Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Encyclopedia
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (often abbreviated to OMD or O.M.D. ) are a synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...

 group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...

, England. OMD were originally assimilated in the greater new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

 batch of synthesiser-based acts of the later 1970s–early 1980s.

The group was founded in 1978 by Andy McCluskey
Andy McCluskey
George Andrew "Andy" McCluskey is the lead singer, bass guitarist, and primary songwriter for the band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark ....

 and Paul Humphreys
Paul Humphreys
Paul Humphreys is a British musician.-Life and career:He is best known as a member of synth pop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark , which he founded with Andy McCluskey in 1978.He grew up on the Wirral Peninsula in North West England, during which time he developed his interest in German...

 who remained, and were perceived as, the core members. Adding sidemen Malcolm Holmes
Malcolm Holmes
Malcolm Holmes is a British drummer. He is best known for being the drummer with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, with whom he had a #3 UK hit with "Souvenir" and a #4 US/#48 UK hit with "If You Leave."-Biography:...

 and Martin Cooper
Martin Cooper (artist)
Martin Cooper is a painter and a musician.-Musical career:From 1980 until 1989 Cooper was a member of the rock group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Prior to joining OMD, Cooper played the saxophone at some of their concerts, or they used his pre-recorded work. He also played with Dalek I Love...

 by the end of 1980, this quartet (with occasional line-up fluctuations) was the live concert line-up until 1989, when Humphreys, Cooper and Holmes all left OMD to found The Listening Pool
The Listening Pool
The Listening Pool was an English band, founded by three former members of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark , after the original-lineup split in 1989...

. McCluskey then retained the OMD name and continued to record and tour as OMD with new line-ups through 1996.

Although McCluskey essentially retired the OMD name in 1996, shortly thereafter Humphreys began playing live shows as OMD with other musicians on an as-needed basis, but without McCluskey. Then in late December 2005, OMD's official website announced a forthcoming reformation of the "classic" 1980's line-up (Humpheys/McCluskey/Cooper/Holmes), both for live performances and for a new studio album. This reformed quartet began touring in 2007, and further successful sold-out tours took place in 2008 and 2009. OMD's most recent studio album History of Modern
History of Modern
History of Modern is the eleventh studio album by British synthpop band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark . It is their first album since 1996, and the first album featuring the classic 4-piece line-up since 1986's The Pacific Age. The album was released in the UK on 20 September 2010, reaching to...

was released on 20 September 2010.

Early roots

Founders Andy McCluskey
Andy McCluskey
George Andrew "Andy" McCluskey is the lead singer, bass guitarist, and primary songwriter for the band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark ....

 and Paul Humphreys
Paul Humphreys
Paul Humphreys is a British musician.-Life and career:He is best known as a member of synth pop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark , which he founded with Andy McCluskey in 1978.He grew up on the Wirral Peninsula in North West England, during which time he developed his interest in German...

 met at primary school in Meols
Meols
Meols is a village on the northern coast of the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is contiguous with the larger town of Hoylake, situated immediately to the west. Formerly, Meols was in the county of Cheshire, although since 1 April 1974 it has been a part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in the...

 on the Wirral Peninsula
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...

, in the early 1960s, and in the mid-1970s, as teenagers, they were involved in different local groups.

By the mid-1970s McCluskey had formed Equinox, as bassist and vocalist, alongside schoolmate Malcolm Holmes
Malcolm Holmes
Malcolm Holmes is a British drummer. He is best known for being the drummer with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, with whom he had a #3 UK hit with "Souvenir" and a #4 US/#48 UK hit with "If You Leave."-Biography:...

 on drums, while Humphreys was their roadie. During that time McCluskey and Humphreys discovered their electronic style influenced by Kraftwerk. After Equinox, McCluskey joined Pegasus, and, later, the short-lived Hitlerz Underpantz, alongside Humphreys. McCluskey would usually sing and play bass guitar, whilst electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...

 enthusiast Humphreys initially began as a roadie, graduating to keyboards. The pair shared a love of electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...

, particularly Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...

 and Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...

.

The Id

In September 1977, McCluskey and Humphreys put together the seven-piece (three singers, two guitarists, bassist, drummer, and keyboard player) Wirral 'supergroup' The Id
The Id
-External links:*...

