Gary Numan | Download Music, Tour Dates & Video | eMusic Biography All Music Guide All Music Guide: One of the founding fathers of synth pop, Gary Numan's influence extends far beyond his lone American hit, "Cars," which still stands as one of the defining new wave singles. That seminal track helped usher in the synth pop era on both sides of the Atlantic, especially his native U.K., where he was a genuine pop star and consistent hitmaker during the early '80s. Even after new wave had petered out, Numan's impact continued to make itself felt; his dark, paranoid vision, theatrically icy alien persona, and clinical, robotic sound were echoed strongly in the work of many goth rock and (especially) industrial artists to come. For his part, Numan just kept on recording, and by the late '90s he'd become a hip name to drop; prominent alt-rock bands covered his hits in concert, and a goth-flavored brand of industrial dance christened darkwave looked to him as its mentor. Numan was born Gary Anthony James Webb on March 8, 1958, in the West London section of Hammersmith.

A shy child, music brought him out of his shell; he began playing guitar in his early teens and played in several short-lived bands. Inspired by the amateurism of the punk movement, he joined a punk group called the Lasers in 1976. The following year, he and bassist Paul Gardiner split off to form a new group, dubbed Tubeway Army, with drummer Bob Simmonds; they recorded a couple of singles under futuristic pseudonyms (Valerium [or Valerian], Scarlett, and Rael, respectively) that attempted to match their new interest in synthesizers. Scrapping that idea, Webb rechristened himself Gary Numan and replaced Simmonds with his uncle Jess Lidyard. Thus constituted, Tubeway Army cut a set of punk-meets-Kraftwerk demos for Beggars Banquet in early 1978, which were released several years later as The Plan. That summer, Numan sang a TV commercial jingle for jeans, and toward the end of the year the group's debut album, Tubeway Army, appeared.

Chiefly influenced by Kraftwerk and David Bowie's Berlin-era collaborations with Brian Eno, the album also displayed Numan's fascination with the electronic, experimental side of glam (Roxy Music, Ultravox) and Krautrock (Can), as well as science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. The group's second album, Replicas, credited to Gary Numan & Tubeway Army, was released in early 1979. Its accompanying single, "Are 'Friends' Electric?," was a left-field smash, topping the U.K. charts and sending Replicas to number one on the album listings as well. (The record also included "Down in the Park," an oft-covered song that stands as one of Numan's most gothic outings.) Numan had become a star overnight, despite critical distaste for any music so heavily reliant on synthesizers, and he formed a larger backing band that replaced Tubeway Army, keeping Gardiner on bass. The Pleasure Principle was released in the fall of 1979 and spawned Numan's international hit "Cars," which reached the American Top Ten and hit number one in the U.K.; the album also became Numan's second straight British number one.

He put together a hugely elaborate, futuristic stage show and went on a money-losing tour, and also began to indulge his hobby as an amateur pilot with his newfound wealth. Numan returned in the fall of 1980 with Telekon, his third straight chart-topping album in Britain, and scored two Top Five hits with "We Are Glass" and "I Die: You Die"; "This Wreckage" later reached the Top 20. In 1981, Numan announced his retirement from live performance, playing several farewell concerts just prior to the release of Dance. While Dance and its lead single, "She's Got Claws," were both climbing into the British Top Five, Numan attempted to fly around the world, but in a bizarre twist was arrested in India on suspicion of spying and smuggling. The charges were dropped, although authorities confiscated his plane. His retirement proved short-lived, but when he returned in 1982 with I, Assassin, some of his popularity had dissipated -- perhaps because of the retirement announcement, perhaps because the charts were overflowing with synth pop, much of which was already expanding on Numan's early innovations (which were starting to sound repetitive).

I, Assassin was another Top Ten album, and "We Take Mystery (To Bed)" another hit, but in general Numan's singles were starting to slip on the charts; the title track of 1983's Warriors became his last British Top Ten hit. Numan and Beggars Banquet subsequently parted ways, and Numan formed his own Numa label, kicking things off with Berserker in late 1984. (Sadly, longtime collaborator Paul Gardiner died earlier that year from a drug overdose.) Released in 1985, The Fury became the final Numan album to reach the British Top 20. Over the next few years, Numan collaborated occasionally with Shakatak's Bill Sharpe, releasing four singles from 1985-1989. Following 1986's Strange Charm, Numan signed with IRS, but the relationship was fraught with discord from the start.

IRS forced Numan to change the title of 1988's Metal Rhythm to New Anger for his first North American release since 1981 (and also remixed several tracks), refused to release his soundtrack for the film The Unborn, and would not fund any supporting tours for New Anger or 1991's Outland. When his contract expired, Numan returned to Numa for 1992's Machine + Soul. The industrial-tinged Sacrifice, the first glimmering of Numan's return to critical favor and underground hipness, was released in 1994. Over the next few years, bands like Hole, the Foo Fighters, and Smashing Pumpkins covered Numan songs in concert, and Marilyn Manson recorded "Down in the Park" for the B-side of the "Lunchbox" single; moreover, Nine Inch Nails cited Numan as an important influence. With his fan base refreshed and expectations raised, Numan delved deeper into gothic, metal-tinged industrial dance on 1997's Exile.

However, he didn't truly hit his stride in this newly adopted style until 2000's Pure, which was acclaimed as his best work in years and expanded his cult following into new territory. Into the new millennium, a number of Gary Numan compilations hit the shelves, as well as 2003's Hybrid, which found him reworking and modernizing his earlier pop hits. Jagged was released in 2005, and incorporated more of an industrial goth sound. The album was co-produced and co-written with Ade Fenton, who returned for the 2011 follow-up Dead Son Rising. That same year he appeared on Gloss Drop from post-rock group Battles, lending his vocals to the album's "My Machines" single. In 2013 he released his 20th studio album, Splinter (Songs from a Broken Mind). Gary Numan’s Biography — Free listening, videos, concerts, stats and photos at Last.fm Listeners Biography Gary Numan (born Gary Anthony James Webb on 8 March 1958) is an influential English singer, composer, and musician. Most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits " Are 'Friends' Electric?

