Released December 1985

NU 14

7 inch vinyl 45 r.p.m.

NUM 14

12 inch vinyl 45 r.p.m.

Numan Music, 1986

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE FOR CAPTIONS

HIGHLIGHTED SONG TITLES LINK TO AUDIO SAMPLE

A

The Experiment (Begins) (7:37)

B

§1 Cry Of the Sea (2:52)

§2 The Experiment (Of Love) (4:10)

all tracks written by John Webb

Produced by John Webb

Karen Taylor, Vocals

Pat Kyle, Saxophone

John Webb, Keyboards and Guitar

The Waveteam, PPG Sequencing

Recorded at Rock City Studios, Shepperton, Middlesex, England

Marketed and Distributed by Precision Records & Tapes Ltd.

LAST UPDATED ON 27 November 2008

First, it might be prudent to say a few words in order to dispel the

obvious suspicions of nepotism that must have led to the release of

this single. John Webb, as most already know, is Gary Numan's

brother. (Well, technically, he's Numan's paternal cousin adopted

legally as brother after the death of John's father. But who cares;

brother is brother, and to say anything else is just quibbling.)

However, above all else, Webb is an excellent musician in his own

right, having mastered a variety of musical instruments, including

saxophone, drums, keyboards and bagpipes.

Gary fondly remembers John's childhood punk act in 1977 as Johnny

Silver performing his original song, "Lucky." (Not to be confused with John

Lennon revivalist Johnny Silver, of more recent vintage. Read more about

Webb's Johnny Silver.) John likewise thinks back on that year as time of

family bonding, especially among the musicians in the Webb family: "Gary

and I were at home one day in 1976 or 77--I was eleven years old at the

time. I walked in the front room and I was singing this song 'Lucky,' which I’d just thought up. Gary said

'What’s that?' he liked it and grabbed a guitar to put a riff to it. Then we started doing it at Tubeway Army

gigs. I’d be in the audience and then after five or six songs I’d jump on stage and start shouting this

track. My mum sprayed my hair silver which I had to wash out the next morning in time for school. I had

three or four safety pins, a swastika badge and a t-shirt with Johnny Silver written on it. I did this on and

off for about a year. It was nice because there are only three musical people in our family--Gary, Uncle

Gerald [Jess Lidyard] and myself--and we were all on stage together. The weird thing is that there’s a

seven year gap between Gerald and Gary and another seven years gap between Gary and

myself" (Electric Pioneer--On-Line). As can be surmised from this and

other references to those nascent days of the Tubeway Army

performances, family solidarity and support took greater precedence

over any musical ambitions that Gary and the band might have had.

Several years later, in 1981, Numan and Roger Taylor of Queen would

attend John's first live gig as drummer for the four-piece band, Accent.

This was also the year of John's first recording credit, as drummer on the

Paul Gardiner single "Stormtrooper In Drag." After forming his own

band, Night Squadron (again as its drummer), Webb

not only performed on Numan's 1983 Warriors Tour, but

also wrote the track "I Am Render" on the Warriors

album; later, he is credited on his brother's White Noise

album, a record of the final performance of the 1984

Berserker Tour. And he continued to tour with his

brother until becoming a flight instructor in 1986. Nor

did a professional pilot's career prevent him from continuing to play in his brother's live

shows as late as the mid 90s. It's fairer to say, then, that this is not Webb's first foray

into recording but, rather, merely his first official release as a solo artist.

More germane to the point: Gary Numan has consistently extolled his brother's

songwriting talent as possessing the creative "ability to see and hear things which are

peculiar to him but they work"; of his skills as a musician, Numan praised him as

"brilliant, never a note wrong." His inclusion among the Numa pantheon of artists,

therefore, is Gary Numan's gesture to permit John a chance to exercise his individuality and creativity

as a songwriter. (After all, if you own a record label and you can't advance the people you love, what

good are ya?)

