Customer Reviews

Exile Extended

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Much of the music seems initially repetitive and artificial, all of which seems to float in a reverberant space. The sound is indeed muddy. Nevertheless, the effect is ultimately hypnotic, spell-binding, and that is why I like the extended version so much.

The theme appears to be anti-religious, but there is not a little ambiguity here. "Dominion Day" sets the tone. There is no need to parse the lyrics too deeply. Apocalyptic visual and sonic images from Christianity are emphasized: darkness, death, screams. The promise of salvation is obviously viewed as cynically manipulative, of which children are the victims.

"Prophecy" continues the blasphemy of the opener. Narrated in the first person, we are left again with the impression that religion is cruel and oppressive. The first two songs, it might be noted, also have great rhythm, and "Dead Heaven" is even better. The heresy is ramped up yet another level, and even as a rather recalcitrant atheist, I find Numan's attack shocking: "Blessed is death in 'his' name." Christian readers may find this absolutely offensive, but those who have been persecuted by well-meaning practitioners of religion will find this horror music all too right. "Dead Heaven" features falling chord progressions that seem to conduct the listener straight into Hell. But man, it rocks!

"Dark" features an odd, grunting bass and sinister low chords on synthesizers. The theme is of fear: "Don't let the dark into me." The effectiveness of the song is achieved by contrasting a soft theme with the marching beat of the anthem. The narrator commands that he be prayed to. Numan could be said to be playing with the idea that he is the anti-Christ.

In this grim context, "Innocence Bleeding" actually comes off as a gentle interlude leading into "The Angel Wars," a rock dirge and a statement of disbelief in the major tenets of Christianity: angels, the virgin birth, the cross on the hill. Numan doesn't present much of a solution, however, since the narrator drifts into darkness.

"Absolution" is another relatively innocent song, a statement about love that evokes death and sacrifice, a common enough theme, and one Numan explores elsewhere, accompanied here by a languid beat and bell-like chords.

"An Alien Cure" is the longest song on the extended disc, and the culminating point of this collection. The tune is the catchiest, the beat driving, and the lyrics sly. Here we learn that all the anti-religious posturing is male bravado in response to failed love. Evil here is simply the temptation to love a woman who does not love him, to give into lust when he knows the result will be rejection and loneliness.

"Exile" is also sly. The narrator is not actually declaring his desire for revenge. Instead, "I'll make everyone pay" are words he hears in a dream. Nevertheless, he is naming the desire for revenge, so this entire song is a kind of apophasis if you will. Very tricky, but I think Numan is playing around with some pretty naughty ideas that kids find alluring, and I really don't like the implication very much. Yup, Numan's music scares me now, and it sure hadn't in years past. I just hope there isn't a youngster out there who listens to this creepy, vengeful stuff and gets the wrong idea.

That said, this is a deeply affecting and carefully constructed work, a terrifying masterpiece.

Gary Numan's "extended" albums never really made sense to me until this one. This is the first one where the album's emphasis is on its feel - the dark despair of a non/anti-religious world. The tracks here build upon that feeling to bring the atmosphere even further up front. I can't whole-heartedly recommend it - I must admit to preferring Gary Numan songs as songs rather than soundscapes. However, if the samples intrigue you, by all means, go for it.

For such a long tyme i have searched for an organized, dark, electronic artist like this! Gary Numan knows how to make an album that FEELS like an album. Though each song is a masterpiece in its own, the whole listening experience feels as one. If you need someone that can speak volumes of evil techno, its Gary Numan.

Gary starts to really explore his more 'goth industrial' side with this album, with dark, heavy songs questioning faith and purpose. The songs themselves are good at their core, but for many of these tracks, the versions on this album sound like good rough drafts rather than the polished genius I've come to expect from Gary's better works.

Personally, with respect to this period of Gary's career, I prefer the somewhat more cohesive Sacrifice to this album. It's ironic that Sacrifice predates Exile.

Several of the songs on Exile really hold up in their later incarnations. Hybrid brings the best out of Absolution and Dominion Day, replacing the wandering, occasionally lost-sounding vocals with a calm, powerful sense of purpose. On Hybrid, Dominion Day gets the much needed punch, dynamic range and lyrical tightness the original lacks. Absolution's remix on Hybrid carries your ears out to sea on a smooth sonic journey that Exile's version only hints at. Both songs wander less and stick to the task at hand in their remixed form.

To be fair, the songs Dead Heaven and Angel Wars are rather well executed on this album. Gary rocks the house rather successfully with these tracks in concert (as demonstrated on the Scarred CD), and the concert versions are virtually unchanged from the versions on Exile.

From my perspective, hard core fans would appreciate this album in much the same way that art critics enjoy pouring over a famous artist's sketchbook. Don't expect much more than a rough draft feel for many tracks on this album--Gary's still finding his legs with this one. If you're at all apprehensive, skip this one and buy Sacrifice, Hybrid (and/or its special edition, Mutate) and Scarred. You'll thank me.

