Living Ornaments '79

Summary

Living Ornaments '79 (1981) is a live album by British musician Gary Numan recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon on 28 September 1979. It was also released as a limited edition box set with Living Ornaments '80 (1981). An expanded (21-track) version was reissued on a double CD in 1998 before a remastered version was again reissued in 2005.[3] The nine tracks of the original Living Ornaments '79 were included on 1979: The Live EPs, a disc available to those who bought the expanded, 2-disc version of The Pleasure Principle from Numan's website in 2009.

Living Ornaments '79
Live album by
ReleasedApril 1981
RecordedHammersmith Odeon, London, 28 September 1979
GenreNew wave, synthpop
Length71:10
LabelBeggars Banquet Records
ProducerGary Numan
Gary Numan chronology
Telekon
(1980)
Living Ornaments '79
(1981)
Living Ornaments '80
(1981)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Release Magazine[2]

Living Ornaments '79 is one of two official live albums from Numan's 1979-1980 tour (billed as "The Touring Principle"), and is a record of the tour's first leg. In 2008, Numan's record label released Engineers, recorded during the tour's final leg (May 1980).

Track listing edit

All songs written by Gary Numan except where noted.

Original version edit

Side one edit

  1. "Airlane" – 3:12
  2. "Cars" – 3:20
  3. "We Are So Fragile" – 2:33
  4. "Films" – 3:45
  5. "Something's in the House" – 4:08

Side two edit

  1. "My Shadow in Vain" – 2:50
  2. "Conversation" – 7:45
  3. "The Dream Police" – 4:12
  4. "Metal" – 3:25

Remastered version edit

Disc one edit

  1. "Intro" – 2.32
  2. "Airlane" – 3.07
  3. "Me! I Disconnect From You" – 3.02
  4. "Cars" – 3.25
  5. "M.E." – 4.42
  6. "You Are in My Vision" – 3.11
  7. "Somethings in the House" – 3.55
  8. "Random" – 3.38
  9. "Everyday I Die" – 3.36
  10. "Conversation" – 7.51
  11. "We Are So Fragile" – 2.46

Disc two edit

  1. "Bombers" – 5.30
  2. "Remember I Was Vapour" – 4.51
  3. "On Broadway" (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 4.38
  4. "The Dream Police" – 4.19
  5. "Films" – 3.49
  6. "Metal" – 3.25
  7. "Down in the Park" – 5.38
  8. "My Shadow in Vain" – 2.34
  9. "Are 'Friends' Electric?" – 5.33
  10. "Tracks" – 3.10

Personnel edit

Charts edit

  • Original album #47 (UK Albums Chart)
  • Living Ornaments '79 and '80 box set #2 (UK Albums Chart)

The Touring Principle video edit

In 1980, an edited version of the 28 September 1979 concert was released on video under the title The Touring Principle '79 and "special video effects" of the time were added to the recording. The songs featured on the video were "Me! I Disconnect From You", "M.E.", "We Are So Fragile", "Everyday I Die", "Conversation", "Remember I Was Vapour", "On Broadway", "Down in the Park", "My Shadow in Vain", "Are 'Friends' Electric?", and "Tracks". The concert itself was preceded on the original cassette by the promo video for "Cars". In 2009, The Touring Principle '79 was released on DVD with the same track listing and with the video effects removed (although the original video version with the effects is included as a bonus feature). The DVD does not feature the "Cars" video although it does include a 34-minute interview with Numan in 2009, recalling his memories of the original 1979 tour.

Notes edit

  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ Release Magazine review[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ Beggars Banquet Records. "Gary Numan Living Ornaments". beggars.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2007.

References edit

  • Living Ornaments '79 at Discogs (list of releases)
  • LIVING ORNAMENTS 79 LP numanme.co.uk
  • Paul Goodwin (2004). Electric Pioneer: An Armchair Guide To Gary Numan