OMD Turn 40!

Kicking off what promises to be a massive year of 40th birthday celebrations, OMD will reissue their first four classic albums on 180g vinyl, mastered at half speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road and housed in their original iconic die cut sleeves designed by the legendary Peter Saville.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, best known and loved as OMD, were formed in1978 by teenage friends Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys. They quickly became electro-pioneers with a string of hit albums released throughout the 1980’s including the four to be re-issued on Universal Records November 2nd, eventually selling over 25 million singles and 15 million albums across their career to date.

Their 1980 self-titled debut album, ‘Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark’, featured hit singles ‘Electricity’ and ‘Messages’. ‘Organisation’ followed later that year and reached #6 in the UK chart, showcasing undoubtedly one of the greatest synth-pop songs of all time ‘Enola Gay’.

Maintaining a prolific work rate and a rich vein of form, the band released their third studio album in 1981, ‘Architecture & Morality’, which reached #3 in the UK chart, featured the top 5 singles: ‘Souvenir’, ‘Joan of Arc’ and ‘Maid of Orleans’ and sold over a million copies in the UK alone.

Two years later, in 1983, OMD unveiled their masterpiece ‘Dazzle Ships’ – another top 5 album, featuring the singles ‘Genetic Engineering’ and ‘Telegraph’.

Earlier this year the band announced two concerts at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on October 6th and 7th. Both shows are sold out.  They coincide with the anniversary of OMD’s first ever gig which took place at legendary Liverpool club Eric’s in October 1978.

These ‘must see’ shows will feature orchestral arrangements of many of OMD’s biggest hits, also fan favourite ambient tone poem pieces like ‘Stanlow’, ‘Sealand’ and ‘Ghost Star’ written especially for these concerts by Ian Stephens and Gary Carpenter, in addition to songs which have never been performed live before including rare B-sides.

Alongside the classic vinyl re-releases, the autumn shows with the Liverpool Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will be recorded as a live album, and a very special 40th anniversary book will tell the story of OMD from the garage beginnings right through to the latest sell out tours. Featuring memories from band members, other musical artists that they have influenced, famous admirers and loyal fans.

Usually when bands approach their 40th anniversaries they have long since run out of ideas, yet OMD continue to push musical boundaries, creating genuinely exciting sounds and powerful live performances. Having released three highly successful albums since they reformed 12 years ago, they continue to make music for the future. This anniversary is a rare moment of reflection for a legendary band that continues to influence and inspire.

A 40th birthday world tour starting in late 2019 will be announced very soon.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark (1980)

Side A
1           Bunker Soldiers
2           Almost
3           Mystereality
4           Electricity
5           The Messerschmitt Twins

Side B
1           Messages
2           Julia’s Song
3           Red Frame/White Light
4           Dancing (Instrumental)
5           Pretending To See The Future

Organisation (1980)

Side A
1           Enola Gay
2           2nd Thought
3           VCL XI
4           Motion And Heart
5           Statues

Side B

1           The Misunderstanding
2           The More I See You
3           Promise
4           Stanlow

Architecture & Morality (1981)

Side A
1           The New Stone Age
2           She’s Leaving
3           Souvenir
4           Sealand

Side B
1           Joan Of Arc
2           Joan Of Arc (Maid Of Orleans)
3           Architecture & Morality
4           Georgia
5           The Beginning And The End

Dazzle Ships (1983)

Side A
1           Radio Prague
2           Genetic Engineering
3           ABC Auto-Industry
4           Telegraph
5           This Is Helena
6           International

Side B
1           Dazzle Ships (Parts II, III And VII)
2           The Romance Of The Telescope
3           Silent Running
4           Radio Waves
5           Time Zones
6           Of All The Things We’ve Made

Pre-order the Vinyl Reissues here – https://OMD.lnk.to/VinylReissues