Customer Reviews

Hybrid

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought my first Gary Numan album, The Pleasure Principle, when I was 14 years old and formed a lasting impression that the artist was capable of producing brilliant music but that aside from a few standouts the bulk of his library was not something that would appeal to me. I tried to keep an eye on him over the years but lost him in the shuffle of other interests until Nine Inch Nail's cover of "Metal" on Things Falling Apart in 2000 reminded me how much I liked the original and sparked a new interest in Numan's classics. But it was the combination of "Are 'Friends' Electric" and Adina Howard's "Freak Like Me" on the Sugababes' hit "Freak Like Me" that inspired my interest in Newman's more recent releases. I just had one of those goose-bump raising moments where I recognized Numan's sublime melody and loved the combination of the two. When "Freak Like Me" recently popped up on random on my MP3 player, I just had to see what else had been done with "Are 'Friends' Electric." That's how I discovered this mix album.

Hybrid seems to draw its material from the late 70s and late 90s primarily (if we can squeeze the 90s a bit and include 2000's Pure). There are also two strong original songs, "Crazier" and "Ancient," the latter of which is particularly powerful with its menacing beat and obscurely mournful lyrics. Not unexpectly, the songs selected are pretty dark overall--especially "A Prayer for the Unborn," a nihilistic message to an uncaring God after the death of a child. Many of Numan's songs deal with issues of disconnection, alienation & isolation. (Perhaps these relate to the artist's asperger's syndrome. Numan discusses the impact of this on his relationships in a November 2005 interview with Trackitdown, currently available at http://www.trackitdown.net/news/928.html.) The darkness of Numan's lyrics have sometimes been disguised by his cold, reedy voice (which work to such good effect in his technological nightmares), but for the most part these mixers have worked to bring it to the fore. The songs here lean heavily towards the industrial, aggro or darkwave. Fans of Numan's classics may enjoy hearing how such hits as "Cars" and "Down in the Park" have been updated. Those who prefer more recent works like Pure, which I've come to consider one of his best and most cohesive works, might find new appreciation for those old hits in these more modern versions.

I expect this album to get a lot of playtime in my house--and not just when the MP3 player is on "random." As for the song that drew me here, the mix of "Are 'Friends' Electric" by Oakenfeld collaborator Andy Gray, I'm sorry to say that it obscures everything I liked about the original song. Not that it's a bad song in its own right, but that sublime melody almost completely disappears. I'm sure it'll grow on me, but I doubt it will ever move me like the Sugababes "Freak Like Me."

Gary Numan released "Pure" in 2000 and that was an album of exceptional quality that not only brought this legendary artist back to the limelight but proved he still has the ability to deliver stunning and very emotional albums. Among the avalanche of dishwashed nu-metal and hip-hop acts it went (of course) largely unnoticed.
Taking a cue from that, Numan continues by releasing this double CD where he reworkds his older songs with the aid of some seriously fine acts such as Curve, Flud or Rico.

Now, in most other cases, such a release would smell "cash-in" from miles, but "Hybrid" is a very ambitious and before anything else a very honest effort.
Classic songs of a bygone era that have left their mark on contemporary music are redone and their quality increases multifold. It's not only the quality of production that is notched-up here. The songs themselves are delivered with a new aura attached them. Both of the CDs sound super dark, very doomy and incredibly atmospheric. And in how many cases can an artist release a double album that you can hear through and through without feeling this a drag?

Numan's vocals are also in superb form. Indeed the older this guy gets the better he becomes somehow, even though it would seem that with his style of music that would be somewhat difficult.

What also needs to be noted is that "Hybrid" is by no means a release "for the Numan fans". By far not. This will appeal to anyone out there into NIN, Ministry, or any of the relevent industrial acts. But it goes further thatn that in my opinion.
Numan has not only influenced a big part of the modern music scene with his 80s albums but he continues to do so by outdoing them in the process. This is absolutely stunning actually.
The recipe, when it comes to industrial music, is somewhat "standard" yes, but at the end of the day what counts is the aura, as i said above. Heavy industrial guitars, distorted and trippy sound effects and loops, whispering or echoing vocals, samples mostly inspired by horror soundtracks or multisampled songs for the extra effect. But in the end it's still the aura that makes the big difference. And that is exactly where Numan leaves you with a burning mark in your brain. In this respect, for anyone into dark sonic scapes this is a massively essential album.

And judging from Numan's return into recording fresh stuff (with "Pure") it seems we will be seeing and hearing a lot more from this guy in the upcoming time. Thank all the cosmic forces for that.

You may remember Gary Numan as a fey 80s sythpop maker, full of silly robots and gigeresque imagery. Hybrid should not alientate fans of that era, however this album blends in completey remixed/remade tracks into a firmly post millenium landscape... deep guitars, EBM/Industrial beats, even more eerie vocals.

