The Pleasure Principle

Own it.

Very good, really love the electronic guitar-like instrument

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

Gary Numan shifted from punk rock to electronic music, right when the (new) wave was ready to break. I originally thought this entire album was simply a vehicle for “Cars,” but actually there is more here to appreciate - songs like “Metal,” “Films,” and “M.E.” share with “Cars” the edgy and ominous tones of a future that’s about to hit you head on. It makes me nostalgic for the days when this was merely imagined…and not yet realized… Hat tip to Brian Eno…not involved that I know of but his influence seems pervasive!

99% of the time, the synthesizer totally gives me analytical pause. And Gary Numan's most notable track features the synthesizer. This album did not change my mind about the use of the instrument, but Gary leans into and owns it. While I am giving it a three out of five, it is kind of a huge victory because I went into it thinking this one hit wonder probably shouldn't be on the list. It is a solid album. Well played, Mr. Numan

An excellent, influential album. I listen to this a lot and while there's better synth stuff that came out later, this is still a great fun album

Just no.

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.

Airlane - pretty boring intro Metal - fine Complex - cool Films - 🥉 M.E. - 🥈, cool I wish the whole album sounded more like this Tracks - fine Observer - fine Conversation - fine Cars - 🥇, big single for reason I guess Engineers - bit too loopy Random - loopy interlude is fine unless it goes into another long loopy interlude Oceans - said long loopy interlude Asylum - chrono trigger boss music is cool but what is it doing on an album with songs like cars Overall - 2/2.5, obviously super influential and has a lot of cool stuff going on, but I think the cool factor wears off, wouldn’t really go back to anything on it but Gary seems cool enough and the fact everything is electronic makes the album in a concept cooler than the music

Iha ok mut toistaa itteensä

Insane.

This is a great album I love the use of single word titles and the apparent cold aesthetic. You have to search for the hidden humanity that is there below the surface.

Bänger

I'd never listened to this album. Some basic tracks, some iconic tracks -- some real sick ones. A real treasure.

Cars and M.E. are great. A lot of the rest of the album sort of blends together - specifically I feel like riffs and moments from Cars kinda show up in many of the other songs - but I like this album. Been getting into new wavey stuff and listening pretty often in the last few years. Solid listen.

He was so far ahead of his time, I never appreciated this album properly. Speed forward to now and with hindsight you can see all the music that Numan inspired and led the way on.

I liked 'Cars'. The other songs, not so much. 2/5

I actually liked this a lot more than I expected. I’d somehow forgotten that “Cars” was Gary Numan, and it’s just as cool in the context of the full record. The synth tones are fantastic—icy, futuristic, and surprisingly varied across the album. He’s not winning any vocal awards, but that’s not really the point here. This feels like the blueprint for a whole era of electronic music, and it still holds up.

I usually end up mixed on new wave albums because I like the style of music but sometimes the vocals just don’t work for me, this time because the vocals were limited (and even then I did think there was a charm to them) and the music was just as good or better than other albums in the genre I have to go this a 4 stars I think

a really entertaining parody of new wave music-- the tinny vocals, the cliché synths, the complete de-emphasis of bass sounds, the stupid lyrics, gary really nailed it all in a way that's truly indicting of the genre. it's so close to the real thing that for a minute there i was worried it was genuine, but of course that would be ridiculous

Significant!

This album is why we don't let people use synths anymore. Cars is an all-time classic, so I can give him some credit for that, but an entire album is tough to enjoy.

Het is iets wat eigenlijk te vaak wordt genoemd in de muziek, waardoor de opmerking gelijk kracht verliest: 'ahead of its time'. Als je dit bij te veel artiesten zegt van eind jaren 70, dan is de kans aanwezig dat ze precies 'on time' waren, als je begrijpt wat ik bedoel. Maar anyway, Gary Numan is een artiest waar we met zekerheid kunnen zeggen dat hij een voorloper was. Wat heet, ik denk dat weinig muziek wat na 'The Pleasure Principle' en zijn werk bij Tubeway Army kwam zo futuristisch en inhumaan klinkt als wat we hier horen. Robotisch, alien, noem het hoe je het wil noemen, maar vooruitstrevend is een understatement. Waar hij begeleid wordt door machinaire geluiden en kille synths, maakt zijn stem net zo goed deel uit van dat artificiële arsenaal. En dan heb je het nog niet eens over z'n 'uncanny' uiterlijk. En als je zijn optreden bij top of the pops ziet, dan moet het een schok zijn geweest dat er iemand nog zo veel bovennatuurlijker leek dan David Bowie. Het verbaasd ook weinig dat er uiteindelijk autisme bij hem werd gediagnositeerd, want hij is moeilijk in een 'normaal' hokje te beschrijven. Los van het fascineerde karakter, en baanbrekende bijbehorende sound, is het ook gewoon een lekker album. Kantje één is subliem: spannend, ijskoud (óf gewoon erg cool), en hypnotiserend. Maar verrassend genoeg ook bij vlagen energiek, zoals in 'M.E.'. Kant twee is een herhaling van zetten, maar dan een stukje minder energiek, minder spannend en minder cool. 'Cars' beurt het niveau behoorlijk op. Overall gewoon een wonderlijk album, en een fundamentele pilaar voor de synthpop van vandaag de dag. 8/10 Highlights: Metal Complex M.E. Cars

Grensverleggende plaat die het gebruik van synthesizers echt mainstream maakte eind jaren 70. Het sterkste stuk vind ik van Observer tot aan Engineers. Dat is hoogstaande New Wave waarin de variatie ook nog wel aardig hoog is. Op de rest van de plaat is het vrij repetitief. Dat begint op een gegeven moment een beetje te storen. 7,5/10 Highlights Observer Conversation Cars

This future never came. Sorry, we still have shitty cars.

The nuest of waves

Having stayed at the Robert Moog Farmhouse this past weekend in Ashville, NC (on a trip down to help do some recovery volunteering after Hurricane Helene), you'd think I'd be all about this cacophony of synthy sounds, heck we even spent some time at the Moogseum! But alas, there's only so much I can take. 3/5

A couple of decent radio hits surrounded by very gimmicky composition. Interesting as a proto-techno/EDM sound, but shows a lot of the same repetitive and uninteresting pitfalls in a lot of places. A few tracks are at least fun to bob along to, but there's a lot of skippable music on this album. Top tracks: Conversation, Cars

This guy was ahead of his time.

1979 Somehow I've managed not to hear this album before, yet so many of the tracks are familiar to my ears. It's about time I delved a littled deeper into GN's work, because there's little here that I don't like. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ Yep ★★★★☆ (7/10)

I always assumed Gary Numan was just a one hit wonder, but this was a pleasant surprise of an album. Solid all the way through. Although Cars still clears every other song here by a lot

Robotic. No thanks.

A solo British Kraftwerk, but way better. Groundbreaking. Although John Foxx era Ultravox eclipse both.

