One record at a time: 342. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - History of Modern

What better way to celebrate three years of working through my record collection than with an album titled "History of Modern"?

Andy and Paul reformed Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark in 2006 and released this album four years later. Originally I bought the box set that included a double LP with a unique sleeve, but more recently I have purchased the 2023 reissue on white vinyl too.

The tracks included here are a mixture of previously discarded material and some new songs of varying merit. Of the older material "Sister Mary Says" is purported to have been composed in 1981 and there is a tacit suggestion it shares some of its DNA with "Enola Gay". The song sounds nothing like its illustrious predecessor and isn't really close to the quality the band used to generate; but it is a fair effort nonetheless. The single "If You Want It" is a leftover from Andy's work with Atomic Kitten and is another well executed if uninspiring song. The only tracks that really don't deserve to be on the record are "Sometimes" and the terrible "Pulse" which drag the overall quality of the record down quite steeply.

My favourite moments are "The Right Side?" and "Green" which sound like they had a much greater input from Paul Humphreys. There's a fantastic love song to four German middle aged men in the form of "RFWK" and the title track has an infectious melody. When I went to see them play on the tour that accompanied this record, it felt like there was a new energy in the air. This record is far from perfect, but it did help solidify relationships in the band and gave sufficient encouragement for them to continue to expand their oeuvre. 3/5

One record at a time: 341. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Universal

The original LP of "Universal" from 1996 is a collector's item that can fetch hundreds of pounds. Realistically, the 2021 reissue we have here is the only way the majority of us will be able to listen to this album from vinyl. I purchased a copy of this record as soon as it was made available, but the second one only came into my possession a few weeks ago. 

Whilst looking at the OMD online store I happened to see damaged stock being sold for a mere £5. The record itself was guaranteed to be in perfect condition but it was suggested the sleeve would be disfigured in some way. However, when I opened my parcel I found everything to be in perfect condition. So I now have two.

When I first bought this album on CD I wasn't that impressed by it. By 1996 it seemed the only genre of electronic music anyone was interested in was dance. Having failed with his attempt to dress up his composition for the dance floor on previous album "Liberator", Andy McCluskey decided to go to the dark side. In his own words, "It was important for me to abandon some of the electronic stuff: nobody in the mid‑1990s really wanted '80s synth‑pop any more, which is essentially how OMD were perceived."

In most contemporary articles the word "organic" seems to be used to describe the sound of this record. The aim seemed to be to create something akin to the sound of Pulp and Andy even went as far as hiring their engineering team to produce the record. The fact that some of the songs on this record were written alongside former Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos gives you some idea of just how deep the poison of Britpop sank into nineties music (Bartos himself would go on to create his own 'guitar pop' album a couple of years later, but I'm sure we will come back to that abomination eventually.)

The title track has a two minute long intro that suggests experimentation was not entirely dead, but the Korg M1 "Universe" preset really should have been put out to pasture years ago. As the song progresses we can hear guitars, bass and drums alongside dominant backing singers. A good song, but OMD this is not. Similarly the other single taken from the album, "Walking on the Milky Way" has a strong melody but its jangling guitars and repetitive nature detract from the overall effect.

Not content with borrowing from Britpop alone, McCluskey appropriates other genres from the nineties with the psychedelic rock of Primal Scream on "New Head" and the Asian influenced sounds of Kula Shaker imitated on "Very Close to Far Away". "Gospel of St Jude" is a noble effort, but such music doesn't suit an OMD record at all. This album seems to move through many styles, but none really fit.

On the plus side "Moon & the Sun" is a magnificent song and "That Was Then" has a tension that builds to a magical conclusion. "The Boy from the Chemist is here to see you" is close to the traditional sound of OMD and the use of Korg M1 piano on "Victory Waltz" may be lazy, but it does at least bring back memories of "Sugar Tax". 

Unfortunately this album was not a commercial success and a disillusioned Andy McCluskey decided to draw the curtains on OMD in 1996. Whilst I was sad at the demise of the band I understood why it needed to happen and there was plenty of new music to fill the void for me back in the nineties. I want to give this album a higher score, but without rose tinted spectacles or the ephemeral joy of receiving a copy for £5 I am forced to go low. 2/5

One record at a time: 340. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Liberator

A few weeks ago I was idly flicking through eBay when I noticed a listing for the original pressing of "Liberator" priced at £12.99. "That's a fair price for a record that is getting scarcer," I thought. It was only as my eyes focused that I realised the price was actually £129.99. 

On further inspection I saw another copy for the slightly lower price of £109.99 and a signed copy at an eye watering £199.99. Admittedly these records don't seem to be selling, but the mean price on Discogs where they do sell is still around £30.

I find these prices staggering as I bought my copy ten years ago for the princely sum of £7 - and that was overpriced. I can only assume that all of the original copies have now been squirrelled away in people's record collections and demand has exceeded supply. Even a reissue in 2021 doesn't seem to have dented demand for the original. I guess this is just a sign of how the popularity of vinyl has increased in recent years.

The demand for this vinyl is quite puzzling as the album has been largely dismissed by Andy McCluskey as "messed up" and it doesn't seem to win many plaudits from fans either. Personally, I recall hearing the lead single "Stand Above Me" being played on the radio prior to the album's release and I was impressed enough to buy the CD single. This track is clearly an attempt to repeat the formula used by the hit "Sailing on the Seven Seas" but it falls well short of that high watermark. 

