Gary Numan vs Robert Palmer - I Dream Of Wires Comparison
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2025
- In this video we're comparing Gary Numan and Robert Palmer's renditions of 'I Dream of Wires'. We're pretty excited about this one. Odd that Robert did his the same year... This should be an interesting comparison. Tell us who you think did it better. Enjoy!
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The lyrics are a reference to Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep by Philip K Dick, the book Blade Runner was based on. In the book there is a device called a mood organ that you set to control your emotions. Deckard's wife often used it to make herself feel depressed. Deckard changed the setting to give her a more positive outlook. That was where "I went to sleep by dialing O" is from. One of the main characters drives a delivery van for a robot repair service. Numan's lyrics were often borrowed from people like Dick and William Burroughs. The first line from the Tubeway Army album "flow my tears the new police song" is taken from the PKD book Flow My Tears The Policeman Said. I believe that is also the book that talks about police checkpoints as "pol-random check." Numan reused this as "a random pol-check" in Praying To the Aliens. Think of it as another form of sampling.
Probably the best explanation of this that I've read!
Gary Numan plays keyboards on this :) He met Robert Palmer by chance, they got to talking music, and Robert said "oh, you gotta hear this great new album called Telekon I just discovered", and Gary responded "yeah, that's mine" :)
Not quite.
I saw Numan on his first tour in 1979 in Bristol UK, it was the 4th night of the tour. I saw him twice the following year on Teletour, I was also at the last 2 nights of his farewell shows at Wembley arena 1981. I met him back stage in 1980 just after the sound check, just me and him on the side of the stageat the Bristol Hippodrome. Great days, I didn't realise at the time I was witnessing something that would be talked about 40 years late! I saw him another 9 times into the 80s and the 90s.
Gary Numan wrote the song and his version is best. Thank you for playing this. His concert in 1980 was the best show I’ve ever seen. This song…..he just blew the audience away.
First time I went to see Numan was 1980, Southampton.
I'm sure Nash the Slash was a bit responsible for my tinnitus I have now, so loud. lol.
@@markhughes8314 that was a great tour. I seen him in Akron, Ohio in 1980. The best concert I have ever seen. Oh and yes, it was very loud 👍
Been a Numan fan since AFR and I Dream Of Wires is by far my favourite track of his. It still gives me goosebumps all these years later.
Thank you for reminding me a little of how it meant to be a hardcore Gary Numan fan in the mid 80's (before the internet) discovering the sainted Robert Palmer had covered this. Maybe Gary Numan wasn't the talent-devoid moron the music press had inisisted for the last several years? Pure joy.
Great solo on the RP version, which debuted before Telekon!
Remember, Gary actually PLAYED the keyboards on the song for Palmer on his album...so both versions are kinda Gary's...
Rob did a great cover and did the track justice keeping it close to the original with his brilliant vocals sealing the icing on the cake. Two great artist working together, it's a win win for us.
More Gary is on Moog Synths on Palmer Cover and Gary's best mate Paul Gardiner on Bass Guitar and Palmer's Band I know them too like Dony Wynn.
Strangely prophetic song by Gary Numan given the lack of wires today. He forecast the age of Wi-Fi
This is a Gary Numan song & his version is my favorite. Like the atmospherics of it. Robert Palmer collaborated with Gary and also famously with members of Duran Duran & Chic to form The Power Station 🚉 . Robert also Produced the excellent & underrated Chasing Shadows for The Comsat Angels. Two very talented men , Gary & Robert.
I think the artist here did a wonderful thing to share a good song with similar results, and leave the people to get to choose a better version, and RP went first, that was crazy, well taste is a very subjective thing, I will go with RP version, I really get identify with all his style, greetings!
Great album. Wembley 1981 brilliant show. Telekon was massive. Best concert best album.
For me Telekon is the best Album ever made , released in 1980 and when you listen to it now , it hasn't dated , play it in the dark before you go to sleep ,Wow , amazing, RIP Mr Palmer a cool as music changer in your own right.
Yes! I LOVE the Telekon album! For me it's the pinnacle of his early 3. But don't get me wrong I really like Replicas and The Pleasure Principle. I think "I Almost Married A Human" is such a fantastic synth-spacey track, best through earbuds/ headphones!
Trent Reznor said he listened to that album everyday when they were recording the first Nine inch nails album.
