Very much appreciated that you reviewed the whole album. I can hardly describe how much I envy you listening to a song like „Souvenir“ for the first time. I do recall when I heard it first back in the day. I was blown away by the sheer beauty of the composition and arrangement. Easily one of the best tunes of the early 80s. „Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)“ was #1 in the German Single Charts for several weeks. Hard to believe when you look at current charts lowlights. Congrats to the 30k. Let’s head for 40k! Well deserved.

@JustJP

11 ай бұрын

Thanks Christian!

I think this album still holds up. These guy's were from Liverpool and in 1981 it was a very post-industrial landscape, a city in decline. That's what I got from the melodies.

@spartacusforlife1508

11 ай бұрын

Incorrect, they are plastic scousers, they come from the Wirral which is not liverpool

@aesotope1592

11 ай бұрын

@@spartacusforlife1508 Oh sorry. I thought Wirral formed part of the Liverpool City Region. My mistake.

@jpalvarez4972

11 ай бұрын

@@aesotope1592 Wirral is absolutely part of the LCR. On top of that, OMD made their name at Eric's Club and worked out of their own studio nearby. Absolutely, 100% a Liverpool band.

Wow, thank you, that was great. It's interesting that Souvenir gave you dreamy vibes and a real chilled feeling. It came out in the late summer of 1981 and the video, also set in summer, was of a stately home, driving through the grounds of the home with green fields and trees. Also, the great thing about the track was that it felt like an antidote to the uptempo pace of a number of amazing tracks already present in the Top 40.. such as The Human League - Love action ELO - Hold on tight Soft Cell - Tainted love Adam & the Ants - Prince Charming Genesis - Abacab Duran Duran - Girls on film Teardrop Explodes - Passionate friend

Their first 4 albums is their crowning era! (Self-titled: 1980, Organisation: 1980, A&M: 1981 and Dazzle Ships: 1983) Their mid-late 80s material isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, they just ventured down the mainstream commercial territory by creating straightforward synthpop ear-candy hits much like Erasure and New Order in the late 80s

Behind me is a window in which I can see some seriously overgrown bushes I have to cut down , thanks for reminding me . Love this album . You really don’t know what’s around the corner. Starts off with a very Joy Divisionish song ,goes into some sweet synth pop then into experimental electronic music. The same blueprint for the second side. It’s hard to believe this same band that wrote So in Love and If You Leave. The follow up to this album, Dazzle ships, almost sunk the band . It also has some great synth pop as well , but gets even more experimental with many vocal samples incorporated into this mix.

My favorites as well are Souvenir, #1, and Joan of Arc, #2. Fascinated by your dig through 80s synth pop. Maybe next up is Kissing the Pink’s debut, the LP called Naked-I very highly endorse Naked.

Absolutely love the melody of the song maid and new Orleans

@Reani71

11 ай бұрын

The title of the song is Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans) with Orleans referring to the French city by that name where Joan of Arc fought and won against the English. It has nothing to do with New Orleans. And yes, it's a great melody.

This was a fantastic album. OMD could pull off the difficult task of switching from perfect (electro) pop songs to dark cinematic almost industrial tracks. Thanks JP.

I think it's Andy does most of the vocals apart from souvenir sung by Paul humphrey

Thanks for the review and insight Justin. I’ve been listening to this album for 40 years and you’ve brought some interesting interpretations which I hadn’t thought of 🙏

@JustJP

11 ай бұрын

Appreciate you watching Dave! Ty ty

@andrewhillis9544

4 ай бұрын

​@@JustJP Please Review Captain Beefheart, I Think You Will Like His Humour ! ! !🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

Thanks for doing this fantastic album. The Neu influence is obvious, but there's a definite shift towards a more poppier eighties sound too. The contrast largely works, although the shift between the opening track and the rest of the album is perhaps a little stark? The way Souvenir uses a gorgeous synth hook rather than a vocal chorus is beautiful. Joan Of Arc and Maid of Orleans are the centrepiece of the album though and the band's greatest achievement. I still have the single with its striking stained glass window artwork. With Oppenheimer in the cinemas, it's time for you to check out OMD's memorable breakthrough hit 'Enola Gay'.

