Hey, I'm Picasso

Pour moi's birthday, I got the remastered version of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's third album from 1981, Architecture & Morality - because my Dad doesn't have that one on vinyl and I'm on the verge of wearing out his library (apart from the Bowie albums, spared by my relentless downloading).

Anyway, I'm getting into the few bits I've heard of their 1983 album Dazzle Ships. If you've heard anything they made after 1984 (thanks to If You Leave which they wrote for the film Pretty in Pink), you'll not realise how un-avant things went.

Dazzle Ships promo shoot

Dazzle Ships, not being A&M, was essentially a commercial flop. You* were out buying fucking Bonnie Tyler in March 1983. At least the chart was saved by Bowie's Let's Dance (even though I regard it as a sell out album). So, scared they were going to be dropped by Virgin, they about-turned on avant-synth-pop and marched down the same dance route Bowie was skipping along on his way to the bank. Except, OMD wasn't making much, tumbling down the hill (apart from a handful of singles and album tracks between 84 and 88).

Andy McCluskey, vocalist, ended up on his own (still as OMD) and had a worse time trying to live off making music. Despite what he regards as his best work in the early 90s, the discs weren't shifting. Wait for the most hideous part...

He went on to form Atomic Kitten (writing their material behind the scenes) - which he blames (my choice of word) on the commerical failure of their Dazzle Ships. You phillistines released Atomic Kitten on the fucking world! What was fucking wrong with using a speak-and-spell on Dazzle Ships' lead single?

* By 'you', I more correctly mean 'you[r parents]'. Though you inherit their dishonour.

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