Search - Gary Numan :: Down in the Park: The Alternative Anthology

The Alternative To Better Numan Recordings

Joel Kathrens | Cheney, WA USA | 02/25/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Gary Numan's output while with Beggars Banquet from 1977-1983 was nearly without exception outstanding work. His "comeback" album, "Sacrifice" (also known as "Dawn") in 1994 signalled his return to relevance. This album covers the middle period of Numan's career, and it does so poorly. Of the 15 track running order, nearly all songs are pulled from two albums, "Berserker" (7 Tracks) and "The Fury" (4 Tracks); "Strange Charm" and "Machine and Soul" get an album track and a b-side each. This means a few albums of this period get no coverage whatsoever, including 1991's "Outland" which is actually one of his stronger recordings of the time. There is also no discernable order to the presentation, and the liner notes give no information as to where any of these tracks are taken from, likely attempting to disguise just how little this supposed "anthology" covers.



That said, the music itself is fairly decent for the most part, with tracks from Berserker and Strange Charm being the highlights. However, even the strongest tracks are no match for anything from the Beggars Banquet era, and the chosen tracks from "My Fury" and "Machine and Soul" mostly annoy.



The second disc of live recordings is actually the better of the two, especially for those who already own the albums covered by the first disc. The liner notes do not offer any information as to what shows these tracks were taken from or indeed if they are from the same show. It is obviously not one cohesive show as the tracks each fade out. Excellent songs such as "Are 'Friends' Electric" and "We Are Glass" hold up very well in live versions, and it is interesting to hear how Numan updated other classics like "Me! I Disconnect From You" and "My Shadow In Vain" for live performance. The quality of the recording is not that good though, sometimes fading songs up just after they've started or fading very quickly. For a live recording that packs more of a punch, has superior sound quality, and a better track selection, try "Scarred" instead.



I wholeheartedly reccommend that anyone interested in Gary Numan pick up every one of the Beggars Remasters, and then look to Numan's later albums (Starting with "Sacrifice") for his best work. However, should you want to delve into his middle period, or simply own an overview of this era, this is a decent option, though a far from perfect one. I'd personally go with "Berserker" or "Outland" myself. There's just so much Numan to choose from on CD that an album that poorly covers his least relevant period is far from a necessary purchase."