The Pleasure Principle [Vinyl]

Gary Numan | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl (April 8, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: VINYL 180 / VIRTUAL
• ASIN: B0013FSXVY
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #319,809 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Airlane (Instrumental)

2. Metal

3. Complex

4. Films

5. M.E.

6. Tracks

7. Observer

8. Conversation

9. Cars

10. Engineers

11. Random (Instrumental)

12. Oceans (Instrumental)

13. Asylum (Instrumental)

14. Me! I Disconnect from You (Live)

15. Bomberes (Live)

16. Remember I was Vapour (Live)

17. On Broadway (Live)

Editorial Reviews

Gary's Replicas had already hit UK #1, but this 1980 LP made him a star in the U.S. as well. His icy synth-pop has been enduringly influential, and this is the album that all the hip-hop, techno and industrial artists revere: his definitive smash Cars plus Metal; M.E.; Films; Observer; Conversation , and more. Disc two has demos of all of the above and more plus studio outtakes! --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than Cars., August 14, 2002

By 

Maine Writer "David" (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pleasure Principle (Reis) (Audio CD)

It's amazing how much emotion Gary Numan was able to evoke with an album so dominated by electronic instruments. Numan produced a number of great albums in his heyday (I'm not a big fan of his recent, dark material), but the Pleasure Principle--with its Magritte take-off cover--has best withstood the test of time for me. Replicas comes close, but I think this is Gary at his best.

Cars became a hit here and in the UK, but the rest of the cuts are every bit as strong. And there's a sensitivity on display behind the andriod cool that makes this music far more than the sum of its parts. Couple that with an excellent rhythm section, great keyboard textures, and first-rate arrangements, and you have an album that never seems to wear out its welcome.

Gary Numan's voice can tend to become grating on some of his albums, but not this one.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "We're in the building where they make us grow", August 5, 2004

By 

mwreview "mwreview" (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Pleasure Principle (Reis) (Audio CD)

The Pleasure Principle, of course, is Gary Numan's most recognizable album because it features "Cars." Sadly, "Cars" is the only Numan track a lot of people know which is unfortunate because it is not even close to his best work. It is in the middle of the pack on this album alone. Every track off Pleasure Principle is classic! The opener "Airlane" is an instrumental but it is by no means a filler. It rocks and once those drums kick in, it takes the listener for a ride (Numan, not long after this album was released, earned his private pilot's license and traveled around the world). "Complex" and "Tracks" are beautiful. "Metal," having a very rough sound, is a fan favorite as is "Films" with the powerful, kick-butt drums. "M.E." is one of my all-time Numan favorites and "Engineers" is interesting for its, well, ingenuity and for its experimental, retro late 70s/early 80s sound. The only track I am not as crazy about is "Observer" because it sounds too much like "Cars." Still this album is classic and a must for fans of New Wave, synthesizer-driven music. The extra tracks on Pleasure Principle are not as intriguing as the ones on the other re-issues. "Random," "Oceans," and "Asylum" are all instrumentals. "Oceans" is the best of the three. It has a beautiful relaxing sound like the instrumental extras off Telekon. "Random" is a jolting rocker. "Asylum" is spooky. The live version of "Bombers" (B-side to the "Complex" single), I admit, is better than the original studio version. The live tracks come from Living Ornaments '79 which includes the peculiar "On Broadway." It is a very odd cover for Numan, although the keyboard part is pretty cool. I would rather not have that track on this CD but, whatever. I recommend all the Beggars Banquet Gary Numan re-issues. They each have several pages of text on the albums, photos from the original album and single covers, lyrics, and many extra tracks. Each disc also has a slice of the album cover on the spine so, together, they look terrific in the CD case.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo! This is how to remaster!, September 26, 2009

By 

M. Brown (U.S.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pleasure Principle (Audio CD)

This album has always been a favorite of mine. From the hit song Cars to the lesser known tracks this album has never grown tired for me. The bonus material is absolutely awesome. I particularly am enjoying the demo version of Cars.

The sonics/mastering are wonderful. I don't detect any hard limiting at all, nor do I hear any use of noise reduction or excessive EQing. Numan's vocals truly come to life in this remaster and it trounces previous CD issues. The sonics are much improved over the original CD issue of this album and I highly recommend you upgrade.