"That's Too Bad" is the debut single by Tubeway Army, the band which provided the initial musical vehicle for Gary Numan. It was released in February 1978 by independent London record label Beggars Banquet. On the day of its release, Numan quit his job in a warehouse to become a professional musician.[1]
Although it failed to enter the UK Singles Charts, "That's Too Bad" nonetheless sold relatively well, taking into account the small numbers pressed (4,000) and the lowly status of both label and artist. Numan later said, "The song was written 99% to get a contract. It was a naive attempt to make punk commercial, which it didn't do!"[2]
The B-side of the single was "Oh! Didn't I Say". Both songs are in an aggressive punk rock style, very different from the synthesizer-based music which became Numan's trademark.
At this stage of his career, Numan (born Gary Webb) had not yet found his future stage name and called himself 'Valerian'; his bandmates Paul Gardiner ('Scarlett') and Jess Lidyard ('Rael') also used assumed names. Webb's compositional credits on the original vinyl single were under the Valerian pseudonym as well. The back of the original vinyl single's sleeve contained two discrepancies: Valerian was spelt 'Valeriun'; and the band picture featured live drummer Bob Simmonds, not Jess Lidyard who actually played in the recording session.[3]
"That's Too Bad" was also later released as a gatefold with the single "Bombers" in August 1979. It was released in its original form in 1983 and reached No.97 in the UK Charts.[4]
These tracks have subsequently been included on CD reissues of the album The Plan (1984).
Versions of "That's Too Bad" released to date include:
The original track, recorded 16 October 1977 at Spaceward Studios, near Cambridge. This version was not released to the public until 1983, and re-issued on yellow vinyl in 1985 on the 1978EP of early Tubeway Army recordings.
The single version, a remix by Mick Glossop of the original recording, done at Manor Studio, Oxfordshire. This new mix brought forward the vocals that had been buried in the earlier version. It was released on 10 February 1978 as Tubeway Army's debut. Both the original and single mixes have since appeared on CD reissues of The Plan.
A live version thought to have been recorded in January or February 1978. This was part of a bootleg called Live at the Roxy that was officially released and retitled Living Ornaments '78 on the 1998 CD reissue of the debut album Tubeway Army. It also contained a recording of "Oh! Didn't I Say" from the same gig.
A live version recorded on 6 November 1993 and released on the double album Dream Corrosion (1994).
^UK Official Singles Chart – Gary Numan and the Tubeway Army
Referencesedit
Paul Goodwin (2004). Electric Pioneer: An Armchair Guide to Gary Numan
December 15, 2023
that, topic, this, article, meet, wikipedia, notability, guideline, music, please, help, demonstrate, notability, topic, citing, reliable, secondary, sources, that, independent, topic, provide, significant, coverage, beyond, mere, trivial, mention, notability,. The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia s notability guideline for music Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citing reliable secondary sources that are independent of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond a mere trivial mention If notability cannot be shown the article is likely to be merged redirected or deleted Find sources That s Too Bad news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message That s Too Bad is the debut single by Tubeway Army the band which provided the initial musical vehicle for Gary Numan It was released in February 1978 by independent London record label Beggars Banquet On the day of its release Numan quit his job in a warehouse to become a professional musician 1 That s Too Bad Single by Tubeway ArmyB side Oh Didn t I Say Released10 February 1978RecordedSpaceward Cambridge16 October 1977GenrePunk rockLength3 20LabelBeggars BanquetBEG 5Songwriter s Gary Webb Gary Numan Tubeway Army singles chronology That s Too Bad 1978 Bombers 1978 Although it failed to enter the UK Singles Charts That s Too Bad nonetheless sold relatively well taking into account the small numbers pressed 4 000 and the lowly status of both label and artist Numan later said The song was written 99 to get a contract It was a naive attempt to make punk commercial which it didn t do 2 The B side of the single was Oh Didn t I Say Both songs are in an aggressive punk rock style very different from the synthesizer based music which became Numan s trademark At this stage of his career Numan born Gary Webb had not yet found his future stage name and called himself Valerian his bandmates Paul Gardiner Scarlett and Jess Lidyard Rael also used assumed names Webb s compositional credits on the original vinyl single were under the Valerian pseudonym as well The back of the original vinyl single s sleeve contained two discrepancies Valerian was spelt Valeriun and the band picture featured live drummer Bob Simmonds not Jess Lidyard who actually played in the recording session 3 That s Too Bad was also later released as a gatefold with the single Bombers in August 1979 It was released in its original form in 1983 and reached No 97 in the UK Charts 4 These tracks have subsequently been included on CD reissues of the album The Plan 1984 Contents 1 Track listing 2 Credits and personnel 3 Versions 4 Notes 5 ReferencesTrack listing edit That s Too Bad Valerian 3 20 Oh Didn t I Say Valerian 2 16Credits and personnel editValerian Gary Numan vocals guitar Scarlett Paul Gardiner bass guitar Rael Jess Lidyard drumsVersions editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed July 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Versions of That s Too Bad released to date include The original track recorded 16 October 1977 at Spaceward Studios near Cambridge This version was not released to the public until 1983 and re issued on yellow vinyl in 1985 on the 1978 EP of early Tubeway Army recordings The single version a remix by Mick Glossop of the original recording done at Manor Studio Oxfordshire This new mix brought forward the vocals that had been buried in the earlier version It was released on 10 February 1978 as Tubeway Army s debut Both the original and single mixes have since appeared on CD reissues of The Plan A live version thought to have been recorded in January or February 1978 This was part of a bootleg called Live at the Roxy that was officially released and retitled Living Ornaments 78 on the 1998 CD reissue of the debut album Tubeway Army It also contained a recording of Oh Didn t I Say from the same gig A live version recorded on 6 November 1993 and released on the double album Dream Corrosion 1994 Notes edit Gary Numan 2001 NuWorld interview Archived 29 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine dead link Stephen Webbon amp Gary Numan 1985 Complete Gary Numan UK Discography Record Collector December 1985 No 76 p 14 Steve Malins 1998 The Plan CD liner notes Archived 15 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine dead link UK Official Singles Chart Gary Numan and the Tubeway ArmyReferences editPaul Goodwin 2004 Electric Pioneer An Armchair Guide to Gary Numan Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title That 27s Too Bad amp oldid 1088487155, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
