Living Ornaments 1979: Live at Hammersmith Odeon 28th September 1979

Nothing wrong with '79, exactly - within, there's fine takes on early Numan staples "Cars", "Are Friends Electric?", and "M.E". But it's the other two that ought to be big news for Numan fans. '80 will spark the plugs of the obsessives: over double the length of the lacklustre ten-track effort that first emerged in the Spring of '81, it completes the full performance using some recently rediscovered, digitally remastered footage taken direct from the mixing desk. Meanwhile, `81 is probably the pick of the bunch. Blessed with an expansive sound, and captured shortly before Numan started to lose control of his unstable muse, it sees him survey the landscape of Replicas, The Pleasure Principle, and Telekon with imperious poise and immaculate showmanship. The only regret is that you can't see the elaborate stage-set. --Louis Patterson

It showcases a polished performance by a tight band. The setlist is a comprehensive summary of his career at that point and is also a good historical piece of electronica.


Classic numan   November 18, 2000
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I bought this Lp when it was first released together with living ornaments 1980 back in 1981 as a box set (which I still own)however Ive noticed A few extra tracks on the cd version. this CD is a must buy for all fans of electronic music,from the best in the field.