Content deleted Content added
not permanent dead links at all |
|||
Line 1:
{{Short description|English band}}
{{About|the band|their debut album|Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (album)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| genre = {{hlist|[[Electronic music|Electronic]]<ref name="Hanley2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/it-s-been-a-remarkable-journey-omd-toast-their-40th-anniversary/077851|title='It's been a remarkable journey': OMD toast their 40th anniversary|last=Hanley|first=James|date=24 October 2019|website=[[Music Week]]|access-date=30 April 2021}}</ref>|[[synth-pop]]<ref name="Shand2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/omd-at-40-2641155629.html|title=OMD at 40: Making Sense of a Synthpop Legacy|last=Shand|first=Max|date=8 November 2019|website=[[PopMatters]]|access-date=2 May 2021}}</ref>|[[Experimental music|experimental]]<ref name="Marder14">{{cite web|url=https://www.goldminemag.com/news/goldmines-hall-fame-inductees-volume-43|title=Goldmine's Hall of Fame Inductees - Volume 43|last=Marder|first=Phill|date=13 March 2014|website=[[Goldmine (magazine)|Goldmine]]|access-date=12 December 2023}}</ref>|[[New wave music|new wave]]<ref name="Majewski2014">{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/181891-mad-world-an-oral-history-of-new-wave-artists-and-songs-that-defined-2495658962.html|title=Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s|website=[[PopMatters]]|date=15 May 2014|access-date=2 May 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027111204/https://www.popmatters.com/181891-mad-world-an-oral-history-of-new-wave-artists-and-songs-that-defined-2495658962.html|archive-date=27 October 2021}}</ref>}}
| discography = [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark discography|Discography]]
| years_active = {{hlist|1978–1996|2006–present}}
| label = {{hlist|100%|[[Virgin Records|Virgin]]<ref name="O'Neal08">{{cite news|first=Sean|last=O'Neal|title=Paul Humphreys of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|url=https://www.avclub.com/paul-humphreys-of-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-1798214499|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=30 July 2008|access-date=20 July 2024|archive-date=27 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927214814/https://www.avclub.com/paul-humphreys-of-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-1798214499|url-status=live}}</ref>|[[Dindisc]]<ref name="O'Neal08"/>|[[Factory Records|Factory]]<ref name="O'Neal08"/>|[[Bright Antenna]]|[[A&M Records|A&M]]<ref name="O'Neal08"/>|[[Epic Records|Epic]]<ref name="O'Neal08"/>}}
| spinoffs = {{hlist|[[The Listening Pool]]|[[Atomic Kitten]]|[[Onetwo (band)|Onetwo]]}}
| website = {{URL|omd.uk.com}}
| spinoff_of = {{hlist|[[The Id (band)|The Id]]|[[Dalek I Love You]]}}
| current_members = *[[Andy McCluskey]]
*[[Paul Humphreys]]
*[[Martin Cooper (musician)|Martin Cooper]]
*[[Stuart Kershaw]]
| past_members = *[[Malcolm Holmes]]
*[[David Hughes (musician)|Dave Hughes]]
*[[Nigel Ipinson]]
*Michael Douglas
*Graham Weir
*Neil Weir
*Phil Coxon
*Abe Jukes
}}
'''Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark''' ('''OMD''') are<!--OMD are an English band, so this article is written in British English. See [[WP:ENGVAR]].--> an English [[electronic music|electronic]] band formed in [[Meols]], [[Merseyside]] in 1978 by [[Andy McCluskey]] (vocals, bass guitar) and [[Paul Humphreys]] (keyboards, vocals). Regarded as pioneers of electronic music, OMD combined an [[Experimental music|experimental]], [[Minimal music|minimalist]] ethos with pop sensibilities, becoming key figures in the emergence of [[synth-pop]]; McCluskey and Humphreys also introduced the "synth duo" format to British popular music. In the United States, the band were an early presence in the [[MTV]]-driven [[Second British Invasion]].
McCluskey and Humphreys led [[The Id (band)|the Id]], a precursor group, from 1977 to 1978 and re-recorded their track "[[Electricity (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Electricity]]" as OMD's debut single in 1979. Weathering an "uncool" image and a degree of hostility from music critics, the band achieved popularity throughout Europe with the 1980 [[List of anti-war songs|anti-war song]] "[[Enola Gay (song)|Enola Gay]]", and gained further recognition via ''[[Architecture & Morality]]'' (1981) and its three hit singles. Although later reappraised, ''[[Dazzle Ships (album)|Dazzle Ships]]'' (1983) was seen as overly experimental, and eroded European support. OMD embraced a more radio-friendly sound on ''[[Junk Culture]]'' (1984); this change in direction led to greater success in the US, and spawned hits including "[[If You Leave (song)|If You Leave]]" (from the 1986 film ''[[Pretty in Pink]]'').
In 1989, Humphreys and longtime group members [[Martin Cooper (musician)|Martin Cooper]] (keyboards, saxophone) and [[Malcolm Holmes]] (drums) departed to form the spin-off band [[the Listening Pool]], leaving McCluskey as the sole member of OMD. The group returned with a new line-up and explored the [[dance-pop]] genre: ''[[Sugar Tax (album)|Sugar Tax]]'' (1991) and its initial singles were hits in Europe. OMD then began to flounder amid the guitar-oriented [[grunge]] and [[Britpop]] movements, eventually disbanding in 1996. McCluskey later founded [[girl group]] [[Atomic Kitten]], for whom he served as a principal songwriter and producer, while Humphreys formed the duo [[Onetwo (band)|Onetwo]] alongside lead vocalist [[Claudia Brücken]] of [[Propaganda (band)|Propaganda]].
In 2006, OMD reformed with McCluskey and Humphreys revisiting the more experimental territory of their early work. The band have achieved 14 top-20 entries on the [[UK Albums Chart]], as well as global sales of 40 million records. Their 20th century output yielded 18 top-40 appearances on the [[UK Singles Chart]], along with four top-40 entries on the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. Described as one of the most influential synth-pop acts in history, OMD have inspired many artists across diverse genres and disciplines. In 2015, the group established their most enduring line-up, with McCluskey and Humphreys being complemented by Cooper and [[Stuart Kershaw]] (drums).
==
===1975–1979: Roots and early years===
[[File:Andy_McCluskey.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Lead vocalist and co-founder Andy McCluskey in 2011]]
Founders [[Andy McCluskey]] and [[Paul Humphreys]] met at primary school in [[Meols|Meols, England]] in the early 1960s, and in the mid-1970s, as teenagers, they were involved with various local groups.<ref>Taylor, Paul. ''Popular Music Since 1955''. Mansell Pub., 1985. p. 339. {{ISBN|0-7201-1727-5}}, {{ISBN|978-0-7201-1727-1}}.</ref> By 1975, McCluskey had formed Equinox as bassist and lead vocalist, alongside schoolmate [[Malcolm Holmes]] on drums, while Humphreys was [[Road crew|roadie]]. During that time, McCluskey and Humphreys discovered their electronic style, inspired by German band [[Kraftwerk]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://link2wales.co.uk/liverpool/liverpool-a/liverpool-e/ |title=Liverpool: E |website=Link2wales.co.uk |date=7 February 2016 |access-date=27 April 2009}}</ref> After Equinox, McCluskey joined Pegasus,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://link2wales.co.uk/liverpool/liverpool-n-z/liverpool-p-q/ |title=Liverpool: P Q |website=Link2wales.co.uk |date=7 February 2016 |access-date=27 April 2009}}</ref> and, later, the short-lived Hitlerz Underpantz, alongside Humphreys.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://link2wales.co.uk/liverpool/liverpool-a/liverpool-h/ |title=Liverpool: H |publisher=link2wales.co.uk |access-date=28 April 2009}}</ref><ref name="faq2">{{cite web |url=http://www.omd.uk.com/html/faq_2.html |title=OMD | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | home |publisher=Omd.uk.com |access-date=14 November 2010 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010211143401/http://www.omd.uk.com/html/faq_2.html |archive-date=11 February 2001}}</ref> McCluskey would usually sing and play bass guitar; roadie and [[Electronic musical instrument|electronics]] enthusiast Humphreys, who shared McCluskey's love of electronic music,<ref name="Lindores">{{cite magazine|last=Lindores|first=Mark|url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2019/08/classic-album-architecture-morality/|title=Classic Album: Architecture & Morality|magazine=[[Classic Pop (magazine)|Classic Pop]]|date=1 August 2019|access-date=16 December 2020}}</ref> graduated to keyboards.
In August 1978, the Id broke up due to musical differences. Also in August, McCluskey joined Wirral electronic outfit [[Dalek I Love You]] as lead vocalist, but quit in September.<ref name="familytree"/> Later in the month, he rejoined Humphreys and their VCL XI project was renamed Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The name was gleaned from a list of song lyrics and ideas that were written on McCluskey's bedroom wall;<ref name=Lindgren>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/magazine/omds-plot-against-rock.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|title=The Plot Against Rock|last=Lindgren|first=Hugo|author-link=Hugo Lindgren|date=10 May 2013|website=[[The New York Times Magazine]]|publisher=[[The New York Times Company]]|access-date=20 October 2013|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515163956/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/magazine/omds-plot-against-rock.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|archive-date=15 May 2013}}</ref> and was chosen so they would not be mistaken for a [[punk music|punk]] band.<ref>''Rock Formations: Categorical Answers to How Band Names Were Formed'', Dave Wilson, 2004, p. 58</ref><ref name="Rexroat1988">{{cite news|first=Dee Ann|last=Rexroat|title=OMD maneuvering its way to American success|work=[[The Gazette (Cedar Rapids)|The Gazette]]|date=13 May 1988|page=36 (''Weekend!'', p. 2C)}}</ref> Given that OMD intended to play only one gig, the duo considered their moniker to be inconsequential.<ref name="breakfast2010">{{Cite episode|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|series=[[BBC Breakfast]]|network=[[BBC One]]|station=[[BBC|British Broadcasting Corporation]]|date=13 September 2010|quote=We were trying to have no image.}}</ref> McCluskey has since expressed regret over choosing "such a very silly name".<ref name="Rexroat1988"/> The contrasting personalities of Humphreys and McCluskey established the band's dynamic, with the former saying that "two Pauls wouldn't get anything done and two Andys would kill each other."<ref name="Bray13">{{cite news|first=Elisa|last=Bray|title=Our Friends Electric: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/our-friends-electric-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-8560409.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/our-friends-electric-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-8560409.html|archive-date=24 May 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=5 April 2013|access-date=28 January 2016}}</ref> They have further described their creative roles as "The Surgeon" (Humphreys) and "The Butcher" (McCluskey).<ref name="Earls2020">{{cite web|url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2020/02/omd-interview-stockhausen-or-abba-cant-we-be-both/|title=OMD Interview: 'Stockhausen or ABBA? Can't We Be Both?'|last=Earls|first=John|author-link=John Earls|date=February 2020|website=[[Classic Pop (magazine)|Classic Pop]]|access-date=30 April 2021|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728212218/https://www.classicpopmag.com/2020/02/omd-interview-stockhausen-or-abba-cant-we-be-both/|archive-date=28 July 2020}}</ref> As [[working class]] youngsters,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/whats-on/omd-singer-champions-unsung-north-6765139|title=OMD Singer Champions Unsung North Staffordshire Artist in New Exhibition|last=Hiles|first=Hannah|date=9 March 2022|website=[[The Sentinel (Staffordshire)|Stoke-on-Trent Live]]|access-date=28 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="HumphreysNeedle">{{cite episode|title=Paul Humphreys|series=Neil McCormick's Needle Time|network=[[Vintage TV (TV channel)|Vintage TV]]|date=21 February 2017}}</ref> OMD had a limited budget, using second-hand "junk-shop" instruments including a left-handed bass guitar (which McCluskey would play upside-down).<ref name="HumphreysNeedle"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/omd-our-whole-raison-detre-try-ask-musical-questions-815155|title=OMD: 'Our whole raison d'etre is to try to ask musical questions'|last=Seaman|first=Duncan|date=17 October 2019|website=[[The Yorkshire Post]]|access-date=6 July 2021}}</ref> The pair also created their own devices, with Humphreys "making things out of his aunt's radios cannibalised for the [[Printed circuit board|circuit boards]]".<ref name="HumphreysNeedle"/><ref name="RC19">{{cite web|url=https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/omd|title=OMD|last=Wilson|first=Lois|date=30 September 2019|website=[[Record Collector]]|access-date=21 February 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201207072647/https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/omd|archive-date=7 December 2020}}</ref> Eventually, they acquired a basic [[Korg]] M-500 Micro Preset synthesizer, purchased via McCluskey's mother's mail-order catalogue for £7.76 a week, paid over 36 weeks.<ref name="1981CH5">{{Cite episode|title=1981|series=Britain's Favourite 80s Songs|network=[[Channel 5 (British TV channel)|Channel 5]]|date=5 March 2021|season=2|number=2|minutes=6–9|quote=[Toyah Willcox:] They were ''experts'' at the ethereal sound.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/80s-music-group-omd-no-7911483|title=Why 80s music group OMD are no museum pieces|last=Wright|first=Jade|date=10 October 2014|website=[[Liverpool Echo]]|access-date=6 July 2021}}</ref>
OMD began to gig regularly as a duo, performing to backing tracks played from a [[TEAC Corporation|TEAC]] 4-track tape-recorder christened "Winston" (after [[Winston Smith (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|the antihero]] of [[George Orwell]]'s novel ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]''). Their debut performance was in October 1978 at [[Eric's Club]] in Liverpool.<ref name="RC19"/> Finding themselves on the cusp of an electronic new wave in British pop music, they released a one-off single, [[Electricity (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|"Electricity"]], with independent label [[Factory Records]]. The track was supposed to be produced by the Factory Records producer [[Martin Hannett]]. However, the A-side was the band's original [[Demo (music)|demo]] produced by their friend, owner of Winston and soon to be manager, Paul Collister,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.omd-messages.co.uk/electricity/|title=Electricity|last=Browne|first=Paul|date=15 November 2011|website=Messages|access-date=30 April 2021}}</ref> under the pseudonym Chester Valentino (taken from a nightclub called Valentino's in the nearby city of [[Chester]]). The single's sleeve was designed by [[Peter Saville (graphic designer)|Peter Saville]], whose distinctive graphics contributed to OMD's public image into the 1980s.<ref name="faq2"/><ref name="Lindores"/> "Electricity" became a seminal release within the burgeoning [[synth-pop]] movement,<ref>{{cite news|first=Mary|last=Harron|author-link=Mary Harron|title=Rock|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=6 November 1981|page=11}}</ref><ref name="MettlerJune16">{{cite web|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/music/interview-gary-barlow-on-fly-songs-inspired-by-eddie-the-eagle/|title=Gary Barlow didn't just meet his '80s heroes, he made a retro album with them|last=Mettler|first=Mike|date=17 June 2016|website=[[Digital Trends]]|access-date=15 April 2023}}</ref> and led to the band receiving a seven-album [[recording contract]] with [[Dindisc]], worth over £250,000.<ref name=Lindgren/><ref name="RC19"/>
In 1979, OMD were asked to support [[Gary Numan]] on his first major British tour. Humphreys noted, "[Numan] gave us our first big break. He saw us opening for [[Joy Division]] and he asked us to go on tour with him... we went from the small clubs to playing huge arenas. Gary was very good to us."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/qanda-omds-paul-humphreys-talks-reformation-the-return-of-intelligent-music-and-being-in-hitlers-underpants-7076357|title=Q&A: OMD's Paul Humphreys Talks Reformation, The Return of Intelligent Music and Being in Hitler's Underpants|last=Smyers|first=Darryl|date=18 March 2011|website=[[Dallas Observer]]|access-date=2 April 2021}}</ref> Along with Numan, OMD became key figures in the rise of synth-pop.<ref name=Lindgren/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2022/10/birth-of-synth-pop/|title=Things That Dreams Are Made Of: The Birth of Synth-Pop|last=Lester|first=Paul|author-link=Paul Lester|date=20 October 2022|website=[[Classic Pop (magazine)|Classic Pop]]|access-date=25 May 2023|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020223645/https://www.classicpopmag.com/2022/10/birth-of-synth-pop/|archive-date=20 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-berlin-mw0002225506|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: ''Live in Berlin''|last=O'Brien|first=Jon|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=28 September 2016}}</ref> Numan later supported OMD on a 1993 UK arena tour.<ref>Houghton, pp. 81–82</ref>
===1980–1988: Classic line-up===
{{quote box
| quote = "Musically, we were pushing boundaries as far as we could. At one Virgin meeting, the head of A&R asked us, 'Come on guys, are you [[Karlheinz Stockhausen|[Karlheinz] Stockhausen]] or [[ABBA]]?' Andy [McCluskey] and I said together, 'Can't we be both?'"
