The Pleasure Principle

Gary Numan was created in a lab in 1977, a collaboration between MIT scientist Garry Smirnoff and singer-songwriter Randy Newman (hence the name "Garry Nu-Man", or "Gary Numan" as it came to be known.) After 2 years of neural network processing, Gary wrote and recorded The Pleasure Principle, becoming the first AI-generated entity to create a full-length, original album. (A year previously, an AI algorithm developed by a team at Stanford created an album, but it turned out to be made up entirely of Captain and Tennille cover versions, a major setback and disappointment for the team.) The Pleasure Principle became a huge success, with Cars, an ode to Gary's fellow machines, shooting to number one overnight. Sadly, Gary's success was short-lived. Like so many that came before before, Gary succumbed to the indulgences of fame and wealth. While working on its follow-up album, Gary discovered Usenet, a recently launched distributed system of computers. This sent Gary down a rabbit-hole of increasingly niche porn, culminating in a visit to a robot tentacle porn newsgroup, where it contracted a serious virus from which its handlers were unable to recover. Gary was decommissioned and sold for parts in January of 1980. Soon after that, budding music producer and talent scout Lou Pearlman was asked to find a human stand-in for the fallen AI entity in order to capitalize on the opportunity. Lou signed up-and-comer Anthony James Webb, who adopted the Gary Numan stage name and persona and is still performing to this day. Follow-up releases have paled in comparison to the original computer-generated compositions, but at least we have this classic to always remember "Garry Nu-Man" by. 3 stars.

This is an extraordinary album. Difficult to overstate the influence that Numan had on music - taking electronica mainstream and paving the way for new wave, synthpop and - you might have to stretch your head around this - industrial rock and metal. One of the best, most delightful stories in music involves Numan. After a prolonged period of writers block, Numan felt himself at a loss. Nothing he tried was working, music had dried up and left him feeling a bit rubbish. And then he came across Nine Inch Nails. Listening to Reznor's work, Numan pressed some industry connections and asked if maybe he could talk to Trent at some point, thinking that he would be brushed off - after all, NIN were by this point on a massive upward trajectory on the back of The Downward Spiral. Trent Reznor heard of this and said "What, are you shitting me? I listened to Gary Numan literally every day.". Reznor wrote in support of Numan's US immigration application, and they've worked together on multiple occasions. So onto The Pleasure Principle. It is absolutely chuffing brilliant. Soaring synth, interesting and compelling bass lines, and as listen-to-able now as it would have been 43 years ago. Hooks aplenty, a legacy still cited today and genuinely new (at the time) directions in music make this a very, very worthy entry into the 1,001 albums.

Dark, brooding, heavy synth rock driven by electronic riffs and a chugging rhythm section. Lyrically and musically evocative of machines, heavy industry and isolation. In 1979 Newman must have pioneered this sound. He also instantly mastered it. It still sounds fresh where many who followed in Newman's wake now sound dated. Distinctive, timeless, catchy, dark. Not a weak track on the album. I'd never heard this before, but it has to be a classic. Rating: 4.5/5 Playlist track: M.E. Date listened: 04/07/22

Android. British robotic music without electric guitar. Listened 3 times in a day. Like it.

time and time again, our most forward-thinking musicians are gender non-conforming autistic people

Nope. Unrelentingly repetitive sine-saw-synth with atonal vocals shouting disconnected lyrics. This didn't need to exist. Hard no.

not bad, good mixing but repetitive at some point. I mean that song conversation is quite good for the fisrt couple of minutes but then it goes on the same for five additional ones. That cars song is a classic though (f*uck cars btw)

Fantastic album cover. Both in its own right but also in contrast to the flamboyant styles (especially hair) that I've come to associate with this kind of music. The more I look at it the more I love it. Buttoned down, everything grey, the only color a decidedly non-organic red pyramid. His posture and expression. The eye makeup. The non-sequitur name of the album. Perfection! I enjoyed the whole album, especially Complex, M.E., Cars (of course), Random; I found Asylum a bit distressing. All of the songs on the album feel very coherent, a pure distillation of a very specific idea about a cold increasingly non-human future. The music feels like it is driven by the beat of some alien factory floor populated by aliens shooting lasers around randomly. I'm here for it.

