Customer Reviews

Outland

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

 

 

Outland is possibly Gary Numan's least-appreciated album, undeservedly so. Conceptually, it is holistic, both thematically and technologically.

The Intervals are a live performance device explored for the first(and last) time on a studio album here. My World Storm, Dream Killer, Outland, Heart, and Whisper are only as Gary can do. Shame, which I first heard on "Dark Light," is top notch. "Ice House" and "Tread Careful" are excellent b-sides; "My World Storm" presents (to my knowledge) the only musical sampling of "Aliens" to date.

The cover looks like something from Blade Runner. The title was also a sci-fi flick. The track titles sound dark, mysterious...from a dystopian future. Numan was always dark. One might think Blade Runner itself came out of Numan's synths in the late 70s...

Then you pop it in, and you get some kind of whacky Janet Jackson--Jam & Lewis--Blade Runner--white Prince--white funk--moody--dance record that is all over the place. Truth be told, when I first bought this it was so different from my expectations that I backed away slowly and then came back to it for reconsideration. Good idea.

I think Numan has to be a genius. I don't know how else to explain an album that samples Blade Runner (again), samples Predator, samples Alien, then busts out into a white funk cavalcade with the classic Numan voice but all the trappings of Janet Jackson on Control. What the heck was going on? It deserves inspection---this album is tough to find and rarely reviewed.

But...by law, if you like an artist enough, you'll mine diamonds out of the darkest pits. Compared to other 'phases' of his sound, this experiment is not high on my list. But at least one track (Whisper) is now one of his best ballads, I think. Outland, My World Storm...it's like you raided the juke box at Taffy Lewis' bar. And how many guys can write a song called From Russia Infected and turn it into a Bobby Brown-white funk-saxes-happy-tune. Lyrically, it's very consistent with Numan---cold terror, fatalism, prostitution of some form or another, alienation, disgust and cynicism with the music industry, it's all here. And once again, the gap between how the lyrics read and how the album then sounds is extraordinary. Truly a master at hiding a dark world-view and deep pain under light, poppy sounds.

Perhaps someone can explain to me how the guy behind Replicas and Telekon got to be obsessed with the `Minneapolis Funk Factory' sound of producers Jam & Lewis and with sounding like a white Prince (finally just breaking down to cover Prince in the oft-reviled follow-up Machine + Soul). That bass sound---that barp-barp-ba-darp bass-thingeee, I don't know what it is--the cold, metallic drum machine, the horn hits, the backup singers, that sexy dance pop sound, the big production sound, the sci-fi-tech-funk-whatever-you-call-it...it's little wonder many casual fans backed away from this business.

The cover is deceiving. The title is deceiving. The whole thing came and went on the IRS label, while Numan was in between iterations of his own Numa label. You can hardly find a review of this thing. And yet there it is. This version has bonus tracks---three original songs and then two remixes of My World Storm. The songs are fantastic---once again, an excellent b-side artist. How is Icehouse not on the album? Shame, Tread Careful---good tracks, not overlong, catchy, and well-produced---perhaps a good capsule of what the heck he was trying to do here. Yes, they can sound like Prince. No, I don't know why he was obsessed with sounding like other artists after being such an innovator in the early 70s-late 80s. But sometimes, given a chance, it can even work.

Not recommended for the starting Numan fan. Or even the intermediate. This is for those who want to delve deeper into the horn hits, the saxes, the female vocals, and that barp-barp-ba-darp bass sound...

This review is of a significantly expanded re-release of what was an already excellent album. Anyone who likes the film of the same name will enjoy the gritty, metallic, techno-funk that Numan develops here.

After a first "Interlude," a menacing, atmospheric couple of minutes, Numan launches into the precisely executed rocker, 'Soul Protection.' This is a big number, with a soulful women's chorus, brass, stick bass, and great electric guitar.

"Confession" is a worthy follow-up, with a big-band sound and provocative lyrics: "IOU, you don't own me." Yet another frantic rocker, "My World Storm," continues Numan's exploration of the very cynical space in which he finds himself here: "I like pressure if it hurts them too." There are clips from Blade Runner "Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it," that aficionados of that movie will relish.

We're ready for a break after this breathless, tongue-in-cheek paean to selfishness. "Dream Killer" is beautiful but pretty grim: "You hurt my feelings, you hurt my family. . . I'll pay you back one cold day."

With "Dark Sunday," we're right back to the hard-driving, industrial-rock cynicism that is the essence of the futuristic mining colony of "Outland." Another rocker follows, the title track, "Outland," with an infectious beat that evokes what dance music might be like in a claustrophobic bar of an off-world facility.

We get another welcome break with "Heart," another wistful, bluesy anthem. A short, creepy interval leads us to the raucous "From Russia, Infected," which is introduced by clips from "Blade Runner." The sentiment conveyed here is a troubling, fatalistic hedonism.

