STUDIO ALBUMS
THE FURY (1985)
Additional information :
After Berserker, Gary Numan moved away from the interesting techno sound into the Janet Jacksonesque dance music that turned off a lot of his fans for the next nine years and four albums. 1985's The Fury was the first Numan release whose sound was often taken over by the female background singers (mostly Tessa Niles). The worst tracks on the album are the ones where Niles moves beyond just complementing the songs to just being annoying.
The ringers are "This Disease," "Creatures," and "Tricks." I have to set my CD player to skip these tracks. With those tracks gone, however, The Fury is not a bad album. This version, which has the excellent 12" "I Still Remember," has plenty to offer the Numan fan who is not fixated on his 1979/early 1980s New Wave material (The Fury does not have anything resembling "Cars"). "Call Out the Dogs" (which begins with a clip from Blade Runner for the movie buffs) and "Your Fascination" are two dance tracks that are complemented by the female vox. The latter, in particular, is very catchy.
"The Pleasure Skin" rocks! The more I hear it, the more I like it. "Miracles" and "God Only Knows" are beautiful ballads, especially the latter which is one of my Numan favorites. "I Still Remember" is another nice slow number, but I think the 12" version is more powerful both musically and lyrically. Changing the line "I can't believe how love burns away" to "How can they do this to me...again?" makes a big difference in the feel of the track. The lyric change induces more sympathy from the listener (at least for me, anyway). Definitely buy The Fury version with this track. Most of the other extras are good as well. "Call Out the Dogs" clocks in at almost 7 minutes. It is not all that special, though.
"Anthem" is a haunting techno track. It is mostly instrumental but Numan does supply vocals near the end. "Tribal" is also haunting but also rocks. It is an alternate version of "Call Out the Dogs," but only resembles the song at the chorus. The verses are much different. I like them better than the original as they are edgier although it is not a polished (it is a demo). "The Fear" is another nice haunting track where the female vox are quiet enough not to intrude.
"We Need It" (B-side to "Your Fascination") is absent which is puzzling because it is a pretty good dance track (I like the beginning of it, anyway) as is "This Ship Comes Apart" (B-side of "Call Out the Dogs"). The latter is no loss as it is a terrible track with JUST female vox. Yes, there are ringers on this album and fans expecting New Wave will probably be disappointed but, taken as a dance album, The Fury has plenty to offer and, with the extra tracks, it is quite good and worthy of an extra star. The booklet includes several photos of Numan in his handsome white suit and lyrics.