Gary Numan (Tubeway Army) - Are Friends Electric? Reaction
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
- In this video we're listening to Gary Numan. We only know his big early 80's hit, Cars, so we're excited to hear what else Gary has to offer. I'm sure we will have some fun with this. Enjoy!
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I remember in 1979 when this first came out. We were all crowded around the juke box in the pub, and Phil put his money in the machine, having chosen this song. We all agreed that it was a totally new sound ,despite bands like Kraftwerk having made synth based songs before. And to this day it stands the test of time.
Agree 100%👍
100%
Saw him in concert last year, and he ended with this. It's still an amazing piece. Easily one of the top four songs about a sex robot.
First single I bought
Phil is legend!
Our whole school went nuts to this.
May 24th 1979 and everything changed.
Fifteen years old watching Top of the Pops and Tubeway Army's performance of
"Are Friends Electric?".
I'd never seen or heard anything like it.
I bet that I didn't blink once.
It genuinely felt like the future had arrived 🧡
And in 2024 it still sounds like the future...
@flat_earth_is_the_key Thanks for your kind reply. It's impossible to describe to anyone who didn't witness Tubeway Army and Gary Numan making their debut appearance in '79, how utterly groundbreaking this moment was 🖤
Takes me straight back to my last term at junior school 1979, the future seemed so exotic and exciting, being ushered by in by this song.
Swoon. One of the greatest pop songs ever written. I've listened to it millions of times. Been a fan since I was 11. I'm 55 now. So happy he's finally getting the credit he's always deserved. King of synth-pop, godfather of techno, huge influence on early hip hop -- ask Kool Herc if you don't believe me. Freakin' genius, that dude.
In 79 this song came along and changed everything, it blew everything out of the water and made way for "the electric 80s", it was that important
Almost 45 years of this absolute classic
THE ELICTRIC 70s I think it was written in 1978
Such a brilliant tune. As a night club DJ i was able to play this when it came out... filled the dancefloor .. trouble was it was there was nothing else quite like it to mix it with. Heart of Glass from Blondie and Message in a bottle from the Police...
It's hard to explain the massive impact that this had at the time of the original release - nothing had sounded like it and been so commercially successful (it was one of the top 5 best sellers of the year in the UK). There's so much of Gary's work that I could recommend, but I'd actually skip forward nearly 40 years to "My Name is Ruin" to show his longevity - his daughter joins him on vocals for it.
Believe it or not, this FIVE MINUTE LONG song went to #1 on the British charts, as did the album it came from ("Replicas"). He broke the mold: songs that long RARELY chart well.
#1 for 4 weeks!
Such a unique voice. And he's still going strong producing new albums.
If you have a chance look up the documentary on Gary & this song! He was writing Sci Fi stories and came up with this song that actually is about Robot prostitutes...Fascinating how he explains it! He is very humble guy, glad to see him still performing!
I just commented above (before seeing your comment) that they should watch the documentary before reviewing another Gary Numan song. It really explains a lot & I agree he is humble and very likeable!
Loved it aged 9 and was quite obsessed with Gary. 52 now and still love it ❤
I was 9yrs old when saw this on Tv whilst on holiday with parents. I stopped playing pool and was mesmerised. My first and most lasting musical memory
This brought back memories of when I was walking along a London street market back in 1979 when I heard this playing at a"record" stall. It was so different to anything I'd heard before.....I had to buy the album and still have it today.
I saw the Album cover in Harlequin Records in Watford. Had to buy it, still have it and still play it over 40yrs later.
It's cold outside
And the paint's peeling off of my walls
There's a man outside
In a long coat, grey hat, smoking a cigarette
Now the light fades out
And I'm wondering what I'm doing in a room like this
There's a knock on the door
And just for a second I thought I remembered you
So now I'm alone
Now I can think for myself
About little deals
And *issues*
And things that I just don't understand
Like a white lie that night
Or a slight touch at times
I don't think it meant anything to you
So I open the door
It's the `friend' that I'd left in the hallway
"please sit down"
A candle lit a shadow on a wall near the bed
You know I hate to ask
But, are `friends' electric?