Numan always made old-school 'extended' tracks, basically longer versions of the songs, and not always for the dance floor. Same here as this is basically the Exile album with each track drawn out three or four minutes longer than the originals.

And it works over time. The extended mixes, the same repetitive drum loops, the synths, and the dark choruses really do build a mood on the longer album. Yes, it's clear Numan is not religious, doesn't believe in God, wouldn't believe God if he did beleve in him, and questions God and his antics. Very fitting for the music; the album is dark and soulful without being depressing or silly. Numan's style of hooks and his voice are actually perfect fits for this kind of music. He influenced it but didn't 'invent' it and he's now employing and changing it for some of his best reviews. This era is closer to his original stuff than his many 80s albums, and there are (thankfully) no saxes, no female backup singers, no bwarp-bwarp-ba-dwarp bass, no tuxedos, no Janet Jackson sounds.

Most of the songs do well in the extended form, particularly Dark, Dead Heaven, and The Angel Wars, which sound almost like 'remixes' of the originals. Some of the synth and electronic work comes out clearer in the long form (since it's...longer). Overall, a very nice job, basically an enhancement of Exile, and recommended to fans and those who enjoy dark but melodic industrial-electronic-rock tracks. The combination of the unique voice, plus the effortless hooks, plus the darker, grittier production do very well together. He's basically stayed in this vein (and gone to harder and more anthemic songs) ever since.

Again, the remastering is not top notch--for some reason every album since Sacrifice has had some questionable mastering that fuzzes speakers and makes you play with the EQ too long. Cool cover, though...sounds a lot like the cover art.

Exile has nothing to offer other then it is true manifestations of darker places. You are not going to sit in front of an open fire and sip red wine with the extended mixs. You probably will sit there and hear the shadows fall. Musically it creates a drabness that has a unique ability. It is Numan back at his best relying on his lyrics to paint a bomb blast landscape. In saying this it has a certain something that (although not easy listening) gives thought provoking essence when you want to face the introspection that Numan's album's seem to do. It offers nothing more then shadowlands and dull thought's. Thank-you Mr Numan for extending Exile and giving us more then "Happy Joy Joy.. Ho Hum boring...Life could be so happy" music. This is Fallen Angel material. Dark brooding and very good to listen too.

This is a dream come true! Steamroller keyboards; grinding, hypnotic drum programs; and the unmistakable Numan vocal conspire brilliantly to take this dark, religious voyage to a whole new level. The musical passages are profound and moving, allowing the listener to close his/her eyes and focus alarmingly on the dark and disturbing imagery. Contrary to what else you might have heard, this version of 'Exile' is a vast and necessary improvement, proving once again that you don't need to re-mix a product to make it more credible or commercially-accessible. So, for those of you who have this version and are dis-satisfied with it, OPEN YOUR MINDS!!! For those of you who haven't bought it yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???

Please note that this album is "extended", not "improved". So if your major complaint about the EXILE album was "This album's horrible - the songs are too short!", this should keep you happy. The rest of you, buy something else.

I love Gary Numan as much as the next new wave geek, but this album really isn't very necessary. For those expecting something with the verve or experimentation of, say, Pizzicato Five's revamping of "Happy End of the World," disappointment is in store.

Actually, I can't tell much of a difference between this album and the original, un-remixed version. The only difference I can make out is that I like the original much better. The only changes I can really suss out are the annoying looped beats that go on forever and ever, and are supposedly going to appeal to dance clubs.

I wouldn't dance to it.

This poor album even manages to murk down the amazing song "Absolution," which melds the best of Numan's songwriting with influences from Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode.

For those who love "Exile," I know I can't stop you from buying this. Buy it. Maybe you'll like it. Maybe it'll grow on me. I doubt it. Outside of the blahness of the content, the mix is low and slightly muddied. For those who have never heard "Exile," do yourself a favor. BUY THE ORIGINAL, not this!

Having a collection of Numan music that spans from studio albums to 12" mixes I can safely say that Numan tends to work best with songs that are short and sweet. He's an incredible musician but when it comes to extended mixes what you hear is usually a big clip of looped music thrown in somewhere in the middle of a song and that's about it.

This special album however shows Numan's skills, not only as a musician/songwriter but as a producer, being able to give not only more length to the tracks but even more depths. Anyone who's familiar with this album, along with most of Numan's recent work, will understand that his production values have gone from minimal new wave to very heavy industrial affairs; sometimes it works, sometimes not so well, but with the Exile album that heavy foreboding sound is strong and focused, and these remixes deepen the various dark moods of thesongs; it's like if the original Exile were a catastrophic crater this would be the touring of the impact. The only track I can say doesn't work extended is Dominion Day, but for the life of me I really can't get into that song at all anyway.

So, if you have had trouble listening to other extended edits of Numan's songs, like the awful long versions of 'We Take Mystery' or 'Machine And Soul', or just want a valuable piece of Numan's work in your library, you might want to give this one a chance.