, whose line-up included drummer Malcolm Holmes
Malcolm Holmes
Malcolm Holmes is a British drummer. He is best known for being the drummer with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, with whom he had a #3 UK hit with "Souvenir" and a #4 US/#48 UK hit with "If You Leave."-Biography:...

 and McCluskey's girlfriend Julia Kneale on vocals. The group began to gig regularly in the Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...

 area, performing original material (largely written by McCluskey and Humphreys). They had quite a following on the scene, and one of their tracks ("Julia's Song") was included on a compilation record of local bands called Street to Street. Meanwhile, Humphreys & McCluskey collaborated on a side-project called VCL XI (named after a misreading of a valve from the diagram on the back cover of Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...

's Radio-Activity
Radio-Activity
Radio-Activity is the fifth studio album by German electronic band Kraftwerk, released in October 1975. Unlike Kraftwerk's later albums, which featured language-specific lyrics, only the titles differ between the English and German editions...

album; the name of valve is actually written with Arabic numbers, VCL 11, and not roman numerals). This side-project allowed them to pursue their more bizarre electronic experiments, often working with tape collages, home-made kit-built synthesisers, and circuit-bent
Circuit bending
Circuit bending is the creative customization of the circuits within electronic devices such as low voltage, battery-powered guitar effects, children's toys and small digital synthesizers to create new musical or visual instruments and sound generators....

 radios.

In August 1978, The Id split due to the traditional musical differences. The same month, McCluskey joined the electronic Wirral quartet Dalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You may refer to:* Dalek I Love You, a synthpop group* Dalek I Love You , the group's self-titled album* Dalek I Love You , an audio play broadcast on BBC Radio...

 as lead singer, but quit in September.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark's formation and first releases

In September 1978, the same month he left Dalek I Love You, McCluskey rejoined Humphreys and their VCL XI project was renamed Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. They began to gig regularly as a duo, performing to backing tracks played from a Teac 4 track tape-recorder christened "Winston" (after the antihero of George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...

's novel Nineteen Eighty-four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...

). Their debut performance was in October 1978 at Eric's Club
Eric's Club
Eric's Club was a music club in Liverpool, England. It opened on October 1, 1976 in a building basement on Mathew Street opposite The Cavern Club where The Beatles and other bands of the 1960s played, and became notable for hosting early performances by many punk and post-punk bands.The club was...

 in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

. Finding themselves on the cusp of an electronic new wave in British pop-music, they released a one-off single, "Electricity"
Electricity (OMD song)
"Electricity" is the debut single of the New Wave and synthpop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It is notable for having been recorded numerous times. The earliest versions are live recordings by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys' previous group The Id. The song is one of the OMD's most...

, with celebrated independent label Factory Records
Factory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...

. The track was supposed to be produced by the legendary Factory Records producer Martin Hannett
Martin Hannett
Martin Hannett , sometimes credited as Martin Zero, was a record producer and an original partner in Factory Records with Tony Wilson...

. In fact, the A-side was the band's original demo produced by their friend, owner of Winston and soon to be manager, Paul Collister under the pseudonym Chester Valentino (taken from a nightclub called Valentino's in the nearby city of Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...

). The single's sleeve was designed by Peter Saville, whose distinctive graphics provided OMD's public image well into the mid-80s. The unusual graphics that feature on the sleeve were partially inspired by Andy and Paul's original musical notation style. Unable to read or write music, they adapted a series of symbols, each one representing different instruments.

In 1979 they were asked to support Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...

 on his first major British tour. They were always grateful to Numan for his help and support. He let them travel on his bus and use his trucks to transport their gear. They returned the favour some 13 years later when they asked Numan to support them on their arena tour in the mid-1990s.

Classic line-up

The eponymous first album
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (album)
-U.S. release :The U.S. version, released in 1981, collects material from the first two OMD albums, but retains the sleeve-art of the debut LP. -Remastered CD release with bonus tracks:Virgin / DIDCDR2 -Notes:...

 (1980) showcased the band's live set at the time, and was basically recorded by the Humphreys/McCluskey duo, although included some guest drums from Id drummer Malcolm Holmes
Malcolm Holmes
Malcolm Holmes is a British drummer. He is best known for being the drummer with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, with whom he had a #3 UK hit with "Souvenir" and a #4 US/#48 UK hit with "If You Leave."-Biography:...

, and saxophone from Wirral musician Martin Cooper
Martin Cooper (artist)
Martin Cooper is a painter and a musician.-Musical career:From 1980 until 1989 Cooper was a member of the rock group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Prior to joining OMD, Cooper played the saxophone at some of their concerts, or they used his pre-recorded work. He also played with Dalek I Love...

