Gary Numan – The Pleasure Principle

Gary Numan's third album, The Pleasure Principle, was not only the most influential synth-pop album this side of the Kraftwerk discography, it was also one of the key albums of the entire new wave era. While Numan found fame in the U.K. with his first two releases, this was the one that broke him on the other side of the Atlantic. Numan played some guitar on the earlier albums, but here he switches to strictly synths.

Crucially, he retained his bassist and drummer instead of going all electronic, lending a visceral rock feel to his sound. The sharp, lean single "Cars" became an international smash, but the rest of the record packs an equal punch. The crunching, concise riffs and rhythms of tracks like "Metal" and "Engineers" perfectly echo Numan's technophile/sci-fi image. They also represent the next logical step David Bowie could have taken if he'd continued pursuing the electronic-oriented direction of his late-'70s albums with Brian Eno. Fortunately for all, Numan was on hand to pick up that stylistic thread.

Vinyl reissue, mastered from 96kHz/24-bit transfers of the analog tapes

Review

The most popular of all the Gary Numan albums is undeniably 1979's The Pleasure Principle. The reasons are simple -- there is not a single weak moment on the disc, it contains his sole U.S. (number one worldwide) hit, "Cars," and new drummer Cedric Sharpley adds a whole new dimension with his powerful percussion work. The Pleasure Principle is also one of the first Gary Numan albums to feature true ensemble playing, especially heard within the airtight, killer groove of "Metal" (one of Numan's all-time best tracks). Starting things off with the atmospheric instrumental "Airlane," the quality of the songs gets stronger and stronger as the album progresses -- "Films," "M.E.," "Observer," "Conversation," the aforementioned "Cars," and the U.K. Top Ten hit "Complex" all show Numan in top form. If you had to own just one Gary Numan album, The Pleasure Principle would be it. - Allmusic