That being said, hearing Webb's "The Experiment" again almost two decades later, I feel that time has

been kinder to its style and sound than to any other release by a Numa act. Even the saxophone

seems less dated on this song than in other songs. In fact, "The Experiment" stands apart musically

from most of the other Numa releases at a time when Numan's production and The Waveteam

programming were the signature sound for the label. Consider for a moment that charming bit of

Numan folklore in which thirteen-year-old John is said to have composed the opening synth riff for

Tubeway Army's "Me, I Disconnect From You." It's not difficult to envision an alternate scenario in which

he capitalized on his connections to the start of the electronica movement and remain a gnomon in the

gestalt of his older brother's pioneering career, following him from the punk

scene to New Wave electronica stage to the fretless synth jazz studio, a

parody to the very end. Instead, the disparate music style and content of these

siblings, alongside the contrast between John's single and other Numa label

releases, testifies to the way Webb eschewed imitation and instead sought his

own identity as a songwriter.

Though John held the reins as producer, Karen Taylor, the backing vocalist

whom Webb had met on Numan's Berserker Tour, actually performed the lead

vocals and contributed to much of the song's unique appeal. (There is an

unsubstantiated rumor that Karen and John were engaged to be married at

one time; in fact, when asked, a bemused Karen Taylor not only disabused me

of this misinformation, but pointed out that she was engaged to be married to

someone else during her time with Webb and the Numan touring band.) Her

controlled tones, and even her intentional flats, make for a haunting delivery

resonating with a clear experimental vibe that invites comparison to Laurie

Anderson. It's a pity that there were no further collaborations between Webb

and Taylor but for this one A-side. On the B-side of NUM 14, however, is the only instrumental release

of the Numa label's signed acts, "Cry of the Sea." Again, because of its brevity and its deceptive

simplicity, one expects it to be ephemeral filler. However, like its A-side, its New Age quality is still

appealing to a modern sensibility and merits repeat listening. It has that disarming, slightly sinister

beauty that is so evocative in the tracks by Pray For Rain on the Sid and Nancy soundtrack.

Overall, John Webb's "The Experiment" remains a unique artifact from the period of Numa acts, as well

as a rare bit of vinyl in the auction and used record markets. Rarer still, however, is that John proved he

could exercise his own creativity without standing in the shadow of his successful older

brother, making "The Experiment" sound experimental and interesting even today.

John Webb is currently a fleet Manager for the Boeing 737-300 at British World. Sharing

his brother's interest in vintage aircraft, he is featured on the DVD Flying Legends 2003,

flying a Bristol Blenheim. On August 19, 2003, John was involved in a landing accident in

Duxford, U.K. while returning from a display of the Blenheim in Ringwood, Hampshire. To

our relief, neither John nor the other crewmember were injured.

My thanks to Mike at the Numanme Forum for his helpful advice about Webb's association

with Accent and for background information about the writing of "The Experiment."

Additional thanks to Blair Scriven for input regarding Night Squadron. My apologies to the

Webb family for any seeming insensitivity in mentioning the death of John's father, the

details of which remain on this page only for the purpose of expressing my respect for the deep bonds

of family that were created afterwards and which influenced John's musical career.

Anyone who would like to contribute additional information about John Webb can reach me at

Karl.Sherlock@gcccd.edu. I will gladly acknowledge your input on this page.

LYRICS

THE EXPERIMENT (BEGINS)

a.k.a THE EXPERIMENT (OF LOVE)

[The . . . experiment . . . begins.]

I can see

the pain in your eyes.

You've been caught

by the lie.

You just walk out,

but I can't hear.

Now you're standing

much too near.

I don't know

what's been on your mind.

What did you

expect to find?

No-one can stop

the feeling I've got.

The pain haunts me

like a shot.

Chorus:

The experiment of love

can be so lonely.

The experiment of love . . .

You stand alone

and ask the question.

But have I

learned the lesson?

You compete

so I can't see my face.

Time's been lost.

It's my disgrace.

Please don't wait,

'cause love's far away.

I can see

the end today.

I sit here

wondering what's wrong.

I'm left alone

with my song.