Orchestral_Manoeuvres_in_the_Dark Orchestral_Manoeuvres_in_the_Dark

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Definition and Overview

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark or OMD were a Liverpool synth pop musical ensemble which recorded for Virgin Records (originally for Virgin's DinDisc subsidiary).

Having played together in several previous bands, including Equinox, Pegasus, the short-lived Hitlerz Underpantz and The Id, Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys began a side-project of the Id (which also included McCluskey's then-girlfriend Julia Kneale) called VCL XI; it was named after a valve from the diagram on the cover of Kraftwerk's Radioactivity album. After The Id's breakup McCluskey briefly played with Dalek I Love You. VCL XI went on to morph into OMD, which originally began as a duo, though other members would later join. Malcolm Holmes, for instance, played drums or percussion on all but a few songs of their first seven albums. Dave Hughes, who had formerly been in Dalek I Love You with McCluskey, was an early member, replaced by saxophonist and keyboardist Martin Cooper.

OMD was one of the original "synth-duos," and some consider it a classic of the genre, although its influences went far beyond the expected Kraftwerk and Neu, as can be seen by their covering songs, or basing songs on, artists from the Velvet Underground to Barry White. Initially very raw and unrefined, they quickly grew into a lush and well-orchestrated outfit. The first two albums were scattershot, but combined neatly into the U.S. compilation titled OMD highlighted by the songs "Messages", "Enola Gay", and "Electricity."

(In 1990 Virgin released a CD box set of the band's first three albums.)

The first single "Electricity" was released on Factory Records; their first top ten hit "Enola Gay", from the 1980 Organisation LP, was produced by Mike Howlett.

Two laserdiscs, Live at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane (1982) and Crush the Movie (1985) were released only in Japan.

With the recording of Crush, Graham and Neil Weir began playing with the group.

One of OMD's biggest hits, "If You Leave," was written specifically for the John Hughes movie Pretty in Pink.

Though Humphreys left the band after The Best of OMD, he collaborated with McCluskey on the songwriting for Universal, the band's 1996 swan song. McCluskey would continue for another decade, joined by Liverpool musicians Lloyd Massett and Stuart Kershaw.

An album of unreleased material by the band is scheduled to be released in 2005.

There were two official magazines about the band, Telegraph, and, currently, Messages.

The book Messages, written by Johnny Waller and Paul Humphreys' brother Mike Humphreys, details the career of the band up to the time of The Best of OMD.

Contents
1 Discography

1.1 Albums
1.2 Singles
1.3 Laserdiscs
1.4 Videos (VHS)

1 External links

Discography

Albums

  • Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - 1980
  • Organisation - 1980
  • O.M.D. - 1981
  • Architecture & Morality - 1981
  • Dazzle Ships - 1983
  • Junk Culture - 1984 (first copies came with enclosed one-sided 7-inch single, "The Angels Keep Turning (The Wheels of the Universe)")
  • Crush - 1985
  • The Pacific Age - 1986
  • The Best of OMD - 1988
  • Sugar Tax - 1991
  • Liberator - 1993
  • Universal - 1996
  • The OMD Singles - 1998
  • The Peel Sessions -2000
  • Navigation - The OMD B-Sides - 2001

Singles

  • "Electricity" - 1979
  • "Red Frame/White Light" - 1980
  • "Messages" - 1980
  • "Enola Gay" - 1980
  • "Souvenir" - 1981
  • "Joan of Arc" - 1981
  • "Maid of Orleans" - 1982
  • "Genetic Engineering" - 1983
  • "Telegraph" - 1983
  • "Locomotion" - 1984
  • "Talking Loud & Clear" - 1984
  • "Tesla Girls" - 1984
  • "Never Turn Away" - 1984
  • "So In Love" - 1985
  • "Secret" - 1985
  • "La Femme Accident" - 1985 (also released as shaped picture disc)
  • "If You Leave" - 1986
  • "(Forever) Live and Die" - 1986 (also released as picture disc)
  • "We Love You" - 1986
  • "Shame" - 1987
  • "Dreaming" - 1988
  • "Sailing on the Seven Seas" - 1991
  • "Pandora's Box" - 1991
  • "The You Turn Away" - 1991
  • "Call My Name" - 1991
  • "Stand Above Me" - 1993
  • "Dream of Me (Based on Love's Theme)" - 1993
  • "Everyday" - 1993
  • "Walking on the Milky Way" - 1996
  • "Universal" - 1996
  • "The OMD Remixes" (5-inch CD single containing remixes of "Enola Gay," "Souvenir" and "Electricity")

Laserdiscs

  • Live at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane - 1982
  • Crush the Movie - 1985

Videos (VHS)

  • Live at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane - 1982
  • Crush the Movie - 1985
  • The Best of OMD - 1988

External links


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