Gary Numan - The Complete John Peel Sessions

Electroid sessions with some pre-fame shine

Gary Numan, the Tom Jones of electronic synth pop, scored monster hits early on in his career before entering a fallow period that lasted until a new generation came along and sampled and cited him to death, reinvigorating his own creative muse.

Numan’s first Peel session was recorded before Tubeway Army’s Replicas album was released in 1979 and Are Friends Electric stormed to No 1. Me I Disconnect From You is rough and ready to beguile with his pioneering guitar riff textures offset by compelling synth melodies. Down In The Park and I Nearly Married A Human are synth-inch perfect.

By the time of his second Peel session, Numan was laying down monster tracks that won him as much acclaim and as loyal an audience as David Bowie. The version of Cars here was recorded before the single was released, although every nuance of that monster hit is present. The other tracks from the session are fine, without being compelling. The Peel sessions essentially end there, as the remaining nine tracks are a live performance from the lead-inthe- pencil-again Pure (2000) album period, although Cars and Down In The Park are aired, and still sound great.

Cooking Vinyl | cat no tbc

Reviewed by Ian Shirley
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