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Rating: Gary Numan was perhaps the one who best represented the "dandy" figure during the new-wave period.
Less genius and more commercial than John Foxx, Numan had the merit of quickly grasping the nascent trend of synthesizers in the pop realm.
After a brief experience with the Tubeway Army, he released two albums only six months apart that paved the way for a host of aspiring (non) musicians aiming for the climb up the charts and radio, namely "Replicas" and "The Pleasure Principle".
This last one is totally deprived of guitar sounds in favor of cold and robotic arrangements that musically encapsulated alienating texts recited with an unflappable voice. Thanks to a good taste for melody, Numan quickly became a star.
"Cars" jumped to number one on the British charts and stayed there for quite a while. The track is shrouded in a constant electronic mist, unfolding over a linear rhythm, accompanied by Numan's distant and heavily affected voice. The protagonist of the operation is, however, the synthesizer.
It is the synthesizer that cools all the tracks with icy blasts, as in the case of "Films", a monotonous carpet spread over the alienated recitation of the English dandy.
The second single, "Complex", is of the same fabric, adding just a pinch more romance, thanks to a rasping violin that caresses the synth's laments.
So, what decreed Numan's downfall, besides the fragility of his project, was his lack of romance. He was certainly shrewd, as he staged a whole range of attitudes and ideas, from androgynous make-up to the perfect futuristic dandy attire (with the cover as proof), which led him to win the favor of an audience that saw electronics escape from elite consumption and descend into pop territory. Moreover, he staged a sci-fi tour, the "Touring Principle", which took him around surrounded by laser beams, moving pyramids, dazzling lights, and smoke effects that were very advanced for the time.
From that tour comes "On Broadway", a bonus track included along with 6 others in the remastered Beggars Banquet edition, which perhaps represents the creative pinnacle of the album: the usual mechanical and monotonous rhythm preludes a suggestive synth solo, truly remarkable, that rises over a melancholic melody that accompanies the piece movingly up until the inevitable burst of final applause. Truly unforgettable.
In summary, an artistically honest work, a good album, an excellent testament to the atmosphere in which it was conceived, a product of the omnipresent Kraftwerk and the Berlin-era Bowie.
For fans of the genre, definitely a must-have.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Metal (03:34)
We're in the building where they make us grow
And I'm frightened by the liquid engineers
Like you
My Mallory heart is sure to fail
I could crawl around the floor just like I'm real
Like you
The sound of metal
I want to be you
I should learn to be a man
Like you
Plug me in
And turn me on
Oh, everything is moving
I need my treatment it's tomorrow they send me
Singing I am an American
Do you?
Picture this, if I could make the change
I'd love to pull the wires from the wall
Did you?
And who are you
And how can I try
Here inside I like metal
Don't you
All I know
Is no one dies
I'm still confusing love with need
03 Complex (03:12)
They won't come back
You know it's always the same
And they're sure to forget
Saying "everyone lies"
So I'm down to this
I'm down to walking on air
And you're here by my side
With all your waving and smiles
Please keep them away
Don't let them touch me
Please don't let them lie
Don't let them see me
04 Films (04:11)
I don't like the film
I don't like the film
Play it all back
Play it all back
And I don't like the scenery
And I don't like the set so
Pull it all down
Pull it all down
But I like the actors
And I like the show
We're so exposed
We're so exposed
Anything can happen
Anything can happen
Don't let them see
Don't let them know
And you wonder why
And you wonder why
Turn off the lights
And turn off the sound
06 Tracks (02:52)
Where are the tracks?
Where are the lines?
Where are the tracks, dear?
Where is the time?
You were so cold
You were so slow
You were so old
And we were unsure
And I want your lines
And I want your time
And I want your face, dear
And you can have mine
07 Observer (02:54)
I could stand here for days
Or I could stand here for hours
I could stand here for a lifetime
Watching you and waiting always
I could observe you all
I could wait for a day
Or I could wait for an hour
I could wait here for a lifetime
Watching you and thinking always
I could observe you all
08 Conversation (07:40)
Oh it's so easy
When parts take over
My conversation
Is nothing more than lies
You're just the viewer
So cold and distant
I've no intentions
Of saying "I love you"
My conversation
We are not gods
We are not men
We are not making claims
We are only boys
You are not strong
You are not force
You are not regular
You are just wrong
There are no faces
This is my complex
You are my picture
I call you `mirrors'
These are not my tears
Not my reflection
Am I a photo?
I can't remember
My conversation
09 Cars (04:01)
Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It's the only way to live
In cars
Here in my car
I can only receive
I can listen to you
It keeps me stable for days
In cars
Here in my car
Where the image breaks down
Will you visit me please
If I open my door
In cars
Here in my car
I know I've started to think
About leaving tonight
Although nothing seems right
In cars
10 Engineers (04:03)
All that we are
Is all that we need to be
All that we know
Is you and machinery
We're engineers
We are your heartbeat
We are your night life
We are your `low-line'
We keep you alive for now
We're engineers
We are your voice
We are your blood flow
We are your eyes
We're all you need to know
We're engineers
All that we are
Is all that you'd love to be
All that we know
Is hate and machinery
We're engineers
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