Customer Reviews
Experimental and commercial coming together - By: Baz, 11 Nov 2008 
Callling OMITD's music "synth pop" doesn't do their music & this album justice; A&M is not Depeche Mode or the Human League! Okay, so the band used synthesisers but these were not the only instruments of their trade; as far as I'm concerned, it wasn't about what instruments they used but how they used them that gave their music that unique appeal.
A&M is a beautiful combination of synths, guitars, drums, sampled sounds & effects, bringing together OMITD's experimental & commercial sides. The album is an event, brimming with ideas. There's the frantic guitar on the opening track 'New Stone Age'. There's the gorgeous melody of 'Souvenir', & it's choral tapes. There's Andy McCluskey singing falsetto on 'Joan of Arc', providing that memorable haunting feeling. There's Malcolm Holme's distinctive drumming - one minute very minimal & dramatic as in 'Sealand', the next very rythmic as in 'Maid of Orleans'. There's the radio samples used brilliantly in 'Georgia'. There's the musical collage of the title track, consisting of the beautiful Mellotron Choir sound that builds to a dramatic climax. And what about the final song 'The Beginning & the End' that makes me want to start the album alll over again.
The extended version contains additional tracks, mainly from their B-Sides. Sadly, & I don't know why, but the fantastic track 'Navigation' has been chopped at the end - which idiot made that decision? You'll have to buy Navigation (the B-Sides album) for the full version of this track. The DVD from the 1981 A&M tour is also a must. The production values are far better than the awful DVD from the A&M tour 2007.
A&M was release at a time when British music was thriving, which is sadly why Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark & this album tend to get overlooked in favour of bands like The Human League, Ultravox, Duran Duran, etc. It's a shame because as far as I'm concerned this album is far superior to the majority of material release around this time. OMITD wrote creative & inventive music that happened to be popular. They were putting their music before commercial interests, which is why I think A&M & their three other albums from this period [OMITD, Organisation & Dazzle Ship] have stood the test of time.
If you're interested in inventive, original music, then give this album a try. Don't let Andy McCluskey's developed love affair with cheap pop music put you off.
The OMD album - By: P. F. Yardley, 10 Oct 2008 An excellent re-release of the classic OMD album. Not only do you get the original album remastered, you get seven bonus tracks some of which appeared as B sides on the original singles releases. What makes this package very special though is the DVD - The main feature is the live concert from the album tour back in 1981 (this was released on VHS many years ago but is no longer available). Also included are two promo videos & a Top of the Pops appearance showcasing the three singles from the album, Souvenir, Joan of Arc & Maid of Orleans. Its interesting to compare this concert with the recently released DVD 'Live Architecture & Morality & More' from the aniversery tour last year.
In Summary, an excellent must have album boosted by the rare bonus tracks & completed with a live performance. A 'must have' & excellent value for money.
Deluxe reissue of third LP from O.M.D. - By: Jason Parkes, 11 Jun 2007 Despite the tragic association with the second series of Alan Partridge, which has helped assist a snobbish response to O.M.D. by default, I feel the need to defend the band mostly known as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. 'A&M' took its title from a book entitled 'Morality & Architecture', the title suggested by Martha Ladly once of Martha & the Muffins & later associated with the Associates. The title fits perfectly the brilliant cover from Peter Saville Associates, who designed the majority of their sleeves (many of these are in an excellent book on Saville, well worth tracking down).
This version of 'A&M' is an extension of the extended/remaster from a few years ago, the major addition being the second disc which has DVD elements (video/live), mostly culled from a performance at Drury Lane. This is the deluxe version of the best-selling OMD album, one the fan's will have to get - if you're less certain, plump for the single disc remastered version which has alll the b-sides/bonus tracks. I am one of the few who are hoping their masterpiece, 1983's 'Dazzle Ships' gets the same treatment.
The original nine-track LP is pretty perfect, advancing on the promise of the previous two albums & proving that the perfect pop of 'Enola Gay' was no one-off (which some might think when hearing the bleak electronic soundscapes of 'Organisation'). There is subversive pop, akin to 'Enola Gay', the subject this time being Joan of Arc, a figure who has been read in many ways (perhaps they had just overdosed on 'The Passion of Joan of Arc'?). 'Joan of Arc' is a gorgeous pop single, though it is the relative 'Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)' that seems more powerful, taking the ambient synths that are also found on 'Souvenir' & 'Sealand', prior to a huge classical synth motif & military drums whacked out by robots. The other single was the huge hit 'Souvenir', sung not by Andy McCluskey, but by Paul Humphreys who wrote it with Martin Cooper - more sublime pop perfection, the 'Extended Souvenir' is pretty similar, just a few extra words you might not require...
