Editing Gary Numan (section)

=== 1977–1981: Tubeway Army and the "Machine Trilogy" ===
Numan came to prominence in the 1970s as lead vocalist, songwriter, and record producer for [[Tubeway Army]]. After adopting a [[punk rock]]-style they signed a recording contract with [[Beggars Banquet Records]] and released their debut single "[[That's Too Bad]]" in February 1978. It was followed by the recording of an album's worth of [[Demo (music)|demo tapes]] in March 1978 (released in 1984 as ''[[The Plan (Tubeway Army album)|The Plan]]''),<ref name="BeggarsThePlan">{{cite web|title=Numan, Gary + Tubeway Army The Plan|url=https://archive.beggars.com/numan-gary-tubeway-army-theplan/|website=The Arkive|publisher=Beggars Group|access-date=14 December 2020|archive-date=11 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511034555/https://archive.beggars.com/numan-gary-tubeway-army-theplan/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BeggarsSigned1978" /> and a second single, "[[Bombers (Tubeway Army song)|Bombers]]", which like the first single did not chart.<ref name="BombersLyrics">{{cite web|title=Gary Numan – Bombers Lyrics|url=https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/4686293/Gary+Numan/Bombers|website=Lyrics.com|publisher=Stands4, LLC.|access-date=26 January 2023|archive-date=26 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126223358/https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/4686293/Gary+Numan/Bombers|url-status=live}}</ref> The two singles were released again as a gatefold doublepack in 1979, and in 1983 a re-release of "That's Too Bad" reached No. 97 on the [[UK singles chart]].<ref name="toobadchart">{{cite web|title=That's too bad – full Official Chart History|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/gary-numan-and-the-tubeway-army-thats-too-bad|access-date=26 January 2023|publisher=Official Charts Company|archive-date=29 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629162313/https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/gary-numan-and-the-tubeway-army-thats-too-bad|url-status=live}}</ref>

Tubeway Army's self-titled, [[New wave music|new wave]]-oriented [[Tubeway Army (album)|debut studio album]], released in November 1978, sold out its limited run and introduced Numan's fascination with [[dystopia]]n science fiction and synthesizers.<ref name="Europopmusic">{{cite web|title=Part 6: "Are friends electric? "|url=http://www.europopmusic.eu/Newsletters/History_electronic_music_part_6.html|access-date=24 July 2012|work=The history of electronic music within European pop?"|publisher=Europopmusic|archive-date=29 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229082352/http://www.europopmusic.eu/Newsletters/History_electronic_music_part_6.html|url-status=live}}</ref> During the recording of the album Numan found a [[Moog synthesizer]] left behind in the studio and the transition towards an electronic sound began.<ref>Steve Malins (1998). ''Tubeway Army'' 1998 reissued CD liner notes</ref> Though the band's third single, the dark-themed and slow-paced "[[Down in the Park]]" (1979), did not appear on the charts, it became one of Numan's most enduring and oft-covered songs. It was featured with other contemporary hits on the soundtrack for the American drama film ''[[Times Square (1980 film)|Times Square]]'' (1980),<ref name="Forbes">{{cite web|last1=Chiu|first1=David|title='Times Square': A Forgotten Punk And New Wave Movie Soundtrack Turns 40|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidchiu/2020/09/29/times-square-a-forgotten-punk-and-new-wave-movie-soundtrack-turns-40/|website=Forbes|access-date=14 December 2020|archive-date=13 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213082911/https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidchiu/2020/09/29/times-square-a-forgotten-punk-and-new-wave-movie-soundtrack-turns-40/|url-status=live}}</ref> and a live version of the song appeared in the British concert film ''[[Urgh! A Music War]]'' (1982).<ref name="AltPressUrghMusicWar">{{cite web|last1=Pettigrew|first1=Jason|title=10 CLASSIC '80S UNDERGROUND MOMENTS FROM THE MOVIE 'URGH! A MUSIC WAR'|url=https://www.altpress.com/features/list/classic-80s-underground-moments-from-urgh-a-music-war-movie/|website=Alternative Press|publisher=Alternative Press, Inc.|access-date=14 December 2020|archive-date=8 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208040510/https://www.altpress.com/features/list/classic-80s-underground-moments-from-urgh-a-music-war-movie/|url-status=live}}</ref> Following exposure in a television advertisement for [[Lee Cooper]] jeans with the jingle "Don't Be a Dummy",<ref name=Europopmusic /> Tubeway Army released the single "[[Are "Friends" Electric?|Are 'Friends' Electric?]]" in May 1979.<ref name="GuardianInterview">{{cite news|last1=Simpson|first1=Dave|title=Gary Numan and Mary Vango: how we made Are 'Friends' Electric?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/feb/18/how-we-made-are-friends-electric-gary-numan|access-date=14 December 2020|work=The Guardian|date=18 February 2014|archive-date=11 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211105109/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/feb/18/how-we-made-are-friends-electric-gary-numan|url-status=live}}</ref> After a modest start at the lower reaches of the [[UK singles chart]] at No.