Architecture & Morality
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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Architecture & Morality
- Artist: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
- Rating:
- Release Date: November 08, 1981
- Total Time: 37:16
- Genre: Rock
Review
If there was a clear high point for OMD in terms of balancing relentless experimentation and seemingly unstoppable mainstream success in the U.K., Architecture & Morality is it. Again combining everything from design and presentation to even the title into an overall artistic effort, this album showed that OMD was arguably the first Liverpool band since the later Beatles to make such a sweeping, all-bases-covered achievement -- more so because OMD owed nothing to the Fab Four. All it takes is a consideration of the three smash singles from the album to see the group in full flower. "Souvenir," featuring Paul Humphreys in a quiet but still warm and beautiful lead role, eases in on haunting semi-vocal sighs before settling into its gentle, sparkling melody. The mid-song instrumental break, with its shifted tempos and further wordless calls, is especially inspired. "Joan of Arc," meanwhile, takes the drama of "Enola Gay" to new heights; again, wordless vocals provide the intro and backing, while an initially quiet melody develops into a towering heartbreaker, with Andy McCluskey and band in full flight. If that wasn't enough, the scenario was continued and made even more epic with "Maid of Orleans," starting with a quick-cut series of melancholic drones and shades before a punchy, then rolling martial beat kicks in, with Malcolm Holmes and technology in perfect combination. With another bravura McCluskey lead and a mock-bagpipe lead that's easily more entrancing than the real thing, it's a wrenching ballad like no other before it and little since. Any number of other high points can be named, such as the opening, "The New Stone Age," with McCluskey's emotional fear palpable over a rough combination of nervous electronic pulses, piercing keyboard parts, and slightly distorted guitar. "She's Leaving" achieves its own polished pop perfection -- it would have made an inspired choice for a fourth single if one had been forthcoming -- while the heartbreaking "Sealand" and "Georgia" hint at where OMD would go next, with Dazzle Ships. ~ Ned Raggett, Rovi| Architecture (1997 Album by Matthew Thomas) | |
| Architecture & Morality [Bonus Tracks/Bonus DVD] (1981 Album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Architecture & Morality
| Architecture & Morality | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Studio album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | ||||
| Released | 8 November 1981 [1] | |||
| Recorded | 1980–1981 at The Gramophone Suite, Liverpool and The Manor Studio, Shipton-on-Cherwell [1] | |||
| Genre | Synthpop | |||
| Length | 37:13 | |||
| Label | DinDisc, Virgin | |||
| Producer | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Richard Manwaring and Mike Howlett | |||
| Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Architecture & Morality | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| BBC | positive[5] |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.7/10)[6] |
Architecture & Morality is the third album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1981. It is the group's most commercially and critically successful album, selling over 3 million copies.[5] Released just eighteen months after their debut album, it demonstrated both OMD's continuing musical maturity and advancement of their style. The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. According to the album's credits, the album title was suggested to the band by Martha Ladly, formerly of Martha and the Muffins, after the 1977 book Morality and Architecture by David Watkin.[1]
Musically, the album was notable for making liberal use of the mellotron, a mechanical tape-replay keyboard more commonly associated in Britain with progressive rock bands of the early 1970s than with the synthpop of the 1980s.
The artwork was produced by Peter Saville and Brett Wickens. Architecture & Morality was released several times with varying artwork, most notably in yellow, blue and grey but even green versions are available. The original cover from 1981 is light yellow/orange in a die-cut sleeve.
The tenth through sixteenth tracks of the remastered album are bonus tracks and were B-sides from the album's three singles, except "Gravity Never Failed" which was out-take from the album sessions, originally intended to have been a single A-side, but not released until 1988, as the B-side of "Dreaming".
Remixes of "The Romance Of The Telescope" and "Of All The Things We've Made" appeared on OMD's next album, Dazzle Ships, which was released in 1983. "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)" is often simply referred as "Maid of Orleans", released as a single with the title "Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)".
All of the album's songs were included in the first part of the setlist on OMD's 2007 comeback tour.
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Contents
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Track listings
All songs were written by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, except where noted.