" (when in Tubeway Army ) and " Cars ", Numan achieved his peak of mainstream popularity in the late 70s and early 80s but maintains a loyal cult following. Numan, whose signature sound consists of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals, is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music. Both Numan's music and his transgressive public image are known for his sense of alien coldness and embrace of avant-garde influences. Becoming of the founding fathers of electronic -based pop music, Numan's reach extends far beyond his lone American hit, “ Cars ,” which still stands as one of the defining new wave singles. That seminal track helped usher in the synthpop era on both sides of the Atlantic, especially his native England, where he was a genuine pop star and consistent hit-maker during the early 80s . Even after new wave had mostly petered out, Numan’s influence continued to make itself felt. His dark, paranoid vision, theatrically icy persona, and clinical, robotic sound were echoed strongly in the work of many goth rock and (especially) industrial artists during the past several decades.

For his part, Numan just kept on recording, and, by the late 90s , he’d become a hip name to drop. Prominent alternative rock bands have covered his hits, with Numan himself playing live with Nine Inch Nails briefly to much acclaim, and a goth -flavored brand of industrial -type music christened darkwave looks to him as its mentor. Numan was born Gary Anthony James Webb on March 8, 1958, in Hammersmith, West London, U.K. A shy child, music brought him out of his shell; he began playing guitar in his early teens and played in several short-lived bands. Inspired by the amateurism of the punk movement, he joined a punk rock group called " The Lasers " in 1976. The following year, he and bassist Paul Gardiner split off to form a new group, dubbed " Tubeway Army ", with drummer Bob Simmonds . They recorded a couple of singles under futuristic pseudonyms (Valerium , Scarlett, and Rael, respectively) that attempted to match their new interest in synthesizers.

Scrapping that idea, Webb rechristened himself Gary Numan and replaced Simmonds with his uncle Jess Lidyard . Thus constituted, "Tubeway Army" cut a set of "punk-meets-Kraftwerk" demos for Beggars Banquet in early 1978. That work ended up being released several years later as ' The Plan '. That summer, Numan sang a TV commercial jingle for jeans, and toward the end of the year the group’s debut album, ' Tubeway Army ', appeared. Chiefly influenced by Kraftwerk and David Bowie ’s Berlin-era collaborations with Brian Eno , the album also displayed Numan’s fascination with the electronic, experimental side of glam rock (such as in some works by Roxy Music and Ultravox ) and Krautrock (such as in some works by Can ). He also drew much influence from transgressive science fiction writers such as Philip K. Dick , people who challenged conventional thinking through exploring the affects of new technology. The group’s second album, ' Replicas ', was released in early 1979. Its accompanying single, “ Are ‘Friends’ Electric?

", was a left-field smash, topping the UK charts and sending 'Replicas' to number one on the album listings as well. The record also included “ Down in the Park ", an oft-covered song that stands as one of Numan’s most 'gothic' outings. Numan had become a star overnight, despite critical distaste for any music so heavily reliant on synthesizers, and he formed a larger backing band that replaced "Tubeway Army", keeping Gardiner on bass. " The Pleasure Principle " was released in the fall of 1979 and spawned Numan’s international hit “ Cars ”, which reached the American Top Ten and hit number one in the UK; the album also became Numan’s second straight British number one. He put together a hugely elaborate, futuristic stage show and went on a money-losing tour, and also began to indulge his hobby as an amateur pilot with his newfound wealth. Numan returned in the fall of 1980 with " Telekon ", his third straight chart-topping album in Britain, and scored two Top Ten hits with “ We Are Glass ” and “ I Die: You Die ”; “ This Wreckage ” later reached the Top 20.

In 1981, Numan announced his retirement from live performance, playing several farewell concerts just prior to the release of " Dance ". While "Dance" and its lead single, “ She’s Got Claws ”, were both climbing into the British Top Ten, Numan attempted to fly around the world, but in a bizarre twist was arrested in India on suspicion of spying and smuggling. The charges were dropped, although authorities confiscated his plane. His retirement proved short-lived, but when he returned in 1982 with " I, Assassin ", some of his popularity had dissipated - perhaps because of the retirement announcement, perhaps because the charts were overflowing with synthpop, much of which was already expanding on Numan’s early innovations (which were starting to sound repetitive). "I, Assassin" was another Top Ten album, and “ We Take Mystery (To Bed) ” another major hit, but in general Numan’s singles were starting to slip on the charts; the title track of 1983’s " Warriors " became his last British Top Twenty hit (excluding reissues and collaborations).

Numan and Beggars Banquet subsequently parted ways, and Numan formed his own Numa label, kicking things off with " Berserker " in late 1984. Sadly, longtime collaborator "Paul Gardiner" died earlier that year from a drug overdose. 1985’s " The Fury " became the final Numan album to reach the British Top 30. Over the next few years, Numan collaborated occasionally with " Shakatak ’s" Bill Sharpe , releasing four singles and one album from 1985-1989. Following 1986’s " Strange Charm ", Numan signed with IRS, but the relationship was fraught with discord from the start. IRS forced Numan to change the title of 1988’s " Metal Rhythm " to " New Anger " for his first North American release since 1981 (and also remixed several tracks), refused to release his soundtrack for the film "The Unborn", and would not fund any supporting tours for "New Anger" or 1991’s " Outland ". When his contract expired, Numan returned to Numa for 1992’s " Machine + Soul ".

