Live Architecture And Morality And More - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

Advantages: Meoldies
Disadvantages: Bland and twee

...Orchestral Maneouvres In The Dark were one of the pioneering synth based bands who emerged in the wake of new wave in the late 70’s/early 80’s, consisting largely of bassist Andy McCluskey and synth player Paul Humphreys. They managed to come up with a masterpiece album - Architecture and Morality - in 1981, perhaps the most exquisitely lush study in nostalgia ever released by a rock band. The album yielded the atmospheric hits Souvenir, Joan Of Arc and Maid Of orleans (The Waltz Joan Of Arc), singles which made number 3, 4 and 5 respectively in the UK charts. Lyrically, their obsession seemed to be with the past; when on the road, the two had a penchant for visiting museums and castles. For many OMD were too bland, superficial and twee to be taken seriously. They certainly could pen a good tune, but they were just too nice... Read review

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Advantages: A journey through the development of an electro pop band
Disadvantages: There are a couple of awful tracks that could have been left off.

...There doesn't seem to be much that hasn't come from Liverpool. What have we got to show from our North West cousins? The Beatles, Jimmy Tarbuck……So it was no surprise that the masters of 'synth pop' in the form of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark also were born and bred from the once grotty, depressing Northern dock city. The band formerly known as 'The ID' first applied their punk themes to our ears sometime in late 1978. The two founding members, Paul Humphreys (who was actually born in London) and Andy McCluskey released 'Electricity' in May 1979, then to re-record it only to not issue it as a single in September 1979. Just as well as it was a pretty appalling track that generated virtually nothing that to could be seen as warm and emotional. It was, thought, a track that launched an era of 'electricity' in the shape of synthesisers... Read review

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Advantages: Couple of good tracks
Disadvantages: Everything else is dross

...Perhaps because of Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s tendency to view life in a serious light, their fourth album, Dazzleships (1983), came close to being an embarrassing failure. The two 45s taken from it - the witty Genetic Engineering and the raucous rock out, Telegraph, were fine, if nowhere near as commercially successful as former singles; much of the rest of Dazzleship was pretentious and disposable. McCluskey and Humphreys seemed to have been carried away by the infinite aural possibilities of the Emulator synthesiser, a machine into which any sound - from a lawn mower to a banshee - could be programmed and then slowed down or speeded up. By writing lyrics about robots in Czechoslovakian industry and composing another song solely comprising a montage of international clocks, Time Zones, OMD concocted a recipe for disaster... Read review

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