Being a Numanoid, I prefer the original. At several other commenters have pointed out, in an interview Numan did years ago, he said he was very influenced by sci-fi novels. As a result he devoted much of his early 3 albums to imagining a futuristic dystopian London filled with robots and aliens. But it is his use of the synthesizer on these albums that I just adore!!! I too am a big fan of sci-fi novels, so when I discovered his music in the 80s I was hooked! Too bad he didn't help out with the music in movies like Blade Runner!
Numan is great! I am appreciating Robert Palmer (R.I.P.) more than I did before. I think Numan is quite the icon. Recently touring the US with Ministry and Front Line Assembly. I am something of a gen X goth or punk. Though when I was young I was more just a nerd who loved free speech and change
Both great artists. An interesting comparison. RIP Robert x
So glad you printed the lyrics !! Gary's poetry is soooooo good!
It’s a synth track not a drum track. Gary wrote it and performed it how it was written so by FAR the better version. But everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Be a boring world if we all agreed. You really should play a track of Gary’s called “Down In The Park” It will blow your minds.
The better version perhaps but NOT by Far. I vehemently disagree with your take.
Thank you for liking Gary Numan. And Robert too.
I have much more of an appreciation of early Numan than I used to have. Robert Palmer did a rally great job of covering it but I'll stick with the original.
I loved Metamatic by John Foxx .
@@davidellis5141 I preferred his Ultravox stuff.
@SPKdesign1 Those first 3 albums are great. Hiroshima Mon Amour my favourite song & Systems Of Romance my favourite album. Saw that tour with John.
@@davidellis5141 Aye, wasn't so keen on what came after though.
@SPKdesign1 I'm not a fan of Midge Ure Era Ultravox either. Rage In Eden was decent. Not much else was of interest to me.
i love that you never feature the obvious songs/artists that other people review - always a bit of a "wow" moment when i see the songs you choose
Genius legend that is Gary Webb. I think this track is a left out from the pleasure principle album. They could not all make it. It probably was because of use of guitars and was discarded. As well as the song title which would not fit in with the theme for TPP one word song titles. It would be cool to name it Wires tho and ditch cars
Numan numan numan numan!
I heard the RP version first and was more familiar with it and would have said previously that it was the best. But over time I’ve come to appreciate the GN original far more. Great song either way.
Clues is one of my fave albums of all time! From start to finish, it's so good. I fell in love with Robert Palmer's music pre-Power Station and of course his iconic hit Simply Irresistible. I saw him in concert and Living Color was the opening act!! That was one amazing show! Miss him!
Clues is a cool album of Palmer's (most will know the track Johnny and Mary), Numan and his friend the bass guitarist Paul Gardiner feature on Palmer's album with this cover and a co-written track called Found You Now (there is another co-written track called Style Kills which is an outtake/B-Side and all was recorded in a weekend at Palmer's pad in the Bahamas while Numan was on stopover while on a World Tour), I think Palmer also covered Me, I Disconnect From You from Numan's Replicas album and played it in his live set around the time. 🙂
C for. Comfort😊
I’m a big fan of both artists. I have both albums, plus others by the same. Lucky enough to see both play live. This track has been one of my favourite Robert Palmer tracks ever since I heard him do it. Awesome driving music. I do like the Gary Numan version, but Palmer just edges it with energy, and the fact that this is one of my favourite Palmer tracks, is testament to Numan’s writing ability and Palmer’s energy, which was also evident when their live presences are considered (for me at least).
Well, being a Numan fan, i like Palmers version better. At the beginning his voice feels so lonesome… baut than it gets a real punch by the driving rhythm… masterpiece of music written by Numan.
I do like Robert Palmer, so no disrespect is meant towards him, but Numan's original is light years ahead of this cover version. It's no contest.
Robert palmer version is from his 1980 album titled Clues
I will always prefer the Numan version, but I do like what Palmer did with it. The whole Clues album is great. I have heard some covers of Numan's stuff that are pretty good, but rarely will I think are better than the original. However, Tik & Tok did a cover of Child With The Ghost that I prefer over Numan's. The instrumental track I believe is the same as Numan's with Tik / Tim Dry's vocal replacing Numan's.
Robert Palmer was a very clever musician..