I kind of like this but it's hard to tell. It's very repetitive and electronic. I can enjoy this sound but I think I prefer other artists who do similar things but with something else going on.

For the love of god, someone get this man a friggin guitar!

This was the right kind of out there for me - I really enjoyed the futuristic sounds used throughout.

Every song on here feels like it's a minute too long, which is rough when most of them are 3-4 minutes long.

Couldn't get through it.

das isch no cool? airlane chlii langs intrumentals intro zum album aber. metal huere cool sehr groovy new wave irgendwie. au robotisch. bi glaub gad chli z wenig ufnahmefähig für das album. m.e. isch recht cool d drums sind super. tracks seehr spacey seehr cool. ich find alles eaasy geil aber vergiss dasi am lose bin chli hahha conversation suuuper coole bass. das isch weirdo shit do. conversation isch seehr geil. es het mich dezue brocht zum giarre neh und mitspiele das isch sehr guet. cars gad au. random slappt etz auno. i glaub da isch e vieri.

hahaha also s albumcover findi reeecht geil hahaha weiss nöd wie ready ich bin für so vill synthi find er het na e cooli stimm, es passt zum ganze synthi züg grundsätzlich gaht jz aber alles chli ah mier verbii omg observer slappt iwie easy CONVERSATION AU SLAPPPPTTTT ok jz hets mi voll gno, cars macht au so spass hahaha me muess zwar scho auchli ide stimmig sii und d lieder gönd scho auchli ah eim verbii, aber es het würkli eifach easy spass gmacht. knapps 4i

Quite eerie and a tad frightening. Yet this is a worthy listen from an under appreciated artist. Cars is a flat out banger. Solid album throughout.

eh

First album on here and such a solid start..you can tell the historic importance of this album for future sounds. Does it stand out in history of pop? Not really, but not a bad way to start.

I wanted to hate this album after the first song, but the more I got in deeper the more I started to enjoy it. Then I hit Card, did not know this was Numan’s song. I love that song!

3.5 - cool stuff, gets a bit repetitive

Released sometime in the late 1970s—probably during a full moon and definitely after too much herbal tea—this electronic record feels less like an album and more like an intercepted transmission from a benevolent alien sect. The kind of aliens who don’t invade planets, but politely ask if you’d like to lie down and listen. The synthesizers drift, wobble and gently pulse like cosmic jellyfish, floating through an infinite astral disco. Nothing here ever rushes. Time dissolves. BPM becomes a suggestion. Rhythm is not a command, it’s a warm invitation. You don’t dance to this album—you levitate slightly above the carpet. The grooves are soft but persistent, those “pleasant little patterns” that feel simple until you realize your brain has been looping them for seven minutes without permission. It’s hypnotic in the way only 70s electronic music can be: naïve, sincere, and accidentally profound. No irony intended back then—irony added later by us, the survivors. And then there are the vocals. Or rather, vocal events. Lyrics float in and out like half-remembered prophecies: syllables without passports, words that sound meaningful but refuse to explain themselves. It’s nonsense, yes—but spiritual nonsense. The kind that feels important even when it clearly isn’t. You don’t understand the words; you accept them. There’s a deep belief running through the album: a belief that synthesizers can heal, that oscillators have souls, and that somewhere between a Moog sequence and a delayed whisper, humanity might briefly achieve peace. Or at least a mild sense of calm. Is it dated? Absolutely. Is it cheesy? Frequently. Is it beautiful? Against all logic, yes. This album exists in that perfect 70s electronic sweet spot where futurism still sounded friendly, the unknown felt safe, and outer space was just another place to chill. In short, this record doesn’t predict the future—it dreams it. Slowly. Repetitively. With reverb.

I remember seeing Numan fly at an air display when I was a kid. He achieved some great things in his life, kudos!! I like some of the songs on this album, but I admit not all are that good and it does get repetitive, I guess that's the nature of this music. You can't fault Gary's breakthrough electronic synth techniques and sound though. The blend of electronica with electric guitar is truly very well done.

Pleasure for your ears in an era long gone by.

2.5 but I'm obsessed with his eyeshadow, work it huntyy 💅

Parasta new agea mitä on tullut, ei silti mitään ihmeellistä. 2,75/5.

Dark, progressive for its time but in the end to monotonous.

# 579 : The Pleasure Principle The Pleasure Principle - Repetition on repeat The Pleasure Principle starts off promising enough—cool synths, slick mixing, and a vibe that feels like it might go somewhere. But then it doesn’t. What follows is slightly over an hour of sleepy upbeat feels, where every track sounds like a slightly remixed version of the last. It’s like being stuck in a futuristic elevator with a malfunctioning playlist. Numan’s vocals are flat and robotic, which might be the point, but that doesn’t make them any easier to enjoy. The repetition across songs becomes grating fast, and while the production is clean, the songwriting is anything but engaging. It’s not bad, exactly. It’s just dull. You can listen to it, but you won’t feel much while doing so—and you definitely won’t be reaching for it again. Verdict: Sleepy synths, robotic vocals, and repetition on repeat. A pleasure in name only. Best Track (if you must): Cars – a synth-pop classic that stands out, but one good track does not an album make. Closing thought: The only principle here is: if you’ve heard one track, you’ve basically heard them all.

I found myself distracted while listening. It was fine but nothing really stood out to me. A lot of similarities in the tracks so it was hard to tell them apart. Cover 5/5 weird, well composed,good representation of what to expect.

I really enjoyed listening to this while on a walk. Nearly every song had a similar BPM which made it a super pleasant experience.

I found it surprisingly upbeat and energetic considering where the genre this pioneered ended up. Some solid tracks here but the album as a whole didn't really grab me, more of a curiosity than something I would come back to. The cover however, is top tier, a 5/5, no notes!

Amazing album. Must have been super ahead of it's time if this came out in 1979 as it sounds quintessentially 80s. This project has been amazing in changing my mind about new wave / synth pop. This is a very strong 4, closer to 4.5

Cover 6 So all the songs kinda sounds the same. I can only assume this was a pretty easy album to produce. It's a nice sound overall but very "one note."

This album is interesting and great background music. It weirdly kind of sounds like most of the songs are just versions of the same song but it's still a fun listen.

He gets 2 stars for Cars

This is the second straight day I've generated an album released on September 7th. Interesting. Anyway, other than "Cars", I didn't know any other song on this album, but it seems like I knew every song on the album. Favorite Track: "Complex".

Uh yeah hated this too. Maybe im the problem

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.

This sounds so much like Gary Numan. Iconic

Really distinctive style and feel. Sounds great still. First time listening to it beyond the hits. Strong recommendation if you like electro pop, however last 3 tracks all sound very similar and album tails off a bit

Cool to hear the original song from a familiar sample

This was cool! Also TIL the origin of the Where's Your Head At sample.

Props for opening with an instrumental. I can hear influences in this for sure, Nine Inch Nails comes to mind. I hear some Cars too but obviously they were coming to fruition at the same time. I really like the texture in this album, it doesn't try to be overtly pop. I agree the same techniques are frequently used, I guess I just like those techniques lol. This one surprised me. Actually like this a good deal. Reminds me a lot of Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile. Was expecting corny 80s pop, got something a lot better.