1994 brought the release of the industrial-tinged " Sacrifice ", the first glimmering of Numan’s return to critical favor and underground hipness. Over the next few years, bands like " Hole ", " The Foo Fighters ", and " Smashing Pumpkins " covered Numan songs in concert, and Marilyn Manson recorded “ Down in the Park ” for the B-side of the “ Lunchbox ” single; moreover, " Nine Inch Nails " cited Numan as an important influence. With his fan base refreshed and expectations raised, Numan delved deeper into gothic, metal-tinged industrial dance on 1997’s " Exile ". However, he didn’t truly hit his stride in this newly adopted style until 2000’s " Pure ", which was acclaimed as his best work in years and expanded his cult following into new territory. In 2003, Numan enjoyed fleeting chart success once again with the "Gary Numan vs Rico " single “ Crazier ”, reaching No.13 in the U.K. chart.

Rico, who is an up and coming artist from Glasgow, also worked on the remix album " Hybrid " which featured reworkings of older songs in a more contemporary industrial style. In 2004 Numan took control of his own business affairs again, launching the label Mortal Records and releasing a series of live DVDs as a precursor to his highly anticipated new studio album, " Jagged " which was released on 13 March 2006. An album launch gig took place at "The Forum, London" on 18 March 2006. Numan announced a UK tour commencing in April 2006 and plans to tour other countries, including the USA, during the year in support of the release. Numan also to launched a "Jagged" website to showcase the new album. Numan contributed vocals to four tracks on the April 2007 release of Ade Fenton ’s debut solo album " Artificial Perfect " on his new industrial/electronic label Submission, including songs “ The Leather Sea ”, “ Slide Away ”, “ Recall ” and the first single to be taken from the album, “ Healing ”.

The second single to be released in the UK was “ The Leather Sea ” on July 30, 2007. In 2008, he released a double CD remix album " Jagged Edge ", based around 2006’s critically acclaimed "Jagged", co-produced with Ade Fenton. The pair are currently in the studio working on Numan’s 18th studio album " Splinter ", due for release in 2009. While Numan is known for his electronic music innovations, he prefers real instruments. He explained in an interview with Songfacts : "I didn't go the technology route wholeheartedly, the way Kraftwerk had done. I considered it to be a layer. I added to what we already had, and I wanted to merge that. There's plenty of things about guitar players, and bass players, and songs I really love that I didn't particularly want to get rid of. The only time I did get rid of guitars was on Pleasure Principle, and that was in fact a reaction to the press. I got a huge amount of hostility from the British press, particularly, when I first became successful. And Pleasure Principle was the first album I made after that success happened.

I became successful in the early part of '79 and Pleasure Principle came out in the end of '79, in the UK, anyway. And there was a lot of talk about electronic music being cold and weak and all that sort of stuff. So I made Pleasure Principle to try to prove a point, that you could make a contemporary album that didn't have guitar in it, but still had enough power and would stand up well. That's the only reason that album didn't have guitar in it. But apart from that one album they've all had guitars - that was the blueprint." The official website can be found here: Gary Numan | Biography & History | AllMusic google+ Artist Biography by Steve Huey One of the founding fathers of synth pop, Gary Numan 's influence extends far beyond his lone American hit, "Cars," which still stands as one of the defining new wave singles. That seminal track helped usher in the synth pop era on both sides of the Atlantic, especially his native U.K., where he was a genuine pop star and consistent hitmaker during the early '80s.

Even after new wave had petered out, Numan 's impact continued to make itself felt; his dark, paranoid vision, theatrically icy alien persona, and clinical, robotic sound were echoed strongly in the work of many goth rock and (especially) industrial artists to come. For his part, Numan just kept on recording, and by the late '90s he'd become a hip name to drop; prominent alt-rock bands covered his hits in concert, and a goth-flavored brand of industrial dance christened darkwave looked to him as its mentor. Numan was born Gary Anthony James Webb on March 8, 1958, in the West London section of Hammersmith. A shy child, music brought him out of his shell; he began playing guitar in his early teens and played in several short-lived bands. Inspired by the amateurism of the punk movement, he joined a punk group called the Lasers in 1976.

The following year, he and bassist Paul Gardiner split off to form a new group, dubbed Tubeway Army , with drummer Bob Simmonds ; they recorded a couple of singles under futuristic pseudonyms ( Valerium [or Valerian ], Scarlett , and Rael , respectively) that attempted to match their new interest in synthesizers. Scrapping that idea, Webb rechristened himself Gary Numan and replaced Simmonds with his uncle Jess Lidyard . Thus constituted, Tubeway Army cut a set of punk-meets- Kraftwerk demos for Beggars Banquet in early 1978, which were released several years later as The Plan . That summer, Numan sang a TV commercial jingle for jeans, and toward the end of the year the group's debut album, Tubeway Army , appeared. Chiefly influenced by Kraftwerk and David Bowie 's Berlin-era collaborations with Brian Eno , the album also displayed Numan 's fascination with the electronic, experimental side of glam ( Roxy Music , Ultravox ) and Krautrock ( Can ), as well as science fiction writer Philip K. Dick .

The group's second album, Replicas , credited to Gary Numan & Tubeway Army , was released in early 1979. Its accompanying single, "Are 'Friends' Electric?," was a left-field smash, topping the U.K. charts and sending Replicas to number one on the album listings as well. (The record also included "Down in the Park," an oft-covered song that stands as one of Numan 's most gothic outings.) Numan had become a star overnight, despite critical distaste for any music so heavily reliant on synthesizers, and he formed a larger backing band that replaced Tubeway Army , keeping Gardiner on bass. The Pleasure Principle was released in the fall of 1979 and spawned Numan 's international hit "Cars," which reached the American Top Ten and hit number one in the U.K.; the album also became Numan 's second straight British number one. He put together a hugely elaborate, futuristic stage show and went on a money-losing tour, and also began to indulge his hobby as an amateur pilot with his newfound wealth.

