One of the founding fathers of synth pop, Gary Numan's influence extends far beyond his lone American hit, "Cars," which still stands as one of the defining new wave singles.
That seminal track helped usher in the synth pop era on both sides of the Atlantic, especially his native U.K., where he was a genuine pop star and consistent hitmaker during the early '80s.
Numan was born Gary Anthony James Webb on March 8, 1958, in the west London section of Hammersmith.
Inspired by the amateurism of the punk movement, he joined a punk group called " the Lasers " in 1976. The following year , he and bassist Paul Gardiner split off to form a new group, dubbed "
Tubeway Army ", with drummer Bob Simmonds .
Tubeway Army cut a set of punk-meets-Kraftwerk demos for Beggars Banquet in early 1978 .
Numan had become a star overnight, despite critical distaste for any music so heavily reliant on synthesizers, and he formed a larger backing band that replaced Tubeway Army, keeping Gardiner on bass. The Pleasure Principle was released in the fall of 1979 and spawned Numan's international hit "Cars," which reached the American Top Ten and hit number one in the U.K.
The album also became Numan's second straight British number one. He put together a hugely elaborate, futuristic stage show and went on a money-losing tour, and also began to indulge his hobby as an amateur pilot with his newfound wealth.
Numan returned in the fall of 1980 with Telekon, his third straight chart-topping album in Britain, and scored two Top Five hits with "We Are Glass" and "I Die: You Die"; "This Wreckage" later reached the Top 20.
Numan collaborated occasionally with Shakatak's Bill Sharpe, releasing four singles from 1985-1989.
Following 1986's Strange Charm, Numan signed with IRS, but the relationship was fraught with discord from the start. IRS forced Numan to change the title of 1988's Metal Rhythm to New Anger for his first North American release since 1981 (and also remixed several tracks), refused to release his soundtrack for the film The Unborn, and would not fund any supporting tours for New Anger or 1991's Outland. When his contract expired, Numan returned to Numa for 1992's Machine + Soul.
Jagged was released in 2005, and incorporated more of an industrial-goth sound. Ironically, this album was marked as irrelevant, as the '80s synth pop on which Numan based his career was becoming fashionable again.
(All Music .com)
ARE FRIENDS ELECTRIC ?
It's cold outside
And the paint's peeling off of my walls
There's a man outside
In a long coat, grey hat, smoking a cigarette
Now the light fades out
And I'm wondering what I'm doing in a room like this
There's a knock on the door
And just for a second I thought I remembered you
So now I'm alone
Now I can think for myself
About little deals
and issues
And things that I just don't understand
Like a white lie that night
or a slight touch at times
I don't think I meant anything to you
So I open the door
It's the `friend' that I'd left in the hallway
"Please sit down"
A candle lit shadow on a wall near the bed
You know I hate to ask
But, are `friends' electric?
You see, mine's broke down
And now I've no one to love
So I find out your reason
For the phone calls and smiles
And it hurts
And I'm lonely
And I should never have tried
And I missed you tonight
So it's time to leave
You see it meant everything to me
I DIE YOU DIE
This is not love
This is not even worth a point of view
In Echo Park I
Pause for effect
And whisper 'Who are you?'
They crawl out of their holes for me
And I die : You die
Hear them laugh
And watch them turn on me
And I die : You die
See my scars
They call me such things
Tear me, tear me, tear me
But I have your names
Screaming 'You will suffer'
And, 'You're all too late'
Now I feel young
Does everything stop when the old tape fails?
TRAXS
1 Are 'Friends' Electric? (Live) 6:49
2 Anthem 3:27
3 Machine & Soul 5:58
4 Your Fascination 4:45
5 Absolution 6:26
6 I Die: You Die (Live) 3:26
7 Desire 3:49
8 Pure 5:10
9 A Child With The Ghost 4:05
10 U Got The Look 4:00
11 I Can't Breath 5:46
12 Berserker 5:51
13 Rumour 2:49
14 Strange Charm 4:58
15 Cars (Live) 3:40
I CAN 'T BREATHE
I'm scared to sleep, I'm scared to dream.
I'm scared to wake up in case I scream.
I'm scared to whisper one word.
That's all it needs.
I hear it breathe, I hear it sigh.
I hear it laughing when something dies.
I hear it calling,
But I'm too scared to move.
I'm so scared
I can't breathe.
I'm so scared
I can't breathe.
I'm so scared
I just can't breathe.
I'm scared to look, I'm scared to see.
I'm scared of mirrors in case it's me.
I'm scared of memories,
But now that's all I have.
So I can't leave and nothing comes.
So no one noticed that I've come undone.
I'd hide in shadows,
But the shadows talk to me.
