One record at a time: 332. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Organisation

I own two versions of "Organisation" on LP. The first record has a black sleeve and was bought from eBay over ten years ago. I acquired the second copy more recently as I wanted to own the original pressing. Whilst the silver version is indeed from the first batch made available in 1980, I later learned that there was also a limited edition including a free 7" single that is even more desirable. Record collecting can be an exhausting hobby. 

Having released their first album in February 1980, OMD delivered their second effort only eight months later. Clearly the music business moved at a much faster pace back in the early eighties. Despite being released hot on the heels of its predecessor, this album is a sharp contrast to the band's debut. "Organisation" found the band in a darker and more reflective mood drawing on the influence of  contemporaries such as Joy Division. Even the bright and colourful packaging has been replaced by a brooding monochromatic image. 

The album kicks off with the perky single "Enola Gay" which is insanely catchy and was a deserved top ten hit here in the UK. Whist the synth riffs and jaunty Roland CR-78 congas may suggest this is a frothy pop tune, the lyrics talk about the dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and the horrors of war. Wherever you look on this record there is a dark underbelly.

Songs like "2nd Thought" and "VCL XI" also have bouncy basslines and electronic percussion, but the nonsensical lyrics of the latter and the haunting choir sounds on the former add a sinister edge that fit the mood. Two of my favourite tracks are "Statues" and "Promise" which point to the sound of future OMD records with their increasing reliance on synthesizers and electronics. I know my next statement will be an anathema to OMD fans but I have to be honest: I find "Stanlow" dull and uninteresting. Yes it has an OK tune and the old Korg MicroPreset gets a run out, but it just drones on and on with nothing exciting or inspiring happening. With that off my chest I will summarise more positively by saying this is a much better album than their debut and points to the sound of what was to come 3/5

One record at a time: 331. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

I was never a big Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark fan growing up and aside from "Souvenir", I don't recall hearing their music in my youth. I think my lack of interest in the band may have stemmed from a perception that they weren't really a 'proper' electronic group.

To some extent this notion is born out by this album as the only synthesisers used were the toy like Korg M500 Micro-Preset and a Korg MS-20. The majority of the noise on this record is created by bass guitar, lead guitar, organ, electric piano and saxophone. With the exception of the Roland CR-78 drum machine, everything is played by hand and there is no programming to speak of.

In fairness OMD weren't unique in this regard and, if you look at the charts for 1980, you will find surprisingly little music that was purely electronic. Artists such as Jarre, Vangelis and Kraftwerk came close to some sort of purity, but big chart singles of the day such as Visage "Fade to Grey", Devo "Whip It" and Ultravox's "Vienna" all relied heavily on traditional instruments. Early synth-pop gave the impression of being electronic, but if you lift the lid, it isn't nearly as sophisticated as you might think.

As a result of my electronic snobbery I didn't buy OMD's eponymous debut until about 2007 and I only purchased this vinyl when it was re-released in 2018. Whilst his record will never be my favourite by the band, I am now more accustomed to its style and can appreciate its charms. 

Highlights on this record have to be the debut single "Electricity" and its b-side "Almost". "Electricity" was an attempt to copy the style of Kraftwerk but as it was recorded using a very restricted palette of sounds, it ends up sounding unique. "Mystereality" is a good song that can even withstand a noisy saxophone warbling over the top. The album version of hit single "Messages" is a little rough around the edges when compared to the single mix but it still satisfies. "Pretending to see the future" sounds slightly  derivative but only the terrible "Dancing" deserves "nul points" from the jury.

The pop material on this album is definitely much stronger than the attempts at artistry or experimentation. I think this is probably my other issue with early OMD; they wanted to be experimental but didn't realise they were actually better as hitmakers. 2.5/5

One record at a time: 330. Orbital - Monsters Exist

I only own one Orbital album on vinyl and it is a signed copy of "Monsters Exist" from 2018. I saw this album being advertised on Pledge Music and for some reason I decided to back it. I'm not a massive Orbital fan as I find their music moves between two extremes. Tracks like "Belfast" and "Funny Break" are immaculate, but I really don't like "The Box" or "Style". I think I must gave just gambled that this record would be more to my taste than their previous efforts and hoped for the best.

Happily I like this album and despite being pressed by GZ Media, these two slabs of vinyl actually sound pretty good. The overall package is nice and even included a download card (which you don't seem to get nowadays).

