Savage (Songs from a Broken World) | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 15 September 2017 | |||
Recorded | 17 November 2015 – 12 May 2017 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 55:51 | |||
Label | BMG, The End | |||
Producer | Ade Fenton | |||
Gary Numan chronology | ||||
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Savage (Songs from a Broken World) is the eighteenth solo studio album by English musician Gary Numan, released on 15 September 2017 by BMG and The End. The album was first announced to be a part of a fan-backed Pledge Music Campaign on 12 November 2015. [1] On 9 November 2018, a followup EP titled The Fallen was released. [2] The EP features similar artwork to Savage, [3] and it was intended to complement the album. [4]
The album reached No. 2 in the UK Top 40 album charts, becoming Numan's sixth Top 10 album, and the first since 1982. It proved to be his highest performing album outside of the number-one albums Replicas , The Pleasure Principle and Telekon from 1979 and 1980 and surpassed 1981's Dance , which reached No. 3. It became his first album since Telekon to chart in multiple countries. [5]
Savage (Songs from a Broken World) is a concept album centered around the blending of Western and Eastern cultures in a post-apocalyptic world that has become desertified as a result of global warming. "The songs are about the things that people do in such a harsh and terrifying environment," Numan stated in an interview. "It's about a desperate need to survive and they do awful things in order to do so, and some are haunted by what they've done. That desire to be forgiven, along with some discovered remnants of an old religious book, ultimately encourages religion to resurface, and it really goes downhill from there." [6]
In order of appearance, working demo song titles included:
"When the world comes apart" is a line from the 1994 Sacrifice song "Magic", and "Mercy" (appearing on the album proper) was an early demo title during the 2006 Jagged sessions, which would eventually become "We Are the Lost" from Dead Son Rising .[ citation needed ]
A 'pre-Ade Fenton' mp3 of "Bed of Thorns" was made available to download on 3 September 2016. This demo version also appears on the soundtrack to the 2017 film Ghost in the Shell . To quote Numan: "I have a new song 'Bed of Thorns' on the recently released Ghost in the Shell album. To be exact it's my early demo version of the song. The version that will come out on my Savage album in a few months is considerably different." "Bed of Thorns" debuted live on 2 October 2016.[ citation needed ]
On 13 May 2016, Numan added a video and the following text to Facebook regarding the ballad "If I Said", wherein his daughters, Persia and Echo, sing the song in unison:
Please forgive the proud Dad in me but this is a clip of Persia and Echo singing the "If I Said" piano demo. I'd just finished the lyric and they had just that minute come home from school. They didn't really know the tune at all so it's a little wayward in places. They are both dyslexic, so them reading it at all was enough to make me watery-eyed, but having your own children sing one of your new songs is about as special as it gets.[ citation needed ]
Following the album's release, it was revealed that, in spite of it being predominantly recorded with electronic instruments, it had been excluded from Billboard's dance/electronic music chart, with an executive from Billboard advising BMG that “Sonically, the Numan album just does not fit in" with Billboard's perception of electronic dance music. [7] The Billboard dance/electronic chart's number one position for September 15 was held by Calvin Harris, whose album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 , sold approximately 600 fewer copies than Savage. [8]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 74/100 [9] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [10] |
The Guardian | [11] |
PopMatters | [12] |
The Quietus | [13] |
Savage (Songs from a Broken World) garnered generally positive reviews. The album received an average score of 74/100 from 11 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "generally favourable reviews". [9] AllMusic's James Christopher Monger said that Numan "can still juggle melodrama and musicality with such effortlessness is impressive, to say the least, but that he can make it so compelling is what sets him apart from his old guard new wave contemporaries." [10] David Simpson of The Guardian had a mixed impression, saying that despite Numan sounding tired and like a faded star, his music still has a beating heart. [11] The Quietus' Josh Gray criticised Savage (Songs from a Broken World)'s cover art and presentation as culturally and aesthetically offensive and in "poor taste," but he praised the album's songs and themes. [13] Chris Ingalls of PopMatters called the album "a compelling cautionary tale of what may happen if we’re too complacent to give a damn about future generations. It’s also a stunningly sharp and diverse collection of songs from a living legend." [12]
Savage entered the UK album chart at number two, on 22 September 2017, [14] but it dropped out of the top twenty the following week. [15] A re-entry to the chart in March 2018 gave the album a total chart run of 5 weeks in the Top 100. [16] [17]
Per Numan's website. [18]
All tracks are written by Gary Numan, except "What God Intended" written by Gary Numan/Ade Fenton.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Ghost Nation" | 4:56 |
2. | "Bed of Thorns" | 5:24 |
3. | "My Name Is Ruin" | 6:17 |
4. | "The End of Things" | 5:01 |
5. | "And It All Began with You" | 6:21 |
6. | "When the World Comes Apart" | 5:27 |
7. | "Mercy" | 5:35 |
8. | "What God Intended" | 5:25 |
9. | "Pray for the Pain You Serve" | 5:27 |
10. | "Broken" | 5:58 |
Total length: | 55:51 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
10. | "If I Said" (placed before "Broken", which becomes track 11) | 6:49 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
9. | "If I Said" (placed before "Pray for the Pain You Serve" and "Broken", which become tracks 10 and 11 respectively) | 6:49 |
12. | "Cold" | 5:38 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "It Will End Here" | 4:35 |
2. | "The Promise" | 4:26 |
3. | "If We Had Known" | 4:45 |
4. | "It Will End Here" (Edit) | 3:49 |
Total length: | 17:36 |
Chart (2017) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [19] | 76 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [20] | 59 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [21] | 89 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [22] | 87 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [23] | 12 |
New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ) [24] | 10 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [25] | 3 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [26] | 94 |
UK Albums (OCC) [14] | 2 |
UK Indie Albums (OCC) [27] | 1 |
US Billboard 200 [28] | 154 |
Chart (2018) | Peak Position |
---|---|
United Kingdom (OCC) [29] [30] | 60 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [30] | 170 |
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 albums with the band, he released his debut solo album The Pleasure Principle in 1979, topping the UK Albums Chart. While 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.
