Living Ornaments 1981: Live at Wembley Arena 28th April 1981

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

This live album is the absolute zenith of that analogue period (some of the latter LP's suffered hugely by over use of the novel digital sounds of the day, especially from the Roland D50!).

It's a miracle that the synths stayed in tune long enough for a concert (some of the bootleged live shows of the period prove this to have been a problem), and the musicians used in the live shows are testament to their talents too.

So, if I was going to recommend a live CD to someone who's never really heard much apart from Cars and AFE, then this is the one I would select.

The power and the glory of those Prophet 5's, Minimoogs, ARP's and JP4's are justification enough for anyone interested in those keyboards (and sampling...)

Numan's vocal and confidence shine through, and it's a great mix on this CD, although different from the original vinyl release.

Go get this CD !!


Keep your fingers crossed for the DVD!   August 9, 2004
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

As an owner of Micromusic (the video of this concert) and the orginal Living Ornaments Box Set on vinyl, I have thoroughly enjoyed now having the CD at long last. The discs are well produced, and a lot of care has obviously been put into this release.
I very much hope that Beggars Banquet will see fit to releasing a DVD of the 1981 Wembley Arena concerts, which would be a stunning tribute to Numan at the height of his career.
While I am a great Numan fan, I have to say that I couldn't recommend this CD to everyone. The music and the pictures together are stunning - 11 out of 10, and recommmended to everyone without reservation - but the music on its own, whilst I enjoy it, may not be everyone's cup of tea.


Living Ornaments '81 - CD   April 18, 2003
 4 out of 6 found this review helpful

I was there in the 70's, and while listening to this live
recording..... I WAS THERE AGAIN ! !
Sad, I know, but the noises on the recording were of the
Concert not just the tracks.... just as a Live CD should be.
Some of the tracks have just a few Mic' 'screeches' etc. but
for me that only adds to the 'being there' feeling.

** I thought that older CD's such as this might ALL be in an
'old' condition.... NOT SO, the copy I've just bought from
Justa2nd via Amazon is ABSOLUTELY IMMACULATE ! It's one of the
first CD's I've ever bought where I can't find a SINGLE fault
with the CD's OR the case ! not even a fingerprint, not a single
slight blemish.... well impressed...will buy again **


Great "final" live album   January 2, 2000
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Gary's supposed last live gig at Wembley sounds excellent despite some rough edges. All the old machine music classics are there, and there's also previews of some of the new material he was writing for 'Dance' showing a more textured approach to song writing.

If you've never heard Gary live this would be an excellent purchase.