--------------------------------------------------------------------- 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) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (#2002-209) - Topics this issue: 1) I, Assassin Review, 2) I' Assassin and Warriors, 3) Rare M&S + New Anger?, 4) Rare M&S + New Anger?, ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 05 Dec 2002 20:50:58 -0600 From: "Mark V. Anderson" Subject: I, Assassin Review I'm glad somebody broke the silence... thanks Linda. Here's my way too lengthy review of I, Assassin. 'I, Assassin' has always been one of my favorite Gary Numan albums. It mixes well crafted soundscapes with groovy fretless bass and punchy synth bits. The attention to technical detail on this album separates it from Numan's earlier works. One can really hear his command of the studio and his excellent production techniques on every track. The lyrics shift from his previous styles too. The science fiction obsessions of "Replicas" and “Telekon” are not present on this album at all. He focuses on personal relationships and oddly quixotic commentary on human nature. His attempt here is not to pose serious questions about these subjects, but to use entrenched irony and humor to discuss them. The album is intellectually sophisticated, sonically impressive and quite danceable as well. "White Boys and heroes” begins the album with one of the best, funkiest bass grooves of all time. “War Songs" features massively powerful grimy synth melodies and a wicked chorus. "A Dream of Siam" slows it down with a chilling set of sonics and a menacing bass part. The mumbled, light vocal work on this track is particularly nice. "Music for Chameleons" is perhaps one of the most well structured songs on the disc. It begins slowly with a bass drum and some creepy whisting synthetic effects then swirls into a fiery diso-jazz style rhythm that culminates in a heavenly strong chorus. Just when it reaches its loudest point it quickly fades away into atmospherics. "This is My House" is my favorite track. Imagine James Brown merging with a socially inept pale white boy and you've got a good idea for this one. The bass is funky, the lyrics are hiccupped and the synth effects add gorgeously to the timbral diversity of the song. The title track is somewhere between a fast paced dance song and a meditative lounging track. It has a nice synthetic pizzicato effect that I just can’t get enough of. "1930's Rust" represents a bold move for Numan. Harmonica, fretless bass, saxophone and Numan's own deranged voice present this as a twisted homage to Frank Sinatra on pain-killers. Just as things are seeming quite a-Numan, he comes back with an awesome dance track. "We Take Mystery (To Bed)" takes depressing lyrics about a failed, seedy romance and puts them to a swinging set of quick synth bits and chunky bass lines. It is impossible to refuse dancing to this track. In the video for the song, Gary shows the proper moves, throwing his hips almost embarrassingly wildly and clapping in the air. The rest of the tracks are B-Sides and end up making some of the best tracks of the album. "The Image Is" is my favorite Numan song of all time and "This House is Cold" represents Numan's prowess at intelligent rock music. Overall, this album is genius and deserved far more promotion than it received in 1982. To this day though I'm quite preplexed why none of the B-Sides made it to the album. Seems that 9 songs is better than 8, but what do I know.... Warriors is good too, but I think I've used more than my share of space. -Mark V. Anderson _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2002 09:31:07 -0000 From: "Ziggy Allen" Subject: I' Assassin and Warriors This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0022_01C29D0A.343C0E20 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Well Linda from Down Under,=20 Being a bass player myself, I AssAssin was a breath of fresh air for me. = Pino Palladino is a Bass Player I greatly admire. White Boys and = Hero's, We take Mystery and Music for Chameleons, Pino makes these = tracks come to life for me. As for the whole thing in general, after = Dance and Gary retiring, well I don't know. At the time I remember just = being happy to have some new material from Gary who was living in USA at = the time I think. Back here we didn't know if we would see him again in = the flesh. Then came 1983. I remember hearing Warriors the song for = the first time and thinking, yes... Another great Bass player, the guy = who taught the likes of Pino, Nick Beggs of that band I can never spell = anyway Joe Hubbard. Superb player considering it was his second = instrument. Clarinet is his first tool if I remember right. His = slapping technique brought the whole sound to life. I could pick a = track that I would brush over on the Warriors album. Iceman Comes, My = Centruion, Sister Suprise and the superb slow number (although slightly = dodgy title I thought) Love is Like Clock Law. The introduction of = legend Saxaphone player Dick Morrisey and the backing vocals of Tracey = Akerman, well I still say this is one of Gary's best albums ever. Fresh = and full of energy, you can almost feel the hunger for perfection he = seemed to lack in previous material. Moving away from the gloom of fame = bringing him down, feeling trapped and just wanting to run away. I'm = the ghost of the white faced clown. Excellent lyric. Even the tracks = that only made the b-side of singles were class, Poetry and Power for = instance. Not only the album to listen to in 83, but we in the UK also = had The Warriors Tour to see. Superb stage set, good set, excellent = sound. I caught the tour Sept 83 at Newcastle City Hall. Still = remember that gig to this day. Plus it would be a sin of all sins to = mention the Warriors Tour without tipping our hats to the support act, = Tik and Tok. I've never seen such support for a support act to this = day. They gave 110% and the crowd soaked them up with every track. I = could have went home after their set they were that good. If you = haven't heard them yet, even though they split in 1984, their material = is still available on CD. If anyone interested in getting Tik and Tok = CD drop me an email and I'll advise you were to look, you wont be = disappointed. So rounding off I'd say to Tikand Tok, thanks Sean and = especially to Tik, Tim Dry who is an inspiration and a great human = being. As to Gary, thank you for a brilliant album that I'd have to = give 95 out of 100. Droping the 5% for the Tick Tock Man.....sorry = Gary.... Ziggy UK....=20 25 years a fan next year also...... ------=_NextPart_000_0022_01C29D0A.343C0E20 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Well Linda from Down = Under,=20
