omd

[red x red]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Blir[/i]
<br>Huh? I guess KROQ folks heard them right from the get-to and all the way throughout. Electricity, Messerschmit Twins, Enola Gay, Joan of Arc, Souvenir, Georgia, Genetic Engineering, Tesla Girls, Locomotion. And then right, If You Leave, Secret, etc and death. I'm sure the same for the UK. It was different elsewhere??
[/quote]

We heard all of these songs on KJQ and KCGL here in Salt Lake City. They came in concert quite often as well. I remember seeing them in 1986 at Symphony Hall (now Abravanel Hall) downtown Salt Lake City; great show (horrible date).

[obs]

[i]I think the "Pacific Age" was their beginning of the end.[/i]

I thought the very last album, "Universal" was pretty good. Much better than "Dazzleships" which hardcore fans fawn over because it was experimental. Experimental doesn't always equal good though. Do we really need to hear three minutes of crazy ship sound effects? If I wanted to watch Das Boot, I would do so.

[DayGloJo]

OMD was also an excellent live band. I saw them twice performing in small venues: a college auditorium and a club. Both shows were superb -- two of the best concerts I saw in the 80s.

DayGloJo

[popreactor]

Sadly, they were totally ignored by the music televisions and radio stations in the last years.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"We are nowhere and it's now"

[geoffolehane]

They were one of those badns I discovered early on and stuck with them. They're still in my Top 10 all time favorite bands and I still listen to a lot of their stuff. I didn't care for "Sugar Tax" of "Universal" because, to me...that wasn't them. They were split by then.

I was heavily in OMD throughout the '80s and working in radio. When "If You Leave" came out, no one believed me when I told them it would be a huge hit. I kept watching the US Top 40 charts every week to see where it would end up (It got to #4). I have the 12 inch extended version of that one.

I've got a live version of "Bunker Soldiers" somewhere which I got as a Flexi-Disc from some British magazine back around 1981.

[ekahob]

I hope this makes you feel better...

From Trouser Press:

[i]Moving from electronic tape experiments to highly polished synthesizer pop and beyond, Liverpudlians Andy McCluskey (bass/vocals/keyboards) and synthesist Paul Humphreys (with other fulltime members, including — very significantly — a corporeal acoustic drummer) were among the most successful practitioners of electro-pop, as first demonstrated by a delightful string of singles. They proved early on that electronics were capable of interacting comfortably with regular rock instruments and not chill the mood. Abandoning their formula after two albums, however, OMD proved capable of far more ambitious creations not tied to the apron strings of technology.</I>

There. They got some respect in the U.S.

[ResIpsa]

One of the best new wave bands ever! Love that they used live drums in much of their music. They had a more "organic" feel than most other new wave bands at the time, not as icy as someone like, say, Gary Numan (my all time fave BTW). Their earlier albums were the best, especially "Dazzle Ships" (a classic!). They faded into mediocrity with their later albums, sadly. I think Goldfrapp's recent song, "Number One," nails (rips off?) the OMD sound as closely as anything else I've heard in recent years.

[schwenko]

[quote][i]Originally posted by ResIpsa[/i]
<br>One of the best new wave bands ever! Love that they used live drums in much of their music. They had a more "organic" feel than most other new wave bands at the time, not as icy as someone like, say, Gary Numan (my all time fave BTW). Their earlier albums were the best, especially "Dazzle Ships" (a classic!). They faded into mediocrity with their later albums, sadly. I think Goldfrapp's recent song, "Number One," nails (rips off?) the OMD sound as closely as anything else I've heard in recent years.
[/quote]

Rips off or pays tribute[?]

[oneno]

There was recently another canadian band called "Invisible College" in fact a member posted here before. They were admitadly a cover band who were playing the role of omd as if they kept to their original early eighties analog and unique sound. There are sevral bands who walk the thin line of giving a nod to or being a true rip -off. Invisible College is on the OMD tribute cd

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="blue"/font>[i]Chuck[/i]</FONT>

[ResIpsa]

Well, "ripped off" may have been a poor choice of words on my part (late night and all [;)]) I'm just happy to hear that old-time new-wave sound in a lot of current bands.

[guyinsf]

FUCKIN' LOVE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and yes, they are one of THE most underrated for the entire decade of the 80's. I actually like their early dark artsy stuff a little more than later commercial material. What I love about them is that their electronic sound was much more lush, ethereal, organic and natural sounding than the other cold, sterile electronic sounds of the other bands from their era.

[guyinsf]

Another great thing about OMD is that whether they tried to do avant-garde dark stuff or commercial, they did both VERY WELL! Can't say that about 99% of the bands out there. Absolutely brilliant band!

[laffin]

there is a lot of bands out there today who`s influences can be traced back to the 80`s new wave era.
and as the saying goes "what goes around comes around".
i think what set omd apart from the rest of the uk bands alike
was simply that they were not just another synth band.
"up the new wave revolution"