For new Numan fans this would be a great album, and for those who like NIN(especially, you'll love this -'crazier'), Depeche Mode, and ebm/industrial/darky smoothies, this cd is also great.... It gets 4 1/2 stars because some of the tracks should have more fidelity to the beautiful originals.

Fans of Numan's later work will enjoy this collection as the Exile and Pure material are re-recorded to be even heavier and his earlier tracks are put in the industrial mode. Fans of the early 80s synth music who did not get into the Nine Inch Nails industrial phenomenon of the 1990s will probably not like this compilation as well. One good thing is that the earlier tracks are not given the same treatment as the later numbers like "Rip," "Bleed," and "Listen to My Voice," which have a more iniquitous sound with screaming (Numan is not doing the screaming) and whispering.

Some of the earlier tracks sound pretty good in this format. Both versions of "Down in the Park" are nice, the one on the first CD, in particular, is darker than the original but in a tasteful way. I find myself humming along to it. "Cars" is given a very imaginative re-working, which is refreshing since most Numan devotees have heard the original track and re-mixes and extended versions similar to the original hundreds of times. The Hybrid "Cars" almost doesn't sound like "Cars" until it gets to a familiar riff. The electronic orchestra of sorts at the beginning is eerily pleasant. "This Wreckage", on the other hand, does not sound good on this collection. It is very "crunchy" and does not stand up well against the original. "Me! I Disconnect From You" clocks in at 4:30, which is significantly longer than the much-too-short original track, however, it does not give more of a good thing, but plays much slower than the jumpy original and lacks all of the original's energy. Of the later tracks, "A Prayer For the Unborn" is the only one that benefits from this collection. It is more powerful than the original without resorting to screaming. Of the new tracks, "Ancients" is, by far, the best. "Crazier" is a track cut from the "Rip" cloth, with the screaming and iniquitous sounding vocals. "Ancients," while remaining dark, has a pleasant, relaxing melody.

I'm not as excited about this CD as other fans seem to be because I was anticipating a change in sound. Numan tends to change his musical direction every three albums or so. After three CDs of increasing darkness and industrialism, the direction of the new tracks and re-mixes on Hybrid foreshadows more industrial darkness to come at a greater intensity. Those who like this style will be happy, but I was hoping for something different beyond the industrial samples, dark whispering, and painful screaming.

I admit, I was one of those "Cars" fans who never heard another of Gary Numan's songs. Years and musical maturity have prepared me for what I consider one of the most incredible albums I've heard in a very long time. "Hybrid" is, in a word, stunning. If you haven't heard Gary Numan, get this album. I am definitely going to start pursuing his discography and catch up with whatever muse has been working through him since "Cars" was released.

Peace to you, Gary. You rule!

If you alreaqdy know and love both his new and old work, this is a lovely way for him to give us a tide-over without him putting out yet another umpteenth live album to milk the loyal fan wallet. This particular mixed bag is fun and worthwhile. There are a few new songs that are par with Exile and Pure, and then the re-workings... He has not just remixed the same old songs. He has completely re-recorded some old classics and also recent songs with uncharacteristically deep, lush, thick sonic dance high-end production. The newly recorded vocals are some of the strongest and most confident he has ever done (no surprise, with the well tested and much performed material). He has let other people bring in the maximum technology possible to make lavish, heavy, throbbing versions that are suitable for rave, NIN, and rocker-nuwave listening. No shortage of guitars, electro sounds, beats, some loops, and taking the not-obvious route through these songs. Bravo. (now get back to work and give us a real album)

There was a long, bleak period were buying a Gary Numan CD might only net you a song or two worth listening too. Since the late 1990's though, that has not been the case. Hybrid is the latest offering to prove that Gary is far more relevant than his "one-hit-wonder" status on VH1 belies. This is not 2 CD collection that should have been editted down to 1. It's two CDs with far more punch than any of the corporate radio garbage spewing out today. Sure he borrows from NIN and others, but is that a bad thing?

I am not one to drool over artists but anyone interested in electronica/tech should buy this.

Its amazing to me that albums of this high quality go unnoticed.

Break the mold

I purchased this CD along with Jagged. Both are my first Gary Numan CD's and I fell in love. I think he makes great music but is understated in main stream.

Hybrid consists of reworkings and remixes of Gary Numan material both new and old. Most of the tracks from his more recent album Pure are redone, as well as many of his older hits like "Cars" and "Are Friends Electric?" Keep in mind these are not dance or techno versions like those found on his remix disc The Mix; all the tracks, old and new, have been redone to reflect his newer, darker, industrial style. He even throws in a couple new tracks, "Hybrid" and "Crazier". If you're looking for Gary's old 80's hits, you won't find them here (the new version of Cars is slow, dirgy, and haunting). I'm not sure what one would call this music. Maybe "electrogoth new wave"? It doesn't really matter. It's just damn good.