. It had a simple, raw, poppy, melodic synthpop sound. Dindisc arranged for the song "Messages
Messages (OMD song)
"Messages" is the third single of the synthpop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark . The single has a re-recorded version of the song found on their debut album Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The single provided OMD with their first top 40 hit in the UK, reaching number 13...

" to be re-recorded (produced by Gong
Gong (band)
Gong is a Franco-British progressive/psychedelic rock band formed by Australian musician Daevid Allen. Their music has also been described as space rock. Other notable band members include Allan Holdsworth, Tim Blake, Didier Malherbe, Pip Pyle, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Francis Moze, Mike Howlett...

 bassist Mike Howlett
Mike Howlett
Mike Howlett is a Fijian-born musician, Grammy Award winning producer and teacher based in the United Kingdom and Australia....

) and released as a single (right) – this gave the band their first hit. Dave Hughes
Dave Hughes
David William "Hughesy" Hughes is an Australian stand-up comedian, radio and television presenter. He is currently co-host on the Network Ten's The Project and Before the Game as well as the breakfast radio show Hughesy and Kate.-Television:Hughes co-hosted the ABC comedy talk show The Glass House...

, a founder member of Dalek I Love You who joined OMD in early 1980, is featured in the "Messages" video.

A tour followed, Winston the tape recorder was augmented with live drums from Malcolm Holmes
Malcolm Holmes
Malcolm Holmes is a British drummer. He is best known for being the drummer with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, with whom he had a #3 UK hit with "Souvenir" and a #4 US/#48 UK hit with "If You Leave."-Biography:...

, and Dalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You may refer to:* Dalek I Love You, a synthpop group* Dalek I Love You , the group's self-titled album* Dalek I Love You , an audio play broadcast on BBC Radio...

's Dave Hughes on synths. Hughes then left OMD in November 1980, replaced by Martin Cooper.

The second album Organisation
Organisation (album)
-2003 remaster:# "Enola Gay" – 3:33# "2nd Thought" – 4:15# "VCL XI" – 3:50# "Motion and Heart" – 3:16# "Statues" – 4:30...

(perhaps a reference to the band which preceded Kraftwerk, founded by Kraftwerk's original members Florian Schneider-Esleben and Ralf Hütter) followed later that year, recorded as a 3 piece with Humphreys, McCluskey and Holmes. It was again produced by Howlett, and saw a rather moodier, dark feel. The album spawned the hit single "Enola Gay
Enola Gay (song)
"Enola Gay" is a song by British synthpop band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark . It was written by frontman Andy McCluskey, and appears on the band's second album, Organisation . It was released as a 7" single on 26 September 1980...

", named after the plane that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima
Enola Gay
Enola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, mother of the pilot, then-Colonel Paul Tibbets. On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb as a weapon of war...

. The song was originally intended to be included on the debut album, but was left out at the final selection, which may explain why the song is somewhat at odds with the darker feel of the second album.
The tour for this album saw a 4-piece band line-up, with saxophonist Martin Cooper (another Dalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You may refer to:* Dalek I Love You, a synthpop group* Dalek I Love You , the group's self-titled album* Dalek I Love You , an audio play broadcast on BBC Radio...

 alumnus) recruited for keyboard duties. Howlett then presided over the recording of a further hit single, "Souvenir
Souvenir (song)
"Souvenir" is a song written by Paul Humphreys and Martin Cooper of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and released as the first single from their 1981 album Architecture & Morality...

", co-written by Cooper & Humphreys. It ushered in a lush choral electronic sound. The song also became OMD's biggest hit to date.

November 1981 saw the release of their most commercially successful album in the UK and Europe – Architecture & Morality
Architecture & Morality
Architecture & Morality is the third album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1981. It is the group's most commercially and critically successful album, selling over 3 million copies. Released just eighteen months after their debut album, it demonstrated both OMD's continuing musical...

. The group went into the studio with Richard Mainwaring producing. Cooper then temporarily dropped out and was replaced by Mike Douglas, but this change was reversed by the time the album was released and a tour embarked upon. The album's sound saw OMD's original synth-pop sound augmented by the Mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...

