 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(November 2018) |
| Automatic | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1989 | |||
| Recorded | Early 1988 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 54:28 | |||
| Label | Polydor 839,520-2 | |||
| Producer | Bill Sharpe | |||
| Gary Numan chronology | ||||
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| Bill Sharpe chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Automatic | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
Automatic is a 1989 album released by Sharpe &Numan (a collaboration between Gary Numan and jazz keyboardist/producer Bill Sharpe,member of the jazz fusion group Shakatak).
Automatic was an attempt to recapture the success of Sharpe &Numan's collaboration single "Change Your Mind",which reached number 17 in the UK charts in 1985. Although "Change Your Mind" was initially supposed to be a one-off single,Numan recalled that "the whole experience was great fun and Bill and I left the door open for more work together." [2] However,Numan was ambivalent about recording a Sharpe + Numan album:
After the third Sharpe and Numan single we decided to make a Sharpe and Numan album. My dad talked about it as a 'second string to our bow.' I like Bill very much, he is a very gifted writer and player, but I didn't really want a second string to my bow. I was concerned, as I had been from the start with all the collaborations I was 'encouraged' to get involved in, that it would alienate and drive away the few fans I had left. Loyalty could only be stretched so far. [3]
Numan wrote the song lyrics on Automatic and performed the lead vocals, however, he did not contribute to the writing of the album's music. Backing vocals were provided by Tessa Niles, who had sung on Numan's four preceding solo albums. Automatic has a more lightweight-pop and commercial style in comparison to Numan's solo material of the time, although its sound is not especially incongruous in the Numan discography. The opening line of the track "I'm on Automatic" ("This is metal rhythm/A new song on the radio") explicitly references Metal Rhythm , Numan's previous solo album. Most of the album was recorded in late 1987 and part of 1988, but took 18 months for the deal to come together with Polydor Records.[ citation needed ]
Automatic includes "Change Your Mind" and a remixed version of the third Sharpe + Numan single, "No More Lies" (1988, UK#34). The second Sharpe + Numan single, "New Thing from London Town" (1986, UK#52) was not included on Automatic, presumably because it had already been included (albeit in re-recorded form) on Numan's 1986 solo album, Strange Charm . "I'm on Automatic" was the only single to be released from Automatic; it reached No. 44 on the UK singles chart. The album itself reached No. 59 on the UK Albums Chart, eleven spots lower than Metal Rhythm, which was released nine months before. [4] Its disappointing sales led to plans for a second Sharpe + Numan album being abandoned, however, the electro-jazz-pop style of Automatic would influence the general sound of Numan's next solo album, Outland (1991).
Numan expressed dissatisfaction with Automatic's lack of promotion on the part of Polydor Records. Of the album itself, he recalled:
I had nothing against the Sharpe and Numan album. I think it's a good album actually, well written and beautifully produced. If my own [solo] career had been going well I would have had no qualms whatsoever about making that album, because my own status and musical direction would have been solid and successful. It was because my own career was taking on a slightly aimless feel that I was so concerned. [3]
Automatic was out of print for two decades; it was re-released on 18 October 2010 by the London-based reissue label Cherry Pop (CRPOP67). This expanded edition features additional tracks, extensive sleevenotes by Steve Thorpe, track comments from Bill Sharpe & Gary Numan, lyrics to all tracks, and remastered sound by Tim Turan. The release is a Captain Oi! Production (the same team behind the label's Kim Wilde and Animotion reissues released in 2009–2010).
All tracks were written by Gary Numan and Bill Sharpe except where otherwise noted.
All tracks were written by Gary Numan and Bill Sharpe except where otherwise noted.
Sharpe and Numan tracks not included on this re-release include the 12" extended version of "Change Your Mind"; all known versions of "New Thing from London Town" (original single version, the extended 12" version, and the Strange Charm remake), and the unreleased demo "They Say."
Gary Anthony James Webb, known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two studio albums with the band, he released his debut solo studio album The Pleasure Principle in 1979, topping the UK Albums Chart. His commercial popularity peaked in the late 1970s and early 1980s with hits including "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". Numan maintains a cult following. He has sold over 10 million records.
The Pleasure Principle is the debut solo studio album by the English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 7 September 1979 by Beggars Banquet Records. The album came about six months after Replicas (1979), his second and final studio album with the band Tubeway Army. The Pleasure Principle peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart.
Telekon is the second solo studio album by the English new wave musician Gary Numan. It debuted at the top of the UK Albums Chart in September 1980, making it his third consecutive No. 1 album. It was also the third and final studio release of what Numan retrospectively termed the "machine" section of his career, following Replicas and The Pleasure Principle.
