Gary Numan - Replicas: The First Recordings

In late 1978, Gary Numan was booked into a small studio in London’s Chinatown with the same musicians that had played on Tubeway Army’s debut album, released a month earlier. Two stereo master tapes were compiled of eleven tracks. A month later they again went to Gooseberry Studio and recorded an additional three tracks, including “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” and “Replicas”. At the same time, the band recorded a session for the BBC’s John Peel show, taping alternate versions of three songs from the December recordings. Finally Numan returned to an upgraded studio, Marthus Music, in February to overdub and remix the Gooseberry recordings into their released versions. Only one alternative out take still exists (“Down In The Park”) which is included in this release.

Tracklist

LP: 1

1. You Are in My Vision (Early Version)

2. The Machmen (Early Version)

3. Down in the Park (Early Version)

4. Do You Need the Service? (Early Version)

5. The Crazies

6. When the Machines Rock (Early Version)

7. Me! I Disconnect from You (Early Version)

8. Praying to the Aliens (Early Version)

9. It Must Have Been Years (Early Version)

10. Only a Downstat

11. I Nearly Married a Human 3 (Early Version)

LP: 2

1. Replicas (Early Version 2)

2. Are 'Friends' Electric? (Early Version 2)

3. We Have a Technical

4. Down in the Park (Outtake Mix)

5. Are 'Friends' Electric? (Early Version 2)

6. Replicas (Early Version 2)

7. Me, I Disconnect from You (BBC Peel Session)

8. Down in the Park (BBC Peel Session)

9. I Nearly Married a Human (BBC Peel Session)