The Gary Numan thread

Hi,
Since I have seen a few threads about certain musicians and bands, as well as genres, I thought I'd make this one, as I have been a big fan of Gary Numan since 1980.

Are there any other Gary Numan fans here?

He first released music in 1978 under his band Tubeway Army.

Then released his first proper album called Tubeway Army in 1978.
Then in 1979 he released his album Replicas in '79, with the hit, Are Friends Electric.

Then in later '79 he released The Pleasure Principle, under his name, that had the hit, Cars.
This song hit the US big in 1980, I think, because that's when I first heard it on TV and the radio.

It blew me away, and I bought the single 45, and later the LP, and then I went and got Tubeway Army, and Replicas.

I then bought and loved Telekon when it came out, and Dance as well.
Dance was a little different but great still. I got I, Assassin too when it came out, on cassette, but I din't connect with it as much, though I have come to love this album now, when I got it on CD I think in 2002, when it was reissued with a good CD booklet and lyrics and all. I think I didn't connect with I, Assassin when I first got it in '82, because it was on cassette and it did not have lyrics or anything, and the previous album I had on LP 33 1/3, which always had lyrics and stuff, which I always read and listened to together.

Gary's style has changed in stages like, since the beginning.
Personally, I love the most, his Tubeway Army material.
But for me, I kinda lost it for his stuff with Warriors up to Sacrifice.
I call this his funk era. I think his stuff went down when he discovered a drum machine. As it seemed all the songs were based on a programmed beat, and not synth tunes like they were earlier.
But, I do like Sacrifice a lot, and I call that his comeback album.

I did think Outland and New Anger had some good stuff, and about all the albums in his funk era do have some songs I think are OK.

But, before I finally got Sacrifice(and Exile), I was hearing the buzz about Pure, that this was his big comeback, and it was this album, which I bought after hearing about it for a while, to see what was going on with Gary Numan, because, I honestly lost interest to a large degree, after not liking so much his post I, Assassin material.

So, I got Pure, and I really like it. I then got Exile and Sacrifice, and really liked them. So, I found Gary had again changed his style, different than his earlier stuff, but to me, much better than his funk stuff, and most importantly, stuff I liked.

So, having really liked Pure, Exile, and Sacrifice, I considered myself again a current Numan fan.

And then Jagged came out, which I really liked too, I think more than Pure.

So, I am again a big Numan fan, I always was, I just wasn't into his funk era albums much, but now he's doing stuff I really like.

Any other Numan fans here?

Can it be true there are no Gary Numan fans here?
I mean he's like the grandfather of electronics and new wave.
He had a very big US hit, and many hit singles in the UK.
He has been cited as an influence among many current artists.
Many have done remakes of his songs.

I'll admit I didn't care for his funk era much, but he's really made an impressive musical comeback.

No fans here?

reply to post by tom502


I like quite a bit of Gary Numan's early stuff but I'm ashamed to admit I'm pretty ignorant of the majority of his material.

Perhaps you should post some of his vid's on here and let us judge for ourselves.

OK, sure.
This is his 1st hit single, Are Friends Electric(from Replicas 1979):


Then his big international hit, Cars(from The Pleasure Princeiple 1979):


And another hit from the next album, 1980's Telekon, I Die, You Die:


And from 1981's Dance, She's Got Claws:


And more current, from his last CD, Jagged, I think 2006, song Halo:

I am flabbergasted, and that's a word I rarely use, that this thread has gotten no replies, beside the one asking for vids, which I posted.

Gary Numan is an ICON.
Been around and still going strong for many years.

I can't be the only Numan fan here.

A friend of mine is a HUGE fan and has been getting me into his lesser known stuff. I've also been getting into Ultravox's grittier synthier stuff. Can you recommend some similar stuff from the late 70's early 80's?