Are there any people out there who love OMD? It has been 26 years from the year Dazzle Ships came out. What are your views on this music? Are you new to it or does it bring back memories? Post what is in your head.
There is something classic about the sounds they used. Even today the sounds are cool and fresh. Really though, how many electronic sounds that we heard sound old and annoying? Even if you look closely at OMDs sounds they seem like they would bug you. Big electronic horns, bells, alarm clock sounds, and found sounds from the outside. Somehow it is music lost from even a modern classical perspective. It is experimental. So it is electronic popular music with a connection to rock and even The Beatles. How is that. In some ways it seems like it could be the music from the eighties that we want to throw out because its bugging the !@#$% out of us. But it is not.
* Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1980)
* Organisation (1980)
* Architecture & Morality (1981)
* Dazzle Ships (1983)
* Junk Culture (1984)
* Crush (1985)
* The Pacific Age (1986)
* Sugar Tax (1991)
* Liberator (1993)
* Universal (1996)
* History of Modern (2010 (estimated release date))
Classic line-up
Original UK 45 rpm single picture cover: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Messages
The eponymous first album (1980) showcased the band's live set at the time, and was basically recorded by the Humphreys/McCluskey duo, although included some guest drums from Id drummer Mal Holmes, and saxophone from Wirral musician Martin Cooper. It had a simple, raw, poppy, melodic synthpop sound. DinDisc arranged for the song "Messages" to be re-recorded (produced by Gong bassist Mike Howlett) and released as a single (right) - this gave the band their first hit. Dave Hughes a founder member of Dalek I Love You who joined OMD in early 1980 featured in the "Messages" video.
A tour followed, Winston the tape recorder was augmented with live drums from Mal Holmes, and Dalek I Love You's Dave Hughes on synths. Hughes then left OMD in November 1980, replaced by Martin Cooper.
The second album Organisation (perhaps a reference to the band which preceded Kraftwerk, founded by Kraftwerk's original members Florian Schneider-Esleben and Ralf Hütter) followed later that year, recorded as a 3 piece with Humphreys, McCluskey and Holmes. It was again produced by Howlett, and saw a rather moodier, dark feel. The album spawned the huge hit single "Enola Gay", named after the plane that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The song was originally intended to be included on the debut album, but was left out at the final selection, which may explain why the song is somewhat at odds with the darker feel of the second album. The tour for this album saw a 4-piece band line-up, with saxophonist Martin Cooper (another Dalek I Love You alum) recruited for keyboard duties. Howlett then presided over the recording of a further hit single, "Souvenir", co-written by Cooper & Humphreys. It ushered in a striking lush choral electronic sound. The song also became OMD's biggest hit to date.
November 1981 saw the release of their most commercially successful album in the UK and Europe - Architecture & Morality. The group went into the studio with Richard Mainwaring producing. Cooper then temporarily dropped out and was replaced by Mike Douglas, but this change was reversed by the time the album was released and a tour embarked upon. The album's striking sound saw OMD's original synth-pop sound augmented by the Mellotron, an instrument previously associated with prog rock bands. They used it to add very atmospheric swatches of string, choir and other sounds to their palette. Two more hit singles "Joan of Arc" and "Maid of Orleans" (which became the most successful single of 1982 in Germany) were taken from the album, which eventually sold more than 3 million copies. A somewhat interesting footnote is that "Joan of Arc" and "Maid of Orleans" were originally both titled "Joan of Arc"; the name of the latter single was changed at the insistence of the publishers and to avoid confusion. It became "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)" and later simply "Maid of Orleans".
1983 saw the band lose commercial momentum somewhat, with the release of their more experimental Dazzle Ships album, which mixed melancholy synth ballads and uptempo synthpop with musique concrete and short wave radio tape collages. It was recorded by the 4-piece Humphreys/Holmes/Cooper/McCluskey line-up, and produced by Rhett Davies. Its relative commercial failure caused a crisis of confidence for Humphreys and McCluskey and brought about a deliberate move towards the mainstream.
This music is truly classic and will live for future generations. These future kids who hear OMD always put it along side Kraftwerk. Kraftwerk predates OMD by about ten years. That is ok if they want to think that way. The two bands are a little alike. Both heavy synth work, both drum machines, OMD has a different vocal department. Kraftwerk came out of the Krautrock movement. We have Krautrock bands like Neu that some feel started Newwave.
OMD came from a new romantic/newwave movement. They do both have a deep seated connection in being the same form of music. They are both looked at as pioneers in their fields. Both bands have huge followings who have very certain albums that people think were the end of their peak. Kraftwerk is from Germany and OMD from England. They are looked at both as being dark and minimal in their musical output.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8-ci...layer_embedded
http://www.whosampled.com/sample/vie...ope%20Express/
Kraftwerk maybe looked at as changing modern music more. So? We know what that sample did for Africa Bambata, and the start of Electro. Still I play OMD more. That is me.
What are your favorite OMD songs? What is your OMD album? Do you remember what you thought when you first heard them? Drop some lines.