The last interval takes us to "Devotion," a swinging dance number, much lighter in tone. The original album ends with a very fine "Whisper," resentful but reverential in tone. There is tremendous pain here, expressed through a beautiful song.

The bonus track, "Shame" begins with yet another menacing interval, and launches into a great rocker which is easily the equal of the other great songs here.

"Icehouse" and "Tread Careful are also welcome additions to this extraordinery collection. This extended version of "Outland" ends with two more mixes of "My World Storm." The first of these extras is the longest, and a great dance number, almost six minutes long. The second is shorter, with a fairly different sounding guitar, keyboard, and vocals. All three versions are enjoyable.

In sum, a superb album, the extras of which are even more of a reason to own this if you are Numan fan. It's one of my very favorites.

I honestly really enjoy this album: it's funk, industrial, pop, and new wave all mixed into a clever sound almost nothing of which Numan has created before or since. And a message for "Guitar Lord": if the only thing about an album you like is the cover, you probably should just stay clear from music you have to think about.

Some may argue that this is just repetitive funk track after the next that seems at first tedious, but Numan seemed to really want to stick to a singular sound, which he does quite well. The album is sort of divided into three different kinds of sounds: funky upbeat tracks with strong industrial noise and percussion; ambient instrumentals (intervals); and airy ballads.

This is Numan's very first all-created by Numan album; he did the producing, writing, engineering, etc. all on his own, which marks a very important stage in his career. While his earlier album, Metal Rhythm, feels very mislead as far as style and genre, this one takes the essence of what he'd been doing for the last half decade and creates an aggressive, yet still very isolated and paranoid, funk journey (yeah, it is a weird album). Many of the tracks use clips from sci-fi films (I think mainly Blade Runner, which he's used in the past) to help accompany the futuristic sound.

The upbeat tracks are pretty similar, sure, but that's the point. The intervals are eerie, and I wish they were longer, but oh well. The ballads are actually quite good, and while I dislike ballads for all their cheesiness and lack of artistry, the ones on here are good listens.

Altogether, this album is one of the most unique in Numan's catalogue, and not one to miss for big fans. I think even getting to hear this once for more casual fans would be a good treat.

And if you do decide you like this album, try finding the instrumental album 'Human', which Numan created right before this for the film 'The Unborn'. Outland and Machine + Soul both borrow a good deal of music from Human, and it's fun to hear how some of these ideas developed.

Outland is testament to Numan's musical ability and versatility, and the fact that it's inspired by Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation should be enough to endear it to the U.S. market!! Following in the footsteps of 1988's Metal Rhythm, the production is once again flawless!! And Numan's clever use of samples ties the whole creation together perfectly, providing it with an unerring sense of continuity. Once again, hard-hitting rhythms complement dark and moving ballads. There are a number of highlights here, so it's unfair to pick and choose only a few!! Ms. Jackson, I hope you were suitably flattered - you've just met your maker!!!

If you enjoy Gary Numan's ballads-there are three here that ought to knock your hat and socks
into the creek! Dream Killer, Heart, and Whisper are really beautiful melodies despite the
lyrics being rather dark in nature. These alone make the CD worth buying. There are as of this
date several reasonably priced used ones-snatch one up fast before they're gone and the CD
becomes outrageously expensive or even unavailable. Or download the MP3 album and get 5 bonus
tracks; likely you'll find one or more of them entertaining.

I discovered only recently to my utter delight that Gary Numan has been
creating a substantial body of work "across the pond". The three ballads
Dream Killer, Heart, and Whisper are richly layered, nuanced, exquisitely
beautiful melodies; they alone are worth the purchase price. The five
bonus tracks have a measure of appeal beyond the "Janet Jackson-esque
techno-funk" junque and weird, unclassifiable remainder.

but then it pays. soul protection rocks. well, not that much, outland a bit more. but it was the hidden tide of his sci-fi-voice. this cool sci-fi voice that reached on top on sacrifice. 90's soundtrack to only a movie that never was made.

a very different album to metal rhythm , but it's a corker.sampling,dancing,a different numan from early 80's
but it's a good un. get it and enjoy it , i did.

This album shows the growing leanings towards funk Gary Numan had adopted circa 91.Funkier than ever before,VERY Prince-influenced,this album is a hard hitting one,with excellent guitar performance and exquisite percussion programming.It has some nice ballads too.Starts out and out funk and gets more industrial towards the end.Gazza's voice is surprisingly less processed on most of this album's songs than on previous offerings,making for a nice,more natural variation.The sound is very good but the remastered version has gorgeous bonus tracks:River and Mistasax,which are 2 nice instrumentals,the excellent Shame single,and two remixes of My World Storm that are way better than the lp version.
Not an essential purchase for the average Numan fun but a treat for those of us who enjoy funk rock with the classic Numan signature.