The title track that opens proceedings is a nice piece which leans more to the electronica side of the band's output rather than the banging dance music side. Another highlight on the fist disc is the brilliant "P.H.U.K." which has a harder edge but is bristling with hooks and ideas. "Hoo Hoo Ha Ha" is so characteristically Orbital it almost makes me long for a bit more innovation rather than using the same ideas from the past.

On the second disc "Buried Deep Within" is another interesting slice of electronica but "Vision OnE" and "The End is Nigh" don't really hold my interest. We end on a massive downer with Professor Brian Cox providing an unvarnished description of the end of the universe and reminding us all of our own mortality. Way to kill the mood Prof. 3/5

One record at a time: 329. Mike Oldfield - Return To Ommadawn

"Return to Ommadawn" is the final LP by Mike Oldfield and was released in 2017. Here I am playing the standard 180g black vinyl that was available across Europe.

The first I heard of this album was when an excerpt was played on the radio. For some reason the piece that was played featured a VST generated Clavioline playing a tune akin to "Telstar". Whilst this all sounded very cheesy to my ears, I was still keen to hear the finished album as it promised something of a return to Mike's roots. 

Thankfully, when the album was finally released there was no sign of the "Telstar" rip off and only a short section on the second side of the album bore any resemblance to the music I had heard on the radio. This album was actually much better than I anticipated and I have a strong memory of commuting through heavy traffic during the winter whilst listening to it and thinking, "It's good to have Mike back.". Like everyone else, I had no idea this would be the last album we would hear from the great man.

The opening of part one of "Return to Ommadawn" sees penny whistles playing a theme that is soon superseded by a whole raft of ideas and musical passages that contrast in mood. Yes, there are blank spaces and some slightly puzzling pauses, but people have been happy to forgive far worse on previous records (I'm talking about you "Zombies") so I really don't have a problem with this. I adore the theme that develops after about ten minutes, with the only sour note being the use of a reversed sample of the vocals from the original "Ommadawn" which are undoubtedly a misstep.

The reverse of the disc is just as good as the first, but it does take some time to get going. The first glimpse of a leitmotif emerges after about two minutes but it is snuffed out before being fully developed. At 7'43 the "Victory" theme that was originally teased on the radio arrives, but it is much more restrained and mercifully abandons the Clavioline sound. More passages come and go before the main theme returns and signs off with a little jig.

Inevitably people compare this album to the original "Ommadawn" or even "Hergest Ridge" and regard it as somewhat lesser. Personally I consider "Return to Ommadawn" better in many respects and enjoy it immensely. No doubt such an opinion is close to heresy for Oldfield officianodos but I don't have strong bond with those older recordings and this record just sounds good to my ears. 4/5

One record at a time: 328. Mike Oldfield - The 1984 Suite

This rather odd compilation was released in 2016 and I think I have only played it once or twice.

This record seeks to summarise Mike's creative life in the year 1984. What I can't really work out why this particular year deserves a dedicated compilation when none of the other forty nine years in which Mike was active do not.

Most of the tracks on this record are selections from the albums "Discovery" and "The Killing Fields" and were remixed from the original multitracks. One piece, "The Royal Mile" was billed as a 'rediscovered track' but it is simply an alternative version of the b-side "Afghan". Most disappointing of all is an excruciating remix of "Poisoned Arrows" which strips away Barry Palmer's original vocal and replaces it with a terrible macOS "Fred" computer speech about zombies. "It's really for kids and Halloween," Mike says in the sleeve notes. My response being, "It's really not fit for anyone."

There are more disappointments in the new mix of "To France" which focuses on the acoustic instruments and rips out the fabulous Fairlight CMI that underpins the original. On the plus side the versions of "Étude" and "The Lake" are largely faithful to the original but offer enough of a new dimension to make them interesting. Realistically this record is only of interest to Oldfield enthusiasts - but even they have to draw the line at "Zombies".  1/5

One record at a time: 327. Mike Oldfield - Man On The Rocks

We skip a few albums in Mike's back catalogue as some of them aren't available on vinyl ("Tres Lunas", "Light and Shade", "Music of the Spheres", "Tubular Bells 2003") and some I haven't bought because I don't care for them much ("The Millennium Bell", "Guitars").

When "Man on the rocks" was announced towards the end of 2013 I immediately ordered the limited edition coloured vinyl and the three CD box set from the Universal webshop. However, it seems I forgot I had done this and, as two of everything turned up on release day in 2014, I assume I must have duplicated my order at some stage (I paid twice you understand). Thus, I have two copies of the numbered double LP which is pressed on coloured vinyl and limited to 500 copies.

