Crush (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Crush
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Crush album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Released17 June 1985 (1985-06-17)
Recorded1984–1985
Studio
Genre
Length38:37
LabelVirgin
ProducerStephen Hague
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark chronology
Junk Culture
(1984) 		Crush
(1985) 		The Pacific Age
(1986)
Singles from Crush
  1. "So in Love"
    Released: 13 May 1985
  2. "Secret"
    Released: 8 July 1985
  3. "La Femme Accident"
    Released: 12 October 1985

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 is the first of two OMD albums to be produced by Stephen Hague. Aimed primarily at the US market, Crush is notable for moving the group's sound in a more radio-friendly direction, although elements of earlier experimentation are present on the record.

Crush was written and recorded within a limited timescale, with band members later expressing regret over not challenging label-enforced time constraints. It nevertheless received positive reviews in the UK and became OMD's only Top 40 album on the US Billboard 200. Three singles were taken from the record; "So in Love" (co-written with Hague) became the group's first hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 25.

A long-form video, Crush: The Movie, was also released, showing the band discussing their career and performing the songs from the album.

Background[]

OMD embraced a more mainstream sound in trying to break the US market. Virgin Records suggested producer Stephen Hague, of whom the band were fans. Hague heavily influenced the feel of Crush, making it "smoother" and "easier to listen to" than previous OMD works.[1][2] Despite aiming for a radio-friendly sound, the album features elements of the group's trademark early experimentation.[3][4] Sampling was extensively used on both the title track and "The Lights Are Going Out", with the former utilising tuned snippets of Japanese television commercials recorded by frontman Andy McCluskey. Keyboardist Paul Humphreys' then-wife Maureen provided additional vocals on both songs.[5]

"Hold You" was considered as the follow-up single to "So in Love", and a video made, but the band ultimately reneged on the idea.[5] "88 Seconds in Greensboro" was inspired by a TV documentary about the Greensboro massacre of 1979, and was recorded in one live take.[5] Other tracks considered for inclusion were "Heaven Is" and "Southern".[5] The title Crush refers to the volume of love songs on the album.[5]

OMD intended to use a painting by American artist Edward Hopper for the sleeve art. Martin Kirkup, the band's then-manager, stated, "I remember Andy McCluskey telling me the reason he wanted a Hopper-style painting on the cover of Crush was that he had always felt there was a lot of melancholy in the paintings of Hopper and he felt that it matched the melancholy that was in the songs." After learning of the enormous fees required to reproduce Hopper's work, the group instead hired artist Paul Slater to imitate Hopper's style (in conjunction with XL Design). Slater based his artwork on Hopper's Early Sunday Morning (1930).[5]

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic2/5 stars[6]
Calgary HeraldB+[7]
Encyclopedia of Eighties Music4/5 stars[8]
Mercury & Herald8/10[9]
Orlando Sentinel3/5 stars[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide3.5/5 stars[11]
Smash Hits8/10[12]
Times Colonist3/5 stars[3]

Crush received positive reviews in the UK.[13] Helen Fitzgerald of Melody Maker named Crush the best OMD album to date, adding, "As a pop record it's sublime, intricate and unyieldingly persuasive, it doesn't give up its secrets lightly and the excitement is in the chase."[4] Smash Hits journalist Ian Cranna said the album delivers "what OMD do best – strong, melodic songs – in a more lush, er, orchestral setting while retaining that passionate punch... it's the welcome return of the thinking person's dance music."[12] Robin Denselow of The Guardian stated that the group are "playing it safe" on Crush, but are "still able to roll out the strong melodies" and "swirling pretty songs".[14]

Bill Oliver of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote, "This album reaffirms OMD's reputation as a synthesizer band with a soul. To be sure, its music is polished, but the band's energy and cleverness keep the sound alive."[15] The Calgary Herald's James Muretich said of the record, "It emphasizes danceable electro-pop at the expense of experimentation... Crush won't bowl one over, but will seduce one gradually with its elegance and wit."[7] Paul Bennett of the Times Colonist felt somewhat alienated by the album's radio-friendly sound, but allowed that it does contain "a few daring flirtations of the kind that [OMD] put out on earlier works".[3]

Retrospectively, AllMusic critic Dave Connolly endorsed only a handful of tracks, observing a "lightweight" album that "represents a nearly complete reinvention of the band's original ideals."[6] Site editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine was more favourable, saying that the record "may be less adventurous than [OMD's] earlier work" but is still a "thoroughly winning album".[16] Paul Evans of Rolling Stone wrote, "With Crush, pure, luscious melody rules. Disowned (of course) by the band's cult, Crush is OMD at its most purely pop—'So in Love' and 'Secret' are flawless singles."[11]

