Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Album: “Architecture & Morality [Remaster]”

Possibly the best album ever released by OMD, and now remastered, it contains several great bonus tracks. If you buy this album, you need not even waste time or money on Dazzle Ships, because the two best songs from DS are on this album--Romance of the Telescope and Of All the Things We've Made. Reading in the liner notes of the CD is the story of how OMD wanted to forge foreward with their sound on this album, to avoid becoming stagnant or sounding predictable. This album is anything but predictable. The New Stone Age is arguably the best song OMD has ever done, unbelievable and so unlike anything they ever made before. Although I love OMD's two previous efforts just as much as this, I think this was the last truly unparallelled and amazing album OMD ever did, besides Sugar Tax. If you are looking for an album that epitomizes the OMD sound, this is it, and you get the bonus of a few excellent extra tracks, all remastered and sounding better than ever. This is a good place to start for anyone looking to get into OMD. Totally excellent, and to this day, no synth rock band has ever made a masterpiece that comes close to this.

The album dates back to the 80's, and is a top class representative of the synth / electronic pop genre of the time. Given that three of the nine tracks landed up on the "Best Of" compilation, the album is a winner. The other six tracks can hold their own, but perhaps they are not quite as polished. Personally, I find the lyrics deep and the music moving in a nostalgic sort of way, with "Souvenir" strengthening this mood early on.

If you do not own any OMD music, then perhaps the "Best Of" compilation is the place to start. If you already own that, then this is a definite contender for getting into OMD a bit more seriously. The other contenders must the "The Pacific Age" as well as "Crush", although every album is a masterpiece. Highly recommended.

This is the last of three essential OMD albums, now reissued with a full complement of b-sides so that fans without access to the original vinyl can hear the full fruits of their creativity. This is especially welcome after the patchy b-sides collection that just left one wanting more of the good (eg: early) stuff.

The album itself is a glorious celebration of broken-down string machines, particularly on 'Maid of Orleans'. It's hard to imagine a band sounding more grandiose and more betrayed by their instruments than here. McCluskey's out-of-tune vocals allow him to convey his passions in an appealingly romantic way. Another favourite is the bouncy 'Georgia'. Only 'Sealand' outstays its welcome, but it's such an obvious homage to the krautrock roots of the duo that we can forgive them their excess.

Of the b-sides, the original 'Romance Of The Telescope (unfinished)' is far superior to the version that would show up on 'Dazzle Ships'. 'Sacred Heart' is another wonderful take on the Joan of Arc theme. 'Navigation' is more intriguing than 'Of All The Things We've Made', though it is the latter that would be included on the next album.

Really, this is the pinnacle of synthesiser pop and a wonderful record for any fan of the mellotron.

I have just listened to the entire album for the first time, and all I can say (or write, for that matter) is...wow. This is the most emotionally moving series of musical pieces I have ever heard in my life. The strange dichotomy present in New Wave music, passionate lyrics combined with "cold" synthesized compositions, is unified and made whole on this alubm. OMD brings a heavily emotional, almost religious shade to every one of these tracks. The synths are far from cold here--no, they are organic, warm, and lovely. I will need to listen carefully to each of the songs once more, but I can safely state that the impact of this CD will forever ring clear in my mind.

'Architecture and Morality', a heady combination of wistful, graceful pop hooks and beautifully evocative soundscapes, was one the best albums released during the formative years of electronic music.

The album starts with a hesitant acoustic guitar that then charges ahead into heavy, incessant strumming underpinned by a electronic beat. 'The New Stone Age' is a post-nuclear protest song that's followed by the melodic synth-pop of 'She's Leaving' and 'Souvenir' - the latter, one of OMD's most successful releases commercially. 'Sealand' is superb - a quiet, richly-textured piece that's followed by the classic 'Joan of Arc' . The pace slows again with the elegant instrumental title track before perking up with the irrepressible 'Georgia', and the album closes strongly with 'The Beginning and the End'.

Exceptionally well realised, original and atmospheric, this album is probably the best thing OMD ever committed to vinyl. You won't be disappointed with your purchase.