OMD [Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark]: Maid of Orleans (1982)

This is the original 12" single for Maid of Orleans. These notes accompany the release information on Discogs:

"Original Sleeve Design (embossed coin motif on a special silver foil sleeve)."

The foil cover has incorrect information, though the record labels are correct:

"The single was originally to have featured a B side track titled Experiments In Vertical Take Off. The song hadn't actually been written at the time, but merely existed as a title. The single sleeves were subsequently printed with this title, but Andy and Paul had decided against the idea, and chose a brand new song called Navigation."

That's odd. It must have confused people. And this:

"The original sleeve design for the 12" version had used an embossed coin motif on a silver foil sleeve. The band weren't happy with this sleeve design, which led to the new stained glass version. A limited number of the coin foil sleeves, however, were issued."

I don't think that this foil version is really rare. I've seen a couple over the years. It would be nice to know how many were released. Finally, discogs notes:

"The 12" stained glass sleeve design was printed on a silver reflective background front and reverse. Later versions of the sleeve were non-reflective and featured a grey back. A third issue used a white back and made an attempt to correct the track listing. However, it listed the third track as 'Of All The Things We've Done'."

So, the correct track listing is Maid Of Orleans (The Waltz Of Joan Of Arc) on side A with Of All The Things We've Made and Navigation on Side B. There are three other versions of this 12".

Needless to say, I love this track as well as Joan of Arc, the tune that precedes this one on Architecture and Morality. By the way, the songs carries the title Maid Of Orleans (The Waltz Of Joan Of Arc) rather than Joan Of Arc (Maid Of Orleans) in order to not have it confused with the previous single Joan of Arc from the same record.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark [OMD]: Architecture and Morality (1981)

There are a handful of records that I would call masterpieces and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's Architecture and Morality is one of them. In fact, this record is one of my favourite records of all time. I still remember the first time I heard this record and the epic opening to The New Stone Age, about which Allmusic says: "The New Stone Age," with McCluskey's emotional fear palpable over a rough combination of nervous electronic pulses, piercing keyboard parts, and slightly distorted guitar." [link] I nominate this as one of the best song openings ever. The first time I heard it, it stopped me in my tracks.

From there, the band moves into the haunting She's Leaving, followed by Souvenir, a track that I recall Andy McCluskey saying he originally didn't like. I really can't understand that at all. Sealand, which is partly ambient and partly hypnotic, seems to foreshadow Dazzle Ships, as does the title track and Georgia. Joan of Arc and Maid of Orleans, are simply amazing tracks. The album concludes with the peaceful The Beginning and the End. It's brilliant, a work of true genius. Everyone should hear this record. If you don't like it, there is something wrong with you :)

Orchestral Manoeuvres [Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark] [OMD]: Joan or Arc (1981)

Oddly, this Canadian 12" single is credited to Orchestral Manoeuvres, rather than Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. I wonder why. It contains Joan or Arc, from Architecture and Morality as well as The Romance of the Telescope (Unfinished), a track that later appeared in finished form on Dazzle Ships.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark [OMD]: Extended Souvenir (1981)

This 10" Canadian pressing on dark green vinyl contains two tracks: an extended mix of Souvenir and Motion and Heart (Amazon Version), the latter of which originally appeared on Organisation. Unless you held this record up to a light, you might not even notice that the record is pressed on coloured vinyl. In fact, I had a copy of this record for some time before I realized that it was on coloured vinyl.

If a band released something these days with a label such as Amazon Version, one might conclude that the tune was an Amazon exclusive. It's odd how the word Amazon probably causes most people to think about the online store and not the river.

This is the original single and video:

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark [OMD]: Organisation (1980)

If the debut OMD record was a sort of homage to Kraftwerk, then Organisation is a sort of tribute to Joy Division. The record does contain the big dance-able single, Enola Gay -- the only single released from this LP -- but the remainder of the record is a much more moody affair. Even the big dance-able single is odd, given the subject matter. In truth, there are some upbeat moments, but much of the record is subdued. I think that's a good thing. Stanlow might make it into my top five OMD songs, even though one could not dance to it.

It may seem like heresy to some, but I think one could make the argument that this might the finest OMD record. It's a tough call between this and Architecture and Morality, but this LP is truly fabulous.