Nice soundtrack for autumn weather.

I like this a lot; obviously Cars is the standout, but M.E is also great (as recognized by Basement Jaxx), and the general vibe is very much to my taste. Maybe one or two slightly filler-y tracks, if I had to find a criticism.

Every song, I think "I heard this before", just to realize it sounds exactly the same as the previous track

I listened to this one fairly recently and had a mild reaction to it, but on revisit I'm just kicking myself because this is so fun. Gary was truly the missing link between Kraftwerk and Synthpop and it shows with how mechanical his synths sound like it does in The Man Machine or Trans Europe Express but here the rock and pop influences are so much more pronounced, it's synthpop made by robots instead of colorful, 80s-MTV people and I think that's what made it click for me more on second listen. That and also so many classics, I underrated Cars in the past but on this listen the vibes are undeniable. If Kraftwerk were the shape of pop to come then this album is the first hurrah of that era of pop.

Decent listen, but nothing really memorable about it

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.

Not terrible, but not really exciting. A lot of it sounded the same. 3/5

There was nothing else quite like this in the late 1970s. There still isn't really. It is very much 'of its time' but 4/5 for a mix of nostalgia and being surprisingly enjoyable even today.

Not my thing

Certainly would have sounded more like the music that came after it than before it. Not for me though

Where's your head at kjem altså frå her. Grei referanse å ha, men ikkje så fenga

Liked musically what was put together but I could do w/o most of the singing.

Lots of electronic synth bliss! I recognize their pioneering of sounds, but also not a sound I really enjoy to listen to. Recognize ME and Cars, but not something I would repeat.

There are some cool sounds on this album. But there aren't enough sounds. Not even cool sounds, just sounds. "Cars" is the highlight, a bold minimalist synth pop song. But "Observer" sounds so similar you expect the "Cars" chorus to start in the middle of it. Elsewhere, the synth sound from the opening track pops up fairly frequently throughout. There are probably other albums that use a consistent sound palette like this, but the fact most of these songs run their simples melodies into the ground makes it stand out a lot here. Most of the songs are good - "Conversation" stands out as one that does evolve as it goes - and the synth sounds are lovely, but by the end the similarity and simplicity of it all becomes a drag.

Aight

Nice

Really enjoyed the whole thing. First time listening to all the songs in order.

1979: exciting 2025: boring

Pioneer of synthpop which is impressive but the world didn't need the Pet Shop Boys. 3/5.

Synthesizers! Synthesizers everywhere. Did this guy start the eighties synth craze? Random was appropriately named! I enjoyed the cover of On Broadway, but overall, not my style. I can see how this album influenced many artists and am glad I listened to it.

Classic cover, instantly recognizable, he's the epitome of a one hit wonder who was better than his single hit. His unique heavy synth sound paved the way for so many bands who followed him in the new wave era of the early 80's. Solid listener counts on nearly every song with "Metal" (9M), "M.E." (26M) and of course "Cars" (116M) leading the way. The opening track "Airlane" defines his sound and is a great intro to this album. The intro of "M.E." was ripped off big time by the Smashing Pumpkins and was sampled in the classic late 90's track "Where's Your Head At" by the Basement Jaxx as well as NIN using it for "Metal". Influence across decades! It's an easy album to listen to if you can lean into his unique vocals. It's just got a vibe and it holds up well today, it doesn't sound super dated. I would give this 4 stars since there wasn't a single track I needed to skip and nothing to dislike. It's an overlooked classic at this point.

I had never listened to a full album of Gary Numan before. Had some interesting tracks and you can certainly see how he influenced later artists like NIN. I can't really say the album stood out to me on first listen, but it opened up a bit on the second and some of the tracks grew on me.

This guy looks like JD Vance's Sims avatar and I think I judged this too harshly because of it. Suh-leek new wave sounds, new fan.

Not my music. But a good listen on low volume worked.

HMmm not quite Talking heads...

bez kwasa nie podchodzić 1*

Een elbum waarop gitaren verboden zijn.. Aldus de omschrijving van apple music. Tevens; een verzameling van aanstekelijke machineklanken. Ik moet toch eerlijk zeggen, dat is nou geen omschrijving die mijn vette hart sneller laat kloppen.... gelukkig is het maar een uur en 8 minuten, potverdikkie! Zo wilde ik niet het weekend in. Oke, het lijkt mee te vallen; een basgitaar is namelijk vrij duidelijk wel toegelaten tot dit album. Verder vallen de machine klanken tot nu mee, het is gwn een leuke synthesizer! Oke, het was echt een stuk beter dan verwacht, laat ik dat voorop stellen. Echt wel leuke stukjes tussendoor. Maar zoals wel vakaer als het toch net niet helemaal mijn ding is, duurt het dan toch net ff te lang en begin ik mij weer te ergeren. Halverwege zat ik aan een 3 te denken, maar helaas. Dit wordt toch een 2 voor mij. Zelfs voor 1970nogwat is dit te experimenteel.

Gotta love a bit of Gazza. Some of these songs do sound quite similar though, I couldn’t believe that Observer didn’t transition directly into Cars they are almost identical. Cars is a bit of a standout but I love what this albums about and crucial to the 1001. Fave Tracks: Metal, M.E., Conversation, Cars 3.9/5

Amazing first record, it seems conceptual, but it feels like a compilation of themes trying to be tied together, it accomplishes it seldomly, and it's easy to listen to. Always recommended.

Good!

Lots of cool synth. More instrumentals than I expected. Previously familiar with cars, which has grown to be a bit corny, and a cover version of metal. Great to hear the original.

A great early progenitor of synthpop. Disaffected vocals, sci-fi vibes, robotic precision. I like it a lot but I wish there was just a bit more to differentiate the tracks.

P445.1979. 2 stars. Late 70s Brit electro pop. Not as painful as expected, and still surprisingly fresh. Set against that, a lot of the songs sound the same ("Observer" is almost a clone of "Cars") plus he's got an annoying voice.

Consistently good throughout, without veering off in odd directions at any point. Cars is still a pop classic.

This was great! I loved the time and space that allowed the songs to develop. Nothing is rushed. You don't feel like listening is a chore and a race to the end. Instrumentals, crisp analogue production - even some electronic violin in there? He's quite unique; he's quite a one.

Favorite Track: M.E.

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.

