OMD Albums
ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK
sleeve
CATALOGUE DIDCD2
FORMAT CD ALBUM
LABEL DINDISC
RELEASE DATE 13/08/84
CHART -
SLEEVE DESIGN Peter Saville & Ben Kelly
CURRENT VALUE £8-10
 
TRACK LISTING WRITERS PRODUCER RECORDED
BUNKER SOLDIERS Humphreys/McCluskey Chester Valentino & OMD The Gramophone Suite, Liverpool
ALMOST Humphreys/McCluskey Chester Valentino & OMD The Gramophone Suite, Liverpool
MYSTEREALITY Humphreys/McCluskey Chester Valentino & OMD The Gramophone Suite, Liverpool
ELECTRICITY McCluskey/Humphreys Chester Valentino & OMD Cargo Studios, Rochdale
THE MESSERSCHMITT TWINS Humphreys/McCluskey Chester Valentino & OMD The Gramophone Suite, Liverpool
MESSAGES Humphreys/McCluskey Chester Valentino & OMD The Gramophone Suite, Liverpool
JULIA'S SONG Humphreys/McCluskey/Kneale Chester Valentino & OMD The Gramophone Suite, Liverpool
RED FRAME/WHITE LIGHT Humphreys/McCluskey Chester Valentino & OMD The Gramophone Suite, Liverpool
DANCING Humphreys/McCluskey Chester Valentino & OMD The Gramophone Suite, Liverpool
PRETENDING TO SEE THE FUTURE Humphreys/McCluskey Chester Valentino & OMD The Gramophone Suite, Liverpool

NOTES

This was a reissue of OMD's debut album which also marked the album's debut on CD.

'Bunker Soldiers' features a chorus that actually spells out the title 'BUNKER SOLDIERS' as random letters and the same letters translated into numbers.

'Almost' also featured as the B-side to the single 'Electricity' and the album version was used on the third release of the single.

'Mystereality' features saxophone by Martin Cooper.

'Electricity' is the same version featured on the third single release.

'The Messerschmitt Twins' takes its title from a nickname for Andy and Paul. The phrase popped into Andy's head during the night prompting him to write a song about it.

'Messages' is the original version and not the Mike Howlett produced single version.

'Julia's Song' dates back to Andy and Paul's time in The Id and features lyrics by Julia Kneale who was also in The Id at the time.

'Red Frame/White Light' was inspired by a telephone box used by the band outside The Railway Inn public house on the Wirral.

'Dancing' is an experimental piece whose unusual sound was created using Dalek I Love You's Kawai synth.

'Pretending To See The Future' was written about being in the music industry and specifically about signing a record deal.

 

TRIVIA

Chester Valentino was a pseudonym for OMD's then-manager Paul Collister.

This was the first time OMD's debut album had been issued on CD. Unfortunately, Peter Saville and Ben Kelly's stunning sleeve design was discarded in favour of a rather dull interpretation. Even Trevor Key's classic portrait shot of the band on the inner sleeve was badly reproduced.

The original release was printed in Germany and featured a bright 'day-glo' orange for the sleeve along with a distinctive blue imprint for the CD. The catalogue number is also listed on the inner tray.

Later releases were printed in Holland and featured a duller orange for the sleeve. The back of the CD now featured a barcode and the barcode number was repeated on the inner CD booklet (featuring the pic of Andy and Paul) which also now had a small Virgin logo. The CD was replaced with a generic silver CD imprint. The inner tray no longer had the catalogue number.