Awesome you listened to this album. Its still one of my favourites. OMD were the first band i ever saw live. I agree Souvenir, Joan of Arc and The Beginning and The End are standouts. They were highly influenced by Kraftwerk and Neu, and are a lot more varied than most people give them credit. If you wanted a second album to listen to, you could go earlier to Organisation, start with Enola Gay. Alternatively, go to the next album, its their most experimental - Dazzle Ships. This album was a major influence on Radiohead from Kid A onwards. Its a very unusual album, but still one of my favourites partially it was the last album i bought and was continuously listening to just before i had a serious accident and spent months convalescing. Otherwise try Junk Culture, seriously poppy and another change in direction, try Locomotion or Tesla Girls. Keep up the great work, loving listening in.

Still can't hear ' Souvenir ' without hearing the couple of skips (jumps) my original copy had listening on my Dad's radiogram back when first released. I've long since replaced with a perfect copy , but somehow ( you get my meaning ) doesn't sound right !! 🤣 Such great memories , Love this album. Thanks JP. 😍

Congrats on 30k.

"Architecture and Morality" is the title of a book, after which the album was named. PS: What's behind me is a door. And a painting.

@davidcopson5800

11 ай бұрын

Actually, the title of the book is Morality and Architecture by David Watkin.

@TimvanderLeeuw

11 ай бұрын

@@davidcopson5800 Thanks, I heard about this story but did not look up the exact details when making that comment!

I believe the name and cover design of this album came from Martha Ladly, who was in Martha & The Muffins before she moved to the UK to hang out with Roxy Music, OMD, Peter Saville and Peter Gabriel. She also painted the artwork featured on the first New Order EP, the one with Everything's Gone Green and Temptation.

Saw them 43 years ago in San Francisco, saw them again last night in Stockholm, they still have it, stunning concert👍

Really glad you enjoyed this. I think you would like any one of the first three. They are a good mix of songs with great melodies, catchy pop made with experimental creative sounds. And like the use of unconventional sounds to make more straightforward songs the albums have the odd strange songs sprinkled in with the more recognizable songs. Again no one is listening to this album anywhere else. You always do a good job of interpreting themes and lyrics and what maybe the artist hopes you feel from the sounds or arrangements. The vinyl version of this had an interactive cover. The square with the architecture was a cutout window. The architecture picture was on the inner sleeve and there was a different but similar picture on the other side of the sleeve. You could take it out flip it over and change the picture that would show through the cutout window. A simpler version than the Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti album cover. Behind me is a pillow

Bought the album when it came out ...I fell in love with it ... thanks

Man, how did I miss this? And after I got a namecheck, too? I'd been meaning to ask you again to listen to some of OMD's stuff, which I grew up listening to, especially their earlier albums, right up to The Pacific Age (1986), after which they took a bit of a nosedive creatively. But then, after a long hiatus, they were back in 2010 with History of Modern, which was ok, and English Electric, which was brilliant, even if it did borrow stylistically from their amazing experimental Dazzle Ships from 1983. Dazzle Ships is a must-listen, btw, as well as their first and second albums. Their hit single, Enola Gay, is the happiest, poppiest song you've ever heard about the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Of course, the fact that lead singer Andy McClusky came from my (very small) hometown and went to my primary & secondary (junior & high) schools, has nothing to do with my love for these guys!

Musique Concrete! Sealand, Liverpool is a port, industrial noise. OMD was one of the first wave of the Children of Kraftwerk.

