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Born Gary Webb on 8th March 1958, Singer/ Keyboardist Gary Numan Signed to Beggars Banquet Records in 1978.
His First Album Was Released That Year and Named After the Three-man Tubeway Army He Led: the Other Musicians Involved Were Paul Gardiner (Bass) and Jess Lidyard (Drums). At This Stage, He Was Noticeably Influenced by the Then-current Punk Movement, as Can Be Heard in the Track My Shadow in Vain'.
Replicas, Released In1979, Yielded the Single 'down in the Park' Which Had Moderate Success. But It Was the Follow-up Are "Friends" Electric?' That Was to Signal Numan's Meteoric Rise to Fame and Fortune. It Reached Number 1 in the Uk Charts in October 1979 and the Album Hit the Top in Its Wake.
Critics Saw His Electronic Music as a Passing Fad, and Predicted a Rapid Fall. But a Sellout British Tour, Along With the Success of the Next Two Singles 'cars' (Another Chart-topper) and the Slower, Moodier 'complex'- Proved Them Wrong. Both Were Taken From 1979's 'the Pleasure Principle, His Second Number 1 Album and the First to Be Credited to Him Alone.
Numan Was Now at the Head of the Synthesiser Revolution, and in the Middle of What He's Since Called the "Machine Music" Stage of His Career.
In Early 1980, Numan Took His Music on Tour to the Rest of the World, Working His Way From the Us to Europe and the Far East. On His Return, He Released the Telekon Album, Which Brought Up a Hat-trick of Uk Chart-toppers. First Copies Included a Limited Edition Single, Recorded on the Previous Year's Tour. The Cover of the Drifters' 'on Broadway is One of the Very Few Songs Numan Has
Recorded but Not Written and Its Inclusion Here is a Bonus for Any Collector In 1981, Numan Decided to Move on With His Music, With the Release of the Single 'she's Got Claws and the Album'dance, He Achieved a Uniquely Different Style to Silence the Critics, He Hadn't Left Synthesisers Behind, but Added More Conventional Instruments Such as Bass Guitar and Saxophone.
His Continuing Musical Development Can Be Traced Through Tracks Like 'music for Chameleons' From 1982's 'i Assasin' and Others From the Following Year's 'warriors'.
His Contract With Beggar's Banquet Concluded, Numan Set Up His Own Numa Label. His Career Continued Apace, Including Collaborations With Bill Sharpe From Shakatak, Producing New Bands and Indulging a Much-publicised Passion for Flying.
With His Lavish and Spectacular Stage Shows. Ever-changing Image and Distinctive Musical Style, Gary Numan Will Be a Name Forever Linked With the Eighties, as He Prepares to Tackle the Nineties, This is a Fine Summary of His Early Career.
Philip J. Williams
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