Artist: Tubeway Army
Album: Replicas
Release: 1978
Label: Beggars Banquet
Tracklist:
1. Me! I Disconnect From You
2. Are 'Friends' Electric?
3. The Machman
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
Purchasing The Pleasure Principal as a middle schooler after seeing the music video for "Cars" on VH1 was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The album turned out to be so much more than the odd pop goodness of "Cars." Naturally, I purchased both Telekon and his albums with his earlier band Tubeway Army, the best being Replicas, which turned out to be my favorite Numan release period.
The album is split between his trademark soundscapes of cold, chilling synths and more synth-rock songs, all of which are coupled with paranoid ruminations on relationships and ever-unpleasant social interactions. The more atmospheric tracks are his best material, but the more rock-oriented songs are still awesome, particularly "The Machman." Still, it's truly a Numan jam only when you feel completely unsettled. Songs like "Are 'Friends' Electric?," "Down In The Park," and the title track are depressingly stunning and are among my favorite songs ever recorded.
Just like The Pleasure Principal and, I would argue, Telekon, there are no weak moments on this album, which is why all three have remained on constant rotation in my life since I first heard them. While I'm not surprised he was only a one-hit wonder in the U.S., I'm still surprised he hasn't received the recognition he deserves, as his music is so wholly original and stands in its own realm, timeless.
Download Here
-Adam
Album: Replicas
Release: 1978
Label: Beggars Banquet
Tracklist:
1. Me! I Disconnect From You
2. Are 'Friends' Electric?
3. The Machman
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
Purchasing The Pleasure Principal as a middle schooler after seeing the music video for "Cars" on VH1 was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The album turned out to be so much more than the odd pop goodness of "Cars." Naturally, I purchased both Telekon and his albums with his earlier band Tubeway Army, the best being Replicas, which turned out to be my favorite Numan release period.
The album is split between his trademark soundscapes of cold, chilling synths and more synth-rock songs, all of which are coupled with paranoid ruminations on relationships and ever-unpleasant social interactions. The more atmospheric tracks are his best material, but the more rock-oriented songs are still awesome, particularly "The Machman." Still, it's truly a Numan jam only when you feel completely unsettled. Songs like "Are 'Friends' Electric?," "Down In The Park," and the title track are depressingly stunning and are among my favorite songs ever recorded.
Just like The Pleasure Principal and, I would argue, Telekon, there are no weak moments on this album, which is why all three have remained on constant rotation in my life since I first heard them. While I'm not surprised he was only a one-hit wonder in the U.S., I'm still surprised he hasn't received the recognition he deserves, as his music is so wholly original and stands in its own realm, timeless.
Download Here
-Adam
28 comments:
One of the greatest albums ever made.
prettyyyy, prettyyy good.
i just wanted to ask a general question for the writers, not meant to be rude in any way.
is there a reason you write the type of reviews you do, and even go as far as to write lengthy reviews that touch on your own personal lives/you growing up? i don't know many people who actually read or care what bloggers write or have to say when they post an album. who actually does care about some random guy's opinion on an album? most readers just scour for a particular album or band they are looking for. the most they look at are "similar artists", which you don't even include. it just seems you write reviews to merely show how much you think you know, as well as fulfill some void you have by not writing a review. it seems very arrogant.
i just think the blog could be better by solely concentrating on posting facts about the album itself and leaving yourselves and your opinions completely out of it. let's be honest, no one cares about your opinion or how an album touched you. just some thoughts on how you could improve.
Pat, I'm not entirely sure what you're going for with your comment. None of us follow a particular blueprint for our reviews nor is there a quota for personal anecdotes. We write what we want to write about. I don't even think my last review talked about myself at all and I know that other writers refuse to even talk about themselves in theirs.
It seems you have a clear standard for blogs and a clear idea of how every reader acts, which apparently means just typing "site:mediafire.com [name]" into google. You call us arrogant, while you are the one presumes that all bloggers are like you, somehow implying that you, Pat of the Anonymous Internet World, are the universal, therefore meaning everyone acts and thinks like you. Fortunately for us, they don't.
While it would be foolish to assume everyone reads every word on this thing, it's equally foolish of you to assume that no one cares what we write. As boring as it might be for a tourist like yourself, just take a few minutes to read some of the comments left by readers.
Lastly, I just wanted to make a general statement for you, Pat, that is not meant to be rude in any way: suck it.
Pat, wtf?!
I love reading the reviews myself. The personal reflections are often interesting and entertaining, and give the blog a "human" feel. Simply posting data that I can find anywhere else would make it dry and boring imo.
I say keep it up.
agreed, you just want the albums, do a mediafire search on google. writing is interesting.
thanks so much for this. i remember finding this in my dads record collection when i was 18. 14 years later, and i've still got it on 'permanent loan'. oh, and keep it up with the personal stories and reviews. id much rather use a blog that shows passion for the music being posted
i heard "cars" for the first time at a skating rink around 1980. i must have been in 4th grade. seriously, that song came on and it stopped me in my tracks. i wasn't sure if the song made me happy or sad or what. all i know was that it had a HUGE effect on me. i bought the 45 at the drug store the next day.
anyways-adam, keep up the great work.
pat-you can fuck off
i usually lurk around here but i figured the least i can do is leave a comment seeing as you guys have done so much for me (without wanting anything in return).
