This UK synthesizer pop duo was formed by Paul Humphreys (b. 27 February 1960, London, England) and Andy McCluskey (b. George Andrew McCluskey, 24 June 1959, Heswall, Cheshire, England). Originally combining in school band Equinox they moved on through VCL XI and Hitlerz Underpantz, and finally the Id. When that band broke up in 1978, McCluskey spent a short time with Dalek I Love You before he and Humphreys, together with Paul Collister, performed live in October 1978 under their full title Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. Tony Wilson of Factory Records became interested in the band, releasing their debut ‘Electricity’. It was quickly re-released when Virgin Records subsidiary DinDisc signed them. Its success subsequently allowed the band the chance to build their studio. They replaced their four-track recorder (‘Winston’) with real personnel Malcolm Holmes (drums, ex-Equinox and the Id), Martin Cooper (saxophone), and Dave Hughes (synthesizer). ‘Red Frame/White Light’ (1980) was released as a single to preface the band’s first, self-titled album. OMD’s breakthrough came with the re-recorded ‘Messages’ and was followed later in 1980 by the UK Top 10 hit ‘Enola Gay’, and its familiar nuclear war sentiments. Organisation was recorded by Humphreys and McCluskey, with help from Dave Hughes.
The more sophisticated Architecture & Morality (1981) was recorded with the help of Cooper and Holmes, and showed a new romanticism, particularly in the UK Top 5 singles ‘Souvenir’, ‘Joan Of Arc’ and ‘Maid Of Orleans’. Dazzle Ships (1983) was a flawed attempt at progression, highlighting dilemmas forced on the band by popularity and DinDisc’s collapse (the band transferred to Virgin). Junk Culture (1984) returned to a poppier sound but faced similar critical disdain, despite boasting the presence of the Top 5 single, ‘Locomotion’. Crush (1985) was a less orchestrated and more commercial affair, featuring the return of political commentary alongside the permanent insertion of Graham Weir (guitar) and Neil Weir (trumpet) into the line-up. The single ‘So In Love’ provided OMD with their first US hit. The band then enjoyed a surprise US Top 5 hit in 1986 with ‘If You Leave’, taken from the soundtrack of the movie Pretty In Pink.
The same year’s The Pacific Age was premiered on another of the band’s frequent worldwide touring endeavours, but it was obvious from its chart position that their domestic popularity was slipping. The six-piece line-up was proving too cumbersome and the Weir brothers departed shortly afterwards. The rift was compounded when Holmes and Cooper and, more importantly, Humphreys, joined the list of departures. McCluskey retained the name and, after a long restorative period, resurfaced in 1991 with the UK number 3 hit ‘Sailing On The Seven Seas’, and the Top 10 follow-up ‘Pandora’s Box’. The resultant Sugar Tax harked back to the era of Architecture & Morality with the use of choral effects. Meanwhile, Humphreys, Holmes and Cooper formed a new band under the name the Listening Pool.
McCluskey continued to release records under the OMD moniker into the 90s, though failing to match the commercial success he enjoyed with Humphries during the mid-80s. He enjoyed more reward in the new millennium as the musical mastermind behind girl group, Atomic Kitten. He reunited with Humphreys, Holmes and Cooper in 2007 for a series of live dates.
