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Tubeway Army were a London -based new wave band led by lead singer Gary Numan. Formed at the height of punk rock in 1977 the band gradually changed to an electronic sound.
- 1977–1979
- London, England
Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two studio albums with the band, he released his debut solo studio album The Pleasure Principle in 1979, topping the UK Albums Chart.
Aug 4, 2022 · Numan was fronting Tubeway Army, with whom he made his first two albums, when he came across a Minimoog synthesiser: “A eureka moment. I thought, ‘That noise sounds brilliant. How can I get...
- 4 min
- Dave Simpson
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Who is Gary Numan?
- Background
- Recording and Music
- Critical Reception
- Legacy
- Reissue
- Personnel
- References
A loose concept album, Replicas was based on a dystopian book Numan hoped to eventually complete, set in a not-too-distant future metropolis where Machmen (androids with cloned human skin) and other machines keep the general public cowed on orders from the Grey Men (shadowy officials). While the album's setting and lyrics were directly inspired by ...
Replicas was recorded in late 1978 at Gooseberry Studios, London and completed in February 1979 with overdubs and remixing at Marcus Music Studios. Musically, Numan's main influence was the commercially unsuccessful John Foxx-led incarnation of Ultravox. Tracks like "Speed of Life" and "Breaking Glass" from David Bowie's Low were also cited, along ...
The New York Timesdeemed the album "weird synthesizer effects and fashionably adenoidal songs and vocals over an accessibly rocking rhythm section."
Replicas' synthesizer sound and occasionally nihilistic lyrics greatly impacted the industrial acts that came to prominence in the mid-1990s such as Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails, both of whom covered Numan's songs on record. Both Manson and Foo Fighters released versions of "Down in the Park". "Are 'Friends' Electric?" was covered by a number...
The 1999 and 2008 reissue editions included several bonus tracks, including three single B-sides: "We Are So Fragile" (from "Are 'Friends' Electric?"), and "Do You Need the Service?" and "I Nearly Married a Human (2)" (from "Down in the Park"). "The Crazies", "Only a Downstat" and "We Have a Technical" were outtakes from the Replicassessions.
Tubeway Army 1. Gary Numan – keyboards, guitars, vocals, producer, mixing 2. Paul Gardiner – bass guitar 3. Jess Lidyard – drums Technical 1. John Caffery – engineering, mixing 2. Rikki Sylvan– mixing 3. Geoff Howes – photographer 4. Mary Vango – make-up 5. Tony Escott – illustrator 6. Malti Kidia – art director
Bibliography
1. Paul Goodwin (2004). Electric Pioneer: An Armchair Guide to Gary Numan
- December 1978 and January 1979
- [8]
- 4 April 1979
- B+ [9]
TUBEWAY ARMY was the name of Gary Numan’s band. Formed in 1977, their self-titled debut album was released at the tail end of 1978. This album truly paved the way for Gary Numan to become an electronic pioneer.
