Strange Charm
Encyclopedia
Strange Charm is the tenth studio album, and eighth under his own name, by electronic music
pioneer Gary Numan
, released in 1986 through by Numa Records. The album was not released in the United States
until 1999 when it was issued in a digitally remastered form with five bonus tracks by Cleopatra Records
. On the same year it was also reissued with bonus tracks in the United Kingdom
by Eagle Records
.
The album's title is derived from concepts of particle physics
, specifically the strange quark
and the charm quark
.
, and continued in a style similar to the previous album (with liberal use of saxophone and female backing-vocals). However, the album's stand-out tracks, "My Breathing" and "New Thing from London Town", were produced by Ade Orange and Bill Sharpe & Nick Smith, respectively, and offer a departure from the industrial sound of the rest of the album into quite different atmospheres. "New Thing from London Town" was a re-recorded version of the single released by Numan and Bill Sharpe (under the name Sharpe + Numan) a month before the release of Strange Charm. The Strange Charm version of the song retains the original music, but features new lyrics written and sung by Numan (the lyrics on the single version were written by Roger Odell). Elsewhere, the songs on Strange Charm range from radio-friendly pop ("The Sleeproom", "I Can't Stop") to slow-burning ballads ("This is Love"), to fast-paced, energetic synth-rock (the title track).
By the time of Strange Charms recording, Numan had found himself more and more alienated from the mainstream of British pop music, while most of the money he had made during the early part of his career had now been consumed by his costly self-funded record label. Numan later recollected that the studio atmosphere was tense:
Not only did Numan find it very difficult to create the kind of sound that he wanted for Strange Charm, but the protracted recording sessions resulted in the album being recorded in its entirety twice, diluting Numan's enthusiasm for the finished product. Strange Charm was finally released in late 1986, many months after singles from the album had been released. "This is Love" was released in April and reached UK#28; "I Can't Stop" was released in June and reached UK#27, and the original version of "New Thing from London Town" was released in October and reached UK#52. No singles were taken from Strange Charm after the album's release in November. The only single Numan released that month was "I Still Remember", a remake of a song from Numan's 1985 album The Fury. Released as a charity single for the RSPCA, "I Still Remember" reached #74 on the UK charts. The Strange Charm album itself peaked at #59 on the UK album chart, and spent only two weeks in the top 75.
For the visual look of Strange Charm, Numan abandoned the white suit-clad persona of The Fury and instead dyed his hair blond (again) and wrapped himself in a Blade Runner
-style long leather jacket and sunglasses. Blade Runner was also the influence for one the B-sides of the album "Time to Die", which takes its title and most of its lyrical content from the Roy Batty's dying speech during the climax scene of the movie. Strange Charm is the third of five Numan albums to feature saxophonist Dick Morrissey
, who performed on the Blade Runner film score. Vocal samples from the movie can be heard on Numan's albums The Fury (1985) and Outland
(1991). Numan has referred to Blade Runner as "one of my all-time favourite films."
Numan did not support Strange Charm with a live tour (making it his first studio album since 1981's Dance
not to be supported by a concert tour). However, Numan embarked on the 18-date "Exhibition Tour" in September 1987 to promote the compilation album Exhibition
. A live album, Ghost, was culled from the final two shows of the tour (25–26 September 1987) and released in March 1988. Ghost features live versions of several Strange Charm tracks.
The album saw its first CD reissue on Gary's own Numa label in 1991. It was reissued again in 1996.
In 1999 the album was reissued in the UK by Eagle Records
in remastered form, with five tracks originally released as B-sides as bonus tracks (including "Time to Die"), new artwork and liner notes. In the same year it was also released in the U.S. by Cleopatra Records
, who dropped two of the instrumental bonus tracks of the UK reissue in favour of the extended mixes of "New Thing from London Town" and "I Can't Stop". Additionally the U.S. release used a modified version of the original cover and did not feature liner notes.
All timings are approximate and will vary slightly with different equipment.
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
pioneer Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
, released in 1986 through by Numa Records. The album was not released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
until 1999 when it was issued in a digitally remastered form with five bonus tracks by Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
. On the same year it was also reissued with bonus tracks in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Eagle Records
Eagle Records
Eagle Records is a leading independent record label, a division of Edel Records. Also exists as Eagle Rock Entertainment.In the United Kingdom the label's managing director is Lindsay Brown, former manager of Van Halen, while in the United States the head is Mike Carden, formerly of CMC...
.
The album's title is derived from concepts of particle physics
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
, specifically the strange quark
Strange quark
The strange quark or s quark is the third-lightest of all quarks, a type of elementary particle. Strange quarks are found in hadrons, which are subatomic particles. Example of hadrons containing strange quarks include kaons , strange D mesons , Sigma baryons , and other strange particles...
and the charm quark
Charm quark
The charm quark or c quark is the third most massive of all quarks, a type of elementary particle. Charm quarks are found in hadrons, which are subatomic particles made of quarks...
