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.

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)

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

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

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

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.

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

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)

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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 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

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.

This album along with Tubeway Army before it and Telekon after bring me so much joy. Sounds fresh to this day.

9/10 I'm a sucker for synth, I make no apologize for my illness. Pity me not 12-12-2024

Important cutting edge new wave album. My only complaint is that “Cars” goes so much harder than nearly everything else on the disc.

autism WIN!!!!!!!!

Of course, this record is known for the mega hit "Cars" which at the time felt like it had been beamed in from an alternate planet... which made sense, because Gary looked like he had just landed... even the album cover gives that sense, like the aliens had scanned the planet, determined the predominant appearance of those with influence, and put Gary in an oddly fitting suit and conservative haircut... he is looking at the pyramid as if he is communicating with it somehow, it's all quite odd, especially the unnatural perfection of his hands, and the mirror reflections of them. All that said, Mr. Numan is so much more than this particular record. I own at least a dozen albums on vinyl. I think in some ways the thing that I appreciate the most about him was his willingness to execute "The Plan" in that he had trouble getting a record deal, so they sat down and wrote fifteen punk songs and sent that into the label. Tubeway Army got a record deal, and within a year, they had switched completely back over to the stuff Gary really wanted to play. The label couldn't complain, because of the huge hit "Are 'Friends' Electric?" which has to be one of the first blatant crossover hits between science fiction and popular music. It's also clear that Gary opened up the universe of what could make money for record labels. We'd never have had Thomas Dolby or Flock of Seagulls or The Fixx if it wasn't for Gary. Great live performer too, check out "White Noise", it's my favorite, I think, though "Dark Light" is good too. I was pleased when Foo Fighters covered "Down In The Park" as it was a really nice little homage to Gary and his fantastic songwriting... much like Nirvana covering Bowie's "The Man Who Sold The World", it showed these artists were really listening to these albums, getting into the deeper tracks, and taking something away. We all grew up together listening to these fantastic artists who could invent these outlandish scenarios and generate these bizarre plots and communicate them through music.

Wow easy 5 star. I saved almost every song but think the big hit Car was the only one I had heard previously. I can’t believe how early this came out. What an innovator Rating: 4.8

some true early new wave music. this is new wave music in its raw infancy, and it's an eye-and-ear-catching spectacle. sweeping analog synths and a clear turning point at the end of the progressive era of rock; this album is mysterious, futuristic, and astonishing. while these early synth techniques are starting to show their age, which may throw a few listeners off, this almost neo-classical take on songwriting will keep you intrigued.

This is just an enjoyable and unique album. I like all the songs on it, and it has a feel that’s different from the others I’ve gotten on this list.

Amazing

Loved it! Sounded modern and classic

In 1979, Gary Numan invented music when he released Cars. The world has not looked back and we continue to venerate him until this day

really fun. I'd only known the cars single before

Very good! :) Really good vibe :)

There are some amazing songs on this album. I saw Gary Numan live in 2023 and since then have been hooked. This album works so well together as a piece. Fantastic album and brilliant genre of music. This is the start of electronic music, and you can tell it influences so many other bands Favourite song: M.E & Cars Least favourite: all good songs. its a 5/5 album Album artwork: Brilliant cover

Gary Numan is a genius.

EDM, electronica, cyber-punk, techno... synthwave and its assorted sub-genres... it is ALL in large part grandfathered by Gary Numan. This album is from 1979 (!) The overall consistency and lyrical timelessness of this album is amazing. (Also) even though I have not dusted off my Gary Numan CD's in a while... I actually HAVE Gary Numan CD's to begin with!

It cannot be overstated how much of an influential album this was to all electronic music that has come after be it dance to industrial.

A perfect synth pop album with excellent lyrics and playing.

The third album I ever bought, the second being Replicas (and the first being the Grease soundtrack, but let’s draw a veil over that). It’s as exciting to listen to now as it was then, just brilliant. It was nice to hear the bonus tracks from CD reissues, but it really didn’t need them. And Complex still gives me goosebumps/makes me well up. Marvellous; had to immediately play it again.

Wonderful

Psychedelic/music wavey feeling, loved it,

Easy 5/5 for this vampire alien robot with a Moog collection. Terrific songs and inventive instrumentation.

I really need to go here. Can I remember the 80s & let go of the 90s?

Absolutely brilliant. Have always liked the innovative music of Gary Numan. This album certainly lives up to its title because it was indeed a pleasure to listen to.👍👐

Nice!

A completely groundbreaking album in synth/new wave, and a very influential record. It gets a bit too samey towards the end, but it's still a very unique sound, after almost 45 years.

