Search - Gary Numan :: Machine & Soul

Funky and fun

Shaw N. Gynan | Bellingham, WA USA | 01/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think that the professional and amateur reviewers just spend too much time on occasion trying to place a given work within a larger context. How about just taking a record at face value? I think this is a great collection of songs, regardless of the fact that the songs are culled from a rather dysfunctional 18 month period of Numan's career. So what? I never knew that. All I hear is the music, and "Machine and Soul" is a real rocker. The themes developed revolve around a fairly jaundiced view of love as corruption in a technological, industrial age. "Generator" has an interesting, funky sound that features a chanted "Hey, hey, hey." In this song there are wonderful, atmospheric interludes, which tell of delights to come on this disc. The song ends with a sample from "2001: A Space Odyssey.""The Skin Game" is spectacular, with a great chorus that sings: "One more question: Am I in danger?" "Poison" is a relief after this energetic introduction, with a shoop-dee-shoo beat, very quirky and fun. I should mention that the production values are, as usual, sky-high. The recording is crystal clear. It's just great stereo. "I wonder" is a gorgeous Numan ballad, heart on the sleeve stuff, beautifully atmospheric. The follow-up is "Emotion," another driving song with an original beat. "Cry" is another flawless rocker that features nice chimes in the percussion. "U Got the Look" has a reverberant band accompaniment, a grand sound. Numan sings: "I never saw a girl who looked so tough." The song is a great deal of fun, very much tongue in cheek. "Love isolation," a very low-key meditation on love lost,brings the original album to a close. The twenty minutes of bonus material are great. The first is a grim, atmospheric piece that features a monstrous sounding voice and echoing glissandi. This piece, "Hanoi," seems to blend into the next, "Dark Mountain," where the echoing atmospherics continue. "The Hauntings" is more of the same, so these three pieces give the impression of being a larger-scale composition. Numan's cover of "1999" is a good change from the contemplative pieces, lively and competent. "Cry Baby" is a welcome reprise of "Cry," a bit less frantic with a more deliberate beat. "Wonder Eye" is a slower version of the lovely "I Wonder," bringing the disk full circle essentially.In short, I cannot imagine that Numan fans would be disappointed."

A 50/50 CD

James Choma | 09/21/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I do agree with the previous posts - this is not Gary Numan's best album. I think the Prince cover songs have a lot to do with the negativity sorrounding the CD. "1999" and "You Got the Look" sound strange and out of place. But there are a few brilliant moments on this CD:
1. Skin Game - a great mechanical sounding wall of sound!
2. Machine and Soul - Another good song amid the uninspired tracks.
3. I Wonder - a great ballad with wonderful lyrics
4. Cry - another awesome ballad
5. Generator - The song has a definite dance clubfeel, but it actually works.
The rest... well, it's just there. I'm a huge fan of Gary's music (I don't hate any of it) but I'd have to rank this one just below middle of the road. "

A most non-Numan experience

James Choma | 08/08/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Appreciably, not one of Numans more traditional works, but a close read of his autobiography reveals why. At one of the lowest times of his career, dwindling finances and record company pressure gave birth to Machine and Soul. For Numan, things couldnt have gotten any worse, but retrospectively its still quite a tight sound. Nice production, smooth female backing vocals, and some cleverly-placed samples tie this somewhat average effort together quite nicely. Its major fault is that its just not Numan!"