DANCE

Personnel includes: Gary Numan (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, bass, percussion); Paul Gardner (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Rob Dean (guitar); Mick Karn (saxophone, bass); Roger Mason (keyboards); Roger Taylor, Cedric Sharpley (drums); Tim Steggles (percussion); Sean Lynch (programming). Recorded at Rock City Sound Studios, Shepperton, England. Digitally remastered by John Dent (1999, Loud Mastering). DANCE is an ironic title indeed for one of Gary Numan's latter- period recordings. This slab of decidedly un-danceable tunes, replete with Numan's trademark synth rhythms, beatboxes, and beautifully sculpted robotic-analog sounds, remains vastly underrated and unappreciated. Numan's compositional finesse has hardly ebbed over time. If anything, his obsession with sci-fi imagery has grown ever more fantastic ("A Subway Called You," "She's Got Claws"). "Slowcar to China" offers nearly quaint, purring beats and sparkling keyboards, while the stuttering rhythmic hiccups and bottom-end gank of "Night Talk" prove that Mick Karn's bass was integral to these recordings. DANCE certainly wasn't pop music-much of it is too odd and awry for radio exposure-but the album nonetheless managed to worm its way into numerous charts and hearts. With the new-electronic brigade discovering the retro joys of early '80s tech, DANCE is an album that warrants overdue re-evaluation.