Fretplay.com Gary Numan CD reviews Gary Numan guitar tabs Gary Numan CD reviews Gary Numan tabs Dance


Gary Numan - Dance Audio CD

A fair review of the Gary Numan "Dance" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Gary Numan reviews here, or go back to the Gary Numan tabs.

Gary Numan Band: Gary Numan
Title: Dance
Rating:
Release Date: 1999-11-16
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Slowcar to China 2: Night Talk 3: Subway Called "You" 4: Cry the Clock Said 5: She's Got Claws 6: Crash 7: Boys Like Me 8: Stories 9: My Brother's Time 10: You Are, You Are 11: Moral 12: Stormtrooper in Drag 13: Face to Face 14: Dance 15: Exhibition 16: I Sing Rain

Too much fretless bass, not enough Numan
Mostly I purchased it on the strength of the Amazon reviews. I am a Numan fan (both old school Numan and his new millenium stuff)and this was the 7th Numan album I purchased. While I wouldn't say I regret buying this album, I do have to admit that it brings me much less pleasure than Telekon, Pleasure Principle, Replicas, Pure, or Hybrid.

the Good:
Vox was great on this album. It would be really interesting to hear Numan record new music and then lay the vocal tracks from this album on top of the new stuff

the bad:
there really is a LOT of fretless bass on this album. It is like a fretless bass wet dream (if I can say that on an Amazon review)
there isn't too much Numan on the album either. He uses pretty sparse arrangements on this album. As a fan of old-school techno, I often believe that less is more. however, in this case, it just means that the fretless bass can't hide behind anything and it just gets in your face.
One can argue that the album is more substantial because, unlike earlier Numan forays, this album isn't aimed at pop success. However, simply trying to not be pop does not necessarily result in good music.
3/5.


A crucial Gary Numan recording
This stand alone disc has the same contents. I was very happy when this album finally made the leap to CD with the excellent Japanese boxed set Asylum 2 many years ago. Why was I so happy? Not only was this my favorite of his albums, but the very nature of the music on it was at odds with the initial LP version for the following reason. Side one was largely quiet, intimate ambient music and the album was over 55 minutes long! The net result was barely audible music fighting surface noise and groove cramming!

On CD, this album gains tremendous presence. The 10 minute "Cry the Clock Said" begins with a long sequence of clave percussion before gossamer synths begin to filter into the procedings and minutes in, Numan finally makes his vocal debut. His slurred, murmured vocals fit the languid poise of the music extraordinarily well, and the lyrics (at least on side 1) for a change don't seek to attack his critics but paint a darkly resonant picture of doomed romance. "Slowcar To China" is almost as long but contains anough patented Numan Polymoog action to satisfy his long time fans even though the music here is jazzy synth funk marvelously abetted by Mick (Japan) Karn's Pastorial fretless bass playing along with interjections of sax into the mix.

Side two featured somewhat more conventional Numan sounds recognizable to fans of "The Pleasure Principal" or "Telekon. " But even this fuller sounding music still had some of the jazzy underpinning to be found on the other side. Hit single "She's Got Claws" fully embraces jazzfunk stylings. "Boys Like Me" is like a Telekon cut as performed by Sly Stone on "Fresh!" Karn's bass is exquisitely funky and the Italian female vamping over the cut makes it sound like nothing else in the Numan canon. "Stories" has a nice Eric Satie feel and "My Brother's Time" would not be out of place on side one. "You Are, You Are" is a total throwback to his two previous albums and "Moral" is a recasting of "Metal" from "The Pleasure Principal" with different lyrics.

The bonus tracks here include the Dramatis' single "Stormtrooper In Drag" that came out before this album. They were Gary's backing band and they made a small impact on the charts with this "provocative" single, sung by Gary. "I Sing Rain" paints a portrait of Numan at his most diffuse, and in this period of his career, he became very diffuse, indeed.


Amazing!
What a thoughtful, atmospheric album from an (the) under-rated genious! A masterpiece to say the least! .


A subtle masterpiece
But as you will realize, it is a masterpiece and utterly timeless. This cd will take awhile to grow on you because it is so cold and different than most of Gary's other works. . . . . . take a slow car to China. . .
and very intricate in meanings and sounds. . .
.


One of a genius songwriter's masterpieces
" Coming at a time where Gary'd said "forget it" to his intense fame, the album was quite a risk. There isn't a negative word I can possibly say about "Dance. And today, I daresay it's impossible to imagine a top-40 artist taking such an enormous artistic risk as this. An A-side with 4 sedate, meditative tracks, then a B with a litany of styles, tempos and moods?

Unbelievably brilliant, from the first note to the last. "Crash" gives me goosebumps every single time, and "Stories" is pure gorgeousness.

And the inclusion here of the formerly-unreleased title track is absolutely worth the price of the disc. Maybe I can say one negative thing: Gary, "Dance" is one of your finest, most oblique ballads ever! Why not release it in '82?

Vital. You must have this record in your collection. I'd give it fifteen stars if I could.


You can see a complete list of all Gary Numan discography, or go back to the Gary Numan tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

Search guitar tabs

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
[ Search tabs | Guitar tabs | Bass tabs |
Easy guitar tabs | Guitar solo tabs |
Acoustic guitar tabs | Guitar chords |
How to read guitar tabs ]
Forum topics
Music forums
- Bands and artists - Songwriting and lyrics - Tablature talk - Promote your band
Instrument forums
- Guitar basics - Gear & accessories - Bass guitar
Community
- The pit - Site Feedback - Reviews
[ User survey | About us | Privacy statement ]