''Replicas'' is the second and final

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by the English new wave band

Tubeway Army Tubeway Army were a London-based new wave music, new wave band led by lead singer Gary Numan. Formed at the height of punk rock in 1977, the band gradually changed to an electronic music, electronic sound. They were the first band of the elect ...

, released on 6 April 1979 by

Beggars Banquet Records Beggars Banquet Records is a British independent record label. Beggars Banquet started as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin and is part of the Beggars Group of labels. History In 1977, spurred by the prevailing D ...

. It followed their self-titled debut from the previous year. After this, Tubeway Army frontman

Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the New wave music, new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two st ...

would continue to release records under his own name, though the musicians in Tubeway Army would continue to work with him for some time. ''Replicas'' was the first album of what Numan later termed the "machine" phase of his career, preceding '' The Pleasure Principle'' (1979) and '' Telekon'' (1980), a collection linked by common themes of a

dystopia A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmen ...

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

future and transmutation of man/machine, coupled with an

androgynous Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in humans, it often r ...

image and a synthetic rock sound. Fuelled by a surprise No. 1 hit single, "

Are 'Friends' Electric? Are commonly refers to: * Are (unit), a unit of area equal to 100 m2 Are, ARE or Åre may also refer to: Places * Åre, a locality in Sweden * Åre Municipality, a municipality in Sweden **Åre ski resort in Sweden * Are Parish, a munici ...

", the album also reached No. 1 in the UK charts in July 1979 and was certified Gold by the BPI for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.

Background

A loose

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

, ''Replicas'' was based on a

n book Numan hoped to eventually complete, set in a not-too-distant future metropolis where Machmen (

androids An android is a humanoid robot or other artificial being, often made from a flesh-like material. Historically, androids existed only in the domain of science fiction and were frequently seen in film and television, but advances in robot techno ...

with cloned human skin) and other machines keep the general public cowed on orders from the Grey Men (shadowy officials). While the album's setting and lyrics were directly inspired by the science fiction of Philip K. Dick, particularly his seminal work ''

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? ''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' (retrospectively titled ''Blade Runner: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' in some later printings) is a 1968 dystopian science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. It is set in a post- ...

'', the title was not. Although Numan's Machmen were similar to

replicant A replicant is a fictional bioengineered humanoid featured in the 1982 film ''Blade Runner'' and the 2017 sequel ''Blade Runner 2049'' which is physically indistinguishable from an adult human and often possesses superhuman strength and intellig ...

s, the term used for androids in

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

's ''

Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Di ...

'' (based on Dick's book), Scott's film came out three years after Tubeway Army's album and Dick never used the word ''replicant'' in his original 1968 novel. The album cover shows Numan as a Machman staring out from his room at a waning crescent moon hovering above "The Park" as a barely visible man stands outside while Numan's reflection stares back at himself.

Recording and music

''Replicas'' was recorded in late 1978 at

Gooseberry Studios Gooseberry Sound Studios, also known as just Gooseberry Studios, were recording studios at 19 Gerrard Street, London, Gerrard Street, Chinatown, London, Chinatown, London, located in a Basement, cellar underneath a Dentistry, dental practice. Th ...

, London and completed in February 1979 with overdubs and remixing at Marcus Music Studios. Musically, Numan's main influence was the commercially unsuccessful

John Foxx John Foxx (born Dennis Leigh; 26 September 1948) is an English singer, musician, artist, photographer, graphic designer, writer, teacher and lecturer. He was the original lead singer of the New wave music, new wave band Ultravox, before leaving ...

-led incarnation of

Ultravox Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which wa ...

. Tracks like " Speed of Life" and " Breaking Glass" from

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

's ''

Low Low or LOW or lows, may refer to: People * Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low Places * Low, Quebec, Canada * Low, Utah, United States * Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station * Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LO ...

'' were also cited, along with

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

's ''

The Man-Machine ''The Man-Machine'' () is the seventh studio album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk. It was released on 19 May 1978 by Kling Klang in Germany and by Capitol Records elsewhere. A further refinement of their mechanical style, the album s ...