Sacrifice is the twelfth solo studio album by English musician Gary Numan, released in October 1994 by Numa Records. Its release is often cited as marking the start of a critical and artistic rejuvenation for Numan. The album was released in the US in 1997 with a different title, Dawn, based on the comic book character Dawn. It also carried cover art by Joseph Michael Linsner.
"I Die: You Die" is a song by the British musician Gary Numan, released as a single in August 1980. Released shortly before his fourth album, Telekon, it continued the anthemic style Numan had begun earlier in the year with "We Are Glass". The composer himself described the two singles as "Much the same thing. Both very chorus-orientated with the guitars as the main rhythmic device and the keyboards tinkling over the top".
Pure is the fourteenth solo studio album by English musician Gary Numan, released in November 2000 by Eagle Records.
Break Out is the tenth studio album by American female vocal group the Pointer Sisters, released on November 1, 1983, on Planet Records, distributed by RCA Records. It is the Pointer Sisters' most successful album to date, peaking at number eight on the Billboard 200 and being certified triple-platinum by the RIAA.
Berserker is the sixth solo studio album by the English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 9 November 1984, it was his first album to be released under Numan's own record label, Numa Records.
Warriors is the fifth solo studio album by the English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 16 September 1983 by Beggars Banquet Records. It would be his last studio release on that label.
The Fury is the seventh solo studio album by the English musician Gary Numan, originally released in September 1985, it was Numan's second release on his self-owned Numa Records label. It saw him continuing to explore the sample-heavy industrial sound that he had developed for his previous album Berserker in 1984.
Strange Charm is the eighth solo studio album by the English musician Gary Numan, originally released in October 1986, it was Numan's third release on his self-owned Numa Records label. The album was not released in the United States until 1999 when it was issued in a digitally remastered form with five bonus tracks by Cleopatra Records. In the same year it was also reissued with bonus tracks in the United Kingdom by Eagle Records.
Outland is the tenth solo studio album by the English musician Gary Numan, released in March 1991. It was Numan's second and last studio album to be released by I.R.S. Records. It reached Number 39 on the UK charts. The songs "Heart" and "My World Storm" were released as singles; "Heart" charted at Number 43, while "My World Storm" eventually became a US-only promo single after a planned UK release was shelved due to the inner turmoil at the label around the release of the album. The latter however reached Number 46 on the US dance chart. The reaction to it was mixed with Q Magazine calling it 'repetitive and full of affectation'.
Metal Rhythm is the ninth solo studio album by the English musician Gary Numan, released in September 1988 by I.R.S. Records.
Hybrid is a remix/cover album, consisting of songs by Gary Numan remixed by other artists, covers of Numan's early songs from his first three albums, plus three new tracks created specifically for the album. Hybrid was recorded in autumn of 2002 and released in March 2003 with a collaboration from various industrial rock/heavy rock musicians such as Rico, Sulpher and Alan Moulder. The album includes tracks originally found on the albums Tubeway Army, Replicas, The Pleasure Principle, Telekon, Sacrifice, Exile and Pure.
The following is a comprehensive discography of Gary Numan, a British singer and musician. Numan released his first record in 1978 as part of the outfit Tubeway Army. Initially unsuccessful, the band scored a huge hit in 1979 with the single "Are Friends Electric" and their second album Replicas, both of which reached number one in the UK. Numan then decided to release further recordings under his own name, beginning with the single "Cars" later in 1979. Both this and the subsequent album The Pleasure Principle also reached number one in the UK, and Numan became a leading force in the British electronic music scene. He scored a third number one album in 1980 with Telekon, and more hit singles and albums until the mid 1980s when his popularity waned. Despite this, he has continued to record and tour on a regular basis up to the present day. His 2017 studio album, Savage , entered the UK Albums Chart at no. 2, which was Numan's highest chart peak since 1980. His most recent album, 2021's Intruder, also entered the UK charts at no. 2.
"Warriors" is a song written and recorded by English musician Gary Numan, released in 1983 as both a seven- and 12-single from his fifth solo studio album, Warriors. Numan promoted the song on many popular television shows such as The Saturday Show and Crackerjack. It peaked at No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart, and was Numan's final Top 20 hit until 2003.
Bill Sharpe is a British musician, who has worked as a member of Shakatak, as a solo artist, and with others, such as Gary Numan and Don Grusin.
Sharpe & Numan was a British synth-pop duo formed by Shakatak's Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan (vocals).
"Change Your Mind" is a song recorded by synth-pop duo Sharpe & Numan. Written by Shakatak members Bill Sharpe and Roger Odell and featuring lead vocals by Gary Numan.
"New Thing from London Town" is a song by the English synth-pop duo Sharpe & Numan, released as a single in October 1986. Composed by Bill Sharpe with lyrics by Roger Odell and featuring lead vocals by Gary Numan, it spent three weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 52.
