I should say that, as someone growing up in a time when he was super popular, and hating his music at the time, I know probably more about Numan than most of you. That's not a boast, nor a confession. But as I mentioned I had already sampled three of his albums for my journal, and as I'm very busy with Metal Month II these comments will be mostly pulled from that review, though of course not verbatim. The point is, the chances of changing my opinion of the album after one more listen are slim, so I'll go with how I felt when I did listen to it, back then.
1. What were your VERY FIRST impressions on listening to the album, say from the first five minutes in (first time)?
Dark, heavy, oppressive .. you know, Numan!
2. Did your first impressions change, i.e., did the album get better or worse as you listened to it (first time)?
Definitely better. I had listened to two other albums (“I, assassin” and “Exiles”) and hadn't enjoyed them at all. Though I'm not, and never will be, a fan of his music, I found myself liking more of this than I thought I would.
3. Which was stronger in your opinion, the opening tracks (first 2-3 songs), or the ending tracks (last 2-3 songs)?
Last 2-3, though for me the strength of the album lies in the middle, with tracks like “Lost”/”Splinter”/ “A shadow falls on me”.
4. On repeated listens (if you did so), did you find you liked the album more, or less? Feel free to be very detailed if you like.
n/a
5. What is your favorite track from the album, if you have one?
“Lost”, “A shadow falls on me”
6. What is your least favorite track from the album, if you have one?
Surprisingly, I can't really fault any of the tracks.
7. Did you change your favorite or least favorite track as you listened to the album?
No. “Lost” was pretty much the pinnacle and I didn't really hear anything better than that.
8. How would you describe the variety of tracks available on this album? Feel free to be very detailed if you like.
I find a lot of the time, in the little electronica that I have listened to, there's not too much room for variety. The change in singing style on some of the tracks (falsetto on “A shadow falls on me” and the whispers in the opener) was interesting, and there was some nice piano on some of the songs, but overall it maintained the same sort of feel throughout.
9. What is the overall mood on this album?
Dark, depressive, hopeless. When the word “love” is used it's almost mockingly so. But Numan has never been one to rock out or sing about his lady (or man), so I'm not surprised. But I wouldn't recommend listening to it if you're in a depressed state. It certainly won't cheer you up!
10. Is this an album you would listen to again all the way through (for personal, recreational use, outside of listening to it for this club), or are there just a few songs that you would listen to?
I'd be unlikely to listen to this again.
11. How well do you already know the band/artist?
Gary Numan hit the big time with “Are friends electric” in 1979 but that was with his then-band Tubeway Army. After that he scored a few hits such as “Cars” and “Warriors”, but he was a leading light (or darkness) of the new wave movement and was on the radio and the telly all the time back when this was popular, so I know him quite well. I had however not listened to a single album from him prior to my “Triple Boxset” slot.
12. If you are familiar with this band/artist, how would you compare this album to any of their earlier/later material?
Compared to the other two I reviewed, this was livelier (seriously!) and better put together, more a hint of industrial music about it than the others, which were fairly bland and faceless. Of the three, I prefer this one.
13. Do you see any way the album could have been improved?
Hard to say. I'm not a fan of new wave so I wouldn't have any suggestions. For what it is, I think it hits the right target.
14. Would you recommend this album to others?
Not personally; it's not the sort of music I prefer to listen to.
15. Are you interested in listening to more albums by this band?
No. Three is enough, I've paid my dues.
16. What sub-genre, if any, would you assign this music to?
New wave/new romantic with a touch of the kind of Krautrock that the likes of Kraftwerk play.
17. (NOTE: Ignore this question if the album does not have lyrics.) Did you like the vocalist? Hate him/her? Any impressions?
Numan's voice has always been one of the things I like least about him. It's usually too high, whiny and always come across to me as cold, emotionless and flat. Given that, he can certainly sing, and if you like this style of music you'll probably enjoy his voice. I personally think I'd rather listen to Slayer!
18. Your overall album rating on a scale of 1-10 (whole numbers please. Also, please BOLD or otherwise make this rating easy to see. Use this color pattern for ratings:
5