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Gary NumanSynth-pop artist
Date of Birth: 08.03.1958
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Gary Numan
Gary Numan is a British rock musician, singer, and songwriter who is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of synth-pop, a genre that has had a significant influence on contemporary music. In America, he gained fame with his hit song "Cars," which became a defining single of the new wave movement. This best-selling track helped popularize the era of synth-pop both in America and in England, where Numan was a true pop star and a constant hitmaker in the early 80s.
Even after the end of the new wave era, Numan's influence continued to be felt in music: his dark, paranoid vision, theatrical cold alien image, and mechanical-electronic sound greatly influenced many gothic rock and industrial style musicians who emerged later. In the mid-90s to the early millennium, his name was once again on everyone's lips. Well-known alternative musicians performed cover versions of his songs at concerts, and industrial goth bands looked up to him as their teacher.
Early Years and Musical Beginnings
As a shy boy who music helped break out of his shell, Gary Newman started playing the guitar at a young age and participated in several projects. Inspired by the raw energy of the punk movement, in 1976, Gary Webb joined a punk band called Lasers. The following year, he and bassist Paul Gardiner left Lasers to form a new band called Tubeway Army with drummer Bob Simmonds. In this band, the musicians took on futuristic stage pseudonyms: Valerian, Scarlett, and Raël. Their main interest became synthesizers, and they recorded several electronic singles. Embracing this direction, Gary Webb took on the stage name Gary Numan and replaced Simmonds with Jess Lidyard (who happened to be his uncle) to achieve the desired cold sound.
In early 1978, Tubeway Army recorded several demo tracks for the Beggars Banquet label, which blended punk rock with Kraftwerk-style electronics. These recordings were later released as the album "The Plan." In the summer of the same year, Numan performed in commercial jingles for jeans commercials, and in November, the debut album of the band, titled "Tubeway Army," was released. The album, written under strong influences from Kraftwerk and David Bowie's Berlin recordings with Brian Eno, also showcased Numan's fascination with electronic, experimental glam rock (Roxy Music, Ultravox) and Krautrock (Can), as well as the works of science fiction writer Philip K. Dick.
Rise to Fame
The second album by Tubeway Army, "Replicas," was released in early 1979. The single from the album, "Are 'Friends' Electric?," became a hit and topped the UK charts, making "Replicas" the band's first album to do so. The album also included the track "Down in the Park," which was frequently performed by gothic rock musicians. Despite criticism of the dominance of synthesizers in his music, Numan quickly became a star. Instead of Tubeway Army, Gary formed a new backing band that included Gardiner. At the end of 1979, his most successful album, "The Pleasure Principle," was released. The album featured the hit song "Cars," which became an international success, reaching the top 10 in America and topping the UK charts. The album itself once again reached number one in the UK. Numan organized an elaborate futuristic show and embarked on a tour, which, however, turned out to be commercially unsuccessful.
In late 1980, his third full-length album, "Telekon," was released, immediately topping the UK charts. The hits "We Are Glass" and "I Die: You Die" both reached the top 5 in the UK, and soon after, "This Wreckage" reached the top 20. In 1981, Numan announced that he was tired of live performances and played a few farewell concerts before releasing "Dance" in the same year. The album and the lead track "She's Got Claws" both reached the top 5 in the UK. Around the same time, Numan was arrested in India on suspicion of espionage and smuggling while attempting to circumnavigate the globe, although the charges were later dropped. His absence from the stage was short-lived, and by the time "I, Assassin" (1982) was released, Numan's popularity had been significantly shaken, partly due to the scandal but mainly because the charts were flooded with synth-pop performers, many of whom drew inspiration from Numan's work in the genre. Although "I, Assassin" still reached the top 10 in the album charts, and the single "We Take Mystery (To Bed)" became a hit (#9 in the UK), Numan's subsequent works struggled to climb the charts. The title track from the album "Warriors" (1983) barely made it into the UK top 20 (#20 UK).
Later Career
From this point, Numan's paths diverged from the Beggars Banquet label, prompting him to create his own label, Numa. In late 1984, he released "Berserker" under this label. The album was recorded without Numan's friend Paul Gardiner, who had passed away the year before from a drug overdose, and featured one top 20 hit. "The Fury" (1985) became his last album to reach the top 20. Over the next few years, Numan occasionally collaborated with Bill Sharpe from the pop-jazz band Shakatak, with whom he recorded four singles between 1985 and 1989. Following the unsuccessful "Strange Charm" (1986), Numan moved to the IRS label, but their relationship was troubled from the start. The label forced him to change the album title from "Metal Rhythm" to "New Anger" in 1988 and remix several tracks from it. The album became Numan's first North American release since 1981. IRS later refused to release his soundtrack for the film "The Unborn" and did not organize tours to support "New Anger" and the subsequent release "Outland" (1991). After the end of his contract, Numan returned to Numa and released "Machine + Soul" (1992). In 1994, he released "Sacrifice," an almost industrial album that marked his gradual return to favor with critics and the underground scene. Over the following years, cult bands such as Hole, the Foo Fighters, and Smashing Pumpkins frequently performed Numan's songs at their concerts, and Marilyn Manson released a cover of "Down in the Park" as a single along with his hit "Lunchbox." Furthermore, Nine Inch Nails named Numan as their inspiration. With a revitalized fanbase and renewed hopes, Numan released the gothic industrial-metal album "Exile" in 1997. Although well-received, the album only partially showcased his adaptation to new musical trends. This was accomplished by his album "Pure," which was regarded as his best work in years and expanded his cult following into new territory.
Discography:
- 1978 Tubeway Army (Beggars)
- 1979 Replicas (Beggars)
- 1979 The Pleasure Principle (Beggars)
- 1980 Telekon (Beggars)
- 1981 Dance (Beggars)
- 1982 I, Assassin (Beggars)
- 1983 Warriors (Arista)
- 1984 Berserker (Cleopatra)
- 1985 The Fury (Numa)
- 1985 White Noise [live] (Cleopatra)
- 1986 Strange Charm (Big Eye)
- 1988 Metal Rhythm [Bonus Tracks] (EMI)
- 1988 Exhibition Tour 1987: Ghost [live] (Cleopatra)
- 1989 New Anger [CD Single] (Capitol)
- 1989 Automatic (Polydor)
- 1991 Outland (Capitol)
- 1992 Machine + Soul (Numa)
- 1994 The Radial Pair (Salvation)
- 1994 Sacrifice (NUMA)
- 1995 Live Dark Light (Big Eye)
- 1995 Dream Corrosion [live] (Eagle)
- 1995 Human (Numa)
- 1998 Exile (Cleopatra)
- 1998 Black Heart (Culture Press)
- 1998 Living Ornaments '81 (Beggars)
- 2000 Pure (Cleopatra)