.
Overview
Strange Charm was the last studio album released on his self-funded Numa Records label before he signed a contract with IRS Records (he would later release two more albums on Numa in the 1990s). Unlike most of his previous albums, Strange Charm is a fragmented release with no obvious theme on it, either musically or lyrically. Numan admitted that the album was disjointed, concerned more with atmosphere than theme. The majority of the album was produced by The Wave Team, who had produced most of Numan's previous offering, The FuryThe Fury (album)
The Fury is the ninth studio album, and seventh under his own name, by electronic pioneer Gary Numan, released in 1985. It saw him continuing to explore the sampling-heavy industrial sound he had developed for the previous album Berserker in 1984...
, and continued in a style similar to the previous album (with liberal use of saxophone and female backing-vocals). However, the album's stand-out tracks, "My Breathing" and "New Thing from London Town", were produced by Ade Orange and Bill Sharpe & Nick Smith, respectively, and offer a departure from the industrial sound of the rest of the album into quite different atmospheres. "New Thing from London Town" was a re-recorded version of the single released by Numan and Bill Sharpe (under the name Sharpe + Numan) a month before the release of Strange Charm. The Strange Charm version of the song retains the original music, but features new lyrics written and sung by Numan (the lyrics on the single version were written by Roger Odell). Elsewhere, the songs on Strange Charm range from radio-friendly pop ("The Sleeproom", "I Can't Stop") to slow-burning ballads ("This is Love"), to fast-paced, energetic synth-rock (the title track).
By the time of Strange Charms recording, Numan had found himself more and more alienated from the mainstream of British pop music, while most of the money he had made during the early part of his career had now been consumed by his costly self-funded record label. Numan later recollected that the studio atmosphere was tense:
Not only did Numan find it very difficult to create the kind of sound that he wanted for Strange Charm, but the protracted recording sessions resulted in the album being recorded in its entirety twice, diluting Numan's enthusiasm for the finished product. Strange Charm was finally released in late 1986, many months after singles from the album had been released. "This is Love" was released in April and reached UK#28; "I Can't Stop" was released in June and reached UK#27, and the original version of "New Thing from London Town" was released in October and reached UK#52. No singles were taken from Strange Charm after the album's release in November. The only single Numan released that month was "I Still Remember", a remake of a song from Numan's 1985 album The Fury. Released as a charity single for the RSPCA, "I Still Remember" reached #74 on the UK charts. The Strange Charm album itself peaked at #59 on the UK album chart, and spent only two weeks in the top 75.
For the visual look of Strange Charm, Numan abandoned the white suit-clad persona of The Fury and instead dyed his hair blond (again) and wrapped himself in a Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
-style long leather jacket and sunglasses. Blade Runner was also the influence for one the B-sides of the album "Time to Die", which takes its title and most of its lyrical content from the Roy Batty's dying speech during the climax scene of the movie. Strange Charm is the third of five Numan albums to feature saxophonist Dick Morrissey
Dick Morrissey
Richard Edwin "Dick" Morrissey was a British jazz musician and composer. He played the tenor sax, soprano sax and flute.- Background :...
, who performed on the Blade Runner film score. Vocal samples from the movie can be heard on Numan's albums The Fury (1985) and Outland
Outland (Gary Numan album)
Outland is the 13th studio album, and tenth under his own name, by electronic music pioneer Gary Numan, released in 1991. It was Numan's second and last studio album to be released by IRS Records, reaching #39 on the UK charts...
(1991). Numan has referred to Blade Runner as "one of my all-time favourite films."
Numan did not support Strange Charm with a live tour (making it his first studio album since 1981's Dance
Dance (Gary Numan album)
Dance is the fifth studio album, the third under his own name, by the British musician Gary Numan, released in 1981. It is his first release after announcing his retirement from touring in April 1981...
not to be supported by a concert tour). However, Numan embarked on the 18-date "Exhibition Tour" in September 1987 to promote the compilation album Exhibition
Exhibition (album)
Exhibition is a double disc compilation album of Gary Numan's hits and selected other tracks released on the Beggars Banquet Records label...
. A live album, Ghost, was culled from the final two shows of the tour (25–26 September 1987) and released in March 1988. Ghost features live versions of several Strange Charm tracks.
Different releases
Strange Charm was originally only released in the UK. The original cassette release featured "Time to Die" as an extra track at the end of side one.The album saw its first CD reissue on Gary's own Numa label in 1991. It was reissued again in 1996.
In 1999 the album was reissued in the UK by Eagle Records
Eagle Records
Eagle Records is a leading independent record label, a division of Edel Records. Also exists as Eagle Rock Entertainment.In the United Kingdom the label's managing director is Lindsay Brown, former manager of Van Halen, while in the United States the head is Mike Carden, formerly of CMC...
in remastered form, with five tracks originally released as B-sides as bonus tracks (including "Time to Die"), new artwork and liner notes. In the same year it was also released in the U.S. by Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
, who dropped two of the instrumental bonus tracks of the UK reissue in favour of the extended mixes of "New Thing from London Town" and "I Can't Stop". Additionally the U.S. release used a modified version of the original cover and did not feature liner notes.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Gary Numan, except for "New Thing From London Town", which has music by Bill Sharpe and lyrics by Numan.All timings are approximate and will vary slightly with different equipment.