, an instrument previously associated with prog rock bands. They used it to add very atmospheric swatches of string, choir and other sounds to their palette. Two more hit singles "Joan of Arc" and "Maid of Orleans" (which became the most successful single of 1982 in Germany) were taken from the album, which eventually sold more than 3 million copies. A somewhat interesting footnote is that "Joan of Arc" and "Maid of Orleans" were originally both titled "Joan of Arc"; the name of the latter single was changed at the insistence of the publishers and to avoid confusion. It became "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)" and later simply "Maid of Orleans".

1983 saw the band lose commercial momentum somewhat, with the release of their more experimental Dazzle Ships
Dazzle Ships (album)
The "Manor Version" of "Telegraph" was recorded at the same time as Architecture & Morality. "Swiss Radio International" was dropped from the album at the last minute...

album, which mixed melancholy synth ballads and uptempo synthpop with musique concrete and short wave radio tape collages. It was recorded by the 4-piece Humphreys/Holmes/Cooper/McCluskey line-up, and produced by Rhett Davies. Its relative commercial failure caused a crisis of confidence for Humphreys and McCluskey and brought about a deliberate move towards the mainstream.

American chart success

1984's Junk Culture
Junk Culture (album)
Junk Culture is the fifth album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1984. It is most noteworthy for being the last OMD album to receive acclaim in the UK.The cover artwork was designed by Peter Saville....

was a return to a poppier sound and saw the band using digital sampling keyboards such as the Fairlight CMI
Fairlight CMI
The Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...

 and the E-mu Emulator. The album was a success, reassuring the group about their new direction. The "Locomotion
Locomotion (OMD song)
"Locomotion" is a hit single recorded and released by British band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, and is also the first single taken from their 1984 album, Junk Culture...

" single returned the group to the top five in the UK and was a good indicator of the group's new found sound, notably the adoption of a classic verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure, which is something the group had often previously avoided. In 1985, the band expanded to a sextet, featuring new band members Graham Weir (guitar, keyboards, trombone) and Neil Weir (trumpet, bass guitar), and released Crush
Crush (OMD album)
Crush is the sixth album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1985."So in Love" became the group's first hit single in the US, the album also sold well in the US...

, produced by Stephen Hague
Stephen Hague
Stephen Hague is an American music producer most active with various British acts in the 1980s. He was an influential figure in the synthpop movement.-Early career:...

 in Paris and New York. The success of the single "So in Love
So in Love (OMD song)
"So in Love" is a song by the band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1985 as the first single of the album Crush. The artwork, designed by XL Design, and the promo video were both influenced by the Mexican Day of the Dead festival....

" in the US Hot 100 also led to some success for the LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...

 which entered the American Top 40
American Top 40
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...

, establishing the group in the US as well as making Stephen Hague a sought-after producer.

Later in 1985, the band wrote the song "If You Leave
If You Leave
"If You Leave" is a 1986 song by the British synthpop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Pretty in Pink where it was played prominently during the final scene...

" for the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about teenage love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools. It is one of a group of John Hughes films starring Molly Ringwald, and is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film...

. The song was featured on the soundtrack
Pretty in Pink (soundtrack)
The Pretty in Pink soundtrack album was released in 1986 for the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink, a now classic coming-of-age film about teenage love and social cliques in a 1980s American high school....

 and became a huge hit in the US and Canada where it reached the Top 5. The same six piece line-up also released The Pacific Age
The Pacific Age
The Pacific Age is the seventh album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1986. " Live and Die" became the group's third hit single in the US and returned the group to the top 20 in the UK, peaking at #11, but the album sold poorly in both countries.The Pacific Age was Stephen Hague's...

in 1986, but the band began to see their critical and public popularity wane in the UK while they failed to capitalise upon their breakthrough in the US market.

The Pacific Age
The Pacific Age
The Pacific Age is the seventh album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1986. " Live and Die" became the group's third hit single in the US and returned the group to the top 20 in the UK, peaking at #11, but the album sold poorly in both countries.The Pacific Age was Stephen Hague's...

contained the UK #11 hit single, "(Forever) Live & Die" and other notable single releases, "Shame" and "We Love You". However, the band's increasingly commercial direction was causing growing dissatisfaction among the band's long-term fans, as well as within the band itself.

Classic line-up split – OMD in the 90s

During 1988 the band appeared poised to consolidate their US success, with a support slot for Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...

's 101 tour at the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl (stadium)
The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, U.S., in Los Angeles County. The stadium is the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day. In 1982, it became the home field of the UCLA Bruins college football team of the Pac-12...

 in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...

