Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Dazzle Ships - OMD Poll fun

Two best tracks by a wide margin are b-sides from the previous album phase. But what b-sides they were.

Yeah, it's really an EP of new songs (Genetic Engineering, International, Silent Running), plus some old songs which weren't good enough to be on previous releases (Telegraph, Radio Waves), plus some old songs which *were* good enough to be on previous releases (but maybe OMD hoped no-one would notice if they came out again). Plus some messing around on the short wave band. It's a miracle that it's such a cohesive (and great) LP. Though not really their peak.

As Soundslike says, the best songs were Romance & All The Things. Tough call between the two.

"Telegraph". Because it is the closest thing to a typical OMD song here.

Overtypical.

I loved this whole time (not just OMD), for the experimentation and presentation of attitudes. Didn't buy the album at the time, but got the 12" of "Genetic Engineering" and played it loud!

When they issued "Locomotion", I liked it well enough, but I also knew the 'game' was over.

I really love the collage stuff ("ABC") and the over-emoting. I voted for "Of All The Things We've Made", because it is crazy, it sounds like nothing else, except maybe that first Felt single, it is the weirdest and best song. But in retrospect, I should've voted for "International", for that "HER ARMS ALOFT!" part.

I asked a Czech friend to translate the announcements in "Radio Prague" for me. He said that it was in Slovakian, he couldn't understand it, but that it was something about fabric production.

I don't understand how such a hodgepodge of an album stands up so well. It's definitely in my top 5 or 10 albums. I love every song on it but "Of All The Things We've Made" is my favorite OMD song... how could they have made that a B-side?
"Telegraph" a close second
this album makes me happy

i'm gonna have to listen to this as i can never remember any songs other than "telegraph"

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

This is album is great, so completely on its own.

It was a commercial failure, and largely also an artistic failure. But "Telegraph" is OK.

Geir Wrongo :(

27 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Mar 1980
6 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Organisation Nov 1980
3 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Architecture And Morality Nov 1981
5 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Dazzle Ships Mar 1983
9 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Junk Culture May 1984
13 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Crush Jun 1985
15 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark The Pacific Age Oct 1986
3 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Sugar Tax May 1991
14 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Liberator Jun 1993
24 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Universal Sep 1996

See?

The singles failed, and the album fell out of the lists way before the two albums before it.

The only single that failed was "Telegraph"

Fuck me, I nearly missed this poll. Anyway, this:

I don't understand how such a hodgepodge of an album stands up so well. It's definitely in my top 5 or 10 albums

is OTM, although I'd arguably say my top 1 albums. I have adored everything about this since I first heard it (which would have been summer of either 1989 or 1990, I'm guessing).

The Romance of the Telescope is my pick-without-even-having-to-think-about-it here; I really don't have the words for that song. But, really, there's not a second of the rest of it that doesn't move me in some way. Artistic failure? Maybe, but a glorious one. The sound of a band taking themselves way too fucking seriously has never been so sweet.

Have to agree with the praise for this record.

I find the whole timing aspect of this album quite freaky, it's well known that they were short of material which left them scrabbling about for songs, but it's so unapologetically uncommercial, even when they are exploring the more poppy end of things, the songwriting or sounds are all bent somehow.

I can't help but think that they were revisiting Kraftwerk's Radio Activity, even apart from the obvious time zones type stuff.

I asked a Czech friend to translate the announcements in "Radio Prague" for me. He said that it was in Slovakian, he couldn't understand it, but that it was something about fabric production

Really? I thought it was just a call sign for, umm, Radio Prague and the announcement would have been something like: "You're tuned to Radio Prage, Czechoslovakia's favourite! Next: Tina Turner" or something.

Hang on, though <does comedy double-take> ... you're Owen Pallett. Dude, I'm going to bow to your knowledge of this album every time :)

FaceWolf and grimly = OTM; Geir and harveyw = not

Best track? "Helena" by a whisker.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Must dig this out for the kids this morn.

Yeah...

Amber said "What's the sound of that cow dying?" during Radio Prague. I played it back later but couldn't hear what she had heard. Maybe we drove past a cow at the time.

Anyroad, "Genetic Engineering" went down a storm, and as we parked and prepared to leave, Alice sang along: "I spend my CASH on looking FLASH and grabbing your ATTENTION!!"

(yeah, I can just about see what she means..)

Are you sure the cow sound wasn't on the track Dazzle Ships?

It's sounds like a repeating sample of blaring horns and drums crashing (and maybe a bit cowlike) and it scares the bejeezus out of me.

Didn't get that far.

OMD Revive day.

good lord yes! I would vote for "Of All The Things We've Made" I think over "Genetic Engineering". The former is a template for a lot of songs that I've loved over the years but never knew it. As the layers accrue I think, "can this get more beautiful? no please stop time here, I don't want to leave" and then it gets even more beautiful a moment later.

Yay for OMD revive day!

Such a gorgeous album. I even enojy the wacky sampling fun of "This is Helena"!

i've started many a mix with that sample of "Music for your tape recorder!"

Didn't vote, but if I had it would've been for "The Romance of the Telescope"

if we could vote again, i'd go for "abc auto-industry". guess it's not song like enough for most omd fans, but i love how it's got this airy spearmint coolness to the vocal samples and it's just this stark timpani sample from the emulator, then those kinda rhythmic splutters come in. i dunno it's really brisk but it somehow for me sums everything this album is about -- these warm melodies wrapped up in cold production, kinda simultaneously beautiful and harsh

i think it seems less of a hodge-podge when you listen to it with the even numbers pop song, odd number experimental song programming theory in mind

i mean i refuse to believe it was just some throw away mix of pre-recorded b-sides and studio noodling -- the gorgeous, deep packaging on the vinyl puts paid to that misconception (in my opinion)

"international" is fucking killing me right now

love how emotional the singing is on this album, "telegraph" especially, when paul humphrey's comes in with "god bless america!" it kills me everytime

love how emotional the singing is on this album, "telegraph" especially, when paul humphrey's comes in with "god bless america!" it kills me everytime

― 不合作的方式 (r1o natsume), Tuesday, July 20, 2010 2:56 PM (17 seconds ago) Bookmark

I totally agree with this. It's my favourite song on the album by a long way mainly for how over the top the vocals are. I get caught up in their emotion every time, really thrilling stuff.

yeah thrilling is the perfect description

This band (and this album in particular) was my best "discovery" of the last year. The "Manor version" of "Telegraph" on the rerelease is, yeah, thrilling: "even in America they understand the value of religion, hand in hand". But it's the "who needs telegraph, anyway?" that's the best: the vocal's at the breaking point, & it's not even clear why: maybe it's that it's all written in sand, all there is is energy, and we can make that manifest by living energetically?

this is a massively excellent album and one of my better discoveries as well - 'the romance of the telescope' is my favourite track but 'abc auto-industry' and 'international' are not far behind

i would've voted "silent running". so affecting!

i've been listening to this record 2-3 times a day for the last week now. works best late at night

love how emotional the singing is on this album, "telegraph" especially, when paul humphrey's comes in with "god bless america!" it kills me everytime

― 不合作的方式 (r1o natsume), Tuesday, July 20, 2010 2:56 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

the most OTM thing in the long history of OTM things the world has put forth

i fucking love this album! no idea what i would've voted for. i can tear up just thinking about "of all the things we've made". guess it would be tie between that and "telegraph" and "romance of the telescope"

the snare and the weird choral synth coming in on telescope might be my favorite moment

"silent runner" is the sleeper-track on this album. it's so so good when andy mccluskey switches up from his low croon and starts screaming the chorus

uh, "silent running" that is