Replicas (Dlx Ed)

I bought this CD primarily for "Are Friends Electric". This of course was Numan's most successful vinyl single release - 4 weeks at number 1 in the UK in 1979. I remember loving it at the time, and it still stands up brilliantly. It really is his magnum opus. Worthy of mention also is "Me, I Disconnect from You". Both songs are wonderfully melodic, and seem personal and sincere, speaking as they do of loneliness/distrust etc.

I have to say though that these are the standout tracks on this CD. What detracts is Numan's forsaking the personal and instead straying into cod sci-fi - his lyrics become rather embarassing and detract from the music. It's hard to take seriously "Down in the Park" for example, whatever its other virtues. The gibberish about such things as "Rape Machines" and "Zom Zoms" does remind you of just how young Numan was when he wrote this.

If only Numan could have kept on writing songs like the two mentioned above, or "Complex" and "Cars"...

This is the album that took electronic pop out of the underground and into the top 40...at least in England. It wasn't too long after that a lot of British bands began using synths and drum machines. Some say Gary Numan was ahead of his time but I think he did everything at the right time, hence his massive success. Punk was fading in the UK and it was time for something fresh and different. Ultravox and the Human League were ahead of their time more so than Numan, but it took the album Replicas and later the Pleasure Principle to open doors for those who were doing similar music a few years earlier.
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The sound is cold and dark...Numan's voice is completely emotionless. The album does sound dated but I happen to like all those old analog synth sounds. Jess Lidyard's drum playing is as about as no frills as it gets but it works.
Some of my personal favorites are Down In The Park - Numan at his dark and gloomy best. I've seen him perform this live and for me it's always the highlight of the show.
Are 'Friends' Electric?, Praying To The Aliens, Me! I Disconnect From You, and I Nearly Married A Human - an almost laughable title but an ambient masterpiece.
I always felt that It Must Have Been Years sounded out of place on the album but it still sounds good. It features some impressive guitar work including a solo that would make any metalhead's ears perk up.
My least favorites are still good on Replicas. If you want to hear some very well done classic electronica check out this cd.

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Numans' second full length album, still under the name of "Tubeway Army" was part accident. Prior to his debut release in 1978, Gary Numan had never worked with synthesiszers and had really no intention to until someone from a previous band left on in the recording studio. Even more of luck was it was set on a sound that when he first hit a key it was what he called a "Eureka" moment. Even the No 1. track "Are 'Friends' Electric?" was 2 unfinished songs stitched together and a wrong note kept in for extra measure. Also for being just over 5 minutes long made it the most unlikely candidate to storm the charts.

What transpired was at the time a dark, moody sound that accompanied a bit of a disjointed concept album whose subject matter was set in a disturbing futuristic world, of cyborgs,( Years before the terminator film debued ) human atrocity, and rebelious "Crazies". Some say the album still sounds fresh, and in a way it does, but time has left it's mark on this calssic, and justifiably so. I woudn't change one sound on it.

Another brilliant track is "Down in the Park". The title alone doesn't suggest anything slightly abrasive, but the track is about humans that are law breakers and sent into a park where machines would hunt them down... Both the Foo Fighters and Marylon Manson did covers of the track, however I find the Foo's version much better. Subject matter aside, it's an incredible piece of music and for all those sci - fi fans out there, this is a must have in your collection. More importantly however are music fans.

This disc is a reissue and comes packed with bonus tracks that were b-sides, and unreleased studio out takes that just add to it.

Replicas ranks up there with Pink Floyds "The Wall", Genesis's "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" and Bowies "Alladin Sane"