, California on 28 June 1988, a top 20 US hit with "Dreaming" and a successful "Best of" album. However, it was at this point when OMD broke in two. Graham and Neil Weir left at the end of the 1989 US tour and co-founder Paul Humphreys subsequently called it a day, unhappy with the band's commercial orientation. Finally, Cooper, and Holmes left OMD by 1990 to join Humphreys in founding a new band called The Listening Pool
The Listening Pool
The Listening Pool was an English band, founded by three former members of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark , after the original-lineup split in 1989...

.

This left only McCluskey to carry on, essentially becoming a solo artist working under the OMD banner. McCluskey's first album from the new OMD was the critically acclaimed Sugar Tax LP in 1991, which charted admirably at #3 in the UK. McCluskey recruited Liverpool musicians Lloyd Massett and Stuart Kershaw as collaborators on Sugar Tax, though not as full-fledged group members — writing credits carefully distinguished between songs written by OMD (i.e. McCluskey) and songs written by OMD/Kershaw/Massett. This iteration of the group was initially successful with hits like "Sailing on the Seven Seas" and "Pandora's Box", with lesser success on fellow chart entries, "Call My Name" and "Then You Turn Away".

McCluskey would then work with keyboardists Nigel Ippinson
Nigel Ippinson
Nigel Ipinson-Fleming is a British keyboardist.Ipinson has been with The Stone Roses, playing keys on the alternative version of "Love Spreads" that appeared on the 1995 HELP! Charity album, on one of the remix versions of "Begging You" and throughout the band's Second Coming Tour of 1995 as well...

 and Phil Coxon for the album Liberator (1993). Liberator's 5th track "Dream Of Me" was built around a sample from "Love's Theme" by Love Unlimited Orchestra, a track which was written and produced by Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...

. In order to release the "Dream of Me" track as an OMD single, however, McCluskey had to agree that the single release of the track would remove the actual "Love's Theme" sample, but still be officially titled "Dream of Me (Based on Love's Theme)", and furthermore would still give sole writing credit to White.

McCluskey returned with a rotating cast of musicians for the 1996 album Universal
Universal (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album)
-Personnel:* Andy McCluskey – vocals, keyboards, production, mix on tracks 8–9* Matthew Vaughan – keyboards on tracks 1, 4, 8, and 10, guitar on tracks 2, 3, and 5, piano on track 3, bass on track 9, production on tracks 1–7, and tracks 10–12...

. For this last album, Humphreys returned as a co-writer of a few songs, though not as a performer or group member.

Though both Liberator and Universal produced minor hits and the latter also spawned their first Top 20 hit in five years with "Walking On The Milky Way", McCluskey retired the OMD name in late 1996, due to waning public interest in an 80's synth band at the height of the guitar-based Britpop era. A second singles album
The OMD Singles
The OMD Singles is a singles compilation album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1998. It reached #16 in the UK charts. Originally, the compilation was to include a second disc of new remixes; however, this idea was abandoned due to budget limitations. The few remixes that were...

 was released in 1998, and an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 of remixed material by such acts as Sash!
Sash!
SASH! is a German DJ / producer team, fronted by Sascha Lappessen , who works in the recording studio with Ralf Kappmeier and Thomas "Alisson" Lüdke. They have sold over 18 million albums worldwide and earned more than 65 Gold and Platinum awards.-History:Sascha Lappessen, Thomas "Alisson" Lüdke,...

 and Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...

.

Post-1996, McCluskey decided to focus on songwriting for such Liverpool based acts as Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten were an English girl group from Liverpool, first established in 1997. Created by Andy McCluskey, the final line-up, and most commercially successful, consisted of Natasha Hamilton, Liz McClarnon, and Jenny Frost...

 and The Genie Queen, and trying to develop new Merseyside artists from his Motor Museum recording studio. With Andy focusing his talents elsewhere, Humphreys decided to work with his new musical partner Claudia Brücken
Claudia Brücken
Claudia Brücken is a German singer who fronted the synthpop groups Propaganda and Act. Since 1996 she has been working with OMD member Paul Humphreys, first without a name, since 2004 as Onetwo...