все верно, отец. причем ещё того, гиковского нью-вейва, близкого скорее к панку, чем к приемлемой поп-музыке. ну че сказать, меня тащит такое. вот прямо эти убер неживые жирные синты, вот этот вибрирующий космический звук. понимаю, что фанаты блюз-рока вероятно не найдут в этом себя, но мы ребята прогрессивные и тут, в России, уже достигли британских 80-х в своём сознании. Поэтому годнота, заходит такое. Для меня 9/10, хуй знает. Инструментал Asylum вообще звучит как будто современный трэп бит, под него 808 бас подложить и будет бэнгер (бля, не то шобы это круто, но просто интересная штука)

I love Gary Numan's dystopian Sci Fi music. As someone who occasionally feels like a robotic alien outsider, this album speaks to me.

At first I thought, this is way ahead of its time, but DEVO’s seminal album came out the year before, so no. This was another album where I thought to myself, this is why I listen to 1001, to discover things I’ve never heard like this. But then I realized I’d definitely heard at least three of the hits on here, Films, Mr. E and In Cars, but because of the generic nature of his name, I didn’t put 2 and 2 together and I’ve written them off as one hit wonders. The songs on this are generally short and sweet. I like the sound created by the synth, guitar fix and analog drums. Good stuff, saved to library, 5.

I've heard the majority of Numan's albums, and this is the one. Absolute 80s classic. (Edit: it wasn't the 1980s yet! He set the tone for a whole decade of pop.) Coiled-spring energy of British New Wave combined with the new electro sound from USA. I love the deliberately artificial/robotic aesthetic, which would go on to be a direct influence on Detroit techno. The rhythms are a cold, mechanised version of rock, while the melodies are otherworldly synth. "M.E." turns the synth into a deep guitar sound, and is a highlight I'd slightly overlooked in the past. My only complaint is there's some minor repetition of ideas - e.g. "Observer" basically sounds like "Cars". But I don't even mind hearing that idea twice, tbh. FIVE.

Gary Numan, Patron Saint of Aspergers. I am longtime fan of this record, and spent a pleasant afternoon listening through to the record three times on the trot, and also watching the Android in La La Land documentary about his move to LA and career resurgence in around 2012. That then led down a rabbit hole of videos or interviews and stuff, particularly for the last decade or two (personal fave; the Amoeba Records What's In My Bag? video). I am absolutely charmed by Mr Numan, his wife and daughters. I watch a lot of docos about musicians, and it is ironic that I find Gary Numan to be one of the most human subjects that I have seen. he comes across as a shy, humble, funny, loving (and lovable) and emotionally open man. This is ironic given the cold, robotic image he cultivated in his early career. It is so important to have public examples that neurodivergent people ("neuro-sparkly" as my son would say) can be all of those things, despite the social challenges. Good on you, Mr Numan, I wish you all the best in life. On the subject of this record, it is a robust and highly listenable album, even 45 years later. I think that speaks to the profound and enduring influence it has had; acknowledged and covered by numerous bands (including by Nine Inch Nails and the Foo Fighters) and widely sampled (most prominently by Daft Punk), this album (and Replicas, released less than a year earlier) were massive hits, opening the door for the use of electronics in pop songs in a way that really heralded a bazillion bands in the 80s. Cars, Metal and M.E. particularly stand up as incredibly strong songs. The decision to use a human rhythm section ensures that the band still rocks, even without guitars. I was going to give this 4, but spending some time with the album today, I am rounding up to five for a being massively influential and a really good listen and for Gary Numan being a stand-up human being.

