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Sunday 1 August 2010

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark 'Electricity' (Factory Version)


First of the month band from The Wirral feature. You don't get this anywhere else.

I never had any time for O.M.D. until the last year or so. Never paid them any attention or time or anything. That silly Sailing On The Seven Seas comeback, Atomic Kitten etc. It changed when I watched the excellent BBC4 Synth Britannia programme last year, and a creeping realisation that O.M.D. where actually electro pioneers. There, I've said it. Some time after a bloke from school pick-up uttered those immortal words 'I've got a box of vinyl I'm getting rid of, do you want to have a look through it?'. Amongst other things I took Architecture And Morality (featuring the ace Enola Gay) and Dazzle Ships (die cut gatefold sleeve). All very good.

Before all of that the only O.M.D. song I've ever owned was on the Factory Records Palatine boxset, and various compilations since, Electricity, FAC 6, later re-recorded for DinDisc and released in three different versions. This is the Factory version with Martin Hannett, which the band disliked as being 'over-produced'. Joy Division said the same about Hannett and Unknown Pleasures. Musicians eh, what do they know?

04 Electricity (Factory Version).wma

4 comments:

davyh said...

I really liked early OMD - their 2nd LP 'Organisation' is also a cracker worth seeking out if you're belatedly getting into this stuff.

I checked out after 'A&M', wisely I feel in retrospect.

davyh said...

PS: Er...come to think of it, isn't 'Enola Gay' on 'Organisation'??

drew said...

Davy, you are absolutely correct.

I liked everything up to and including Maid of Orleans.

You are wrong about the Kitten SA, though, Whole Again is great.

swiss adam said...

Yeah thanks Davy, spot on. I need to get a sub-editor to check that kind of thing.

As for the kitten, I'm still not convinced...