'' album, in particular the long and wistful track "Neon Lights". The recording built upon the sound of the first ''Tubeway Army'' album. While the tracks "The Machman", "You Are in My Vision" and "It Must Have Been Years" recalled the earlier album's guitar-oriented rock, the rest were built solidly around an analog synthesizer, the

Minimoog The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...

. Along with "Are 'Friends' Electric?", this included "Me! I Disconnect from You", the atmospheric "

Down in the Park "Down in the Park" is a 1979 song by the English new wave band Tubeway Army, featuring lead vocals by Gary Numan. It was released as the first single from the band's second album ''Replicas'', though was not a hit. The song was written and pro ...

" (released as a single prior to the album and acquiring cult status though not commercial success), the multi-layered title track and the closing instrumentals "When the Machines Rock" and "I Nearly Married a Human", the latter featuring Numan's first use of a primitive

drum machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...

; it appeared the following year in

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including e ...

's TV series '' Cosmos: A Personal Voyage''.

Critical reception

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' reviewer Red Starr found the album to have "Strong futuristic imagery, simple but catchy melodies and riffs, haunting synthesiser work — all strikingly delivered in distinctive fashion. Intriguing and definitely different — a good one." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' deemed the album "weird synthesizer effects and fashionably adenoidal songs and vocals over an accessibly rocking rhythm section."

Legacy

''Replicas synthesizer sound and occasionally

nihilistic Nihilism () encompasses various views that reject certain aspects of existence. There have been different nihilist positions, including the views that life is meaningless, that moral values are baseless, and that knowledge is impossible. Thes ...

lyrics greatly impacted the industrial acts that came to prominence in the mid-1990s such as

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...

and

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

, both of whom covered Numan's songs on record. Both Manson and

Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...

released versions of "Down in the Park". "Are 'Friends' Electric?" was covered by a number of artists, and was most notably the basis for

Sugababes The Sugababes are an English girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011. Formed in 1998 by Ron Tom, the manager of All Saints, ...

' No. 1 hit "

Freak Like Me "Freak like Me" is a song by American R&B singer Adina Howard, released on January 25, 1995, by labels East West and Lola Waxx, as the debut single from her first album, '' Do You Wanna Ride?'' (1995). The song reached number two on the US '' ...

" in 2002. Numan has continued to play tracks from ''Replicas'' on his live tours, with "Me! I Disconnect from You", "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Down in the Park" being mainstays, whilst "Praying to the Aliens" and "Replicas" have also lately become part of his live repertoire.

Reissue

The 1999 and 2008 reissue editions included several bonus tracks, including three single

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

: "We Are So Fragile" (from "Are 'Friends' Electric?"), and "Do You Need the Service?" and "I Nearly Married a Human (2)" (from "Down in the Park"). "The Crazies", "Only a Downstat" and "We Have a Technical" were outtakes from the ''Replicas'' sessions.

Track listing

All songs written by Gary Numan.

1979 Beggars Banquet LP and MC (BEGA/C 7) and 1995 Beggars Banquet CD reissue (MUSCD509)

The lightbulb on the front sleeve artwork was removed for the 1995 reissue to allow for a larger print of the album title. # "Me! I Disconnect from You" – 3:23 # "

" – 5:25 # "The Machman" – 3:08 # "Praying to the Aliens" – 4:00 # "

" – 4:24 # "You Are in My Vision" – 3:15 # "Replicas" – 5:01 # "It Must Have Been Years" – 4:02 # "When the Machines Rock" – 3:15 # "I Nearly Married a Human" – 6:31

1997 Beggars Banquet CD remastered reissue bonus tracks (TKCB-71194)

"Do You Need the Service?" – 3:40 # "The Crazies" – 2:54 # "Only a Downstat" – 3:36 # "We Have a Technical" – 8:04 # "We Are So Fragile" – 2:56 # "I Nearly Married a Human 2" – 6:38