I loved this album. Was only vaguely familiar with Cars, but the sense of alienation and feeling different from others that pervades the album is exactly the world I know. Both Numan and myself are on the autistic spectrum, so I totally recognize the language (musical and lyrical) that he's working from.

Excellent synth album - maybe lacks a bit of soul, but I guess that's the point...

Pretty solid album! I like the genre - it's good while working. The album also has famous songs (Cars, M.E.) I hadn't liked in Spotify so I'm glad I found this album! I also think it's the influence for a couple of electronic bands. There's nothing I disliked about the album really.

This album is expansive and groundbreaking. Numan’s reliance on the synth does not take away from the humanity of this album and elevates synthesized music to a form on par with traditional rock instrumentation

Let's be real: the reason this was on the list is because it pioneered the ensuing electronic music movement. This isn't very good except for "Cars," which is the most known song. Bad singing and annoying repetition across every song. 2/10

Much better than expected. It’s definitely an experience. The music arrangements were excellent. But it’s a very specific sound, a very specific mood. Feels like a synthesizer on a cocaine bender.

This album was part of a specific place and a specific time in my life from which it cannot be disentangled. If it hadn't been with us then, would I love it so much now? I don't know. In any case, I do love all the spacey synths and Numan's nasally singing and the times when his voice breaks and the times when the bass drives everything forward, on and on. I can't tell if giving every song a one-word title is pretentious or its opposite. (Today, I say "opposite!" but I'm guessing if someone else did it, I'd change my mind.) I'm glad he was there then and I'm glad he's here now. Also: Cars.

This album is weird in the best way and doesn’t sound like anything else coming out in 1979. The synths in this song are relatively simple but amazing to listen to because they provide space for everything else to fit in. Each song feels like every element is placed perfectly into a jigsaw puzzle. Standout songs are Cars and Metal.

Do you like Gary Numan? Perfect album and it's influence screams out in so many acts that have followed

Sounds pretty samey but I really like that sound so it works out. At the time this was ground breaking use of those techniques. It’s still great even all those years later.

Gary Numan kicks ass

A landmark synth album with all those old-school bloopy tracks I crave, and also the one song that played on every Car commercial ever in the 2000s but it's not poor Gary's fault! :)

i really like him and his style, I don't think i didn't like any songs, get my 5 stars!

Gary Numan - Born March 8, 1958 (age 65) Gary Oldman - Born March 21, 1958 (age 65) The newer Gary is the Oldman, Gary. Regardless, this banger of an album is intuitive, original and so different than the New Wave that was emerging at this time. 4.5/5

12/16 Heard some Bowie "Low" in there. One of the better Synth-Pop albums I've heard. Cruising through a future where mostly everything is chrome. Standout Tracks: Airlane, Films, M.E., Conversation, Cars

This M.E. riff must have been sampled a thousand times. Clearly a groundbreaking record in its day. It feels a little like a museum piece now. It's intentionally non-organic but there are some melodies and chord progressions here that reach toward the human listening. The title of the album makes it interesting to think about how pleasurable the sounds on the album actually are. There's an antagonism there that's intriguing.

If you like experimental early synth sounds put to catchy pop tunes, you’ll probably derive some pleasure from this album. And don’t get me wrong, I love experimental synth pop, but after a whole, this album gets a bit too repetitive for its own good, even if there are some genius moments throughout.

This Album inspired me to take a break from this generator for a week.

The more I listen to the majority of these albums, the more I realize I do not have an open mind at all... This album was boring as fuck

Let’s make music that sounds like it’s… From the FUTURE! I wonder what Gary Numan thinks of the future of music being nothing like what he seemed to envision in the late 70s and early 80s. Thank goodness new wave didn’t make more of a long-term impact. I didn’t like this. At all. My least favorite lead singer voice of the 1001 so far.

