Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – The Best Of OMD

The sound is really dynamic with a solid bass. For a 1988 release, it's a pretty pretty good sound. Totally recommended.

As was the case for a slew of geeky, pretentiously named keyboard music upstarts who took inspiration from all manner of highbrow subjects, ranging from science-fiction, historical figures to machinery and modern technology, OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) rose to prominence during a time when primitive electronic instruments still being paid for in weekly instalments made it possible to self-compose a hit single. In 1981, subsequent to their gradual emergence as Numan-esque post-punk offshoots, OMD reached their largest audience yet with "Architecture & Morality". Deeply resentful at not receiving significant critical acclaim for what they considered to be their most atmospheric, consistent and enriching accomplishment, OMD were compelled to greatly expand their capacity and embark on a rather ill-advised concept album devoid of the primarily commercial, amusing and digestible fare encompassing their debut and its follow-up. Upon being transferred to Virgin Records and failing to acquire further credibility by vainly cultivating the digital artifice pioneered years earlier by others more respected than they, OMD lost some of their fan support and were forced to capitulate to overwhelming demand for warmer, more conservative material. Once they had uniformly dispensed with their ideas of grandeur and equipped themselves with steadily romantic lyrical content, a degree of intermittent chart success was sustained for several years. Not until their immensely melodic, dreamy and evocative brand of synth-pop began surrendering to the dominant genre of dance-pop in the latter part of the decade did the once solid and prosperous partnership of Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys erode. McCluskey would continue on without Humphreys into the ‘90s, though both would fail in their separate endeavours to match the well-structured or high-quality collaborative efforts made at the height of their unlikely mainstream presence.

A uniquely sophisticated by-product of pompous new wave minimalism as well as the eventual bloated excess, self-indulgence and garishness of the '80s in general, OMD were, for a short time at least, a remarkably mature and clean vocal and musical combination, and perhaps the one of the few intelligent electronic bands to productively reconcile the verse-chorus form and soaring melancholic pop songcraft of ABBA with the robotic chilliness and interlaced notional expressions of Kraftwerk. “The Best of OMD”, in its compact disc configuration, extends from their bright yet recondite early singles - “Electricity,” “Messages,” and “Enola Gay” - to superfluous 12’’ remixes of “We Love You” and “La Femme Accident” and all the slick highlights in between - “Souvenir,” “Secret,” “So In Love,” “If You Leave,” and “Forever (Live And Die)”. If one were to bypass their studio albums and decide on acquiring an adequate collection of the duo’s run of refined and instantly appealing singles, there is no better option than this mop-up, their last (and inarguably most durable) release of the ‘80s. Concentrating on their most distinctive, fervent and wistful compositions, only four of which were chart smashes, “The Best of OMD” abounds with an ethereal quality, leaving the listener utterly convinced that OMD were without a doubt the most interesting and crafty purveyors of mellow, catchy New Romantic-leaning synth-pop in an era crammed with such acts.

Rating: 4.5/5

Gentlemen discogs, to inform you that this album the best of was also released in Peru in 1988. Greetings

Matrix OMD 1 4 - 4 U - 1 - 2
OMD 1 3 - 5 U - 1 - 2