Junk Culture

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Junk Culture
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Junk Culture album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Released30 April 1984 (1984-04-30)
Recorded1983–1984
Studio
Genre
Length43:05
LabelVirgin
Producer
  • Brian Tench
  • OMD
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark chronology
Dazzle Ships
(1983) 		Junk Culture
(1984) 		Crush
(1985)
Singles from Junk Culture
  1. "Locomotion"
    Released: 2 April 1984
  2. "Talking Loud and Clear"
    Released: 4 June 1984
  3. "Tesla Girls"
    Released: 28 August 1984
  4. "Never Turn Away"
    Released: 29 October 1984
  5. "Julia's Song (Dub Version)"
    Released: 18 April 2015

Junk Culture is the fifth studio album by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 30 April 1984 by Virgin Records. After the commercial disappointment of the experimental 1983 album Dazzle Ships, OMD and Virgin intended for the group to shift toward a more accessible sound on its follow-up release. The band retained much of their early experimental approach but embraced a wider range of influences than previously, drawing inspiration from pop, dance, Latin and black music.

The record spawned four singles, including the UK Top 20 entries "Locomotion" and "Talking Loud and Clear", and the club hit "Tesla Girls". It met with a mixed response from the UK press, but went on to be named as one of the best albums of 1984 in multiple US publications. Junk Culture was remastered and re-released in 2015, with a bonus disc of B-sides and extended mixes.

Background[]

The commercial disappointment of experimental predecessor album Dazzle Ships (1983) prompted OMD to move in a more radio-friendly direction. Keyboardist Paul Humphreys explained, "We'd pushed the envelope too far and we were scared. We'd bought houses, had a management company, crew, we had financial responsibilities and we panicked. We decided to rely on our songwriting craft... and write a few hits."[1] The band decided not to record in their own Gramophone Suite studio in Liverpool, instead working at Highland Studios in Inverness and Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire.[2] The group performed a short series of live shows in September 1983, during which several of the new songs were showcased.[3][4]

The band then returned to the studio with producer Brian Tench. Tench had been the engineer on Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill", of which OMD were fans. A single release was briefly considered for the end of 1983 but rejected by Virgin Records who insisted the group concentrate on the album. The band and Tench then moved on to AIR Studios in the "paradise setting" of Montserrat, along with the newly-acquired Fairlight CMI sampler keyboard. The sessions lasted two months, during which time OMD were inspired by the sounds of local calypso and reggae music.[1][2] The group also incorporated various pop, dance, R&B and Latin influences into their recordings,[5][6] while retaining much of their trademark sonic experimentation.[7][8]

OMD returned to Europe to finish off the album at ICP Studios in Brussels and Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands.[9] Producer Tony Visconti was recruited to assist with the record, his main contributions being the addition and arrangement of brass parts on "Locomotion" and "All Wrapped Up". The sessions with Visconti were strained, with Humphreys stating, "The record company suggested we bring in Tony Visconti. We thought, 'Great,' because he'd worked with [David] Bowie. But he really didn't understand us. There's a great quote in his book where he says something like, 'Those guys rely far too much on technology. I wanted to bring musicians into the band.' He really didn't get us."[1][2]

Frontman Andy McCluskey explained the album title in a 2019 interview: "I was fully aware we were going to get hammered... I was desperate for a title that would legitimise us making a pop album: it's acceptable as long as you do it knowingly."[10] "Love and Violence" was considered as a title, owing to the record's contrast between love songs and more aggressive tracks.[11] As with previous albums, the cover artwork was designed by Peter Saville Associates.[9] For the first time OMD supplied lyrics on the record's inner sleeve.[9]

Release[]

Junk Culture was released on 30 April 1984 and entered the UK Albums Chart a week later, the same week that lead single "Locomotion" was at its chart peak of number five. Limited pressings of the vinyl LP came with a free one-sided 7-inch single featuring the track "(The Angels Keep Turning) The Wheels of the Universe".[9] The record entered the UK Albums Chart at number nine, outselling the new album by contemporaries the Cure (The Top), although beaten by fellow Liverpudlians Echo & the Bunnymen, whose Ocean Rain entered at number four. All three records gradually dropped down the charts in successive weeks.[12] Sales of Junk Culture were boosted during the release of the second single "Talking Loud and Clear", although it dropped out of the top 40 altogether in August.[13] Third single "Tesla Girls" did not make the UK top 20 but became one of the band's biggest club hits.[14] A fourth single, "Never Turn Away", was released at the behest of Virgin.[11]

Junk Culture was the first OMD album to be released contemporaneously on all three formats of vinyl, cassette and compact disc.

