Gary Numan - The Complete John Peel Sessions

2007 release from the Synthpop innovator consisting of all his sessions recorded for John Peel's BBC radio show. These recordings highlight tracks from his groundbreaking albums Replicas and The Pleasure Principle, both released the same year as these 1979 performances. 16 tracks including 'Down In The Park', 'Cars', 'Me I Disconnect From You', 'Down In The Park' and more. Maida Vale. Album Description

4.5 stars... outstanding addition to the Gary Numan catalog

Let me state upfront that I have been a Gary Numan fan since the early days (saw him live in London in September, 1979 on his "Pleasure Principle" tour) and when I saw this album the other day at my indie-record store, I immediately grabbed it.

"The Complete John Peele Sessions" (16 tracks, 77 min.) is in reality 2 mini albums thrown together. Tracks 1-7 are from 2 Peele sessions in 1979, highlighting tracks from the "Replicas" and "Pleasure Principles" albums. The sound is a little thin at times, and this apparently was taped strictly in-studio (of the BBC). The main attraction of those tracks is "Cars", which shows up in an early form (before it was released), and a bit funkier than the ultimate smash hit it would become. The last 9 tracks are from an early 2001 taping, this time with a small audience in the studio (oh, how to have been there!), where Gary Numan showcases 6 tracks from the then-recently released outstanding "Pure" album, plus 3 older classic tracks, and those are a treat to behold: slightly remade, goth-ified if you will, versions of "Metal" (just outstanding), "Cars" and "Down In the Park". But the "Pure" tracks shine just as much.

In all, this is an outstanding addition to the Gary Numan catalogue. After the 2000 album "Pure"., which was Numan's brilliant come-back album, he has faltered a bit on subsequent releases. I had the good fortune of catching Numan on his most recent US tour in 2006 here in Cincinnati, and he put on a brilliant show. Wish he would tour the US again sometime soon. Meanwhile, "The Complete John Peele Sessions" is a must for any serious Numan fan, highly recommended! May 18, 2008

Nothing more than...another great Peel disc

Yet another excellent John Peel disc, this one collects the previously released tracks from 1979, and adds Numan's BBC appearances from 20+ years later as he performs material from the Jagged album.

As usual, excellent sound, and complete live takes in studio quality. Highly recommended for Numan fans, the older tracks sound better than the previous BBC disc, so crisp and clean you hear the keys of the synths being pressed during Conversation. March 9, 2008

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