Tubeway Army [Gary Numan + Tubeway Army]: Replicas (1979)

Depending on which version you have, this record is either credited as Gary Numan + Tubeway Army or simply as Tubeway Army. Mine -- a Canadian pressing -- is the former, probably because it was re-released after Cars had become a big hit in North America, and the record company wanted to ensure that Gary's name was front and centre. Discogs, of course, does what you would expect by now.

Replicas was originally released on April 4, 1979 in the UK, and forms the first part of what Numan calls his Machine Trilogy, which includes The Pleasure Principle and Telekon. There is a real sense of machinery and technology in this record.

I saw him turn on
Like a machine in the park
Saying 'please come with me'
But you've been there before

The transition to synthesizers is well underway here, though there are guitars in the mix. The spacey Numan character, which reminds me a bit of what Bowie attempted on Ziggy Stardust, is in force on tunes like Praying to Aliens. The record contains one of Numan's biggest hits, and a favourite of mine, Are Friends Electric? That's just a fantastic track, easily making it onto any top 25 list of my favourite songs of all time.

There is some suggestive sexual identity content in Praying to Aliens:

Now only boys
That love only boys
...
"Do you ever think of women?"
They broke him down
Into a torn old queen

Down in the Park has to be the most surprising track on the record for me, because it has a very slow pace and it isn't what I would have viewed as a single, though it was the first single from this record. Also, the lyrics are rather dystopian and probably depressing:

Down in the park where the machmen meet
The machines and play 'Kill-by-numbers'
Down in the park with a friend called 'Five'

I was in a car crash or was it the war?
Well, I've never been quite the same
Little white lies like I was there

Come to Zom-Zom's, a place to eat
Like it was built in one day
You can watch the humans try to run

Oh, look, there's a rape machine
I'd go outside if it looked the other way
You wouldn't believe the things they do

Down in the park where the chant is death, death, death
Until' the sun cries mornin'
Down in the park with friends of mine

We are not lovers, we are not romantics
We are here to serve you
A different face but the words never change

I think that song could be made into a movie. Replicas is better than the first record, and it's one of my favourite records from Gary Numan. I'd put this LP in the top three.