The most popular of all the
Gary Numan
albums is undeniably 1979's
The Pleasure Principle
. The reasons are simple -- there is not a single weak moment on the disc, it contains his sole U.S. (number one worldwide) hit,
"Cars,"
and new drummer
Cedric Sharpley
adds a whole new dimension with his powerful percussion work.
is also one of the first
albums to feature true ensemble playing, especially heard within the airtight, killer groove of
"Metal"
(one of
Numan
's all-time best tracks). Starting things off with the atmospheric instrumental
"Airlane,"
the quality of the songs gets stronger and stronger as the album progresses --
"Films,"
"M.E.,"
"Observer,"
"Conversation,"
the aforementioned
and the U.K. Top Ten hit
"Complex"
all show
in top form. If you had to own just one
album,
would be it. [This 30th Anniversary Edition of
adds a bonus disc filled with demos and B-sides plus a booklet with classic photographs and informative liner notes by
biographer
Steve Malins
.] ~ Greg Prato