How was it for you?
How do you listen to a new numan track or album?
What is the ritual you go through?
Me? - I try to listen to it on a walkman as soon as possible - although as I tend to get my new purchases at 8.15 from my local shop on the way to work it can be difficult persuading those in the car to listen to the new track on the way to work in the same manner as I would prefer - i.e. in total silence. The slightest engine noise becomes a distraction, or the slightest word from anyone, and so the best method appears to be listening on the walkman in the car (I'm a passenger). The same happened last week with the track Dance, although my enthusiasm for the track meant I immediately subjected the car contents to the track via the stereo immediately afterwards. Now Dance is a difficult track to try to sell to non-Numanoids, and so the lack of response from my fellow work colleagues was perhaps understandable.
With the previous 'new' track of note; This House is Cold, a different story - I had asked for the I Assassin reissue CD for a Christmas present, and so time was put aside after the usual Christmas meal etc for me to slip away behind the family tree and listen to it on headphones from the stereo. All of the surroundings vanished as I lost myself in this 'new' track.
When Exile first came out I resisted hearing it until the lunch hour at work and then walked around the nearby park hearing it on the walkman. I remember cursing the heavy traffic as I walked along the pavement on the way to the park. As I had heard some of the tracks both on the phone line and the previous concerts (Dark etc) I moved on to the new tracks. I can still remember where I was sitting (i.e which park bench) when I first heard Absolution. The park was a bit blustery and there were few people about, and so I could listen in peace. I was expecting to hear the version previously heard as the single and was totally bowled over by the new version.
The first Numan single I heard at the time was actually Complex. My sister was into the music and I had heard a bit but couldn't remember it much at the time. I seem to remember hearing Complex on the radio or something, and one evening in Brighton with some friends, I saw it on the jukebox, and decided to see what the B-side was like. After hearing that distinctive 1979 live version of Bombers I was hooked, and the pink-sleeved 12' single of Complex became my first Gary Numan purchase.
I find that with certain favourite Numan tracks I can recall exactly where I was and what I was doing when I first heard them - I'd be interested in other people's thoughts on this..
Gratuitous Holiday Snapshot: The Not-So-Mysterious Ashley X pictured earlier this year after the Monaco Grand Prix sitting in one of the actual cars that had just completed the race. The car has been (hopefully) disguised so as not to get the mechanics into trouble! If you do guess it then please not a word!
Ashley (p.s. see you all on the 13th!)