Numan returned in the fall of 1980 with Telekon , his third straight chart-topping album in Britain, and scored two Top Five hits with "We Are Glass" and "I Die: You Die"; "This Wreckage" later reached the Top 20. In 1981, Numan announced his retirement from live performance, playing several farewell concerts just prior to the release of Dance . While Dance and its lead single, "She's Got Claws," were both climbing into the British Top Five, Numan attempted to fly around the world, but in a bizarre twist was arrested in India on suspicion of spying and smuggling. The charges were dropped, although authorities confiscated his plane. His retirement proved short-lived, but when he returned in 1982 with I, Assassin , some of his popularity had dissipated -- perhaps because of the retirement announcement, perhaps because the charts were overflowing with synth pop, much of which was already expanding on Numan 's early innovations (which were starting to sound repetitive).

I, Assassin was another Top Ten album, and "We Take Mystery (To Bed)" another hit, but in general Numan 's singles were starting to slip on the charts; the title track of 1983's Warriors became his last British Top Ten hit. Numan and Beggars Banquet subsequently parted ways, and Numan formed his own Numa label, kicking things off with Berserker in late 1984. (Sadly, longtime collaborator Paul Gardiner died earlier that year from a drug overdose.) Released in 1985, The Fury became the final Numan album to reach the British Top 20. Over the next few years, Numan collaborated occasionally with Shakatak 's Bill Sharpe , releasing four singles from 1985-1989. Following 1986's Strange Charm , Numan signed with IRS, but the relationship was fraught with discord from the start.

IRS forced Numan to change the title of 1988's Metal Rhythm to New Anger for his first North American release since 1981 (and also remixed several tracks), refused to release his soundtrack for the film The Unborn, and would not fund any supporting tours for New Anger or 1991's Outland . When his contract expired, Numan returned to Numa for 1992's Machine + Soul . The industrial-tinged Sacrifice , the first glimmering of Numan 's return to critical favor and underground hipness, was released in 1994. Over the next few years, bands like Hole , the Foo Fighters , and Smashing Pumpkins covered Numan songs in concert, and Marilyn Manson recorded "Down in the Park" for the B-side of the "Lunchbox" single; moreover, Nine Inch Nails cited Numan as an important influence. With his fan base refreshed and expectations raised, Numan delved deeper into gothic, metal-tinged industrial dance on 1997's Exile .

However, he didn't truly hit his stride in this newly adopted style until 2000's Pure , which was acclaimed as his best work in years and expanded his cult following into new territory. Into the new millennium, a number of Gary Numan compilations hit the shelves, as well as 2003's Hybrid , which found him reworking and modernizing his earlier pop hits. Jagged was released in 2005, and incorporated more of an industrial goth sound. The album was co-produced and co-written with Ade Fenton , who returned for the 2011 follow-up Dead Son Rising . That same year he appeared on Gloss Drop from post-rock group Battles , lending his vocals to the album's "My Machines" single. In 2013 he released his 20th studio album, Splinter (Songs from a Broken Mind) . Gary Numan on Apple Music To preview a song, mouse over the title and click Play. Open iTunes to buy and download music. Biography One of the founding fathers of synth pop, Gary Numan's influence extends far beyond his lone American hit, "Cars," which still stands as one of the defining new wave singles.

That seminal track helped usher in the synth pop era on both sides of the Atlantic, especially his native U.K., where he was a genuine pop star and consistent hitmaker during the early '80s. Even after new wave had petered out, Numan's impact continued to make itself felt; his dark, paranoid vision, theatrically icy alien persona, and clinical, robotic sound were echoed strongly in the work of many goth rock and (especially) industrial artists to come. For his part, Numan just kept on recording, and by the late '90s he'd become a hip name to drop; prominent alt-rock bands covered his hits in concert, and a goth-flavored brand of industrial dance christened darkwave looked to him as its mentor. Numan was born Gary Anthony James Webb on March 8, 1958, in the West London section of Hammersmith. A shy child, music brought him out of his shell; he began playing guitar in his early teens and played in several short-lived bands. Inspired by the amateurism of the punk movement, he joined a punk group called the Lasers in 1976.

The following year, he and bassist Paul Gardiner split off to form a new group, dubbed Tubeway Army, with drummer Bob Simmonds; they recorded a couple of singles under futuristic pseudonyms (Valerium [or Valerian], Scarlett, and Rael, respectively) that attempted to match their new interest in synthesizers. Scrapping that idea, Webb rechristened himself Gary Numan and replaced Simmonds with his uncle Jess Lidyard. Thus constituted, Tubeway Army cut a set of punk-meets-Kraftwerk demos for Beggars Banquet in early 1978, which were released several years later as The Plan. That summer, Numan sang a TV commercial jingle for jeans, and toward the end of the year the group's debut album, Tubeway Army, appeared. Chiefly influenced by Kraftwerk and David Bowie's Berlin-era collaborations with Brian Eno, the album also displayed Numan's fascination with the electronic, experimental side of glam (Roxy Music, Ultravox) and Krautrock (Can), as well as science fiction writer Philip K. Dick.

The group's second album, Replicas, credited to Gary Numan & Tubeway Army, was released in early 1979. Its accompanying single, "Are 'Friends' Electric?," was a left-field smash, topping the U.K. charts and sending Replicas to number one on the album listings as well. (The record also included "Down in the Park," an oft-covered song that stands as one of Numan's most gothic outings.) Numan had become a star overnight, despite critical distaste for any music so heavily reliant on synthesizers, and he formed a larger backing band that replaced Tubeway Army, keeping Gardiner on bass. The Pleasure Principle was released in the fall of 1979 and spawned Numan's international hit "Cars," which reached the American Top Ten and hit number one in the U.K.; the album also became Numan's second straight British number one. He put together a hugely elaborate, futuristic stage show and went on a money-losing tour, and also began to indulge his hobby as an amateur pilot with his newfound wealth.

