Blue Plate Special: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) is an iconic English electronic band founded in 1978 by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys in Wirral, Merseyside. Renowned for pioneering the synth-pop genre, OMD fused minimalist electronic music with pop hooks, influencing a broad array of artists globally. Their debut single “Electricity” in 1979 set the stage for their success, followed by their 1980 hit “Enola Gay” and the critically acclaimed 1981 album ‘Architecture & Morality’. Despite a brief decline in popularity with the experimental 1983 album ‘Dazzle Ships’, they regained momentum with a more accessible sound in the mid-1980s, achieving significant U.S. success with tracks like “If You Leave” from the film ‘Pretty in Pink’.

OMD was another of those bands that I followed casually for years, aware of many of their early singles like ‘Electricity,’ ‘Enola Gay,’ ‘Souvenir,’ ‘Joan of Arc,’ and ‘Of All The Things We’ve Made’ that occasionally made the weekend programming played by UC Berkeley DJs, and were later played on Live 105 in San Francisco. For me, the personal breakthrough came with 1984’s album Junk Culture when I finally started paying close attention and actually purchased the album. Of course, in the new wave and college radio scenes, that album and the two follow-ups – Crush in 1985 and The Pacific Age in 1986 – were massive hits.

Following internal changes in 1989 with Humphreys leaving the band, OMD explored dance-pop with the successful ‘Sugar Tax’ album in 1991 but disbanded in 1996 amid the rise of Britpop. They reunited in 2006, returning to their experimental roots and continuing to tour and release new music. OMD’s innovative approach to electronic music has sold over 40 million records worldwide, maintaining their status as influential figures in the synth-pop and electronic music scenes.

Here are some of my favorites from their extensive catalog:

We Love You – from the album The Pacific Age (1986)

 

Electricity – from the album Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1980)

 

Sailing on the Seven Seas – from the album Sugar Tax (1991)

 

Tesla Girls – from the album Junk Culture (1984)

 

Telegraph – from the album Dazzle Ships (1983)

 

Enola Gay – from the album Organisation (1980)

 

So In Love – from the album Crush (1985)

 

Souvenir – from the album Architecture and Morality (1981)

 

Secret – from the album Crush (1985)

 

Red Frame / White Light – from the album Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1980)

 

(Forever) Live and Die – from the album The Pacific Age (1986)

 

Of All The Things We’ve Made – from the album Architecture and Morality (1981)