My second album, back in early 82 - and (as you have been hearing) the first time it was up to me to listen through a band's album tracks of discordant experimental music to get to the more melodic bits. A&M swiftly became treasured listening and you'll have seen its stellar reputation from a wide variety of critics and musical artists, and some of we commenters. Those who aren't fans already have the odd bits of their own favourites to absorb, so we can forgive them! I like all the tracks here, with the notable exception of The New Stone Age. I wouldn't say I disliked those post-punk bands who produced music in that style, but they didn't make it easy... It was the radio-friendly synth stuff that tended to draw me in: it just so happens that the first band to tempt me to hand over some money was one which put "odd bits" front and centre in their three singles from this album...🙃 With you, Souvenir (which I had liked a lot) holds sway but the Joans of Arc were my darlings! However they had sourced those choral samples - in the day, I just assumed they were all settings on random synths - they created truly special atmospheres for their musings on love and historical obsessions. Sweet sounding tracks continue with moments of dissonance: chaotic ones have hearts of gold. The album flows beautifully, assuming you're listening to it in the right order, which you weren't!😉 My dilemma can't have been unique: the cassette swapped the sides. The inlay display, visible through the back window starts with Stone Age, but when I pressed play and the first Joan of Arc played, I then fast-forwarded to the end of side 1 and started properly. I quickly decided that the mistake must have been with the inlay card and went back to my side 1. By the time I had a look at an LP, a long while later, I was too used to my preferred running order. It's murder reprogramming CDs, but it has to be done! I think Sealand makes for the perfect atmospheric ending, and you shall face my blade if you dare say otherwise...🙂

Just proving I react to your reactions as the video unfolds (rather than waiting until the end), behind me is a dining table and two bookcases.

@JustJP

11 ай бұрын

Ty ty :)

Souvenir is a timeless romantic number, I got my 7" vinyl sleeve signed by two original members, Malcolm Holmes (drummer) and Martin Cooper (saxophone). C ~ 23 - 03 - 2024

OMD weren't a synth-pop band per se, they were simply an electronic band of the New Romantic era and their music required more effort on the listener's part. The term synth-pop hadn't been coined until the following decade which was based on the term "techno-pop" coined by Yuzuru Agi in 1978. The early OMD music is pretty amazing with a whole sub-genre of dark ambient found on their many B-sides. Whilst OMD had some pop tracks they had many more experimental tracks that would inspire the ambient electro music much later.

The New Stone Age ... A 17 year old boy with a 14 year old girlfriend in his bedroom... Just my interpretation of the lyrics but seems to make sense! ....

I remember when I first heard the song messages and also electricity love many other songs from OMD

Hardly ever listened to OMD. The group reminds me of Ultravox, in that it's a similar Euro Techno Pop sound. My classmates in college were into those groups, and from looking into their album collection, I did find some interest in 80s Techno (such as The Motors, The Cars, Gary Numan and U2). Thanks to my friends, I found out about artists like Vangelis and Mark Isham, and I still listen to Mark Isham's Vapor Drawings (1983) today. Very architecturally inspiring album.

I LOVE this album. One of my very favorites of the 80's. This was right there beside my Ultravox albums. And I'm not even really an 80's guy, I'm more of a 70's progressive guy. But this, for me, elevated synth-pop to its ultimate heights. Subsequent listenings will yield rewards. There's just something in the raw yearning, the haunting textures, the choral overlays and industrial intrusions, the sparse spaciousness and shimmering iridescence, that never fails to move me. The sounds, emotions, and space are DEEP. And oh, that closer, The Beginning And The End, is just heavenly! Their first two albums are fine too, especially Organization, with the famous track Enola Gay (must hear), as is their fourth, Dazzle Ships - but I do think this one was their peak. I thought I might have recommended Architecture and Morality at some point, but if not, I should have and would have. Behind me is my green screen. (I'm on Zoom with clients a lot in my work.)

Behind me is a bl**dy mess. One of me fav albums of 1981 iirc, together with f.i. Movement by New Order and Heaven Up Here by Echo & The Bunnymen. Apparently, I was into the Brits back then, lol. Liverpool and Manchester, well, I know they are considered rivals, but together they provided the music world with great music in those years. I.c. the 2nd Joan Of Arc... it might feel like a march sometimes maybe, but the nice thing is that it's a waltz in 3/4 time signature. I like that a lot. Awesome song.

Congrats on 30k!! Behind me now is a lot of stuff, but I'll just mention the giant #8 helium balloon my brother got for my dad's 78th birthday. The #7 "mysteriously" deflated before my 3 year old could request it 😅 You already know how I feel about this album but I will once again say I'm glad you finally got around to it!

I look forward to you doing their Junk Culture, The Pacific Age, and Crush albums (My favourites) but Dazzle Ships will blow your mind. They are still going strong, and even now, they are pretty experimental.