1986 Numa vinyl release (NUMA 1005)
- "My Breathing" - 6:39
- "Unknown And Hostile" - 4:29
- "The Sleeproom" - 5:19
- "New Thing From London Town" - 5:57
- "I Can't Stop" - 5:50
- "Strange Charm" - 5:03
- "The Need" - 7:07
- "This Is Love" - 4:32
- The original cassette release included "Time to Die" as an extra track on side 1, after "New Thing from London Town".
1991 Numa CD reissue (NUMACD 1005)
- "My Breathing" - 6:39
- "Unknown And Hostile" - 4:29
- "The Sleeproom" - 5:19
- "New Thing From London Town" - 5:57
- "I Can't Stop" - 5:50
- "Strange Charm" - 5:03
- "The Need" - 7:07
- "This Is Love" - 4:32
1996 Numa CD reissue (NUMACDX 1005)
- "My Breathing" - 6:39
- "Unknown And Hostile" - 4:29
- "The Sleeproom" - 5:19
- "New Thing From London Town" - 5:57
- "I Can't Stop" - 5:50
- "Strange Charm" - 5:03
- "The Need" - 7:07
- "This Is Love" - 4:32
1999 Cleopatra U.S. CD reissue (CLP 0534-2)
- "My Breathing" - 6:39
- "Unknown And Hostile" - 4:29
- "The Sleeproom" - 5:19
- "New Thing From London Town" - 5:57
- "I Can't Stop" - 5:50
- "Strange Charm" - 5:03
- "The Need" - 7:07
- "This Is Love" - 4:32
- "New Thing From London Town (12" Version)" - 7:57
- "Time To Die" - 4:18
- "I Can't Stop (10" Version)" - 6:38
- "Faces" - 4:54
- "Survival" - 5:14
1999 Eagle Records CD reissue (EAMCD074)
- "My Breathing" - 6:39
- "Unknown And Hostile" - 4:29
- "The Sleeproom" - 5:19
- "New Thing From London Town" - 5:57
- "I Can't Stop" - 5:50
- "Strange Charm" - 5:03
- "The Need" - 7:07
- "This Is Love" - 4:32
- "Survival" - 5:14
- "Faces" - 4:54
- "Time To Die" - 4:18
- "River" - 3:32
- "Mistasax (2)" - 3:08
- "River" and "Mistasax (2)" are Numan solo tracks that were used as B-sides to the Radio HeartRadio Heart"Radio Heart" is the second single from The Futureheads's third album This Is Not the World. It was released on 19 May 2008 in the United Kingdom and reached #65 on the UK Singles Chart and #1 in the UK Indie Chart...
singles "All Across the Nation" and "Radio Heart" respectively.
- "New Thing From London Town (12" Version)" is the 12" mix of the Sharpe + Numan single version, with lyrics written by Roger Odell instead of Numan. It is exclusive to the U.S. Cleopatra reissue. The original 7" mix has only ever been re-released on the 1999 Numan compilation album, New Dreams For Old: 1984-1998, and was transferred from a vinyl copy because the original master-tape of the song had been lost.
Personnel
- Gary NumanGary NumanGary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
- vocals, keyboardsElectronic keyboardAn electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, audio mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Tessa NilesTessa NilesTessa Niles is an English singer, best known as a backing singer for a wide variety of artists.-Early life and career:Born in Kent, Niles began her professional singing career, as both a lead and a backing vocalist, in 1979...
- backing vocals - Mike Smith - keyboards
- Dick MorrisseyDick MorrisseyRichard Edwin "Dick" Morrissey was a British jazz musician and composer. He played the tenor sax, soprano sax and flute.- Background :...
- saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846... - Martin Elliott - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Rrussell Bell - guitar, backing vocals
- Ade Orange - guitar, keyboards, producer
- Chris Payne - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Ian Herron - drum machineDrum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock... - Roger Odelle - drum programming
- Bill Sharpe - keyboards, producer
- Linda Taylor - backing vocals
- Mark Railton - guitar
- Jess LidyardJess LidyardJess Lidyard is the former drummer of Tubeway Army. He is bandleader Gary Numan's uncle, and played on the band's self-titled debut album and on the highly successful Replicas, which featured the hit "Are 'Friends' Electric?"...
- precussion on "the need" - Tim Summerhayes - audio mixing
- Arun Chekraverty - audio masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Jeff Hanen - audio mastering
- Patti Burris - make-up
- Lewis Ziolek - photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- The Wave Team - producer