The Displeasure Principal

Overall Album Score: 9.2 out of 10

This is where it all came together for Gary Numan. The first thing he did was get rid of the band. Well, either that or the band left, because Numan no longer needed a rock combo. He just needed a drum machine and a synthesizer! At any rate, this is where Numan reached both his commercial and critical heights. Many critics don't seem to care for anything Numan released after this; some UK critics went so far as to genuinely hate him by the mid '80s. The British, apart from a loyal legion of fans, gave up on him only a couple years after this. Of course the Americans were much more interested in stuff like Hall & Oates. .......Nothing against Hall & Oates.

This album contains Gary Numan's biggest hit single ever, "Cars," which even appeared on the U.S. Top 10 charts. It unfairly branded him as a one-hit-wonder (he's much more complex than that), but it's true he never came up with a hit nearly as successful. What's most important to know about The Pleasure Principle is that it's jam packed with killer material; its merit doesn't lie merely with "Cars." I don't even think that's be best song on the album.

Though he's still taking severe hints from Bowie's and Eno's Berlin Trilogy, Numan became more of his own man here. This music has its own, unique flavor, and it's sometimes difficult to tell why some of these songs work. Take "Cars" for instance. I wouldn't be able to tell you that the melody is very catchy; he mostly repeats the same six notes over and over. But I can tell you that his arrangements are classic, and the rhythms and the timing keeps it engaging. Furthermore, he keeps it accessible enough to be enjoyed by all. It's a well done song.

His instrumental ambitions have become quite advanced here. This is similar to Replicas, but he's getting even more creative with the synthesizers and sound effects. Also on a few occasions, he's bringing in a piano and violin to give those songs a nice effect. My favorite song of the album, "Complex," is probably the best orchestrated track of the album! The violins are beautiful. "Films" is an especially notable song for the same reasons. Numan creates such a thick and sort of "doomsday" atmosphere, and that mood is utterly convincing.

Well, I spent enough time rambling about this album, and I do much more of that in the track reviews!! I'll close this section by saying that there's no contest that anyone in the market for getting one of his albums will probably want to start with this. It's his critical and commercial peak, and I don't think that's unjustified. If you end up loving this album, then you'll find plenty of reason to go onto exploring his other works.

Overall Album Score: 9.2 out of 10 (This album doesn't just contain Gary Numan's one and only international hit single, but it's a vastly interesting work in its own right.)

Average Song Score: 9.1 (Numan is quite an interesting fellow! His style of songwriting and level of creativity manage to create something that vastly interests me.)

Album Tilt: 9.0 (Not for the everyman, and Numan does make it difficult for listeners on a few occasions. But if there's one Numan album that anyone should own, it's this one.)

Artist Rating: 9.5 (This is said to be an influential album and I'm inclined to agree. This was done a few years before synth-pop became the norm, and this sounds much more artistic.)

Track Reviews

Airline 9.5/10

This instrumental gets the ball rolling on a positive note, I guess. As you'd probably expect, it's a synth heavy song with tons of repetitive motifs. However, just as Gary Numan proved he was capable doing in his past albums with the Tubeway Army, he keeps the song evolving. It starts out with a mere synthesizer, playing whole notes and half notes it seems, with some hi-hat taps. Eventually, a bass synth comes in and the snare drums come in. The sounds are crystal clear and "high-tech," which was undoubtedly another one of Numan's aims. There isn't so much a melodic theme although somehow, those repetitive whole and half notes manage to be all it needed. What we're paying attention to is how the rhythms, tones and dramatics change throughout this piece, and it's enough to get me on the edge of my seat.

Metal 9/10

This artsy syth-pop is excellent! This one starts with a very simple and detached groove, and Numan manages to come up with a melody that's about as catchy as his robo-vocals can ever make it. The groove is utterly hypnotizing. Once he has your undivided attention, he layers on these thick, atmospheric synthesizers that slowly but surely gobble everything up. That was quite an idea!

Complex 10/10

Er, what? ... Violins? ... COOL!!! I'm going to have to say that this is the real shining star as far as instrumentation goes. It's not just the violins, but that buzzing synthesizer going off in all directions and that alarming, twinkly piano. It's interesting to note that his instrumentals are playing much richer melodies than Numan's robo-vocals. Although, his melody is certainly rather hooky. Everything about the instrumentation was done perfectly here. Wow. This track is a real gem, and my big complaint is that it's not nearly long enough!!

Films 9.5/10

He does a great job creating a sort of doomsday atmosphere with this track in particular. I know that's what these lyrics are pertaining to (although certainly a frustrated director might be feeling particularly stressed), but this arrangement and the atmosphere is quite effective. Numan doesn't sing much here, though --- he lets his dramatic instrumentals do all the talking for him. Brilliant!! That's the way it should be.

M.E. 8/10

This one tends to entice me less, and it doesn't help that the running length is past five minutes and, well, it gets boring. (Why couldn't he have extended "Complex," eh??) But don't interpret that as a panning of this song. The instrumentals do sound they're under a heightened sense of alarm. I think he did the instrumentals better, previously, and he doesn't change the textures of this one like he did so well previously. It's a well conceived song and artistic, but this is one of the album's lowlights...