Well now I have to dig out the LP! YouTube is only so good. This really is the future. I’m a Numanoid synth fan and the songs metal, control and film are bangers. I’m still praying to the aliens. I suppose I got a deep love of electronic music, I guess it’s just modern nostalgia for the future.

Numanoids \o/

How can an album sound so 80s but not be from the 80s? Gary Numan is the father of synth pop and paved the way for the sounds of the 80s. His influence is undeniable. There is a sense of nostalgia in every song that leaves you longing for more. Albeit simplistic in rhythm and lyrics, the songs form little masterpieces sprinkled throughout the album. ‘Cars’ is a song that I have listened to thousands of times starting at a very early age. That song helped me appreciate this type of music on a new level and seek it out to further my musical tastes. An extremely enjoyable experience from start to finish. 9/10

great album

Now this is one dope album

Man I wish I could have heard this one in the full context of when it came out. Top music, top album cover too.

as a die-hard Bowie Fan I should not like this (he copied him) but I kind of do? I mean it's very obvious on songs like M.E. but still they are bangers...

Wild that this came out in '79! Ahead of it's time for sure. I knew Cars, but crazily I don't think I'd ever listened to this whole album before. Or if I had, it was absolute ages ago. Anyway, this album fuckin' kicks IMHO. Feels like New Wave by way of Kraftwerk, which is very much up my alley. Sweet bass lines, hella Moogs, random viola to spice things up... Hard to call this anything but pure synth-pop deliciousness. Just gonna go ahead and call this a 5 because I feel like it.

REALLY enjoyed this album. Had only heard a handful of Gary Numan’s songs, will be looking into his discography!

PREFS : TOUT MOINS PREF : RIEN

There were a lot of influences to be sure (Electronic and Glam) but Gary took it to another realm. Tbh this is really a continuation from Tubeway Army. Really got me into Synth and I'm still listening today. It's about the whole pose as well as the music. Good to see a lot of Retro bands too. You can catch taglines here and there from other records where they've pinched a synth scale.

After absolutely amazing opening 'Airlane' everything else is bound to be a little disappointing - but what a beautiful disappointment it was! Dark, uneasy and totally captivating.

I had strong Kraftwerk vibes from the beggining. Nothing suprising considering release date. Classic synthpop sound. Some tracks were a bit new wave/post punk and I like that little bit of diversity

9/10 awesome album! a little repetitive at times but still a fantastic experience!

yeah yeah yeah

Gary Numan was clearly a genius. Still sampled to this day, he created some groundbreaking sounds. He is the sound of the 80's

Honestly shocked at how much I enjoyed this album. The whole album has a very specific sound with the synthesizers often using the same voice, and I think put through effects pedals. I love that he uses a real drummer as it really adds a different sound to the usually synthpop sounds. Complete banger.

I LOVE GARY NUMAN HERE IN MY CAR I FEEL SAFEST OF ALL

This came as somewhat of a surprise. I only knew Cars but the other songs ive heard in one way or the other, mostly through samples. That makes it a very influential album, not just because of its early use of digital instruments. Loved it a lot.

I can’t think of an album that had a bigger influence on 80s new wave than this one. Metal, M.E., and Cars are all classics that still go hard, the latter propping up the weaker back half after the overly long Conversation and weak ending of Engineers. Despite the album as a whole maybe over staying it’s welcome, there’s some days I just replay songs like Metal over and over again because it won’t leave my head.

Gary Numan breaks off from the Tubeway Army and predicts the future. The Pleasure Principle is a masterwork of synthpop, setting a precedent for the coming decade, robotic and alien but somehow not overwhelmingly cold…it’s pure genius.

This didn't capture me at first but the back half, and the last four tracks in particular, grabbed me more. I'll likely give it another listen sometime.

Oh yeah

Liked it.

Loved this album from start to finish. How have I never heard this before? Not a duff track to be heard. I think this will quickly become a favourite!

Oye, este es un clásico inmediato

Still sounds like the future.

Precursor to hyper pop!

I have no complaints here. This album delivered...it was everything that I expected that it would be.

The only two songs off this I have heard before was "Cars" and "Engineers." I have always loved both songs, so it was a real pleasure to listen to this whole album. I'm a sucker for a Moog synth, and this Moogtastic!

FUCK yeah. didn’t know shit about this outside of Cars, which I found annoying when my dad would play it one million times in the car. One of like sixty-eighty songs that he’d play over and over. But this album Jesus Christ dude. 1979 it had to be way ahead of its time. Zero electric guitar and it fucking ROCKS. I love 80s synth pop. This is the exact 80s synth pop that I like. One hour and nouns minutes of super layered and delicately produced utter bops. I love his aesthetic too. That androgynous robot shit. Screams David Bowie but less of a rockstar and more of a clone. This dude had to have been some kind of musical savant. This was really impressive and I almost have no words. I’m gonna listen again.