The is the record in which the band hired a full time drummer - Malcolm Holmes -- who replaced Winston, the band's tape recorder.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark ‎[OMD]: Enola Gay (1980)

"It's 8:15, that's the time that it's always been"
 
This is the original, first UK pressing of Enola Gay, released on September 6, 1980. It is taken from the 2nd LP, Organisation. The flip side is a very cool tune called Annex. It's difficult to imagine that a catchier song about unwarranted nuclear devastation could ever be written. The Wikipedia page for this song has lots of interesting details. I find the following to be particularly bizarre:

Keyboardist Paul Humphreys and OMD manager Paul Collister were not fans of "Enola Gay" (the latter originally threatened to resign if it were released as a single). Collister did, however, believe it was a surefire hit – a view that drummer Malcolm Holmes did not share. Initially proud of the song, McCluskey's confidence wavered: he re-recorded his vocal, but was dissatisfied with the final mix of the track.

Hmm. I've always liked this track.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark [OMD]: Red Frame/White Light (1980)

 

Red Frame/White Light is the second single from the band's debut record. It was released in a picture sleeve and in a generic sleeve, with different labels. Most 7" and 12' version have I Betray My Friends on the B side, with others having Dancing. Obviously, this is the version in the generic sleeve. Both 12" versions seem to be difficult to find in decent shape for reasonable prices. I love this track. 

You also need to know this, as reported in Wikipedia:

The telephone box that inspired "Red Frame/White Light" is located at the junction of Birkenhead Road and Greenwood Road in Meols.

In the nearby pub "The Railway Inn" the band would meet and used the telephone box to organise their gigs and transportation. In the song's lyrics the phone number is mentioned: 6323003.

Fans would ring the number expecting to get one of the band members, but got a confused home owner in their own area code. Over the years it has become a kind of sacred place for OMD fans. In 2004 OMD fan Stephen Cork started a successful campaign to get the telephone box repainted in time for a fan tour on 10 April 2005.

On the evening of 18 August 2017 the phone box was removed by BT Group. It has subsequently been restored and returned to its original location as of October 2017. [source]

Cool, right?

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark [OMD]: Messages (1980)

Messages was the third single from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's first LP. This 10" pressing features a re-recorded version of Messages, which originally appeared on the band's debut LP. Apparently, a few copies of this release with the original album track are extant. My copy is a UK pressing with grey 2 tone labels.

Surprisingly, this record contains a cover of the Velvet Underground's Waiting for the Man (written by Lou Reed). The other track is Taking Sides Again, an OMD original. Messages is one of my favourite, and top-5, OMD tunes.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark [OMD]: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (1980)

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, also known as OMD (or, as some people wrote back in the early 80s, OMITD), is one of my favourite bands from the 1980s. They have been called "The Beatles of synth pop." Right from the first note of the first song of their debut self-titled record, I was hooked, when I heard it sometime after 1980. My only regret is that I have a Canadian pressing rather than the original and brilliant UK die-cut jacket, created by Pete Saville, who did amazing graphic design work with Factory Records.

The band has been very open about taking some musical cues from Kraftwerk for this record, and that is apparent when listening. I can't say enough good things about this record. All tracks are amazing, but the one that people are most likely to recognize is Electricity. Other strong tracks are Bunker Soldiers, Messages, The Messerschmitt Twins, Red Frame/White Light, and Dancing.

Later, the band took a more commercial route, but even then I found the music interesting. Oddly, the band enjoyed success in the UK as a pop band, getting what I think was frequent airplay. In North America, they were relegated to "alternative" status -- back when alternative meant something - and so one had to listen to college/university radio or CFNY to hear OMD.

I do remember the day when a friend of mine came over and turned the tuning dial to my dad's console stereo system from 104.5 CHUM-FM or Q107 to 102.1 CFNY, the Spirit of Radio. That was quite the day. Momentarily disoriented to the odd sounds coming fro the stereo, I eventually found a new friend though I did not give up the old staples. That little station from Brampton made an enormous impact on me, and no other radio station experience, no other forays into new music, for that matter, has ever been so important as that early exposure to a world of unique music. That station was my constant friend, until everything blew up in the late 1980s. Now, radio is in the hands of corporations and fools. "And the radio is in the hands of such a lot of fools..."

Orange Juice: In a Nutshell (1985)

The compilation LP was released only in the UK, New Zealand, and the Philippines. Does this speak to the band's fan base? My feeling is that they were not popular in Canada. I don't believe I ever heard this band's music on the radio. Anyway, I have a copy of the UK pressing.