I loved the likes of Keith Emerson who was one of the early pioneers of using the Moog Synthesiser in his music and which enhanced traditional instruments. So I was always receptive to electronic music. It must be said that when Gary Numan came along he was truly groundbreaking because of his use of purely electronic instruments. Debatable though if this album should be regarded as the most important example of this genre. More inclined towards the his previous two albums released under the guise of Tubeway Army. In particular Replicas which contained the track Are Friends Electric which had a strong electronic riff and introduced me to electronica and I suspect the rest of the world. So if this album is not on the list for being the first of its type then it must be judged for its musical value. Cars is the standout tract with an equally good enticing riff and which makes this album good. But the rest to me is just more of the same. The arrival of electronic music made a tremendous first impact but then just went a bit static. Gary Numan will always be regarded as the pioneer of this type of music so his place in musical history is assured. Personally after being enticed into electronica I quickly tired of the sort on this album. I am now more inclined towards its use in ambient music made by the likes of Brian Eno. For me guitars rule but can also sound better and can be complimented by the use of electric instruments and for that I thank Gary Numan. 4/5 31/8/25

This album made me feel like I was being abducted by aliens, but I'm not sure if it was in a good way or a bad way with probes and shit...

This was fun at first but unfortunately it soon after lost me and started feeling dragged out and repetitive.

This one was fun! I like

Not very enjoyable but groundbreaking for the time im sure

Pretty good. Not bad. I guess I can't complain. But actually... all these songs sound just about the same.

i don’t love it. the vocals truly aren’t my thing. i feel bored listening. i don’t even know why but this isn’t hitting me at all. on a positive note, i really liked the dark sound of Films. i know Cars is a hit song.. it’s not bad. but Films has been the only song i loved. it gets a low 3 as it’s not terrible, still quite listenable with a lots of patience, but def not great.

Great. The singing is awkward, but it's perfect for the music. Favorite song: cars.

jeg elsker gary numan

Kendte det ikke rigtig men den her var fed! Føles som om han bruger synths på en helt ny måde her!

Best New Wave album out of the 600 we've had so far

Feels like 10 variations of the same idea with the standout being "Cars".

Pas inintéressant.

So so

This is a decent album, I get the ingenuity behind it. There were some hits like Cars and stuff. It really did become too much of "the same" for me after several songs.

The synthpop is great, fantastic even - but it's hampered by the droning vocals that are trying to act a bit too special. Cars is the best track simply because Numan is more subdued.

The sample for "where's your head at" by the basement jaxx is on here (M.E.). Which is interesting. The synth sounds are well rounded and fuzzy but the vocals actually get in the way from time to time. Looking at the context, it definitely is foundational, so many acts borrowed from this.

Exakt vad jag tänker på när jag tänker på synth pop. Sjukt mycket samplat från detta album Oväntad banger

Better Electronica than the album I had yesterday!

Good, original, synth music.

Definitely a foundational album for synth pop coming into the 80s. Very important historically, but not really my kind of sound.

2/5. Я слишком ребенок для таких дедовских музык.

Pretty much every song sounded like his hit, Cars. It wasn’t bad music, but it wasn’t very exciting.

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.

Не мій жанр, хоча я й розумію чому цей реліз у цьому списку.

Meh, not a huge fan of synth stuff and this album is all synth.

Well it's quite nice. Synthpop is always welcome.

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.

After one of our of judge team members gave 2 to the perfect album I started to question myself, maybe I do something wrong or do need change the way I perceive life and measure things differently be more grateful and smile more. Well, at least I need to try. But this album is very good maybe not perfectly-five but almost five

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!

It was cool in a weird early 80’s kinda way. If you like the song “Cars”. You would like this album

One of the most underrated artists in modern music. He has a handful of better records, in my mind, but I’m glad to see he’s represented.

This started out well - until about 3-4 songs in when it occurred to me that every song on this album is some variation of the ubiquitous Cars. No doubt this album had an outsized influence on new wave and 80s music to come but today it’s hard to appreciate because of all that eventually came. Overall a good listen and great vibe. But the songs that Spotify fed me once the album was over were ever better. Killing Moon - yes please. Sadly this one 3/5.

Highlight Song/s: Complex, Films and M.E. Very very mechanical sounding album, mainly due to the beat which chugs pretty hard on most of the songs. Some other stuff that makes it sound like that, is that the songs on this one are extremely repetitive. I do wish Gary made the album less repetitive, this is easy 5 star material. There is a certain charm to the repetitiveness, no doubt about that. But I believe for it to be a 5 star to me, it would've had to been far less monotonous. Something that I noticed on a second listen to this album, is that it seems like the synths sometimes sounds like it responds to the lead vocals; like a call-and-response sort of thing. I for some reason with this album personify the synths as like a computer or a robot, and the sounds that it makes is it talking or a representation of an emotion. It really does help the futuristic sound that this album has going for it. When I think about it that way, it makes me feel like the synths have so much emotion on this album, its a nice contrast between the singing which is devoid of any emotion (on most songs.)

boppin 4

De broer van Arthur houdt van alles wat electronisch is zo te horen. Ik vind track 1 niet heel sterk, maar het album groeit wel een klein beetje naar me toe en als Where's Your Head At begint word ik zelfs licht enthousiast. Ik vind dit origineel misschien zelfs wel leuker, met dat verrassende viooltje. Samples in het wild altijd een kleine +1. Het is allemaal wat oud maar ik moet toch enigszins schoorvoetend toegeven dat dit zeker een leuk album is om een keer gehoord te hebben. Ik zou hem niet meenemen naar een onbewoond eiland, mocht het ooit zo ver komen, maar om een keer te luisteren als onderdeel van deze lijst wil ik hem wel m'n goedkeuring geven. Ik hou het op 3 sterren, want de allerlaatste track (Engineers) had voor mij echt niet gehoeven. Die is heel irritant.

Not a fan, but it wasn't unpleasant either. I probably won't come back to it.

Synth-y. Listened to around Trocadéro and Champs de Mars. Decent songs but a bit tired by the end. Kraftwerk ?

Sometimes I have a tendency to think of the boilerplate "'80s" sound as having just emerged from a vacuum somewhere, and this listen served as a helpful reminder that that sort of thing is rooted in some very cool ideas. After freeing his brand of new wave from the tyranny of the electric guitar, Gary Numan ventured out into The Pleasure Principle. The music here is chilly, groovy synth pop/New Wave that, miraculously, doesn't sound dated. Gary Numan's vision of futuristic groovin' robot music is internally consistent enough, and well produced enough that it pretty effortlessly sucked me, as a listener, into its world, even 45 years later. The synth work's clunkiness even works, the songwriting incorporates enough post punk angularity that it manages to sound pretty natural and intentional in this context. His vocals also help sell it, Gary Numan is remarkably expressive for how deadpan he is playing it, and he slots wonderfully into the space he has created. On top of this, we have a pretty great tracklist here, really consistent honestly. Some favorites are Metal, Films, M.E., Conversation, Engineers, and ultra-hit Cars (which for a long time made me associate Gary Numan with the band The Cars, which is brain poison that I have only *just* escaped). This is absolutely worth a listen, some really sick, unique new wave, with a great palette and really consistent songs.

Sunday is a tough listening day for me and this needs more listens to make a final call, but digging it quite a bit. Rating based on the OG album => ending on Engineers.

In my limited knowledge, this sure sounds like a precursor to a lot of music that followed in the 80s. Fun stuff here, well composed and produced. Based on the timeline, very influential to the decade of music that followed.

