Gary Numan - The Best Of Gary Numan 1984-1992 (1996)

Gary Numan had stopped having hits several years before 1984, which is where The Best of: 1984-1992 chooses to begin. During the late '80s, Numan began to concentrate more on sonic textures, creating glassy, shimmering soundscapes with his synthesizers and abandoning the robotic funk that made "Cars" and "Are Friends Electric" into hits. While the latter is included in a stilted live version, none of his best moments are featured on this collection. Nevertheless, it does feature the cream of a highly uneven era, and that alone makes it a worthwhile addition to his catalog. For many casual fans, The Best of: 1984-1992 will be all they need from Numan's latter-day recordings, if they need it at all.