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- April 2007
- Rating: CD: 6/10, DVD: 6/10
Back in the day, OMD ruled the airways with classy synth-driven pop hits.
This expanded and remastered release on Virgin/EMI brings the memoriesflooding back. The time was the early ’80s when Depeche Mode, Soft Cell,Human league ruled the roost, alongside OMD of course.
They were frequent chart visitors with the nucleus of bassist-keyboardistAndy McCluskey and synthman Paul Humphries. This Liverpool-based duoreleased Architecture & Morality in late August 1981, spawning theirsecond top ten single Souvenir on the back of 1980 hit Enola Gay.
Two more followed, Joan Of Arc in October ’81 and then Maid Of NewOrleans in January ’82. Amongst the hits there are experimental outingssuch as semi-instrumental Sealand, which in reality is no more thanan album filler, containing sparse drums and cacophonous f/x, with the titletrack bringing spacey soundscapes, rendering it nothing more than synthexercises in the studio.
So is The Beginning Of The End. Sprightly Georgia restoressome pop sensibilities with its thumping bass and jangly keys. Of theseven bonus tracks, Extended Souvenir and Gravity Never Failedare of any real significance, unless you a big fan of course.
By todays standards, the film footage recorded at the Theatre Royal Londonon 29 October 1981, isnt particularly exciting, simple camera angles etc.With OMD expanded to a quintet they give a good account of themselves.Joan Of Arc, Maid Of Orleans, Statues and Enola Gay (introducedby McCluskey with “This next song definitely falls into the category of apop song”, only to be greeted by sporadic jeers) all sound great live.
Pulsating Electricity brings the fans to their feet for a bout of bopping.
A full track listing can be seen via the Amazon link above.
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.