OMD: S&D

Crush is better than Junk Culture imo, the sound is fairly similar to it's predecessor, but probably even more of a straightforward 'normal' pop album. The quality control goes a bit awry after this, though I think all the albums have some worthwhile tracks on them, I'm particularly fond of 'Walk Tall' from Sugar Tax

Listening to Crush right now and it is sounding pretty great.

I rate Junk Culture quite highly, this thread may be of some interest to you frogbs!

Crush is better than Junk Culture imo, the sound is fairly similar to it's predecessor, but probably even more of a straightforward 'normal' pop album.

Hmm. I disagree about Crush sounding fairly similar to Junk Culture. Crush certainly doesn't have the kind of tropical vibe that Junk Culture has, it's much more of a smoother record IMO. I do like Stephen Hague's production on Crush (his production work on The Pacific Age much less so), and I like a lot of tracks on the record... '88 Seconds In Greensboro' and 'The Native Daughters Of The Golden West' in particular.

My two favourite post-Junk Culture albums are Sugar Tax and English Electric, fwiw.

"Bloc Bloc Bloc" has been on repeat all day, I really like this side of OMD

Okay, so OMD played a special gig last night at the Museum of Liverpool... since Malcolm Holmes is still resting and recuperating from his recent health problems, the trio of McCluskey, Humphreys and Cooper got out and dusted off Winston, their tape machine from their early days for the performance.

Here is the setlist:

Dazzle Ships
ABC Auto-Industry (performed near-enough how they did it in 1983, with the flags)
Sealand
Messages
Radio Waves
Genetic Engineering
History of Modern (Part 1)
Julia's Song
She's Leaving
Souvenir
Joan Of Arc (Maid Of Orleans)
4 Neu (Dazzle Ships era B-side, performed live for the first time)
"Radio/Helena Intros"
International (Performed live for the first time)
Metroland
Sister Marie Says
Sailing On The Seven Seas
Enola Gay
Electricity
The Romance Of The Telescope

So, mostly a set made up of tracks from their first four albums, a couple of selections from History of Modern and one each from Sugar Tax and English Electric (surprised they didn't play more from English Electric, actually).

Surprisingly nothing from Junk Culture which has been remastered and is due for release next year, with additional outtakes including the original version of 'Heaven Is' (which later surfaced on Liberator), the original non-reggae sounding version of 'White Trash' and a Paul-sung song which didn't make the final cut and didn't surface as a B-side, which I can't remember the name of. Although, they probably may throw in more tracks from that album when they next get around to touring.

Love to have heard that!

oh wow that sounds amazing

ABC Auto-Industry (performed near-enough how they did it in 1983, with the flags)

siiick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyL1QDXdU8w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOdeFgK7tCM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHtLMeAlvTQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ymcMnHzTSQ

Andy and Paul did a Q&A over the weekend where they revealed the state of Mal Holmes' health. Apparently he's well, but he's not able to play drums for the foreseeable future. However, they did reveal that they (Andy & Paul) are working on a new album, with one song revealed to be sounding in the vein of 'Sealand'/'Stanlow', and they're planning a tour for next year.

Because Malcolm Holmes is no longer able to play, they've enlisted the services of Andy's longtime friend (and co-writer on the non-Paul OMD albums) Stuart Kershaw to play drums for OMD for the forseeable future. I have mixed feelings about this: on one hand, he's a guy that's known to OMD fans as part of the extended "OMD family" so to speak, and I'm sure it won't affect the studio work so much (studio-wise, OMD albums tend to be mostly Andy & Paul deals, even the likes of Crush and The Pacific Age, the others contributing where necessary), but I hope he doesn't get involved with the songwriting. They've made such great progress with English Electric that I'd hate to see a return to shite like Liberator. I'm sure that they'll be conscious of that, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psaI9UPVKhI

I thought the first nights performance of 'International' was great enough, but he totally managed to outdo that on the second night. I'm actually still amazed that he pulled it off!

aargh, they are so good live, I hope they swing through Texas again. that set list looks awesome.

Yeah, I'm hoping that next time they tour they'll throw in tracks like 'International' a lot more, especially given the positive reaction from the audience.

Man, I love Organisation so much too, everything about it it is perfect, even the wobbly bits.

I learned some very hilarious news about this band today.

more hilarious than watching Paul dance?

this is what I was talking about http://www.omd.uk.com/story/usa_shows_supporting_barenaked_ladies

Barenaked Manoeuvres in the Dark

omg

Maybe the booker mistook them for OMC

how bizarre

I like both of these bands, so it's not inconceivable to me that there other people who feel the same way (would much rather see Barenaked Ladies opening for OMD than vice versa though)

Aw man, kinda disappointed that this wasn't news of new material - they're apparently working on an album due to come out this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyYaWD3DWIU

This is great, don't be put off by the beginning.