Mine's broke down
And now I've no one to love
So I find out your reason
For the phone calls and smiles
And it hurts
And I'm lonely
And I should never have tried
And I missed you tonight
So it's time to leave
You see this means everything to me
The reason he was smiling is because this was just a rehearsal that just got recorded. I don’t think it was ever meant to have been put out
Absolute fkkn banger
Pushed music forward 20 years
Love this for decades! Number 1 in England; didn't chart in the US (before "Cars", his first American hit). The title is a Philip K. Dick reference, which he made several of (and all science fiction).
Simply brilliant and groundbreaking for mainstream audiences in 79.
I was lucky enough to see him live a few years back - he is now so energetic live.
Everything right down to the lead synth sound is flawless. It sounds like something from today's mad world not 1979.
As someone commented he is still producing music and thier suggestions of my name is ruin with his daughter persia on backing track is a good one.
Great choice! 🤩👍 Thank you to those who'd suggested it, and thank you Cynthia & Chris for checking it out! 😊 I could write a whole novel to this song now, but I'll restrain myself and just say that you guys chose well with this particular performance because it sure _is_ rare to see Gary smile and obviously enjoying himself in most of his early clips 😀 He'd also confirmed the Bowie influence, and it's mind-blowing from today's perspective that this song alone had made him UK's pioneer of Electronic Music back then 😀 I still cannot believe that I'd never heard it before the early 90's!🤯
This was the first "electronic" song I bought. I had been an exclusively rock n roll, guitar kid until then, but this single began the real broadening of my musical horizons.
I find it fascinating looking back to remember I liked Gary Numan immediately even although I was a huge Northern soul, Ska, Reggae and Punk fan. This was still Punk era but it was like a relief of chiilling a bit but from Punk but still very reactionary. As you said, influences abound and probably why it fitted very well for the time and the fans of other stuff.
Saw him last year. Brilliant!
This is absolute class, so powerful
When this came out it was an absolute game changer. It put synthesizers into the public consciousness in a way they never had been before. Of course there had been electronic music in the charts before, but this was the first that spoke to and for the punk generation, and it really was the future. Down in the Park is an even better track, I think. I think it's fair to say that Gary Numan cultivated a distant, some might say arrogant, attitude that caused him problems with sections of the UK media, and perhaps didn't help is longevity in the mainstream.
I'm pretty sure his Asperger's had contributed to that distant and seemingly arrogant attitude / image too, though. Being socially awkward is one of the main issues for people with that condition, and it's great that he's been able to move past those issues, at least to a large degree 😊👍
@@mightyV444 Yes. He seems more relaxed these days. It's just you know how it is if you wind up certain sections of the British media. They don't need much excuse in the first place.
@@delorangeade - Ah! Okay! Yeah, that's probably something about him I hadn't really been aware of then.
Ground breathtaking song in 79 this in the uk nothing had ever been as powerful as this and cars and gary paved the way for the electronic invasion of music that was to come he's a genius and total respect to him that's he's still a massive influence on any generation
Ah, big fat slabs of analog goodness! It warms my heart.
Now thats a term you dont hear very often !!! " Analog " has a certain ring dont it /
I love that particular era, when synths were quite prominent but still surrounded by 'real' instruments 😊
@tecdessus Do mean like when your twin carbs go out of wack on your Triumph Bonny ? Bit of a pain to start !!
Fantastic to see that you appreciate Gary Numan's music.💕💕💕
He took a lot of inspiration from John Foxx. Gary has always reinvented himself over the years. When you see him, he of course does play some of his classics but he much prefers to look towards the future. Now lives in the USA
John Foxx did some cool stuff, in and out of Ultravox. Hiroshima Mon Amour would be a good idea for a reaction.
Brings me back to my teenage times 😄😄 greetings from the Netherlands
Young me was blown away by this song, coming out of 70s punk and into the electronic age was so wild. Love this song.
Gary smiled when he pulled his head away from the mic and almost sang the next line away from the mic.
Another thing that made him smile was when he did his twirl. In an earlier video he didn't make the twirl in time.
It was a mimed show and I think he was just finding it all a bit amusing.
If you see Gary in interviews he smiles and jokes a lot. Comes across as a very humble, down to earth guy.
But having asperges, I think the austere performance was a good facade to hide behind.
Another time I saw Gary smile was when he performed I Am Ruine with his daugher Persia. He snuck a look at her under his arm while holding the mic stand, and you can see he how proud of her he was and a he couldn't help a smile.
Beautiful music.
I'd love to see a reaction to something newer from him, 'My name is ruin' for example.
