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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Deserves a high place in the evolution of synth rock, 7 Oct 2003
Often cited by many contemporary artists (Leftfield, NIN, Marilyn Manson, Blur,) as a key influential album, Replicas should perhaps be more widely recognised for the place it has in modern music. It was one of the first mainstream recordings to successfully combine guitars and synths into a formula that pleased the mass market. This blend is best exemplified in the by now legendary Are Friends Electric, which held the number one spot in the UK for four weeks in 1979. It returned to the same spot in 2001/2 (with a little help from the Sugababes) which only goes to show the longevity of the music contained in Replicas. It was Numan's first "showcase" album. Recorded in late '78 and early '79 with best friend Paul Gardiner on bass, and his uncle Jess Lidyard standing in on drums, Replicas is both raw and polished. By Numan's own admission, his production is basic, and this remastered edition does nothing to hide that. However this only adds to the album's appeal. Drums are crisp, synths thin, and guitars chug and fuzz. The overall combination works though to give a varied atmospheric collection. Lyrically, it takes heavily from William S Burroughs' dystopian future where humans and machines are dfficult to separate. Titles such as When the Machies Rock, I Nearly Married a Human and The Machman don't sound too far away from the sort of language you'd find in a Philip K Dick novel. As a teenager Numan was obsessed by sci-fi, so it's no surprise to hear it coming through here. Me! I Disconnect From You opens the album with a lonesome synth hook and suddenly explodes into a beating whirling 3 minute post punk anthem. Next up is the ubiquitous Are Friends Electric and we're away. Replicas has many highlights: the guitar led The Machman, the almost orchestral Down in the Park, the dark brooding Replicas, and the closing instrumentals. The extra tracks are true bonuses in that they are very good. Wisely included, they are outakes from the Replicas sessions, recorded in 1978. In all a very good album that should have a place on every true music fans' shelf. Arguably Replicas was as instrumental in the development of modern music as Low. Well worth a purchase.
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