That's Too Bad
Encyclopedia
"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.
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!"
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 band mates Paul Gardiner
and Jess Lidyard
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 ('Rael') who actually played in the recording session.
"That's Too Bad" was also later released as a gatefold with the single "Bombers"
These tracks have subsequently been included on CD reissues of the album The Plan
(1984).
Tubeway Army
Tubeway Army were a London-based punk rock and new wave band led by lead singer Gary Numan. They were the first band of the post-punk era to have a synthesizer-based hit, with their single Are 'Friends' Electric? and its parent album Replicas both topping the UK Album Chart in mid-1979.-Line-up:The...
, the band which provided the initial musical vehicle for Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
. It was released in February 1978 by independent London record label Beggars Banquet
Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
. On the day of its release, Numan quit his job in a warehouse to become a professional musician.
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!"
The B-side of the single was "Oh! Didn't I Say". Both songs are in an aggressive punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
style, very different from the synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
-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 band mates Paul Gardiner
Paul Gardiner
Paul Gardiner was a British musician who played bass guitar with Gary Numan and Tubeway Army as well as material under his own name.-Biography:...
and Jess Lidyard
Jess Lidyard
Jess Lidyard is the former drummer of Tubeway Army. He is bandleader Gary Numan's uncle, and played on the band's self-titled debut album and on the highly successful Replicas, which featured the hit "Are 'Friends' Electric?"...
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 ('Rael') who actually played in the recording session.
"That's Too Bad" was also later released as a gatefold with the single "Bombers"
These tracks have subsequently been included on CD reissues of the album The Plan
The Plan (Tubeway Army album)
The Plan is a retrospective album of early demo recordings by Tubeway Army released in 1984.The demos were originally recorded in 1978...
(1984).
Track listing
- "That's Too Bad" (Gary NumanGary NumanGary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
) – 3:20 - "Oh! Didn't I Say" (Numan) – 2:16
Production credits
- ProducersRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
:- Gary Numan
- MusicianMusicianA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s:- Valerian (Gary Numan): vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Scarlett (Paul Gardiner): bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Rael (Jess Lidyard): drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Valerian (Gary Numan): vocals, guitar
Versions
Versions of "That's Too Bad" released to date include:- The original track, recorded 16 October 1977 at Spaceward Studios, near CambridgeCambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. This version was not released to the public until 1983, and re-issued on yellow vinyl in 1985 on the 1978 EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
of early Tubeway Army recordings. - The single version, a remix by Mick Glossop of the original recording, done at Manor Studio, OxfordshireOxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. 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 ArmyTubeway Army (album)Tubeway Army is the debut album by Gary Numan and his band Tubeway Army, released in 1978. Its initial limited-edition run of 5000 sold out but did not chart...
. 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).