Yes, preferably the Old Grey Whistle Test performance with his daughter Persia.
"Shes Got Claws" is another great one from Gary
Yep! 😊👍
My name is Ruin! Should be the next Gary Numan song! Love me some Gary Numan!
We did that one
As mentioned below the SugarBabes combining this with an Adina Howard track was also great, making it a great dancehall record. Gary Numan was first known from music he did for a Lee Cooper add. And everyone wanted to know what that sound was. And then this came.
So glad you like that one. On target comments. Try "I Die You Die" for something less ponderous. Also, his opening act, "Nash the Slash" has some great stuff covers of Smoke on the Water (redone as Dopes on the Water), 19th Nervous Breakdown, and Deadman's Curve as well as original works.
Gary Numan was really into science fiction when he was a kid, and yes he was influenced by David Bowie, Kraftwerk and early Ultravox! with original founder and frontman John Foxx. (One of the keyboardists and synth musician, Billy Currie, who did study and learned classical music from a very early age is in this video and was a member of Ultravox!). Gary Numan also has Aspergers and despite that he was accepted when he applied at an Air Force Academy so he can study to become a pilot. He did receive his pilot license when he was in his early 20's. Gary Numan is a self taught musician as well. "Are The Friends Electric?" is from his second album titled 'Replicas' which it is a concept album about a dystopian society and aliens from other planets. One of his songs on that album is titled "Machmen" which they are cyborgs who kill normal humans. Way before James Cameron's 1984 film 'The Terminator'. His song "Are The Friends Electric?" is about an AI (Artificial Intelligence) prostitute who comes over to his dwelling to give him sexual pleasure but she breaks down, and Gary Numan (the main character in the song) is lonely and he has no one to love. Another song from the 'Replicas' album which was also a popular song in England is "Down In The Park." From his second album 'Replicas', his third 'The Pleasure Principle' and his fourth 'Telekon' are all very futuristic even to this very day. I really enjoyed your reaction to Gary Numan's song "Are The Friends Electric?"
Absolutely fantastic track , Gary was right up there for synth music .
Numan was famous for about five minutes and quickly became a figure of fun and ridicule. Still I got Replicas, PP, Telekon and Dance. Great albums.
@@outpost31737and.....
Thanks mates! He us so underrated and influenced lots of people. Maybe try down in the park next. Thank you for starting with Numan
Please check out his Down In The Park for a very sinister futuristic sound and story.
40+ years ago, I remember hearing this song on our AM radio and it left such an impression that I spent my adult life looking for it.
Great choice, Great Anthem deffo stood the test of time, Cheers Jim, UK
Absolute bonafide new wave synth classic ! .. So atmospheric and enigmatic sounding .. I get lost in the feel of it every time I hear it .. Thanks for reacting to this one.👌
I really enjoyed when he switched from this sort of sound, to the track RIP, having a big influence on Nine Inch Nails
One of the most influential artists of all time including "Africa Bombarta" and is still keeping it fresh .Its worth checking out an all girl band from Britain called "The Sugar Babes "Freakin" they sampled this track and did a really good job.Gary Numan lost his confidence in the late 80s but regained it in the 2000,s and his daughter performed with him live .Try "We take mystery to bed"
Two great songs but his importance is a bit overblown. There were lots of other bands, even before him, doing similar things with synths. Just a shame his brief fame got to him.
'We Take Mystery (To Bed)' is a cool song already for the great bass lines alone, as is 'Subway I Call You' 😀👍 That Sugababes song was called 'Freak Like Me', by the way 😉
Thanks for correcting me I thought id got the wrong title. "Telekon "was the album I used to listen to back in the early 80s especially" This wreckage " I like his last album "Intruder" it's so intoxicating
You're welcome, @@kevhanson1262 😊 I'm far from knowing _all_ of ol' Gazza's stuff so may well check out some more of it some time soon! I have his 'Pleasure Principle' album and a compilation titled 'Document Series presents Gary Numan', with a mix of hits and album tracks from 1978-83 🙂 PS: It's 'Afrika Bambaataa' 😉
He was also a acrobatic pilot but gave it up after all his friends got killed .
I did like his stuff back in the day, his vocals always reminded me of an early David Bowie.
There is an updated version of this he released a few years ago for Allsaints Basement Sessions, def worth a listen to what he can do with modern instruments.
