ROBERT PALMER HEARD TELEKON BEFORE ITS RELEASE — THEN RECORDED “I DREAM OF WIRES” WITH GARY NUMAN

In 1980, Gary Numan carried an unreleased Telekon to the Bahamas. Robert Palmer heard one track — and recorded his own version while Numan was still there. 🌴

Palmer, then best known for records mixing rock, soul and Caribbean influences, had already been slipping two Numan songs into his concerts: “Cars” and “Me! I Disconnect from You.” 🎤

Numan later remembered feeling honoured. After the musicians met, Palmer invited him to his home in the Bahamas, where Compass Point Studios stood just across the road.

Numan brought along Telekon, which had not yet been released, and played it for him. 🎹

One song immediately caught Palmer’s attention: “I Dream of Wires.” Palmer’s drummer Dony Wynn recalled that Palmer was drawn to it straight away. Numan’s bassist Paul Gardiner was also visiting Nassau, and recording began while they were there. ⚡

The visit soon grew beyond that cover. Numan recalled Palmer showing him a couple of unfinished songs and asking for his help. Their work included “Found You Now,” eventually credited to both men on Palmer’s Clues album; another collaboration, “Style Kills,” also emerged from their sessions. 🎛️

So when Telekon and Clues appeared in 1980, “I Dream of Wires” existed in two studio versions: Numan’s original and Palmer’s interpretation — with Numan himself playing on Palmer’s recording. 💿

Not every private album preview ends with the listener cutting his own version.

#musicOnOff #GaryNuman #Telekon #RobertPalmer #SynthPop #NewWave #MusicHistory