Gary Numan 1986-1987: 'Strange Charm' and 'Ghost'

I originally wrote this piece of work in my notes app in late 2017.

Back then, my reasons for even bothering largely came down to the fact that there's little to no coverage of Gary Numan's 'middle-period' work online whether in reviews or general coverage, specifically the 1984-2000 live albums.

I thought I could rectify that issue, since I had copies of not only Gary's 1998 autobiography 'Praying To The Aliens' but 'Electric Pioneer Redux' and 'Gary Numan Tracks' as well as a strong liking for him as an artist. 

Initially, I just wanted to write reviews of the live albums that pointed to how strong and versatile a live performer Numan was, even in the most difficult years of his career.

I soon realised that I would have to provide a fair bit of context for each album before giving my thoughts on each live album.

The reviews developed into providing a broad outline of some of Gary's more overlooked works and their historical context, later accompanied by my own thoughts on the music and situations.

After the pretty dry 'White Noise' review, I thought adding context to the live albums would make sense. This included adding reviews of related studio albums and singles, and my own thoughts when appropriate/entertaining.

This is a review of the 1988 live release, documenting the 1987 Exhibition Tour.
But first context on circumstances surrounding Gary Numan’s situation at the time, including his 1986 album ‘Strange Charm’ and other projects.

 

Technically the 1999 CD cover, but a more fitting representation of the weirdness within.

Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12439671

1987 was a difficult time for Gary Numan. To be fair, that could describe pretty much any point between the years 1981 and 1992, but 1987 was a special case.

By his own admission, 1986’s ‘Strange Charm’ was a forced affair, being constantly delayed before quietly sinking into the lower echelons of the Top 75 in November.

Meanwhile Gary’s aviation career had gone from strength to strength, in stark contrast to his increasing difficulty in the charts.

Despite being (in parts) a return to form musically, ‘Strange Charm’ was not a good time for Gary in general, who later spoke of his experiences:

“1986 was definitely the worst year of my career as far as the feeling goes, where I didn’t enjoy it at all. I didn’t enjoy the year and I didn’t enjoy the writing. I barely wrote enough songs to make an album and only then by doing long versions of them. I really struggled the whole year to get a song good enough to put on an album. I had no enthusiasm for it, I had no drive for it, it seemed like everything that I did was completely pointless.”

Gary also claimed that the album lacked unity, later stating “I was more concerned with creating atmospheres than threading together a common theme.”

As a result, synthesised Arabian-tinged orchestral movements (‘My Breathing’) rub shoulders with slabs of synthetic jazz (‘The Need’, ‘This Is Love’) and radio-friendly disco-rock (‘Strange Charm’, ‘I Can’t Stop’), which is exactly as cohesive as it sounds.
Tellingly, ‘Strange Charm’ would be the last album to come out on a yearly basis, Numan’s two follow-ups, ‘Metal Rhythm’ and ‘Outland’, would be released in 1988 and 1991.

Singles-wise, Gary released the dour ballad ‘This Is Love’ as the lead single for ‘Strange Charm’. Not bad song in itself at all, it was a poor advertisement for the more upbeat fare on the rest of the album. It reached number 28 on the charts.

‘I Can’t Stop’ was a much better choice for a single, being a storming combination of disco and rock influences with a catchy chorus and filled with poppy hooks. The song also lent itself well to remixes, being released in 7”, 10” and 12” versions.

It was also released in multiple formats, including two collector-friendly picture discs and the only 10” vinyl single Numan would ever release. Sadly, despite these multiple formats, due to a total lack of airplay, ‘I Can’t Stop’ stalled at number 27 before dropping off fast.

The only other original Numan song released after ‘Strange Charm’s release would be a single release of ‘I Still Remember’, the final track from 1985’s ‘The Fury’, released to support the RSPCA, with a new set of lyrics and all proceeds going to charity.

Sadly, despite the good intentions, the public were understandably not enamoured with such a depressing track. The fact that it was musically very similar to earlier single ‘This Is Love’ probably didn’t do it any favours either.

‘Strange Charm’ was not short of worthy singles material, with the title track and ‘My Breathing’ being strong potential singles. However, worsening finances coupled with the poor chartings of previous singles persuaded Gary to abandon further promotion soon after.

'Strange Charm' will always be remembered as Gary's most uneven album. Some of his best 'funk-period' tracks lie here alongside some of his worst, most uninspired pieces.

Consider this, 'My Breathing' still makes appearances in his live shows over thirty years later. No other track has been played off 'Strange Charm' in almost twenty years.

In terms of other projects, Gary Numan did experience moderate success on a collaborative single with Bill Sharpe from the group Shakatak in 1985, with the single ‘Change Your Mind’ reaching 17 on the charts in 1985. 

Follow-up single ’New Thing From London Town’ (rerecorded for ‘Strange Charm’) would only get as high as 52.