&nbsp;71, it steadily climbed to No.&nbsp;1 at the end of June and remained on that position for four consecutive weeks. In July its parent studio album ''[[Replicas (album)|Replicas]]'' also reached No.&nbsp;1 on the albums chart.<ref name="replicasChart">{{cite web|title=replicas – full Official Chart History|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/replicas/|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=26 January 2023|archive-date=27 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127025631/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/replicas/|url-status=live}}</ref>

At this point Numan was recording his next studio album with a new backing band, having recruited keyboardist [[Chris Payne (musician)|Chris Payne]] and drummer [[Cedric Sharpley]].<ref name="bb">[https://archive.beggars.com/numan-gary-the-pleasure-principle-first/ Gary Numan The Pleasure Principle – The First Recordings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501144518/https://archive.beggars.com/numan-gary-the-pleasure-principle-first/ |date=1 May 2021 }} Beggars Arkive</ref><ref name="ad">{{cite web|url=http://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/theartsdesk-qa-musician-gary-numan|title=Q&A: Musician Gary Numan|last=Green|first=Thomas H|date=19 May 2012|website=The Arts Desk|access-date=12 August 2017}}</ref> At the peak of success, Numan opted to premiere four songs in a [[John Peel]] session in June 1979 rather than promoting the current album and the Tubeway Army group name was dropped.<ref name="bb" />

In September "[[Cars (song)|Cars]]" reached No.&nbsp;1 in the UK.<ref name="CarsChart">{{cite web|title=cars – full Official Chart History|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/cars/|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=26 January 2023|archive-date=27 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127031143/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/cars/|url-status=live}}</ref> The single found success in North American charts where "Cars" spent 2 weeks at No.&nbsp;1 on the Canadian ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' charts,<ref name="RPMCars1">{{cite web|title=Image : RPM Weekly|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f4/nlc008388.0189a.gif|website=Library and Archives Canada|publisher=Government of Canada|access-date=14 December 2020|archive-date=7 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307065239/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f4/nlc008388.0189a.gif|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="RPMCars2">{{cite web|title=Image : RPM Weekly|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f4/nlc008388.0194a.gif|website=Library and Archives Canada|publisher=Government of Canada|access-date=14 December 2020|archive-date=9 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309002046/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f4/nlc008388.0194a.gif|url-status=live}}</ref> and reached No.&nbsp;9 in the US in 1980.<ref name="CarsBillboardNo4">{{cite magazine|title=Gary Numan Chart History|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/gary-numan/chart-history/hsi/|magazine=Billboard|access-date=14 December 2020}}</ref> "Cars" and the 1979 studio album ''[[The Pleasure Principle (album)|The Pleasure Principle]]'' were both released under Numan's own stage name. The album reached No. 1 in the UK,<ref name="PPChart">{{cite web|title=the pleasure principle – full Official Chart History|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/the-pleasure-principle/|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=26 January 2023|archive-date=27 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127025636/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/the-pleasure-principle/|url-status=live}}</ref> and a sell-out tour (''The Touring Principle'') followed; the [[Concert film|concert video]] it spawned is often cited as the first full-length commercial music video release.<ref name="Encyclotronic">{{cite web|title=The Touring Principle '79 – Gary Numan|url=https://encyclotronic.com/movies/concerts/the-touring-principle-79-gary-numan-r79/|website=Encyclotronic|publisher=Invision Community|access-date=14 December 2020}}{{Dead link|date=January 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> ''The Pleasure Principle'' was a rock album with no guitars; instead, Numan used synthesizers connected to [[effects unit]]s to achieve a distorted, phased, metallic tone. A second single from the album, "[[Complex (song)|Complex]]", made it to No.&nbsp;6 on the [[UK singles chart]].<ref name="ComplexChart">{{cite web|title=complex – full Official Chart History|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/complex/|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=26 January 2023|archive-date=27 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127025634/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/complex/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Gary Numan playing.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|left|Numan performing in 1980]]