2008 Beggars Banquet "Redux" CD reissue (BBQCD 2057)

To coincide with Numan's 15-date ''Replicas'' Classic Album Tour in 2008, Beggars Banquet issued an expanded 2CD and limited 3CD version of ''Replicas'', titled ''Replicas Redux.'' Disc one #

"We Are So Fragile" – 2:55 # "Do You Need the Service?" – 3:39 # "I Nearly Married a Human 2" – 6:38 Disc two This disc contained a complete earlier version of the ''Replicas'' album, recorded in late 1978 and January 1979. # "Me! I Disconnect from You" – 3:24 # "

" – 5:25 # "The Machman" – 3:08 # "Praying to the Aliens" – 4:08 # "

" – 4:24 # "Do You Need the Service?" – 3:42 # "Only a Downstat" – 3:35 # "We Have a Technical" – 8:00 # "You Are in My Vision" – 3:22 # "Replicas" – 5:02 # "It Must Have Been Years" – 4:04 # "When the Machines Rock" – 3:15 # "The Crazies" – 2:54 # "I Nearly Married a Human 3" – 6:24 * The early version of "When the Machines Rock" featured vocals by Numan, unlike the instrumental standard album version. Disc three – Replicas – Mixes + Versions (GNCD 2008)
This disc of bonus tracks was only available for a limited time when ''Replicas Redux'' was purchased via Numan's official website. # "

" (

Renegade Soundwave Renegade Soundwave (sometimes shortened to RSW) were an electronic music group. Formed in London in 1986, the group originally consisted of Gary Asquith, Carl Bonnie and Danny Briottet. Their debut LP '' Soundclash'' was released in 1990 on Mu ...

mix) – 5:15 # "Replicas" (early version 2) – 5:05 # "

" (early version 2) – 4:23 # "Are 'Friends' Electric?" (early version 2) – 5:28 # "Replicas" (early version 3) – 5:00 # "Are 'Friends' Electric?" (Renegade Soundwave instrumental) – 5:14

40th anniversary edition

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of ''Replicas'', a special edition of the album, ''Replicas: The First Recordings'' was released on 11 October 2019. Released on 2 LP coloured vinyl and 2 CD editions. CD 1 # "You Are in My Vision" (early version) # "The Machmen" (early version) # "Down in the Park" (early version) # "Do You Need the Service?" (early version) # "The Crazies" # "When The Machines Rock" (early version) # "Me! I Disconnect from You" (early version) # "Praying to the Aliens" (early version) # "It Must Have Been Years" (early version) # "Only A Downstat" # "I Nearly Married a Human 3" (early version) # "Replicas" (early version) # "Are 'Friends' Electric?" (early version) CD 2 # "Replicas" (early version 2) # "Down in the Park" (early version 2) # "Are 'Friends' Electric?" (early version 2) # "We Have a Technical" # "Replicas" (early version 3) # "Me, I Disconnect from You" (''BBC Peel Session'') # "Down in the Park" (''BBC Peel Session'') # "I Nearly Married a Human" (''BBC Peel Session'')

Personnel

Tubeway Army *

– keyboards,

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

, producer, mixing *

Paul Gardiner Paul Andrew Gardiner (1 May 1958 – 18 February 1984) was an English musician who played bass guitar with Gary Numan and Tubeway Army, as well as creating material under his own name. Biography Paul Andrew Gardiner was born on 1 May 1958 in ...

–

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

* Jess Lidyard –

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

Technical * John Caffery –

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

, mixing * Rikki Sylvan – mixing * Geoff Howes –

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who uses a camera to make photographs. Duties and types of photograp ...

* Mary Vango –

make-up Cosmetics are substances that are intended for application to the body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering appearance. They are mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources or created syn ...

* Tony Escott –

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

* Malti Kidia –

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Charts

Certifications

References

Bibliography

* Paul Goodwin (2004). ''Electric Pioneer: An Armchair Guide to Gary Numan''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Replicas (Album) Tubeway Army albums Cyberpunk music 1979 albums Beggars Banquet Records albums Science fiction concept albums