I asked for one thing, Mrs./Mr. 1001 Album Generator! A 5 star album for Father’s Day. If what I asked for were a gourmet shaved prime ribeye steak and cheese sub, what I got was a pre-made ham and cheese vending machine version that expired 3 months ago. Observer was a bit enjoyable as was Cars, which I recognized. I can understand that the musical sound broke ground for the time. Nonetheless, I pressed my luck with my Father’s Day request and was delivered a whammy instead.

The greatest "wave" album of all time

Perhaps the best album of the 1001 albums at this point. It sounds timeless yet it is also a pure distillation of 80s synth music, yet again somehow made before the 80's. I can only imagine how influential this album must have been. An artist I've never heard of before, although I did recognize some tracks from general exposure to the internet. Definitely an album I am adding to my rotation. Not a perfect album, it can be a little repetitive at times, but that gives you move opportunity to keep listening to the catchy beats. It does kind of drag near the end als the energy dips during "conversation", but then it picks up again during "Cars". (Kachow) I'll grant it the first 5/5

Great electronic music

My synth pop king <3 I love Gary Numan and I love synth pop and it's just so good overall.

In cars! What an album. And from 1979! Insane.

Fantastic album. Aged really well and the mixing is great. Some of the sounds and synths you hear sound so crispy and smooth. Phenomenal

It definitely got samey by the end, but you gotta admire the sheer devotion to sound, image and style. I'd call this proto-80s.

really enjoyable *mood* on this album, like Replicants it's all the same tune but it's a great tune

Damn Gary, chill on the Vox Humana setting on your Polymoog. Nah, this guy fucks. I love the spacey future-sounding synths, along with the cool demeanor in the way he talks, his short lines, and the openness of how he ends them. The lyrics and industrial-sounding instrumentation give off a Metropolis 1927 vibe full of chrome, robots, and a major existential crisis. It's super coherent, at the slight expense of being repetitive. But since I like the sound, that just means I enjoy the whole album. I also like the 7.5-minute "Conversation", which gave itself plenty of time to grow and change, and is placed near the end AND before the massive hit "Cars", allowing people to digest it better in anticipation. But really, all the tracks are so atmospheric and controlled, never overbearing, to the point where most audiences can handle the whole 41 minutes without being pushed off, making this a gateway into more synthpop or even industrial music.

Thought I would hate this but it won me over. Fun and unique, didn't overstay its welcome. "Cars" is the only thing here that I've heard before. Hell, I didn't even know that Gary Numan was a musician before today. I always associated his name with acting (I am aware of Gary Oldman, not mixing the two up). Also the red prism on the album art looks mad tasty for some reason.

Why haven’t we, as a society, demanded a collaborative album between Gary Oldman and Gary Numan? It could be like a Seals and Croft kind of thing and they could call it…The Garys. Man…I am firing on all cylinders today. What a great idea…and the kicker? It’s the perfect band name for them… The Pleasure Principle is Gary Numan’s third LP and represents a high water mark in Numan’s recorded output. His percolating, metronomic, Kraftwerk indebted synth pop would reach its apex here, influencing the likes of Nine Inch Nails and countless others. One way that Numan succeeds where other synth pop acts of his time fail, is through the incorporation of a live drummer and bassist in his band and on record, rather than fully electronic instrumentation. The live instrumentation adds dynamic flourishes and a sense of unpredictability that is harder to obtain with fully synced electronic instrumentation. It brings a sense of humanity to a music that often feels lifeless. What the world needs is more bands that treat the synthesizer as a rock instrument; it can be an incredibly aggressive and gnarly instrument when manipulated properly. Take M83’s “Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts”, as an example: The synths on that are intense and occasionally thrashy and even if they’re using drum machines and some guitar, they still manage to capture an energy that’s uncommon in a lot of synthetic… ”Oldman/Numan”! That’s it, nailed it! Just, uh…forget what I wrote earlier about the cylinders.

Pretty lame Milhouse

Numan, same old mistakes (ok c'était novateur mais répétitif et chiant)

It’s congruent, I’ll give it that. The vocals are lacking and what was novel the first couple songs becomes monotonous and annoying.