Being a bass player = myself, I=20 AssAssin was a breath of fresh air for me.  Pino Palladino is a = Bass Player=20 I greatly admire.  White Boys and Hero's, We take Mystery and Music = for=20 Chameleons, Pino makes these tracks come to life for me.  As for = the whole=20 thing in general, after Dance and Gary retiring, well I don't know. At = the time=20 I remember just being happy to have some new material from Gary who was = living=20 in USA at the time I think.  Back here we didn't know if we would = see him=20 again in the flesh.  Then came 1983.  I remember hearing = Warriors the=20 song for the first time and thinking, yes... Another great Bass player, = the guy=20 who taught the likes of Pino, Nick Beggs of that band I can never spell = anyway=20 Joe Hubbard.  Superb player considering it was his second = instrument. =20 Clarinet is his first tool if I remember right.  His slapping = technique=20 brought the whole sound to life.  I could pick a track that I would = brush=20 over on the Warriors album.  Iceman Comes, My Centruion, Sister = Suprise and=20 the superb slow number (although slightly dodgy title I thought) Love is = Like=20 Clock Law.  The introduction of legend Saxaphone player Dick = Morrisey and=20 the backing vocals of Tracey Akerman, well I still say this is one of = Gary's=20 best albums ever.  Fresh and full of energy, you can almost feel = the hunger=20 for perfection he seemed to lack in previous material.  Moving away = from=20 the gloom of fame bringing him down, feeling trapped and just wanting to = run=20 away.  I'm the ghost of the white faced clown.  Excellent = lyric. =20 Even the tracks that only made the b-side of singles were class, Poetry = and=20 Power for instance.  Not only the album to listen to in 83, but we = in the=20 UK also had The Warriors Tour to see.  Superb stage set, good set,=20 excellent sound.  I caught the tour Sept 83 at Newcastle City = Hall. =20 Still remember that gig to this day.  Plus it would be a sin of all = sins to=20 mention the Warriors Tour without tipping our hats to the support act, = Tik and=20 Tok.  I've never seen such support for a support act to this = day. =20 They gave 110% and the crowd soaked them up with every track.  I = could have=20 went home after their set they were that good.  If you haven't = heard them=20 yet, even though they split in 1984, their material is still available = on=20 CD.  If anyone interested in getting Tik and Tok CD drop me an = email and=20 I'll advise you were to look, you wont be disappointed.  So = rounding off=20 I'd say to Tikand Tok, thanks Sean and especially to Tik, Tim Dry who is = an=20 inspiration and a great human being.  As to Gary, thank you for a = brilliant=20 album that I'd have to give 95 out of 100. Droping the 5% for the Tick = Tock=20 Man.....sorry Gary....
 
Ziggy UK.... =
25 years a fan next = year=20 also......
------=_NextPart_000_0022_01C29D0A.343C0E20-- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 06 Dec 2002 10:15:04 +0000 From: "Ian Blair" Subject: Rare M&S + New Anger? I was in Sister Ray yesterday and noticed that they had the (original issue) Machine & Soul CD and the American (IRS) version of Metal Rhythm "New Anger", up on the wall behind the counter, so I asked how much (they only put rare stuff up on their wall), and they were £20 each... are they rare? Difficult to pick up? Sought after? _________________________________________________________________ Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 06 Dec 2002 11:50:05 -0800 From: Rod Reynolds Subject: Re: Rare M&S + New Anger? Hi. In the UK, I would imagine the US IRS version of Metal Rhythm might be hard to find. It is interesting because it does have different artwork, different track listing (it has the brilliant William Orbit remix of My Dying Machine), and a different title from the UK version (New Anger). It has been out of print for I would guess ten years, so yeah, it's hard to find.=20 In the US, the UK version of Machine + Soul is harder to find. I would imagine in the UK the distribution wasn't very thorough either. I don't think it was very successful. Also note that initial pressings of the 'extended' version are not in fact the extended version (you can only tell by checking the number of tracks on the cd - 9 tracks vs 13 tracks) despite what the artwork says. They have since both been remastered and re-issued with bonus tracks, so I would say 'for serious collectors' only. Not to mention, pretty well agree= d upon to be his worst two studio albums, not without highlights but admittedly few and far between. I often see the US version of Metal Rhythm in the used stores here for around $5. In fact out of pity I usually buy them. I hate to see Gary Numan sitting around in used shops for $3.99. Rod Los Angeles > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > I was in Sister Ray yesterday and noticed that they had the (original iss= ue) > Machine & Soul CD and the American (IRS) version of Metal Rhythm "New > Anger", up on the wall behind the counter, so I asked how much (they only > put rare stuff up on their wall), and they were =A320 each... are they rare= ? > Difficult to pick up? Sought after? >=20 ------------------------------ End digest@garynuman.info Digest [12/06/2002 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. If you suddenly stop receiving this list, you should assume you've been automatically unsubscribed and should then manually resubscribe. ------------------------------------------------------------------ The Gary Numan Digest is produced with the facilities of the Gary Numan Info Server and The Interocitor. All of the opinions in this digest belong to the respective authors and do not necessarily agree with those of the Digest Producers. This digest is published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and is governed by all applicable Canadian laws. --------------------------------------------------------------------------