| source = Paul Humphreys<ref name="Earls2020"/>
| width = 30em
| align = left
}}
Rather than hire studio time to record their eponymous [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (album)|debut album]] (1980), McCluskey and Humphreys used their [[advance payment]] from Dindisc to build their own [[Liverpool]] recording studio, called the Gramophone Suite. They predicted that they would be dropped by the label due to disappointing sales, but would at least own a studio.<ref name="RC19"/> The album showcased the band's live set at the time, and included some guest drums from former Id drummer [[Malcolm Holmes]] and saxophone from former [[Dalek I Love You]] member [[Martin Cooper (musician)|Martin Cooper]]. It had a raw, poppy, melodic synth-pop sound.<ref>Browne, Paul. ''Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark'' (2003 remaster). Sleeve notes. [[Virgin Records]].</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omd-messages.co.uk/orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-strange-directions/|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark: Strange Directions|last=Browne|first=Paul|date=22 February 2020|website=Messages|access-date=30 April 2021}}</ref> Dindisc arranged for the song "[[Messages (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Messages]]" to be re-recorded (produced by [[Gong (band)|Gong]] bassist [[Mike Howlett]]) and released as a single—it gave the band their first hit.<ref name="AMbio">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-mn0000481057/biography|title=Biography: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|last=Kellman|first=Andy|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=30 April 2021}}</ref> [[David Hughes (musician)|Dave Hughes]] (another Dalek I Love You alumnus), who joined OMD in 1980,<ref name="familytree"/> is featured in the "Messages" [[music video]]. A tour followed; Winston was augmented with live drums from [[Malcolm Holmes]], and Dave Hughes played synthesizers. Hughes left OMD in late 1980.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omd-messages.co.uk/the-new-recruit/|title=The New Recruit|last=Browne|first=Paul|date=26 June 2019|website=Messages|access-date=10 June 2021}}</ref>
The band's second studio album, ''[[Organisation (album)|Organisation]]'' (a reference to [[Organisation (band)|the band]] which preceded Kraftwerk,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2010/09/28/omd-history-of-modern-album-release/|title=Synthesized Past: 'History of Modern,' OMD|last=Porter|first=Christopher|date=28 September 2010|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=12 June 2021}}</ref> founded by Kraftwerk's original members [[Florian Schneider|Florian Schneider-Esleben]] and [[Ralf Hütter]]), followed later that year, recorded as a three-piece with Humphreys, McCluskey and Holmes. It was again produced by Howlett, and had a darker, moodier feel largely inspired by the passing of [[Joy Division]] lead vocalist and former Factory label-mate [[Ian Curtis]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.omd.uk.com/discography/organisation/|title=Organisation|publisher=OMD|access-date=30 April 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110108065355/https://www.omd.uk.com/discography/organisation/|archive-date=8 January 2011}}</ref> The album included the [[List of anti-war songs|anti-war]]<ref>{{cite news|first= Kevin |last= Wuench |title= Even in the '80s sometimes you pray history doesn't repeat itself |newspaper=[[Tampa Bay Times]] |date= 4 November 2016 |access-date= 25 February 2021 |url= https://www.tampabay.com/even-in-the-80s-sometimes-you-pray-history-doesnt-repeat-itself/2301407/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= John |last= Meagher |title= 80s hitmakers OMD – Coming out of the dark |newspaper= [[Irish Independent]] |date= 15 October 2017 |access-date= 25 February 2021 |url= https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/80s-hitmakers-omd-coming-out-of-the-dark-36222411.html}}</ref> hit single "[[Enola Gay (song)|Enola Gay]]", named after [[Enola Gay|the plane that dropped an atomic bomb]] on Hiroshima.<ref name="AMbio"/> The song was intended to be included on the debut studio album, but was left out at the final selection. The tour for this album had a four-piece band line-up, with Martin Cooper recruited for keyboard duties and enlisted as an official group member.<ref name="Lindores"/> The McCluskey/Humphreys/Cooper/Holmes unit came to be regarded as the band's "classic" line-up.<ref name="Mansfield13">{{cite web|url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/04/04/omd-tour-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-on-the-road-again/2049903/|title=On the Road Again: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|last=Mansfield|first=Brian|author-link=Brian Mansfield|date=4 April 2013|website=[[USA Today]]|access-date=10 June 2021}}</ref> In early 1981, readers of ''[[Record Mirror]]'' voted OMD the fourth-best band and eighth-best live act of 1980;<ref>{{cite magazine|date=10 January 1981|title=1980 Poll Results|magazine=[[Record Mirror]]|page=16}}</ref> ''[[NME]]'' and ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'' readers named the group the eighth and 10th best new act of the year, respectively.<ref>West, p. 26</ref> In ''[[Smash Hits]]'', they were voted both the fifth-best band of 1980 and the eighth-hottest new act for 1981.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=5–18 March 1981|title=The Smash Hits Readers' Poll Results|magazine=[[Smash Hits]]|volume=3|number=5|page=20}}</ref>
Howlett then presided over the recording of a further hit single, "[[Souvenir (song)|Souvenir]]", co-written by Cooper and Humphreys. It ushered in a lush choral electronic sound. The song also became OMD's biggest UK hit to date.<ref name="Lindores"/><ref name="A&Mofficial">{{cite web|url=https://www.omd.uk.com/discography/architecture-morality/|title=Architecture & Morality|publisher=OMD|access-date=30 April 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023063305/https://www.omd.uk.com/discography/architecture-morality/|archive-date=23 October 2017}}</ref> The band's third studio album, ''[[Architecture & Morality]]'', was released in the UK and Europe in November 1981, becoming their most commercially successful studio album. The group went into the studio with Richard Manwaring producing.<ref name="Lindores"/><ref name="A&Mofficial"/> Cooper then temporarily dropped out and was replaced by Mike Douglas, but this change was reversed by the time the album was released and a tour followed.<ref>Waller; Humphreys, pp. 92–96</ref> The album's sound saw OMD's original synth-pop sound augmented by the use of the [[Mellotron]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Browne|first=Paul|url=http://www.omd-messages.co.uk/architecture-morality-interview-andy-mccluskey/|title=Architecture & Morality Interview: Andy McCluskey|publisher=Messages|date=12 March 2003|access-date=11 July 2022}}</ref> (an instrument previously associated with [[progressive rock]] bands), adding atmospheric swatches of string, choir, and other sounds to their palette. Two more hit singles, "[[Joan of Arc (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Joan of Arc]]" and "[[Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)|Maid of Orleans]]" (which became the biggest-selling single of 1982 in Germany<ref name="stanley">Stanley, Bob. [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/mar/07/popandrock1 How to lose 3 million fans in one easy step]. ''[[The Guardian]]''. 7 March 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2013.</ref>) were on the album. Both songs were originally titled "Joan of Arc"; the name of the latter single was changed to ''Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)'' at the insistence of the publishers and to avoid confusion.<ref name="Lindores"/> Readers of ''Smash Hits'' voted OMD the seventh-best group of 1981,<ref>{{cite magazine|date=24 December 1981 |title=Smash Hits 1981 Poll Winners: Best Group|magazine=[[Smash Hits]]|volume=3|number=26|page=15}}</ref> while ''Record Mirror'' readers named them the eighth-best band (as well as the 10th-best "new artist") and the third-best live act of the year.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=23 January 1982|title=1981 Poll Results|magazine=[[Record Mirror]]|page=9}}</ref> The group came close to breaking up in 1982, with McCluskey later saying, "We had never expected the success, we were exhausted."<ref>{{cite tweet|user=OfficialOMD|number=1250162031220719619|date=14 April 2020|title=Yes. We had never expected the success.}}</ref>
[[File:20180728_Köln_Amphi_Festival_OMD_0157.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Longtime instrumentalist [[Martin Cooper (musician)|Martin Cooper]] in 2018]]
In 1983, the band lost commercial momentum somewhat, with the release of their more experimental fourth studio album ''[[Dazzle Ships (album)|Dazzle Ships]]'', produced by [[Rhett Davies]], perhaps best known for his previous work with [[Roxy Music]] and [[Brian Eno]]. The record mixed melancholy synth ballads and uptempo synth-pop with [[musique concrète]] and short wave radio tape collages. Its relative commercial failure caused a crisis of confidence for Humphreys and McCluskey, and brought about a deliberate move towards the mainstream.<ref name="stanley"/> Their following studio album, 1984's ''[[Junk Culture]]'', was a shift to a more pop-style sound, and the band used digital [[Sampler (musical instrument)|sampling]] keyboards such as the [[Fairlight CMI]] and the [[E-mu Emulator]]. The album was a success, reassuring the group about their new direction.<ref name="AMbio"/> The "[[Locomotion (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Locomotion]]" single returned them to the top five in the UK. ''Record Mirror'' readers named OMD the eighth-best live act of 1984.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=5 January 1985|title=Readers Poll Winners: 1984|magazine=[[Record Mirror]]|page=15}}</ref>
In 1985, the band expanded to a sextet with the addition of brothers Graham Weir (guitar, keyboards, trombone) and Neil Weir (keyboards, trumpet, bass guitar), and released their sixth studio album, ''[[Crush (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album)|Crush]]'', produced by [[Stephen Hague]] in Paris and New York.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1985-12-14-2494435-story.html|title=OMD: British Synth Band Maneuvers Its Way Onto American Radio|last=Righi|first=Len|date=14 December 1985|website=[[The Morning Call]]|access-date=30 April 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210427140657/https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1985-12-14-2494435-story.html|archive-date=27 April 2021}}</ref> Sessions were strained, with Humphreys briefly quitting the group.<ref name="messages148–9">Waller; Humphreys, pp. 148–149</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|date=July 1993|title=A Discographical History of OMD|magazine=[[Vox (magazine)|Vox]]|issue=34}}</ref> OMD had been an early presence in the [[Second British Invasion]] of the US,<ref>{{cite news|first=Richard|last=Riccio|title=''Sugar'' Is Sprinkled with Gems|url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/08/23/sugar-is-sprinkled-with-gems/|work=[[Tampa Bay Times|St. Petersburg Times]]|date=23 August 1991|access-date=15 July 2022|quote=One of new wave's original invaders. [...] What always has separated OMD from the majority of the second British invasion was their talent for memorable melodies.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Charry|first=Eric|date=2020|title=A New and Concise History of Rock and R&B through the Early 1990s|publisher=[[Wesleyan University Press]]|pages=159–160|isbn=978-0819578952}}</ref> but achieved their first [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] hit with the no. 26 entry "[[So in Love (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|So in Love]]". This led to some success for ''Crush'', which entered the [[American Top 40]]. Later in 1985, the band were asked to write a song for the [[John Hughes (filmmaker)|John Hughes]] film ''[[Pretty in Pink]]'' (1986). They offered "Goddess of Love", although the ending of the film was re-shot due to a negative response from [[Test screening|test audiences]]. OMD then wrote "[[If You Leave (song)|If You Leave]]" in less than 24 hours,<ref name=Lindgren/> and it became a top 5 hit in the US, Canada, and New Zealand. Journalist [[Hugo Lindgren]] argued that the success of "If You Leave" has concealed from US audiences the group's history of making innovative music.<ref name=Lindgren/> The OMD track "[[Tesla Girls]]" had appeared in Hughes' ''[[Weird Science (film)|Weird Science]]'' (1985).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldextra.com/entertainment/2016/jul/14/barenaked-ladies-others-perform-flashback-favorites-at-red-butte-garden/|title=Barenaked Ladies, Others Perform Flashback Favorites at Red Butte Garden|last=Durrant|first=Jennifer|date=14 July 2016|website=[[Daily Herald (Utah)|Daily Herald]]|access-date=1 July 2025}}</ref>
In September 1986, the same six piece line-up also released their seventh studio album, ''[[The Pacific Age]]'', but the band began to see their critical and public popularity wane notably in the UK. The album's first single, "[[(Forever) Live and Die]]", was a top 10 hit across Europe<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hitparade.ch/song/OMD-(Orchestral-Manoeuvres-In-The-Dark)/(Forever)-Live-And-Die-1517|title=OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark) - (Forever) Live And Die|website=Hitparade.ch}}</ref> and entered the top 20 in both the UK<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/(forever)-live-and-die/|title=(forever) live and die | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company|website=Officialcharts.com}}</ref> and US. On 18 June 1988, OMD supported [[Depeche Mode]] at the [[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]] in [[Pasadena, California]] where they played to over 60,000 people. They also released the top 20 US hit "[[Dreaming (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Dreaming]]" and a successful greatest hits album, ''[[The Best of OMD]]''. Graham and Neil Weir left the group at the end of the 1988 US tour.
===1989–1996: McCluskey-led OMD and disbandment===
[[File:Paul_Humphreys_2008.JPG|thumb|right|150px|Keyboardist and co-founder Paul Humphreys departed in 1989.]]
As OMD appeared poised to consolidate their US success, the band continued to fracture. Humphreys departed in 1989 amid personal and creative dissension with McCluskey.<ref name="Majewski2014"/> Cooper and Holmes then left OMD to join Humphreys in founding a new band called [[the Listening Pool]].<ref name="AMbio"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prsformusic.com/m-magazine/features/omd-english-electric/|title=OMD, English Electric|last=Fisher|first=Kyle|date=8 April 2013|website=[[PRS for Music]]|access-date=30 April 2021}}</ref> McCluskey recalled, "We were all in agreement that something was wrong. How to fix it was where we disagreed."<ref>{{cite news|first=Peter|last=Pendras|title=Former Blasters' guitarist finds his own success|work=[[North County Times|North County Blade-Citizen]]|date=4 October 1991|page=64 (13A)}}</ref>
Only McCluskey was left to carry on, essentially becoming a solo artist working under the OMD banner. McCluskey's first album from the new OMD was the [[dance-pop]] studio album ''[[Sugar Tax (album)|Sugar Tax]]'' in May 1991, which charted at No. 3 in the UK. McCluskey recruited Liverpool musicians Raw Unlimited (Lloyd Massett, [[Stuart Kershaw]], Nathalie Loates) as collaborators for the making of ''Sugar Tax''; writing credits carefully distinguished between songs written by OMD (i.e., McCluskey) and songs written by OMD/Kershaw/Massett.<ref>''Sugar Tax'' liner notes. 1991. Virgin Records.</ref> This iteration of the group was initially successful, with hits such as "[[Sailing on the Seven Seas]]" and "[[Pandora's Box (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Pandora's Box]]", with lesser success on fellow chart entries "[[Call My Name (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Call My Name]]" and "[[Then You Turn Away]]". McCluskey's live band was then composed of [[Nigel Ipinson]] (keyboards), Phil Coxon (keyboards), and Abe Juckes (drums) from late 1990. ''[[Smash Hits]]'' readers voted OMD the sixth-best British group of 1991.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=30 October 1981 |title=The Smash Hits Readers Poll 1991|magazine=[[Smash Hits]]|volume=13|number=21|page=12}}</ref>
The group's next studio album was 1993's ''[[Liberator (album)|Liberator]]'', which ventured further into dance territory.<ref name="Evans2004"/> It peaked at No. 14 on the [[UK Albums Chart]]. The lead single "[[Stand Above Me]]" peaked at no. 21 on the [[UK Singles Chart]], with a follow-up single, "[[Dream of Me (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Dream of Me]]", charting at no. 24. Paul Humphreys was credited as co-writer of the single "[[Everyday (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Everyday]]" (a No. 59 UK chart entry). The fifth track from ''Liberator'', "[[Dream of Me (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Dream of Me]]", was built around a [[Sampling (music)|sample]] from "[[Love's Theme]]" by [[Love Unlimited Orchestra]], a song written and produced by [[Barry White]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.omd.uk.com/discography/liberator/ |title=Liberator |website=Omd.uk.com |access-date=18 May 2017 |archive-date=26 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170726050927/http://www.omd.uk.com/discography/liberator/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> To release the track as an OMD single, however, McCluskey had to agree that the single release would remove the actual "Love's Theme" sample, but still be officially titled "Dream of Me (Based on Love's Theme)", and furthermore would still give a writing credit to White.<ref>''Liberator'' liner notes. 1993. Virgin Records.</ref>
Also in 1993, McCluskey made contributions to the Elektric Music album ''[[Esperanto (Elektric Music album)|Esperanto]]'', a project by former Kraftwerk member [[Karl Bartos]].<ref>{{Cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r251361/review|pure_url=yes}} |title= Esperanto > Review |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |first=Alex |last=Henderson |access-date=30 April 2021}}</ref> McCluskey returned with a rotating cast of musicians for the more organic ''[[Universal (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album)|Universal]]'' (1996),<ref name="RC19" /> which featured two songs co-written by Humphreys as well as a holdover from the ''Esperanto'' sessions, co-written by Bartos. The record spawned OMD's first Top 20 hit in five years, "[[Walking on the Milky Way (song)|Walking on the Milky Way]]".
Although both ''Liberator'' and ''Universal'' produced minor hits, McCluskey retired OMD in late 1996, having faced waning public interest amid the [[grunge]] and [[Britpop]] movements.<ref name="Majewski2014"/><ref name="Cárdenas"/> A particular source of frustration was the modest commercial response to "[[Walking on the Milky Way (song)|Walking on the Milky Way]]", over which McCluskey said he "sweated blood", considering it "about as good a song as I could write". However, the track was not [[playlist]]ed by [[BBC Radio 1]], and [[Woolworths (United Kingdom)|Woolworths]] did not stock it. McCluskey said, "I just thought: 'Screw this, I'm not going to bang my head against a brick wall'."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/nov/23/artsfeatures2|title=The power behind pop|author=Alexis Petridis|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=23 November 2001|access-date=30 August 2016}}</ref> A second [[The OMD Singles|singles album]] was released in 1998, along with an [[Extended play|EP]] of remixed material by such acts as [[Sash!]] and [[Moby]].<ref name="Schulte">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-omd-singles-mw0000385813|title=The OMD Singles|last=Schulte|first=Tom|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=11 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-omd-remixes-ep-mw0000932132|title=The OMD Remixes|last=Jeffries|first=David|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=11 August 2022}}</ref>
Post-1996, McCluskey decided to focus on songwriting for such Liverpool-based acts as [[Atomic Kitten]] and Genie Queen, and trying to develop new Merseyside artists from his Motor Museum recording studio. With McCluskey focusing his talents elsewhere, Humphreys decided to work with his new musical partner [[Claudia Brücken]] (of the [[ZTT Records|ZTT]] bands [[Propaganda (band)|Propaganda]] and [[Act (band)|Act]]) as [[Onetwo (band)|Onetwo]]. He also undertook a US live tour under the banner "Paul Humphreys from OMD".<ref>{{cite episode|title=Electropop (no. 5: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)|series=Top Ten|station=[[Channel 4]]|date=7 April 2001}}</ref>
===2006–2012: Reformation and comeback releases===
[[File:Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark 2011.jpg|thumb|right|200px|McCluskey and Humphreys performing in 2011]]
An unexpected request to perform from a [[Television in Germany|German television]] show led the group to reunite.<ref name=Lindgren/> On 1 January 2006, McCluskey announced plans to reform OMD with the "classic" line-up of McCluskey, Humphreys, Holmes, and Cooper. The original plan was to tour the studio album ''[[Architecture & Morality]]'' and other pre-1983 material, then record a new studio album set for release in 2007. In May 2007, the ''Architecture & Morality'' remastered CD was re-released together with a DVD featuring the Drury Lane concert from 1981 that had previously been available on VHS. The band toured throughout May and June, beginning their set with a re-ordered but otherwise complete re-staging of the ''Architecture & Morality'' album. The second half of each concert featured a selection of their best known hits.<ref>''OMD Live: Architecture & Morality & More''. 2008. Eagle Records.</ref>
A live CD and DVD of the 2007 tour, ''[[OMD Live: Architecture & Morality & More]]'', was released in the spring of 2008; it was recorded at the [[Hammersmith Apollo]] in London. Also released was a 25th anniversary re-release of ''Dazzle Ships'', including six bonus tracks. To tie-in with the re-release, the band made the brief "Messages 78-08 30th Anniversary Tour", featuring [[China Crisis]] as a support act.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.omd.me.uk/webpages/OMD%20Gigography.htm |title= OMD Gigography |publisher=omd.me.uk }}</ref> A cover of Atomic Kitten's 2001 hit, "[[Whole Again]]" (which had been co-written by McCluskey), was included on ''[[Liverpool – The Number Ones Album]]'' (2008), marking OMD's first new studio recording in 12 years.
In June 2009, an orchestral concert with the [[Royal Liverpool Philharmonic]] was played in Liverpool; a recording of this concert was released on DVD in December.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omd.uk.com/html/news.html|title=OMD News: December 2009|access-date=9 December 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209072424/http://www.omd.uk.com/html/news.html|archive-date=9 December 2009}}</ref> The band toured arenas in November and December, supporting [[Simple Minds]] on their Graffiti Soul Tour.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.simpleminds.org/sm/tours/t2009-2/index.htm |title=Graffiti Soul Tour |publisher=Dream Giver Redux }}</ref> OMD had performed at the [[Night of the Proms]] festival in December 2006 in Germany, renewing the experience again in Belgium and the Netherlands that year. They were the headline act at Britain's first [[Vintage Computer Festival]] at [[The National Museum of Computing]] in June 2010.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10364135 | work=BBC News | title=Vintage computers inspire next generation of scientists | date=21 June 2010}}</ref>
McCluskey recalled, "Once we had toured again... there was only one dangerous but logical next step: to be crazy enough to dare to make new music. The process took about three years as we were conscious that a poor album would undermine all of the positive effects that we had achieved in the touring."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/omd-tour-album_b_958632|title=If They Left... and Came Back: OMD Returns with '80s Pop Synth Intact|last=Chattman|first=Jon|date=13 September 2011|website=[[HuffPost]]|access-date=21 May 2024}}</ref> [[Pet Shop Boys]] keyboardist [[Chris Lowe]] encouraged their return to the studio, declaring that "the world needs more OMD records".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.citypages.com/music/omd-co-founder-paul-humphreys-reflects-on-the-bands-resurgence-6631659|title=OMD co-founder Paul Humphreys reflects on the band's resurgence|last=Wilson|first=P.F.|date=21 September 2011|website=[[City Pages]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200331183315/https://www.citypages.com/music/omd-co-founder-paul-humphreys-reflects-on-the-bands-resurgence-6631659|access-date=21 May 2024|archive-date=31 March 2020}}</ref> The band's eleventh studio album, ''[[History of Modern]]'', was released in September 2010, reaching No. 28 in the [[UK Albums Chart]] and being followed by a European tour.<ref>{{cite news |first= Sean|last= Michaels|title= OMD announce first studio album in 14 years|url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/may/21/omd-announce-studio-album|newspaper= [[The Guardian]]|date= 21 May 2010|access-date=28 January 2016}}</ref> Reviews of the album were generally favourable.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-colston-hall-bristol-67b27g6km36|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Colston Hall, Bristol|date=2 November 2010|website=[[The Times]]|access-date=21 May 2024|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221121135926/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-colston-hall-bristol-67b27g6km36|archive-date=21 November 2022}}</ref>
On 28 September, OMD performed as a special guest at the "first ever gig" of [[the Buggles]].<ref name="Horn10">{{cite web|url=https://www.trevorhorn.com/news/omd_to_support_the_buggles_on.html|title=OMD to support The Buggles on 28.09.10|date=8 September 2010|website=TrevorHorn.com|access-date=13 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213221614/https://www.trevorhorn.com/news/omd_to_support_the_buggles_on.html|archive-date=13 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://releasemagazine.net/Reports/buggles.htm |title=The Buggles and OMD, Supperclub, London England 28 September 2010 |publisher=Release Magazine}}</ref> In March 2011, the band played their first North American tour as the "classic" line-up since 1988.<ref name="Mansfield13"/> In September, they appeared at the 2011 [[Electric Picnic]] festival in [[Stradbally|Stradbally, Ireland]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2011/0310/427995-electricpicnic/|title=Electric Picnic line-up announced|date=10 March 2011|website=[[RTÉ.ie]]|access-date=21 May 2024}}</ref> In November 2011, OMD returned to the studio and started work on their next album, ''[[English Electric (album)|English Electric]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omd.uk.com/entry/next_album|title=OMD Blog: Next Album|access-date=25 April 2012|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111206052122/http://www.omd.uk.com/entry/next_album|archive-date=6 December 2011}}</ref> On 12 March 2012, the band played a concert in the Philippines at the [[Araneta Coliseum]] in [[Quezon City]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2012/02/28/781523/omd-perform-big-dome-march-12|title=OMD to Perform at The Big Dome March 12|date=28 February 2012|website=[[The Philippine Star]]|access-date=21 May 2024}}</ref> In August, OMD performed to South African audiences in Cape Town and Johannesburg.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.news24.com/life/omd-to-perform-in-cape-town-20120626|title=OMD to Perform in Cape Town|date=26 June 2012|website=[[News24 (website)|News24]]|access-date=21 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|date=July–August 2012|title=OMD Live in SA|url=https://www.southafrica.to/transport/Airlines/SA-Express/2012/SAExpress-201207-Olympic.pdf|magazine=Indwe|publisher=[[South African Express|SA Express]]|page=8|access-date=21 May 2024}}</ref>
===2013–2019: Return to prominence===
{{quote box
| quote = "Being in Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark right now is just the most ''blessed'' thing... it's like being 19 again. We can do what the hell we want."
| source = Andy McCluskey<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/kZ8xsADi3Q4 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20210430152505/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ8xsADi3Q4&t=1196s Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ8xsADi3Q4&t=1196s|title=Pete Price chats to Andy McCluskey|date=19 September 2019|publisher=[[Radio City Talk]]|access-date=30 April 2021|minutes=19–20; 30}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
| width = 30em
| align = left
}}
In 2013, OMD performed at [[Coachella]], a festival in [[Indio, California]], on 14 and 21 April.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coachella.com/lineup|title=Coachella Lineup|access-date=24 February 2013|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501212214/http://www.coachella.com/lineup|archive-date=1 May 2013}}</ref> "Metroland", the first single from the forthcoming studio album ''[[English Electric (album)|English Electric]]'', was released on 25 March 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omd.uk.com/story/metroland_pre-order|title=Metroland Pre-Order|publisher=Official OMD website|date=11 February 2013|access-date=24 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326133511/http://www.omd.uk.com/story/metroland_pre-order|archive-date=26 March 2014}}</ref> The album was released in the UK on 8 April, and entered the UK album chart at No. 12 and the German chart at No. 10. Reviews for both the album and their concerts were generally positive.<ref name=Lindgren/> "The Future Will Be Silent", a 500-copy limited edition 10-inch [[picture disc]] EP from ''English Electric'', was made available for [[Record Store Day#2013|Record Store Day 2013]], and included a then-exclusive non-album track titled "Time Burns".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omd.uk.com/story/record_store_day|title=OMD News – Record Store Day|access-date=20 April 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130418234001/http://www.omd.uk.com/story/record_store_day|archive-date=18 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2013/03/18/omd-night-cafe-strea-record-store-day/|title=OMD debuts new track "Night Café", announces 10-inch EP for Record Store Day|website=[[Slicing Up Eyeballs]]|date=18 March 2013|access-date=20 April 2013}}</ref> For [[Record Store Day#2015|Record Store Day 2015]], a 1000-copy limited edition 10-inch EP of "Julia's Song (Dub Version)" from ''Junk Culture'' was made available, which includes an exclusive non-album track titled "10 to 1".
OMD performed a one-off concert at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], London on 9 May 2016 to a sell-out crowd, playing both ''Architecture & Morality'' and ''Dazzle Ships'' in their entirety, along with other songs from before 1983. The only song post-1983 played was "History of Modern Part 1". The concert was recorded and made available on double CD right after the show, with a triple LP vinyl recording of the concert also being made available.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/omd-live-at-royal-albert-hall |title=OMD: Live at Royal Albert Hall on PledgeMusic |website=Pledgemusic.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403032935/http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/omd-live-at-royal-albert-hall |access-date=3 April 2016|archive-date=3 April 2016 }}</ref> The band collaborated with [[Gary Barlow]], [[Taron Egerton]] and [[Hugh Jackman]] on the OMD song "Thrill Me", co-written by Barlow and McCluskey for the soundtrack of the 2015 film ''[[Eddie the Eagle (film)|Eddie the Eagle]]''.<ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/album/fly-songs-inspired-by-the-film-eddie-the-eagle-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-mw0002906947 ''Fly: Songs Inspired by the Film Eddie the Eagle'']. [[AllMusic]]. Retrieved 11 November 2016.</ref> Work began in October 2015 on what was to be their thirteenth studio album ''[[The Punishment of Luxury (album)|The Punishment of Luxury]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omd-messages.co.uk/the-punishment-of-luxury/ |title=Exploring OMD's Next Studio Album The Punishment Of Luxury |website=OMD-Messages.co.uk |date=22 January 2017 |access-date=13 February 2017}}</ref> which was released on 1 September 2017 and charted at no. 4 in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|last=Slingerland |first=Calum |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/orchestral_manoeuvres_in_the_dark_return_with_the_punishment_of_luxury |title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Return with 'The Punishment of Luxury' |website=[[Exclaim!]] |date=15 May 2017 |access-date=15 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Alan |url=https://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/official-charts-analysis-the-script-debut-at-no-1-on-albums-chart/069728 |title=Official Charts Analysis: The Script debut at No.1 on albums chart |work=[[Music Week]] |date=8 September 2017 |access-date=23 March 2023 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> OMD toured Europe and North America in support of the album, with [[Stuart Kershaw]] replacing Holmes as the band's drummer, due to the latter's health issues.<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=The Punishment of Luxury |type=liner notes |others=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark |publisher=100% Records |year=2017 |id=100CD66}}</ref>
In 2018, OMD published a book titled ''Pretending to See the Future'', which is a first-person "autobiography" about the band. It mixed fan-submitted memories with commentary from McCluskey, Humphreys, Cooper, Holmes, and Kershaw. For people who pre-ordered the book on [[PledgeMusic]], they received a limited-edition [[Flexi disc|flexi-disc]] containing a previously unheard demo of "[[Messages (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Messages]]" from 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.omd.uk.com/news/pretending-to-see-the-future-40th-anniversary-book/|title=Pretending To See The Future – 40th Anniversary Book|date=14 June 2018|website=OMD|access-date=13 April 2019|archive-date=15 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815163714/http://www.omd.uk.com/news/pretending-to-see-the-future-40th-anniversary-book/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.side-line.com/omd-to-release-40th-anniversary-book-pretending-to-see-the-future/|title=OMD to release 40th anniversary book 'Pretending to see the future'|date=14 June 2018|website=Side-line|access-date=13 April 2019}}</ref>
As part of OMD's 40th-anniversary celebrations, they embarked on a UK and European tour in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.omd.uk.com/news/uk-europe-40th-anniversary-tour/|title=UK & Europe 40th Anniversary Tour – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark|language=en-GB|access-date=16 May 2019|archive-date=4 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204175138/https://www.omd.uk.com/news/uk-europe-40th-anniversary-tour/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The band won "Group of the Year" and "Live Act of the Year" in the 2019 ''[[Classic Pop (magazine)|Classic Pop]]'' Reader Awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/wp-content/uploads/epub_importer/data/clap/clap_20200129_194874/ops/article_70-1.xml|title=2019 Reader Awards|last=Harnell|first=Steve|website=[[Classic Pop (magazine)|Classic Pop]]|access-date=16 October 2021}}</ref> A retrospective deluxe box set titled ''Souvenir'' was also released. The 40th anniversary collection includes the band's forty singles, including a new release titled "Don't Go". It also contains 22 previously unreleased recordings from the group's archive, selected and mixed by Paul Humphreys. Two audio live shows (one from 2011 and one from 2013) are also included, together with two DVDs bringing together two more live concerts ([[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane|Drury Lane]] in 1981 and [[Sheffield City Hall]] in 1985) plus ''[[Crush (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album)|Crush – The Movie]]'', and various BBC TV performances from ''[[Top of the Pops]]'', ''[[The Old Grey Whistle Test]]'' and ''[[Later... with Jools Holland]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.omd.uk.com/news/souvenir-new-greatest-hits-deluxe-boxset-announced/|title=Souvenir – New Greatest Hits & Deluxe Boxset Announced – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark|language=en-GB|access-date=18 September 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190918131133/https://www.omd.uk.com/news/souvenir-new-greatest-hits-deluxe-boxset-announced/|archive-date=18 September 2019}}</ref>
===2020–present: Continued acknowledgement===
[[File:OMD Sheffield 2024.jpg|thumb|OMD at [[Sheffield]] City Hall during 2024 UK Tour]]
During the [[COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 lockdown]] imposed in March 2020, McCluskey "rediscovered the creative power of boredom" and began writing material for OMD's next studio album.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/18867819.omd-discuss-upcoming-tour-covid-19-enola-gay/|title=OMD discuss their upcoming tour, Covid-19 and Enola Gay|last=Marshall|first=Olivia|date=14 November 2020|website=[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]]|access-date=23 March 2023}}</ref> In October, the band returned to live performance with a limited-capacity gig at London's [[The O2#indigo at The O2|indigo at The O2]], with proceeds going to their road crew; the event was also streamed online.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicweek.com/digital/read/omd-announce-special-show-to-support-touring-crew/081161|title=OMD announce special show to support touring crew|last=Hanley|first=James|date=17 September 2020|website=[[Music Week]]|access-date=23 March 2023}}</ref> In 2021, the ''Souvenir'' box set was nominated for "Best Historical Album" at the [[Grammy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/grammy-nominations-2021-see-the-full-list-of-nominees-here/|title=Grammy Nominations 2021: See the Full List of Nominees Here|date=24 November 2020|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=21 February 2021}}</ref> Also that year, OMD celebrated the 40th anniversary of 1981's ''Architecture & Morality'' with a UK tour, and released a triple-vinyl set of the album's singles containing associated B-sides, demo recordings, and live tracks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://retropopmagazine.com/omd-40-years-architecture-morality-vinyl-singles-box-set/|title=OMD celebrate 40 years of 'Architecture & Morality' with 12" vinyl singles box set|date=2 September 2021|website=Retro Pop|access-date=23 March 2023}}</ref>
In March 2022, a pair of concerts with a heavy emphasis on the group's more experimental work (rescheduled from September 2020), took place at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], with a live album based on the shows released through the OMD store.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/events/2022/orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-omd/|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|publisher=[[Royal Albert Hall]]|access-date=23 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://retropopmagazine.com/omd-live-album-london-royal-albert-hall/|title=OMD announce live album from London's Royal Albert Hall|date=5 March 2022|website=Retro Pop|access-date=23 March 2023}}</ref> Another re-issue of 1983's ''Dazzle Ships'', featuring previously unheard recordings, was announced for a March 2023 release.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/omd-dazzle-ships-reissue/|title=OMD / Dazzle Ships reissue|last=Sinclair|first=Paul|date=2 February 2023|website=Super Deluxe Edition|access-date=23 March 2023}}</ref>
OMD's fourteenth studio album, ''[[Bauhaus Staircase]]'', was released on 27 October 2023;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/omd-announce-new-album-bauhaus-staircase-share-title-track/|title=OMD announce new album 'Bauhaus Staircase,' share title track|last=Pearis|first=Bill|date=22 August 2023|website=[[BrooklynVegan]]|access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref> it was preceded by a single, the title track, on 22 August.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2023/08/22/omd-bauhaus-staircase-new-album/|title=OMD debuts title track off upcoming 14th studio album 'Bauhaus Staircase'|date=22 August 2023|website=[[Slicing Up Eyeballs]]|access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref> The record debuted at no. 2 on the UK Albums Chart, matching the peak achieved by ''[[The Best of OMD]]'' (1988).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-official-chart-double-number-1-albums-singles-chart/|title=Taylor Takeover! Taylor Swift dominates the UK's Official Singles and Albums Chart with the biggest opening week of 2023 so far|last=Griffiths|first=George|date=3 November 2023|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=29 November 2023}}</ref> McCluskey has said that ''Bauhaus Staircase'' is likely to be the band's final album.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hotpress.com/culture/omds-andy-mccluskey-im-really-happy-that-i-dont-have-to-pander-to-a-tiktok-generation-to-get-my-songs-heard-22960473|title=OMD's Andy McCluskey: 'I'm really happy that I don't have to pander to a TikTok generation to get my songs heard'|last=Brayden|first=Kate|date=4 April 2023|website=[[Hot Press]]|access-date=5 April 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404165128/https://www.hotpress.com/culture/omds-andy-mccluskey-im-really-happy-that-i-dont-have-to-pander-to-a-tiktok-generation-to-get-my-songs-heard-22960473|archive-date=4 April 2023}}</ref> Their latest 2024 tour runs from March to October including gigs in the UK, South Africa, Canada and the US.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bauhaus Staircase Tour |url=https://omd.uk.com/pages/shows |website=OMD.com |publisher=OMD}}</ref>
==Artistry and image==
===Early ethos and presentation===
{{quote box
| quote = "It's kind of like, 'less is more'. We consciously tried to minimise what we were doing."
| source = Andy McCluskey<ref name="Johnston18">{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2018/03/08/for-four-decades-omd-has-cast-wary-eye-toward-future/WdZAsvOdUSajWGuncGwFHP/story.html|title=For four decades, OMD has cast a wary eye toward the future|last=Johnston|first=Maura|author-link=Maura Johnston|date=8 March 2018|website=[[The Boston Globe]]|access-date=10 May 2024|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118182400/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2018/03/08/for-four-decades-omd-has-cast-wary-eye-toward-future/WdZAsvOdUSajWGuncGwFHP/story.html|archive-date=18 January 2022}}</ref>
| width = 30em
| align = left
}}
Electronic band [[Kraftwerk]] served as OMD's primary musical influence: McCluskey credits "[[Autobahn (song)|Autobahn]]" (1974) with piquing he and Humphreys' interest in electronic music.<ref name="Earls2020"/><ref name="Maxwell2010">{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/why-omd-are-embarrassed-to-be-back-rzvkkz8bt5c|title=Why OMD Are Embarrassed to be Back|last=Maxwell|first=Dominic|date=24 September 2010|website=[[The Times]]|access-date=21 February 2025|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250218122251/https://www.thetimes.com/article/why-omd-are-embarrassed-to-be-back-rzvkkz8bt5c|archive-date=18 February 2025}}</ref> Other formative influences included [[the Velvet Underground]], [[Neu!]], [[Roxy Music]], [[Brian Eno]] and [[David Bowie]].<ref name="Maxwell2010"/> The pair also drew inspiration from [[Factory Records]] label-mates [[Joy Division]], particularly during the making of the [[Gothic rock|goth]]-inclined ''[[Organisation (album)|Organisation]]'' (1980).<ref name="RC19"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/top-songs/top-20-difficult-second-albums/|title=Top 20 Difficult Second Albums|last=Page|first=Barry|date=23 July 2025|website=[[Classic Pop (magazine)|Classic Pop]]|access-date=21 August 2025}}</ref> Disenchanted with the [[Cock rock|macho guitar rock]] that was popular among their friends, McCluskey and Humphreys were keen to "slay the rock 'n' roll dragon".<ref name=Lindgren/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.electronicsound.co.uk/features/long-reads/omd-stepping-up/|title=OMD: Stepping Up|last=Smith|first=Mat|date=9 November 2023|website=Electronic Sound|access-date=21 February 2025}}</ref>
''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' wrote that "OMD set about reinventing [[Punk rock|punk]] with different applications of dance beats, keyboards, melodies, and sulks", rejecting the genre's "sonic trappings but not its intellectual freedom".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hunter|first=James|date=January 1999|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: ''The OMD Singles''|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|page=116}}</ref> The group found commercial success with a style of synth-pop described as "[[Experimental music|experimental]]", "[[Minimal music|minimal[ist]]]" and "edgy".<ref name="Shand2019"/><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Tingen|first=Paul|author-link=Paul Tingen|date=April 1986|title=King of Techno Pop|url=http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/king-of-techno-pop/9283|magazine=Electronics & Music Maker|access-date=22 March 2022|pages=75–77}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=liberator-r184767|pure_url=yes}} |title=''Liberator'' review |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |first=Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |access-date=12 September 2013}}</ref> OMD often eschewed choruses, replacing them with synthesizer lines, and opted for unconventional lyrical subjects such as [[industrial processes]], [[micronation]]s and [[Telephone booth|telephone box]]es;<ref name="Ware2013">{{cite web|url=https://diymag.com/archive/of-all-the-thing-weve-made-dazzle-ships-at-30|title=OMD: Of All the Thing We've Made: 'Dazzle Ships' At 30|last=Ware|first=Gareth|date=4 March 2013|website=[[DIY (magazine)|DIY]]|access-date=21 February 2021|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126194428/http://diymag.com/archive/of-all-the-thing-weve-made-dazzle-ships-at-30/|archive-date=26 January 2016}}</ref><ref name="Awbi13">{{cite web|url=https://www.prsformusic.com/m-magazine/features/interview-andy-mcluskey-omd/|title=Andy McCluskey, OMD|last=Awbi|first=Anita|date=19 March 2013|website=[[PRS for Music]]|access-date=3 November 2017}}</ref> the [[BBC]] said that the band "were always more intellectual" than "contemporaries like [[Duran Duran]] and [[Eurythmics]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11288206|title=OMG its OMD!|work=BBC News|date=20 September 2010|access-date=12 August 2013}}</ref> Despite the group's experimentation, they employed pop [[Hook (music)|hooks]] in their music,<ref name="popmatters08">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.popmatters.com/omd-dazzle-ships-2496159959.html |title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Dazzle Ships Review |magazine=[[PopMatters]] |first=John |last=Bergstrom |date=17 April 2008|access-date=28 January 2016|quote=Starting with 1984's ''Junk Culture'', OMD morphed from a risk-taking [[Art pop|art-pop]] band to the still-inventive but commercially calculating act that found American success.}}</ref> attaining what [[AllMusic]] described as "the enviable position of at once being creative innovators and radio-friendly pop giants".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/organisation-mw0000198493|title=''Organisation''|last=Raggett|first=Ned|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=21 May 2021}}</ref>
According to the ''[[NRC (newspaper)|NRC]]'', OMD are "known as the band that managed to wring emotion from synthesizer pop".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2023/10/27/omd-hervat-de-zoektocht-naar-de-ziel-van-elektronische-pop-a4178823|title=OMD Resumes the Search for the Soul of Electronic Pop|last=Vollaard|first=Jan|date=27 October 2023|website=[[NRC Handelsblad|NRC]]|language=Nl|access-date=5 November 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231027191030/https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2023/10/27/omd-hervat-de-zoektocht-naar-de-ziel-van-elektronische-pop-a4178823|archive-date=27 October 2023}}</ref> ''[[The Scotsman]]'' stated that "their music, even with its occasionally cerebral themes, has always been defined by warmth, heart and soul: the sound of machinery manipulated by a tender human touch."<ref name="Scotsman18">{{cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/music-review-omd-kelvingrove-bandstand-glasgow-268383|title=Music review: OMD, Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow|date=6 August 2018|website=[[The Scotsman]]|access-date=6 August 2021}}</ref> Musician [[Vince Clarke]] felt the group were responsible for educating mainstream audiences that electronic music could have emotion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/erasure-vince-clarke-2020-interview-2648175250.html|title=Synthpop King Vince Clarke on Erasure's 18th Studio Album, 'The Neon'|last=Shand|first=Max|date=12 October 2020|website=[[PopMatters]]|access-date=10 May 2024}}</ref> Michael Grace Jr., founder of indie pop outfit [[My Favorite]], said in 2018, "The thing that strikes me now when I return to OMD is how remarkably human they sound. They are a [[Soul music|soul]] band for an automated age. OMD proposed an honest rendering of the tension, fascination, and occasional terror they felt about how ghosts and machines would get along. It was more [[Philip K. Dick]] than [[Steve Jobs]]."<ref name="Johnston18"/>
OMD have been recognised as the first of Britain's many "synth duo" acts.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Earls|first=John|author-link=John Earls|date=November–December 2023|title=Final Messages?|magazine=[[Classic Pop (magazine)|Classic Pop]]|issue=84|pages=40–45}}</ref><ref name="Kerr09">{{cite web|url=https://www.simpleminds.com/2009/10/28/omd-electricity/|title=OMD – Electricity|last=Kerr|first=Jim|author-link=Jim Kerr|date=28 October 2009|website=SimpleMinds.com|access-date=5 November 2023}}</ref> [[Nostalgie]] wrote that they became "a precursor of a whole generation of duos operating according to the same principle".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nostalgie.fr/actus/musique/orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-leurs-plus-beaux-succes-353931|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Their Greatest Hits|publisher=[[Nostalgie]]|date=5 June 2018|access-date=22 January 2025}}</ref> Although the two original members enlisted other musicians over time, ''[[PopMatters]]'' said the band remained, "in essence, the songwriting/recording duo of Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys".<ref name="Bergstrom23">{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-darks-bauhaus-staircase-shines|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's 'Bauhaus Staircase' Shines|last=Bergstrom|first=John|date=6 November 2023|website=[[PopMatters]]|access-date=12 December 2023}}</ref> OMD continues to be termed a "duo" in the media.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2010/09/13/129830323/omd-the-kings-of-synth-pop-meet-the-queen-of-soul|title=OMD: The Kings of Synth-Pop Meet the Queen of Soul|last=Silver|first=Marc|date=13 September 2010|publisher=[[NPR]]|access-date=14 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/omd-bauhaus-staircase/|title=OMD - Bauhaus Staircase|last=Smith|first=Mat|date=25 October 2023|website=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]|access-date=14 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.irishnews.com/arts/music/2023/09/18/news/omd_announce_belfast_show-3620389/|title=OMD Announce Irish Shows for 2024|last=Roy|first=David|date=18 September 2023|website=[[The Irish News]]|access-date=14 December 2023}}</ref>
OMD were indifferent to celebrity status, and avoided the calculated fashion stylings of many of their 1980s peers.<ref name="breakfast2010"/><ref>{{cite journal |last= McCluskey|first= Andy|title= The Future, the Past and Forever After|journal= [[Athens Voice]]|date= 24 November 2010|quote= We weren't trying to be pop stars and weren't terribly interested in presenting ourselves as sexy or colourful... we were just about the music.}}</ref> During live performances, McCluskey developed a frenetic dancing style that has been dubbed the "Trainee Teacher Dance";<ref name="Ryan2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/music-interviews/does-rock-n-roll-kill-braincells-andy-mccluskey-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-omd-2556689|title=Does Rock 'N' Roll Kill Braincells?! – Andy McCluskey|last=Ryan|first=Gary|date=14 October 2019|website=[[NME]]|access-date=21 February 2021}}</ref> he explains that it stemmed "from the perception that [OMD] were making boring robotic intellectual music that you couldn't dance to".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/orchestral-leap-dark-2480880|title=Orchestral Leap in the Dark|date=3 February 2007|website=[[The Scotsman]]|access-date=28 January 2016}}</ref> Journalist [[Hugo Lindgren]] noted that the group were perceived as "oddballs, freaks" on the Liverpool scene,<ref name=Lindgren/> while McCluskey has identified himself and Humphreys as "synth punks" and "complete [[geek]]s".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/mute-record|title=Mute Record|last=Watkins|first=Jack|date=21 April 2013|website=[[Record Collector]]|access-date=11 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/13382776.andy-mccluskey-on-enola-gay-making-a-comeback-and-why-pop-music-goes-around-in-circles/|title=Andy McCluskey on Enola Gay, making a comeback and why pop music goes around in circles|last=Morgan|first=David|date=10 July 2015|website=Wirral Globe|access-date=12 June 2021}}</ref> OMD weathered an "uncool" image,<ref name="1981CH5"/><ref name="Wilson2012">The linked page features Wilson's introduction. Move to page (i.e. slide) 6 for his comment on OMD:
*{{cite web|url=http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/steven-wilson-my-top-5-not-so-guilty-pleasures-of-all-time-560830|title=Steven Wilson: my top 5 not-so-guilty pleasures of all time|last=Bosso|first=Joe|date=17 September 2012|website=MusicRadar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302223559/https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/steven-wilson-my-top-5-not-so-guilty-pleasures-of-all-time-560830|access-date=30 November 2021|archive-date=2 March 2021}}</ref> and faced hostility from sections of the music press in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Ludgate|first=Simon|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: OMD|magazine=[[Record Mirror]]|date=1 March 1980|page=15}}</ref><ref>Waller; Humphreys, p. 173</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Jackson|first=Josh|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-albums/the-best-albums-of-1981-1/|title=The Best Albums of 1981|website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|date=21 June 2021|access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref> Critic [[Andrew Collins (broadcaster)|Andrew Collins]] asserted, however, that the band would eventually "become cool" to the public.<ref name="1981CH5"/>
''[[Record Mirror]]'' pondered in 1980 whether McCluskey and Humphreys were emerging as "the [[Lennon–McCartney|Lennon and McCartney]] of the electronic world".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hall|first=Philip|title=On the Carpettes|magazine=[[Record Mirror]]|date=15 November 1980|page=21}}</ref> The press began to describe the duo as "the Lennon–McCartney of synth-pop", which ''[[the A.V. Club]]'' saw as "a weighty mantle that has as much to do with their hailing from Liverpool as anything".<ref name="O'Neal08"/> The ''[[Salt Lake City Weekly]]'' remarked that the label "might be a bit hyperbolic, but OMD was indeed ahead of its time".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cityweekly.net/utah/live-music-picks-march-15-21/Content?oid=8006807|title=Live Music Picks: March 15–21|last=Hardee|first=Howard|date=14 March 2018|website=[[Salt Lake City Weekly]]|access-date=24 April 2023}}</ref> ''The Scotsman'' had no reservations about the moniker, labelling OMD a "thoroughly sparkling pop group" with "more hooks than a chain of [[angling]] megastores".<ref name="Scotsman18"/>
===Mid-1980s style change===
[[File:TonyKanal.jpg|thumb|right|150px|OMD's mid-1980s reinvention alienated some listeners, but was embraced by others, including bassist [[Tony Kanal]] of [[No Doubt]].]]
Although retrospectively lauded, the experimental ''[[Dazzle Ships (album)|Dazzle Ships]]'' (1983) was a critical and commercial disappointment upon release.<ref name="Thomson23">{{cite magazine|last=Thomson|first=Graeme|date=May 2023|title=Radio Waves|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|pages=74–78}}</ref> Facing potential excision from Virgin Records, OMD moved towards a more accessible sound on the [[black music]]-influenced ''[[Junk Culture]]'' (1984); they also donned more vibrant garments on the album's accompanying tour.<ref name="Thomson23"/><ref>Waller; Humphreys, pp. 132–133</ref> The band continued to incorporate elements of sonic [[Experimental music|experimentation]],<ref name="popmatters08"/><ref name="Elliot">{{cite magazine|url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/album/junk-culture|title=''Junk Culture'' – OMD|magazine=[[Record Collector]]|date=25 March 2015|first=Elliott|last=Mark|access-date=30 May 2021|quote=Experimentation with the new music technologies [is] still at the heart of the duo's creative process.}}</ref> although their sound became increasingly polished on the [[Stephen Hague]]-produced studio albums ''[[Crush (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album)|Crush]]'' (1985) and ''[[The Pacific Age]]'' (1986).<ref name="messages148–9"/><ref>{{cite news|first=James|last=Muretich|title=Pop Develops the Blahs When Teamed with Bowie|work=[[Calgary Herald]]|date=4 October 1986|page=71 (F7)|quote=[OMD's] once bold musical strokes are now merely pretty colors.}}</ref>
''[[The Quietus]]'' founder John Doran, who was supportive of the group's reinvention, told how it became "quite popular to see OMD as nose-diving into the effluence after ''Dazzle Ships''".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/subscriber-area/low-culture-podcast/orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-dazzle-ships-architecture-and-morality-podcast/|title=Low Culture Podcast: An Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Special!|last=Turner|first=Luke|date=7 August 2023|website=[[The Quietus]]|access-date=11 February 2024|quote=John [Doran] talks about ''Pretty in Pink'' and makes the case that OMD's later, more commercial records are just as good as these two classics [''Architecture & Morality'' and ''Dazzle Ships''].}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/quietus-reviews/omd/|title=Messages – Greatest Hits|last=Doran|first=John|date=25 September 2008|website=[[The Quietus]]|access-date=3 July 2013}}</ref> Author [[Richard Metzger]] refused to "stick up for anything they recorded" afterwards,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dangerousminds.net/comments/orchestral_manoeuvres_in_the_dark_were_a_much_better_group_than_they_get_cr|title=Not just for John Hughes films: OMD were a much better group than they get credit for|last=Metzger|first=Richard|author-link=Richard Metzger|date=23 February 2016|website=Dangerous Minds|access-date=23 March 2023}}</ref> while ''[[the A.V. Club]]'' alleged that McCluskey would "give up" following that album.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/permanent-records-albums-from-the-av-clubs-hall-of%2C16684/|title=Permanent Records: Albums from the A.V. Club's Hall of Fame|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|first=Sean|last=O'Neal|date=26 December 2006|access-date=28 January 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513021922/http://www.avclub.com/articles/permanent-records-albums-from-the-av-clubs-hall-of%2C16684/|archive-date=13 May 2011}}</ref> Conversely, music journalist [[Ian Peel (journalist)|Ian Peel]] observed "two brilliant, but very different, bands. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, the early 80s Factory descendents... and OMD, the late 80s stadium pop act."<ref name="PeelRC">{{cite magazine|first=Ian|last=Peel|author-link=Ian Peel (journalist)|title=Messages: Greatest Hits|url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/messages-greatest-hits|magazine=[[Record Collector]]|access-date=28 January 2016}}</ref> The ''[[Miami New Times]]'' asserted that "even their poppiest records of that postexperimental era, such as ''Junk Culture'' and ''Crush'', were clever and beautifully arranged."<ref name="Cárdenas">{{cite web|url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/music/things-to-do-miami-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-at-broward-center-for-the-performing-arts-august-27-2019-11252961|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Pioneered Millennial Pop Music|last=Cárdenas|first=Patricia|date=27 August 2019|website=[[Miami New Times]]|access-date=25 March 2022}}</ref> Both of those albums were generally well-reviewed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2023/11/omd-albums/|title=Album by Album – OMD|last=Lindores|first=Mark|date=15 November 2023|website=[[Classic Pop (magazine)|Classic Pop]]|access-date=3 February 2025|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115204227/https://www.classicpopmag.com/2023/11/omd-albums/|archive-date=15 November 2023|quote=''Junk Culture''... crashed into the UK Top 10 amid a positive critical reception.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2022/10/orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark/|title=The Lowdown – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|last=Burke|first=David|date=25 October 2022|website=[[Classic Pop (magazine)|Classic Pop]]|access-date=3 February 2025|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130032430/https://www.classicpopmag.com/2022/10/orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark/|archive-date=30 November 2022|quote=''Crush'' was the first of two OMD albums produced by Stephen Hague... reviews were on the whole positive.}}</ref>
Musicians have commented on OMD's post-''Dazzle Ships'' output. [[Moby]] remarked, "Their earlier records were just phenomenal... a few years on they were making music for [[John Hughes (filmmaker)|John Hughes]] movies, and they were good at it and I'm glad that they had success with it, but it wasn't nearly as creatively inspiring."<ref>{{cite web|last=Turner|first=Luke|url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/bakers-dozen/moby-favourite-albums-baker-s-dozen/12/|title=Corrupting Sonic DNA: Moby's Favourite Albums|website=[[The Quietus]]|date=24 September 2013|access-date=4 April 2021|page=12}}</ref> On the other hand, bassist [[Tony Kanal]] of [[No Doubt]] told how his group experimented with OMD-esque "John Hughes prom-scene movie moment kind of songs", adding that "''Junk Culture'' is great".<ref name="Marchese2012">{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2012/09/no-doubt-gwen-stefani-tony-kanal-push-and-shove-influences/|title=No Doubt Explain OMD, EDM, and Peter Hook Basslines on 'Push and Shove'|last=Marchese|first=David|date=24 September 2012|website=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|access-date=20 April 2016}}</ref> Angus Andrew of [[Liars (band)|Liars]] hoped that tentative listeners would uncover "the complexity and mastery in OMD's later pop material", and declared himself a fan of the band's work across "all of their phases".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/bakers-dozen/liars-angus-andrew-favourite-albums/8/|title=No Barrier Fun: Angus Andrew of Liars' Favourite LPs|last=Turner|first=Luke|date=16 April 2014|website=[[The Quietus]]|access-date=20 October 2017|page=8}}</ref>
The group themselves describe ''Junk Culture'' as an enjoyable "collection of songs" as opposed to a "deep, conceptual" record,<ref name="FC13">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzQjKnnxVW4&t=2s|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/zzQjKnnxVW4|archive-date=3 December 2021|url-status=live|title=OMD interview - Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys (part 3)|date=29 April 2013|publisher=FaceCulture|access-date=23 March 2023}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and argue that ''Crush'' features some strong material despite its strained recording sessions;<ref name="messages148–9"/><ref name="FC13"/> Humphreys has named the latter as one of his favourite OMD works.<ref name="Marsh94">{{cite web|url=http://www.omdweb.com/?page_id=2683|title=Talking with the Listening Pool|last=Marsh|first=Phil|date=1994|website=Telegraph|access-date=23 March 2023|via=OMDweb}}</ref> The band concedes, however, that ''The Pacific Age'' was a creative misfire.<ref name="Majewski2014"/><ref name="Marsh94"/> Critic [[Jessica Bendinger]] reflected on OMD's stylistic journey by the late 1980s, saying that "their music has been colored by continual exploration... which has run the gamut from [[Gregorian chant|Gregorian-chant]]-inspired anthems of love to a union of Orchestral-[[Motown (music style)|Motown]]."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Bendinger|first=Jessica|author-link=Jessica Bendinger|date=July 1988|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|volume=4|number=4|page=14}}</ref> ''[[SF Weekly]]'' said, "It's hard to think of any 1980s [[New wave music|new wave]] bands that could navigate the genre's spectrum of sound and mood as well as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark."<ref name="Casagrande18">{{cite news|first=Tim|last=Casagrande|title=Three Acts to See This Week: OMD, SSION, and Moon Hooch|newspaper=[[SF Weekly]]|date=21 March 2018|access-date=18 February 2022|url=https://www.sfweekly.com/music/three-acts-to-see-this-week-omd-ssion-and-moon-hooch/|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322073957/https://www.sfweekly.com/music/three-acts-to-see-this-week-omd-ssion-and-moon-hooch/|archive-date=22 March 2018}}</ref>
===Subsequent reinventions===
The McCluskey-led OMD explored a [[Electronic dance music|dance]]-oriented approach on ''[[Sugar Tax (album)|Sugar Tax]]'' (1991) and ''[[Liberator (album)|Liberator]]'' (1993);<ref name="Evans2004">{{cite book |chapter=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark |last=Evans |first=Paul |title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]] |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |page=607}}</ref> the latter has since drawn criticism from McCluskey.<ref name="RC19"/> Ian Peel wrote that the band "defied expectations by updating their sound and becoming, if only briefly, relevant in the 90s".<ref name="PeelRC"/> The group disbanded shortly after the release of ''[[Universal (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album)|Universal]]'' (1996), on which they strained for a more organic and acoustic sound.<ref name="RC19"/> In reviewing ''[[The OMD Singles]]'' (1998), [[AllMusic]] asserted that the band "covered in a single career that same territory explored by [[the Human League]], [[Erasure (duo)|Erasure]], [[Yazoo (band)|Yaz[oo]]], [[New Order (band)|New Order]], and beyond."<ref name="Schulte"/>
Since OMD's 2006 reformation, their material has been seen as more akin to their early output.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=O'Brien|first=Steve|date=3 June 2021|title=Top 20 Reunion Albums|url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2021/06/top-20-reunion-albums/|magazine=[[Classic Pop (magazine)|Classic Pop]]|access-date=9 February 2024|quote=The very earliest incarnation of OMD... found a happy halfway point between avant-garde experimentalism and chart-friendly pop. 2010's ''History of Modern'', the group's first record since 1986's ''The Pacific Age'', echoes that golden period, even down to its Peter Saville-designed cover.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/omd-examines-the-complications-of-progress-on-the-spark-1798440699|title=OMD examines the complications of progress on the sparkling The Punishment of Luxury|last=Zaleski|first=Annie|author-link=Annie Zaleski|date=31 August 2017|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=9 February 2024|quote=''The Punishment of Luxury'' follows in the sonic footsteps of 2013's ''English Electric'', in that it's a gentle upgrade of that sculpted-from-marble early '80s sound.}}</ref> ''PopMatters'' wrote that the group's 21st century work represents "one of the more successful second acts in modern pop history".<ref name="Bergstrom23"/> The band are noted for their diverse contributions to the electronic, new wave, experimental, dance and [[post-punk]] genres throughout their career.<ref name="Marder14"/> OMD have undertaken regular UK and international gigs since they reformed, staging their own tours and also embracing '80s revival festivals such as the [[Rewind Festival]] and Heritage Live.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fort |first1=Hugh |title=Rewind Festival 2015: 80s legends OMD gearing up for headline performance |url=https://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/rewind-festival-2015-80s-legends-9700700 |website=Berkshire Live |date=26 July 2015 |publisher=Reach PLC |access-date=26 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=French-Morris |first1=Kate |title=Soft Cell bring magnetic Soho sleaze to a stately home for Heritage Live |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/soft-cell-heaven-17-omd-review-audley-end/ |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=12 August 2023 |publisher=Telegraph Media Group |access-date=12 August 2023}}</ref>
==Legacy and influence==
[[File:Depeche Mode 1981.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Depeche Mode]] in 1981; co-founder [[Vince Clarke]] (bottom left) said that the band would never have happened without OMD.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.de/omd-im-portraet-zurueck-nach-orleans-1782723/|title=OMD in Profile: Back to Orléans|last=Niasseri|first=Sassan|date=2 November 2019|language=De|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=2 February 2023}}</ref>]]
OMD have sold over 40 million records,{{efn|OMD have sold over 40 million records.<ref name="Awbi13"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/oct/28/omd-review-clap-along-electropop-sounds-even-better-with-age|title=OMD review – clap-along electropop sounds even better with age|last=Simpson|first=Dave|date=28 October 2019|website=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=3 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/omd-postpone-benefit-gig-roadies-andy-mccluskey-tests-positive-covid-19-liverpool-725204|title=OMD forced to postpone benefit gig for roadies after Andy McCluskey tests positive for Covid-19|last=Sherwin|first=Adam|author-link=Adam Sherwin|date=16 October 2020|website=[[i (British newspaper)|iNews]]|access-date=30 April 2021}}</ref> In 2019, ''[[Music Week]]'' reported sales of 15 million albums and 25 million singles.<ref name="Hanley2019"/>}} and are considered one of synth-pop's most influential acts.<ref name="Scotsman18"/><ref name="Casagrande18"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/2024/02/24/the-guide-rhiannon-giddens-omd-diversity-and-more-events-to-see-shows-to-book-and-ones-to-catch-before-they-end/|title=The Guide: Rhiannon Giddens, OMD, Diversity and more events to see, shows to book and ones to catch before they end|last=Clayton-Lea|first=Tony|date=24 February 2024|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|access-date=31 March 2024|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224070904/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/2024/02/24/the-guide-rhiannon-giddens-omd-diversity-and-more-events-to-see-shows-to-book-and-ones-to-catch-before-they-end/|archive-date=24 February 2024}}</ref><ref name="Shey11">{{cite web|last=Shey|first=Brittanie|url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/march-madness-6587862|title=March Madness|website=[[Houston Press]]|date=23 March 2011|access-date=1 June 2023}}</ref> They were identified by ''[[the A.V. Club]]'' as "one of the earliest synthesizer-driven bands to break out of the [[post-punk]] scene and lead the charge toward the defining sound of the [1980s]."<ref name="O'Neal08"/> ''[[PopMatters]]'' noted how OMD's work "gave credibility to ambitious pop" and led to "the emergence of a generation of electronic bands", including [[Talk Talk]], [[ABC (band)|ABC]], [[Blancmange (band)|Blancmange]], and the [[Vince Clarke]] projects [[Depeche Mode]], [[Yazoo (band)|Yazoo]] and [[Erasure (duo)|Erasure]].<ref name="Shand2019"/> Clarke recognised OMD as being "ahead of their time", and credited their "really great tunes and ideas" with directly inspiring him to become an electronic musician.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/bakers-dozen/vince-clarke-erasure-favourite-albums/9/|title=Oh L'Amour: Vince Clarke of Erasure's Favourite Albums|last=Turner|first=Luke|date=19 December 2013|website=[[The Quietus]]|access-date=7 January 2024|page=9}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.electronicsound.co.uk/features/long-reads/vince-clarke-game-of-drones/|title=Vince Clarke: Game of Drones|last=Ilic|first=Vel|date=14 September 2023|website=Electronic Sound|access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref> The [[Pet Shop Boys]] found common ground in their affection for OMD, drawing particular inspiration from "[[Souvenir (song)|Souvenir]]" (1981).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2024/03/album-by-album-pet-shop-boys/|title=Complete Guide – Pet Shop Boys albums|last=O'Brien|first=Jon|date=7 March 2024|website=[[Classic Pop (magazine)|Classic Pop]]|access-date=14 May 2024|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422143530/https://www.classicpopmag.com/2024/03/album-by-album-pet-shop-boys/|archive-date=22 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Myers|first=Marc|author-link=Marc Myers|date=2022|chapter=54: 'Being Boring' – Pet Shop Boys|title=Anatomy of 55 More Songs: The Oral History of Top Hits That Changed Rock, Pop and Soul|publisher=[[Grove Press]]|isbn=978-1611856583}}</ref> Lead singer [[Neil Tennant]] named the group as "pioneers of electronic music"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/pet_shop_boys1/|title=Pet Shop Boys: Always Fascinating|last=Lucas|first=Dan|date=19 April 2013|website=[[Under the Radar (magazine)|Under the Radar]]|access-date=25 April 2013}}</ref>—a viewpoint shared by multiple outlets.{{efn|OMD have been recognised by multiple outlets as pioneers of electronic music.<ref name="Hanley2019"/><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/7957915/the-script-fourth-uk-no-1-album/|title=The Script Land Fourth UK No. 1 Album|last=Sexton|first=Paul|date=10 September 2017|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=30 April 2021|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425175353/https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/7957915/the-script-fourth-uk-no-1-album/|archive-date=25 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/tiny-magnetic-pets-set-join-orchestral-manoeuvres-dark-tour-22788412|title=Tiny Magnetic Pets set to join Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark on tour|last=O'Toole|first=Lucy|date=5 September 2019|website=[[Hot Press]]|access-date=23 May 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20230521182809/https://www.hotpress.com/music/tiny-magnetic-pets-set-join-orchestral-manoeuvres-dark-tour-22788412|archive-date=21 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/aa2bc580-02e1-4023-80dc-7cd9e445ddc4|title=BBC Music Day 2017 Ambassadors|publisher=[[BBC Music]]|access-date=23 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/seven-tracks-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark/|title=Seven Tracks: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|date=14 October 2019|website=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]|access-date=10 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://virginradio.co.uk/entertainment/23049/virgin-radio-classic-artist-omd-191208560179|title=Classic Artist: OMD|date=8 December 2019|publisher=[[Virgin Radio UK]]|access-date=10 April 2024}}</ref>}}
OMD impacted early-to-mid 1980s peers such as [[Howard Jones (British musician)|Howard Jones]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.westword.com/music/howard-jones-on-performing-human-lib-and-dream-into-action-in-their-entirety-on-this-tour-5711909?showFullText=true|title=Howard Jones on performing Human Lib and Dream Into Action in their entirety on this tour|last=Murphy|first=Tom|date=12 October 2011|website=[[Westword]]|access-date=17 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="ptstf">{{cite web|url=http://merseyfmradio.ga/|title=OMD's 'Pretending to See the Future'|date=17 May 2020|website=Mersey FM|access-date=10 April 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200517031559/http://merseyfmradio.ga/|archive-date=17 May 2020}}</ref> [[Tears for Fears]],<ref name="Mitchell25">{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/curtis-mayfield/falling-so-in-love-with-curtis-mayfield-and-orchestral-manouevres-in-the-dark|title=Falling 'So in Love' with Curtis Mayfield and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|last=Mitchell|first=Matt|date=6 August 2025|website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|access-date=8 August 2025|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250807074347/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/curtis-mayfield/falling-so-in-love-with-curtis-mayfield-and-orchestral-manouevres-in-the-dark|archive-date=7 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnwbbrI2DAc&t=885s|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20220311/HnwbbrI2DAc|archive-date=11 March 2022|url-status=live|title=Tears for Fears' "Mad World": The Story Behind the Unexpected Hit|date=1 March 2022|work=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]|access-date=11 March 2022|quote=[Interviewer:] You transitioned [to synth-pop], and Gary Numan was ''one'' of the reasons why? [Roland Orzabal:] Absolutely... then there were these other bands emerging, like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Depeche Mode, of course, [the] Human League. And then we [bandmate Curt Smith and I] were into an entirely different area of music.}}{{cbignore}}</ref> [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://brightonsource.co.uk/features/brian-nash-interview/|title=Brian Nash Interview|last=Upchuck|first=Matt|date=19 June 2017|website=Brighton Source|access-date=21 February 2021}}</ref> [[A-ha]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Page|first=Barry|date=2020|title=A-ha: Down to the Tracks|publisher=This Day in Music Books|page=294|isbn=978-1-9162582-4-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://observer.com/2016/01/the-10-best-reissues-of-2015/|title=The 10 Best Reissues of 2015|last=Hart|first=Ron|date=5 January 2016|website=[[The New York Observer]]|access-date=10 April 2024}}</ref> [[Men Without Hats]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pulsemusicmagazine.com/interview-canadian-new-wave-electro-pop-pioneers-men-without-hats-release-new-ep-again-part-1/|title=Interview: Canadian New Wave Electro-Pop Pioneers Men Without Hats Release New EP, 'Again (Part 1)'|last=Patania|first=Matthew|date=8 October 2021|website=Pulse Music Magazine|access-date=23 July 2023}}</ref> [[Alphaville (band)|Alphaville]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2019/09/godfathers-of-pop-marian-gold/|title=Godfathers of Pop: Marian Gold|last=McPherson|first=Douglas|date=September 2019|website=[[Classic Pop (magazine)|Classic Pop]]|access-date=5 May 2021|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923060929/https://www.classicpopmag.com/2019/09/godfathers-of-pop-marian-gold/|archive-date=23 September 2020}}</ref> [[China Crisis]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popculturebeast.com/chinacrisis-cincinnati-live/|title=Concert Review: China Crisis, Ludlow Garage, Cincinnati, OH|last=Wilson|first=PF|date=20 July 2022|website=Pop Culture Beast|access-date=17 August 2023}}</ref> and [[Duran Duran]], for whom "[[Electricity (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Electricity]]" (1979) was a formative influence.<ref name="Mitchell25"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Taylor|first=John|author-link=John Taylor (bass guitarist)|date=2012|title=In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death and Duran Duran|publisher=[[E. P. Dutton|Dutton]]|pages=104–105|isbn=978-0525958000}}</ref> The band became "heroes" to [[Kim Wilde]] songwriter/producer, [[Ricky Wilde]].<ref>{{cite tweet|user=Wildericky|number=1031234758561423360|date=19 August 2018|title=Ahh.. just had a lovely chat with @OfficialOMD Andy McCluskey.}}</ref> OMD simultaneously made an impression on contemporary rock music, helping to educate [[New Order (band)|New Order]]'s [[Bernard Sumner]] that one "could make music without guitars",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.electronicbeats.net/max-dax-interviews-bernard-sumner/|title=Max Dax interviews Bernard Sumner|last=Dax|first=Max|date=2 September 2012|website=Electronic Beats|access-date=23 July 2023}}</ref> and directly inspiring [[ZZ Top]]'s introduction of electronic instruments and onstage dancing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2155612/zz-tops-dusty-hill-dead-at-72/news/|title=ZZ Top's Dusty Hill Dead At 72|last=Breihan|first=Tom|date=28 July 2021|website=[[Stereogum]]|access-date=29 July 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728203727/https://www.stereogum.com/2155612/zz-tops-dusty-hill-dead-at-72/news/|archive-date=28 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Simmons|first=Sylvie|author-link=Sylvie Simmons|date= 1–15 July 1982|title=Over the Top!|magazine=[[Kerrang!]]|issue=19|page=6}}</ref> OMD were also influential on [[U2]], whose frontman, [[Bono]], adorned his bedroom wall with a poster of their [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (album)|debut album]] cover; bandmate [[Adam Clayton]] later contributed to the group's official biography, ''Pretending to See the Future'' <!--THE HARDCOVER EDITION WAS RELEASED IN 2018. THE EXPANDED PAPERBACK EDITION, WHICH IS USED AS A REFERENCE THROUGHOUT THIS ARTICLE, FOLLOWED IN 2019.-->(2018).<ref>Multiple sources:
*{{cite web|editor-last=Trefor|editor-first=Cai|date=6 September 2017|title=OMD on Making Instruments from Scraps, Their Experimental New Album + the Biomechanical Future|url=https://www.gigwise.com/features/110621/orchestral-maneuvers-in-the-dark-interview-andy-mccluskey|website=[[Gigwise]]|access-date=18 July 2025|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011073441/https://www.gigwise.com/features/110621/orchestral-maneuvers-in-the-dark-interview-andy-mccluskey|archive-date=11 October 2017}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qgVb8nG-i4|title=OMD's Andy McCluskey on their 40 year career, iconic intros, and brand new album|date=9 November 2023|publisher=[[Radio Caroline]]|access-date=26 September 2024|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20240926043631/6qgVb8nG-i4|archive-date=26 September 2024|time=9:36 minutes}}{{cbignore}}
*{{cite book|author=Bono|author-link=Bono|date=2022|title=Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story|publisher=Hutchinson Heinemann|page=130|isbn=978-1529151787}}
*Houghton, pp. 91–92 (Clayton)</ref> OMD's impact extended to [[industrial music|industrial]] artists like [[Nine Inch Nails]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Olson|first=Jack|date=18 July 1990|title=Nine Inch Tales|work=[[City Pages]]|pages=3–4 (of ''Breaking Muse'' supplement)|issn=0744-0456|quote=It wasn't all ear-splitting mega-wattage, though. [Trent] Reznor also highlights the influence of the invading English synthpoppers – Gary Numan, Soft Cell, OMD – who permeated the airwaves during his youth.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://q1043.iheart.com/featured/jonathan-jc-clarke/content/2017-08-14-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-played-its-first-show-as-a-dare/|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Played Its First Show as a Dare|last=Magnotta|first=Andrew|date=14 August 2017|website=[[WAXQ|Q104.3]]|publisher=[[iHeartRadio]]|access-date=10 September 2023}}</ref> [[Skinny Puppy]]'s [[Nivek Ogre]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2023/03/5-albums-i-cant-live-without-ogre-and-cevin-key-of-skinny-puppy/|title=5 Albums I Can't Live Without: oGre and cEvin Key of Skinny Puppy|last=Lentini|first=Liza|date=31 March 2023|website=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|access-date=27 April 2024|quote=These are some [of] the vinyl records that changed my perceptions...}}</ref> and [[Front Line Assembly]]'s [[Rhys Fulber]], who observed an "amazing" combination of "art, experimentation and pop".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.westword.com/music/rhys-fulber-of-front-line-assembly-brings-live-show-to-tri-lakes-center-for-the-arts-8372991|title=Rhys Fulber of Front Line Assembly Brings Live Show to Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts|last=Murphy|first=Tom|date=6 October 2016|website=[[Westword]]|access-date=27 April 2024}}</ref> [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]]'s [[Al Jourgensen]] found inspiration in "Electricity".<ref>Jourgensen wrote that he "started doing this music influenced by all the music [then-girlfriend] Shannon was exposing [him] to", citing OMD's "Electricity" as an example.
*{{cite book|last1=Jourgensen|first1=Al|last2=Wiederhorn|first2=Jon|author-link1=Al Jourgensen|date=2013|title=Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen|edition=hardcover|publisher=[[Da Capo Press]]|page=49|isbn=978-0-30682-218-6}}</ref>
[[Simple Minds]]' [[Jim Kerr]] recalled, "I was more than instantly charmed by [OMD]... they had somehow arrived almost fully formed and with a talent for spitfire [[Hook (music)|hook]]s that permeated right through their songs."<ref name="Kerr09"/> Former [[Kraftwerk]] member [[Karl Bartos]] lauded the band's "magnificent melodies", likening them to "[[Italian folk music]], the very music [[Giacomo Puccini|[Giacomo] Puccini]] absorbed".<ref name="ptstf"/> OMD have garnered praise from other 1980s peers including [[Trevor Horn]],<ref name="Horn10"/> [[Toyah Willcox]],<ref name="1981CH5"/> [[the Human League]]'s [[Philip Oakey]],<ref name="ptstf"/> [[Thompson Twins]]' [[Tom Bailey (musician)|Tom Bailey]],<ref name="ptstf"/> and [[Mute Records]] founder [[Daniel Miller (music producer)|Daniel Miller]],<ref name="ptstf"/> while [[Gary Numan]] credited the group for "some of the best pop songs ever written".<ref name="Mitchell25"/> Frontman McCluskey has gained the admiration of musicians such as [[Paul McCartney]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraaf.nl/entertainment/1273045192/de-mannen-van-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-omd-sta-je-ineens-tussen-swift-en-sheeran|title=The Men of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD): 'You Suddenly Find Yourself Between Swift and Sheeran'|last=Heck|first=Jean-Paul|date=13 February 2024|website=[[De Telegraaf]]|language=Nl|access-date=26 April 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240213055144/https://www.telegraaf.nl/entertainment/1273045192/de-mannen-van-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-omd-sta-je-ineens-tussen-swift-en-sheeran|archive-date=13 February 2024}}</ref> [[Heaven 17]]'s [[Martyn Ware]],<ref name="Ware22">{{cite episode|title=Andy McCluskey: Show Notes|url=https://podbay.fm/p/electronically-yours-with-martyn-ware/e/1667520032|access-date=5 April 2023|series=Electronically Yours with Martyn Ware|first=Martyn|last=Ware|author-link=Martyn Ware|network=Anchor.fm|date=4 November 2022|number=113|via=Podbay|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405083446/https://podbay.fm/p/electronically-yours-with-martyn-ware/e/1667520032|archive-date=5 April 2023}}</ref> [[The Teardrop Explodes]]'s [[David Balfe]],<ref name="ptstf"/> and [[Joy Division]]'s [[Peter Hook]], who labelled him a "really underrated" talent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/on-this-day-in-1956-joy-division-ian-curtis-was-born-22861823|title=On this day in 1956: Joy Division's Ian Curtis was born|date=15 July 2021|website=[[Hot Press]]|access-date=15 June 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715095642/https://www.hotpress.com/music/on-this-day-in-1956-joy-division-ian-curtis-was-born-22861823|archive-date=15 July 2021}}</ref>
OMD helped to inform the 1990s [[electronic dance music|dance music]] scene.<ref>Multiple sources:
*{{cite news|first=Caroline|last=Sullivan|title=Dark's Dancing Melodies|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=18 June 1993|page=31 (''Music'', 6/7)|quote=Much of today's dance-pop is descended from OMD's early sound.}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/theartsdesk-qa-musician-andy-mccluskey-orchestral-manoeuvres-dark?page=0,1|title=Q&A: Musician Andy McCluskey of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|last=Green|first=Thomas H|date=23 October 2010|website=[[The Arts Desk]]|access-date=23 May 2023|quote=The true populist musical movement of the Nineties was the post-acid house scene coming out of clubland, the music that [OMD] helped bring to fruition.}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.omd-messages.co.uk/sash-qa/|title=Sash! Q&A|last=Browne|first=Paul|date=7 August 2015|website=Messages|access-date=12 August 2015|quote=<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Sash!]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>: OMD is one of the leading bands in the 80s and 90s regarding electronic music/production and therefore influenced a lot of DJ/Producers who are successful now [in 1998].}}</ref> They became an early influence on performers including [[Orbital (band)|Orbital]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://louderthanwar.com/orbital-interview-green-brown-albums-re-releases-and-tour/|title=Orbital – Interview – Green & Brown Albums Re-Releases and Tour|last=Carr|first=Nigel|date=17 March 2024|website=[[Louder Than War]]|access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref> [[David Guetta]],<ref>{{cite magazine|date=October 1998|title=David Guetta|magazine=[[Rip It Up (New Zealand)|Rip It Up]]|issue=254|page=3 (of ''120 Seconds With...'' supplement)|issn=0114-0876|quote=Speaking of inspirations, I recently got to rework OMD, which is a thrill for any electronic musician.}}</ref> [[Paul van Dyk]],<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/9362092/paul-van-dyk-20-questions-interview|title=20 Questions With Paul van Dyk|last=Moayeri|first=Lily|date=21 April 2020|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=21 February 2021}}</ref> [[Mike Paradinas]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/heterotic-mike-paradinas-gravenhurst-interview/|title=Melancholy Euphoria: A Heterotic Interview & Full Album Stream|last=Doran|first=John|date=11 March 2013|website=[[The Quietus]]|access-date=31 March 2024}}</ref> and [[Moby]], who cited the band as "synth heroes" and a critical factor in his career choice.<ref name="Shey11"/><ref>Houghton, pp. 370–371</ref> OMD have also inspired rock and pop artists like [[No Doubt]],<ref name="Marchese2012"/> [[the Killers]],<ref name="Ranta13"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://chicagoconcertreviews.com/2021/06/25/dave-keuning-the-killers/|title=The Killers' Dave Keuning drops 'A Mild Case of Everything', looks on the 'Mr. Brightside'|last=Argyrakis|first=Andy|date=25 June 2021|website=Chicago Concert Reviews|access-date=14 July 2023}}</ref> [[the xx]],<ref name="Bray13"/> [[Barenaked Ladies]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://crypticrock.com/interview-kevin-hearn-barenaked-ladies/|title=Kevin Hearn of Barenaked Ladies|date=12 April 2017|website=Cryptic Rock|access-date=31 March 2024}}</ref> [[MGMT]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/mgmt-little-dark-age-interview/|title=MGMT Are Still Perfectly Strange|last=Fitzmaurice|first=Larry|date=18 February 2018|website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]|access-date=2 April 2021}}</ref> [[AFI (band)|AFI]],<ref name="ptstf"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/afi_we_wanted_to_do_rock_but_keep_it_interesting.html|title=AFI: 'We Wanted to Do Rock but Keep It Interesting'|last=Rosen|first=Steven|date=28 September 2009|website=[[Ultimate Guitar]]|access-date=6 March 2021}}</ref> [[LCD Soundsystem]],<ref name="Ranta13"/><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Murphy|first=James|author-link=James Murphy (electronic musician)|date=22 May 2010|title=LCD Soundsystem: ''This Is Happening''|magazine=[[NME]]|page=13|quote=Murphy guides you through his new New York dance-punk troupe's new album." ... [Murphy:] "I was constantly listening to the 'Sweet Dreams'-era Eurythmics stuff and Bronski Beat and the first couple of OMD records.}}</ref> [[the Shins]],<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/omd-on-the-dawn-of-synth-pop-if-you-leave-success-new-album-113884/|title=OMD on the Dawn of Synth Pop|last=Walters|first=Barry|date=6 September 2017|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=6 March 2021|quote=Jason [''sic''] Mercer, the Honolulu-born singer-songwriter for the Shins...}}</ref> [[La Roux]],<ref name="Bray13"/> [[The Divine Comedy (band)|the Divine Comedy]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.exberliner.com/features/people/neil-hannon-interview/|title='Being an oddball is part of it': The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon|last=Cummings|first=Damien|date=18 October 2019|website=[[Exberliner]]|access-date=21 February 2021}}</ref> [[Gary Barlow]],<ref name="MettlerJune16"/> [[Robyn]],<ref name="Ranta13">{{cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/orchestral_manoeuvres_in_dark|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|last=Ranta|first=Alan|date=23 April 2013|website=[[Exclaim!]]|access-date=14 July 2023}}</ref> [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]]' [[John Frusciante]],<ref>{{cite magazine|date=March 2001|title=?&A: John Frusciante|magazine=[[CMJ#CMJ New Music Monthly|CMJ New Music Monthly]]|issue=91|page=26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laweekly.com/sons-of-the-city/|title=Sons of the City|last=Albert|first=John|date=4 December 2002|website=[[LA Weekly]]|access-date=28 March 2025}}</ref> and [[Belle and Sebastian]]'s [[Stevie Jackson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/interview-stevie-jackson-belle-and-sebastian-guitarist-1653524|title=Interview: Stevie Jackson - Belle and Sebastian guitarist|date=22 November 2011|website=[[The Scotsman]]|access-date=29 November 2021}}</ref> Singer [[Anohni]] said of ''[[Architecture & Morality]]'' (1981) and ''[[Dazzle Ships (album)|Dazzle Ships]]'' (1983): "Those records, they really changed me when I was a kid. I'd never heard anything quite like it... this really scary, futuristic landscape."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm90K2DqK5f/|title=Video by Anohni|date=3 January 2023|publisher=Instagram|access-date=6 January 2023|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/anohni/3007789569810148959|archive-date=4 January 2023|minutes=1|via=[[Ghost Archive]]}}{{cbignore}} {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230804061442/https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/anohni/3007789569810148959|date=4 August 2023}}{{cbignore}}.</ref> The experimental ''Dazzle Ships'' has influenced various acts, including [[Arcade Fire]] (and longtime orchestrator, [[Owen Pallett]]),<ref name="Earls2020"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/playing-the-field-owen-pallet-final-fantasy-heartland-interview/|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres & Homoerotica: Owen Pallett Opens His Heartland|last=Turner|first=Luke|date=24 March 2010|website=[[The Quietus]]|access-date=27 June 2024}}</ref> [[Radiohead]],<ref name="Earls2020"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Wade|first=Ian|url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/bakers-dozen/andy-mccluskey-omd-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-favourite-albums/|title=Souvenirs: Andy McCluskey of OMD's Favourite Albums|website=[[The Quietus]]|date=8 April 2013|access-date=10 April 2024}}</ref> [[Death Cab for Cutie]],<ref>{{cite news|first=Randy|last=Harward|title=Death Cab for Cutie: The Concepts Behind Codes & Keys|url=https://www.cityweekly.net/utah/death-cab-for-cutie/Content?oid=2157480|newspaper=[[Salt Lake City Weekly]]|date=18 August 2011|access-date=28 January 2016}}</ref> [[Saint Etienne (band)|Saint Etienne]],<ref name="Ware2013"/> [[Future Islands]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/the-wireless/374547/the-past-and-present-of-future-islands|title=The Past and Present of Future Islands|last=Stamp|first=Tony|date=6 April 2017|publisher=[[Radio New Zealand]]|access-date=2 April 2021}}</ref> and producer [[Mark Ronson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://superdeluxeedition.com/reviews/omd-dazzle-ships-reviewed/|title=OMD / Dazzle Ships reviewed|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|author-link=Alexis Petridis|date=3 April 2023|website=SuperDeluxeEdition|access-date=1 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/omd-watch-genetic-engineering-live-from-dazzle-ships-show-in-liverpool-exclusive-a2922771.html|title=OMD: Watch 'Genetic Engineering' Live from ''Dazzle Ships'' Show in Liverpool|last=Travis|first=Ben|date=1 September 2015|website=[[Evening Standard]]|access-date=10 April 2024}}</ref> Its content was sampled by the rappers [[Kid Cudi]] and [[Lushlife]].<ref name="Ryan2019"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16500-lushlife-plateau-vision/|title=Lushlife: Plateau Vision Album Review|last=Ashurst|first=Hari|date=16 April 2012|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=13 June 2023}}</ref>
Elsewhere, "Electricity" directly inspired the creation of [[indie pop]] band [[Nation of Language]],<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Paul|last=Bullock|title=Nation of Language: Introduction, Presence|magazine=[[Under the Radar (magazine)|Under the Radar]]|date=22 May 2020|access-date=21 January 2024|url=http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/nation_of_language_introduction_presence/}}</ref> as well as the radio career of [[Steve Lamacq]].<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Steve|last=Lamacq|author-link=Steve Lamacq|title=Soundtrack of My Life|magazine=[[NME]]|date=1 March 2014|page=25}}</ref><ref>Houghton, pp. 69–72</ref> The synth-pop artists [[Our Daughter's Wedding]] and [[Hot Chip]] paid "homage" to OMD in their work,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.electronicsound.co.uk/features/landmarks/scott-simon/|title=Scott Simon 'Lawnchairs'|last=Stone|first=Jools|date=10 November 2016|website=Electronic Sound|access-date=24 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/new-songs-out-today-6/|title=27 New Songs Out Today|date=25 September 2020|website=[[BrooklynVegan]]|access-date=10 May 2024}}</ref> while [[indie rock]] group [[Low (band)|Low]] wrote "[[The Great Destroyer|Cue the Strings]]" (2005) as a "shout-out" to the band.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.kindamuzik.net/interview/low/low-het-geluid-van-ontwaken/8433/index.html|title=Low: Het Geluid van Ontwaken|last=Heemskerk|first=Joris|date=21 January 2005|language=Nl|magazine=KindaMuzik|access-date=30 June 2024}}</ref> Pop singer [[Boy George]] said he wished he had written OMD's "[[The Punishment of Luxury (album)|The View from Here]]" (2017).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CInk1HigfbD/|title=Instagram video by Boy George|date=10 December 2020|website=Instagram|access-date=4 February 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/boygeorgeofficial/2461097701283067587|archive-date=25 December 2021|minutes=81}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The group's influence extends to [[indie folk]] singer [[Sharon Van Etten]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.austin360.com/entertainment/20160926/interview-sharon-van-etten-on-taking-charge-in-the-studio|title=Interview: Sharon Van Etten on taking charge in the studio|last=Ramirez|first=Ramon|date=26 September 2016|website=[[Austin American-Statesman|Austin360]]|access-date=19 August 2022|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301193543/https://www.austin360.com/entertainment/20160926/interview-sharon-van-etten-on-taking-charge-in-the-studio|archive-date=1 March 2021}}</ref> [[alternative metal]] band [[Deftones]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/deftones-talk-ohms-album-year-nod-black-stallion-fave-music-2020|title=Deftones Talk 'Ohms' Album of the Year Nod, 'Black Stallion,' Fave Music of 2020|last=Madden|first=Emma|date=11 December 2020|website=Revolver|access-date=21 February 2021}}</ref> [[Country music|country]] duo [[Sugarland]],<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Wood|first=Mikael|date=9 October 2010|title=In a Big Country|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|pages=18, 20}}</ref> actor/writer [[Scott Aukerman]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/dannyross1/2017/11/30/scott-aukerman-talks-music-and-comedy-bang-bang/|title=Scott Aukerman Talks Music And 'Comedy Bang! Bang!'|last=Ross|first=Danny|date=30 November 2017|website=[[Forbes]]|access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref> novelist [[Anna Smaill]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://helenlowe.info/blog/2015/05/27/an-interview-with-anna-smaill-author-of-the-chimes/|title=An Interview with Anna Smaill, Author of ''The Chimes''|last=Lowe|first=Helen|author-link=Helen Lowe|date=27 May 2015|website=HelenLowe.info|access-date=20 July 2022}}</ref> filmmaker [[Noah Baumbach]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.female.com.au/gret-agerwig-mistress-america.htm|title=Greta Gerwig: Mistress America|website=Female.com.au|access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/03/noah-baumbach-music-while-we-were-young.html|title=Noah Baumbach Shares His Musical Obsessions|last=Charlton|first=Lauretta|date=27 March 2015|website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]|access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref> physicist [[Brian Cox (physicist)|Brian Cox]],<ref>Houghton, p. 4 (foreword by Brian Cox)</ref> and musician/producer [[Steven Wilson]], who has worked in varied genres. Wilson dubbed OMD a "wonderful collision of ideas", whose albums "stand up very, very well as experimental pop records with the most enjoyable kind of songwriting".<ref name="Wilson2012"/> The group were inducted into the ''[[Goldmine (magazine)|Goldmine]]'' Hall of Fame in 2014, being described as "leader[s] in the synthpop movement" and one of rock's most "underappreciated" bands.<ref name="Marder14"/>
==Members==
[[File:20180728_Köln_Amphi_Festival_OMD_0151.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Stuart Kershaw (pictured) replaced longtime drummer Malcolm Holmes in 2015.]]
===Current members===
* [[Andy McCluskey]] – vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar <small>(1978–1996; 2006–present)</small>
* [[Paul Humphreys]] – keyboards, vocals <small>(1978–1989; 2006–present)</small>
* [[Martin Cooper (musician)|Martin Cooper]] – keyboards, saxophone <small>(1980–1989; 2006–present)</small>
* [[Stuart Kershaw]] – drums <small>(1993; 2015–present)</small>
===Former members===
* [[Malcolm Holmes]] – drums, percussion <small>(1980–1989; 2006–2015)</small>
* [[David Hughes (musician)|Dave Hughes]] – keyboards <small>(1979–1980)</small>
* Michael Douglas – keyboards <small>(1980–1981)</small>
* Graham Weir – guitar, brass, keyboards <small>(1985–1988)</small>
* Neil Weir – brass, keyboards, bass <small>(1985–1988)</small>
* Phil Coxon – keyboards <small>(1991–1993)</small>
* [[Nigel Ipinson]] – keyboards <small>(1991–1993)</small>
* Abe Juckes – drums <small>(1991–1992)</small>
====Timeline====
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:25
PlotArea = left:115 bottom:90 top:5 right:10
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/09/1978 till:{{#time:d/m/Y}}
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4
ScaleMajor = increment:4 start:1979
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1979
Colors =
id:voc value:red legend:Vocals
id:ww value:tan2 legend:Wind_instruments
id:bi value:skyblue legend:Brass_instruments
id:g value:green legend:Guitars
id:key value:purple legend:Keyboards
id:b value:blue legend:Bass
id:dr value:orange legend:Drums
id:pc value:claret legend:Percussion
id:lines value:black legend:Studio_release
id:bars value:gray(0.95)
BackgroundColors = bars:bars
LineData =
at:22/02/1980 color:black layer:back
at:23/10/1980 color:black layer:back
at:08/11/1981 color:black layer:back
at:04/03/1983 color:black layer:back
at:30/04/1984 color:black layer:back
at:17/06/1985 color:black layer:back
at:29/09/1986 color:black layer:back
at:07/05/1991 color:black layer:back
at:14/06/1993 color:black layer:back
at:02/06/1996 color:black layer:back
at:20/09/2010 color:black layer:back
at:05/04/2013 color:black layer:back
at:01/09/2017 color:black layer:back
at:27/10/2023 color:black layer:back
PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Andy McCluskey from:start till:01/07/1996 color:voc
bar:Andy McCluskey from:start till:01/10/1993 color:b width:7
bar:Andy McCluskey from:01/01/1980 till:10/07/1984 color:g width:5
bar:Andy McCluskey from:start till:01/07/1996 color:key width:3
bar:Andy McCluskey from:01/01/2006 till:end color:voc
bar:Andy McCluskey from:01/01/2006 till:end color:b width:7
bar:Andy McCluskey from:01/01/2006 till:end color:key width:3
bar:Martin Cooper from:01/12/1980 till:01/07/1989 color:ww
bar:Martin Cooper from:01/04/1983 till:01/07/1989 color:key width:3
bar:Martin Cooper from:01/01/2006 till:end color:key
bar:Martin Cooper from:01/01/2006 till:end color:ww width:3
bar:Neil Weir from:10/07/1984 till:31/12/1988 color:bi
bar:Neil Weir from:10/07/1984 till:31/12/1988 color:key width:7
bar:Neil Weir from:10/07/1984 till:31/12/1988 color:b width:3
bar:Graham Weir from:10/07/1984 till:31/12/1988 color:g
bar:Graham Weir from:10/07/1984 till:31/12/1988 color:bi width:7
bar:Graham Weir from:10/07/1984 till:31/12/1988 color:key width:3
bar:Paul Humphreys from:start till:01/07/1989 color:key
bar:Paul Humphreys from:start till:01/07/1989 color:voc width:3
bar:Paul Humphreys from:01/01/2006 till:end color:key
bar:Paul Humphreys from:01/01/2006 till:end color:voc width:3
bar:Dave Hughes from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1980 color:key
bar:Michael Douglas from:01/12/1980 till:01/01/1981 color:key
bar:Nigel Ipinson from:01/01/1991 till:01/10/1993 color:key
bar:Phil Coxon from:01/01/1991 till:01/10/1993 color:key
bar:Malcolm Holmes from:01/04/1980 till:01/07/1989 color:dr
bar:Malcolm Holmes from:01/04/1980 till:01/07/1989 color:pc width:3
bar:Malcolm Holmes from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2015 color:dr
bar:Malcolm Holmes from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2015 color:pc width:3
bar:Abe Juckes from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1993 color:dr
bar:Stuart Kershaw from:01/01/1993 till:01/10/1993 color:dr
bar:Stuart Kershaw from:01/01/2015 till:end color:dr
}}
==Discography==
{{Main|Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark discography}}
'''Studio albums'''
{{col div}}
* ''[[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (album)|Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Organisation (album)|Organisation]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Architecture & Morality]]'' (1981)
* ''[[Dazzle Ships (album)|Dazzle Ships]]'' (1983)
* ''[[Junk Culture]]'' (1984)
* ''[[Crush (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album)|Crush]]'' (1985)
* ''[[The Pacific Age]]'' (1986)
* ''[[Sugar Tax (album)|Sugar Tax]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Liberator (album)|Liberator]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Universal (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album)|Universal]]'' (1996)
* ''[[History of Modern]]'' (2010)
* ''[[English Electric (album)|English Electric]]'' (2013)
* ''[[The Punishment of Luxury (album)|The Punishment of Luxury]]'' (2017)
* ''[[Bauhaus Staircase]]'' (2023)
{{col div end}}
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
===Bibliography===
* Houghton, Richard. ''OMD: Pretending to See the Future'' (expanded paperback edition). This Day in Music Books. 2019. {{ISBN|1916115624}}
* Waller, Johnny; Humphreys, Mike. ''Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Messages''. [[Sidgwick & Jackson]]. 1987. {{ISBN|0-283-99234-4}}
* West, Mike. ''Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark''. [[Omnibus Press]]. 1982. {{ISBN|0-7119-0149-X}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|https://www.omd.uk.com/}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/OMDVEVO Official YouTube channel]
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000481057}}
* {{discogs artist}}
* {{IMDb name|id=2024071}}
{{Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:English electronic music groups]]
[[Category:English electronic music duos]]
[[Category:English new wave musical groups]]
[[Category:English synth-pop groups]]
[[Category:Factory Records artists]]
[[Category:English synth-pop new wave groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1978]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1996]]
[[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2006]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Merseyside]]
[[Category:Virgin Records artists]]
[[Category:1978 establishments in England]]
[[Category:English experimental musical groups]]
[[Category:Second British Invasion artists]]
[[Category:Live Here Now artists]]
| |||