, of the ZTT bands Propaganda
Propaganda (band)
Propaganda is a German synthpop group, formed in 1982. They were one of the initial roster of acts signed to Trevor Horn's ZTT label, between 1984 and 1986, during which they released the critically acclaimed album A Secret Wish....

 and Act
Act (band)
Act were a short-lived synthpop group signed to ZTT Records in the late 1980s, and comprising Thomas Leer and ex-Propaganda vocalist Claudia Brücken. Besides electro-pop and disco the group were also influenced by psychedelic rock and musical theatre...

, as Onetwo
Onetwo (band)
Onetwo is a synth pop group formed in 2000 by singer Claudia Brücken and keyboardist/singer Paul Humphreys . Their collaboration had no name until 2004....

. Paul also undertook a US live tour under the banner Paul Humphreys from OMD. Unfortunately, several unscrupulous promoters advertised the gigs as "OMD"
and this caused some tension between the two original founders.

Reformation

On 1 January 2006, Andy McCluskey announced plans to reform OMD with the McCluskey, Humphreys, Holmes and Cooper line up. The original plan was to tour the album Architecture & Morality
Architecture & Morality
Architecture & Morality is the third album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1981. It is the group's most commercially and critically successful album, selling over 3 million copies. Released just eighteen months after their debut album, it demonstrated both OMD's continuing musical...

and other pre-1983 material, then record a new album set for release in 2007.

In May 2007, the Architecture & Morality remastered CD was re-released together with a DVD featuring the Drury Lane concert from 1981 that had previously been available on VHS.

Through May and June, the band toured with the "classic" line up of McCluskey, Humphreys, Holmes and Cooper. They began their set with a re-ordered but otherwise complete restaging of the Architecture & Morality album. The second half of each concert featured a selection of their best known hits, and audience reaction was consistently so positive that the all-seated venues saw the crowds on their feet for the entire show. The band seemed surprised and delighted by their applause.

Spring 2008 saw the release of a live CD and DVD of the 2007 tour, OMD Live: Architecture & Morality & More
OMD Live: Architecture & Morality & More
OMD Live: Architecture & Morality & More is a live album and DVD by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It was recorded at the Hammersmith Apollo, London on Saturday 19 May 2007.-UK release:Release date: #"Architecture & Morality"#"Sealand"...

, recorded at the London Apollo Hammersmith, along with a 25th anniversary re-release of Dazzle Ships, including six bonus tracks. At the same time, a brief October 2008 tour was announced, partly to tie-in with the Dazzle Ships album's 25th anniversary. China Crisis
China Crisis
China Crisis is an English pop/rock band. They were formed in 1979 in Kirkby, near Liverpool, Merseyside with a core of vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon...

 supported OMD on this tour.

In June 2009 an orchestral concert with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic was given in Liverpool. A recording of this concert was released on DVD in December 2009. November and December also saw a return to arena touring as support for Simple Minds
Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...

.

OMD performed with Night of the Proms
Night of the Proms
Night of the Proms is a series of concerts held yearly in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Poland. Regularly there are also shows in France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg...

 already in Dec. 2006 in Germany and later again in Belgium and Holland in Oct., Nov. 2009.

OMD were also the headline act at Britain's first Vintage Computer Festival at The National Museum of Computing
The National Museum of Computing
The National Museum of Computing is a museum in the United Kingdom dedicated to collecting and restoring historic computer systems. The museum is based at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, England, and opened in 2007...

, Bletchley Park, in June 2010.

On 9 July 2010, OMD were invited by the German designer Michael Michalsky
Michael Michalsky
Michael Michalsky is a German fashion designer and designer of lifestyle products. He is the founder and head designer of the fashion label MICHALSKY. He is also the Creative Director of the luxury handbag manufacturer MCM since 2005...

 to perform at his StyleNite
Stylenite
The Stylenite is a cultural event organized by Berlin’s designer Michael Michalsky. It has evolved from Michalsky’s fashion shows and takes place twice a year during Berlin Fashion Week...

 event during Berlin Fashion Week.

Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....

 announced on 9 Sep 2010, that OMD will perform as a special guest at the "first live gig" of The Buggles.

OMD's 11th studio album, History of Modern
History of Modern
History of Modern is the eleventh studio album by British synthpop band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark . It is their first album since 1996, and the first album featuring the classic 4-piece line-up since 1986's The Pacific Age. The album was released in the UK on 20 September 2010, reaching to...

, was released on 20. September 2010 to positive critical acclaim, reaching #28 in the UK album charts, and has sold well over 100,000 in Europe. A European tour to promote the album followed in November 2010.

