Exile marks Gary Numan's return to North American record shops. After a long
hiatus, he finally managed to get the right record deal, with the newly-created
Eagle Records of the UK. They, in turn, have licenced Gary's material to
Cleopatra Records for release in North America. This is his first release under
the new deal, and what a release it is.
Much has been said about this album, and certainly it is one of the most
controversial albums Gary Numan has ever released. When his previous album,
Sacrifice,
had been criticized by some fans for being too anti-religious, Gary didn't
back down. Rather the reverse - this album explores many of the beliefs we
hold dear, but from a decidedly unfamiliar - and perhaps uncomfortable -
perspective.
What would the world be like? With Exile, Gary explores many facets of such
a world, in which angels piss on the graves of children, God dances in
flames, and Mary is raped by the Three Wise Men.
It's definitely not for the squeamish, nor the weak of faith.
Where the controversy comes in is that some of Gary's more religious fans have
dismissed the album as heresy and/or blasphemy. Indeed, one fan publicly gave
his copy of Exile away in disgust. Yet it seems to me that these people have
missed the point entirely, and that is this: Gary is asking the question
"what if?" He's not saying "this is how the world is", he's asking "what *IF*
the world was like this?" - and then answers that question lyrically. I guess
some people just aren't ready to question their own beliefs or have them
questioned by others, even by (essentially) a work of fiction.
Taken the right way, Exile lives up to its creator's premise brilliantly. It's
a very dark piece of work, with driving grooves and some amazing guitar licks.
It's occasionally disturbing, yet never offensive. But most importantly, it
is one of Gary's most listenable albums ever - indeed, it rarely leaves my
CD player these days.
Taken the right way, Exile goes further than just giving you something interesting
to listen to. It makes you think. It makes you question the world and the way
we all live in it. Indeed, you're left with more questions than answers.
Taken the right way, it proves once and for all that Gary Numan is more than
"Cars"
- not that any real fans ever doubted it. He has served notice to the
music industry that he's more than just the latest retro retread, to be
dragged out for the occasional "80's weekend" and then put back into the
cupboard. Gary is as relevant - indeed, I'd venture to say more relevant - than
any other band out there.
Gary Numan is back. And this time, he's here to stay.
In the tradition of the best concept albums, Exile starts with a basic theme
and then runs from there. And that theme is: "what if heaven and hell were
the same place?" This of course would mean that God and the Devil are one and
the same entity (assuming they exist - Gary is on record as saying he believes
in neither), and that all of the traditional good/bad roles that we're used to
could, in fact, be turned inside out.
- Joey Lindstrom, June 20th 1998
Note: The UK and US releases are identical except in one respect: the latter includes a live performance of "Down In The Park" as originally released on the 1987 live album Ghost.
Listen To All RealAudio Clips Consecutively
# | Song Title | RealAudio |
---|---|---|
1 | Dominion Day | 28K G2 02:00 |
2 | Prophecy | 28K G2 02:00 |
3 | Dead Heaven | 28K G2 02:00 |
4 | Dark | 28K G2 02:00 |
5 | Innocence Bleeding | 28K G2 02:00 |
6 | The Angel Wars | 28K G2 02:00 |
7 | Absolution | 28K G2 02:00 |
8 | An Alien Cure | 28K G2 02:00 |
9 | Exile | 28K G2 02:00 |
# | Song Title | RealAudio |
---|---|---|
1 | Dominion Day | 28K G2 02:00 |
2 | Prophecy | 28K G2 02:00 |
3 | Dead Heaven | 28K G2 02:00 |
4 | Dark | 28K G2 02:00 |
5 | Innocence Bleeding | 28K G2 02:00 |
6 | The Angel Wars | 28K G2 02:00 |
7 | Absolution | 28K G2 02:00 |
8 | An Alien Cure | 28K G2 02:00 |
9 | Exile | 28K G2 02:00 |
10 | Down In The Park (Live, from Ghost) | Coming Soon... |
This Album Appears Courtesy
Cleopatra Records. If You Like What You Hear, Please - Buy A Copy! |