From: dlangs%sunstroke@sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford)
Subject: REVIEW: Gary Numan - The Other Side of...
Organization: The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 06:44:54 GMT
Followup-To: rec.music.misc







Gary Numan - The Other Side of.....Gary Numan       RRCD170 (UK)


1.  I Can't Stop            5.45        SC       B=Berserker
2.  Tricks                  5.38        F        F=The Fury
3.  Miracles                3.34        F        SC=Strange Charm
4.  The Sleeproom           5.16        SC       MS=Machine + Soul
5.  Machine And Soul        5.56        MS
6.  Rumour                  2.45        b-side
7.  The Skin Game           6.18        MS
8.  A Child With The Ghost  4.04        B
9.  This Disease            4.02        F
10. The Need                7.04        SC
11. I Still Remember        4.01        F
12. Strange Charm           5.00        SC
13. The Hunter              6.45        B
14. Empty Bed, Empty Heart  3.06        b-side

Total                      69.51

Back in the early Summer I reviewed a compilation of some of Gary's NUMA
label work.  Here is another compilation that will be welcome for those
who liked the _Isolate_ release.

Gary's fans have been well serviced this year with CD releases.  1992 saw
the restricted release of Berserker on CD, the compilation Isolate, a new
album Machine and Soul, the live 2CD set of Ghost, a single CD Beggars
Banquet years retrospective, 3 CD singles and now this new compilation.
Unfortunately none of these are released outside the UK so it's import
stores where these will be found for those outside the UK.

Early in the year Gary's label said it would release two compilations :
Isolate and Isolate II. It would appear that vol. II has been scrapped ad
this release has taken its place.  My reasoning: this is all NUMA material from 
1984 on; it contains tracks from Berserker, The Fury, Strange Charm and 
Machine and Soul; there is *NO* overlap with Isolate, and there are two 
new-to-CD tracks (6 and 14, b-sides to the Radio Heart single "London Times" 
and "Berserker" respectively). 

The disc is put out by Receiver Records (the first time any NUMA material 
has been licensed out). I think this is a very shrewd move by NUMA as
they get guaranteed benefit of royalties without taking the risks of a flop.  
The CD is a near perfect compliment to Isolate.  Having both CDs gives
you the majority of the tracks on the deleted Strange Charm and The Fury CDs.
For those owning these discs there are a couple of b-sides to entrap the 
fan. Yes, very shrewd indeed.  And this still leaves NUMA the ability to put
out a comprehensive NUMA b-sides collection to milk the fans even more.


First, the artwork (barf, hughie!) is awful.  The whole thing is a disgusting 
purple colour.  I ordinarily like purple but this is not a likeble one at all.
Fortunately the disc makes up for it. Nearly 70  mins for a mid-price UK disc 
is not bad value.  Indeed, the mix of tracks is far more listenable than 
the Strange Charm or Fury albums on their own. These I can find annoying with
minor exposure.   Tracks selection is good given the limitations of non-Isolate 
tracks although I could live without 'The Need' and tire easily of 'I Can't 
Stop'

The material represents Gary's continuing phase with programmed drums and
wailing female backing vox. It was OK on Berserker, less noticeable than
on the other albums, but The Fury brought these components upfront to the
point of exasperation. Still the selection of tracks here is varied and presents
the more diverse tracks from the albums. The Fury tracks (Tricks, Miracles,
This Disease (misnamed as The Disease), and I Still Remember) are all good
tracks of varied tempo.  I Can't Stop and The Need are rather similar tracks
and almost equally annoying but the appearance of The Sleeproom and Strange 
Charm, also from the Strange Charm album balance it out.  One can always 
program out a few tracks and still have a reasonably long CD to listen to.
The Berserker tracks are not the best.  This is New Love would have been a 
better choice than The Hunter which is here in its extended form.  
The two most recent singles from MAchine and Soul are also here so you can
see where he has gone since the brief period with IRS.

The only two new-to-CD tracks, the b-sides, are not great, but it is always
nice to get some older Numan on CD for the first time.  Shame these tracks
are so short.  

Whether you want to get this depends on what you have already.  As I stated
before it is a great compliment to Isolate.  Still, Numa do have plans 
to rerelease Strange Charm and The Fury on CD which will cover a lot
of this CD.  It's not essential to the regular buyer, but is a nice
addition giving a pleasant mix of a selection of his NUMA material.
Like Isolate this is a lot different from Cars and Are 'Friends' Electric?
so I'd recommend caution to the uninititated.


Ratings: 6/10

Numanews - the Gary Numan Digest is up and running.  To subscribe email
numan-request@cs.uwp.edu  for developements and news on Gary's career
and music. 

Derek
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Derek H. Langsford                                            Dept. of Biology 
dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu                           San Diego State University 
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