It developed on the electro-funk sound of Warriors, marking a change from the prominent fretless bass on his previous three studio albums but retaining the female backing vocals and occasional saxophone.

[5]The poignant track "A Child with the Ghost" was Numan's tribute to his friend and former bassist Paul Gardiner, who died in February 1984 from a heroin overdose.

The track was also covered by the duo Tik and Tok on their studio album Intolerance (which featured Numan) the same year.

Numan appeared on the cover (and throughout the subsequent tour) as a white-skinned, white-clad "Iceman" with blue makeup and hair.

In chart terms, Berserker was outperformed by The Plan, an archival compilation album of early Numan material released by his former record label Beggars Banquet in September 1984 that reached No.

Writing for Smash Hits, Vici Macdonald found that it "starts well enough", but "After 9 almost identical tracks, it's a relief when the album ends.

The DVD contains, as an extra feature, a 2007 interview in which Numan discusses his recollections of the Berserker album and tour.

Numan mentions that Berserker was influenced by Trevor Horn's production work with Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and claims that distribution problems and a lack of media airplay contributed to its disappointing sales.