Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Junk Culture (1984)

OMD sails for smoother, commercial waters on their buoyant followup to Dazzle Ships.

Kronomyth 5.0: One fan’s junk is another fan’s pleasure.

Everything is broken. That’s the bad news. The good news is that none of it matters. I say that about life in general, not Junk Culture in particular although, yes, it too is broken and that doesn’t matter either. Architecture & Morality mattered, at least to one teenage boy, but that boat sailed with Dazzle Ships. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark corrected course, sort of, sailing for smoother waters on Junk Culture. The album spawned several successful singles (Talking Loud and Clear and Tesla Girls were swell) and videos, most featuring Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey in some kind of weird romantic situation. The rough edges have been polished smooth, except perhaps for White Trash and Junk Culture. The band’s experiments are contained to pop-funk (Locomotion, Apollo) and Afropop (All Wrapped Up), their moody excursions made lighter (Never Turn Away, Love and Violence, Hard Day). The first two albums were icy cold, the third autumn crisp, the fourth a stormy affair, and here the gray clouds give way to sunlight. Oddly, the warmer their music became, the cooler I was on the band. What began as an English Kraftwerk was now beginning to sound like a John Hughes film. Having said all that, Junk Culture is a better album than Dazzle Ships. And Crush. And The Pacific Age. In fact, it might be their last really good album. The ghost of the old OMD is still in the machines, surfaced in strange sounds and exotic electronics. Yet as new wave became the norm, the old revolutionaries traded in their pitchforks for fountain pens. Again, not that it matters, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to a part of me that wants it to mean everything.

Original elpee version (UK)

A1. Junk Culture
A2. Tesla Girls
A3. Locomotion
A4. Apollo
A5. Never Turn Away
B1. Love and Violence
B2. Hard Day
B3. All Wrapped Up
B4. White Trash
B5. Talking Loud and Clear

Original elpee version (US)
A1. Tesla Girls (3:50)
A2. Locomotion (3:53)
A3. Junk Culture (4:05)
A4. Apoll0 (3:37)
A5. Never Turn Away (3:56)
B1. Love and Violence (4:40)
B2. Hard Day (5:38)
B3. All Wrapped Up (4:22)
B4. White Trash (4:34)
B5. Talking Loud and Clear (O.M.D./Martin Cooper) (4:17)

All songs written by O.M.D. unless noted.

Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
B1. Her Body in My Soul
B2. The Avenue
B3. Julia’s Song (re-record)
B4. Garden City
B5. Wrappup
B6. Locomotion (12” version)
B7. Tesla Girls (12” version)
B8. Talking Loud and Clear (12” version)
B9. Never Turn Away (12” version)
B10. The Angels Keep Turning (the Wheels of the Universe)
B11. 10 to 1
B12. All or Nothing
B13. Heaven Is (Highland Studios demo)
B14. Tesla Girls (Highland Studios demo)
B15. White Trash (Highland Studios demo)

The Players

Martin Cooper (Prophet 5, Emulator, tenor and soprano saxophone, Roland SH2, marimba), Malcolm Holmes (acoustic and electronic drums, Latin percussion, drum computer programming), Paul Humphreys (vocals, Roland JP8, Emulator, Korg preset, acoustic piano, Fairlight CMI, Celeste, Prophet 5), Andrew McCluskey (vocals, bass, guitar, Roland JP8, Emulator, Fairlight CMI, Latin percussion) with Jan Faas (trumpet on “Locomotion,” “All Wrapped Up”), Maureen Humphreys (vocals on “Telsa Girls”), Brian Tench (additional backing vocals), Gordian Troeller (piano on “Locomotion,” Roland JP8 on “White Trash”), Bart van Lier (trombone on “Locomotion,” “All Wrapped Up”), Jan Vennik (tenor sax on “Locomotion,” “All Wrapped Up”), Tony Visconti (brass arrangements on “Locomotion,” “All Wrapped Up”). Produced by Brian Tench and O.M.D.; engineered by Michel Diericks, Steve “Wolf” Jackson, Ronald Prent, Peter Wollsicroft; mix engineered by Brian Tench, Ronald Prent.

The Pictures

Sleeve design by PSA. Sleeve photography by Richard Haughton.

The Plastic

Released on elpee and cassette on April 30, 1984 in the UK (Virgin, V/TCV 2310), the US (A&M, SP/CS-6-5027), Germany (Virgin, 206.257.62) and Japan (Virgin, VIL6117) with lyrics innersleeve. Reached #9 on the UK charts and #182 on the US charts.

1. Re-issued on compact disc in the UK (Virgin, CDV 2310).
2. Re-issued on compact disc in the US (A&M, 3335).
3. Re-issued on compact disc in the UK (Virgin, OVEDC215).
4. Re-issued on compact disc in Europe (EMI, 786702).
5. Re-issued on expanded, remastered Deluxe Edition 2CD in 2015 in Europe (Virgin, 4701075) with bonus disc.