Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Album: “Peel Sessions 1979-83”

OMD was probably one of the most overlooked bands of the early 80's. They hit it big with 'So in Love' and 'If You Leave', but before then were many albums of unsurpassed orginality. Many of those songs are captured here. Many versions are equal to their studio counterparts, but some are even better. 'Annex' and 'The More I See You' fair very well and the version of one of their early hits, 'Enola Gay', is in my opinion, better than the original. This is a great disc for anyone who appreciates OMD's unique music. Most of these songs are 20 years old, yet they still sound great. This is a must-have for any fan!

The Peel Sessions - about time that they released something like that. On the basis of this I do hope that they go ahead with the intended 'B-Sides' album, but more about this release: It is good to heard the original versions of OMD-Fans favourites. Slightly more raw and experimental and who has seen them perform these songs 'on stage' will appreciate them even more as there is a likeness to the versions on The Peel Sessions. A recent review in the 'Q' magazine mentioned that favourites like 'Maid of Orleans', 'telegraph' & 'Joan of Arc' are unfortunately missing - sorry but they did not understand the concept of the album - maybe they would have been well advised to read the sleeve notes. Truly this is a superb album and I advise everbody who is into stuff from the early 80's to spend the money and buy it. Yes, it might sound dated but, hell, the material is upto over 20 years old. Go and get it !

This is a great album. A must for any true OMD fan.