Original release
| Side one | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "The New Stone Age" | McCluskey | 3:22 | ||||||
| 2. | "She's Leaving" | 3:28 | |||||||
| 3. | "Souvenir" | Humphreys, Martin Cooper , Dave Hughes | 3:39 | ||||||
| 4. | "Sealand" | 7:47 | |||||||
| Side two | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Joan of Arc" | McCluskey | 3:48 | ||||||
| 2. | "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)" | McCluskey | 4:12 | ||||||
| 3. | "Architecture and Morality (Instrumental)" | 3:43 | |||||||
| 4. | "Georgia" | 3:24 | |||||||
| 5. | "The Beginning and the End" | 3:48 | |||||||
2003: remastered CD
- UK: Virgin / DIDCDR12
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The New Stone Age" | McCluskey | 3:22 |
| 2. | "She's Leaving" | 3:28 | |
| 3. | "Souvenir" | Humphreys, Cooper | 3:39 |
| 4. | "Sealand" | 7:47 | |
| 5. | "Joan of Arc" | McCluskey | 3:48 |
| 6. | "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)" | McCluskey | 4:12 |
| 7. | "Architecture and Morality (Instrumental)" | 3:43 | |
| 8. | "Georgia" | 3:24 | |
| 9. | "The Beginning and the End" | 3:48 |
| bonus tracks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 10. | "Extended Souvenir" | Humphreys, Cooper | 4:16 | ||||||
| 11. | "Motion and Heart" (Amazon version) | 3:07 | |||||||
| 12. | "Sacred Heart" | 3:30 | |||||||
| 13. | "The Romance of the Telescope" (Unfinished) | 3:22 | |||||||
| 14. | "Navigation" | 3:00 | |||||||
| 15. | "Of All the Things We've Made" | 3:25 | |||||||
| 16. | "Gravity Never Failed" | 3:24 | |||||||
2007: remastered CD with DVD
- UK: Virgin / DIDCDRX12
Disc One: CD
Same tracks as the remastered CD from 2003.
Disc Two: DVD
| Promo videos | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Souvenir" (promo video) | Humphreys, Cooper | |||||||
| 2. | "Joan of Arc" (Live at Top of the Pops, 29-10-1981) | McCluskey | |||||||
| 3. | "Maid of Orleans (The Waltz of Joan of Arc)" (promo video) | McCluskey | |||||||
| Live at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane 4-12-1981 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 4. | "Almost" | ||||||||
| 5. | "Mystereality" | ||||||||
| 6. | "Joan of Arc" | McCluskey | |||||||
| 7. | "Motion and Heart" | ||||||||
| 8. | "Maid of Orleans" | McCluskey | |||||||
| 9. | "Statues" | McCluskey | |||||||
| 10. | "Souvenir" | Humphreys, Cooper | |||||||
| 11. | "The New Stone Age" | McCluskey | |||||||
| 12. | "Enola Gay" | McCluskey | |||||||
| 13. | "Bunker Soldiers" | ||||||||
| 14. | "Electricity" | ||||||||
| 15. | "She's Leaving" | ||||||||
| 16. | "Julia's Song" | McCluskey, Humphreys, Julia Kneale | |||||||
| 17. | "Stanlow" | ||||||||
Personnel
- Paul Humphreys – synthesisers, piano, mellotron, acoustic and electronic percussion, organ, rhythm programming, radios, melodica and vocals
- Andy McCluskey – synthesisers, mellotron, guitar, bass, rhythm programming, acoustic and electronic percussion, reed horns, organ and vocals
- Malcolm Holmes – drums, electronic and acoustic percussion, bass synthesiser
- Martin Cooper – saxophone
- Michael Douglas – synthesisers, piano and electronic organ
Chart performance
| Chart (1981/1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Netherlands Albums Chart [7] | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart [8] | 3 |
| French Albums Chart [9] | 21 |
| Austrian Albums Chart [10] | 16 |
| Canadian Albums Chart[11] | 18 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart [12] | 22 |
| Swedish Albums Chart [13] | 28 |
References
- ^ a b c "OMD DISCOGRAPHY | ALBUMS 1980 - 84". Official OMD website. http://www.omd.uk.com/discography/albums/html/a_8.html. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ^ a b c "OMD DISCOGRAPHY | SINGLES 1979 - 84". Official OMD website. http://www.omd.uk.com/discography/html/index_79_84.html. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ^ "Q & A". Official OMD website. http://www.omd.uk.com/html/qa_recs.html. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ^ Raggett, Ned. "Architecture & Morality > Review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r23964/review. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ^ a b Patel, Amar (20 April 2007). "Review of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Architecture And Morality". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/nb8c. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (18 July 2003). "Album Reviews: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark / Organisation / Architecture & Morality". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11793-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-darkorganisationarchitecture-morality/. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ^ "Chart Stats - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Architecture And Morality". http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=OMD+%28Orchestral+Manoeuvres+In+The+Dark%29&titel=Architecture+%26+Morality&cat=a. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ "Chart Stats - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Architecture And Morality". http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=5523. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ "OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark) http://www.infodisc.fr/Albums_Detail.php". http://www.infodisc.fr/Albums_Detail.php. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ "OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark) - Architecture & Morality - austriancharts.at (German)". http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=OMD+%28Orchestral+Manoeuvres+In+The+Dark%29&titel=Architecture+%26+Morality&cat=a. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ "http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/ OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark) - Architecture & Morality". http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.6242a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=nnnmj6p1qiabice4ql54s7omf4. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
- ^ "charts.org.nz - OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark) - Architecture & Morality". http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=OMD+%28Orchestral+Manoeuvres+In+The+Dark%29&titel=Architecture+%26+Morality&cat=a. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com - OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark) - Architecture & Morality". http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=OMD+%28Orchestral+Manoeuvres+In+The+Dark%29&titel=Architecture+%26+Morality&cat=a. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
External links
- Album lyrics at official OMD website
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Architecture & Morality [Bonus Tracks]
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