| Navigation: The OMD B-Sides | ||||
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| Compilation album (B-sides)by | ||||
| Released | 14 May 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 1979–1991, various studios | |||
| Genre | Synthpop | |||
| Length | 73:13 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | various | |||
| Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark chronology | ||||
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Navigation: The OMD B-Sides is the fourth compilation album by English synthpop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It was released in 2001 by Virgin Records and contains a variety of B-sides from their Dindisc and Virgin output.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Trouser Press wrote: "Navigation: The OMD B-Sides is an essential document for fans. [Andy] McCluskey and [Paul] Humphreys always took care to put worthwhile tracks on the backs of their singles, and nearly all of the songs here were worthy of inclusion on albums." [2] Aaron Badgley in AllMusic noted that "A lot of the music is instrumental and not what casual fans are used to hearing from OMD", but opined that the album "is no less enjoyable than their biggest hits". He asserted that the record is "a must" for enthusiasts of the band. [1]
All tracks are written by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | A-side | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Almost" (previously unreleased version) | Paul Humphreys, Andy McCluskey | n/a, recorded in 1979 | 3:44 |
| 2. | "I Betray My Friends" | Humphreys, McCluskey | "Red Frame/White Light" (1980) | 3:52 |
| 3. | "Waiting for the Man" | Lou Reed | "Messages" (1980) | 2:56 |
| 4. | "Annex" | Humphreys, McCluskey | "Enola Gay" (1980) | 4:31 |
| 5. | "Sacred Heart" | Humphreys, McCluskey | "Souvenir" (1981) | 3:27 |
| 6. | "The Romance of the Telescope (Unfinished)" | Humphreys, McCluskey | "Joan of Arc" (1981) | 3:20 |
| 7. | "Navigation" | Humphreys, McCluskey | "Maid of Orleans" (1982) | 3:27 |
| 8. | "4–Neu" | "Genetic Engineering" (1983) | 3:33 | |
| 9. | "66 & Fading" (Edit) | "Telegraph" (1983) | 2:25 | |
| 10. | "Her Body in My Soul" | "Locomotion" (1984) | 4:42 | |
| 11. | "The Avenue" | "Locomotion" (1984) | 4:12 | |
| 12. | "Garden City" | "Tesla Girls" (1984) | 4:06 | |
| 13. | "Concrete Hands" | "So in Love" (1985) | 3:48 | |
| 14. | "Firegun" | "La Femme Accident" (1985) | 4:38 | |
| 15. | "This Town" | "(Forever) Live and Die" (1986) | 3:49 | |
| 16. | "Gravity Never Failed" | "Dreaming" (1988) | 3:24 | |
| 17. | "Burning" | OMD, Stuart Kershaw | "Sailing on the Seven Seas" (1991) | 4:15 |
| 18. | "Sugar Tax" | "Then You Turn Away" (1991) | 4:05 | |
| 19. | "(The Angels Keep Turning) The Wheels of the Universe" | free one-sided 7" vinyl with limited edition of Junk Culture album (1984) | 4:51 |
Junk Culture is the fifth studio album by English electronic music band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 30 April 1984 by Virgin Records. After the commercial disappointment of the band's experimental 1983 album Dazzle Ships, OMD and Virgin intended for the band to shift toward a more accessible sound on its follow-up release. The record spawned four singles, including the UK Top 20 chart hits "Locomotion" and "Talking Loud and Clear".
Architecture & Morality is the third studio album by English electronic music band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 6 November 1981 by Dindisc. Inspired by religious music, the band sought to broaden their musical palette by utilising elaborate choral samples, the Mellotron, and other new instruments to create a more naturalistic, emotive sound. The artwork was designed by longtime OMD collaborator Peter Saville, along with Brett Wickens, while its title was derived from the book Morality and Architecture by David Watkin.
Organisation is the second album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released in 1980. It received generally favourable reviews and provided OMD with their first top 10 album in the UK, where it peaked at no. 6 on the UK Albums Chart. "Enola Gay" was the only single taken from the record, and was the band's first entry on the UK Singles Chart, reaching no. 8. Organisation was remastered and re-released in 2003, with several bonus tracks.
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark is the self-titled debut studio album by English band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released on 22 February 1980. It peaked at number 27 on the UK Albums Chart. "Electricity" and "Red Frame/White Light" were released as singles; a re-recorded version of "Messages" provided OMD with their first hit in the UK, reaching number 13.
