What follows is my original review for White Noise from 2017.
I soon realised the whole 'track-by-track' method would wear very thin very quickly, and this is the only review that is conducted in this manner.
An updated version more in keeping with later pieces will eventually be released here as well.
White Noise
Most artists will, after releasing a new album, tour for the new album and play a good deal from that.
White Noise is an interesting case for several reasons.
First off, this was the first complete concert recording that Gary Numan had released, Living Ornaments ’79 and ’80 being highlights-only single-disc affairs (not getting fully released until 1998 and 2005, respectively), and more importantly the first live album released by his doomed vanity label, Numa Records.
Gary Numan’s live albums often outclass his studio material in terms of intensity and sound quality, although White Noise does fall short in some areas.
Next up is the setlist to album track ratio.
Berserker had nine tracks, but by this point in the tour, only four of them had survived in the setlist, The Secret having been dropped after the opening night.
Berserker had nine tracks, but by this point in the tour, only four of them had survived in the setlist, The Secret having been dropped after the opening night.
As Numan was touring for the divisive Berserker, its industrial/funk stylings at odds with the synthpop that made him famous, all the tracks get performed in this slower and heavier style. Sometimes this works (Remind Me To Smile, We Are Glass, Are ‘Friends’ Electric?), sometimes it doesn’t (Metal, Down In The Park, Cars).
It’s pretty telling that out of the new songs performed, the punchy techno-rock of The Hunter or the funky Pleasure Principle-lite The God Film are not amongst them.
Numan instead focuses on more upbeat and commercial-material, sometimes at the expense of the quality of older tracks. Metal in particular suffers from a plodding synth line and generally lifeless delivery.
Out of the four new tracks, three (Berserker, Cold Warning, My Dying Machine) benefit from the live presentation, gaining a punchier and stronger overall sound than their studio counterparts. The title track in particular kicks in with a synthetic roar that readily outclasses a lot of the material on offer here, although that is more down to how well the material fits with the funk style he was peddling at the time rather than the fault of the material.
The one notable casualty is This Is New Love. Already a six-minute exercise in flailing and exhausting repetition on the album, the live version adds nothing of worth besides a slightly stronger percussion layer which is not enough to save the track.
Then is the setlist length.
Compared to the previous year’s Warriors tour, where the setlist was regularly altered and every track from the new album was performed on one night or another, it is slightly disheartening to see the setlist shorten so dramatically.
This would mark a trend in Gary’s concerts that would carry on for the next nine years, where the big hits would accompany then-current album cuts with very little variation between nights.
Live rarities include The Iceman Comes and This Prison Moon, both from Warriors. they benefit from the live presentation as the Berserker cuts do, sounding rawer and more energetic.
Gary seems far more at ease throughout the concert, although this does unfortunately lead to a very slurred delivery of several vocals, as well as an outbreak of hysterics during Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
The setlist is fairly balanced to give a fairly accurate cross-section of his best material from this period (including the only available live recordings of several tracks).
You get most of the best Berserker-era material in superior live incarnations here, although Ghost has a more varied tracklist and slightly superior sound quality.
Either way, this is a decent representation of Gary’s mid-1980s period, and one of the few parts that he looks back on fondly.
Sound quality is excellent, and the Eagle Records reissue comes with an extensive set of liner notes and a new front cover to fit in with the rest of the reissued live albums.
Non-fans are unlikely to buy this anyway, and Gary has made better live efforts.
As it was his first live album I ever got, I’ve still got a soft spot for the album.
Track by Track
Intro - A stripped-down rendition of the theme from Berserker, similar to how the Replicas theme was used during the Touring Principle.
Berserker - Far more energy than the studio rendition, which sometimes came across as too cold and alienated for it’s own good. Everything comes together well.
Metal - The audience’s clapping sounds slightly out of time. Coupled with a very plodding performance, this becomes a bit of a flop.
Me! I Disconnect From You - After the sped-up version played on earlier tours, it was a surprise to hear the original studio version being played again. The Berserker synth sound can’t quite keep up with the razor thin precision of the original’s notes, but it works well enough.
Remind Me To Smile - Final official recording until 1993. The heavy Berserker sound makes this work a lot better than before, fitting well in the setlist as well.
Sister Surprise - This version is halfway between the ominous-but-overlong album version and the snappier single mix, taking the best elements from both for a fairly sparkling performance.
Music For Chameleons - Only official live recording. It’s an admirable attempt to emulate Pino Palladino’s bass-playing and it is a largely successful one.
The Iceman Comes - One of Warriors’ highlights, and it benefits from the live presentation, relying less on backing singers.
Cold Warning - Only official live release. Holds up well live.
Down In The Park - Benefits from the lower, moodier synths used, although it becomes plodding by the end.
This Prison Moon - Eh.
I Die: You Die - Works well enough.
My Dying Machine - Bigger synth sounds, and the use of two sets of drums give more power. Gary forgets a few lines though.
Cars - Flabby and weak compared to the ultra-precise original.
We Take Mystery (To Bed) - Energetic and kicks some life back into the concert.
We Are Glass - A powerful take with clearer guitar lines. Gary forgets most of the lines as usual.
This Is New Love - Awful in the studio and awful here.
My Shadow In Vain - Gary changes the lyric from ‘black and white’ to ‘blue and white’ in reference to the Berserker image. Not much else to note.
Are ‘Friends’ Electric? - Gary repeats the second verse, having gotten caught up in some onstage shenanigans and laughing out loud twice. Where faster early tracks suffer from the Berserker treatment, the fairly ballad-like tracks like these cope with the changes rather well.
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