Is that the doc where McCluskey gets out the masters for 'Messages', 'Electricity', 'Enola Gay', 'Souvenir' etc. and breaks them down track-by-track? If so, yeah, that's a good doc... it's impressive how crude some of those melodies actually sound when played dry like that, and it's impressive how they got so much out of the primitive technology of the time.

Sadly, there still doesn't seem to be very much in terms of new news about the forthcoming OMD record which is meant to appear this year... apparently, they've been doing quite a lot of writing, but McCluskey hasn't revealed anything about what they're working on this time around. Hopefully, it'll be a step further in the direction that English Electric took.

So there is a live album from that Museum of Liverpool show.

How's their drummer doing?

Mal Holmes? From what I can gather, he's okay but he's retired from playing live with OMD permanently because of the health risks involved. He still might do studio stuff with OMD, though.

So, according to the information that McCluskey has let slip so far, the next OMD has the working title of Punishment of Luxury and is pencilled in for a March 2017 release. Apparently, Mal Holmes won't feature at all on it, although this all of course may change. Humphreys and McCluskey have been working on quite a fair bit of material, although it's clear they're taking their time with this one and it's hard to say at this stage whether anything they're working on now, or how much of it, will make it to the actual album.

So, they played a gig at the Royal Albert Hall a couple of days ago where they played both Dazzle Ships and Architecture & Morality in their entirety, so further to 'International' getting its debut live airing a couple of years back, they've now aired 'This Is Helena' and 'Silent Running' live for the first time, and they've played 'Telegraph' for the first time since they reformed. I've heard they played some other songs, just as '4 Neu' and 'Almost', but I don't know what else. There was no support act, so quite a long set.

It's being made available as a download I believe.

Yeah, I heard they recorded the gig and those that attended were able to get physical copies of it afterwards. As you'd expect, there's plenty of footage up on Youtube as well. It's great to see them performing these albums, and from what I've seen Stuart Kershaw is filling in for Mal Holmes better than I could possibly have imagined. I can't help but feel that Organisation is looking more and more underrated, and I'm hoping that Kershaw's presence in the band won't eventually mark a return to their Liberator era. I think both Humphreys and McCluskey are more protective about what they let out under the OMD name these days, so I'm guessing not.

I just bought it, actually, downloading now :)

Silent Running sounds great, I guess they have a few songs with the same vibe, however it's a shame it hasn't been performed before now.

I agree, it's always been one of my favourites on Dazzle Ships... I love it how they took the keyboard track and slowed it down and reversed it to create '66 and Fading', too.

One cool thing, the thirties sounding female vocal sample at the end of Georgia is mixed quite loud, I've always loved the way that sample rubs up against the keyboard line, it's very evocative, wish I knew what track it was.

Oh shit, well thanks google.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Que_reste-t-il_de_nos_amours_%3F

'Georgia' is a bit like 'She's Leaving' in the sense that I could totally imagine it as a single. Legend has it that Dindisc wanted to actually put 'She's Leaving' out as a single, but McCluskey refused - a decision he has since come to regret! It did come out as a single in Belgium, I think? They got the single choices on Dazzle Ships a bit wrong, though... 'Radio Waves' would have made a fine lead single.

Just took a plunge on Liberator and...its not so bad?? I'm grooving hard on "Best Years of our Lives" and "Christine"

'Christine' is probably the best track on the LP, to be fair.

GOD KNOWS IT'S A SHAME ... but it's always the way

'Goddess of Love' > 'If You Leave'

I just tested this theory out. Disproven.

Honestly, I even had to look up which album that one was on. Now, if you had said "We Love You">"If You Leave," I might have humored you.

'Goddess of Love' was actually the original song that they submitted for the Pretty In Pink soundtrack, but when the ending was changed they had to come up with a new song quickly and they came up with 'If You Leave' ...

Now, I'm fond of 'If You Leave' but the transition from 'Flame of Hope' into 'Goddess of Love' on The Pacific Age is a great moment, IMO... the chilled mood of the former gradually fading out and leaving the opening sample remaining, before suddenly switching to the opening of 'Goddess of Love' ... HEY! HEY! SHE'S OKAY! SHE'S OKAY! ... It's such an upbeat moment that it fills me with joy every time I hear it... and it's a great song. Would have made a better single than the re-recorded 'Shame' ...

(I like 'We Love You' too, fwiw)