Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"I'll give you dark wonders you are all invited to the show", February 17, 2005
When Sacrifice came out in 1994, most Numan fans breathed a collective sigh of relief. Sacrifice was the first Numan album in years that did not have the Janet Jacksonesque dance music with the domineering female background vocalists. It followed Machine & Soul which many fans consider the lowest point in his career. I can find many excellent tracks off all of Numan's albums from his dance era (even his collaboration with Bill Sharpe), but I was still glad to hear his new sound when I first heard Sacrifice. This album is all Numan. He sings all the vocals and plays all the instruments so it is filled with synthesizers and drum machines with no saxophones or annoying female vocalists. The music is very dark and heavy. Most of the lyrics are about questioning God's existence or benevolence, which caused some controversy but, for me, makes for very powerful stuff.
On first listen, the tracks seem to run together with the omnipresent drum machine but, after several plays, songs begin to stand out. Sacrifice was the first Numan release in years on which I find no weak tracks. There are no instrumental fillers either. A lot of thought and care was put into each track as Numan took his music into a new direction. My favorite track is "A Question of Faith" of which there is a cool remix on the compilation The Mix followed by the hardest rocker on the disc "Love & Napalm." "You Walk in My Soul" is a dark, romantic ballad that a friend of mine actually wants played at his wedding. I don't know if it's that romantic, but it is nice. Sacrifice is also the album in Numan's new dark period that does not adopt a complete industrial sound. Most of his material after this album (especially Pure and the new tracks on Hybrid) takes this new style to a darker and heavier level with iniquitous screaming that may be a little much to listen to on a regular basis. Sacrifice stayed on the fine line towards industrial Nine Inch Nails style music brilliantly. I recommend purchasing this edition with the excellent "Metal Beat" demo. "Pray Like God" is not a filler B-side, but it is not as good as the rest of the album. It's rather bland and repetitive. For those who gave up on Numan when he started going techno dance, your missing out on some incredible stuff. Check out Sacrifice and then Exile and his latest material.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Return to Form, September 4, 1998
By A Customer
In the late 80's and early 90's, the name, Gary Numan, has become synonymous with the term "One Hit Wonder." In his native England, Numan has continued to perform and release at least one (sometimes 3!!!) albums every year. For better or worse, each album has shown his development as a unique musician, showcasing a variety of styles and sounds. Unfortunately, Numan was all but forgotten in America. There has been a bit of a resurgace lately with Gary touring the US for the first time in 16 years. Cleopatra Records has picked him up and have been rereleasing his whole catalog little by little. "Sacrifice" is a remarkable album. Dark and brooding in its theme, it is Gary's best album to date. Songs such as "Bleed," "You Walk In My Soul," "Deadliner," and "A Question of Faith" are standouts. If you like Gary Numan or want to be re-introduced to his music, this is a good album to start with. Welcome back, Gary!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magic, April 4, 2001
This CD fell into my lap under strange circumstances and under a different title.It may be Numan's "Sacrifice" in the UK but in the States it's entitled "Dawn" and it pays homage to the artistic magic of Joseph Michael Linsner, creator of the transcendant comic book goddess Dawn. Dawn, herself, is unforgettable....a luminous and yet sometimes dark bit of conjuring....and so is the album dedicated to her. It's unfortunate that in the United States, Numan is hardly remembered beyond the 80's hit "Cars". And given the fact that he's evolved from that particular pop standard to this sort of dreamy darkness, you've got to wonder what lies between. This much I can tell you, whether you've been a fan all along, a current one or one who just happened to stumble over this delicious body of work by accident...you won't be disappointed. It's driving....much more than just industrial dance...a taste of Goth and even a bit haunted. You can forgive Numan for the occasional murmurs and muttering because it only makes the music all the more grittier and in some instances even darkly romantic. I cannot possibly list all the things that I find so amazing and beautiful about this album so I'll share a few and trust me, with gorgeous lyrics like the ones found in the song "Desire"....'Is this your mercy or sacrifice? No absolution if you come for me'... or the driving rhythm on "Question Of Faith"....'They kneel down, Praise God, shout Allelujah, lift up their eyes when they pray- When children kill children, don't it make them wonder? Don't it make them question their faith?' As you can see, choosing favorites off this album isn't an easy task but I've managed to narrow it down to two selections just to give you a taste. It is impossible to hear "Bleed" and not somehow find yourself moving to it. It's hypnotic in it's rhythm... the lulling drone of Numan's humming leading the lyrics through a web of sound. It is gorgeous. And then, there is "Seed Of A Lie". This song is an apparition- haunted. You are swept in by the tragic moan of keyboards- Numan's gift, it would seem. His voice is conjuring the spell...the memory of everything that could have been perfect but somehow went terribly wrong...the memories left will only be the unfortunate ones... 'Like your shadow I will haunt you- do you remember what I said to you? "Love is a mountain but harder to climb...it should be forever but love is unkind to me...Don't let me down"...and you let me down' I'm not sure if it was Numan's original intent to base this particular body of work on Dawn but it certainly embodies her. The album is pure magic just as the goddess herself.
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~ Gary Numan
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