Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (often abbreviated to OMD) are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England. Wirral or the Wirral (ˈwɪrəl is a Peninsula in the north west of England. Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Post-punk was a popular musical movement in the mid to late 1970s following on the heels of the initial Punk rock explosion of the early 1970s Synthpop is a subgenre of New Wave and Pop music in which the Synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument New Wave is a Rock music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the 1980s Alternative dance is a term used for the genre of music combining elements of Dance-pop (or other forms of electronic house or techno) and Alternative In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music DinDisc was a short-lived subsidiary label of Virgin Records during the beginning of the 1980s Factory Records was a Manchester based British Independent record label, started in 1978, which featured several prominent musical acts on its Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (often abbreviated to OMD) are a Synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula Dalek I Love You were a Synthpop group from Liverpool. At various points in their existence the band was also known as Dalek I. The Listening Pool were a English band. It was founded by three former members of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD after the original line-up split Onetwo is a synth pop group formed in 2000 by singer Claudia Brücken ( Propaganda) and keyboardist/singer Paul Humphreys ( Orchestral Manoeuvres Andy McCluskey (born George Andrew McCluskey, 24 June 1959, Heswall, then Cheshire now Merseyside, England) is the For the philosopher see Paul Humphreys (philosopher. Paul Humphreys (born Paul David Humphreys, 27 February 1960 Malcolm Holmes (born 1960, Birkenhead, England) is a British drummer Martin Cooper (born, Liverpool, England) is a painter and a Musician. The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical polyphonic keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s The Fairlight CMI (Computer Musical Instrument was the first polyphonic digital sampling Synthesizer. Synthpop is a subgenre of New Wave and Pop music in which the Synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument Wirral or the Wirral (ˈwɪrəl is a Peninsula in the north west of England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland OMD record for Virgin Records (originally for Virgin's DinDisc subsidiary). Virgin Records is a British Record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell DinDisc was a short-lived subsidiary label of Virgin Records during the beginning of the 1980s

The group was founded by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, and they formed the core of the outfit until 1989, when the group split. Andy McCluskey (born George Andrew McCluskey, 24 June 1959, Heswall, then Cheshire now Merseyside, England) is the For the philosopher see Paul Humphreys (philosopher. Paul Humphreys (born Paul David Humphreys, 27 February 1960 McCluskey then retained the name and continued to record and tour as OMD with a new line-up.

In late December 2005, OMD's official website announced a 2006 reformation, for both live performances and a new album, with rehearsals beginning in summer 2006. The tour began in 2007, featuring the classic line up of McCluskey, Humphreys, Holmes and Cooper. Spring 2008 saw a further tour announced for October that year.

Early history

As teenagers, Humphreys and McCluskey were involved in several unsigned Wirral Peninsula bands, including Equinox, Pegasus, and the short-lived Hitlerz Underpantz. Wirral or the Wirral (ˈwɪrəl is a Peninsula in the north west of England. McCluskey would usually sing and play bass guitar, whilst electronics enthusiast Humphreys initially began as a roadie, graduating to keyboards. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the Electronics refers to the flow of charge (moving Electrons through Nonmetal conductors (mainly Semiconductors, whereas electrical "Roadie" redirects here For the 1980 movie see Roadie (film. A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. The pair shared a love of electronic music, particularly Brian Eno and Kraftwerk. Electronic music is music that employs Electronic musical instruments and Electronic Music technology in its production Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (born 15 May 1948 commonly known as Brian Eno (ˈiːnoʊ is an English Musician, producer Kraftwerk (ˈkʁaftvɛɐk German for " power plant " or " Power station " is an influential Electronic music band from The debut performance of Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark was in October 1978 at Eric's Club in Liverpool. 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 Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary

By 1978, McCluskey & Humphreys put together seven-piece (three singers, two guitarists, bassist, drummer, and keyboard player) Wirral 'supergroup' The Id, whose line-up included drummer Malcolm Holmesand McCluskey's girlfriend Julia Kneale on vocals. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (often abbreviated to OMD) are a Synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula Malcolm Holmes (born 1960, Birkenhead, England) is a British drummer The group began to gig regularly in the Merseyside area, performing original material (largely written by McCluskey and Humphreys). Merseyside is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1365900 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's Radio-Activity album; the name of valve is actually written with Arabic numbers, VCL 11, and not roman numbers). Kraftwerk (ˈkʁaftvɛɐk German for " power plant " or " Power station " is an influential Electronic music band from For other uses of "Radio activity" and "radioactivity" see Radioactive (disambiguation. 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 radios. Circuit bending is the creative short-circuiting of electronic devices such as low Voltage, battery-powered Guitar effects, children's Toys

