I, Assassin [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

I always remember this album in particular for two of Gary Numan's best singles, `Music For Chameleons' and `We Take Mystery To Bed' (his last Top 10 hit). `I, Assassin' followed on from the mighty `Dance' and while it is not really anywhere near it's predecessor in terms of experimentation and overall musical quality it is still a pretty fine effort nonetheless. It could almost be classed as `Dance-lite' as Numan continued with the fretless bass and sax but in a much more upbeat, commercial manner.

There aren't any real bad tracks on this album as such; for me only `'War Songs' really stood out as an average track while stuff like the aforementioned singles and the magnificent `This Is My House' are the tracks which left the most lasting impression. Where Gary Numan really slipped up with `I, Assassin' is only evident when you get to the B-sides and bonus tracks, as some of them are MILES better than the album's original tracks, which as I said earlier weren't half-bad themselves. Considering that `I, Assassin' only had 8 tracks on it's original release it seems baffling why songs like `War Games', `The Image Is', `This House Is Cold' and the classic `Noise, Noise' were only used as B-sides or 12" extras. These tracks really do enhance this album even further making `I, Assassin' an even more attractive purchase now than it was in 1982.

I bought the original in 1982 on cassette so was compelled to see if, over 20 years on, I, Assassin still held it's own.

It does to some degree, but is undeniably a product of it's time. Numan returned to thefore having spent a year in America as a tax exile. He "retired" from live performances with a bang, putting on three consecutive sell out extravaganzas at Wembley Arena. Unsurprisingly, for someone who now professes to love touring, he toured I, Assassin in 1982 in North America, having assembled a new band.

It's a rich album, full of warm anlaogue synths and showcasing the talent of a previously unknown bassist called Pino Palladino. Palladino is now one of the most coveted session bassists on the circuit and has played with some of the world's biggest artists on some of the world's biggest stages. On this album, Numan gave him the freedom to explore using the fretless bass as almost a lead instrument. Palladino developed a fat trademark bass sound that is probably best remembered not on this albunm, but on the following year's Paul Young track, "Wherever I lay My Hat".

So, if you're not a fan of fretless bass, you won't like this album.

I, Assassin proper only has eight tracks, three of which were singles, Music for Chameleons, We Take Mystery, and White Boys and Heroes. This remastered edition contains all the additional tracks that were on the flip sides of the singles and the 12"s. (Remember the days when a 12" single was an event because you got extra tracks?) The additions are all good. As a whole though, the album is fairly one dimensional but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There is some strong song writing here especially if you look at the electronic music he was releasing only a couple of years before.

I, Assassin is probably best appreciated when looked at in conjunction with the ablums it's sandwiched between - 1981's Dance and 1983's Warriors. When you look at these three and realise that he wrote these before he was 24, it does show you what a versatile talent he had at the time.

So, if you like your 80s music, like Japan and like your fretless bass, this should be on your list.

'I, Assassin' has always been one of my favorite Gary Numan albums. It mixes well crafted soundscapes with groovy fretless bass and punchy synth bits. If I had to put this in a genre I'd call it 'electro-funk', but Numan's brilliant music generally defies labels. The attention to detail on this album separates it from Numan's earlier works. One can really hear his command of the studio and his excellent production techniques on every track. The lyrics shift from his previous styles too. The science fiction obsessions of "Replicas" are not present on this album at all. He focuses on personal relationships and oddly quixotic commentary on human nature. His attempt here is not to pose serious questions about these subjects, but to use entrenched irony to discuss them. The album is intellectually sophisticated, sonically impressive and quite danceable as well.
"White Boys and heroes' begins the album with one of the best, funkiest bass grooves of all time."War Songs" features impressively powerful grimy synth melodies and a wicked chorus. "A Dream of Siam" slows it down with a chilling set of sounds and a menacing bass part. The mumbled, light vocal work on this track is particularly nice. "Music For Chameleons" is perhaps one of the most well structured songs. It begins with a fiery diso/jazz style rhythm and builds to a heavenly strong chorus but then fades into atmospherics. It picks up near the end to add to the drama. "This is My House" is my favorite track. Imagine James Brown merges with pale white British boy and you've got a good idea for this one. The bass is funky, the lyrics are hiccupped and the synth effects add gorgeously to the timbral diversity of the song. The title track is somewhere between a fast paced dance song and a meditative lounging track. "1930's Rust" represented a bold move for Numan. Harmonica, fretless bass, saxophone and Numan's own deranged voice present this as a twisted homage to Frank Sinatra. Just as things are seeming quite a-Numan, he comes back with a massively awesome dance track. "We Take Mystery (To Bed)" takes depressing lyrics about a failed, seedy romance and puts them to a swinging set of quick synth bits and chunky bass lines. It is impossible to not dance to this track. The rest of the tracks are B-Sides and end up making some of the best tracks of the album. "The Image Is" is my favorite Numan track of all time and "This House is Cold" represents Numan's prowess at intelligent rock music. Overall, this album is definitely worth buying. If you didn't like "Cars" or "Are Friends Electric?" don't worry. This album is a more mature and sophisticated set of timeless tracks.