Replicas (album)


Replicas is the second and final studio album by English new wave band Tubeway Army, released in April 1979 by Beggars Banquet Records. It followed their self-titled debut from the previous year. After this, Tubeway Army frontman Gary Numan 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 and Telekon, a collection linked by common themes of a dystopian science fiction future and transmutation of man/machine, coupled with an androgynous image and a synthetic rock sound.
Fuelled by a surprise No. 1 hit single, "Are 'Friends' Electric?", 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, Replicas was based on a dystopian book Numan hoped to complete someday, set in a not-too-distant future metropolis where Machmen and other machines keep the general public cowed on orders from the Grey Men. 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?, the title was not. Although Numan's Machmen were similar to Replicants, the term used for androids in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, 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

Musically, Numan’s main influence was the commercially unsuccessful John Foxx-led incarnation of Ultravox. Tracks like "Speed Of Life" and "Breaking Glass" from David Bowie’s Low were also cited, along with Kraftwerk’s The Man-Machine album, in particular the long and wistful track "Neon Lights".
The recording was a development of 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. Along with "Are 'Friends' Electric?", this included "Me! I Disconnect from You", the atmospheric "Down in the Park", 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; it made an appearance the following year in Carl Sagan's TV series .

Legacy

Replicas' synthesizer sound and occasionally nihilistic lyrics had a major impact on the industrial acts that came to prominence in the mid-1990s such as Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails, both of whom covered Numan's songs on record. Both Manson and Foo Fighters 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' No. 1 hit "Freak Like Me" 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: "We Are So Fragile", and "Do You Need the Service?" and "I Nearly Married a Human ". "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.
  1. "Me! I Disconnect from You" – 3:23
  2. "Are 'Friends' Electric?" – 5:25
  3. "The Machman" – 3:08
  4. "Praying to the Aliens" – 4:00
  5. "Down in the Park" – 4:24
  6. "You Are in My Vision" – 3:15
  7. "Replicas" – 5:01
  8. "It Must Have Been Years" – 4:02
  9. "When the Machines Rock" – 3:15
  10. "I Nearly Married a Human" – 6:31

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

  12. "Do You Need the Service?" - 3:40
  13. "The Crazies" - 2:54
  14. "Only a Downstat" - 3:36
  15. "We Have a Technical" - 8:04
  16. "We Are So Fragile" - 2:56
  17. "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
  2. "We Are So Fragile" - 2:55
  3. "Do You Need the Service?" - 3:39
  4. "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.
  1. "Me! I Disconnect From You" - 3:24
  2. "Are 'Friends' Electric?" - 5:25
  3. "The Machman" - 3:08
  4. "Praying to the Aliens" - 4:08
  5. "Down in the Park" - 4:24
  6. "Do You Need the Service?" - 3:42
  7. "Only a Downstat" - 3:35
  8. "We Have a Technical" - 8:00
  9. "You Are in My Vision" - 3:22
  10. "Replicas" - 5:02
  11. "It Must Have Been Years" - 4:04
  12. "When the Machines Rock" - 3:15
  13. "The Crazies" - 2:54
  14. "I Nearly Married a Human 3" - 6:24
Disc Three - Replicas - Mixes + Versions
This disc of bonus tracks was only available for a limited time when Replicas Redux was purchased via Numan's official website.
  1. "Are 'Friends' Electric? " - 5:15
  2. "Replicas " - 5:05
  3. "Down in the Park " - 4:23
  4. "Are 'Friends' Electric? " - 5:28
  5. "Replicas " - 5:00
  6. "Are 'Friends' Electric? " - 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
  1. "You Are In My Vision "
  2. "The Machmen "
  3. "Down In The Park "
  4. "Do You Need The Service? "
  5. "The Crazies"
  6. "When The Machines Rock "
  7. "Me! I Disconnect From You "
  8. "Praying To The Aliens "
  9. "It Must Have Been Years "
  10. "Only A Downstat"
  11. "I Nearly Married A Human 3 "
  12. "Replicas "
  13. "Are ‘Friends’ Electric? "
;CD 2
  1. "Replicas "
  2. "Down In The Park "
  3. "Are ‘Friends’ Electric? "
  4. "We Have A Technical"
  5. "Replicas "
  6. "Me, I Disconnect From You"
  7. "Down In The Park"
  8. "I Nearly Married a Human"

    Chart positions

Personnel