This site is excellent, i pick up a real diverse mix of music that i otherwise wouldn't have even heard of (and quite rightly so ; how many people listen to 1980s hardcore Japanese punk rock right? - i probably got that genre totally wrong so i apologise for that too)
And actually - i read all of it, because i find it really interesting. You dudes keep it up - i'm with you in spirit.
Pat: I write reviews for the hookers and blow.
This is a really good album. I like how Numan blended T.Rex grooves into electronic New Romantic stuff. But still as far as New Romantics go Numan was nowhere as great as the original absolutely brilliant John Foxx version of Ultravox!, Pre-Dare Human League, early Simple Minds, Magazine, Wire, the Associates, and Japan...some of my most favorite music ever. If you haven't heard work by those artists check it out because they are mind blowing-ly good and (some of it) is still pretty obscure.
Thanks for this site. I will forever be grateful for it as the place where I got the out of print Disco Inferno eps/singles which are pretty much my favorite eps ever now.
thanks for posting this; had gone too long without a listen--i've been rattling the windows, with speakers up to 11, playing "down in the park" over & over & over & over
I've been lurking this blog for quite a while now and thought I would comment. The reason I frequent this blog is because of the little personal reviews that the bloggers write. Sometimes, yes, I do just get on google and try to find an album I know that I want, but a lot of the time I am just looking for music that I may have missed along the way, which makes a blog like this perfect for me. Music is a culmination of our experiences, and I like reading others and comparing them to my own. Cheers.
Everything Pat mentions as a turnoff is exactly what makes this blog better than almost all others out there. Any dicktit can upload an album and cut and paste generic blurbs that lazily mention other bands. It's the personal touch that makes ICDT interesting and in turn makes me interested in the records. Keep on doing what you do, The pats of the world are just out for free downloads and complaining. Fuck 'em.
first off, aesop, you're a middle aged ball juice endurance drinker. get off their nuts.
you (icdstupidassname) say you don't write about about yourselves in your "reviews". what a fucking joke. that's almost as funny as the horse shit "reviews" you write. i just looked on the first page alone and counted several personal references. learn to read, or at least remember what you write, idiots. you actually tried to prove me wrong with shit (literally) that is clearly written on your own site? try harder.
lastly, go form a man-train you bunch of queers. but don't forget to invite aesop. he'll be the conductor. you can fight over who can be the caboose.
hahaha i'm surprised i had my doubts at first, but you have proven yourself to be a complete idiot.
keep hiding behind a wall of internet anonymity and continue to hurl half-assed, juvenile homophobia at us. it strikes us at the core!
-Adam
Pat, please post moar. This is great stuff, kid, you have serious potential.
Also, "balljuice endurance drinker" is perhaps the best/most juvenile attempt at an e-burn I've heard in awhile.
Aesop, you already know we'd man-train with you any day.
Jeez, Pat, why not just say I have cooties? It's essentially the same thing. Alrighty, gotta go fix up a piping hot toddy of ball juice endurance so I can drop my steaming white love coconuts all over your mom's face, Pat. See I can be a juvenile little fuckstick too.
adam, you may be interested in checking this out:
http://tinyurl.com/29j5fb
maybe you could write a review about it or something? i think you could write a good one about it, very personal and all.
asa, don't worry. i didn't forget about you. could you review this one:
http://tinyurl.com/y9wx6mr
You're back on my good side because I <3 Baltimora.
-Adam
Pat, you're clearly my most considerate fan. How do I know this? Because you clearly understand my love of hentai.
Also, Pat: it's official. We want you for a guest post. Email us, please. Pick whatever album. We dig your style and your articulate writing voice. For real, man.
<3<3<3
mwahhh :*
keep up the reviews guys! no lie, i dig what you have going. no hard feelings.
Seriously, I can't stop listening to "Tarzan Boy"
-Adam
shit (literally)
I love Replicas, Pleasure Principle, and Telekon and I guess I always will. Although I'll give a shout out to the 'Music For Chameleons' song and a couple of others! LOL
I have Gary Numan's autobiography that came out back in 1997 and 1998 and Gary said that the reason that he became a one hit wonder in the US was all his fault.
In 1980 Gary had a UK record company and a US record company both representing him.
At the time Cars the single and Pleasure Principle the album were both climbing up the US charts at the same time. But Gary had just released Telekon his latest album at the time, to the UK. But his American label told Gary to hold off on releasing Telekon in the US as the PP album was doing very well in the charts still and that if Gary released the Telekon album while PP was still riding high, that everything on the charts would just start to dive bomb and fall off.
What did Gary do though? He released Telekon in the US around the same time he released it in the UK regardless of any advice, the two albums and singles all just dive bombed off the US charts, his American label got really pissed at Gary for doing that after they'd just told him to release Telekon at a later time. The End.
I've heard footage off of some bootleg recording/pressing of a The Touring Principle album that has the live recordings of his US concerts on YouTube, and it seems like these Americans were really taking a liking to Gary quite bit. Enough of the Americans did 'get it' around this time of course.
Stumbled on this post for the obvious reason but just want to add that I personally enjoy and appreciate blogger's reviews/comments/personal antidotes. In fact, I often frequent sites specifically for that particular blogger's comments.
Pats an idiot.
...though I did enjoys Pat's 'rebuttal' quite a bit : ) Choo-choo!
Post a Comment