Isn't it strange how times change / I can't imagine living any other way" - Praying to the Aliens, 1979. And, after forty years and many changes, Gary Numan is still living the same way. Granted, the lyrics don't refer to his musical career, but it is fitting nonetheless. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Tubeway Army's seminal Replicas album, Beggars Banquet has released a double album of early recordings and outtakes from the recording session. Although a number of these tracks have appeared on various releases over the years, having them all in one package is great for Numanoids everywhere." />

Spread over two CDs/LPs, Replicas: The First Recordings is a collection of early mixes and Peel Sessions from this classic album. A nice slice of history in a convenient and clean package, Replicas is refreshing in that it's targeted only at fans/collectors instead of tacking on the full album and marketing it to everyone. With that, though, most of these versions aren't that far off from their album counterparts, and some tracks presented weren't altered after these recordings at all ("The Crazies," "Only A Downstat," and "We Have A Technical"). The first disc compiles the recordings of the ten album tracks and three B-sides. Presented in the order in which they were recorded, it sheds light on the creative process and furthers the fan's appreciation of this amazing album. And, I'm not sure whom to thank (him, maybe? My copy of Praying to the Aliens is still packed away) for convincing Gary to take "Are 'Friends' Electric?" in a different version, but hearing its early incarnation ("When the Machines Rock" with some AFE lyrics), one can see this being a watershed moment in his career. The second disc has a few other early versions along with an outtake mix of "Down in the Park." Along with these, there are three Peel Session tracks. All in all, this is a nice release and puts all these early versions together in one convenient package.

Replicas: The First Recordings provides fans with a complete package of early recordings. Beggars Banquet have released a lot of these tracks over the years, spread over various Replicas re-releases, but have bundled them all together in celebration of its 40th anniversary. Again, targeted at fans and collectors, this set is convenient and interesting, and a very welcome addition to one's Numan collection.