@BuyOneGetOneFree

10 ай бұрын

New album on the way... Bauhaus Staircase... and UK tour in March 2024.

I enjoyed the album review. I was still a teenager when this came out, so there's a certain amount of nostalgia. At this time, there was still an experimental edge to synth pop, looking back towards Kraftwerk. Soon, I think, this became lost and the synthesiser was just another instrument that bands used, at least in mainstream pop. Behind me, it's mostly just a wall.

OMD were heavily influenced by Kraftwerk and the two groups would compare ideas and concepts. A couple of Kraftwerk's songs are directly done in an 'OMD' way. OMD have a wide catalogue of music. Their music is awesome anywhere that needs a good vibe, atmosphere!

Great review as always, OMDs 1st 2 albums & their last 3 have stood the test of time...at least check out Messages & Enola Gay if nothing else. Thanks again peace

Omd are without doubt the best 80s band amazing in the 90s 2000s and on to the present day.

I have this on cassette tape. I still have it I believe. Just no cassette player.

An interesting reaction Justin. I bought this album as soon as it came out (being quite a fan of OMD), I preferred its predecessor Organisation. However, this is a fine album with some genuine highlights. Also, it's absolutely fine that you're "speaking out loud", as long as you're Talking Loud and Clear!

@SJ-tk4ri

11 ай бұрын

Saying just what you feel

A& M is a great album, but I slightly prefer their first album and Organisation a little more. I would like to hear what their first album would've sounded like with better production that they had on A&M. Organisation might not have the commercial singles other than the song Enola Gay, but the atmosphere and feel of the album is just different in an amazing way.

I hate that you didn't put any timestamps. I wanted to see your reaction on she's leaving

Behind me is a large window looking out to neighbours and gardens of next door

A door, a big snake plant, and a vase filled with paint brushes are what's behind me. Well, you had to ask...

Hi, I've got the cat sitting on the back of the chair behind me.Great reaction as usual.

@JustJP

11 ай бұрын

🐈

Not my favorite OMD album, although souvenir is the song that got me into them and I still love it. Dazzle Ships is my favorite OMD album with a heavy nod to the Pacific Age and Junk Culture, much better albums IMHO.

Enjoyed that. I thought I used to have this one, but I must've ignored it due to it not being enough like Black Sabbath or something. Oh well, never too late. Good sir, would you please spare just a minute or two of for *Little Jimmy the Giant* ? kzread.info/dash/bejne/c2qFutilgdibepc.html ( :D ) Yes, it's totally irrelevant to OMD, and is indicative of a certain obsessiveness - as one sometimes witnesses when a Jack Russell goes to ground in, say, a porcupine burrow, and only answers shouted commands with echo-barks that seem to be aimed at the dark down there, rather than intended as replies. Just one small point around (probably optional) pronunciation. I've always heard it referred to as "orkEstrl manoeuvres in the dark" - with an emphasis on that E, pronounced like the phonetic E in "said". This could be one of those "lost in the Pond" things, but said this way the words seem to fall into a better rhythm.

Laundry...

@JustJP

11 ай бұрын

🧺

Too ineffectual a band for me, though I did actually like the opening track and I've appreciated the singles, especially "Souvenir", "Joan Of Arc" and "Maid Of Orleans", however, they're not a band I would purposely listen to. Liked your reaction and analysis though.😺

Other than their debut album Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and their more experimental fourth album Dazzle Ships, I've never really been addicted to OMD's music, and I find Architecture & Morality particularly overrated for the songs on it (even its hit singles!). Actually I find it even more boring than their previous album (Organisation) overall.

The opening track was horrid. After that, the band learned to tune, sing, and use decent keyboard sounds. Overall, I didn’t mind it but it’s not my thing.

Such an over rated band. Banal is they best way I can describe them. Their success was driven by the fact that there were only a few electronic bands around at the time and given Gary numans impact they came in on his coat tails.

@annother3350

11 ай бұрын

There's always a fucking Debbie Downer on every track this guy puts up. Get some anti-depressants man

@davidcopson5800

11 ай бұрын

I disagree that they are overrated, given their oeuvre over many decades. They rightly have a substantial global fanbase.