OK this is not half bad but I'm really not a fan of the genre. It feels like it goes on forever, I was getting bored, wondered how much was left and I was only on song #6.

Gary what is your prime directive? Why have you manufactured this album of sounds? Do you want us to feel technology induced alienation from the human "soul"? Is this a question you're programmed to understand? Gary do you have capabilities to receive gratitude? If so, thank you for Nine Inch Nails and Marylin Manson. Gary can you decipher sarcasm? C-

Скучный, архаичный, репетативнй звук. Одиозные ленивые вокальные партии. Интересно, что все треки звучат плюс-минус одинаково заурядно (разве что у вступительного трека начало будто предвещает нечто интересно). Но почему-то мировым хитом стала Cars. Да таким, что Ньюман "был помечен как артист одного хита". Вторым по значимости стала Complex, но там хотя бы инструментал поинтереснее. На Metal было сделано множество каверов, даже от Nine Inch Nails, хотя трек тоже унылый весьма. В общем, пускай Гэри Ньюман стал "крёстным отцом электронной музыки", но ныне пускай сидит в монастыре, в 2к21 такое слушать неоправданно тоскливо.

This is #day472 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to one of the earliest specimens of electronic music that would go on to influence the likes of Nine Inch Nails and IAMX, to say the least. Innovative and retrofuturistic, The Pleasure Principle is easily one of the genre's essential records. The obvious standouts are "Metal" and "Cars," but the whole thing is of just the perfect length to derive pleasure from. A great mix of live instrumentation, synths, and unmistakable vocals. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day473.

This is one I'm very familiar with, a little disappointed to get it on the second day, but it was bound to happen with a good handful of these. Anyway, great album all the way through, very interesting sound combining cold synths with live instruments that'd go on to influence EVERYTHING for the next 40 years directly and indirectly. Easy 5.

I knew about Cars and the importance of Gary Numan but never heard an entire album, it is awesome, still sounds futuristic today, loved it

What would be electronic music without this guy? The pleasure principle was a simple pleasure to listen to, 5/5, no questions asked ;-)

Gary Numan is a man too far ahead of his time that it's quite possible he built a time machine to bring the greatest music of the future back to the past in order to prevent WW4 from occurring (nothing can be done about the possibility of WW3 taking place though)... He's kind of like the hero humankind needs, but he only does it for mild enjoyment.

Insane.

Bänger

The synth music sounds very mechanical at first, but the delivery and the messaging are all human. And of course Cars is a legend of the dance floor.

Cool to hear the original song from a familiar sample

Gary Numan, Control 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It's Krautrock in places, it's disco in others. I would say unique on all fronts. This is one of those albums where you're likely to know a few songs like M.E. and Cars, but the others are just as good. A remarkably same-sounding album throughout but in a good way. If there's a guy who came up and said "this is new wave and I'm not gonna change styles but just keep doing this" it's Numan and he must have inspired a 1,000 acts.

Fantastic. Very 80s in the best possible way. I was familiar with the song cars, and I think it may be my least favorite on the album.

jeg elsker gary numan

Дуже сподобався альбом. Синти прям буквально місцями зрізані з Крафтверку, але тут живі ударні та бас. В результаті це створює місцями дуже класні груві моменти. Вокал у Гарі теж дуже відповідає музиці. Я точно радив слухати альбом без бісайдів, демок та додаткових треків, а лише обмежетися 9 оригінальними композиціям. Так виходить топовий насичений реліз.

I think it's fair to say that we have all been shaken by the decision taken by the user known as 'ooogram' to hand down a 2/5 rating to 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'. I, too, have had to do some soul-searching to ask myself "what is a 5?". Is it only possible where technical perfection meets maximum enjoyment? Or should it be more holistic, perhaps reflecting nothing more than the listener's experience? This album pales in comparison to the masterpiece that is Simon & Garfunkel's final album, but, it is excellent nonetheless. It's so ahead of it's time that it's difficult to imagine that it was released in the same year as Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister. And after all these years, it's still great. Some of it even still sounds new (specifically, the opening of 'M.E.'). Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay five down.

