REVIEW: Various Artists, Random (not a tribute to Gary Numan)
(Beggars Banquet)
- Derek Langsford
Beggars Banquet state this is not a tribute album, rather a set of songs that were "solid and could be translated for a wider audience." Beggars continue to walk that fine line between hiding their embarrassment and making money off the UK music press's favorite whipping boy, Gary Numan, the late 70s/early 80s synth pioneer. Beggars boast that they had more tracks offered than could fit on two CDs yet some of the rumoured big names such as Tori Amos and Nine Inch Nails are notably absent, some relatively unknown artists are present, and only 60 mins of music is on each CD. Despite this apparent deflation of the expectations, the final product admirably achieves its goal and amply illustrates why many are reevaluating Gary Numan some 17 years after his peak success.
The tracks are mostly from Numan's Beggars Banquet catalog (78-83) with two somewhat unexplainable exceptions - 1986's "I Can't Stop" (one of Numan's less likeable songs) given a brooding treatment by newcomers Peck Slip and 1994's "Absolution" by Amanda Ghost - a decidely dull rendition of his most recent single. The other tracks include straightforward covers ("We Are So Fragile"
- Jesus Jones), pulsating dance interpetations ("Stormtrooper in Drag" - St. Etienne), song obliteration with rap overdub ("Films" - Underdog) and keyboard noodlings with little attention to the original song ("Joe the Waiter" - The Orb). The interpretations run the gamut from excellent (a Hendrix/Reznor influenced "Poetry and Power" - Gravity Kills), intriguing (Chris Holmes's refreshing rework of "Remember I Was Vapour"), novel (a Lene Lovich/Siouxsie inspired "She's Got Claws" - Posh), and dull ("Are Friends Electric?" - An Pierle, a Belgian Tori Amos soundalike with Sheryl Crow envy).While some songs are given new life by the artists (Kenickie - "I'm An Agent", EMF - "We Are Glass", Dubstar - "Everyday I Die", Moloko - AFE), others seem stale before you reach the first chorus (Republica, Windscale). Many of the new crop of artists are cliched, simply recycling influences of the last 30 years like so many of the "new" bands (there's even a Queen sample from the early 70s). But there are notable interpretations from Matt Sharp (Weezer, The Rentals) and Damon Albarn (Blur) - "We Have a Technical", The Magnetic Fields
- " I Die: You Die", Jimi Tenor's "Down in the Park", and Bis - "We Are So Fragile".Like all "tribute" albums one's first impressions are always shaded by the comparison with the originals. Various artist compilations also always suffer from lack of sonic continuity. Treating each cover separately may not be a good indicator of the overall experience but I have come full circle. Random is not the mixed bag I first thought it was. I now appreciate most of the interpretations and really like many of them. It may even have taught me to appreciate some styles that have previously left me cold. Maybe this will introduce fans of these performers to Numan's songs and even provide Numan with a much looked-for boost in viability as he launches his new album n ealry September, again on his own UK-only label. An album of techno mixes Random II is due soon but Random itself is well worth the effort to search out. Look for it "filed under Numan".
