When reissued in mid-1979, following the success of the follow-up Replicas (1979), the more commonly known cover art featuring a stylised portrait of Gary Numan was introduced.

[7] Despite being the band's debut, Tubeway Army was seen as a transitional record, linking the punk flavour of early singles "That's Too Bad" and "Bombers" with the electronic music and science fiction imagery of Replicas.

These and a number of other tracks featured primitive synthesizer effects, the legacy of Numan chancing upon a Minimoog in the recording studio one day.

[6] Elsewhere, the album's lyrics generally inhabited a seedy world that was compared to William Burroughs, an author whose influence Numan acknowledged.

Reviewer Red Starr wrote: "Inevitably it's not as good as "Replicas" — it's cruder and punkier, with more guitars than synthesisers, though that voice is instantly recognisable.