Name: Tubeway Army
Brand: Gary Numan

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

bbl4cd

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "bbl4cd"}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Discs

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2008-12-15

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

PIAS

Tax rate GB

UPC / Barcode

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Gary Numan

Genre GB

New Wave / Post Punk

Label GB

remastered reissue of 1978 album with expanded artwork and 13 bonustracks. the classic self-titled debut by gary numan's tubeway army was finally reissued by beggars banquet, who have done a masterful job remastering the tracks and adding a live set from 1978 as a bonus. in the past, many have felt that numan's debut disc didn't measure up to his later triumphs (1979's replicas, 1980's telekon, etc.), but listening to it today, you discover that it's the most underrated of all his early albums. gary numan didn't completely invent the idea of synth-pop but he was definitely a major player in synth-pop and new wave and became amazingly influential. those familiar with gary's later work might be very slightly surprised by the content of this debut work - it's not dominated by synthesiser as you might expect, and the whole album sounds more like a robotic punk album than anything electro-pop. the groups controlled, uncomplicated nature seemed at the time to be making a statement, both against the unfocused fury of the punk movement and also the long-established prog-rock scene, by now getting so lost up it's own arse that it was rapidly losing the massive fanbase it'd painstakingly built up over the 70s. songs like 'my shadow in vain' and opening track 'listen to the sirens' were punk in the respect that they made short, succint statements about the world around them. it was during the recording of this album, gary numan first came across the tool that would catapult him to the head of the fame race and enable him, with two fingers, to create 'are friends electric' that would attack the charts with venom, and hold on to top prize for a few good weeks. and it was all just around the corner from this recording. all in all this is a much better album than many might imagine and therefore a must for all numan fans.

Tubeway Army

Music GB