Crush is the sixth studio album by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 17 June 1985 by Virgin Records. It was the first of two OMD albums produced by American record producer Stephen Hague.
Universal is the tenth album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released in 1996. It spawned the group's first Top 20 hit in the UK for over five years with the track "Walking on the Milky Way". However, follow-up single "Universal" and the album itself performed poorly and this lack of success prompted singer Andy McCluskey to dissolve the band. It would remain their final album for over a decade until the group's reunion.
The Pacific Age is the seventh studio album by English electronic music band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 29 September 1986 by Virgin Records. It was the last of two OMD albums produced by American record producer Stephen Hague. "(Forever) Live and Die" became the band's third hit single in the US and returned the band to the top 20 in the UK, peaking at No. 11. The album received generally unfavourable reviews and is held in low esteem by frontman Andy McCluskey.
Sugar Tax is the eighth album by English band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released in May 1991 by Virgin Records. It was the group's first studio album since 1986, and the first of three recorded without co-founder Paul Humphreys, who had departed in 1989. Featuring singer Andy McCluskey with a new backing band, it leans more towards the dance-pop genre that was prevalent in the early 1990s, than the experimental brand of synth-pop which characterised OMD's earlier recordings.
Liberator is the ninth album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1993. It peaked at No. 14 on the UK Albums Chart.
The Best of OMD is a compilation album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1988; marking a decade since the band's beginnings.
"Electricity" is the 1979 debut single of the English group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, featured on their eponymous debut album the following year. Inspired by Kraftwerk's "Radioactivity", the song addresses society's wasteful usage of energy sources. Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys sing the lead vocals on the track together in unison. As with single "Messages" from the same album, the song features a melodic synth break instead of a sung chorus.
"Enola Gay" is an anti-war song by the British synth-pop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and the only single from the band's 1980 album Organisation. The track addresses the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the aircraft Enola Gay on 6 August 1945, toward the conclusion of World War II. It was written by vocalist/bass guitarist Andy McCluskey.
"Sailing on the Seven Seas" is a 1991 single by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) released from their album Sugar Tax. Along with 1981's "Souvenir", it is the band's highest-charting UK hit to date, peaking at number three on the UK Singles Chart. It also charted at number three in Austria and Sweden, number five in Ireland and number nine in Germany. The single was the first to be released by OMD without original member Paul Humphreys, who had left to form his own band The Listening Pool.
Peel Sessions 1979–1983 is a compilation album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 2000. The songs were recorded between 1979 and 1983 for the BBC Radio 1 show presented by John Peel. "Electricity" is added as a bonus track and is the original version that was featured on their debut single on Factory Records (FAC6). "Bunker Soldiers" was recorded for the first and fourth sessions; the version from the fourth session was not released on this album.
"Joan of Arc " is a song by British band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and was the third single released from their third studio album Architecture & Morality. The track has been described by OMD frontman Andy McCluskey as the group's "Mull of Kintyre".
"Messages" is a song by English synth-pop band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) from their self-titled debut studio album (1980). A re-recorded version of the song was released on 2 May 1980 as the album's third and final single, reaching number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and becoming OMD's first top-40 entry. As with debut single "Electricity", "Messages" features a melodic synth break instead of sung chorus.
"Locomotion" is a song by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released as the first single from their 1984 album, Junk Culture. It was one of the band's biggest European hits, charting within the Top 5 in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands, while also peaking at No. 14 in Germany.
"Souvenir" is a song written by Paul Humphreys and Martin Cooper of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and released as the first single from their 1981 album Architecture & Morality. Sung by Humphreys, the track has minimal lyrical content and is characterised by slowed-down choir sounds offset by pulsing major key piano chords. Its "gentle, sparkling" synthesizer hook substitutes for a vocal chorus, as with other OMD compositions.
"Genetic Engineering" is a song by British band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released as the first single from their fourth studio album Dazzle Ships. The synthesized speech featured on the track is taken from a Speak & Spell, an educational electronic toy developed by Texas Instruments in the 1970s intended to teach children spelling.
"Telegraph" is a song by the British band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, and is the second single from their studio album Dazzle Ships. "Telegraph" was originally slated to be the first single release, but being unhappy with the mix and with pressure from Virgin, the band opted instead to release "Genetic Engineering".