I am not a big fan of this album and I think I know why. I used to work with someone who wrote songs for a hobby and he would pay a company to make professional demonstration recordings from his rough sketches. Whilst most of the songs he created were fairly adequate, the execution of the session musicians rendered them completely dull and soulless. This record is essentially the same thing.

All of the songs here are all fairly standard AOR fair and demonstrate the level of competence you would expect from a seasoned songwriter. Yet, for the first time Mike chose to allow a group of session musician to play the music. Not even the brilliant production skills of Stephen Lipson could rescue these lifeless recordings and I would question just how enthusiastic Mike was about this whole project. For me it feels like there is a gap between the composer and the performers that robs the material of any zest, feeling or emotion. 

The vocalist for all of these songs is a man I had never heard of before called Luke Spiller from the band The Struts. Luke does a good job, but he was essentially a session musician and doesn't sound invested in the songs to my ears. Another element that feels at odds with the material is Luke's age. When the singer belongs to a completely different generation to the composer, it seems inevitable that lyrics lose impact.

Songs like "Moonshine" and "Sailing" are undoubtedly catchy, but they lack any kind of spark that would make you want to listen to them again. By some fluke (or exchange of cash) the song "Nuclear" made its way onto the trailer for the video game "Metal Gear Solid V", but no matter what exposure it had, this album was never going to sell well given its lacklustre realisation. The album struggled to number 12 in the charts and not even me buying it four times could get it any further. 

This album is an anomaly in Mike's back catalogue and its lack of success must have contributed to his decision to move further away from the music industry (I suspect he was already halfway out of the door when this record was made). Interestingly the CD box set features a disc of demos where Mike sings all of the songs himself. Now, by his own admission Mike is not an accomplished singer, but these version sound more earnest and credible than the contents of this LP. 1/5

One record at a time: 326. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells III

I originally bought this album on CD in 1998 but it wasn't made available on vinyl until this version came out ten years ago. This pressing is OK, but like all Mike's albums that were repressed in 2014, it is rather quiet and reveals background noise when played at higher volumes.

Material from "Tubular Bells III" had been teased on the compilation "XXV" in 1997 and this out-take suggested the album would be more electronic than previous efforts. To some extent this change was to be expected as Mike was living in Ibiza at the time and was known to occasionality frequent the island's nightclubs.

Yet, when a single from the album was issued the following year it sounded nothing like the dance-floor beats we heard on "XXV". In fact, "Man In the Rain" was more akin to "Moonlight Shadow" and, whilst the song was undoubtedly catchy, it harked back to the sound Mike employed fifteen years before. Clearly this album was going to be eclectic and not conform to the template employed by the other two albums in the series. Yes, there are a number of tracks that draw on the themes from the original, but Mike has done this many times before ("Crises", "Wind Chimes", "Tubular World" etc.) and didn't find the need to include the parent album in the same canon. So if I had to guess I would say that the only reason for including this album in the "Tubular Bells" series was to boost sales.

The opening track "The Source of Secrets" is a different mix of the "Tubular Bells III" excerpt from the "XXV" compilation. This piece offers a variation on the piano theme from the original "Tubular Bells" and throws a four on the floor dance beat under it. Eventually things develop into a full-on "hands in the air" crescendo replete with "Insomnia" inspired pizzicato string riffs and TR-909 snares. Phew.

We change pace for "The Watchful Eye" which features a haunting and strangely beautiful motif that will be resurrected throughout the album. Elsewhere the Flamenco of "Serpent Dream" shows the influence of Ibiza extended beyond nightclubs and dance music. "The Inner Child" finishes the first side with a chilled out vibe to accompany a Cafe Del Mar sunset.

"Man In The Rain" opens the second side of the record but it sounds strangely incongruous plonked in the middle of the album. As I have said previously, there is no doubt this is a good song, but I just don't think it fits this album. One of my favourite pieces is "Top of the Morning" which has a strong melody played out on the piano and develops into the most marvellous piece that must rank amongst Mike's best work.

As the album progresses we hear beats on "Jewel in the Crown" that are reminiscent of those created by fellow Ibiza resident Curly MC and "Secrets" is yet another stab at reinventing the "Tubular Bells" piano riff in a dance style. The final piece on the album "Far Above The Clouds" is truly the zenith where the titicular bells are finally heard alongside the familiar bassline from the first album in the series. As Mike's searing guitar solo comes to and end we are left with nothing but the sound of bird song allowing us to reflect on the thrilling, if slightly broken journey we have just been on. 4/5