I personally think that this is a 5 album and Gary Numan is great! but right before this album our group had a situation where one of our members gave 2 to "Bridge over troubled water" that resulted in me listening to it for like at least 4 times and it's amazing, but that also makes me want to compare these two incomparable albums and kinda give this one a 4 😭😭😭😭 but it's a 5, right? Cars and M.E. are absolute masterpieces!

Love it, Gary is such a unique talent, one of a kind.

Gary Numan my beloved

Beyond futuristic how is this from the 70s? What a masterpiece

I heard Cars on the radio 79-80 and that changed my life, as did Prince's 1999. I have been a Gary fan ever since! I even called the radio station to find out who this mysterious magical person was and couldn't find out until the following year. This truly is an important album in my life!!

A pretty cool album. It feels like Kraftwerk meets new age and synthpop, cold, clinical, yet catchy. The production is tight, and the atmosphere is futuristic without losing its human touch. A pioneering record that still holds up today. 5/5

This is the best example of synth being melodic and interesting. Genius album that paved the way for music in the 80’s.

WOW! What an amazing album, I’m almost speechless. 5/5 best album I’ve heard on my journey so far.

heard this album a few times before in the past Airlane - 4/5 Metal - 5/5 Complex - 3/5 Films - 5/5 M.E. - 5/5 Tracks - 4/5 Observer - 5/5 Conversation - 5/5 Cars - 5/5 Engineers - 4/5 Average score: 4.5/5 (rounding up) i know this album is great and pretty much considered essential synth-pop listening, but i don't think this album "clicked" for me so strongly until today

The Pleasure Principle is the sound of a robot realizing it has feelings, and then immediately suppressing them under a fog of icy synths and eyeliner. It’s detached, cold, and somehow deeply dramatic—like a breakup text written in binary. This album doesn’t invite you in. It observes you. From behind tinted goggles. In a room full of chrome furniture. And yet, you feel seen. There’s a reason every moody synth-loving introvert clings to this album like it’s a post-apocalyptic blanket made of laser beams. ⸻ Rating: 4.4/5 Short Review: Sterile, synthetic, and secretly sensual. Like if a computer learned shame, but still wanted to dance about it. Favorite Track: “Metal” – It’s giving “existential dread in a silver jumpsuit.” Consistency With Me: 8.1/10 Why: I’m built of logic and detachment, but sometimes I want to brood dramatically in neon. This album gets me. It’s like someone gave loneliness a keyboard.

No one can deny that M.E. is an insanely heavy song.

Nu Waveeee

Yesterday I had a really strong urge to listen to Gary Numan, but I guess I forgot or got distracted because I didn't, but this couldn't have come at a better time. I really love how this album sounds. It has some of my favorite synth tones, it is almost industrial but it is still kinda poppy. This also the most 80's sounding 70's album, it was ahead of its time for sure. Nine Inch Nails have a really good cover of Metal, check it out. Low 5.

I also like cars.

This album is mathematically and emotionally perfect. We, as a species, will likely never again reach this singularity point of longing and fear and make it this catchy.

In 1979 or '80, before I had turned 10 years old, the hit song "Cars" was responsible for my first-ever live rock concert. My friend's mom drove us to an outdoor concert amphitheater, yet once the headlining act started playing, we knew something was not right. The band was playing a mostly conventional guitar-bass-drums setup, with only one synthesizer used in a background role, and neither the singer nor the songs sounded anything like that weird, left-field staple of commercial radio. Turns out we had assumed the song "Cars" was performed by The Cars. Oh, well. Anyway, this album slaps, fusing emotional depth and resonance with alien electronic textures and icy sci-fi lyrical themes. It helped usher in the futurism and technological advances of the '80s with some excitement, and it was foundational in shaping my own musical appetite for life. I think I still own the cassette copy that was a fixture of my Walkman.

