OMD celebrate 40 years of 'Crush' with expanded release
OMD
Celebrate 40 Years Of Crush
Out October 10th On UMR/Virgin
Following the recent 40th anniversary of the band’s acclaimed album Junk Culture, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) today announce 40 years of their US breakthrough record, Crush. The expanded album will be available on October 10th on UMR/Virgin.
Originally released on June 17th 1985, the band’s sixth album Crush took OMD across the pond and became their breakthrough record Stateside. Spearheaded by the irresistible single 'So In Love,' which entered the Billboard Top 40, and radio smash 'Secret', the album received acclaim across the board and also saw success in the UK and Europe, peaking at #13 on the UK Official Album Chart. It remains a firm favourite with the band and their fans.
Working from a batch of demos, Andy and Paul, plus multi-instrumentalist Martin Cooper and drummer Malcolm Holmes, began recording Crush in Liverpool’s Amazon Studios in the late winter of 1984. Having laid down what they could in Amazon, they then relocated to the more secluded facilities of The Manor, in the heart of Oxfordshire, where they enlisted US-born producer Stephen Hague to help pull the record together.
“We felt for the first time like we needed somebody to help us focus on the production,” McCluskey says. “We were too close to these half-written songs and needed someone who could be a little bit more objective. Stephen had a very slick production sound. Maybe unconsciously, we were also thinking, ‘If we’re going to break America, we need to be a bit more polished’.”
That approach successfully attracted a new audience and both Humphreys and McCluskey look back on it with fondness. Although Crush was created under gruelling conditions, there’s no doubting that everything paid off: “We managed to create an exceedingly good album,” McCluskey affirms. “We are very proud of every track.”
The 40th celebration of Crush will arrive on 2LP black and coloured vinyl, as well as 2CD and digital formats. Remastered from the original analogue files, the special anniversary release sees a wealth of brand new material including seven unreleased tracks from the album's multitrack sessions, mixed by Paul Humphreys. The release also comes with two demos, an alternative mix, four never-before-heard songs, plus non-album b-sides and extended or 12" mixes, some of which have never been reissued or issued on CD/digitally. The package is rounded out with rare photos and comprehensive notes by journalist and author Jason Draper in conversation with Andy McCluskey.
“The 40th anniversary re-release of Crush has been a wonderful opportunity for us to re-assess the album. 1985 was a period of great intensity with constant touring and time pressure in the studio, but we created a powerful collection of songs and lyrical themes,” Andy McCluskey said of the record. “In hindsight, we made a much better album than we knew at the time. Two hit singles ‘So in Love’ and ‘Secret’ remain live set constants to this day. There is raw energy and anger in ‘88 seconds in Greensboro’, swaggering pomp of ‘The Native Daughters of the Golden West’, and the melancholy shroud of the title track ‘Crush’ juxtaposing relentless samples of Japanese TV adverts against the weary vocals and somnambulant instrumentation perfectly captures the jet lag induced dream state of global touring.We changed style and musical palette, but Crush retains a confidence and energy that I am very proud of.”
Crush Tracklisting:
CD 1
1. So In Love
2. Secret
3. Bloc Bloc Bloc
4. Women III
5. Crush
6. 88 Seconds In Greensboro
7. The Native Daughters Of The Golden West
8. La Femme Accident
9. Hold You
10. The Lights Are Going Out
CD 2
1. Wheels of Steel*
2. Lana Turner v.1*
3. Hold You (Rough)*
4. Choral*
5. Lana Turner v.2*
6. Drift (Demo)*
7. All or Nothing (Demo)*
8. Concrete Hands (b-side)
9. Firegun (b-side)
10. Maria Gallante (b-side)
11. Drift (b-side)
12. Secret (Extended Mix)
13. So In Love (Special American Dance Remix)
14. So In Love (Extended)
15. La Femme Accident (12" Mix)
16. Concrete Hands (Extended)
*Previously Unreleased Track
LP1
Side I
1. So In Love
2. Secret
3. Bloc Bloc Bloc
4. Women III
5. Crush
Side II
1. 88 Seconds In Greensboro
2. The Native Daughters Of The Golden West
3. La Femme Accident
4. Hold You
5. The Lights Are Going Out
LP2
Side III
1. Wheels of Steel*
2. Lana Turner v.1*
3. Hold You (Rough)*
4. Choral*
5. Lana Turner v.2*
6. Drift (Demo)*
7. All or Nothing (Demo)*
Side IIII
1. So In Love (Special American Dance Remix)
2. Secret (Extended Mix)
3. La Femme Accident (12" Mix)
4. Concrete Hands (Extended)
*Previously Unreleased Track
OMD have sold an astonishing 25 million singles and 15 million albums, which has established them as electronic synthesiser pioneers and one of Britain’s best-loved pop groups.