In 1978, The Id split due to the traditional musical differences. McCluskey briefly sang with electronic Wirral quartet Dalek I Love You. Dalek I Love You were a Synthpop group from Liverpool. At various points in their existence the band was also known as Dalek I. However, he eventually 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 Revox tape-recorder they christened "Winston" (after the antihero of George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-four). Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950 who used the Pseudonym George Orwell, was an English writer Nineteen Eighty-Four (also titled 1984) by George Orwell (the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair) is a 1949 English Novel Finding themselves on the cusp of an electronic new wave in British pop-music, they released a one-off single, "Electricity", with celebrated independent label Factory Records (the single sleeve was designed by Peter Saville, whose distinctive graphics provided OMD's public image well into the mid-80s), and were then quickly snapped up by Virgin subsidiary DinDisc. Factory Records was a Manchester based British Independent record label, started in 1978, which featured several prominent musical acts on its Peter Saville (born 1955 in Manchester) is an English graphic designer based in London. 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[1].

Classic line-up

Original UK 45 rpm single picture cover: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Messages

The eponymous first album (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 Mal Holmes, and saxophone from Wirral musician Martin Cooper. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark is the self-titled debut Album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1980 Martin Cooper (born, Liverpool, England) is a painter and a Musician. It had a simple, raw, poppy, melodic synthpop sound. DinDisc arranged for the song "Messages" to be re-recorded (produced by Gong bassist Mike Howlett) and released as a single (right) - this gave the band their first hit. Gong is a progressive / Psychedelic rock band formed by Australian Musician Daevid Allen. Mike Howlett (born April 27, 1950) is a Fijian -born Musician and producer based in the United Kingdom.

A tour followed, Winston the tape recorder being ditched for good, and replaced with live drums from Mal Holmes, and Dalek I Love You's Dave Hughes on synths. Dalek I Love You were a Synthpop group from Liverpool. At various points in their existence the band was also known as Dalek I.

The second album Organisation (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. Organisation is an Album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1980 It was again produced by Howlett, and saw a rather moodier, dark feel. The album spawned the huge hit single "Enola Gay", named after the plane that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. " Enola Gay " is a song by British Synthpop band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (normally abbreviated to OMD WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The tour for this album saw a 4-piece band line-up, with saxophonist Martin Cooper (another Dalek I Love You alum) recruited for keyboard duties. Dalek I Love You were a Synthpop group from Liverpool. At various points in their existence the band was also known as Dalek I. Howlett then presided over the recording of a further hit single, "Souvenir", co-written by Cooper & Humphreys. " Souvenir " is a song written by Paul Humphreys and Martin Cooper of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and released as the first single off It ushered in a striking lush choral electronic sound. The song also became OMD's biggest hit to date.

1981 would see the release of what many consider OMD's magnum opus (and it was also the peak of their commercial success in the UK and Europe) - the Architecture & Morality album. Magnum opus (sometimes Opus magnum, plural magna opera) from the Latin meaning great work, refers to the best the greatest Architecture & Morality is an Album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1981 The 4-piece 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 striking sound saw OMD's original synth-pop sound augmented by the Mellotron, an instrument previously associated with prog rock bands. The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical polyphonic keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s They used it to add very atmospheric swatches of string, choir and other sounds to their palette. Hit singles "Joan of Arc" and "Maid of Orleans" (which became the most successful single of 1982 in Germany) were taken from the album. 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 only changed after publishers forced OMD to re-title it "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 'difficult' Dazzle Ships album, which mixed melancholy synth ballads and uptempo synthpop with musique concrete and short wave radio tape collages. Dazzle Ships is the fourth Album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1983 It was recorded by the 4-piece Humphreys/Holmes/Cooper/McCluskey line-up, and produced by Rhett Davies.