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

Highly enjoyable. I was always aware of Gary Numan through “Cars” and its appearance on the GTA Vice City soundtrack, but this expanded my knowledge of him nicely. Just a dude having fun with synths. It gets a bit noodly toward the end, but great overall. Low 4.

I really like how this sounds, but once youve heard the first couple of tracks you've heard everything this album has to offer (albeit Cars, arguably the hest implementation of this recipe, comes later). I have a gut feeling this is most significant because of its influence - it is a pretty wild sound for '79.

Incredibly, this album still sounds like the future of music while simultaneously retaining its 80’s charm. (Having checked the release, I’m stunned to see this was actually 1979). Numan is clearly owed a lot for his contributions to the genre here. While the palette of synths Numan works with is so distinct and well-realised, it can begin to blend together after a time. That being said, upon checking the track listing at release I noticed the album was originally a lot tighter. Whatever - it sounds brilliant, and I think it holds up tremendously. Easy 4. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

actaullya apretty impressive nice to listen to album. kinda rock kinda electronic. 80s vibe tho

3.5 - good new wave album.

Cars was stuck in my head for days.

Well that was really something. Jack White sings synth pop? I was into it for the first half hour, then it got old.

Not for me.

vibey

Interesting and very forward thinking album

Gary Numan my beloved Edit Apr 15 2026: 5 --> 4. It hasn't stuck with me that much since I got it. Maybe I just need to listen to it again

Spacey and quite decent. The big hit on the album that gets the most airtime did not end up being my favorite on the album.

It's giving psywave synth. I recognized "Cars"

Beeps, boops, synths, somehow both before and ahead of it’s time.

Listens: 2 Standout tracks: Cars Man. There are just too many god damn new wave albums on this List. I am so tired of 70's/80's synth pop. And as a repercussion, Electronica is one of my worst genres. Which is insane, because I listen to so much modern Electronica: ODESZA, Zed's Dead, Gorillaz, The Avalanches, I Monster, etc. Even stuff like Rusko, Bassnectar, Ill.gates, An-ten-nae. But no, instead of any of that, I get piles and piles of new wave: Simple Minds, Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, whoever the hell Gary Numan is. This album feels devoid of any emotion. It is soulless.

good

1-3/10 2-6.4/20 3-4/10 4-4/10 5-5/10 6-5/10 7-4.5/10 8-4.5/10 9-5/10 10-3.7/10 11-2/10 12-2/10 13-1.5/10 Słaby album większość piosenek brzmiała identycznie. Fav track-metal 3/10

Same old thing in brand new drag? Hljóðheimurinn retrófútúrtöff. Hann sjálfur er allt í lagi blessaður, en ekkert frábær, og lögin verða aðeins endurtekningarsöm. M.E. er betra samplað með Basement Jaxx, en Cars er klassík. Rúmur þristur.

He nice with the synths love it. I need that synth preset that sounds like a electric guitar bad. He abuses it on here and i get why i would too

Ah yes, this has that one song I've heard a lot but keep forgetting the name (and the artist). It was alright for a synth pop album but not high for me compared to the other albums.

It's the same song over and over

2.5

It's not super consistent I don't think but I enjoyed a lot of the songs quite a bit.

I was skeptical at first after reading the brief description. Then when I had to check whether i had inadvertently skipped back to the beginning when song 4 sounded so much like song 1. However, as it went on I found myself enjoying the songs and hearing influences of future music of a number of genres.

A classic !

Wasn’t thrilled to see this, as I was afraid it would be a bunch of songs that sound like ‘Cars.’ Turns out, it was just a bunch of songs that sound like ‘Cars.’ Goddammit, Gary.

5/10 - it was alright. I’ve heard cars before.

Really fun listen. Goofy voice definitely adds to the album

I don't think I could name an album that sounds more like an Eno album without his involvement whatsoever if I tried

Great

This is awesome Favourite song: M.E

so Cars REALLY jumps out on this album as so much of the rest is instrumental, found it really interesting, although wouldn't rush back for another listen right away

7/10

Het klinkt als de minder begaafde broertjes van Supertramp, die net een keyboard hebben gekocht. Blijven oefenen, jongens.

Het hele album heb ik het nummer Cars van Fear Factory in mijn hoofd. De associatie wordt hoe langer, hoe sterker. Het nummer Observer mist enkel nog de tekst. Totdat ik opeens "Here in my car..." voorbij hoor komen. Even kijken. Yep dit nummer heet 'Cars'. Blijkbaar een dikke cover van Fear Factory. Ik lag blijkbaar onder een steen. Want het nummer van Gary is ruim 110 miljoen maal geluisterd en dus niet iets onbekends... Dat ik het hele album al die associatie heb, zegt wel iets. Gary past voor het hele album één muzikaal concept toe. Negatiever geformuleerd. Het is wel een wat eentonig album. Vanuit het gezin komt de opmerking dat déze techno nog wel leuk is. Techno lijkt mij niet het juiste genre. Maar het zegt wederom iets over het repeterende, eentonige karakter. Nou heb ik zelf vaak weinig moeite met een eentonige basis, als er maar andere elementen zijn, die voldoende variatie brengen. En die zijn er voldoende. Waarbij de Kraftwerkachtige synth zelden zo'n grote toegevoegde waarde heeft gehad. Ik had dus ook geen moeite dit album af te luisteren. Maar kan ik de eentonigheid nog eens opzetten? Een paar dagen later maar eens testen. Ja hoor, geen punt. 4 sterren dus!

Vooraf denk ik bij het zien van Gary Numan, dit is niet mijn ding. Jaren 80 electro. Ik ken Cars, wat in principe wel de hele sound van dit album samenvat. M.E. doet me denken aan Basement Jaxx, sterker nog, die sample komt daarvandaan lijkt me. Wiki bevestigt dit. Toffe ontdekkingen zijn dat altijd. Verder horen we voornamelijk de gekke stem van Gary Numan en heel veel electronische cq robotgeluidjes, drumcomputers en synths. Gek genoeg vind ik dit vanaf het eerste moment stiekem heel gaaf. Het heeft iets weg van Kraftwerk en die jaren 80 interesse in oude films als Metropolis. Andere albums die dit wilden nabootsen kwamen daar voor mij niet mee weg. Te vaag en te wazig, ze dwaalden teveel af. Ik heb zelfs Autobahn volkomen terecht een 1 gegeven. Gary Numan komt er bij mij allemaal mee weg. Ik heb het album meerdere keren geluisterd en ik vind het supertof om te luisteren. De sfeer die hij neerzet met de synths komt misschien wel overeen met een muur van gitaargeluid. Daar overeen maken de hoge synths lekkere catchy melodietjes. Het klopt allemaal. Ik vind het zeker genoeg voor een hele dikke 4. Aangezien het niet in me opkwam om dit uberhaupt mee te nemen naar een onbewoond eiland, schiet het net tekort voor 5 sterren. Ik vermoed dat ik het in de toekomst ook niet per se heel vaak op zal zetten. Daarom stokt het, wellicht onterecht, bij die dikke 4.