Numan returned in the fall of 1980 with Telekon, his third straight chart-topping album in Britain, and scored two Top Five hits with "We Are Glass" and "I Die: You Die"; "This Wreckage" later reached the Top 20. In 1981, Numan announced his retirement from live performance, playing several farewell concerts just prior to the release of Dance. While Dance and its lead single, "She's Got Claws," were both climbing into the British Top Five, Numan attempted to fly around the world, but in a bizarre twist was arrested in India on suspicion of spying and smuggling. The charges were dropped, although authorities confiscated his plane. His retirement proved short-lived, but when he returned in 1982 with I, Assassin, some of his popularity had dissipated -- perhaps because of the retirement announcement, perhaps because the charts were overflowing with synth pop, much of which was already expanding on Numan's early innovations (which were starting to sound repetitive).

I, Assassin was another Top Ten album, and "We Take Mystery (To Bed)" another hit, but in general Numan's singles were starting to slip on the charts; the title track of 1983's Warriors became his last British Top Ten hit. Numan and Beggars Banquet subsequently parted ways, and Numan formed his own Numa label, kicking things off with Berserker in late 1984. (Sadly, longtime collaborator Paul Gardiner died earlier that year from a drug overdose.) Released in 1985, The Fury became the final Numan album to reach the British Top 20. Over the next few years, Numan collaborated occasionally with Shakatak's Bill Sharpe, releasing four singles from 1985-1989. Following 1986's Strange Charm, Numan signed with IRS, but the relationship was fraught with discord from the start.

IRS forced Numan to change the title of 1988's Metal Rhythm to New Anger for his first North American release since 1981 (and also remixed several tracks), refused to release his soundtrack for the film The Unborn, and would not fund any supporting tours for New Anger or 1991's Outland. When his contract expired, Numan returned to Numa for 1992's Machine + Soul. The industrial-tinged Sacrifice, the first glimmering of Numan's return to critical favor and underground hipness, was released in 1994. Over the next few years, bands like Hole, the Foo Fighters, and Smashing Pumpkins covered Numan songs in concert, and Marilyn Manson recorded "Down in the Park" for the B-side of the "Lunchbox" single; moreover, Nine Inch Nails cited Numan as an important influence. With his fan base refreshed and expectations raised, Numan delved deeper into gothic, metal-tinged industrial dance on 1997's Exile.

However, he didn't truly hit his stride in this newly adopted style until 2000's Pure, which was acclaimed as his best work in years and expanded his cult following into new territory. Into the new millennium, a number of Gary Numan compilations hit the shelves, as well as 2003's Hybrid, which found him reworking and modernizing his earlier pop hits. Jagged was released in 2005, and incorporated more of an industrial goth sound. The album was co-produced and co-written with Ade Fenton, who returned for the 2011 follow-up Dead Son Rising. That same year he appeared on Gloss Drop from post-rock group Battles, lending his vocals to the album's "My Machines" single. In 2013 he released his 20th studio album, Splinter (Songs from a Broken Mind). ~ Steve Huey Top Albums Gary Numan | New Music And Songs | Gary Numan About Gary Numan One of the founding fathers of synth pop, Gary Numan's influence extends far beyond his lone American hit, "Cars," which still stands as one of the defining new wave singles.

That seminal track helped usher in the synth pop era on both sides of the Atlantic, especially his native U.K., where he was a genuine pop star and consistent hitmaker during the early '80s. Even after new wave had petered out, Numan's impact continued to make itself felt; his dark, paranoid vision, theatrically icy alien persona, and clinical, robotic sound were echoed strongly in the work of many goth rock and (especially) industrial artists to come. For his part, Numan just kept on recording, and by the late '90s he'd become a hip name to drop; prominent alt-rock bands covered his hits in concert, and a goth-flavored brand of industrial dance christened darkwave looked to him as its mentor. Numan was born Gary Anthony James Webb on March 8, 1958, in the West London section of Hammersmith. A shy child, music brought him out of his shell; he began playing guitar in his early teens and played in several short-lived bands. Inspired by the amateurism of the punk movement, he joined a punk group called the Lasers in 1976.

The following year, he and bassist Paul Gardiner split off to form a new group, dubbed Tubeway Army, with drummer Bob Simmonds; they recorded a couple of singles under futuristic pseudonyms (Valerium [or Valerian], Scarlett, and Rael, respectively) that attempted to match their new interest in synthesizers. Scrapping that idea, Webb rechristened himself Gary Numan and replaced Simmonds with his uncle Jess Lidyard. Thus constituted, Tubeway Army cut a set of punk-meets-Kraftwerk demos for Beggars Banquet in early 1978, which were released several years later as The Plan. That summer, Numan sang a TV commercial jingle for jeans, and toward the end of the year the group's debut album, Tubeway Army, appeared. Chiefly influenced by Kraftwerk and David Bowie's Berlin-era collaborations with Brian Eno, the album also displayed Numan's fascination with the electronic, experimental side of glam (Roxy Music, Ultravox) and Krautrock (Can), as well as science fiction writer Philip K. Dick.

The group's second album, Replicas, credited to Gary Numan & Tubeway Army, was released in early 1979. Its accompanying single, "Are 'Friends' Electric?," was a left-field smash, topping the U.K. charts and sending Replicas to number one on the album listings as well. (The record also included "Down in the Park," an oft-covered song that stands as one of Numan's most gothic outings.) Numan had become a star overnight, despite critical distaste for any music so heavily reliant on synthesizers, and he formed a larger backing band that replaced Tubeway Army, keeping Gardiner on bass. The Pleasure Principle was released in the fall of 1979 and spawned Numan's international hit "Cars," which reached the American Top Ten and hit number one in the U.K.; the album also became Numan's second straight British number one. He put together a hugely elaborate, futuristic stage show and went on a money-losing tour, and also began to indulge his hobby as an amateur pilot with his newfound wealth.