American chart success

1984's Junk Culture was a return to a poppier sound and saw the band using digital sampling keyboards such as the Fairlight CMI and the E-mu Emulator. Junk Culture is an Album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1984 The Fairlight CMI (Computer Musical Instrument was the first polyphonic digital sampling Synthesizer. The album was a success, reassuring the group about their new direction. The "Locomotion" 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. " 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 In 1985, the band released Crush, produced by Stephen Hague and featuring Graham and Neil Weir (on guitar and brass). Crush is an album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1985 Stephen Hague is an American Music producer most active with various British acts in the 1980s The success of the single "So in Love" in the US Hot 100 also led to some success for the LP which entered the American Top 40, establishing the group in the US as well as making Stephen Hague a sought-after producer. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Long play (LP record albums are 33⅓  Rpm vinyl Gramophone records (phonograph records generally either 10- or 12- Inches in diameter American Top 40 (commonly abbreviated to AT40) is an internationally- syndicated, independent

Later in 1985, the band wrote the song "If You Leave" for the John Hughes movie Pretty in Pink. " If You Leave " is a 1986 song by the British Synthpop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Pretty in Pink is an 1986 Film about teenage love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools The song was featured on the soundtrack and was a large hit, notably in the US and Canada where it reached the Top 5. The Pretty in Pink soundtrack album was released in 1986 for the John Hughes movie Pretty in Pink, a film about teenage love and social Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The same six piece line-up also released The Pacific Age in 1986, but the band began to see their critical and public popularity wane in the UK while they struggled to break into the US market. The Pacific Age is an album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1986

Classic line-up split - OMD in the 90s

After a compilation album released successfully in 1988, OMD broke in two. Humphreys, Cooper, and Holmes left to form The Listening Pool, while McCluskey recruited Liverpool musicians Lloyd Massett and Stuart Kershaw and continued under the OMD moniker. The Listening Pool were a English band. It was founded by three former members of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD after the original line-up split Initially successful with hits like "Sailing on the Seven Seas" and "Pandora's Box" from their critically acclaimed Sugar Tax LP in 1991, the new line up would release Liberator (1993), Universal (1996), before splitting up in 1996, due to lack of public interest. Sugar Tax is an album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD released in 1991 Liberator is an album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1993 Universal is an album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1996 A second singles album was released in 1998, and an EP of remixed material by such acts as Sash! and Moby. The OMD Singles is a singles compilation album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1998 An extended play ( EP) is a Vinyl record, CD, or Music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify Sash! is a German DJ / producer team fronted by Sascha Lappessen (born 10 June 1970, Nettetal, Germany Richard Melville Hall, also known as Moby (born September 11, 1965 in Harlem, New York) is an American DJ

Liberator's 5th track - Dream Of Me contains a sample from "Love's Theme" from Love Unlimited Orchestra (song written by Barry White). The fact is also sung in this song. ^[1]

Though Humphreys left the band after The Best Of OMD, he collaborated with McCluskey on the songwriting for Universal, the band's 1996 swan song. The Best of OMD is a compilation album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1988 McCluskey decided to focus on management and songwriting for such Liverpool based acts as Atomic Kitten and The Genie Queen. Atomic Kitten are an English Girl group from Liverpool composed of Elizabeth McClarnon, Natasha Hamilton, and Jennifer Frost With McCluskey focusing his talents elsewhere, Humphreys decided to play many revival shows using the OMD banner, whilst also recording with Claudia Brücken, of the ZTT bands Propaganda and Act, as Onetwo. Claudia Brücken (born 7 December 1963, Berching, Germany) is a German Singer who fronted the Synthpop ZTT Records is a Record label founded in 1983 by NME journalist Paul Morley, record producer Trevor Horn, producer/engineer Propaganda are a German Synthpop group formed in 1984 Early history Propaganda was formed in Düsseldorf, Germany in 1982 by Act were a short-lived Synthpop group signed to ZTT Records in the late 1980s and comprising Thomas Leer and ex- Propaganda vocalist Onetwo is a synth pop group formed in 2000 by singer Claudia Brücken ( Propaganda) and keyboardist/singer Paul Humphreys ( Orchestral Manoeuvres

Reformation

On January 1st 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 and other pre-1983 material, then record a new album set for release in 2007[2]. Architecture & Morality is an Album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1981

In May 2007, the Architecture and 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 and Morality album. The second half of each concert featured a selection of their best known hits, and audience reaction was sometimes so positive (Bristol's Colston Hall, an all-seated venue, saw the crowd on its feet for the entire show) that the band seemed surprised and delighted by their applause.

Spring 2008 saw the release of a live CD and DVD of the summer 2007 tour, 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.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Video releases

In print

• There were several fanzines about the band, including Winston and Telegraph, that were active during the post-split period. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common OMD Live Architecture & Morality & More is a live album and DVD by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. An official magazine called Messages is still running.

• 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.

See also

• The Listening Pool
• Onetwo (band)

References

External links

• Official OMD Website
• Worldwide Discography Website