Interesting sounding but no t really for me

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

OH I DO KNOW TIHS ALBUM - I thought I was going into this completely blind, alas, I knew every other song. This album was seemingly an essential and a pivotal moment of electronic synth music, on a par of importance with other great albums from the likes of Kraftwerk & Visage, then Human League, Soft Cell, Depeche Mode etc. Synth 'pop' is not one of my favourite genre's to be completely honest, I have always found it a tad jazzy and objectively a little spooky. HOWEVER, after a galactic instrumental primer, the album really gets underway with Metal. The octave main riff played on a buzzing, staccato synth remains pretty constant throughout the track, but the track is filled out with some fantastic elements. There's a bunch of great bass fills, there's an angular synth motif that interjects in the middle of Numan's phrases, and these sections that feature rushing surges of noise that feel like you're caught in a wind tunnel. The following track, Complex, has a very majestic presentation especially with the addition of some real strings. The track feels like we are about to embark on a brave new frontier. The album's centrepiece is very obviously, the ever trending M.E., which features an iconic, flanged synth bassline. (Basement Jaxx slay - Where's Your Head At). This track is more than just a great bassline though; the drums have a killer groove with the double-stroke bass drum hits and Numan's vocals reach an emotive peak. There's lots of neat production touches as well like the incorporation of both plucked and bowed violin and what sounds like heavily distorted dead strums on a guitar. This track is easily on par with Cars, and it's very easy to see why Basement Jaxx was inspired to build off of this song. I am not going to go into it any further, I fear I would be doing the album a heavy disservice. (The sky got all dark when I started to listen to the album). It's very jazzy, it kinda makes me feel like I am in an 80's horror movie, running away from a man with a mask on. I enjoyed, and I do think some of the deeper lyrical and musical journeys went a little over my head - 3/5 HF xo I’m just gonna be honest here, I don’t like Gary Numans voice, he sounds how I imagine a homeless man shouting at pigeons would sing. That being said, there’s some very good songs on this album. Synth pop can very easily become quite one note I think, and Numan does a good job of changing up the dynamics of his songs throughout this album. The instrumental opener sets the tone for what is I feel a very spooky collection of songs, in the same way the albums closing track weaves through your ears, almost as if to recap the benchmarks of the record to you. These instrumentals were the highlight for me, but that’s purely because of preference and not being fussed about Numans voice whatsoever, if you put Mark Almond or Alison Moyets vocals on these songs I’d probably shout there praises from the hilltops. I might listen to this album again, most likely next summer 2.9/5 FTW What the fuck is this absolute marine biologist looking fuck doing interfering in my Tuesday. This is not the time of the week for Gary Numan. This man hates chords. I’m sure he’s said that somewhere. So I’m massively excited for some dooo dooooooo dooo doooooooooooooo. I do love instrumental opens to albums (Tommy, Mellon Collie, Meddle) - tone setters. Airlane is decent and is definitely Pleasure Principle’s own tonesetter. From here things fluctuate between average and slightly above average. ‘Complex’ is surely an ironic title and is probably the weakest tune on the record. We peak with ‘M.E.’, which of course makes you go AW YEAH WHERE’S YOURRR HEADDD ATTTT ‘til you remember what Basement Jaxx were called. ‘Cars’ is obviously there too, with it’s earlier prelude ‘Observer’ a nice build-up. It tails off there-after and it’s all a bit samey and Numan’s limited vocals make a lot of the filler roll into one long track. Listen I don’t really like the 80s. I think after the ridiculous strides music took in the 60s and 70s the 80s are a weird anomaly where things slowed down, simplified and people probably just got jobs instead of shagging in fields on PCP. (Things then got better in the 90s, continued into the early 00s and then My fucking Chemical fucking Romance fucking killed everything and it’s never recovered). Anyway that wasn’t that much to do with Gary Numan but he’s a good example of the simple stuff. Everyone could afford good synths now and they were coming up with tunes on that instead of riffs on a guitar - which is fine. Not really for me though. 2.4/5 JF Well can't say I expected Gary Numan, fun fact pleasure principle means the desire for instant gratification, let's see if this album holds that standard. That lovely new wave British Synth pop sound and from what I've read this album itself is held pretty highly in terms of influence for this genre as a whole, the opening track being pretty solid, not something I would usually listen to but it's definitely fun, mixture of funky basslines, technical drum fills and that the synth cutting through it's a solid opening track and completely instrumental too. Metal follows the same formula but this time with Numans echoed vocals speaking of a robot wishing they could be human, it's a fun theme looking into the not too distant future to the idea of whether our creations are sentient. Complex starts off on a different note, soft piano backed by strings and synth sets a very different tone from the rest of the album. Another lyrically strong track speaking of themes of isolation and paranoia in a modern society. Films jumps back to previous formula, nothing wrong with this at all but this track doesn't add anything that the previous tracks haven't already. M.E. starts HEAVY on the synth keeping the very robotic musical theme of the whole album, these leads into the lyrics of the track which seems to theme a lot on regret and loss to a degree, mr Numan is not a happy man in this album. Generally with me being very uneducated in Synthpop I don't feel I have much more to offer in terms of describing the album as a whole, it's fun, almost haunting at times and manages to switch things up often enough that the album doesn't get stale towards the B side. Overall probably not an album I'd give another listen to anytime soon but for the time I did listen, I very much enjoyed myself. 2.8/5 MTW

Cars is kind of fun, so rounding this 1.5 up to 2.

This was so repetitive and not very good. The track 2 before “Cars” (the only Numan song I know) sounded just like it — I thought the first 30-45 seconds were a long album intro into his biggest (only?) hit.

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!!

It's the only way to live. The album really kind of felt like Cars: the Ultra Extended Cut .... but I'm ok with that.

I gotta be in the right mood for this kinda beeps and boops but they are good beeps and boops for when i am

YES 4.5

3 stars overall but an extra half star/round-up for Cars

The beginnings of new wave, and boy does it sound like it. Most songs were pretty similar, but interesting in the same way that Kraftwerk is. Solid album, but can't say I'll be listening again anytime soon.

He’s got a unique sound that immediately takes you back to the advent of new age. Beyond that it’s just middle of the road okay for me.

Nothing really stood out here for me. Didn't love it nor hate it. Felt like every song sounded exactly the same. 2/5

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

Pleasant surprise! New wave from 1979? I’m in! Not a bad song on the album.

always loved this album, but never really delved too deeply into any of the songs. They all sound quite similar, but really what's to complain about, because the synth patches and types of melodies and rhythms which are used are really great. The pitch modulated saw lead always evokes some sort of nostalgia for me, and I love the wishy washy flanger effects and stuff, they feel quite dated but in a good ''someone had to do it'' kind of way somehow. Vocals are emotive and still quite 'blank' somehow, which I guess plays into the synthetic robot thing. This overall feels different from stuff like Kraftwerk I think because it has real drums and bass mostly, which make it feel more loose and human than Kraftwerk which is by design very robotic. I think its probably a bit too long, especially as there's quite a lot of instrumental songs toward the end, which feel like they should have vocals, because instrumentally they're just the same as the ones with. Favourite songs: all until engineers and some of the live ones. Overall around 8/10

I didn’t know what to expect with this album and surprisingly didn’t put two and two together until getting to Cars lol. A great album though!

