Tubeway Army is the debut studio album by the English new wave band Tubeway Army, released in 1978. Its initial limited-edition run of 5,000 (known unofficially as the "Blue Album" due to its coloured vinyl and cover) sold out but did not chart. When reissued in mid-1979, following the success of the follow-up "Replicas" (1979), the more commonly known cover art featuring a stylised portrait of Gary Numan was introduced. This release made No. 14 in the UK Albums Chart.
Overview.
Despite being the band's debut, "Tubeway Army" was seen as a transitional record, linking the punk flavour of early singles "That's Too Bad" and "Bombers" with the electronic music and science fiction imagery of "Replicas". The first track, "Listen to the Sirens", borrowed its opening line from the Philip K. Dick novel "Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said", while "Steel and You" contained references to androids ("Just my steel friend and me / I stand brave by his side"). These and a number of other tracks featured primitive synthesizer effects, the legacy of Numan chancing upon a Minimoog in the recording studio one day.
Elsewhere, the album's lyrics generally inhabited a seedy world that was compared to William Burroughs, an author whose influence Numan acknowledged. "Friends" concerned male prostitution. "Every Day I Die" was about teenage masturbation. "Jo the Waiter" referenced drug addiction. "The Life Machine" was told from the perspective of a comatose man on life support who can only "watch from somewhere as the loved ones come and go".
Major influences cited for this album's overall sound included David Bowie (both 'Ziggy' and 'Berlin' eras), early Roxy Music and Brian Eno, Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground, and early Ultravox.
Critical reception.
Upon its reissue in 1979 following the success of Tubeway Army's second album "Replicas", the album was given a 7 out of 10 rating in "Smash Hits". Reviewer Red Starr wrote: "Inevitably it's not as good as "Replicas" — it's cruder and punkier, with more guitars than synthesisers, though that voice is instantly recognisable. Lyrically, future visions are to the fore again — all test tube babies and dream police. Not bad at all, however, but interesting to look back on rather than a must for the present. Besttrax: "Jo The Waiter", "Listen To The Sirens"."
"Live at the Roxy".
The 1998 CD reissue of "Tubeway Army" included a live concert, originally a bootleg called "Live at the Roxy", retitled as "Living Ornaments '78" – a retrospective reference to Numan's official live albums "Living Ornaments '79" (1981), 80" (1981) and 81" (1998). It included early versions of "My Shadow in Vain" and "Friends" ("Do Your Best") as well as a cover of The Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat".
Track listing.
All songs written by Gary Numan, except "White Light/White Heat" (Lou Reed).
CD bonus tracks
Notes.
numanme.co.uk