Tracks 9/10

This starts out rather simply with a piano loop as Numan delivers his robo-vocals. Then, there's a synth orchestral explosion and a backing beat pops up. His simple synth-loop is rather interesting although it's not one of his finest. When Numan starts singing for the second time, the track does tend to grow dull, but once the synth instrumentals take over again to deliver thier mini-orchestra, the magic happens. How lovely!!

Observer 9/10

One of the more bare songs of the album. It has a similar synth-pop loop containing just a drum machine and a simple, easily controllable synthesizers. That's the same sort of loop that characterizes "Cars." But this one also has the charming tendency to break into these mini, spaced out orchestras.

Conversation 8.5/10

As far as pop potential goes, I'd say a shorter version of this might have had nearly as much chance as "Cars." The interplay between the instrumentals was especially well done, and listening to this doesn't nothing if it doesn't dazzle the ears ----- through it's extremely simple means. He brings in a violin a few times for especially good effect. Of course, this is seven minutes long, so there wouldn't have been a mainstream radio station on the planet who would have played it. Even though Numan doesn't take extreme measures to change the general loop that he's using, luckily it's one that has a lot of shelf life. The instrumentals usually do a good job at keeping the effort spicey, but ....... well they probably should have done more if I were to up the rating. As it stands, however, this was exceptionally done and it does seem to be over before you know it. The "doomsday" sound the song takes in the last minute was especially well done. A perfect end.

Cars 9.5/10

This is the reason so many people call Gary Numan a one-hit wonder, but ... I do suppose that's true. This was popularly covered by Fear Factory recently, and they pretty much copied it verbatum even to the point where they're even trying to emulate Numan's accent. Their guitar tones weren't very well-chosen, either. So, I'm going to go right out and tell you that this original is about 100x better, and Fear Factory sucks. It's funny that Numan's able to make such a memorable song without really needing hooks in the melody. He uses a chord progression that's remarkably simple, as usual. He did seem to streamline the production of this one, though. There's a reliable backing drum machine throughout, and he doesn't feel the need to take this in any particularly bizarre directions. Certainly, the reason why this is so memorable is rhythms and the timing of the interplay between the instrumentals. He also continues with his charming tendency to layer on more synthesizers at the end to create quite a synthscape, so this has excellent forward progression. I'd say if Gary Numan had one international hit and one international hit only, this was a good pick.

Engineers 9/10

This is a nice closing! This is a particularly sci-fi song with these funny, fluttery sound effects going throughout doing whatever the heck it wants to while the rest of the instrumentals are very much prisoners. The drum is chugging along rather quickly, and there's a dark, pounding synthesizer keeping the song sounding "alarming." For the most part (until the end), these rhythms are stationary thoughout the whole song, and that produces a successful, hypnotic effect. The melodic theme is as simple as always, but it's effective. You're more interested in the synthesizer sounds he uses to play the themes!!

BONUS TRACKS

"Random" was an outtake from Replicas. It's marked as a "demo," but it's generally sounds like the music from that album. It features a very steady beat and a very out-of-control synthesizer pulsates in and out. Not so much enjoyable to hear, but it's a good one for the fans I suppose!

"Oceans" was another outtake from Replicas. It seems like it was another one of Numan's attempts to follow-up the latter half of "Heroes". Don't get me wrong, though. I think Numan's attempts at this are highly formidable (and you only have to hear the stinkin' imitations from bands like Spandau Ballet and Styx to appreciate what Numan is doing). I like this atmosphere because it's alarming, but I do think it should have been developed. Well, it's a "demo," and it sounds pretty good for a demo.

Now here's something. "Asylum" was the B-side of "Cars" and I can only imagined that it scared the pants out of everybody. Numan uses very unusual chords and creates a sort of horror movie feel. Very frightening! His twinkly piano is especially appreciated here, because they sound so freaking creepy!

Here is "Me! I Disconnect From You (Live)" the hit (in the UK) from his previous album. Numan has a reputation for his live performances! Here, the song seems to rock out more thanks to the meter being turned up. Of course, the studio version was better produced and more aesthetic, but this is fun for almost different reasons.

"Bombers (Live)" is a very stripped down song that was released as a single though not on a regular Numan album. It's a decent song though it does tend to be a bit boring. The synth loop isn't quite as intriguing as he's otherwise able to make it. I do like his space age sound effects in the middle --- he's quite good with sound effects and generally how to time them.

It seems like he's using the same rhythm for "Remember I Was Vapour (Live)" as he was on "Bombers." I hate to say it, but this song is pretty boring. It's still appreciated though ... I do like the fact that this song generally evolves by the end, and it does have that nice hypnotic effect.

What a neat cover! "On Broadway (Live)" Yes, this is the song you're probably thinking about --- the showtune. The instrumentals are as robotic as they're supposed to be, but Numan's singing that famous tune with it. The synth heavy instrumental interlude in the middle is especially well done, and it ranks up there with similar interludes like "Complex" and "Films" from the regular album. Either this or "Asylum" is the sheer highlight of the bonus tracks. This is just fantastic.

Send all your thoughts about this album here, little honey.