Well, that wasn't uninteresting. But I won't be looking for it or listening to it again. 3/5

Pretty cool

Gary Numan is underrated.

Futuristic retro synth-pop/rock bangers about alienation, technology, paranoia, distrust of humanity, the increasingly blurred relationship between man and machine, and general existential paranoia. Gary Numan swaps guitars for synths, and emotion for eerie precision. Ahead of its time in 1979 and still unnervingly relevant today.

M.E = where’s your head at.

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

Modern but repetitive

A very deliberate dive into what would turn out to be the sounds of the 80's. Feels like a less experimental sonic relative of an album we had not too long ago, Another Green World by Brian Eno (one of my favorites of all time). Just as much, it feels like a progenitor for all things Rush; Gary Numan and Geddy Lee sing in a similar register. Most all of these songs are very straightforward in their compositions/arrangements. I do wonder if it wasn't so simple at the time though, no genre had been completely washed in electronics or given the "synth-____" prefix yet. Many tracks here just do the bare minimum by todays standards. "M.E." is cool but damn does it go on for too long. I imagine it was pretty neat to hear a synth lead go crazy like that towards the end of the song at the time of it's release, but I just hear a song that overstays it's welcome. Most every other song is passable at best, painfully simple at worst. I got no problem with little albums that have no real message or monumental achievement attached to them, but this one doesnt seem to set out to do much of anything. "Conversation" at 7:36 minutes long? come onnnnn. The hit "Cars" is unfortunately representative of this aalbum as a whole - the song doesn't have anything inherently wrong going for it, but man it feels like an 8th seed playoff team hat snuck into the postseason due to a weak division. "Random" is my pick from this project, I did appreciate the gated synth on loop. Just because an album constructed foundations for a genre doesn't make it's music any more gilded with age. Not mad about the music at all, mad about it's inclusion on this list. 2/5

Super

ahead of its time

pioneering synth, some epic tunes which have been remastered into other songs 7/10

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

Excited for this to be over

Love his sound. Here and there still sounds like another remix of Cars, but that doesn't annoy much. M.E. was a discovery for a Basement Jaxx devotee

This is an excellent album. Really cool early synth goes well with Numan's singing style. Great listen.

I definitely enjoyed this more than I was expecting to. I'm familiar with Gary Numan's work in general but never gave him a full album listen until now. It's less repetitive than most electronic music as it seems Numan is writing actual songs and using the new synth tech of the day as the vehicle instead of just making noise or soundscapes. Some of the songs are a little same-samey from one to the next, but maybe that's just because of the limitations of synths at the time.

Synthpop wie ne poppige Variante von Jean micheal jarre - aber nach dem Intro dann doch noch mit Stimme. Die ist ein bisschen quietschig und für mich schwer zu verstehen. Joa, geht so. Cars kommt mir sehr bekannt vor, aber bei engineers hab ich dann abgeschaltet - geht mir hart auf die Nerven

Thoughts before listening: I know this has "Cars" on it which is a good song. Otherwise, I believe this will be 80s electro-pop new wave in a very similar fashion to the big hit. Probably not my thing, but worth a shot. Thoughts before listening: So one thing that is striking me with this album is that this still sounds like rock music, despite living up to its reputation of being fully synth-driven. Often when I think of "synth-pop" I think of lightweight, cheesy sounding music, but thats not really what I'm hearing here. This reminds me more of something like Devo which is a sound I like quite a bit. I'll be adding a few songs to the playlist, and I think this is 3-stars.

Ni siquiera Grok puede emular algo como eso, aunque se lo proponga. Y ya saben cómo dice el dicho: cuando el hombre deja la guitarrita, acomoda su vida. Gary Numan cambió la guitarra por el Korg M1 y empezó a paternar a Daft Punk, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails y a todo el synthpop. Pero como todo papá nostálgico rockero, tiene sus cosas que solucionar en el diván. Un sólido 3. (La corrección ortografica de esta mini rewie se hizo con IA y es todo un statement)

This was much better than I expected, so that's good. It was definitely early synth, but not everything I feared. I can't say I loved it or found it to be so groundbreaking (in the time of David Bowie), but I didn't hate it. Solidly middle for me.

Very cool.

I enjoyed this album listen! I loved the new wave and space age elements of the songs. I bet this album was fun to dance and vibe to back in the day. Many of the songs sounded similar or had similar vibes so it was hard to distinguish them. Overall, I had a good time with this album and I would listen to it again in the future!

Early dark synthpop with layers of inorganic sounds that just scratch an itch in the brain. Numan manages to create a surprisingly optimistic atmosphere at times (Complex), but doesn't stray from the sci-fi formula. And doesn't need to. Then he goes more foreboding (Films) with excellent drumming. M.E. starts with an evil sounding synth melody before building into something of an anthem. The low end on Conversation is super thick and full sounding. And we didn't even talk about Cars, which is slotted in near the end. It's not perfect, but this is ahead of its time in more ways than one. Falls just short of 5* for me.

As someone who hates electronica I have particular beef with this one for helping to kick off the genre

Alles nervt an diesem Album, Stimme, Synthies, langweiliges songwriting

Would I have liked this more if I had listened to it...IN CARS?? Probably not.

3/4

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

zwei bis drei

Very repetitive

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.

it’s just too psychedelic for me again. so space age and i just don’t like it

Numan often sounds ahead of his time, and we do have to admit that although he's had a lot of inspiration from his contemporaries, he created something quintessential with The Pleasure Principle

i like gary numan

This album started over and I literally didn't even notice except that I felt like I had endured enough. It was not very good...

Listened with robbie and enjoyed it, obviously dated so it doesn't exactly sound NEW, MAN but it's cool Fav song: Conversation

all the songs sound liek cars, but cars is a great song so...

Gear: HEDD Audio HEDDphone Two Artwork: 🔺🤵‍♂️💄 Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🤖🎹⚙️ Rating: 🚗🚗🚗🚗/5

Gary Numan is older than Gary Oldman. 3 stars.

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

Throw out one hit wonder 'Cars' and this is just a meandering mess of a synth show.

Gary Numan was absolutely no relative of Gary Oldman! A mistake Len Houmous so famously made during that infamous awards ceremony! 2.2 5/13 M.E

OK. 2/5

I swear at least half these tracks are on here twice. Not complaining, anyway.

new sample found. liked it but slightly repetitive.

quirky synth album; deeply rooted in 80s futurism and its influence in current retrofuturism is strong. i would prefer more varied synth timbres though.

I guess it was innovative in 79.