Love to our Brothers and Sisters in Canada, from the UK. According to Gary, the song is about going to a brothel.
When Gary came along, he was so different, it was like he suddenly came from another planet. Enjoyed as usual.
Not quite right. It’s about robot prostitutes!
1979. Astra Hotel, Bondi. Too many beers every night lol. Juke Box playing Computer Games, Message in a Bottle, Are Friends Electric, 2468 Motorway over and over. A new game called Space Invaders was eating all my 20c pieces.
I just read that Gary had turned 65 only a couple of days ago; Happy Birthday to him! 🥳💚🍾🥂🎂🎶🎉🍀
The keyboard player behind GNs left shoulder is Billy Currie of Ultravox who was "on loan" at this point!
This changed the world for 15 minutes - A long come the synth bands...
This song was so a head of its time its from the album replicas replicas was about a future where technology went the wrong way a friend in this song is a android you can order like a pizza delivery service to talk to if your lonely or play chess replicas had a dark seedy side but it was brilliant because gary said he loves technology he didnt want it to go the wrong way the man outside is a machman machines that acted as a police force who took you away if you thought the wrong thing it was a very dystopian world gary was showing what could happen if technology went the wrong way
To me Gary Numan is a reflective 'Mood' rather than something to watch. For me, this is Roller Skating memories from very late 70s ...thanks
Apparently some of the early US rappers were influenced by Gary Numan.
I've seen Gary Numan more than a few times, and I've met him a few times. This video is unusual in that I've never seen him smile as much as he's doing in this video. Back then he was mister serious on stage. Great guy off-stage. People back then use to make references to David Bowie a lot. I never saw it and in later years he said that people got it all wrong. He wasn't so much influenced by David Bowie. He was influenced by and wanted to be a band called Ultravox when a guy named John Foxx was their vocalist. I'd recommend their album titled Systems Of Romance, and either the song Maximum Acceleration or Dislocation.
John Foxx The Garden.. ;)
He has also performed with his daughter have a look.
Gary Numan was huge in the late 70s up until the mid 80s. The stuff he released after that period was probably more interesting but not as commercial
Albums like Telekon (1982) or Dance (1983) are not commercial at all.
Gary is God of the synth..Check out M.E as well as Films and music for chameleons by Gary Numan..The man is a genius..
Great video and all the best from the U.K🇬🇧🇺🇸👍
Billy Currie from Ultravox on synths with Chris Payne. The drummer Cedric Sharpley passed away a few years ago. Listen to some of his recent stuff especially A Prayer For The Unborn and Pure.
I like how the band is standing stoically, but drummer Cedric Sharpley is bouncing to his beat
I´d recommend listening to "Down in the park" and "M.E.". Loads of bands have covered his songs. The cover version of "M.E." by Wand is fantastic 🙂
Gary! ♥ His whole catalog is amazing. ETA: If you get the chance to see him in concert, don't miss it!
He's still touring and I'd highly recommend catching a show if you get the chance! Sounds somewhere between this and Nine Inch Nails these days
Classic from Gary.....
Heard that David Bowie and Garry were in a TV studio due to be interviewed and Bowie really got on one and said Get him out of here! ;)
More Numan more Numan! 😊
This video is quite famous for Gary not taking himself seriously (for a change :) ) He's fooling around a lot here, smiling and dancing around.
This song only really makes sense when you've read the backstory to the Replicas album, which involves deadly A.I and cyborgs who variously entertain and oppress the dwindling human population...guess the rest.
This song is about being able to order replicant prostitutes over the computer and they turn up at your door on demand. We are not to far away from that becoming a thing.
I love this song. Thank you.
Attended this GN concert tour at the Queen E theater in Vancouver around 1980ish. Awesome. Wall of sound and light. Great concert.
Also , please try , down In the park , another banger . 🙏
Here is a great Live version. Gary Numan 'Are Friends Electric?' AllSaints Basement Sessions
Yes ! Great tune ! Great time ! Yep Gary was surely influenced by Bowie ! But how many Artists cant say they were influenced by Bowie , Zep , Lou Reed , or any one else come to that ! Did pave the way for more bands such as "Ultravox " a few years later ! The 3 Bowie albums that would IMO be the influencers ! are the trio recorded in Berlin ! "Station to Station " "Low" and "Heroes" very synthy! on Low they used a "Harmonizer" kinda made the Drums sound so differant ! Also at the time of this release Garys music got him into trouble with BBC band that were sometimes used on Top Of The Pops ! The "Union" didnt like Synthesisers as those new fangled machines were taking their jobs away ! Honestly you couldnt make it up !Cheers !