"Cars" is the debut solo single by English musician Gary Numan. It was released on 21 August 1979 and is from his debut studio album, The Pleasure Principle. The song reached the top of the charts in several countries, and today is considered a new wave staple.
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.
The Pleasure Principle is the debut solo studio album by 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 English 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 1979's Replicas and The Pleasure Principle.
"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.
Paul Andrew Gardiner was a British musician who played bass guitar with Gary Numan and Tubeway Army, as well as creating material under his own name.
Clues is the sixth studio album by Robert Palmer, released in 1980. It has a rockier, new wave edge compared to his previous releases. The album peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart and No. 31 in the UK in 1980. The album also peaked at No. 1 in Sweden, No. 3 in France, No. 15 in the Netherlands and No. 42 in Italy. Donald Guarisco of AllMusic described Clues as "one of Robert Palmer's strongest and most consistent albums", despite being somewhat short at 31 minutes.
I, Assassin is the fourth solo studio album by English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 10 September 1982 by Beggars Banquet. It peaked at No. 8 on the UK Album Chart. Three singles were released from the album: "Music for Chameleons", "We Take Mystery " and "White Boys and Heroes", all of which reached the UK Top 20.
Living Ornaments '80 is a live album by British musician Gary Numan, first released in 1981. It was also issued as a limited edition box set with Living Ornaments '79 the same year. The original release was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon on 16 September 1980, as a record of Numan's "Teletour".
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.
Jagged is the fifteenth solo studio album by English musician Gary Numan, his first original album in over five years, following Pure in 2000. Stylistically Jagged was a development of its predecessor's chorus-driven, anthemic industrial sound, utilising heavier electronics and more prominent live drumming. Although reaction to the new record was predominantly positive, critical opinion was more heavily divided than had been the case with the almost universal praise enjoyed by Pure. Reaching number 59 in the UK album charts, Jagged charted no higher than the earlier release, some commentators and fans regarding the long time between albums as a missed opportunity for consolidation in the wake of Pure's reception and the number 13 UK chart position attained by Numan's 2003 single with Rico, "Crazier". Jagged was the first album issued on Numan's own Mortal Records label, licensed to Cooking Vinyl. The US release, on Metropolis Records, included an alternate mix of "Fold" as a bonus track. In April Numan embarked on a tour of the UK, Europe and North America to promote the album.
Dead Son Rising is the sixteenth solo studio album by English musician Gary Numan, released on 15 September 2011 by Mortal Records.
Splinter is the seventeenth solo studio album by English musician Gary Numan, released on 9 October 2013 by Mortal Records and Cooking Vinyl. The album debuted at number twenty on the UK Albums Chart on sales of 6,187 copies, becoming Numan's highest-charting album since 1983's Warriors.
Issa Album is the debut studio album by rapper 21 Savage. It was released on July 7, 2017, through Slaughter Gang and distributed by Epic Records. The album features production from frequent collaborator Metro Boomin, alongside Southside, Pi'erre Bourne, Zaytoven, Wheezy, DJ Mustard and 21 Savage himself. It succeeds 21 Savage's collaborative EP with Metro Boomin, Savage Mode (2016).
Without Warning is a collaborative studio album by Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage, American rapper Offset, and American record producer Metro Boomin. The album was released on October 31, 2017, by Slaughter Gang, Epic Records, Capitol Records, Motown, Quality Control Music, Boominati Worldwide, and Republic Records. It features guest appearances from Travis Scott and Quavo. Meanwhile, the album's production was handled primarily by Metro Boomin, alongside Bijan Amir, Cubeatz, Dre Moon, and Southside. Without Warning peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200, and received generally positive reviews from critics.
Radio Heart was a music project by Scottish brothers Hugh and David Nicholson, formerly of Blue, who are best known for their collaboration with Gary Numan in 1987.
Intruder is the nineteenth studio album by English musician Gary Numan, released on 21 May 2021 by BMG and The End. It entered UK Albums Chart at number two, on 28 May 2021.
"Like a Refugee " is a song by English singer and musician Gary Numan, which was released in 1994 as a non-album single under the name "Numan & Dadadang". It was written by Hugh Nicholson, and produced by Hugh and David Nicholson. "Like a Refugee " reached No. 78 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1994.