Thirty years ago Gary Numan released his first album under his own name, previously having played with The Tubeway Army whos own second album with Numan, Replicas was also released in 1979. The Pleasure Principle went to number one in the U.K and many other countries and was the album that went on to influence a host of other synth acts, none of then however were as dark as Gary Numan.

With this two disc deluxe edition (not to be confused with the previous remastered reissue that is one disc with bonus tracks) you get the original ten song album remastered of course, you also get a second disc of 17 songs that include demo versions and out takes. Numan fans will be well familiar with these songs but to people who only have a passing interest and only know the song Cars, they will get a suprise at how much they have heard already whether it be the brilliant Metal which was covered by Nine Inch Nails (on their remix ep things falling apart)or how familiar the music to M.E sounds as it was used by Basement Jaxx on their big hit where's Yor Head At? This just goes to show the influence Numan has on a wide range of musicans.

Stand out tracks are Metal, Cars, M.E and Observer from the main album but truthfully there is no really weak tracks and the album has aged really well considering the technology that was around then and what's around now. On the bonus cd as well as the demos you get Random and Oceans which were out takes from the original album and here you get them all dusted down and remastered. the demos are all high quality so it will be interesting to hear how the finished songs sound originally. You get all the original artwork with the booklet as well as well written piece by writer Steve Malins.

The Pleasure Principle might be 30 years old but one thing for sure is that it will still be influencing people in another 30 years time!

Its hard to imagine Gary Numan's impact in 1979 (along with the Police, he was the biggest star to emerge from the punk and new wave explosion). Unfairly derided in some quarters as a mere Bowie clone, the critics missed the point completely, that a new type of pop star with an eye to future musical trends had emerged. Perhaps even more galling for the critics was that he sold millions of records, sold out concert tours instantly [ when you actually had to queue outside venues for tickets, not click a mouse!]. Here was a genuine pop phenomenon with a visionary bleakness, who was , albeit unintentionally, pushing forward thinking pop music into a new decade. Without Numan, there would have been very few musical openings,for OMD, The Human League, and their ilk..

The Pleasure Principal brilliantly capitalised on the success of Replicas, opting for a more synthetic approach than its predecessor, taking the themes of urban isolation, fame,and technology to new extremes. If Kraftwerk positively revelled in their vision of the future, here was an artist who held an entirely different point of view.The Pleasure Principal is full of great music [ Complex, M.E. and of course Cars], and without a single weak track stands as perhaps Gary Numans finest recorded output.

As with the excellent Replicas reissue there is a feast of demos,b' sides and oddities to make revisting The Pleasure Principal worthwhile. The demos have a welcome rough edge [Airlane for instance really rocks on the demo version],and give the overall impression that Numan's vision fo the album was fully formed prior to entering the studio to cut the album. To my ears the demos have a life of their own, and whilst lacking some studio gloss and trickery, are equal to their shinier counterparts. Perhaps the one disappointment on this disc is a lacklustre run through of Cars, but ,of course, this was soon to be improved in the final recording.

Overall another fantastic reissue from an artist who is yet to fully receive the recognition he deserves.

The Pleasure Principle 30 year expanded edition provides the listener with a stagering insight into the making of a truely outstanding and ground breaking album that sounds as good now as it did 30 years ago.
I can't help thinking while listening to the demo tracks that Gary Numans wildest dreams were about to be realised with the release of this album. The demo tracks have an interesting rawness to them and the sounds from those beautiful old Moogs literaly brings a tear to the eye.
The package as a whole is excellent, good sleeve notes and some interesting almost rustic photos taken in the studio eg keyboards sitting atop an old wooden tressle.
Back in 79 this album blew me away, my old vinyl copy that has seen better days is proof of this, but upon reflection 30 years on, one realises how damn clever Gary Numan was and still is.

Mark Atkinson

As a massive fan of Gary's since 1978 when he was just a shy retiring boy called 'Veleriun'in in a small unknown post punk band called Tubeway Army. Over the long years I have brought almost everything twice and in different formats just because i like him that much. His cold vocal approach and delivery against the searing synth sounds and warm pads has always been his appeal to me but i wonder if this album like the Replicas 'Redux' album of last year with all these never heard demos suddenly appearing from thin air are original recordings? And i will tell you why i think their not! In the early eighties i was a very good friend of one of the band members and i remember having a detailed conversation regarding unknown versions or demos of earlier albums to which he believed there were none this got me thinking when hearing Redux album that something didn't sit right for me regarding the Vocal style and the lack luster keyboard playing on the demos sounded a little contrived and a little less analogue and more digital which makes me wonder with the release of The Pleasure Principle Expanded that Gary has just recently recorded many of these "demos" on both albums to bag a few more shillings for his pocket which is fine by me and I'm sure for many other Numanoids reading this but what i feel is the biggest giveaway is that you can't disguise the age of the anyone's voice with any amount of tech so what am i trying to say about this new album! If you are a big fan of Gary's as i am you won't mind digging into your pockets as i feel you are not getting older versions of old tracks but new tracks for older ears and for me money well spent 10/10 even if these are new recordings which is my opinion and not that of Amazon