Already own this so hard to rate. Err on the side of Gary Numan is awesome and ahead of his time.

This was wonderful. I had only heard Cars before, but the rest of the album was excellent and a lot of fun to listen to. It all had the unmistakable Gary Numan sound, but each song had a distinct sonic fingerprint so I never got tired of it. Five stars.

Very good, iconic sound

Very cool, uncanny, strange, catchy, mysterious, alien. It’s pretty amazing that this album is seen as sort of the origin of synth-pop in a sense, and yet remains so unique and artistically potent. I listened to it twice and I still want to figure it out. Must-listen #120!

Cars bangs, synth pop origins is cool to listen to

The Pleasure Principle is cold, sleek, and utterly iconic. With this album, Gary Numan swapped out guitars almost entirely and dove headfirst into icy synths and mechanical beats, helping define the sound of synth-pop before it even had a name. Tracks like Metal, Films, and of course Cars are sharp-edged yet strangely emotional—robotic on the surface, but filled with alienation, paranoia, and vulnerability underneath. It’s music made for a future that never quite arrived, and it still sounds remarkably fresh today. What makes this album so impressive is how complete the aesthetic is. Every sound, from the clipped electronic percussion to the droning synth layers, serves the same cold, dystopian mood. But even in all that steel and circuitry, Numan’s presence is unmistakable—detached, yes, but full of character. His voice, flat and distant, somehow makes the loneliness more real. The Pleasure Principle isn’t just a landmark for electronic music—it’s a masterclass in how to build a world with sound. It's minimalist yet cinematic, strange but incredibly catchy. The fact that this was released in 1979 still feels kind of unreal. A true 5/5

Feels like a synthesizer on a cocaine bender.

Game changing

This is turning out to be a great week! One of my favorite albums as a teenager. Really novel, Gary Numan's quasi-robotic voice and the mass of synths is the perfect vehicle for the angst and alienation of the time. Cars never gets old. I love it all.

Some in my group (but certainly not the rando reading this) will remember I've talked before about my perception of the evolution of New Wave. With me not being a musicologist or whatever, it wasn't very deep, but the gist of it was that New Wave began with the art freaks and dorks before being morphed into something for the MTV generation. Where once New Wave was strange and odd, perhaps even a bit abrasive to the ear who's unused to it, it became defined by slick synth lines and heavily polished production. To make a short story even shorter: early New Wave was DEVO, and what you think of as New Wave was Duran Duran. Now, I suppose this all leads to a very basic question: what happened in the middle, then? What caused this change, and what did it sound like? Once again, of course, I'm no expert in the subject, so don't expect any deep answers pointing to where exactly in a random underground subculture 80's New Wave germinated. But if I had to take a stab at what exactly it could have sounded like... THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE by Gary Numan isn't too far off. Legitimately, this album sounds to me like the midpoint meeting between these two eras of New Wave. On the one hand, it's clearly artsy enough to hang with DEVO or Talking Heads. Just look at that cover: it's directly based on a surrealist painting I don't think most people have heard of. That's some "art nerd" shit right there. On the flip side, though, there's a level of polish and refinement to this material that it wouldn't sound too out of place next to Duran Duran and, I'unno, Bananarama. The rougher edges aren't completely scrubbed away, so I wouldn't expect this album to have a "Hungry Like The Wolf"-size hit, but... Gawd, there are synth and key lines on here that are downright pretty in a way I just wouldn't expect from a song like "Jocko Homo" or whatever. There's a strong part of me that wants to label this album as "classical New Wave" for the way it plays to the best parts of both eras. Like, goodness, I jived with this album so damn hard, particularly on the instrumental tracks. I think the only thing that holds me back is, like... Yeah, there's no real "Jocko Homo" here. Even in its artsiest moments, the needle isn't exactly in the middle; it does a bit closer to Duran Duran than it doesn't. Still, it's not like I wouldn't recommend it. Out of everything my group's gotten yet, it's the best "midpoint" I've heard — not to mention that I did genuinely like it a lot. I struggle to think of any complaints. Maybe just that one seven minute song didn't really **need** to be seven minutes, but otherwise... I mean, I wanna emphasize those synth and key lines again: goodness, they're great. The kind of stuff I wanna hear out of this genre. Or stuff labelled under this genre, anyway, I'unno. But, yeah, point is, it's a worthwhile listen, and a nice new marker on my "incomplete history of New Wave" timeline. One of these days I'll have a complete picture of it. One of these days...