Numan returned in the fall of 1980 with Telekon, his third straight chart-topping album in Britain, and scored two Top Five hits with "We Are Glass" and "I Die: You Die"; "This Wreckage" later reached the Top 20. In 1981, Numan announced his retirement from live performance, playing several farewell concerts just prior to the release of Dance. While Dance and its lead single, "She's Got Claws," were both climbing into the British Top Five, Numan attempted to fly around the world, but in a bizarre twist was arrested in India on suspicion of spying and smuggling. The charges were dropped, although authorities confiscated his plane. His retirement proved short-lived, but when he returned in 1982 with I, Assassin, some of his popularity had dissipated -- perhaps because of the retirement announcement, perhaps because the charts were overflowing with synth pop, much of which was already expanding on Numan's early innovations (which were starting to sound repetitive).

I, Assassin was another Top Ten album, and "We Take Mystery (To Bed)" another hit, but in general Numan's singles were starting to slip on the charts; the title track of 1983's Warriors became his last British Top Ten hit. Numan and Beggars Banquet subsequently parted ways, and Numan formed his own Numa label, kicking things off with Berserker in late 1984. (Sadly, longtime collaborator Paul Gardiner died earlier that year from a drug overdose.) Released in 1985, The Fury became the final Numan album to reach the British Top 20. Over the next few years, Numan collaborated occasionally with Shakatak's Bill Sharpe, releasing four singles from 1985-1989. Following 1986's Strange Charm, Numan signed with IRS, but the relationship was fraught with discord from the start.

IRS forced Numan to change the title of 1988's Metal Rhythm to New Anger for his first North American release since 1981 (and also remixed several tracks), refused to release his soundtrack for the film The Unborn, and would not fund any supporting tours for New Anger or 1991's Outland. When his contract expired, Numan returned to Numa for 1992's Machine + Soul. The industrial-tinged Sacrifice, the first glimmering of Numan's return to critical favor and underground hipness, was released in 1994. Over the next few years, bands like Hole, the Foo Fighters, and Smashing Pumpkins covered Numan songs in concert, and Marilyn Manson recorded "Down in the Park" for the B-side of the "Lunchbox" single; moreover, Nine Inch Nails cited Numan as an important influence. With his fan base refreshed and expectations raised, Numan delved deeper into gothic, metal-tinged industrial dance on 1997's Exile.

However, he didn't truly hit his stride in this newly adopted style until 2000's Pure, which was acclaimed as his best work in years and expanded his cult following into new territory. Into the new millennium, a number of Gary Numan compilations hit the shelves, as well as 2003's Hybrid, which found him reworking and modernizing his earlier pop hits. Jagged was released in 2005, and incorporated more of an industrial goth sound. The album was co-produced and co-written with Ade Fenton, who returned for the 2011 follow-up Dead Son Rising. That same year he appeared on Gloss Drop from post-rock group Battles, lending his vocals to the album's "My Machines" single. In 2013 he released his 20th studio album, Splinter (Songs from a Broken Mind). ~ Steve Huey, Rovi Gary Numan - Cars - YouTube Gary Numan - Cars Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Uploaded on Dec 2, 2007 Singer-songwriter, musician, producer and pilot. *** LYRICS *** I feel safest of all I can lock all my doors It's the only way to live In cars I can listen to you It keeps me stable for days In cars Where the image breaks down Will you visit me please? If I open my door In cars I know I've started to think About leaving tonight In cars *** Released : August 1979 *** According to Gary Numan, the song's lyrics were inspired by an incident of road rage: "I was in traffic in London once and had a problem with some people in front. They tried to beat me up and get me out of the car. I locked the doors and eventually drove up on the pavement and got away from them. It's kind of to do with that. It explains how you can feel safe inside a car in the modern world... When you're in it, your whole mentality is different... It's like your own little personal empire with four wheels on it". ♥───────── † ──────────♥ Gary Numan (born Gary Anthony James Webb on 8 March 1958) is an English singer, composer, and musician.

He is considered to be one of the pioneers of commercial electronic music and has been described as the "King of synthpop." Gary is widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" (with Tubeway Army) and "Cars". His signature style combines gloomy themes of depersonalisation and alienation accompanied by energetic synthesizer work. Early life. Born in Hammersmith, West London, Gary Webb's father was a British Airways bus driver based at Heathrow Airport. Gary was educated at Town Farm Junior School Stanwell, Ashford County Grammar School, Middlesex, Slough Grammar School and Brooklands Technical College. He had an early ambition to be an airline pilot, but did not gain any academic qualifications; however, he did go on to join the Air Training Corps as a teenager. He then briefly did various jobs including fork lift truck driver, air conditioning ventilator fitter and clerk in an accounts department. A guitar was purchased for him at an early age and he began writing songs when he was about 15 years old. He played in various bands, including Mean Street and The Lasers, before forming Tubeway Army with his uncle, Jess Lidyard, and Paul Gardiner.

His initial pseudonym was "Valerian", probably in reference to the hero in French science fiction comic series Valérian and Laureline Later he picked the name "Numan" from an advert in the "Yellow Pages". Personal life. Gary married a member of his own fan club, Gemma O'Neill. In 2003, after some pregnancy difficulties, the couple had their first child, Raven. In 2005 they had a second daughter, Persia. In 2007 the couple had their third child, Echo. He published his autobiography, Praying to the Aliens, in 1997 (updated edition 1998), in collaboration with Steve Malins (Malins also wrote the liner notes for most of the CD reissues of Numan's albums in the late 1990s, as well as executive producing the Hybrid album in 2003). Gary has recently moved to East Sussex from Essex. Gary is also known for his love of flying, a passion which has featured in some of his music videos ("Warriors", "I Can't Stop"). He has owned several small aircraft.