OMD 2010
http://www.barcodezine.com/OMD%20Interview.htm
There is something classic about the sounds they used. Even today the sounds are cool and fresh. Really though, how many electronic sounds that we heard sound old and annoying? Even if you look closely at OMDs sounds they seem like they would bug you. Big electronic horns, bells, alarm clock sounds, and found sounds from the outside. Somehow it is music lost from even a modern classical perspective. It is experimental. So it is electronic popular music with a connection to rock and even The Beatles. How is that. In some ways it seems like it could be the music from the eighties that we want to throw out because its bugging the !@#$% out of us. But it is not.
* Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1980)
* Organisation (1980)
* Architecture & Morality (1981)
* Dazzle Ships (1983)
* Junk Culture (1984)
* Crush (1985)
* The Pacific Age (1986)
* Sugar Tax (1991)
* Liberator (1993)
* Universal (1996)
* History of Modern (2010 (estimated release date))
Classic line-up
Original UK 45 rpm single picture cover: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Messages
The eponymous first album (1980) showcased the band's live set at the time, and was basically recorded by the Humphreys/McCluskey duo, although included some guest drums from Id drummer Mal Holmes, and saxophone from Wirral musician Martin Cooper. It had a simple, raw, poppy, melodic synthpop sound. DinDisc arranged for the song "Messages" to be re-recorded (produced by Gong bassist Mike Howlett) and released as a single (right) - this gave the band their first hit. Dave Hughes a founder member of Dalek I Love You who joined OMD in early 1980 featured in the "Messages" video.
A tour followed, Winston the tape recorder was augmented with live drums from Mal Holmes, and Dalek I Love You's Dave Hughes on synths. Hughes then left OMD in November 1980, replaced by Martin Cooper.
The second album Organisation (perhaps a reference to the band which preceded Kraftwerk, founded by Kraftwerk's original members Florian Schneider-Esleben and Ralf Hütter) followed later that year, recorded as a 3 piece with Humphreys, McCluskey and Holmes. It was again produced by Howlett, and saw a rather moodier, dark feel. The album spawned the huge hit single "Enola Gay", named after the plane that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The song was originally intended to be included on the debut album, but was left out at the final selection, which may explain why the song is somewhat at odds with the darker feel of the second album. The tour for this album saw a 4-piece band line-up, with saxophonist Martin Cooper (another Dalek I Love You alum) recruited for keyboard duties. Howlett then presided over the recording of a further hit single, "Souvenir", co-written by Cooper & Humphreys. It ushered in a striking lush choral electronic sound. The song also became OMD's biggest hit to date.
November 1981 saw the release of their most commercially successful album in the UK and Europe - Architecture & Morality. The group went into the studio with Richard Mainwaring producing. Cooper then temporarily dropped out and was replaced by Mike Douglas, but this change was reversed by the time the album was released and a tour embarked upon. The album's striking sound saw OMD's original synth-pop sound augmented by the Mellotron, an instrument previously associated with prog rock bands. They used it to add very atmospheric swatches of string, choir and other sounds to their palette. Two more hit singles "Joan of Arc" and "Maid of Orleans" (which became the most successful single of 1982 in Germany) were taken from the album, which eventually sold more than 3 million copies. A somewhat interesting footnote is that "Joan of Arc" and "Maid of Orleans" were originally both titled "Joan of Arc"; the name of the latter single was changed at the insistence of the publishers and to avoid confusion. It became "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)" and later simply "Maid of Orleans".
1983 saw the band lose commercial momentum somewhat, with the release of their more experimental Dazzle Ships album, which mixed melancholy synth ballads and uptempo synthpop with musique concrete and short wave radio tape collages. It was recorded by the 4-piece Humphreys/Holmes/Cooper/McCluskey line-up, and produced by Rhett Davies. Its relative commercial failure caused a crisis of confidence for Humphreys and McCluskey and brought about a deliberate move towards the mainstream.
This music is truly classic and will live for future generations. These future kids who hear OMD always put it along side Kraftwerk. Kraftwerk predates OMD by about ten years. That is ok if they want to think that way. The two bands are a little alike. Both heavy synth work, both drum machines, OMD has a different vocal department. Kraftwerk came out of the Krautrock movement. We have Krautrock bands like Neu that some feel started Newwave.
OMD came from a new romantic/newwave movement. They do both have a deep seated connection in being the same form of music. They are both looked at as pioneers in their fields. Both bands have huge followings who have very certain albums that people think were the end of their peak. Kraftwerk is from Germany and OMD from England. They are looked at both as being dark and minimal in their musical output.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8-ci...layer_embedded
http://www.whosampled.com/sample/vie...ope%20Express/
Kraftwerk maybe looked at as changing modern music more. So? We know what that sample did for Africa Bambata, and the start of Electro. Still I play OMD more. That is me.
What are your favorite OMD songs? What is your OMD album? Do you remember what you thought when you first heard them? Drop some lines.
OMD 2010
http://www.barcodezine.com/OMD%20Interview.htm