The full album, Automatic, would not appear until 1989, well after any chance at the charts had passed, limping into 59th position.

Numan had also made appearances with the supergroup Radio Heart, recording vocals for the songs ‘Radio Heart’ and ‘London Times’ in 1987. They were moderate hits, charting at 35 and 48, respectively. Not a bad showing considering they were very different to his sound at the time.

Anyway, contextual stuff aside, on to ‘Ghost’!

Prediction of Instagram 'duck face' culture or unfortunate lighting angle? You decide.

(By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16598272)

This was his first live release in three years following 1985’s release of ‘White Noise’, 1984’s live showing and his first tour since 1985’s ‘The Fury’ tour, which did not receive an official live release. Gary did not tour for 1986’s ‘Strange Charm’, instead deciding to tour in support of the 1987 compilation album ‘Exhibition’ and reissues of his old albums on CD by Beggar’s Banquet, his old label. 

This campaign was spearheaded by an excellent remix of 1979’s ‘Cars’, which saw Gary re-enter the top twenty for the first time since 1983.

Seeing as the Exhibition Tour was supposedly meant to promote the compilation album, one would have expected Gary to place a larger focus on the older material.

So it’s a pleasant surprise to see that Gary didn’t totally pass up the better tracks from the new album, with most of them making appearances in Ghost.

Most notably, the moody ‘The Sleeproom’ and anthemic ‘My Breathing’ lead into a refreshingly punchy take on ‘Cars’, complete with a mid-song drum break that references the then charting ‘E Reg Model’ remix and a sarcastic introduction from Gary himself where he makes a jibe at its total lack of airplay. Which must have been hard, considering the staggering losses Numa Records was suffering at the time, leading him to cut his losses and sign to I.R.S. Records later in the year.

The title track off ‘Strange Charm’ was played on earlier dates (between ‘We Take Mystery (To Bed)’ and ‘We Are Glass’) but didn’t make it to the end of the tour.
‘Ghost’ is culled from the last two nights of the Exhibition Tour, the 25th and 26th of September 1987.

The key difference from ‘White Noise’ is that ‘Ghost’ was originally a fan club-exclusive release in 1988, and thus did not chart.

Which is odd, because although it was recorded in relatively dire circumstances, Gary and the band (largely the same, save for a new drummer) are on fine form and add a level of energy to a stable if unremarkable setlist that a lesser artist in similar circumstances might fail to muster.

Coupled with a slightly less muddy mix than it’s 1985 counterpart (granted, Gary wanted ‘White Noise’ deliberately mixed to keep the live atmosphere, but that’s a double edged sword) and more diverse setlist, ‘Ghost’ is probably the best of Gary Numan’s mid-to-late 1980’s live albums.

Unfortunately, Numan was well into his ‘industrial funk’ phase at the time, and few of the post-1984 cuts on display here have survived into his modern tours, and it’s obvious why. 

Schlock such as ‘This Disease’ and ‘Tricks’ should have been left on the cutting-room floor, and are ultimately eclipsed by all of the older material and much of the newer material as well. 

Former single ‘I Can’t Stop’ sounds quite limp compared to the storming 7” version. Indeed, several songs are let down by the backup singers, who at times sound disinterested with the material, although this could be down to the quality of the mix.

Elsewhere, some of the problems that cropped up in ‘White Noise’, such as having every song played to fit the style of his newest material and several flubbed lines crop up here as well. The former issue results in comparatively lifeless performances of ‘We Are Glass’ and ‘Down In The Park’, and the latter issue makes ‘My Shadow In Vain’ practically incoherent.

Again there are exceptions. ‘Me! I Disconnect From You’ and ‘Metal’ both sound noticeably perkier than before, though the audience actually clapping in time helps a good deal.

The one surprise of the setlist is that ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ doesn’t end the set this time, instead leading into a three-song encore of ‘Down In The Park’, ‘My Shadow In Vain’ and ‘Berserker’, the latter of which makes for a strong closing number.

The most obvious problem is the original front cover. Aside from joking about Gary Numan possibly being a ‘Blue Steel’ or ‘duck-face’ pioneer, the photograph is ugly as sin. Perhaps it was intentionally off-putting to emphasise Numan’s then well-know awkwardness and standoffish nature (later revealed to be undiagnosed Aspergers) but whatever the intentions, it’s unappealing. Thankfully, as with every Eagle Records live reissue, a superior new cover is provided. There is a copy of the original sleeve if you fancy using that instead, God knows why.

Much better.

(By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16598506)

Altogether, a slightly more consistent set than ‘White Noise’ makes ‘Ghost’ the go-to option if you, for whatever reason, fancy buying up some old Gary Numan live material on a budget and only have the cash for one album to represent the 1983-1991 period.