Though their first LP, the whole of their early output on the Postcard label, and a few well-chosen singles are preferable to this greatest-hits sampler, this is still a great record by one of the U.K.'s best-of the unappreciated. In fact, now that they are gone, we can all take a Stalinist view (borrowing a Mick Jones phrase there) of the recordings they made after You Can't Hide Your Love Forever, while Edwyn Collins fished about trying to reinvent himself as something of a white soul singer, even if his talent meant that you still got the occasional great throwback record like What Presence?! Interestingly, the demand for this collection can be felt: in interview after interview it has become clear what an inspiration this great Scottish group has proved to be the modern scene, starting with the Smiths and moving on to acts on labels like Creation Records. Six boos to the Polydor label for dropping them (causing their breakup) then releasing this, though. What craven jerks! [source]

Yeah, but I am not a fan of the crazy cover image.

Orange Juice: I Can't Help Myself (1982)

I find it interesting that the label created by Orange Juice is called Holden Caulfield Universal. That's a very interesting name for a record label. This 12"single contains a long version of the titular track, plus Tongues Begin to Wag and Barbecue.

Orange Juice: Texas Fever (1984)

I never had a vinyl copy of this mini album, until I found a sealed 2013 repressing for about $5 or $6. It was a deal that was too good to resist. Why this band was not bigger, I have no idea.

Orange Juice: The Orange Juice (1984)

Alas, this is not an original pressing. I never had a vinyl copy of this release until 2013 or 2014, when I found a new, sealed copy, for under $10. I snapped it up. It's good.

Orange Juice: Flesh Of My Flesh (1983)

Obviously, there is a strong biblical and, possibly, misogynistic reference in this track:

"And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." (Genesis 2:23 - I had to look that up, as I am not a biblical scholar and I think religion is one of the worst human inventions).

The meaning is less clear in this Orange Juice track. From Discogs:

"Some copies of the 12" release included a 10" x 10" card photo of a band member. Different prints existed for all four band members - see images. There was only one print inserted per copy and it was assigned at random."

Alas, my copy lacks the print.

Yoko Ono: Season of Glass (1981)

After John Lennon's murder, Yoko took her anguish into the recording studio and emerged with this raw collection of songs. From the gunshots before the cut "No, No, No" to John's bloody glasses on the cover, this is harrowing stuff indeed. But it's surprisingly good, if only for the fact that the whole world was feeling similarly at the time. One of the most essential Yoko Ono releases, it's powerful and chilling. [source]

I am not a Yoko expert, but I think it's clear that this is one of her better records, along with her first Plastic Ono Band record.

Mike Oldfield: Discovery (1984)

Mike again employed Maggie Reilly in his quest to be a pop star. I'm not sure if it works. My gut feeling says no. ELO also has a record called Discovery. it's sitting in my basement in a crate of records that I am not quite sure what to do with. The other name for the ELO record is Disco Very.

Mike Oldfield: Crises (1983)

The original UK pressing places Crises, the 20 minute + title track, on side A, but the Canadian pressing inexplicably flips the order, and places all of the short tunes on Side A (though in a different order) with Crises on side B. I have no idea why. In High Places features Jon Anderson, from Yes, on vocals. The other recognizable tune is probably Moonlight Shadow, again featuring Maggie Reilly. There are several cover versions of that song floating around.

MIke Oldfield: Five Miles Out (1982)

This is a very strange record. Side one contains Taurus II, a sequel to Taurus, which appeared on QE2. Side two has the lengthy Orabiboo plus three of what I can only call pop songs, notably Family Man, later recorded by Hall and Oates. The original version is sung by Maggie Reilly. It's a good version, but I also like the Hall and Oates cover version. My fav piece on this record is the title track, also featuring Maggie.

Mike Oldfield: Airborn (1980)

This is another of those records that I paid about $1 for. Disc two contains edited versions of Tubular Bells and Incantations. It's a pretty good record.

Mike Oldfield: Hergest Ridge (1974)

This is good, probably as good as Tubular Bells, but overshadowed by the aforementioned record.

Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells (1973)

The first time I heard Tubular Bells, it was on 8-track tape! Worse, it was on a really shitty stereo console and it sounded awful.

It's weird how the record's big break came via The Exorcist.

I prefer Tubular Bells II.

Oingo Boingo: Boi-Ngo (1987)

What happened? This is a solid record, but it pales in comparison to the earlier stuff. Some love it, but it leaves me a little cold. Or, maybe it's just that I preferred the earlier stuff.

OIngo Boingo: Only a Lad (1981)

This is the first and clearly the best Oingo Boingo record. I love some later tunes, but this one ranks up there.

"Later cited as an influence by such diverse bands as Nirvana, Mr. Bungle, and Fishbone, this album stands up well to the test of multiple listens and would make a worthwhile addition to any album collection." [source]