He is one of a very small handful of flyers with the credentials and qualifications to train aerobatic instructor pilots. Gary guest-starred in "The Power of the Crimp", an episode of the BBC TV series The Mighty Boosh, where a major character, Vince Noir, is a huge Numan fan. Gary recently stated that he likes to go sailing from time to time. Gary was also a member of the Air Training Corps. Numan's brother is also an accomplished pilot. Gary has Asperger syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder which causes restricted social and communication skills. In a 2001 interview, he said: "Polite conversation has never been one of my strong points. Just recently I actually found out that I'd got a mild form of Asperger's syndrome which basically means I have trouble interacting with people. For years, I couldn't understand why people thought I was arrogant, but now it all makes more sense." Gary Numan - Crazier Category Gary Numan — Listen for free on Spotify Gary Numan Play on Spotify One of the founding fathers of synth pop, Gary Numan's influence extends far beyond his lone American hit, "Cars," which still stands as one of the defining new wave singles.

That seminal track helped usher in the synth pop era on both sides of the Atlantic, especially his native U.K., where he was a genuine pop star and consistent hitmaker during the early '80s. Even after new wave had petered out, Numan's impact continued to make itself felt; his dark, paranoid vision, theatrically icy alien persona, and clinical, robotic sound were echoed strongly in the work of many goth rock and (especially) industrial artists to come. For his part, Numan just kept on recording, and by the late '90s he'd become a hip name to drop; prominent alt-rock bands covered his hits in concert, and a goth-flavored brand of industrial dance christened darkwave looked to him as its mentor. Numan was born Gary Anthony James Webb on March 8, 1958, in the West London section of Hammersmith. A shy child, music brought him out of his shell; he began playing guitar in his early teens and played in several short-lived bands. Inspired by the amateurism of the punk movement, he joined a punk group called the Lasers in 1976.

The following year, he and bassist Paul Gardiner split off to form a new group, dubbed Tubeway Army , with drummer Bob Simmonds; they recorded a couple of singles under futuristic pseudonyms (Valerium [or Valerian], Scarlett, and Rael, respectively) that attempted to match their new interest in synthesizers. Scrapping that idea, Webb rechristened himself Gary Numan and replaced Simmonds with his uncle Jess Lidyard. Thus constituted, Tubeway Army cut a set of punk-meets- Kraftwerk demos for Beggars Banquet in early 1978, which were released several years later as The Plan. That summer, Numan sang a TV commercial jingle for jeans, and toward the end of the year the group's debut album, Tubeway Army, appeared. Chiefly influenced by Kraftwerk and David Bowie 's Berlin-era collaborations with Brian Eno , the album also displayed Numan's fascination with the electronic, experimental side of glam ( Roxy Music , Ultravox ) and Krautrock ( Can ), as well as science fiction writer Philip K. Dick .

The group's second album, Replicas, credited to Gary Numan & Tubeway Army, was released in early 1979. Its accompanying single, "Are 'Friends' Electric?," was a left-field smash, topping the U.K. charts and sending Replicas to number one on the album listings as well. (The record also included "Down in the Park," an oft-covered song that stands as one of Numan's most gothic outings.) Numan had become a star overnight, despite critical distaste for any music so heavily reliant on synthesizers, and he formed a larger backing band that replaced Tubeway Army , keeping Gardiner on bass. The Pleasure Principle was released in the fall of 1979 and spawned Numan's international hit "Cars," which reached the American Top Ten and hit number one in the U.K.; the album also became Numan's second straight British number one. He put together a hugely elaborate, futuristic stage show and went on a money-losing tour, and also began to indulge his hobby as an amateur pilot with his newfound wealth.

Numan returned in the fall of 1980 with Telekon, his third straight chart-topping album in Britain, and scored two Top Five hits with "We Are Glass" and "I Die: You Die"; "This Wreckage" later reached the Top 20. In 1981, Numan announced his retirement from live performance, playing several farewell concerts just prior to the release of Dance. While Dance and its lead single, "She's Got Claws," were both climbing into the British Top Five, Numan attempted to fly around the world, but in a bizarre twist was arrested in India on suspicion of spying and smuggling. The charges were dropped, although authorities confiscated his plane. His retirement proved short-lived, but when he returned in 1982 with I, Assassin, some of his popularity had dissipated -- perhaps because of the retirement announcement, perhaps because the charts were overflowing with synth pop, much of which was already expanding on Numan's early innovations (which were starting to sound repetitive).

I, Assassin was another Top Ten album, and "We Take Mystery (To Bed)" another hit, but in general Numan's singles were starting to slip on the charts; the title track of 1983's Warriors became his last British Top Ten hit. Numan and Beggars Banquet subsequently parted ways, and Numan formed his own Numa label, kicking things off with Berserker in late 1984. (Sadly, longtime collaborator Paul Gardiner died earlier that year from a drug overdose.) Released in 1985, The Fury became the final Numan album to reach the British Top 20. Over the next few years, Numan collaborated occasionally with Shakatak 's Bill Sharpe , releasing four singles from 1985-1989. Following 1986's Strange Charm, Numan signed with IRS , but the relationship was fraught with discord from the start.

IRS forced Numan to change the title of 1988's Metal Rhythm to New Anger for his first North American release since 1981 (and also remixed several tracks), refused to release his soundtrack for the film The Unborn, and would not fund any supporting tours for New Anger or 1991's Outland. When his contract expired, Numan returned to Numa for 1992's Machine + Soul. The industrial-tinged Sacrifice, the first glimmering of Numan's return to critical favor and underground hipness, was released in 1994. Over the next few years, bands like Hole , the Foo Fighters , and Smashing Pumpkins covered Numan songs in concert, and Marilyn Manson recorded "Down in the Park" for the B-side of the "Lunchbox" single; moreover, Nine Inch Nails cited Numan as an important influence. With his fan base refreshed and expectations raised, Numan delved deeper into gothic, metal-tinged industrial dance on 1997's Exile.