What other artist has covered both Gary Numan and Bob Dylan? 😮😮😮
RIP, Robert
Nobody can cover Numan, Robert Palmer is arguably the better singer but it just doesn't sound right. Numan also can't cover anyone else, he's in a genre of one
The next song by Gary Numan that you should do is “We have a Technical”. It’s fantastic! Have a great day my friends
You should just do numan everyday! 😮😅😊
I'm glad RP was a fan of numan but numan is the machine and his songs need to be sung by him.
I thought that Gary Numan was way better. Robert Palmer is great but should stick to his own stuff because his version paled into insignificance.
Futuristic robots/aliens type music.
I had totally expected to hear David death's name being mentioned among those who'd requested the Gary Numan song, but not actually my own! 😅 I won't complain, though; I do like ol' Gazza, and also Robert Palmer 😊
Numans version was far superior, his vocal really suits synthesiser. Palmer's vocal didn't really suit the track, but some of the keyboard playing was interesting on his version. Robert Palmer sounds like Tim Eilers.
Its about the future. A robot. Yes you got it 😊
Telekon '80 is such a great album and masterpiece played it to death and live shows that go with it for that matter lol. 3rd #1 LP in Britain too and it yielded 3 Hits - I Die: You Die (U.K. #6 & Ireland #16 August 1980.) We Are Glass (U.K. #5, Ireland #9 & Aussie #15 all in May 1980.) and This Wreckage (U.K. #20 & Ireland #20 both in December 1980.) Yeah so bad ass and dark Numan and the arms the shit! Cedric Sharpley's bad ass hard rock drumming no one did it better live justice Richard Beasley never even drummed it like Ced in Studio and live on 1980 Teletour and Farewell Shows in 1981. Ced was so kick ass and so many great singles and deep cuts. Gary Numan had a great band. I know an explanation for this song I know exactly what it is about Hainer Family. The song ended up on Telekon was left over from The Pleasure Principle '80 he said when Steve Malins Interviewed him yes in the future the last electrician alive it is Science Fiction. The Elements in the music include, Dark, eerie, futuristic, cold on the moog synths by Gary, Chris Payne, scratchy guitar by Rrussell Bell, kicking bass guitar comes in at so the right moments by Paul Gardiner and Ced's kick ass hard rock drumming. I love you guys giving it so much justice I have a request if you could too for a Numan and band song and always better live. Robert Palmer is in my top 10 favorites artists before 10 surely bad ass great band and so many genres of music from Blue Eyed Soul, to Blues-Rock, Rock, R&B, Hard Rock, Reggae, Pop Elements, Powerpop and more. Dony Wynn Robert's Drummer from 1979 till his death told me he had to turn on the drop of a hat and dime with the songs played on the concerts. As the studio versions were more confined. They could do whatever in studio live is so much better. I was so head banging. No wonder Palmer's is so good Numan himself is on Moog Synths and his best mate and with Gary Numan 1977-1981 Paul Gardiner on Bass Guitar. Which he dropped out due to a serious heroine addition. Paul left after Dance '81 album was done. Last shows he played on was the 3 1981 U.K. Farewell Shows at Wembley Arena, in London, U.K. ''We went to sleep by dialing o'' was the exact lyrics too love this guys I have a request. Song is not really bright more darker then anything Gary not the vocals all through I mean the moog synths what they generate. Some say Gary is Electronic no that is like Kraftwerk he only added synths to a conventional line-up. ''Tubeway Army'' with The Plan '78 and ''Tubeway Army'' '78 initially as Punk Rock and Synth-Punk. By ''Replicas'' '79 more Synth-Rock, More Darkwave, Progressive Darkwave like Dark Machine Music plus ''The Pleasure Principle'' '79 a lot of the same.