Quintessentially 80's. All synth all the time

Strange

First full listen to this album. Seemed a little repetitive but an enjoyable listen.

This was interesting. I initially thought I would hate it. Listened to it twice. Probably 3 stars, but bumping it up a bit because of its influence.

Proto electronic at its best no real blue print. Some of it sounds like electronic death metal. Foundational work

Very Men Without Hats, which I have a soft spot for

I liked the use of violin with synth on some of the songs and Cars is a great track. But the rest of the album is just ok. There were some interesting synth sound effects on some of the songs too.

Simple and kinda hard. Fun enough in the background.

Nu Waveeee

It was quiet

Synth late 70s - early 80s. I've never liked this type of music. Debated between 2 and 3. Felt 2 was more appropriate.

Good 80s synth i saw samples from other songs I had heard like basement jax which was a suprise. good voice and vibe

I wasn't expecting this to be so good. This needs relistening though, which will probably happen soon. This album gave me this darkish new wave sound, kinda old Duran Duran vibe. Great record.

Cars

Good ol' Gary Numan

Un álbum de synth-pop futurista de finales de los 70, con claras influencias de Bowie, Kraftwerk, y que sentaría las bases del new wave de su época. No apostaba mucho por él, pero la verdad es que me ha gustado muchísimo. Es tan retrofuturista como Kraftwerk, con un dominio clarísimo de instrumentos electrónicos de inspiración robótica (sintetizador Minimoog y órgano Polymoog). Pero, al mismo tiempo, hay varios instrumentos de cuerda (violín y viola) que le dan un toque más humano. Y la percusión y el bajo también son de una calidad enorme. El resultado es un sonido muy innovador e interesante. Una grata sorpresa que pienso volver a escuchar. No le doy mejor nota porque la cara B se me ha acabado haciendo un poco pesada.

De la pop grinçante et robotique, une œuvre et un univers parfaitement cohérent. J’adore.

Listened to first 4 tracks idk it’s aight. But heard better you know. Idk it’s a little mid tbh

Neat album, synth-pop isn't exactly my style so I don't see me listening to any of the songs on the album but it clearly helped define a genre and that's cool (2.5*)

A pleasant surprise

There’s an irony and pop sensibility to this. The robot persona is a certainly more fun than the whole Daft Punk shtick. Plus this is a great record to listen to in Cars.

Interesting. Reminds me a bit of Kraftwerk but also Devo and other new wave bands like the Buggles. Overall I liked it.

Way better than expected. Will listen again.

I found this to be pretty boring, but I can completely understand why someone would love this. Some of the songs here are absolutely beautiful. The writing, structure, production, and instrumentation are all fantastic. The lyrics were nothing special, but inoffensive. I didn’t particularly enjoy his vocals, but they are unique. The album is undeniably iconic, but it fails to be timeless, in my opinion, because the experimentation isn’t fully realized. It feels like the start of something truly incredible, because it is, but I don’t feel the album itself is truly incredible. I do respect it, however, and there were parts I enjoyed. 3/5

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.

Very 80s. In cars

Really fun new wave sound. I'd never heard this before, other than 'Cars'. I was drumming along all the way through.

Acho que o Kraftwerk e o DEVO já estavam fazendo coisas mais interessantes nesse mesmo período, mas tem uns synths bem gostosos aqui. Num sei como não me importei tanto anteriormente

Lost my attention many times. I would have given it 2 stars if not for Cars. That song is great.

Yes this has a real cool aspect to it and I do really like the song Cars, it just lulled me to sleep

I thought this was a lot of fun. Obviously got the big hit with Cars, but honestly thought the whole thing was a great listen. Definitely could see this being a big influence on the 80s scene.

Really pretty solid. Very much influenced by Berlin-era Bowie, from the dark synth instrumentals to the Heroes-lite cover art. He doesn't pull it off as smoothly, but there's a lot here to like, and it's far more than just "Cars."

The music that is largely regarded as the 80s sound. Cars is well known and easily the best on the album. Pretty boring and monotenous otherwise.

Absolutely wild that the British Musicians' Union tried to expel Numan for putting "real musicians out of work" with all those synths.

Yesssss

If the opening track foreshadows this album, it's gonna be repetitive and annoying. ------------- Yeah, listless, directionless. I could not disagree more with the book's review. The overuse of that one synth tone across the album actually cheapens the otherwise standout "Cars". A tragedy. A slog. A 1/5.

Not bad more rocky

Thought I was in a Kraftwerk album at first. I'm afraid the formula becomes formulaic too quickly, however--slowing down the tempo isn't inventive, after all. Hard to tell if you are hearing a new song. Better in small doses. would have been 3 if only a couple songs.

I love the mix of synth and strings. Had a fun time with this.

New wave quirkiness. I prefer the "I, Assassin" album, but this one has "Cars".

I owned the 45 single of Cars with Metal as the B-side, and I played that thing to death when this was released in 1979. In some ways, Gary Numan might have been one of those artists I had no time for, but not so. I loved his strange robotic sense of music and lyric, I loved that in the midst of this very unique sound he was using a real drummer, and I always considered him a real innovator. Nothing sounded like this back in 1979 — at least nothing I've ever heard — and it's still easy to identify who you're listening to in just a few notes. I guess it all boils down to interesting songwriting on top of the oddball sensibilities that make this sound both dated and futuristic all at the same time to my 2025 ears. This is a great pick.

Yeah, I dug this. I knew Cars, of course, but this was my first time hearing this album. Not sure why I avoided it all these years, other than I'm not typically a fan of electronic music. Shame on me, because this thing is pretty awesome. The decision to use a human drummer was crucial to the project's success. Had he used a drum machine, I think this would have been insufferable. As it is, though, this thing rocks. Docking it one star only because two of the songs sounded too much like Cars for my liking, but the rest of it was killer.

Nu Cool

многие аккомпанементы знакомы но голос вообще нет ("голос", хаха). так норм)

I also like cars.

Heard it before. Cars is one of the songs of all time, for sure 4/5

high 3, good fun kinda boring tho

Pre-listening thoughts: had no idea who this was but was reminded he did the song Cars. But also the album cover is lowkey unsettling lol Post/during listening thoughts: this is like if the Cars and Kraftwerk had a love child. Very brashly metallic/robotic/retro-futuristic sounding at times, super 80s, but it’s a vibe. I cut my hair to this album. This was a fun listen, low 4. 7/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: nah Fav tracks: Complex, Observer, Cars, Engineer Least fav tracks: ME

Okay.

Very good. Some absolute threads of modern music here. Even if he was just reinventing Kraftwerk.

Fine album.

Painfully dull.

Seems like this was the right song at the right time. Numan's songwriting is basic and repetitive, although he has a knack for catchy hooks and more willingness to leave space in his arrangements than most folks tend to. Still, it's basically one synthesizer patch (aptly called Vox Humana from a Moog), and it's basically the same song again and again. Interesting in its moment and the cutting edge of the '80s, but it doesn't hold up well out of context.