If we're honest we would have to say that most of the material on this album is pretty middling with few highs to be found. "Everyday", "Dollar Girl" and "Heaven Is" are all fairly good compositions but their execution is a bit confused. I'm not sure what possessed Andy to record a cover version of a Velvet Underground song and the faux rave of "Agnus Dei" is best forgotten. Yet, I like this album very much as it reminds me of the summer of 1993 and some good times in my life. Objectively this isn't one of the band's best, but it is special to me. Still not worth £130 though. 4/5

One record at a time: 339. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Sugar Tax

The original line up of OMD disbanded in 1989 but rather than throw in the towel, Andy McCluskey decided to continue the project alone. Aspirations for success in America and an inclination towards experimentation were put to one side and the band were born anew.

In an attempt to garner radio play and mass appeal the bass guitar and drums were replaced by the sounds of the Korg M1 and contemporary dance beats. The new approach seemed to work as "Sugar Tax" racked up platinum sales across Europe and was seen as a return to form. My copy of the record is the original 1991 pressing as this is one of few OMD albums that hasn't seen a repress since its release.

The album opens with the lead single "Sailing on the Seven Seas" which is a pleasing pop romp with a distinctive drum refrain. This song proved to be a big hit and must have buoyed Andy's confidence in the new incarnation of OMD. There's more straight up dance-pop in the form of "Pandora's Box (It's a Long Way)" and "Call My Name" which have that all important radio friendly sound. Another highlight for me is "Walk Tall" which has a fantastic synth bassline, Kraftwerk inspired beats and Roland D-50 presets scattered in the mix.

Personally I have always been disappointed by the cover version of "Neon Lights" on this record as the use of an unrelated female singer robs it of any impact. "Apollo XI" is 100% certified album filler and I have never been a big fan of the single "Then You Turn Away".

A good chunk of the album reflects on the break up of the band and Andy's relationship with fellow founding member Paul Humphreys. "Was It Something I Said" and "All That Glitters" are classic break up songs that have some bite but they pull back from anything too caustic and bitter. "Big Town" is slated as a reflection of the music business but, like a lot of these songs, the lyrics are ambiguous enough to leave the interpretation open to the listener. 4/5

One record at a time: 338. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - The Best of OMD

Released in 1988 this compilation always struck me as as a strictly commercial enterprise that was driven by Virgin Records.

The fact that Paul and Andy are featured on the cover is an immediate giveaway that something was different here. The decision to focus purely on the band's biggest hits and ignore whole swathes of material also points to this being a purely mercenary exercise. The phrases "Best of" and "Greatest Hits" are not synonymous and to my mind this record is actually the latter.

The original  LP I am listening to here is a fairly straightforward affair that presents fourteen of their biggest hits in chronological order. There is no room for either of the singles from "Dazzle Ships" and only one effort from their most recent album "The Pacific Age" got a look in. The version of "Tesla Girls" on this record is cited as being being unique to this compilation but it doesn't sound substantially different to my ears.

On the plus side there is a new song called "Dreaming" which is really rather good. I have always been mystified as to why this song didn't do well in the charts as it ticks all the right boxes for me. I guess it might have missed out on radio play and as we know, if it wasn't on the radio in the eighties, it didn't sell.

Despite these shortcomings, the record company must have done something right as this album recorded triple platinum sales and remains their biggest seller to date. For a long time this was the career defining retrospective that closed the book on the original line up of OMD. As a whistle-stop tour of their early years this remains a fine addition to any collection; but if you want something that truly befitting the title "Best of", you will have to cast your net much wider. 4/5

One record at a time: 337. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - The Pacific Age

By the time "The Pacific Age" was released in 1986 OMD had left behind any notion of producing art and where firmly a cog in the commercial machine (blame "Dazzle Ships"). For a band that started out with much loftier ambitions, this position was clearly untenable and the break up of the group became an inevitability. 

Yet the hits this album does contain are amongst my favourites. The single "(Forever) Live and Die" is one of the very best songs the band has ever made and "We Love You" is pretty accomplished in both production and composition. I have always liked "Shame" and the final song "Watch Us Fall" makes for a perfect ending. The trouble is, everything that surrounds these nuggets is pretty bland stuff.

Opening track "Stay (The Black Horse and The Universal Wheel)" has probably the most pretentious title of any OMD song (and it has some strong competition in this regard) but it sounds like safe, middle of the road nonsense. To my mind OMD had moved so far away from their natural sound that it's a wonder they had any of their old fans left - but then this record was created to win over Mary-Lou in Kansas City and not the people who bought their debut back in 1979. 

"Southern" is an instrumental that screams, "I am album filler" and the Fairlight samples on "Flame of Hope" have not aged well at all. "Goddess of Love" was so disposable it was also used as a b-side and "The Dead Girls" is enough to send me to sleep. For a long time this album was the band's valedictory and it felt like they were going out with a whimper. 2/5

One record at a time: 336. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Crush

1985's "Crush" saw OMD develop their polished pop with one eye firmly set on American audiences. In order to pander to their new target demographic, the band engaged the services of producer Stephen Hague and scattered guitar, acoustic drums and brass over their synth-pop creations. The plan didn't really work for America and it certainly didn't work for me.

In my youth I didn't have a high regard for this album as it wasn't electronic enough. My immature palette required strong hooks and lots of synthesisers (I guess it still does really) and this album just didn't deliver either. Today I can forgive the deficiencies in the execution and I have more patience to dig deeper, but this will never be my favourite OMD album. 

"So In Love" and "Secret" are obvious radio friendly singles that would grace any album from the era. If you dare to investigate further you will find that songs like "Women III" are their equal in every way and deserve a bigger audience. "88 Seconds to Greensboro" really shouldn't be any good as it is largely a live recording of the band playing conventional instruments - clearly an outrage to synth-pop - but it actually sounds quite good.

On the downside, the profanity in the title track is unnecessary and pulls an already dull piece down into the mud. I also detest the superficial commerciality of "Hold On" as it is cheesier than a mouse's packed lunch. Still, there is enough here to keep this album credible. 3/5