Legacy[]

In a 2013 online poll organised by Slicing Up Eyeballs, Crush was voted the 23rd-best album of 1985 based on the opinions of over 45,000 respondents.[17] Kevin Hearn of rock group Barenaked Ladies recalled "loving" the record. He added, "The title track, with its wonderfully strange sequence of samples, particularly appealed to my expanding musical tastes."[18] "88 Seconds in Greensboro", which addresses the Greensboro massacre of 1979, became the subject of an article in The Charlotte Observer.[19]

OMD have expressed regret over not challenging label-enforced time constraints, believing in hindsight that they could have made a better album.[20][21] McCluskey also feels that its production does not sound like OMD.[22] Humphreys spoke of the considerable resources expended on trying to make Crush a success in the US, stating, "We had a saying: 'In trying to break America, America broke us'... We got the success we craved, but we exhausted ourselves getting it." Morale would continue to fracture during the making of 1986 follow-up album The Pacific Age (also produced by Hague), preceding a line-up split in the late 1980s.[2]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by OMD, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."So in Love"
3:29
2."Secret" 3:56
3."Bloc Bloc Bloc" 3:28
4."Women III" 4:26
5."Crush" 4:27
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."88 Seconds in Greensboro"4:15
7."The Native Daughters of the Golden West"3:58
8."La Femme Accident"2:50
9."Hold You"4:00
10."The Lights Are Going Out"3:57
Total length:38:37

Personnel[]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Crush.[23]

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Certifications for Crush
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[33] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ Righi, Len (14 December 1985). "OMD: British Synth Band Maneuvers Its Way Onto American Radio". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Wilson, Lois (30 September 2019). "OMD". Record Collector. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c Bennett, Paul (14 December 1985). "On Track". Times Colonist. p. 33 (C7).
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Fitzgerald, Helen (22 June 1985). "A Fine Crush". Melody Maker. p. 27.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "OMD Discography: Crush". Messages. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Connolly, Dave. "Crush – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Muretich, James (6 July 1985). "Curious Duo Seduces Listener". Calgary Herald. p. 66 (E8).
  8. ^ Larkin, Colin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music. Virgin Books. p. 350. ISBN 978-0753501597.
  9. ^ Roberts, Bruce (20 June 1985). "On Record: OMD – Crush". Mercury & Herald.
  10. ^ Henderson, Bill (7 July 1985). "Record Jockeys: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". Orlando Sentinel. p. 318 (Calendar, p. 10).
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Evans, Paul (2004). "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 607. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Cranna, Ian (5–18 June 1985). "Albums". Smash Hits. Vol. 7 no. 12. p. 20.
  13. ^ Waller, Johnny; Humphreys, Mike. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Messages. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1987. ISBN 0-283-99234-4. p. 150.
  14. ^ Denselow, Robin (4 July 1985). "Third Time Plucky". The Guardian. p. 10.
  15. ^ Oliver, Bill (20 July 1985). "Record Reviews: Rock". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 114 (Weekend, p. 26).
  16. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Crush – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  17. ^ "Top 100 Albums of 1985: Slicing Up Eyeballs' Best of the '80s — Part 6". Slicing Up Eyeballs. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  18. ^ Houghton, Richard (2019). OMD: Pretending to See the Future (expanded paperback ed.). This Day in Music Books. pp. 414–415. ISBN 978-1916115620.
  19. ^ Haight, Kathy (18 October 1985). "'79 Greensboro Shooting Subject of New Rock Song". The Charlotte Observer. p. 62 (3E).
  20. ^ "OMD interview - Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys (part 3)". FaceCulture. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2016 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ Tarchala, Lori (24 October 2011). "Interview: Andy McCluskey". Messages – The OMD Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  22. ^ Gourlay, Dom (July 2007). "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Interview". Contactmusic. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  23. ^ Crush (CD booklet). Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Virgin Records. 1985.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0567". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  25. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Crush" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  26. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2 no. 31. 5 August 1985. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  27. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Crush" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  28. ^ "Charts.nz – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Crush". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  29. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Crush". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  30. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  31. ^ "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  32. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  33. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Crush". Music Canada. 15 May 1986. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  34. ^ "British album certifications – OMD – Crush". British Phonographic Industry. 1 July 1985. Retrieved 26 December 2020.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""