In March 2011, OMD played their first North American tour as the original line up since 1988. The shows were hugely popular with unanimously positive reviews reflecting a general acknowledgement of the bands influential place in musical history combined with their ability to still deliver an incredibly powerful live show.

In September 2011, OMD appeared at the Electric Picnic
Electric Picnic
The 2005 festival took place on Saturday 3 September and Sunday 4 September. It is best remembered for Arcade Fire's performance which came before their subsequent mainstream success...

 2011 festival in Stradbally, Co Laois, Ireland.

Current line-up

  • Andy McCluskey
    Andy McCluskey
    George Andrew "Andy" McCluskey is the lead singer, bass guitarist, and primary songwriter for the band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark ....

     – vocals, bass guitar, keyboards (1979–1996,2005–present)
  • Paul Humphreys
    Paul Humphreys
    Paul Humphreys is a British musician.-Life and career:He is best known as a member of synth pop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark , which he founded with Andy McCluskey in 1978.He grew up on the Wirral Peninsula in North West England, during which time he developed his interest in German...

     – vocals, keyboards (1979–1989,2005–present)
  • Malcolm Holmes
    Malcolm Holmes
    Malcolm Holmes is a British drummer. He is best known for being the drummer with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, with whom he had a #3 UK hit with "Souvenir" and a #4 US/#48 UK hit with "If You Leave."-Biography:...

     – drums, percussion (1979–1989,2005–present)
  • Martin Cooper
    Martin Cooper (artist)
    Martin Cooper is a painter and a musician.-Musical career:From 1980 until 1989 Cooper was a member of the rock group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Prior to joining OMD, Cooper played the saxophone at some of their concerts, or they used his pre-recorded work. He also played with Dalek I Love...

     – keyboards, saxophone
    Saxophone
    The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

     (1980,1981–1989,2005–present)

Former members

  • Dave Hughes
    David Hughes (musician)
    David Alan Hughes is an English keyboardist who played in different New Wave bands, and later became successful making music for films.-New Wave years:...

     – keyboards (1979–1980)
  • Michael Douglas – keyboards (1980–1981) (keyboards in enola gay and some concerts)
  • Neil Weir – brass, keyboards, bass guitar (1984–1989)
  • Graham Weir – guitar, brass, keyboards, writer (1984–1989)
  • Abe Juckes – drums (1991–1992)
  • Lloyd Massett – keyboards (1991)
  • Nigel Ippinson
    Nigel Ippinson
    Nigel Ipinson-Fleming is a British keyboardist.Ipinson has been with The Stone Roses, playing keys on the alternative version of "Love Spreads" that appeared on the 1995 HELP! Charity album, on one of the remix versions of "Begging You" and throughout the band's Second Coming Tour of 1995 as well...

     – keyboards (1991–1993)
  • Phil Coxon – keyboards (1991–1993)
  • Stuart Kershaw – drums (1993),piano,writer (2010)
  • Matthew Vaughan - bass,keyboards,guitar,piano (1996)
  • Jimmy Taylor - guitar (1996)
  • Chuck Sabo - drums and percussions (1996)

Albums

  • Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
    Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (album)
    -U.S. release :The U.S. version, released in 1981, collects material from the first two OMD albums, but retains the sleeve-art of the debut LP. -Remastered CD release with bonus tracks:Virgin / DIDCDR2 -Notes:...

    (1980)
  • Organisation
    Organisation (album)
    -2003 remaster:# "Enola Gay" – 3:33# "2nd Thought" – 4:15# "VCL XI" – 3:50# "Motion and Heart" – 3:16# "Statues" – 4:30...

    (1980)
  • Architecture & Morality
    Architecture & Morality
    Architecture & Morality is the third album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1981. It is the group's most commercially and critically successful album, selling over 3 million copies. Released just eighteen months after their debut album, it demonstrated both OMD's continuing musical...

    (1981)
  • Dazzle Ships
    Dazzle Ships (album)
    The "Manor Version" of "Telegraph" was recorded at the same time as Architecture & Morality. "Swiss Radio International" was dropped from the album at the last minute...

    (1983)
  • Junk Culture
    Junk Culture (album)
    Junk Culture is the fifth album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1984. It is most noteworthy for being the last OMD album to receive acclaim in the UK.The cover artwork was designed by Peter Saville....

    (1984)
  • Crush
    Crush (OMD album)
    Crush is the sixth album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1985."So in Love" became the group's first hit single in the US, the album also sold well in the US...

