Strange Charm

Gary Numan

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 6, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cleopatra
• ASIN: B00000IMRO
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #99,750 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Originally limited to 2,000 copies on CD when first released in 1986, this highly sought after reissue features the U.K. top 30 hits 'I Can't Stop' & 'This Is Love'. Eight tracks in all. Other six: 'My Breathing', 'Un- known And Hostile', 'The Sleeproom', 'New Thing From London Town', 'Strange Charm' and 'The Need'. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charm Up, Strange Down, March 25, 2000

By	N. A. Parry - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Apparently, this was written and created when Gary Numan was at a low ebb. He was feeling increasingly isolated and some of the lyrics here reflect this. Although 'Strange Charm' contains two of my least favourite tracks (the overlong 'This is Love' single, and the dreadfully sung 'The Need'), the album has many highpoints which vastly outweight the lows. 'My Breathing' and 'New Thing from London Town' are perfect 'pop' (whatever that is), 'Unknown and Hostile' is quietly unsettling, and 'The Sleeproom' is surprisingly honest. I always feel that Numan's writing is at it's best when he is under pressure (the 'Dance' album for example), and 'Strange Charm' reflects this. Well worth a listen.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars schizophrenic charm, October 7, 2004

By	olofpalme63 (auf der flucht!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strange Charm (Audio CD)

Numan's dance trend reaches scattered heights in the disco-tronic 80's. Confusion and perhaps blatant redundancy cloud whatever direction Numan is trying to approach in the post-modern era. A river patrol to sax highlighted dance floors perhaps.

...however, the schizophrenic "Strange Charm" yields 3 classics in "My Breathing", "The Sleeproom" and "Time To Die". Strange in the fact that Time To Die was left off the first pressing of this CD. Even more strange is that it was only available on cassette. Did anyone still buy 45's in the mid 80's? Strange Charm indeed.

olofpalme63

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Atmospheric, July 3, 2001

By	Alf Kremer (Denver CO) - See all my reviews

This isn't my least favorite Gary Numan album (that's MACHINE & SOUL) but I never found this one too compelling. My problems with this album were thrown into focus when I read that Gary Numan more or less had ideas for the album, but never really brought them into sharp focus. That explained a lot - the album has a tense, forboding atmosphere, but nothing really to hang the atmosphere on. Sort of a Gary Numan environmental album. There are several highlights - "My Breathing" was deservedly singled out for praise (the hook'll stay with you for days), and "I Can't Stop" plays with rhythm and lyrics in interesting ways. The bonus track "Time to Die" is a rare ballad that comes together quite nicely. Except for the "longer-versions-of-what-you've-already-heard", the bonus tracks are actually a very welcome addition, with some instrumental work that actually enhances the feeling of the album. Maybe not an essential Gary Numan purchase, but certainly no embarassment.