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4/5 stars[15]
Calgary HeraldA[16]
Encyclopedia of Eighties Music4/5 stars[17]
Louder Than War8.5/10[18]
Mercury & Herald9/10[19]
Record Collector3/5 stars[8]
Record Mirror5/5 stars[20]
Smash Hits7/10[21]
The Village VoiceB[22]

Junk Culture met with a mixed reaction in the band's native UK.[23] In a five-star review, Robin Smith of Record Mirror wrote, "Junk Culture is a living, breathing, musical menagerie filled with a hard core of ideas culled from virtually the four corners of the world... Smooth, warm and powerful."[20] In The Guardian, Robin Denselow also praised the album's musical diversity, referring to a "fifth album that's bursting with life and enthusiasm" while offering "an unusual and catchy set of songs".[5] On the other hand, NME said the album is "never fresh or dynamic" and "all too predictable",[23] while Melody Maker asked, "Is there anyone who will care about OMD now having been let down again?"[23]

The Calgary Herald's James Muretich wrote that Junk Culture achieves a "glorious fusion of progressive electronic sounds and pop music", calling it "a subtle, seductive pop recording with brains to boot".[16] Evelyn Erskine of the Ottawa Citizen had praise for the group's "deft use of experimental techniques", asserting, "Of the countless bands that make up the synth-pop invasion, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark has shown a greater ability to progress creatively than most."[7] The Sydney Morning Herald's Henry Everingham felt that "nearly every song has the word 'single' stamped on it".[24] Carl Brown Jr. of the Reading Eagle commended "Never Turn Away" but was overall unfavourable, stating that only three songs on the record are worth listening to.[25]

In a retrospective review, PopMatters critic John Bergstrom wrote that Junk Culture "positioned [OMD] exactly between the moody experimentalism of their early work and the saccharine professionalism of [1986's] 'If You Leave'", adding that it "just might be a perfectly efficient primer on what makes the British synthesizer band so special."[26] Ned Raggett of AllMusic noted that the album "exhibits all the best qualities of OMD at their most accessible — instantly memorable melodies and McCluskey's distinct singing voice, clever but emotional lyrics, and fine playing all around."[15] Paul Scott-Bates of Louder Than War said the record has no filler, and is "simply one of those timeless albums".[18]

Legacy[]

The Arizona Daily Star's resident critic, M. Scot Skinner, placed Junk Culture second in a list of 1984's 20 best albums, calling it "an impressively moody collection that displays almost unbelievable pop imagination".[27] In naming the 10 best albums of the year for the St. Petersburg Times, reviewer Anne Hull ranked Junk Culture fourth.[28] It was one of the 10 rock albums recommended as a Christmas gift by The Capital Times.[29] In a 2013 online poll organised by Slicing Up Eyeballs, the album was voted the 35th-best of 1984 based on the opinions of over 35,000 respondents.[30]

Tony Kanal of rock band No Doubt named OMD as an influence and Junk Culture a "great" record.[31] Both McCluskey and Humphreys concede that the commercial disappointment of 1983's Dazzle Ships caused OMD to become "safer" in their work, but they nevertheless consider Junk Culture to be a strong album.[32] McCluskey said of the record, "I think it's possibly the tipping point of our career in terms of the quality of our music... it's the last one we made where we were in complete control and we had time to do it. Thereafter we were running out of time to make albums. It's an interesting marker in our career."[33]

Deluxe reissue (2015)[]

A deluxe CD re-issue of Junk Culture was announced via the band's official website and Facebook page on 17 December 2014, and was released on 2 February 2015.[34] The deluxe edition included the remastered original album and a bonus disc with a collection of B-sides and extended mixes, many of which had not been previously released on CD. Five previously unreleased tracks were also featured, including "All or Nothing" with Humphreys on vocals, "10 to 1", and three demos.[35] Fans alerted the group and the label to a number of content errors, prompting Universal Music to re-manufacture the bonus disc. Fans also claimed that "Tesla Girls" and "Love and Violence" were different mixes than were featured on the original album, although the main disc was not re-manufactured.[36]

