- Audio CD (18 Mar 2008)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Format: Import
- Label: Beggars Banquet Us
- ASIN: B0012RLX1K
- Other Editions: Audio CD | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,331,278 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product Description
Review
Can it really be thirty years since Gary Numan led Tubeway Army over the top, out of the trenches and into the no-man's land of post-punk electronica? Apparently it can, and this deluxe reissue of Replicas, now bundled with a bonus disc of singles, B-sides and early versions of the original tracks, is an appropriate tribute to one of rock's renaissance men. Numan played everything, bar bass and drums, on the album, only recruiting his Army when he was ready to advance into touring. The shock and awe generated by the first single from this album - Are 'Friends' Electric? - was only reinforced by his part-robot, part-Bowie-as-alien image. Rapidly accumulating sufficient technology and self-confidence to go solo, Numan went on to blitz the album charts and invade stadiums around the world for half the next decade.
Replicas was the second album by the band, Tubeway Army, though by this point it was Numan who was the focus; going solo following the success of this album. He helped spearhead the liberation of synthesiser music from hideous mistreatment in the gulag of deadly serious progessive rock. Using early Ultravox and Bowie and Eno's Low as his touchstones he achieved commercial recognition while maintaining the icy dislocation, key to the sci-fi 'machine' phase of the Ashford boy's career. Filled with numbers that would withstand the ravages of time and remain in Numan's setlist for years such as Me! I Disconnect From You and Down In The Park, the album, amazingly, still sounds fresh.
A lot of this has to do with the current trend of all things analog and old-style. The fat, warm synth tones are employed (along with early drum machines - another cool modern trope) to great effect here. Allowing Numan's bleat to ride simple yet effective tunes. Numan's dystopian vision was responsible for a host of Marilyn Mansun-type sins. Yet that would be like blaming Black Sabbath for all the rubbish metal that followed in their wake. And like Sabbath the original material is still as doomily brilliant as ever. Replicas may not be the most sophisticated end of electronica, but its very simplicity makes it as timeless as hell.
Having confessed both to a hair transplant and a best-hidden admiration for Mrs Thatcher's premiership, his UK career underwent a nosedive in the '80s as desperately frightening as the one he piloted himself through shortly after gaining his pilot's licence. Yet it appears that Gary, after years of being the butt of so many jokes, is having the last laugh. --Al Spicer
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This reissue of Tubeway Army's seminal work is welcome because it spotlights the underrated vision and talent of Gary Numan.Amongst the first of the new wavers to see the potential of the synthsiser as a valid pop instrument, Numan went about constructing a fine album of futuristic pop that was both in tune with its aggressive times,and crucially,gave pretty much the first hints at a direction pop music would take in the next decade.
Both bleak,and foreboding,Replicas was an important album in establishing a new musical order,that two years earlier would have been unthinkable.Without Numan's breakthrough album,synthesised music may never have become such a huge musical influence,and the impact of "Are Friends Electric" as a massive number one single in 1979 still resonates in popular music today.
This reissue updates the original album by adding a full disc of demos that in some way retain the spirit of Numan's vision better than the finished product["When The Machines Rock" has a vocal missing from the Replicas version, giving the song a considerably different atmosphere,and the previously non album "We Have A Technical" was good enough for the final cut,but presumably left off for timing reasons].These demo tracks suggest Numan had plenty of ideas,and their rawer edge means they form the perfect missing link between the first Tubeway Army album,and Replicas.
Gary Numan would confirm that his success was no fluke with two fine follow up albums in the next two years,but it was Replicas that opened the gates to the final acceptance of the synthesiser as a valid pop instrument.
Both bleak,and foreboding,Replicas was an important album in establishing a new musical order,that two years earlier would have been unthinkable.Without Numan's breakthrough album,synthesised music may never have become such a huge musical influence,and the impact of "Are Friends Electric" as a massive number one single in 1979 still resonates in popular music today.
This reissue updates the original album by adding a full disc of demos that in some way retain the spirit of Numan's vision better than the finished product["When The Machines Rock" has a vocal missing from the Replicas version, giving the song a considerably different atmosphere,and the previously non album "We Have A Technical" was good enough for the final cut,but presumably left off for timing reasons].These demo tracks suggest Numan had plenty of ideas,and their rawer edge means they form the perfect missing link between the first Tubeway Army album,and Replicas.
Gary Numan would confirm that his success was no fluke with two fine follow up albums in the next two years,but it was Replicas that opened the gates to the final acceptance of the synthesiser as a valid pop instrument.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Theres not much to say about this release,to celebrate 30yrs of Mr Numan except YOU HAVE TO BUY THIS, IT IS ONE OF MUSIC'S HIDDEN GEMS.I bought the album back in 1979,and it has never lost it's appeal to me,it was so different back then and even now it still feels fresh.This release has the original plus extras (Demo's/Early versions)and it's the extras that show you how raw sounding early electronic music was compared to today,but this is it's charm.Replicas should be up there with the all time great albums.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
As an 80s kid I loved my synthy stuff so I loved Ultravox, Visage, Art of Noise, Human League etc. Of course, I heard Cars and Are Friends Electric by Numan at the time and liked them. But that was that - I never got or heard his albums and neither did my friends.
