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Replicas Redux

Gary Numan - Replicas Redux Audio CD

A fair review of the Gary Numan "Replicas Redux" 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.

Band: Gary Numan
Title: Replicas Redux
Rating:

Release Date: 2008-03-04
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Me! I Disconnect From You 2: Are 'Friends' Electric? 3: Machman, The 4: Praying To The Aliens 5: Down In The Park 6: You Are In My Vision 7: Replicas 8: It Must Have Been Years 9: When The Machines Rock 10: I Nearly Married A Human 11: We Are So Fragile 12: Do You Need The Service? 13: I Nearly Married A Human (2) 14: Me! I Disconnect 15: Are 'Friends' Electric? 16: Machman, The 17: Praying To The Aliens 18: Down In The Park 19: Do You Need The Service? 20: Only A Downstat 21: We Have A Technical 22: You Are In My Vision 23: Replicas 24: It Must Have Been Years 25: When The Machines Rock 26: Crazies, The 27: I Nearly Married A Human (3)

Let Me Tell Ya About These Synthi-phobes..............

. . . Wana know the REAL reason they hate keyboards ? Well, I'le tell ya why. It's because keyboards are not penis-shaped like guitars are.

Worth the price for a few tracks alone
If you can find a copy of that CD it is absolutely worth it. When I ordered this directly from Numan's site, I was lucky enough to get the 3rd dics, which contains even more versions of 'Are Friends Electric?' (including some remix material from the early 90's), 'Down In The Park', and 'Replicas'.

I was a little disappointed in some of the material, but only because I expected some very different versions, but some of these earlier takes don't stray far from the album versions. I was also a bit put off by the fact that the tracks on the original album CD neglect to feature a few b-sides, which are instead put onto the second disc; I just thought it would make sense to keep the original 1 disc CD remastering the way it was originally, but it's not a big deal. Also, when I tried ripping the second CD onto my computer, it carried (or my dumb computer gave it) the same information as the first disc, and thus erased the information from the first disc, while keeping the same tracklisting and whatnot, so I had to burn the second disc onto a CD-r, re-rip the first disc, then rip the CD-r onto the computer and enter the info manually; again not a big deal but a little hassle.

The great things however are the great liner notes and photos, and of course the few early versions that stand out from their later mixes, but what stands out to me is the vocal version of 'When Machines Rock' and the third installment of 'I Nearly Married A Human'. But again, if you can get your hands on that third disc you can really get a better grip on how some of the more well-known evolved.

Easily Numan's best
The two music buffs behind the counter strongly advised me to go for Numan's previous album, "Replicas", instead. "Cars" had entered the charts and I entered my local record shop to track down the album. Great advice. Based on how much I enjoyed "Replicas" I followed up by eventually picking up Numan's first four albums. The only serious keeper in the bunch, though, was this album.

Key tracks are "Me I Disconnect From You", "Are Friends Electric", "Down In The Park", and "You Are In My Vision". For me this would suffice as a best of Gary Numan if it simply added "Cars", "I Die You Die", "This Wreckage" and "She's Got Claws".

The last two tracks on the original album were filler instrumentals, but among the ten tracks there was not a single loser. I was deeply disappointed with the followup, "The Pleasure Principle", and the debut with Tubeway Army, while consistent, didn't have any memorable standout tracks. "Telekon" was a step up from those, but when "Dance" proved to be somewhat thin that was about it for me. However, this gem from 1979, "Replicas" is strongly recommended.
.

Numan was a genuine innovator
Musically, Kraftwerk must have been a model, whilst thematically, David Bowie's work like Diamond Dogs and Aladdin Sane would have provided inspiration. This enhanced version of the classic 1979 synth-rock album confirms Gary Numan's originality and innovative vision.

This type of synth music experienced a great flowering the next decade with groups like Eurythmics, OMD, Yaz(oo), The Human League and individual artists like Klaus Nomi. Although Bowie's Low and Suicide's debut album both appeared in 1977, Numan deserves the credit for bringing this genre into the mainstream.

The world it paints is bleak, a nightmarish landscape of aliens, alienation and fear, in melodious songs like Down in the Park and the arresting Are 'Friends' Electric? The second disc of earlier alternative versions is quite impressive, in some cases more striking than the familiar versions. Here, Only A Downstat and The Crazies must be singled out.

The packaging is impressive too with plenty of pics and information on the artist and the times. This reissue is well worth the price to enjoy again the first stirrings of the golden age of synthesizer music. .

We have a random on the west side...still excellent 30 years on...

Interestingly, Disc 1 does not include all of the original b-sides, not sure why. The 30th anniversary re-release of Replicas is a treat, offering the original versions of the album and b-sides from this era, as well as 'early versions' of the same material. It's missing original versions of The Crazies, Only A Downstat, and We Have A Technical, which are available on the previous Beggars Banquet re-issues of the album. Interesting gap. Disc 2, meanwhile, contains early versions of these songs, as well as the other b-sides, in addition to the album. The early versions are a real treat, remastered and crystal clear. Nothing is drastically different, but different enough to be very enjoyable for the fan, with extra instrumentation in some cases, and even more synths. Numan's unique voice is also mixed differently, giving the tracks a different feel.

Numan himself is selling a limited edition of this album through his own website, which contains a third disc of remixes and yet more early versions. That's the version to get as it has the most material for a few bucks more. (It has four additional early versions, and two Renegade Soundwave remixes).

The whole thing holds up remarkably well 30 years later, combining guitars and early synths with Numan's effortless ability to generate hooks and catchy tunes. Inspired by Philip K. Dick novels and sci-fi comic books, Numan was doing his own thing right from the teenage years, and he continues to be influential to legions of artists, yet he still doesn't get the due he deserves. Highly recommended rock album.

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.