Sugar Tax (album)

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Sugar Tax
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Sugar Tax album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Released7 May 1991 (1991-05-07)
Recorded1989–1990
Studio
Genre
Length51:17
LabelVirgin
Producer
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark chronology
The Best of OMD
(1988) 		Sugar Tax
(1991) 		Liberator
(1993)
Singles from Sugar Tax
  1. "Sailing on the Seven Seas"
    Released: 18 March 1991
  2. "Pandora's Box"
    Released: 24 June 1991
  3. "Then You Turn Away"
    Released: 2 September 1991
  4. "Call My Name"
    Released: 18 November 1991

Sugar Tax is the eighth studio album by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 7 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 towards the dance-pop style that was becoming increasingly popular within mainstream music at the time.

Sugar Tax met with mixed reviews but became one of OMD's biggest commercial successes, selling more than three million copies by 2007. The record peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart and spawned four singles, including the UK top-10 hits "Sailing on the Seven Seas" and "Pandora's Box".

Sugar Tax is the only album in the OMD catalogue not to feature the songwriting contribution of Paul Humphreys.

Background[]

In the aftermath of the band's 1989 split, Virgin Records gave the OMD moniker to singer Andy McCluskey, while departing members Paul Humphreys, Martin Cooper and Malcolm Holmes named their new ensemble The Listening Pool.[1][2]

McCluskey dealt with anxiety about continuing as OMD, stating, "My name doesn't appear anywhere on the album. I was trying to hide behind the corporate identity of OMD because I was terrified that I was on my own because all I'd ever known was working with Paul and then Paul, Malcolm and Martin." His fears were assuaged somewhat by collaborating with new group members Nigel Ipinson and Phil Coxon.[1] Stuart Kershaw, who would join the band as an instrumentalist in later years, co-wrote five tracks.[3]

Recording took place at various studios in Liverpool and London.[4] Andy Richards was enlisted as a producer but McCluskey elected to self-produce much of the record with assistance from Coxon and Jeremy Allom in engineering roles. The album is characterised by its extensive use of the Korg M1 workstation.[5]

"Pandora's Box" was inspired by silent movie actress Louise Brooks. The song shares its title with the film Pandora's Box (1929), which stars Brooks in the lead role. "Neon Lights" is a cover of a Kraftwerk song, originally featured on The Man-Machine (1978). "Apollo XI" uses samples from Apollo space missions; a club mix was pressed on white label 12". "Walk Tall" utilises a choral sample from "Miserere" by Gregorio Allegri, and was originally titled "Coming to See You".[5]

The record title Sugar Tax refers to the notion of everything sweet having a price, including relationships. The actual "Sugar Tax" track was not completed in time for the album's release, and was instead included as a B-side to "Then You Turn Away".[5][6] The artwork was designed by Area with photography by Trevor Key, and features an oil sculpture.[5]

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic2/5 stars[7]
Calgary HeraldD[8]
Encyclopedia of Eighties Music3/5 stars[9]
Entertainment WeeklyB[10]
Q3/5 stars[11]
The Record2.5/4 stars[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide3/5 stars[13]
Smash Hits6/10[14]
St. Petersburg Times4/5 stars[15]
Today8/10[16]

Sugar Tax met with mixed reviews.[17] Richard Riccio of the St. Petersburg Times referred to an album "sprinkled with gems", adding that "Sugar Tax is classic OMD, and after a four-year absence marks a triumphant return for one of new wave's original invaders."[15] