Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) return with their 14th studio album Bauhaus Staircase, over six years after the triumph of their Top 4-charting record The Punishment of Luxury. The album was born from the impetus to kickstart new explorations during lockdown when as Andy McCluskey admits: “I rediscovered the creative power of total boredom.”

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) return with their 14th studio album Bauhaus Staircase, over six years after the triumph of their Top 4-charting record The Punishment of Luxury. The album was born from the impetus to kickstart new explorations during lockdown when as Andy McCluskey admits: “I rediscovered the creative power of total boredom.”

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) return with their 14th studio album Bauhaus Staircase, over six years after the triumph of their Top 4-charting record The Punishment of Luxury. The album was born from the impetus to kickstart new explorations during lockdown when as Andy McCluskey admits: “I rediscovered the creative power of total boredom.”

Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys make up Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, who were responsible for some of the catchiest and brightest synth pop that the '80s had to offer. O.M.D.'s material was a step above other keyboard pop music of the time, thanks to the combination of intelligently crafted hooks and colorful rhythms that bounced and jittered with pristine charm. Their squeaky-clean brilliancy initiated by both their synthesizers and subdued yet attractive vocal styles gave them a more mature sound over bands like Duran Duran and A Flock of Seagulls, who were attracting a younger audience. The Best of O.M.D. is an excellent compilation of their polished music, starting out with less provocative material like the basic electronic wash of "Electricity" and the bare but ebullient fervor of "Enola Gay." As this set moves along, so does the craftiness of their work, which is evident on tighter sounding songs like "Tesla Girls" and "Locomotion," where the intricacy of their formula begins to take a more resounding shape. O.M.D.'s best work came from 1985's Crush album, which harbored the midnight airiness found in "So in Love" as well as the adolescent innocence that streamed its way through "Secret," which are two of the best tracks on this set.

To mark the records’s 40th anniversary, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark will release the three singles from 1981’s Architecture & Morality together on one album, along with associated tracks: unreleased demos, studio sessions and live performances.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) were a clever, unique synth band from the 1980s and early '90s. They produced some of the catchiest and most melodic dance songs of that decade. However, they always had an experimental side to them (as evidenced on the Peel Sessions, 1979-1983) of which only true fans are aware. They used the B-sides of their singles to stretch their imagination and that of the listeners, and finally most of these non-album tracks have finally been collected on one CD. Many of these songs were never released outside of England and Europe, so North American fans can now delight in such brilliant songs as "Almost" (available here in a previously unissued version), "Annex," and their wonderful cover of Lou Reed's "Waiting for the Man" to name three. The CD is nicely packaged and well annotated. A lot of the music is instrumental and not what casual fans are used to hearing from OMD, but it is no less enjoyable than their biggest hits. Actually, this makes a necessary companion for their hits compilation, The OMD Singles (1998). A must for fans. This is yet another great compilation from OMD and Virgin in that it provides fans and collectors with important music in one collection. The only criticism is the editing of the brilliant "66 & Fading" from its original six minutes to just over two.

This singles collection can be regarded as OMD's greatest hits. It may not have some of the hits that are on other collections but this one is in my humble opinion one of THE best compilations of any artists. The only drawback to this compilation is that they are the radio or single version. Often album versions are longer and one may miss some of the characteristics of the original album version. But each of the singles are quite complete in themselves.