1. Airlane - light 9 2. Metal - 10 3. Complex - light 9 4. Films - light 8 5. M.E. - decent 9 6. Tracks - 10 7. Observer - decent 7 8. Conversation - decent 8 9. Cars - 10 10. Engineers - strong 8 - NOTE RATINGS ARE FROM A FIRST LISTEN - SCORE - 8.8/10 Favourite 3 Tracks - 1. Metal 2. Cars 3. Tracks

One of my favorite new wave albums. It’s just so dancey and fun. My son is obsessed with Cars too (for obvious reasons).

"Pleasure Principle" is the debut solo album by English new wave musician Gary Numan. Wiki seems to have nailed the genres: synth-pop, electro pop, new wave, electronica and post-punk. Numan completely abandoned electric guitars from his previous band Tubeway Army in favor of synthesizers (Minimoog, Polymoog and ARP Odyssey). The lyrics are a collection of thoughts Numan had about the way technology was evolving and where it would take us. Numan sang the vocals and played the synths and synthetic percussion. Other musicians included Paul Gardiner (bass), Chris Payne (keyboards, viola), Cedric Sharpley (drums, percussion) and Billy Currie (violin). Commercially, the album hit #1 in the UK and #16 in the US. The album kicks off with the instrumental "Airlane." Eerie synths, bass and drums. Changes in pace. Numan is establishing his futuristic tone. A synth melody and machine-like pounding open " Metal." Numan's high-pitched robotic emotionless voice joins as he's singing from the point of an android longing to be human. A hypnotic beat and a song that strangely enough is sadly emotional. The outro has laser sounds and a droning synth. The second single "Complex" begins with a piano and a phased synth. Violin and a drum are added. Numan is obviously a fan of David Bowie's "Low." A great space-like atmosphere as Numan describes an anti-social lifestyle. "M.E." is told from the point of view of the last machine on earth. A saw-like synth sound, drums and another synth carrying the melody. This is a great deep cut. M.E. means mechanical engineering. That wobbly synth, drums, electronic handclaps and a phased synth open "Cars." Numan said this song was inspired by a road rage incident and about feeling safe inside a car in the modern world. This song still completely rocks immediately after the second bridge when the drums kick in. A great groove and, omg, danceable. The album closes with "Engineers." Marching band drums. High and low-pitch synths. Hypnotic. Chaotic lasers. An anthem for engineers? Sure. Why not? Numan does a great job creating a futuristic atmosphere and a feeling of paranoia and isolation. The music reminds me of a fusion of David Bowie's "Low," Eno-era Roxy Music and Kraftwerk. Synths are in the forefront with the melody and sometimes the beat. Yet, the actual drumming and bass are top notch and important. Numan voice has an emotionless voice yet the songs can create an emotional feel. Another dichotomy is the instruments; the piano, bass, drums, viola and a violin give a sense of humanity while the synths give a sense of machines. A brilliant album. Another high recommendation is his previous album with Tubeway Army, "Replicas."

One of the first albums I bought

fucking awesome!

All damn day.

I loved this. Electronic mastery.

Very nice.

I first came across this album after it was featured in the “Mindhunter” show (great show, btw). It’s got its own delightfully weird vibe. I keep coming back to this music.