I was at his show on this tour! Cool
It's that "wrong" note. Probably a better song than Cars which was no slouch....but 1979 at 9 years old I remember taping it off Capital Radio on the JVC boombox my dad gave me and saying "listen to this!!" Totally got me into the whole analog synthesizer sound. It took me a while to realize it was basically about a robot prostitute. What is it about the UK scene in 1979? A little past punk, some musicianship and the ideas were flowing. A great time and you encapsulated it superbly.
I bought this album when it came out. Loved it, have you heard "Cars", if you listen to it watch Nine Inch Nails perform it with Gary.
That is the one song we did know of his.
I saw gary numan in concert in Brighton 1980ish .. best concert ever
Glad you checked this out, it's stood the test of time well, though definitely sounds much better with far less compression than on here. I recognised a possible David Bowie influence at first, though put that down to how Gary Numan looked when performing more than the music itself, as because I was also listening to early Human League at the time I thought of it more as a parallel development than direct influence. I'm happy to say I couldn't stand Numan's singing voice at the time as I thought it too nasal, but time changes things and I like it better now - it fits.
TV compression. Sometimes it can't be avoided.
@@hanierfamily I know, but it's such a shame, especially as this might be a new listener's only hearing of this track. I've just compared the sound here with a lossless version (FLAC), there's a night and day difference.
It's interesting you both said Bowie was a big influence on Numan which is true unfortunately Bowie wasn't impressed stating he copied him .Gary said at the time that Bowie was struggling for inspiration so may have been jealous of Numan around 79 80 as he was this new star that came from nowhere and Bowie needed to find new inspiration which he did with the" Scary Monsters " album in 80
Bowie, although a very talented artist who I liked, was also a massive hypocrite. He was the ultimate magpie himself. Taking inspiration from all manner of influences, both musically and visually.
There have been countless bands and solo singers who have copied Bowie in some shape or form, but Bowie never embarrassed himself over them like he did over Numan.
Facts are Numan came out of nowhere. He was fresh, he was much better looking than Bowie and had an absolutely amazing sound. Bowie was threatened by Numan. A Numan who was little more than a 21 year-old lad at the time.
Bowie's hissy fit on the Kenny Everett show was an embarrassment. Refusing to perform on the show unless Numan was removed from it. That was classless.
As life moved on and I got to know the people that Numan and Bowie are/were, it became crystal clear who the more humble, classy and dignified man was, and it wasn't Bowie.
Anyway, AFE is simply unique. There never was, and never has been since, anything quite like it. The sound. The look. The zeitgeist Numan caught at that time. Perfect. Just perfect.
To a 10 year old in 1979 this was mind blowing!
I da hypnotic sounds from Gary
he was smiling because this song was about robot prostitutes, but only he and the rest of the band knew it.
it was the kind of smile you make when you tell a dirty joke but only you and a few friends get it.
It's set in the future and all about robot prostitutes,but he never let on about that at the time or he'd have never got it by top of the pops,check out his albums Savage and Intruder,his more up to date stuff,AWESOME!
He was heavily influenced by John Foxx era Ultravox, they pioneered using synths alongside conventional instruments
This is actually a run through prior to a tv show, hence Gary is smiling. Something he didnt tend to do back then.
Billy Currie from Ultravox on keyboards. Memories ... for me
Check out the Gary Numan AllSaints version on youtube. He gets even better with age.
The Synth sound has reverberated through my brain since I first heard it on "Son of my Father" (Moroder/Chicory Tip).
Fan since the 70s....totally changed synth music....
Replicas was and still is one of my favorite albums.
Lors de mes 16 années sur cette planète, je me suis dit que je n'étais pas par hasard 😌
A classic.
It's cold outside And the paint's peeling off of my walls There's a man outside
In a long coat, grey hat, smoking a cigarette.... Best Lyrics every
There is a very good documentary video about Gary Numan on UA-cam that I highly suggest you watch before you review another of his videos. Please understand that he was a pioneer and kraftwork & DEVO were influenced by him. You will understand him so much better if you watch that documentary. It will answer all your questions. Thank you for the reaction video!