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Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
English band
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic band formed in Meols, Merseyside in 1978 by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys. Regarded as pioneers of electronic music, the group combined an experimental, minimalist ethos with pop sensibilities, becoming key figures in the emergence of synth-pop.
OMD were Britain's first performing, two-piece synthesizer band and have been described as the "original synth-pop duo"; despite a shifting line-up, the central pairing of McCluskey and Humphreys remains the group's primary identifier. In the United States, the band were an early presence in the MTV-driven Second British Invasion.
new waveelectronicbritishsynth-popalternative danceart pop
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1975–1979: Roots and early years
Founders Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys met at primary school in Meols, England in the early 1960s, and in the mid-1970s, as teenagers, they were involved with various local groups. By 1975, McCluskey had formed Equinox as bassist and lead vocalist, alongside schoolmate Malcolm Holmes on drums, while Humphreys was roadie. During that time, McCluskey and Humphreys discovered their electronic style, inspired by German band Kraftwerk. After Equinox, McCluskey joined Pegasus, and, later, the short-lived Hitlerz Underpantz, alongside Humphreys. McCluskey would usually sing and play bass guitar; roadie and electronics enthusiast Humphreys, who shared McCluskey's love of electronic music, graduated to keyboards.
An unexpected request to perform from a German television show led the group to reunite. On 1 January 2006, McCluskey announced plans to reform OMD with the "classic" line-up of McCluskey, Humphreys, Holmes, and Cooper. The original plan was to tour the studio album Architecture & Morality and other pre-1983 material, then record a new studio album set for release in 2007. In May 2007, the Architecture & Morality remastered CD was re-released together with a DVD featuring the Drury Lane concert from 1981 that had previously been available on VHS. The band toured throughout May and June, beginning their set with a re-ordered but otherwise complete re-staging of the Architecture & Morality album. The second half of each concert featured a...
Electronic band Kraftwerk served as OMD's primary musical influence: McCluskey credits "Autobahn" (1974) with piquing he and Humphreys' interest in electronic music. Other formative influences included the Velvet Underground, Neu!, Roxy Music, Brian Eno and David Bowie. The pair also drew inspiration from Factory Records label-mates Joy Division, particularly during the making of the goth-inclined Organisation (1980). Disenchanted with the macho guitar rock that was popular among their friends, McCluskey and Humphreys were keen to "slay the rock 'n' roll dragon". Jim Kerr, frontman of late 1970s peers Simple Minds, felt OMD "had somehow arrived almost fully formed and with a talent for spitfire hooks that permeated right through their...
Although retrospectively lauded, the experimental Dazzle Ships (1983) was a critical and commercial disappointment upon release. Facing potential excision from Virgin Records, OMD moved towards a more accessible sound on the black music-influenced Junk Culture (1984); they also donned more vibrant garments on the album's accompanying tour. The band continued to incorporate elements of sonic experimentation, although their sound became increasingly polished on the Stephen Hague-produced studio albums Crush (1985) and The Pacific Age (1986).
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (commonly known as OMD) is an English electronic band formed in Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978 with Paul Humphreys (synthesizers) and Andy McCluskey (vocals and bass guitar). Earlier incarnations of their band included 'VCL XI' and 'Hitlerz Underpantz'. They played their first gig in 1978 at Eric's (Liverpool), then had a run of UK chart hits after swapping labels from Factory to the Virgin owned label DinDisc starting with the 1980 release Messages. In 1980, drummer Malcolm Holmes and Dave Hughes on synths transitioned from guest / live musicians to be full members of the band. Hughes left 1980 and was replaced by Martin Cooper. Humphreys left the group in 1989.
McCluskey was allowed to keep the name and OMD made a comeback in 1991 with the UK top 5 hit Sailing On The Seven Seas, followed by a UK top 3 album (Sugar Tax). Until 2006-01-01 OMD was basically solo but on New Year's day McCluskey announced plans for a reunion. In 2007 OMD toured together again featuring the classic line-up of Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys, Malcolm Holmes and Martin Cooper. This line-up released a live-album in 2008: OMD Live: Architecture & Morality & More and has sinc
Also known as: (オーケストラル・マヌーヴァーズ・イン・ザ・ダーク(, (オーケストラル・マヌーヴァーズ・イン・ザ・ダーク), Maniobras Orquestales, O M D, O. M. D.
From Discogs (free to use). Their entry
Liner notes
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, the records, oldest first
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
1980 album
Organisation
1980 album
Architecture & Morality
1981 album
Dazzle Ships
1983 album
Junk Culture
1984 album
O.M.D.
1985 ep
Original Mystery Disc
1985 ep
Crush
1985 album
The Pacific Age
1986 album
Sugar Tax
1991 album
Liberator
1993 album
Universal
1996 album
History of Modern
2010 album
English Electric
2013 album
Night Café
2013 ep
The Future Will Be Silent
2013 ep
The Punishment of Luxury
2017 album
Bauhaus Staircase
2023 album
DJ Remixes, Volumes 1 & 2
year unknown album
Records from MusicBrainz; covers from the Cover Art Archive.
"If You Leave" is a song by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). It was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Pretty in Pink (1986), in which it is played prominently during the final scene.
Along with 1980's "Enola Gay", the track has been described as OMD's signature song.
Composition
The end of the film Pretty in Pink, set in a high school prom, was originally meant to feature the OMD song "Goddess of Love" (which the band released on The Pacific Age later in 1986.) However, director John Hughes decided to change the ending to Pretty in Pink after poor test audience reactions, and felt that the new ending required a song with different lyrical content. Hughes asked OMD for a new song to match the feel of the ending, and also specified that it should be written at a tempo of 120 BPM, to match the speed of "Don't You (Forget About Me)", which the actors in the scene had danced to during filming. This request came two days before OMD were due to begin a tour, and as a result "If You Leave" was written and recorded in...
Critical reception and legacy
"If You Leave" has garnered both praise and derision since its release. Ian Cranna in Smash Hits wrote that the song is "false and contrived and seems to last about 3 years" (but described UK B-side "88 Seconds in Greensboro" as "OMD at their blazing best"). On the other hand, Billboard's Brian Chin dubbed it a "magical beat/ballad" and a "key cut" from the Pretty in Pink soundtrack. "If You Leave" was popular among WLIR listeners, who voted it "Screamer of the Week". Retrospectively, Alfred Soto of The Village Voice said the track "starts promisingly" and features "admirably straightforward" lyrics, but concluded: "Gradually the annoyances become menaces. The parts are garish, overstated; it's a cluttered mix." Trouser Press called the...
Cover versions
"If You Leave" was covered by pop-punk band Good Charlotte for the soundtrack of Not Another Teen Movie (2001), a parody on teen movies like Pretty in Pink.
