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Member since:22.09.2002
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Maybe music from the 1980's wasn't so bad after all. Remember this was the decade that gave us brilliant albums from the Stone Roses, the Wedding Present and the Smiths that have endured the test of time and continue to have a lasting influence on many of today's bands. On the flipside it's hard not to recoil in horror when those dreaded New Romantic images are replayed on television.
As a kid growing up I used to sit by the family stereo (with its large coffin shaped frame) for hours on end taping anything worthwhile that emanated from the radio. Such classics as 'Tarzon Boy' from Baltimora, Paul Harcastle's 'Nineteen' and even more frighteningly 'Lady In Red' from Chris De Burgh made in onto my C90 at one stage or another. While most would deny such heinous crimes, I wear it proudly as a rite of passage. When you listen to music as appalling as this you tend appreciate artists who have a modicum of talent.
The one scene that fascinated me back then (and to a lesser degree now) was the synth pop genre. Its leading lights included the Human League, Ultravox, Depeche Mode, Erasure and in my opinion the pick of the bunch Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD). Looking back, OMD were about as fashionable as wellies but
their music was laced with such a deep sense of melancholy that even today it's hard not be touched.
This collection of OMD singles was released in 1998, two years after their last album release 'Universal'. It includes 18 of their singles and for the most part is a joyous reflection of their musical acumen. I am not really one for greatest hits but for a band who invented the word 'singles band', owning the best of OMD would seem more logical than splashing out on their back catalogue of 10 albums. OMD were made up of Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys. Both had a neat line in effeminate posturing and a rather shambolic fashion sense but boy did they know their way around a keyboard.
OMD started out way back in 1978 and released their first single 'Electricity' in 1979. They based their sound on the kingpins of keyboard wizardry at the time, German band 'Kraftwerk', but added their own little dollop of pop sensibily. OMD's output didn't go unnoticed and they were even signed to the legendary Factory Records for a time. 'Electricity's slender bleeps mask an impressive frenetic energy. Ok, it sounds almost prehistoric but only in a world where dinosaur fixation is prevalent.
The follow up to 'Electricity', 'Messages' broke the top twenty. Incorporating slabs of synthesiser keys, it had a more refined sound and a Far Eastern ring that whisked Andy McCloskey's distorted vocals. 'Enola Gay' did even better, becoming a top ten hit. It was called after the plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, a slight departure from OMD's predilection with slightly more mundane matters. To this day, 'Enola Gay' stands tall, imperious, surely one of the standard bearers of its genre. Fuel soaked beats measure up to stereo-friendly synth dalliances and the only outcome from the fracas is a joyous overload.
The deep-rooted sadness that impinges on some of OMD's material is never more evident than on the splendour of 'Souvenir'. The vocals are timid and fragile and the tune resonates with a timeless beat. Where the previous singles burnt a trail through limitless energy, 'Souvenir' blows you away with its carefree genius.
Things get altogether eerie on the brooding 'Maid Of Orleans'. At times the singing is a little out of tune but the electronic accompaniment is of such a high standard these little flaws can be overlooked. At this stage the OMD sound had started to fill out into something bigger and at times it became downright challenging like on the similarly themed 'Joan Of Arc'. Sporting a cacophony of drums and a spleen-crushing foray into electronic wonderment it still sounds immense.
All this classicism makes 'Tesla Girls' and 'Locomotion' sound somewhat lightweight. They have a certain novelty value but should really be comfortable in their rightful home in that dusty box sitting prettily in the corner of the cupboard under the stairs. Thankfully 'Talking Loud And Clear' saw a wonderful return to form. So many twinkling sounds emerge from this tune it's like the stars themselves had turned their hand to music. Add to this that snake charming clarinet imported directly from the souks of Marrakech and its spine tingling time.
'So In Love' is just fine, resembling a distant Australian band that I can't put my finger on. 'If You Leave' is its more famous cousin. It was included on the soundtrack to the 1986 John Hughes film 'Pretty In Pink' and marked OMD's first big break in the US market. The song itself is a heartfelt paean that acted like the perfect nanny for confused teenagers in love. As twee as is possible without getting a runny nose.
'(Forever) Live And Die' was released in the wake of 'If You Leave' and turned out to be the last song written by the McCluskey -Humphreys partnership. It proved to be a fitting epitaph with McCluskey's angelic voice breaking into an inspired spiralling chorus at will. Oh the goosebumps! After this the inspiration within the band dried up leaving a coarse take on middle of the road pop. It's not truly awful but is plodding enough to be contra PC. So while 'Pandora's Box' and 'Walking Of The Milky Way' won't exactly have you cringing they are just too disposable to grab your attention.
It's a shame that OMD didn't call time about 10 years earlier. If they had, they could have been rightly proud of their back catalogue of singles. This compilation does come with a warning. There are at least 7 fillers to be avoided. The remaining tracks are amongst the most precious tunes released in the 1980's.
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Wonderful stuff as per... Takes me back to those student discos (yes I really am that old) where I danced a bit like Andy McCluskey and rarely pulled - wonder if the two were connected. Hmmm? Paul
Advantages: All the classics from their early years are featured Disadvantages: Only covers 1979-1988, the 3 omitted singles could have been included instead of the two dodgy extended 12" mixes which take up almost 15 minutes between them
Mar 2nd, 2003
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