A Review of "Random" by Dave Veitch of The Calgary Sun
(who gave it 4 stars out of 5)
June 29th 1997

This two-CD set is much more than a tribute to Gary Numan; it's a validation of an artist who's often unfairly viewed as an odd, quaint remnant of the British new wave.

Yet over the course of 26 tracks - which find Numan's neurotic electro-pop redesigned as thumping disco, ambient dub, industrial metal, hip-hop and piano balladry - three conclusions can be reached:

  1. Numan has written many killer robotic riffs and beautifully mournful melodies, all of which are still fresh and indelible.
  2. His songs of alienation and loneliness (M.E., Are 'Friends' Electric?), though sci-fi themed, are painfully sincere and brimming with human emotion, belying his image as some sort of outer-space automaton.
  3. The man did forge an indestructible style all his own.

Random remains unmistakeably Numanesque, regardless of how radically his songs are reinterpreted by the likes of St. Etienne, The Orb, Jesus Jones, Pop Will Eat Itself, Damon Albarn of Blur, and Matt Sharp of Weezer.

One can only hope this fascinating and hugely entertaining project sparks a serious re-evaluation of the Numan canon and a domestic reissue of his back catalogue.