Gary Numan - crap / not crap

[BadlyDrawnGirl]

I completely forgotten about pre-Ure Ultravox!

Now, 'Young Savage'...a beast of a tune.

 

[nino_savatte]

Now, 'Young Savage'...a beast of a tune.

Hiroshima Mon Amour ain't too bad either.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

The man was a genius and co-invented the '80s with Philip Oakey:

Bullshit. Numan is to electro as UB40 are to Reggae - cod. If hes soooo mr fucking futuristic why did he have a drummer, a bassist and a lead guitar player in his band ffs? Fucking pub rock with a dash of Bowie, a hint of synthesiser (but not too much mind) and some really bad song titles like 'remember, I was asbestos' or somesuch shit.

Admittedly, he tailed off somewhere in the late '80s and the albums deteriorated to business-as-usual industrial-lite cannon fodder, but I guess he had his aeroplane thing going on by then:

Late 80's??? He was finished by about 1983, and thats being kind. From then on it was for serious numanoids only, his gigs seemed to have the distinct whiff of a Gary Glitter Christmas gangshow. At least by about 1985 he was honest enough to drop the synths almost totally and fall into the crack of the arse that is goth/metal.

And apparently all that Tory business was just bollocks invented by the press, as they felt that he'd happened without their permission.

Numan was quite clearly seen down the front of the 'celebs' row of the '81 Tory conference along with Seb Coe and chums. Ill advised perhaps but please don't pretend like he wasn't there.

 

[Reno]

I completely forgotten about pre-Ure Ultravox!

They were my favourite band at the time and their first three albums were all fantastic. I was devastated when Ure joined and turned them into a New Romantic combo.

I feel old...

And apparently all that Tory business was just bollocks invented by the press, as they felt that he'd happened without their permission.

In the 80's he gave interview after interview singing the Tories praises.

 

[MysteryGuest]

not only is he a pop star, but he's also got a pilot's licence - imagine that!!!!

It's stuff like that that makes me glad there is an internet.


I learn something every day!

 

[BadlyDrawnGirl]

Bullshit. Numan is to electro as UB40 are to Reggae - cod. If hes soooo mr fucking futuristic why did he have a drummer, a bassist and a lead guitar player in his band ffs? Fucking pub rock with a dash of Bowie, a hint of synthesiser (but not too much mind) and some really bad song titles like 'remember, I was asbestos' or somesuch shit.

I didn't suggest that he invented electro, I said he (co-)invented the '80s - in terms of popular music and the zeitgeist. It's a different thing entirely.

He was finished by about 1983, and thats being kind.

In terms of what, exactly? Chart positions? And if so, since when did that have any effect on the quality of the music? I was there - sure, he'd had his tenure in the big league but he was making serial pop music, which only occasionally achieves commercial longevity and only foolishly pretends otherwise - but there was a plethora of fucking killer tunes on the likes of 'Warriors', 'Berserker' and 'The Fury'.

Numan was quite clearly seen down the front of the 'celebs' row of the '81 Tory conference along with Seb Coe and chums. Ill advised perhaps but please don't pretend like he wasn't there.

Admittedly I don't remember ever having seen that and you may be right, but I'm puzzled here. I mean, wouldn't it be rather foolish of him to deny ever having been a Tory and to claim that the accusations originated from a misquote in an early press interview if that's a widely known, provable fact - especially if footage exists?

 

[nino_savatte]

They were my favourite band at the time and their first three albums were all fantastic. I was devastated when Ure joined and turned them into a New Romantic combo.

I feel old...




In the 80's he gave interview after interview singing the Tories praises.

Ure has a lot to answer for. Do you remember his previous band, Slik? Friggin' dire.

 

[BadlyDrawnGirl]

Credit where it's due, 'Remember - I Was Asbestos' is actually quite an inspired song title. I might use it.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

I didn't suggest that he invented electro, I said he (co-)invented the '80s - in terms of popular music and the zeitgeist. It's a different thing entirely.?

He didn't invent or even co-invent anything. Numan was an opportunist, he tapped into a whole bunch of influences that had been simmering for years and got some heavy backing. Fair play and all that, but he's not a groundbreaking artist.

In terms of what, exactly? Chart positions? .

yes, in terms of chart positions and shifting units - because thats the only criteria of excellence that applies to the man.

Admittedly I don't remember ever having seen that and you may be right, but I'm puzzled here. I mean, wouldn't it be rather foolish of him to deny ever having been a Tory and to claim that the accusations originated from a misquote in an early press interview if that's a widely known, provable fact - especially if footage exists?

Numans right wing politics aren't a secret - when did he deny ever being a tory then? I've read an interview along the lines of 'I'm from essex, who else was I going to vote for' along with an implicit remark that he was getting a lot of shit back home where the essex meatheads thought he was gay - apparently someone even put a bomb under his car once. Perhaps his tory party appearance was a plea for mainstream acceptance?

love to chew the fat some more but I have a flooded basement to contend with...

 

[BadlyDrawnGirl]

Well, electronic pioneer or not, at least he seems to regret any right-wing wrongheadedness now. And he seems like a pretty on kind of bloke these days. And nothing can change the scientific fact that 'Cars', 'Are Friends Electric', 'Down In the Park' etc. are well rod.

 

[ice-is-forming]

just the fact that the man is stll going and stll being debated over 30 years later must say something positive about him.