Things start more oddly with 'The New Stone Age', which has a minimal guitar sound (like Joy Division with banjos!), a metronomic drum machine & whoozy ambient drones as McCluskey sounds possessed, barking out the words: "Oh my god, what have we done this time?" The song goes into overload at the end, feeling like an advance on the Joy Division inflections of 'Organisation.' Following the dark opener, we get some more gorgeous electronic pop in the form of 'She's Leaving', which probably should have been a single - amusingly enough it would be ripped-off for 'Number One' by Goldfrapp, a band who are hip where OMD definitely aren't...
The centrepiece of the LP remains 'Sealand', which may or may not be a nod towards 'Seeland' by Neu! (OMD paid tribute to the Krautrock gods with b-side '4 Neu' a few years later), but advances on the 'Organisation'-epic 'Stanlow.' Just under eight-minutes in duration, it's a fan favourite & OMD at their most ambient, this direction would conclude with Dazzle-joys like 'International', 'The Romance of the Telescope', & 'Silent Running.' The title track predicts large aspects of the follow-up album, leading the way to the concluding tracks 'Georgia' (industrial electronic pop about a state of the Soviet Union, which like 'Enola Gay' sounds perky!) & 'The Beginning & the End' which blends Philip Glass-style minimal elements with guitar & percussion. Still great stuff, a definite perky LP & the choice OMD album (though I remain a 'Dazzle Ships' fellow myself).
The bonus tracks are another reason to buy this reissue, including a re-recorded 'Motion & Heart', tracks that would appear on 'Dazzle Ships' ('Romance of the Telescope', 'Of All the Things We Made'), & the fantastic 'Navigation', which would later give its title to a b-side collection of OMD works - one cd well worth tracking down.
Despite the later descent into stock 80s pop, session musicians & John Hughes soundtracks, OMD were once a great band, like Simple Minds, I tend to plump for the early stuff, picking only a handful of tracks after 1983. A key LP of the era, 'Architecture & Morality' feels as significant as 'Big Science', 'Dare!', 'Music for Parties', 'Non Stop Erotic Cabaret', & 'Penthouse & Pavement.' A key electronic album, even if Alan Partridge digs it!
OMD's great leap forward. - By: Paul McColm., 17 May 2007 Returning to Architecture & Morality after a 26 year gap is quite an enlightening experience.
By the time this album was released in 1981 OMD were on the way to becoming a regular chart act & this album was in effect the bands great leap forward.With an impressive three U.K. hit singles,it could be argued that Architecture And Morality was merely the latest in a long line of very impressive electronic albums released around the same time,but that would be doing the band & their music a disservice.
A product of its time, Architecture And Morality has a slightly urban feel that connects well with the dark days of the early Eighties,and whilst arguably it has a cold heart the songwriting & vision has a certain charm that still resonates to this day.Classic singles like "Joan Of Arc",and the irrepressible"Souvineer" still sound great,whilst supporting tracks like"The New Stone Age" & the albums title track show that OMD would comfortably overcome any notions that they were merely a disposable chart act.
An obvious reference throughout this set is Kraftwerk's "Radioactivity" album,but fortunately OMD were shrewed enough to avoid being completely overcome by the German's influence,and this album sounds more like a northern British relation rather than a carbon copy.Consequently the real strength of Architecture And Morality lies in its willingness to acknowledge its influences,not replicate them.
Now expanded to include lost 'b'sides [although i am finding it difficult to tell the difference between the two versions of "Souvineer" on this set!] & a very impressive dvd[including tv appearances & a live concert from 1981],this is a brilliant package that offers a full insight into OMD at the most crucial time in their career.
Ultimately this is a great example to other artists on how to reissue their most important albums, breathing new life into established work,whilst offering the punter enough value & reasons to buy the album again.
The Beginning Of The End - By: Coincidence Vs Fate, 16 May 2007 This was OMD's third album and, for me, their finest moment. This remastered issue is exactly the same musicallly as the 2003 remastered release. What makes this version so special is the inclusion of the bonus DVD.
The DVD contains the video for "Souvenir" & a couple of TOTP performances, but more importantly the "Live At The Drury Lane" concert from December 1981. I used to have this concert on VHS & I remember it being one of those "big box" jobs, videos were like that in them days.
Anyway, it's the music that counts & the music CD is as close to perfection as you're likely to get. This was OMD going through their choral voice stage & a lot of the songs are layered with the eerie sounds of chopped up human voice. Singles abound: "Joan Of Arc", "Maid of Orleans" & the top-tenner "Souvenir". To be honest, I've never been a big fan of that track as I always thought Paul's voice was a little weak, says me who can't even talk in tune!
Me & my mate went to see the band on this tour in Birmingham (it seemed only five minutes since we'd seen them on the "Organisation" tour at the same venue) & it remains one of the best concerts I've been too, even 26 years later. The band had a vibrant energy that they never captured again.
The finest moment for me on here is the sublime "She's Leaving". Why this was never released as a single still puzzles me alll these years later, but I guess they didn't want to release too many from the same album. Still, that's a testament to the quality on offer.
There are a raft of extra tracks, some essential, some not so, but alll in this is a wonderful package. And alll for under a tenner too.
