Customer Reviews

White Noise

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4 star:		(4)
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I don't know whose idea it was of taking an archive show performed live by someone like Gary Numan and keeping the sticker price pretty reasonable,but he should be held in the very highest regard by all employed in the music business and in the marketing firms.'White Noise' is an eighteen track concert that was recorded live in London,UK in December,1984 in front of a very loud&noisy crowd.If you're a Gary Numan fan(like myself),you're in luck.This release almost makes you feel like you're AT the show.There are several Numan classics here like "Cars","Metal","Me,Disconnect From You","Down In The Park"(remember seeing the video on late-night TV),"We Are Glass" and his signature song "Are Friends Electric?".I've noticed there are several cuts here that I have never heard,such as "Sister Surprize",the very cool-sounding "Music For Chameleons","The Iceman Comes" and "Prison Moon".Numan apparently had two main keyboard players on this tour,Chris Payne and his brother John Webb.Would make a nice gift for someone who was a fan of '80's new wave.

This is my very favorite Gary Numan album. True, Karen Taylor's voice is off key at times, but it makes the album human. I'm also charmed by the moments he breaks into laughter, and I always wonder what made him break his concentration and burst into genuine laughter. Always makes me smile.

This was taped during his "Berzerker" phase - one that explored the takeover of robots and an interest in sci-fi. The flaws make it real and not so, well, electronic, an ironic thing to say about the godfather of the electronic music genre.

The melodies and the rhythms are captivating. The album includes everyone's all-time favorites such as I Die: You Die, My Shadow in Vain, and, of course, Are Friends Electric. Includes violin and saxophone players who are not in his current line up which shows Gary's versatility to exploring music as well as eclecticism. If you're interested in owning essential Gary Numan, this is an absolute must.

Gary Numan has always been known for his lavish live shows. Lucky for his fans, he has released several live albums throughout his career to document the excitement of each of his outings. "White Noise" was recorded during Gary's "Berserker" phase. He dresses in pure white leather, and spends three hours per night putting his image together with porcelain-white skin, blue hair, blue eyeshadow, blue lips, and blue blush. Once this alien form of Gary Numan walks out to the stage, thousands of fans cheer and yell with delight during his nearly-two-hour performance. "White Noise" captures a very confident Gary Numan , and the music is very lively and rich with analogue keyboards and fat bass lines. Gary interacts with the audience, and his laughter can be heard, which is contrary to most critical reviews of Gary Numan. I have seen the intensity with which Gary Numan performs on stage, and "White Noise" is a perfect representation of an evening with Gary Numan at his best. This album features many of his hits, which all sound warmer live than they did on record. Without a doubt, this is my favorite live album by Gary Numan.

A corker of a double live album (93'+ ) recorded on the last night of the Berserker tour at the Hammersmith Odeon.The tracklist comprises 25% of songs from that album,25% of songs from I,assassin and Warriors and the other half are the usual classics reworkerd in the funkier,eurodancey way Numan introduced with Berserker.The whole of the songs are played with fretless bass,providing for a marked and welcome variation.The whole set transpires energy but the sound is not top notch,but very good overall.The mix sounds different as those on the DVD making me wonder whether the takes on the cd are the same as those.Voices are very echoey but get the job done.I love live records,especially Numan's,but understand people who stick to studio work for the sake of perfectionism or the fact that live albums are almost always ¨doctored¨in order to round the sound up.Get this one if you like Gazza.Plus,at the moment this review was written,I got the cd for very little money !!!!!

I bought the LP of this concert back in the '80s and it still is exciting to listen to. I am working my way across the 'net tonight checking out Numan sites. I've listened to four or five different versions of "We Are Glass", "Me, I Disconnect From You", "Are Friends Electric", and, uggh, even a live version of "Cars" performed at an Oregon concert (I dread listening to that song anymore because it's so overplayed in the U.S. and it's the only one most tourists know Numan by).

I think this album has the best versions of these songs by far. Very tight bass, very good control of the instruments, Numan laughs and I think he lets the audience clue him in to the words occasionally during one of the songs.
I couldn't really listen to more than 5 or so songs on this album all these years. I never fell in love with all his music. Maybe now that I can actually find lyrics on the net for them I'll revisit his album so I can understand what the heck he's saying!
The lyrics I *could* make out, plus like I said the very tight performance, made this a really good album anyway.
Now that I'm older I wish I could get more material such as concert tapes, but I'm guessing he probably didn't do much filming of his concerts. That would have been expensive at the time and from what I read he lost money during his tours as it was. Bummer. Gary - you were ahead of your time in some ways.
On the other hand, there's so many anti-depressants on the market today that kids wouldn't be able to understand and relate to some of your songs as I did while you were doing well back then.

Throughout what has now been quite a lengthy career (his first studio release was 1978), Gary has always been an exceptional and generous live performer. This superbly produced double album is a crystaline live set from a seasoned musician. Numan perfoms both old and new material to an obviously enthusiastic hometown audience. An excellent momento of the occasion or a great introduction to the work of a genious. Highly recommended.

Gary Numan's live albums (and there's plenty!) range from the sublime to the ridiculous. This one falls more or less in the middle. The band is pretty tight, and the song selection is well varied. There are a few things that annoy me on this album - Karen Taylor's backing on "This Is New Love" seems quite out of key, and Gary forgets the lyrics at least three times. In fact, he screws up and sings the wrong verse during "Are Friends Electric?", which is kinda embarassing, but when he laughs it off, he at least adds a humanizing touch to a show which could at times be awfully clinical. I prefer DREAM CORROSION if you're looking for a double live GN CD, but this one's pretty good.

This is the best Gary Numan you can get! Buy this 2-CD compilation. I promise you won't be disappointed if you like this style. Numan's "Are Friends Electric?" track is probably the best on the CD because you can hear him having fun with the crowd. Another of my favorites is "Beserker" because of its cryptic intro and female vocals. The best of the rest are "I Die, You Die", "Music for Chameleons" and "My Dying Machine". Some of the drums and other instruments have a unique hollow sound which adds to the live effect in my opinion.

Although I like nearly all of his releases, I think this is his best followed by the studio release, "Telekon".

Disc One of this set is flawless. One of the best Numan recordings bar none. Disk Two is slightly less perfect, but still worth the low price, by itself. Think of it as an "extras" collection for a great concert. This concert weaves together some of the best moments from the later Beggars Banquet albums and the first Numa album, "Berserker". The recording is a bit raw, but this increases the enjoyment.