 

[Blagsta]

Bullshit. Numan is to electro as UB40 are to Reggae - cod.

Listen to UB40's first album "Signing Off". Def not cod.

 

[Silva]

Falls into my "A lot of A+ stuff but also a lot of boring filler" group. Replicas, Pleasure Principle and Telekon are quite good, the others, while I only skimmed through, seem to fall into the filler categories with one or two exceptions.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Listen to UB40's first album "Signing Off". Def not cod.

fair point - I guess I should have stipulated things like 'red red wine'

 

[BadlyDrawnGirl]

fair point - I guess I should have stipulated things like 'red red wine'

That was on 'Labour Of Love'.

'Rat In My Kitchen' was a top set actually - 'The Elevator' and 'Looking Down At My Reflection' were the edge in '87.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

That was on 'Labour Of Love'.

where did I say it wasn't mushroom vicar?

 

[BadlyDrawnGirl]

where did I say it wasn't mushroom vicar?

'Signing Off' and 'Labour Of Love' are very different sonic and ideological affairs.

And that would be smack god to you, sunshine.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

'Signing Off' and 'Labour Of Love' are very different sonic and ideological affairs. [

er...I know chief. Let me get you up to speed

I said UB40 were cod

Blagsta quite correctly stated that signing off is not cod

I agreed with Blagsta - on that album

You tried to imply that I thought Red Red Wine was on Signing off

Then you chose to lecture me on how different Signing Off is to Labour of Love. (no shit sherlock).


None of which has anything to do with Gary Numan apart from being a desperate attempt by you to score a point.

 

[Ozric]

The thing about Gary Numan is he's a pop star, but he's got a pilot's licence.



(nod to The Mighty Boosh)

<Edit> Shit didn't see milesy's post </Edit>

 

[iROBOT]

Maybe but he's sill shite. The Human League and Cabaret Voltaire were true electro pioneers. Numan was just an opportunist who got lucky.

I a big fan of CV but Cars is a class track....no?

 

[nino_savatte]

I a big fan of CV but Cars is a class track....no?

I must disagree: I find Cars to be one of the most lyrically dead songs I have ever heard.

CV piss all over Numan (not his real name btw).

 

[BadlyDrawnGirl]

I must disagree: I find Cars to be one of the most lyrically dead songs I have ever heard.

That was the whole point though - a totally sterile approach to pop music lyrics was what was needed after the relentlessly baroque literary conceits of prog. As such I actually find many of Numan's (ne Webb) early writing highly amusing; deadpan.

 

[nino_savatte]

That was the whole point though - a totally sterile approach to pop music lyrics was what was needed after the relentlessly baroque literary conceits of prog. As such I actually find many of Numan's (ne Webb) early writing highly amusing; deadpan.

There was a similar lack of lyrical engagement in the vast majority of the so-called New Romantic/futurist bands.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

That was the whole point though - a totally sterile approach to pop music lyrics was what was needed after the relentlessly baroque literary conceits of prog. As such I actually find many of Numan's (ne Webb) early writing highly amusing; deadpan.

All fine - cept Kratwerk were doing it in 1974, The Future in '76, The Human League from '77 and The Normal in '78. Prog was dead 3 years before Numan attacked it.

Like I said, not a groundbreaking artiste...

 

[nino_savatte]

All fine - cept Kratwerk were doing it in 1974, The Future in '76, The Human League from '77 and The Normal in '78. Prog was dead 3 years before Numan attacked it.

Like I said, not a groundbreaking artiste...

Tu as raison.

 

[Stigmata]

not only is he a pop star, but he's also got a pilot's licence - imagine that!!!!

"This is the best of the 60s. This is the best of the 70s. And This is Gary Numan."

 

[Sedgley Warrior]

Very boring live (though he was the only pop star I could easily mimic with the minimal robotic movements!) but not crap at all. May have caught the bandwaggon but there weren't many pop acts at the time who didn't - many of the more 'arty' bands never survived the launch into superstardom or soon metamorphosed into more popular music. Important and relatively innovative with some awesome synth sounds that still bring out the goosepimples…

 

[BadlyDrawnGirl]

All fine - cept Kratwerk were doing it in 1974, The Future in '76, The Human League from '77 and The Normal in '78. Prog was dead 3 years before Numan attacked it.

Like I said, not a groundbreaking artiste...

True to a point. Kraftwerk were the synthesizer visionaries, but they simply weren't breaking the lyrical form down in quite as abrasive and alienated way - let alone taking it into the mainstream consciousness as well. Their words were closer to electronic tone poems, still directed at harmony rather than discord.

I'm certainly not disputing the Future/Human League claim either - primitive electronic art - but again, it was a number of years before it broke out of the small circles it evolved in, and by the time it did (possibly 'Boys And Girls', 1980 - certainly 'The Sound Of The Crowd') it was being made by a changed - and generally less radical - group.

 

[nino_savatte]

I dunno, there was plenty of good music around at the time. I always thought Bill Nelson's Red Noise was quite good.

Of course there was also Ultravox!

 

[iROBOT]

I must disagree: I find Cars to be one of the most lyrically dead songs I have ever heard.

CV piss all over Numan (not his real name btw).

CV certainly do...but I'm not talking about the trully appalling lyrics but the massive bass in the track...nothing like that had been heard at the time....

Not a Numan fan btw just playing devils advocate.....