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Do Electric Sheep Dream Of Gary Numan?  By Rich, Hipsterpad.com    |Email| Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece Blade Runner finally came of age in 2007 with a deluxe 5-disc package containing all of the various versions of the film that have been kicking around over the past quarter of a decade, plus Scott’s definitive cut of the movie, the self-explanatory Final Cut. Watching it again recently, it not only reminded me why this is one of my favourite movies of all time, but it also got me thinking about another dystopian nightmare future vision that preceded Blade Runner and is closing in fast on its thirtieth anniversary. I speak of Tubeway Army’s Replicas, the second album by electronic pioneer Gary Numan, and the one that catapulted him to the top of the UK singles and album charts and into the public consciousness. Blade Runner, based on the Phillip K Dick novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep, was the story of one man (Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard) discovering his humanity while tracking down and "retiring" a group of "more human than human" androids known as Replicants. Led by the enigmatic Roy Batty (in a career best performance from Rutger Hauer) these machines were indistinguishable from human beings, save for their enhanced intelligence and strength, and the fact that they had a pre-programmed four year life span. However, three years previous to the film’s original release, Numan had written a concept album based upon the ideas of Dick’s novel. Do Androids Deam Of Electric Sheep describes a bleak futuristic society which is serviced by human-like machines known as Machmen (also known as "Friends"). These machines could be paid to perform any number of tasks ranging from simple conversation to sex. Machmen were featured most prominently in the number one single Are Friends Electric. Interestingly, though the title of the album (Replicas) clearly referred to the Machmen, the term 'Replicant' had never been used in Dick’s book. It had instead been conceived by writer David Peoples after Scott decided that he wanted a new term for the androids that came with no preconceptions (except to Numan fans, of course). Numan’s vision of decaying society effectively foreshadowed the rain lashed streets of Scott’s futuristic Los Angeles. In the seminal Down In The Park (covered by both Marilyn Manson and Foo Fighters in recent years),Numan sang of the titular park, the chants of "Death, death, death until the sun cries morning" and of the sinister "rape machines". While the line "Delicate bodies that decay beneath their clothing play cards in an empty house in Paris" (from You Are In My Vision) conjures up visions of J F Sebastian’s apartment in Blade Runner which was populated by his biomechanical creations who are his only friends. Replicas turns thirty in 2009 and holds a special place in my heart as the first album that I ever bought with my own money. If you’re familiar with Blade Runner, but not Replicas, then you should pick up a copy and treat it as an alternative soundtrack to the official Vangelis one. Even so, Replicas is an essential addition to anyone’s collection thanks to its unique place in pop history. Yes, Kraftwerk pioneered the emotionless robotic sound some years before Replicas but Numan’s work catapulted it into the mainstream. It has since influenced artists as diverse as Trent Reznor, George Clinton (who covered Numan’s Metal) and even the Sugababes (whose 2002 chart topping single Freak Like Me used the Are Friends Electric instrumental with an Adina Howard vocal to startling effect). Better still, catch Numan on his spring tour this year when he celebrates thirty years in the business by performing the whole album (plus b-sides) for the first time. If his 2006 Telekon album shows are anything to go by than it will be something special indeed. - Rich - Rate This Post ! Sponsor This Post Currently 2.55/5 1 2 3 4 5 Rating: 2.6/5 (29 votes cast) Comments No comments yet *Name: Email: Notify me about new comments on this page Hide my email *Text:

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