Telekon live is just fantastic. Each track has a modern twist and a heavier edge, making them sound so fresh and exciting, they could have been written yesterday. Maybe not all of Numan's vocals hit the spot, but given that he's performing songs that may have been difficult enough to sing almost 30 years ago, he does a damn fine job.
The live mix of this album is absolutely superb, and as somebody who attended the tour, I can honestly say it sounds just perfect. Telekon Live is arguably one of Numan's best live releases. and ranks alongside my favourites, White Noise and Dark Light.
To be honest, I'm not much of a fan of the Living Ornaments albums. I find there's something slightly cringeworthy about Numan's early live vocals.
Those early live recordings fail to grab me in the same way his later ones do, despite heralding from his hayday, and I find a lot of the synths sound rather comical live compared to the studio versions. Obviously he is a more accomplished vocalist and performer now, so I guess his vocals were still pretty much in their formative stage at that point, and sometimes it is clear that his stage fright would get the better of him – but this does add an element of youth and vulnerability to those old live albums.
Maybe the "problem" with the Living Ornaments albums, is that you are only getting half of the show... they really need the accompanying visual!
What those albums do give you though, is the scale of the excitement and impact surrounding Gary at that time. There's a very special atmosphere to those recordings.
But anyway - back to the point... albums of the year for me so far are Telekon Live and Mike Oldfield's Music of the Spheres.
Having got them both the same week, both CDs are battling for iPod space!!
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