Previously unreleased tracks[]

  • "10 to 1" is a song with vocals by Andy McCluskey which would later become the album track "Love and Violence" and features some of the same lyrics
  • "All Or Nothing" is a slower track featuring Paul Humphreys on vocals.
  • "Heaven Is (Highland Studios demo)" - this song was originally played live on OMD's showcase tour in the autumn of 1983 – as were tracks such as "Junk Culture", "Tesla Girls" and "Never Turn Away" – but never made it to the album ("Heaven Is" also nearly made 1986 LP The Pacific Age[37]). A new version was included on the 1993 Liberator album.
  • "Tesla Girls (Highland Studios demo)" / "White Trash (Highland Studios demo)" - both songs eventually made it to the album.

B-sides "The Avenue", "Wrappup", the re-recorded version of "Julia's Song" and extended mixes of "Tesla Girls", "Never Turn Away" and "Talking Loud and Clear" were available on CD for the first time.

"Julia's Song (Dub Version)" 10-inch single[]

"Julia's Song (Dub Version)" was kept as a limited-edition 10-inch release for the 2015 Record Store Day. It is the same track as the first part of "Julia's Song (Extended Version)", B-side to the 1984 "Talking Loud and Clear" 12-inch single, the second part of which was included on the Junk Culture deluxe edition bonus CD. The track "10 to 1" was used as the B-side to this release.[38] The original version of "Julia's Song" appears on the band's debut album Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1980).

Track listing[]

  • All songs written by OMD.
  • The US release has a modified track listing, shifting "Junk Culture" to track 3, between "Locomotion" and "Apollo", therefore opening with "Tesla Girls".[39]
  • Writing credits below from ASCAP database.[40]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Junk Culture"
4:06
2."Tesla Girls"
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
3:51
3."Locomotion"
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
  • Gordian Troeller
3:53
4."Apollo"McCluskey3:39
5."Never Turn Away"
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
3:57
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Love and Violence"
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
4:40
7."Hard Day"
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
5:59
8."All Wrapped Up"
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
4:25
9."White Trash"
4:35
10."Talking Loud and Clear"
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
  • Cooper
4:20
Side three (free one-sided 7-inch single included with initial pressing of the album)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."(The Angels Keep Turning) The Wheels of the Universe"OMD4:54
Bonus tracks on 2015 CD reissue: Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Her Body in My Soul" (B-side of "Locomotion")OMD4:41
2."The Avenue" (B-side of "Locomotion")OMD4:10
3."Julia's Song (Re-Record)" (B-side of "Talking Loud and Clear")
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
  • Julia Kneale
4:18
4."Garden City" (B-side of "Tesla Girls")OMD4:04
5."Wrappup" (remix of "All Wrapped Up", B-side of "Never Turn Away")
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
4:01
6."Locomotion" (12″ Version)
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
  • Troeller
5:17
7."Tesla Girls" (12″ Version; also known as 'Extended Version')
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
4:31
8."Talking Loud and Clear" (12″ Version; also known as 'Extended Version')
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
  • Cooper
6:12
9."Never Turn Away" (12″ Version; also known as 'Extended Version')
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
6:29
10."(The Angels Keep Turning) The Wheels of the Universe"OMD4:54
11."10 to 1"OMD4:07
12."All or Nothing"OMD3:44
13."Heaven Is (Highland Studios demo)"OMD6:09
14."Tesla Girls (Highland Studios demo)"
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
4:01
15."White Trash (Highland Studios demo)"
  • Humphreys
  • McCluskey
  • Cooper
3:39

(Tracks 11–15 previously unreleased)

Personnel[]

Group members:

Additional performers:

  • Gordan Troeller: piano on "Locomotion", Roland Jupiter-8 on "White Trash"
  • Maureen Humphreys: vocals on "Tesla Girls"
  • Jan Faas, Jan Vennik, Bart van Lier: brass section on "Locomotion" and "All Wrapped Up"
  • Tony Visconti: brass arrangements on "Locomotion" and "All Wrapped Up"
  • Bob Ludwig: Mastering