Roll on 25 years or so...my brother played me a track of this synth compilation - one of the tracks was 'Praying to the Aliens' by Gary Numan. This one grew on me and my brother. So I downloaded Replicas....and then the Gary Numan addiction started! Needless to say, I bought Pleasure Principle, Replicas and Telekon soon after.
What can I say? I dont like these because of nostalgia etc - Ive only been listening to these albums for about six months now! (non-stop I hasten to add!). Pleasure Principle is my favourite (just) with Replicas and Telekon a close second and third (dont underestimate Telekon - it really grows on you!). I couldnt name a favourite track only to say that dont think Gary Numan is a two-hit wonder (Cars and Are Friends Electric?) because he is definitely not. I would say that Im not so keen on his new stuff though as its a bit industrial for me.
If you like the old 80s synth stuff, if you like House, if you like weird electronic stuff - you NEED these three albums. Its as simple as that. If you think that all these oh-so-dull modern indie/rock bands are getting too much give these a go - you might like them, you might love them!
Also - dont forget the Pleasure Principle tour at the end of the year, Ive got my tickets already!
Roll on 25 years or so...my brother played me a track of this synth compilation - one of the tracks was 'Praying to the Aliens' by Gary Numan. This one grew on me and my brother. So I downloaded Replicas....and then the Gary Numan addiction started! Needless to say, I bought Pleasure Principle, Replicas and Telekon soon after.
What can I say? I dont like these because of nostalgia etc - Ive only been listening to these albums for about six months now! (non-stop I hasten to add!). Pleasure Principle is my favourite (just) with Replicas and Telekon a close second and third (dont underestimate Telekon - it really grows on you!). I couldnt name a favourite track only to say that dont think Gary Numan is a two-hit wonder (Cars and Are Friends Electric?) because he is definitely not. I would say that Im not so keen on his new stuff though as its a bit industrial for me.
If you like the old 80s synth stuff, if you like House, if you like weird electronic stuff - you NEED these three albums. Its as simple as that. If you think that all these oh-so-dull modern indie/rock bands are getting too much give these a go - you might like them, you might love them!
Also - dont forget the Pleasure Principle tour at the end of the year, Ive got my tickets already!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
And A Star Is Born
Coupled with the surprise mega-hit 'Are Friends Electric?' this is the album that catapaulted Gary Numan to fame in 1979. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Pink
Great album.
My favorite Numan album. The sound quality on all tracks is excellent. The demos are great quality and in most cases just as good as the final versions so well worth the money.
Published 15 months ago by Mark One
Leicester Bangs Review (2008):
Gary Numan & Tubeway Army - Replicas 2008 Tour Edition (Beggars Banquet)
This album (together with its follow up, Pleasure Principle) must have financed Beggars Banquet for a... Read more
This album (together with its follow up, Pleasure Principle) must have financed Beggars Banquet for a... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Leicester Bangs
Classic Numan but nothing New, man...
Of course, there are some classic tracks on here and there are people that will buy every release of his despite the fact there is nothing really new to talk about. Read more
Published on 29 May 2010 by Mark Hughes
Replicas Replicas
As with "The Pleasure Principle 30th Anniversary Edition" the sound quality of the original album is much improved compared to the previous releases on CD, but once again we have a... Read more
Published on 23 April 2010 by P. Long
Tubeway Army at its best !!
A wonderful introduction if you've never heard of Gary Numan / Tubeway Army from the 80's & a great reminder if you ever went to the concerts.
Beautiful nostalgia... Read more
Beautiful nostalgia... Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2009 by Mr. A. R. Webb
RELIVING MEMORIES OF A BRILLIANT SHOW
I saw this tour at the Indigo at the O2, and it was absolutely a brilliant show. Gary Numan always delivers, great show, great performance, great ticket prices. Read more
Published on 7 Mar 2009 by K. Sneesby
Numan was a true innovator
This enhanced version of the classic 1979 synth-rock album confirms Gary Numan's originality and innovative vision. Read more
Published on 29 May 2008 by Pieter
very impessive
This is one of the benchmark albums for Electronic Rock, and it is amasing just how fresh and up to date it still sounds after nearly 30 years. Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2008 by Mr. Dean J. Jenkins
Nice early synth album
Quite an important landmark album is REPLICA'S. Despite not being the first to take synth's into the pop world.
It's stark and icy in it's sound. Read more
It's stark and icy in it's sound. Read more
Published on 1 Mar 2008 by Ian
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