Customer Reviews

Tubeway Army (Reis)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Numan wrote these songs he said, because punk was fashionable. Normally when an artist is motivated by the trend of the day the work is limp. Not so with this debut from Gary Numan's band Tubeway Army. "Friends" and "somethings in the house" continue to blast me in the pants twelve years since I picked up a copy of this on vinyl. "Steel and you" is a bonified rocker, hard to believe coming from the man who put out "Dance" years later. "Every day I die" and "jo the Waiter" were probably big faves of Kurt Cobain, or would have been if he ever heard this undervalued classic. As time goes on I find that more and more people have this album. One day Rolling Stone and Spin may catch on to its importance. Thank god this and the other two Tubeway Army records were finally released on their own, on CD. Before they were released as two album cd packages, and the pairings of the albums were horrible. ***The other one to get is "The Plan" which is a collection of demos for this album, plus some other amazing punk rock songs.

I'm listening to this remastered CD as I write this, for what is probably the first time since I bought the LP back in about 1980. It sounds even more awesome now than it did back then. This was Numan before he became preoccupied with synths. In fact, the guitars are so much in the forefront that most of the songs don't even need keyboards. If you're only going to ever purchase one Gary Numan album, you certainly can't go wrong with this one - solid from start to finish.

I had this album way back in the mid-nineties, not exactly the first time round, but still way before Numan was cool.

I've had a chance to hear it again recently and the music is still as brilliant as it was when I was twenty. This isn't like a lot of other '80s synth albums. Unlike others who were just along for the ride (and they were quite good too), Numan doesn't date, because he meant it, he's as much sci-fi writer as musician in that way.

Yep, this is real music for Philip K Dick fans, in fact the album opens up with a lyrical tribute ("flow my tears, the new police song" is a reference to a novel titled "Flow my tears, the policeman said") and continues with the sci-fi references as well as high-fives to gay sexuality (Zero Bars, Jo The Waiter), angst (My Shadow In Vain), life support (The Life Machine), human cloning, or test tube babies, or something (My Love Is A Liquid), betrayal (Are Friends Electric?), junkies (The Dream Police) and, er, wacking one off (Every Day I Die).

Basically, this album was the soundtrack to my life for a few years back there, and it still has a very special place close to this old cybergoth's heart. I've heard the new ones and they're pretty good too.

If your life ever seems like something out of a William Burroughs or Philip K Dick novel, then buy this album, you won't regret it. But don't forget: They can't die, they can just turn off.

:-)

This is a title that I never did expect to be reissued on CD.Turns out that it's Gary Numan's very first lp.Tubeway Army is a twelve track 'new wave' staple,as far as I'm concerned."My Shadow In Vain","Life Machine" and "My Love Is A Liquid" seem to stand out on their own.I believe "Friends" may be an earlier version of "Are Friends Electric?".Tagged on as a bonus is a thirteen track remastered live 1978 performance that was(up to this point)only available as a high-priced bootleg called 'Living Ornaments'.After you hear this gig,you might have a hard time believing that it originally came from a home tape.Most songs I've never heard of.I thought "You Don't Know Me" and their cover of Velvet Underground's "White Heat White Light" were pretty happening.Check out the other Gary Numan reissues.

Nobody could have imagined how important Gary Webb from West London would be to the music business, more so than Gary himself.Shy with a personality hard to break down, changing his name to Gary Numan in time for the pressing of this recording back in 1978 would be the first masterstroke from Gary. Also known as The Blue album, the content shows early signs of an electronic influence, building from subtle background keyboard on Life Machine to a really raw solo, inplace of the guitar solo, on Are You Real. Even putting his future aside, this album stands among the best of the era, Punks Final Bow, Gary's song writing techniques showing through with a fresh new ????? you know..that special something all artists aim for.During the recording of this album, Gary first came across the tool that would catapult him to the head of the fame race and enable him, with two fingers, to create a song that would attack the charts with venom, and hold on to top prize for a few good weeks..Are Friends Electric..and it was all just around the corner from this recording. A must for all Numan fans

With a heavy edge to it; be warned this is not a synth based album,it?s GUITAR based with some nice minimalistic synth touches here and there,especially on intros and endings,and nihilistic,sci-fi lyrics with some personal allusions.Funnily entitled First Album,these are catchy,short songs with dry,almost minimal but superb drumming to them,courtesy of his uncle Jess Lydiard,gorgeous bass playing by friend Paul Gardiner (he?d remain my fav bass player for the next 15 years) and powerful dual guitar and lead vocals by Gary .Often regarded as a ?punk sounding album? by regular people,it?s far from that to my punk ears.The remastered sound does?nt take the album to today?s standards but is a far cry from that on my 1978 lp album.The lower end of the spectum is a tad ?hollow ? and the upper end is a little weak but nothing a good eq cannot succesfully deal with considering this was originally a low budget recording from 1978.The bonus tracks are comprised by a set of live songs taken from a horribly sounding archival bootleg called ?Live At The Roxy ?and are of marginal interest though I found them a nice treat for a single listen.This is seminal new wave and has to be taken at face value.If you?re really hooked by this you may want to give ?The Plan ?(which is an early demos comp from the same author-no synth on them) a try.
by OLDESTPUNKINARGENTINA

For my money, this is a rock 'n' roll classic. A guitar-heavy sound eschewed in later Numan recordings, and lyrics that epitomize the alienation of young men who feel a greater affinity for their machines than for humanity. This is a rich artistic effort that stands up to repeated listenings far better than any of Numan's later work--which I say not to diminish that later work, but to pique your interest in this obscure gem.

Raw, yet powerful collection of early Gary Numan (pre-synth).

The guitar based, short, catchy, fast-paced songs were certainly inspired by the punk rock of the late 70's. If you like the Ramones & Nirvana, you will appreciate this cd.

If you are familiar with the original lp, you will find the additional tracks an interesting add-on.

Good for those of us who loved Replica's because its very similar- just far less polished with keyboards and synth. The songs are fast and fun and still manage to have that unmistakable Numan pessimism bubbling underneath the surface as quite a few songs are dealing with the subject of death. Its great fun, and the 13 bonus tracks- (Live '78) only help to round out this rather short album and add that extra collectible factor to it. I love Gary Numan and my favorite album of his would have to be Telekon, but this is a great slice of his early career, highly recommended for Numan fans.

Gary Numan's career defining moment is the hit "Cars". This album is the album before the album before. Punk was hot, and Gary Numan wanted a recording contract, so he made a punk album.

Fans will bore you with the the turns in his career, but I think this is one of three essential albums by Gary Numan, which happen to be his first three, starting with this one. Gary has perfected his disaffected, robotic delivery. The songs are very good -- hooky skewed lyrics about death, disassociation, technology etc. I would even give him a nod for a decidedly hendrix influenced guitar playing.

You get some live stuff as well on this album, I wish the quality of the live stuff was better -- Numan covering White Light/White Heat is great.

IF you are filling out your late 70's brit punk music collection, and don't have this already, get it. It is really unique, and Gary Numan kind of disparages it now, but it is really some of his best work.