Possibly two years ago, I saw a chap in a Numan T-shirt going into the public library. It could have been a hard-core fan trying to find out where in Southam Gary filmed the video for 'She's Got Claws'. Or a fan trying to borrow a book. I don't know! Today, I was driving down the High Street, cars and people everywhere. Someone in a fairly new Numan T-shirt was walking past the Post Office with ?his wife ?his girl friend ?somebody else. No chance to stop, but it's nice to see other fans about, quite by chance! Paddy Vickers ------------------------------ End digest@garynuman.info Digest [07/29/2002 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@GaryNuman.Info Back Issues: http://digest.garynuman.info ------------------------------------------------------------------- To reply to the messages in this list, email: digest@garynuman.info If you want to be removed, or someone wants to be added, email: listserv@GaryNuman.info and include this line as the first line of your message body: SUBSCRIBE digest@garynuman.info (email address) or UNSUBSCRIBE digest@garynuman.info (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@GaryNuman.Info and include either of these in your message body: NORMAL digest@garynuman.info or DIGEST digest@garynuman.info ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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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