Savage (Songs from a Broken World) explained

Savage (Songs from a Broken World)
Type:studio
Artist:Gary Numan
Cover:Savage sfabw cover.jpg
Released:15 September 2017
Recorded:17 November 2015 – 12 May 2017
Label:BMG, The End
Producer:Ade Fenton
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Savage (Songs from a Broken World) is the eighteenth solo studio album by English musician Gary Numan, released on 15 September 2017 by BMG and The End. The album was first announced to be a part of a fan-backed Pledge Music Campaign on 12 November 2015.[1] On 9 November 2018, a followup EP titled The Fallen was released.[2] The EP features similar artwork to Savage,[3] and it was intended to complement the album.[4]

The album reached No. 2 in the UK Top 40 album charts, becoming Numan's sixth Top 10 album, and the first since 1982. It proved to be his highest charting album outside of the number-one albums Replicas, The Pleasure Principle and Telekon from 1979 and 1980 and surpassed 1981's Dance, which reached No. 3. It became his first album since Telekon to chart in multiple countries.

Album concept

Savage (Songs from a Broken World) is a concept album centered around the blending of Western and Eastern cultures in a post-apocalyptic world that has become desertified as a result of global warming. "The songs are about the things that people do in such a harsh and terrifying environment," Numan stated in an interview. "It's about a desperate need to survive and they do awful things in order to do so, and some are haunted by what they've done. That desire to be forgiven, along with some discovered remnants of an old religious book, ultimately encourages religion to resurface, and it really goes downhill from there."[5]

Recording, working titles, and song notes

In order of appearance, working demo song titles included:

"When the world comes apart" is a line from the 1994 Sacrifice song "Magic", and "Mercy" (appearing on the album proper) was an early demo title during the 2006 Jagged sessions, which would eventually become "We Are the Lost" from Dead Son Rising.

A 'pre-Ade Fenton' mp3 of "Bed of Thorns" was made available to download on 3 September 2016. This demo version also appears on the soundtrack to the 2017 film Ghost in the Shell. To quote Numan: "I have a new song 'Bed of Thorns' on the recently released Ghost in the Shell album. To be exact it's my early demo version of the song. The version that will come out on my Savage album in a few months is considerably different." "Bed of Thorns" debuted live on 2 October 2016.

On 13 May 2016, Numan added a video and the following text to Facebook regarding the ballad "If I Said", wherein his daughters, Persia and Echo, sing the song in unison:

Album chart eligibility

Following the album's release, it was revealed that, in spite of it being predominantly recorded with electronic instruments, it had been excluded from Billboard's dance/electronic music chart, with an executive from Billboard advising BMG that “Sonically, the Numan album just does not fit in" with Billboard's perception of electronic dance music.[6] The Billboard dance/electronic chart's number one position for September 15 was held by Calvin Harris, whose album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1, sold approximately 600 fewer copies than Savage.[7]

Critical reception

Savage (Songs from a Broken World) garnered generally positive reviews. The album received an average score of 74/100 from 11 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "generally favourable reviews". AllMusic's James Christopher Monger said that Numan "can still juggle melodrama and musicality with such effortlessness is impressive, to say the least, but that he can make it so compelling is what sets him apart from his old guard new wave contemporaries." David Simpson of The Guardian had a mixed impression, saying that despite Numan sounding tired and like a faded star, his music still has a beating heart. The Quietus Josh Gray criticised Savage (Songs from a Broken World)'s cover art and presentation as culturally and aesthetically offensive and in "poor taste," but he praised the album's songs and themes. Chris Ingalls of PopMatters called the album "a compelling cautionary tale of what may happen if we’re too complacent to give a damn about future generations. It’s also a stunningly sharp and diverse collection of songs from a living legend."

Savage entered the UK album chart at number two, on 22 September 2017, but it dropped out of the top twenty the following week. A re-entry to the chart in March 2018 gave the album a total chart run of 5 weeks in the Top 100.

Release formats

Per Numan's website.[8]

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2017)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 76
New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ)[10] 10
UK Indie Albums (OCC)[11] 1
Chart (2018)Peak Position
United Kingdom (OCC)[12] [13] 60
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)170

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gary Numan: New Album Experience. PledgeMusic. 17 May 2017.
  2. Web site: Grech . Aaron . Gary Numan Announces New EP The Fallen For November 2018 Release . mxdwn.com . 6 October 2018 . 9 November 2018.
  3. Web site: Bowring . Declan . Review: Gary Numan's 'The Fallen' EP Offers an Extension of His Recent, Goth-Tinged Output . Counteract . 23 October 2018 . 9 November 2018.
  4. Web site: Crampton . Simon . His Name Is Ruin: An Interview with Gary Numan . Rock Sins . 7 November 2018 . 9 November 2018.
  5. Web site: Gary Numn [sic] Is Set To Release His New Album 'Savage' – Alt360º Radio]. Alt360º Radio. 10 July 2017. 6 July 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170806022011/http://alt360radio.com/gary-numn-set-release-new-album-savage/. 6 Aug 2017. dead.
  6. News: Gary Numan: how the Billboard charts told him his tracks aren't electric. The Guardian. David. Simpson. 9 October 2017.
  7. News: BMG LEFT 'BEMUSED' BY BILLBOARD'S 'LUDICROUS' GARY NUMAN CHART BLACKBALL. Music Business Worldwide. 27 September 2017.
  8. Web site: Pre-Order Savage . Gary Numan Official Online Store . https://web.archive.org/web/20170929193933/https://garynuman.tmstor.es/ . 29 Sep 2017 . dead.
  9. Web site: ARIA Chart Watch #439. auspOp. 23 September 2017. 23 September 2017.
  10. Web site: NZ Heatseekers Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ. 25 September 2017. 22 September 2017.
  11. Web site: 2017 Top 50 Independent Albums Archive . Official Charts Company . 22 September 2017 . 22 September 2017.
  12. Web site: savage (songs from a broken world) full Official Chart History Official Charts Company. 2021-12-05. www.officialcharts.com. en.
  13. Web site: Gary Numan Chart Data Savage 2017. 2021-12-05. numandiscography.co.uk.