In 1980, Numan topped the UK album charts for a third time with ''[[Telekon]]'',<ref name="TelekonChart">{{cite web|title=telekon – full Official Chart History|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/telekon/|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=26 January 2023|archive-date=27 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127025626/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/telekon/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the singles "[[We Are Glass]]" and "[[I Die: You Die]]", released prior to the album, reaching No.&nbsp;5 and No.&nbsp;6 on the UK charts.<ref name="NumanUKChartsOverview" /> "[[This Wreckage]]", the only single taken from the original album release, entered the UK top 20 in December that year.<ref name="NumanUKChartsOverview" /> ''Telekon'', the final studio album that Numan retrospectively termed the "Machine" section of his career,<ref>Gary Numan (1981). ''Living Ornaments '79/'80'': LP Liner notes</ref> reintroduced guitars to Numan's music and featured a wider range of synthesizers. The same year he embarked on his second major tour ("The Teletour") with a more elaborate stage show than ''The Touring Principle'' the previous year. In April 1981, Numan decided to retire from touring following his upcoming series of concerts at [[Wembley Arena]],<ref name="EarlyRetire">{{cite web|last1=BANG Showbiz|title=Gary Numan Regrets Early Retiring|url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/music/gary-numan-regrets-early-retiring/ar-AA10mnNL|publisher=MSN|access-date=26 January 2023|archive-date=26 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126223357/https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/music/gary-numan-regrets-early-retiring/ar-AA10mnNL|url-status=live}}</ref> where he was supported by experimental musician [[Nash the Slash]]<ref name="NashElectricityClub">{{cite web|last1=Roper|first1=Stephen|title=NASH THE SLASH: And You Thought You Were Normal|url=http://www.electricityclub.co.uk/nash-the-slash-and-you-thought-you-were-normal/|website=The Electricity Club|date=25 November 2018|access-date=15 December 2020|archive-date=4 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204164404/http://www.electricityclub.co.uk/nash-the-slash-and-you-thought-you-were-normal/|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Shock (troupe)|Shock]], a rock/mime/burlesque troupe whose members included [[Barbie Wilde]], [[Tik and Tok]], and [[Carole Caplin]].<ref name="TikTokHistory">{{cite web|title=TIK & TOK – HISTORY|url=http://www.tikandtok.com/history.htm|website=Official Tik and Tok Website|access-date=15 December 2020|archive-date=13 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213205134/http://www.tikandtok.com/history.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Living Ornaments '79 and '80]]'', a live two album box-set from the 1979 and 1980 tours, was released at this time, reaching No.&nbsp;2 in the UK charts.<ref name="LivOrn7980Chart">{{cite web|title=living ornaments 1979 1980 – full Official Chart History|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/living-ornaments-1979-1980/|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=26 January 2023|archive-date=27 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127025629/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/living-ornaments-1979-1980/|url-status=live}}</ref> Both albums, also individually released as ''[[Living Ornaments '79]]'' and ''[[Living Ornaments '80]]'' also charted.<ref name="Orn79Chart">{{cite web|title=living ornament 1979 – full Official Chart History|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/living-ornament-1979/|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=26 January 2023|archive-date=27 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127025632/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/living-ornament-1979/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Orn80Chart">{{cite web|title=living ornament 1980 – full Official Chart History|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/living-ornament-1980/|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=26 January 2023|archive-date=27 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127025626/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/living-ornament-1980/|url-status=live}}</ref> The decision to retire would be short-lived.<ref name="GuardianComeback">{{cite news|last1=Simpson|first1=Dave|title=Gary Numan: 'I thought my comeback would take four years – not 41!'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/aug/04/gary-numan-comeback-tubeway-army-death-threats-synth-pop-superstar|website=The Guardian|date=4 August 2022|access-date=26 January 2023|archive-date=27 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227200605/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/aug/04/gary-numan-comeback-tubeway-army-death-threats-synth-pop-superstar|url-status=live}}</ref>