Paul Gardiner

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From sleeve photograph of Tubeway Army single "Bombers" (1978)
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From sleeve photograph of Tubeway Army single "Bombers" (1978)

Paul Gardiner (1 May 1958 - 4 February 1984) was a British musician best known for playing bass guitar with Gary Numan and Tubeway Army. He also released material under his own name.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Paul Gardiner was born in Hayes, Middlesex. In early 1977 he was playing in a band called The Lasers when Gary Numan (then using his real name Gary Webb) auditioned as lead guitarist. The two became fast friends and when Numan left the band soon after, Gardiner followed. The pair formed Tubeway Army, initially with Numan's uncle Jess Lidyard on drums. On the strength of demos recorded in October 1977, the band was signed to the independent label Beggars Banquet and released their first single, the punky "That's Too Bad", in February 1978. The trio used assumed names, Gardiner's being 'Scarlett'.

An ever-changing line-up played gigs over the next few months, Gardiner being the only constant member apart from Numan. Settling back to a three-piece outfit with Lidyard, the band released two albums as Tubeway Army, an eponymously-titled new wave/post punk style debut in 1978 and the synthesizer-heavy #1 hit Replicas in 1979. When Numan dropped the name Tubeway Army in mid-1979, Gardiner remained as bassist, playing on the #1 albums The Pleasure Principle (1979) and Telekon (1980), and touring with Numan throughout the world in 1979-81.

Following Numan's so-called 'retirement' in April 1981, after final concerts at Wembley Arena, his backing band went its separate ways. Most of the members formed a new group called Dramatis, while Gardiner elected to concentrate on a solo career. Gardiner's debut solo release was a single co-written with Numan called "Stormtrooper in Drag" b/w "Night Talk" in 1981. It made #49 in the UK charts. On these tracks Gardiner and Numan were credited with guitar and bass, respectively, contrary to their usual practice; Gardiner also played synthesizer.

Gardiner's recording of The Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs" was the first release on Numan's own label, Numa, in 1984. The single's B-side, "No Sense", was written by Gardiner. Aside from work on solo projects, he played with Dramatis in 1982 and, shortly before his death, worked with Marc Anthony Thompson on the latter's debut album.

Paul Gardiner struggled with heroin addiction in his last years, finally taking a fatal overdose in Limetrees Park in Northolt, Middlesex. He was survived by a son, Christopher. Although 4 February 1984 is generally given as the date of his death,[1] 18 February 1984 is also cited.[2]

Gary Numan wrote the song "A Child with the Ghost" (from the 1984 album Berserker) in memory of his friend and former bass-player. He also paid tribute to Gardiner on the 10th and 20th anniversaries of his death by playing, respectively, "Stormtrooper in Drag" on his 1994 tour (released on the 1995 live album Dark Light) and "Night Talk" at a 2004 charity gig.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

[edit] Tubeway Army

[edit] Gary Numan

[edit] Paul Gardiner

[edit] Marc Anthony Thompson

  • "Love Cools Down" (1984)

[edit] Albums

[edit] Tubeway Army

[edit] Gary Numan

  • The Pleasure Principle (1979)
  • Telekon (1980)
  • Living Ornaments '79 (live recording first released in 1981, expanded/re-released as Living Ornaments '79 in 1998)
  • Living Ornaments '80 (live recording first released in 1981, expanded/re-released as Living Ornaments '80 in 2005)
  • Living Ornaments '81 (live recording, first released 1998)
  • Dance (1981)

[edit] Robert Palmer

  • Clues (1980) - "I Dream of Wires"

[edit] Marc Anthony Thompson

  • Marc Anthony Thompson (1984)

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Intuitive Music Archives". Retrieved on 2006-08-01.
  2. ^ "A Child with the Ghost". Retrieved on 2006-08-01.

[edit] References

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