However, he didn't truly hit his stride in this newly adopted style until 2000's Pure, which was acclaimed as his best work in years and expanded his cult following into new territory. Into the new millennium, a number of Gary Numan compilations hit the shelves, as well as 2003's Hybrid, which found him reworking and modernizing his earlier pop hits. Jagged was released in 2005, and incorporated more of an industrial goth sound. The album was co-produced and co-written with Ade Fenton , who returned for the 2011 follow-up Dead Son Rising. That same year he appeared on Gloss Drop from post-rock group Battles , lending his vocals to the album's "My Machines" single. In 2013 he released his 20th studio album, Splinter (Songs from a Broken Mind).

~ Steve Huey, Rovi Read More Show less World of Gary Numan, musician - Telegraph Music World of Gary Numan, musician Singer Gary Numan talks to Georgia Dehn about his daily routine, flying around the world in his Piper Navajo and the importance of marriage Gary Numan in his studio at home in East Sussex Photo: Harry Watts Follow Gary Numan, 54, was one of the pioneers of electronic New Wave music in the late 1970s and early 80s, best known for the number–one singles Cars and Are 'Friends' Electric?. He has released 21 studio albums, the latest, Dead Son Rising, last September. He lives in East Sussex with his wife, Gemma, their children Raven, eight, Persia, six, Echo Moon, five, an Old English Mastiff, three cats and eight sheep ( numan.co.uk ). Routine I am an early riser, but only because of the children. We are all normally up about 6am, which is far too early. Before kids I could stay up all night, going to gigs, to parties or having mates round, then get up the next day whenever I liked.

Now I get up and make the children's breakfast and their sandwiches for school. I try to be in my studio by 11am, and stay there most of the day. Trying to find a way to be creative at specific times has been the hardest thing about having children, but they are everything to me. I am always back inside the house to put them to bed by 8pm. Cars I bought a bass guitar in the late 1970s because I thought it would help my songwriting, and when I got it home the first thing I played was the main bass line to Cars. I always say it took me 10 minutes to write Cars, but if I am honest it could have been even less than that – and it has been a really successful song over the years. It is still massively used, in advertising, in films, and people do cover versions of it a lot. I went to see The Muppets last year with my kids and there is a bit in the film where they all get in Kermit's car and Cars comes on. My kids leapt out of their seats and shouted, 'Dad, Dad, it's your song!' I was really embarrassed – they were not subtle at all.

Wolf I don't approve of hunting animals and selling them as trophies so it was hypocritical of me to buy this stuffed wolf (pictured above). But I saw it outside a souvenir shop at Anchorage airport in Alaska on my way back from a tour of America in the early 1980s, and some kids were hanging off its neck. I decided I could give him a better resting place. I lived in a different house then, with a massive front room, and my intention was to paint an Alaskan skyline on one wall and put the wolf in front on a raised platform. I never did that and now we use him as a burglar deterrent – he sits at the bottom of the stairs. He cost about $1,000 and twice as much to ship home. Related Articles World of Cerys Matthews, musician 21 Apr 2011 Swords I collect fantasy swords, replicas from films, and have them displayed on the wall as you go up the stairs. Gemma has bought most of them for me for birthday and Christmas presents. The first one she gave me, which is my favourite, is Conan’s (pictured above). It is very cool and has a secret dagger in the hilt.

Children I have hoarded all my children's first things in a drawer: bottles, blankets and even the 'wee sticks' (pregnancy tests, pictured below) from each time Gemma was pregnant. Gemma and I didn't think we could have children; we tried for ages before having IVF with the first, then two happy accidents after that. Flying I got my flying licence in 1980 and flew around the world with my co–pilot, Bob Thompson, the year after. We actually had two attempts and succeeded the second time in my Piper Navajo (model, pictured below). On the first attempt in another aeroplane I owned, a Cessna 210 Centurion, we got as far as India before being arrested on suspicion of smuggling and spying. We went the other way on the second attempt and it took us about two months to complete the whole journey, with 50–plus stops. We arrived back on Christmas Eve 1981 and I remember thinking I'd get a hero's welcome, but there was nothing of the sort.

When I was a kid it was big news when someone flew around the world in a little aeroplane, but nobody cared when I did it. Then to rub salt into my wounds the customs people ripped my aeroplane to pieces, looking for stuff. Crashing This propeller (pictured below) is from the Cessna 210, which I crashed in 1982. I was flying back from the Midem festival in France with a good pilot, a 747 captain, and my dad in the back. When we were midway over the Channel we lost the electrics and ended up crashing near Southampton. I had to get the undercarriage down with the emergency pump and managed it just before we hit the ground. We were hurtling across a field towards an embankment, but everything seemed to be in slow motion – I remember seeing individual blades of grass float past me. It was surreal.

I was wondering where it was going to hurt first and thought the engine would take my legs off when we hit the embankment, but luckily we had enough speed so when I pulled the stick back, we ricocheted off the embankment and took off again, then dropped down in the middle of a road and stopped dead. Gemma Gemma used to come to all my shows and be down at the front, but she never did the groupie thing. She would ask for an autograph afterwards but never hang around, which I thought was frustrating but quite cute. The first time we spoke properly was after I noticed she wasn't at any gigs on a particular tour. Then I saw her at one of the last shows and asked her where she'd been. Her mother was dying and she was really upset so we sat down and chatted for about an hour. She made a really big impression on me. A few months later I got a message that her mum had died so I phoned Gemma and invited her to accompany me on a drive up north to do a radio show. She didn't believe it was me on the phone at first. I had to go through 30 questions to prove who I was.

At the end of that day I thought she was amazing, the biggest personality I had ever met. Six months later, she moved in. Marriage Gemma and I have been together 20 years. I proposed after five years, as we were driving over the Dartford Bridge one day. Symbolically my wedding ring (pictured below) is massively important to me. This is a replacement ring because I lost the original one, which Gemma designed, but it is almost identical. I am very old–fashioned about marriage. It is for life and I mean it. I always knew that when I met the right girl the life I had before – being single, in a band, girls everywhere – would be over.

Question: What was singer Gary Numan's first number one in the U.K.?
Answer: 'ARE FRIENDS ELECTRIC'