    (1985)
  • The Pacific Age
    The Pacific Age
    The Pacific Age is the seventh album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1986. " Live and Die" became the group's third hit single in the US and returned the group to the top 20 in the UK, peaking at #11, but the album sold poorly in both countries.The Pacific Age was Stephen Hague's...

    (1986)
  • Sugar Tax (1991)
  • Liberator (1993)
  • Universal
    Universal (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album)
    -Personnel:* Andy McCluskey – vocals, keyboards, production, mix on tracks 8–9* Matthew Vaughan – keyboards on tracks 1, 4, 8, and 10, guitar on tracks 2, 3, and 5, piano on track 3, bass on track 9, production on tracks 1–7, and tracks 10–12...

    (1996)
  • History of Modern
    History of Modern
    History of Modern is the eleventh studio album by British synthpop band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark . It is their first album since 1996, and the first album featuring the classic 4-piece line-up since 1986's The Pacific Age. The album was released in the UK on 20 September 2010, reaching to...

    (2010)
  • English Electric (TBA)

Print

  • There were several fanzines about the band, including Winston and the successful Telegraph, (which McCluskey was heavily involved in) that were active during the post-split period. Telegraph designed by Paul Browne in partnership with Phillip Marsh folded in 1994 after 5 issues. Browne went on to run the band's website and an official magazine called Messages which is still running. Marsh recently started to run the bands Myspace site.
  • The book Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, an unauthorised biography by Mike West, published in 1982.
  • The book Messages, written by Johnny Waller and Paul Humphreys' brother Mike Humphreys, details the career of the band up to the time of The Best of OMD.

In popular culture

  • OMD was featured several times in the BBC television programme Ashes To Ashes
    Ashes to Ashes (TV series)
    Ashes to Ashes is a British science fiction and police procedural drama television series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars.The series began airing on BBC One in February 2008. A second series began broadcasting in April 2009...

    :
    • "Enola Gay
      Enola Gay (song)
      "Enola Gay" is a song by British synthpop band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark . It was written by frontman Andy McCluskey, and appears on the band's second album, Organisation . It was released as a 7" single on 26 September 1980...

      " was used in Episode 4 of Series 1
    • "Souvenir
      Souvenir (song)
      "Souvenir" is a song written by Paul Humphreys and Martin Cooper of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and released as the first single from their 1981 album Architecture & Morality...

      " was used in Episode 2 of Series 1
    • "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)
      Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)
      "Joan of Arc " is a song by British band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and was the third single released from their third studio album Architecture & Morality....

      " was used in Episode 8 of Series 2
    • "Messages
      Messages (OMD song)
      "Messages" is the third single of the synthpop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark . The single has a re-recorded version of the song found on their debut album Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The single provided OMD with their first top 40 hit in the UK, reaching number 13...

      " was used in Episode 2 of Series 2
  • "Enola Gay" was used for the 2008 Israeli film Waltz with Bashir
    Waltz with Bashir
    Waltz with Bashir is a 2008 Israeli animated documentary film written and directed by Ari Folman. It depicts Folman in search of his lost memories from the 1982 Lebanon War....

  • OMD wrote the theme tune for the BBC drama series For The Greater Good, which ran for 3 episodes and was released in March 1991
  • Fellow Wirral band Half Man Half Biscuit
    Half Man Half Biscuit
    Half Man Half Biscuit, often "HMHB", are an English rock band from Birkenhead, Merseyside, active since the mid-1980s, known for satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs. The group comprises Nigel Blackwell , Neil Crossley , Ken Hancock , and Carl Henry...

     recorded a track called "Architecture and Morality and Ted and Alice" on their Trumpton Riots EP in 1986.
  • OMD were referenced in the song "New Wave Girl" by Nerf Herder.
  • In the episode "Great Expectations" of the hit ABC show Modern Family
    Modern Family
    Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...

    , Phil corrects Claire (his wife), informing her that their "song" is "If You Leave" by OMD rather than "True" by Spandau Ballet
    Spandau Ballet
    Spandau Ballet are a British band formed in London in the late 1970s. Initially inspired by, and an integral part of, the New Romantic fashion, their music has featured a mixture of funk, jazz, soul and synthpop. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s, achieving ten Top Ten singles...

    .
  • Hewlett Packard will be using several OMD songs in their upcoming campaign for several new products.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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