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Certifications for Junk Culture
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[52] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Wilson, Lois (30 September 2019). "OMD". Record Collector. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Junk Culture Deluxe Edition booklet notes. 2015. Virgin/Universal Music Group.
  3. ^ "OMD - 1983 gigs: 6-10 September 1983". omd-live.com. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  4. ^ "OMD gig history index - 1983: 9th September 1983 - Manchester The Factory Club, UK". omd-live.com. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Muddled Waters". The Guardian. 26 April 1984. p. 12. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Junk Culture". Trouser Press. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Erskine, Evelyn (25 May 1984). "Junk Culture review". Ottawa Citizen. p. 69. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Mark, Elliott (25 March 2015). "Junk Culture – OMD". Record Collector. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "OMD Discogaphy: Junk Culture". Messages. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  10. ^ Male, Andrew (July 2019). "Days of Future Passed". Mojo. No. 308. pp. 38–43.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b "Junk Culture". OMD. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100, 06 May 1984 – 12 May 1984". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  13. ^ "Official Albums Chart results matching: Junk Culture". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  14. ^ Thompson, Dave. "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: 'Tesla Girls'". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b Raggett, Ned. "Junk Culture – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b Muretich, James (19 May 1984). "Orchestral Manoeuvres regains lost sound". Calgary Herald. p. E5. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  17. ^ Larkin, Colin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music. Virgin Books. p. 350. ISBN 0753501597.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b Scott-Bates, Paul (16 March 2015). "Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark: Junk Culture Deluxe Edition – album review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  19. ^ Shevlin, John (3 May 1984). "On Record: OMD – Junk Culture". Mercury & Herald.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b Smith, Robin (28 April 1984). "The Cultured Club". Record Mirror. p. 16.
  21. ^ Black, Johnny (26 April 1984). "Album Reviews (OMD – Junk Culture)". Smash Hits. Vol. 6 no. 9. p. 23.
  22. ^ Christgau, Robert (28 May 1985). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b c Waller, Johnny; Humphreys, Mike. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Messages. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1987. ISBN 0-283-99234-4. pp. 131–132.
  24. ^ Everingham, Henry (9 July 1984). "Junk Culture. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. The Guide, p. 4. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  25. ^ Brown Jr., Carl (6 January 1985). "Junk Culture, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". Reading Eagle. p. B-19. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  26. ^ "The 30 Best Album Re-Issues of 2015". PopMatters. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  27. ^ "Star's top 20 albums pulsate from Prince to Van Halen". Arizona Daily Star. 6 January 1985. p. 43 (section E, p.1). Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  28. ^ "Reviewers pick the best records of '84". St. Petersburg Times. 23 December 1984. p. 66 (2E). Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  29. ^ "A Musical Christmas: Rock". The Capital Times. 13 December 1984. p. 71 (Off Hours, p. 5). Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  30. ^ "Top 100 Albums of 1984: Slicing Up Eyeballs' Best of the '80s — Part 5". Slicing Up Eyeballs. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  31. ^ Marchese, David (24 September 2012). "No Doubt Explain OMD, EDM, and Peter Hook Basslines on 'Push and Shove'". Spin. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  32. ^ "OMD interview - Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys (part 3)". FaceCulture. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  33. ^ Ragogna, Mike (24 February 2015). "Junk Culture". HuffPost. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  34. ^ "Junk Culture Reissue". omd.uk.com. 17 December 2014. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
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  36. ^ "Universal to repress OMD deluxe CD". superdeluxeedition.com. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  37. ^ Waller, Johnny; Humphreys, Mike. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Messages. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1987. ISBN 0-283-99234-4. p. 169.
  38. ^ "title of web page". Discogs. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  39. ^ "Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Junk Culture, vinyl LP, A&M Records SP-5027". Discogs. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  40. ^ "ASCAP (THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF COMPOSERS, AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS)". Retrieved 3 May 2015. searchable database (search Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark/OMD/O.M.D.
  41. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 224. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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  52. ^ "British album certifications – OMD – Junk Culture". British Phonographic Industry. 29 October 1984. Retrieved 27 December 2020.

External links[]

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