''Telekon'' '80 and some of the most beautiful songs ever made not Dark always dark. Yes the newer music is similar to Nine Inch Nails more Gothic Dark Industrial Rock. Then it was like Cold and Goth Elements, Rock Elements. He said was trying to be darker and heavier then others of the time back for the late 70's and 80's 3 albums a lot he told Steve Malins that called the others taking over with synths or adding more bubble gum. Surely a pioneer and kick ass backing band I prefer the classic band line-up he called his little nucleus I know the names and some history on each. The band since the 90's with some modifications are great too. I am only 40 old soul trapped in a young body light years ahead of most. I still love the new and all but the classic stuff made me a fan 1997 1 song. Then by 2001 hooked lol. I am a drummer with natural rhythm almost 30 years I can play Gary's stuff and other favorite artists. Proud and loyal Numanoid songs so dark my body chills or so beautiful I cry. Gary did not like The New Wave Tag he said in a recent Interview. Though you did not say Synthpop he did not like that tag either certain he said that on Robert Moog Panel when he won The Award. Then yeah the Bowie of the 80's he said then got pretty annoying that tag as well. Gary used a Gibson and Gibson Les Paul Guitar. The Poly and Mini Moog Synths and his band member used as well. Gary's main instream was always Guitar. he can play pretty well does cool solos and is unique with effects and distortions most innovative guitar player as far as uniqueness I would say. I don't agree Cedric Sharpley's Drummer is much better all the rolls and such he does he is a top 10 favorite drummer before he joined Gary in May 1979 was in the Prog Rock Band Druid Prior. Great music and band only 2 albums some t.v. appearances and a tour or two. Cedric was a very nice man good human being great to be around when anytime Gary and the other band members would drop a pun and that was it. Ced loved his brandy or something as such too after the shows they did in the old days. Then that was a night for him. I really like Dony Wynn as a drummer too don't kick yourself. I love Ced's signature use of the high hat. I learned so much from him to be a better drummer. I been drumming almost 30 years with natural rhythm as well so. Gary's band and voice is so great I love the Palmer Version such a great cover his voice and the band too. did justice for sure keep up the great work guys! Check out my channel and if you take requests I have one or more lol.
It’s da future 😂😉😳😳😵💫😵💫
'Clues' by Robert Palmer is probably one of my Top 10 favourite albums of all time - you should check out 'Woke Up Laughing' - album version not the 2nd version recorded for the 'Addictions' compilation.
Has to be Gary Numan. I've followed him since '79's Are "friends" electric? This is one of the stand out tracks on Telekon. This song is all about the last electrician being outdated by new technology. "I dream of wires, the old days" meaning that wires are no longer being used to power things and he's reminiscing about his younger days. Sorry Robert had a good go BUT!
How can anyone be compered to the master of synth. Disgraceful
I prefer the GN version but find the RP version more dynamic due to the human drummer, in the same way that most of the early GN tracks were electronic but "humanised" by Cedric Sharpley the rhythmic heart of Tubeway Army.
I think you’ll find that Gary’s uncle, Jess Lidyard was the drummer on the TA tracks and Cedric was the live drummer from Pleasure Principle onwards.
Cant wait for my Blondie slow motion request 😊
very good choice i was amazed rob palmer did a cover of a numan's song in his "clue" lp it gave a specific tone in the album.... and this one particularly ...and there's "found you now" as well cowritten with Numan.... for me palmer's version is better he had this mature voice who fitted perfectly with the song... it was in 1980 a great year of music ..
Numan did it better. No contest.
Original is best!!
This is kinda misinformed.
RP was recording at the studios at the same time as GN and came over to his rooms to introduce himself... This led to the collaboration. It's not like Palmer did an isolated cover version... He did this WITH Numan.
I think the location was Island Studios but woukd not swear to that. Or maybe I would.
That said when I first heard the GN RP collaboration I thought it far the best, but as the years gave passed it now sounds very of the time whereas the GN original still feels pure and timeless... Arguably as never conforming with a 'time' on the first place.
Please do Gary's live version of 'On Broadway'. Something different but I find better than the original by George Benson.
Robert Palmer for my choice !It sounds that it was finished off a bit more than Garys , Imo , maybe the record company should say on Garys recording "No soft Furry Animals were hurt on This Recording " Tis a strange one .cheers
I like Robert better ❤
yaeh you're right especially the instrumental bridge totaly different from the original and much better recorded and arranged ... more in your face ..;-))
Robert did alot of covers over his career and I always found his versions better
For example he covered
The Systems, You are In My System
Todd Rudgren , Can we Still be Friends
Devo, Girl U want
Marvin Gaye, Mercy Mercy me, I want you & Let's get it on
very biased as a nearly 4 decade fan of RP. Numan's original feels like a demo while Palmer's feels like a fuller completed song. Palmer also has a cover of a Beatles song NOT A SECOND TIME on the same album that would be an interesting comparison.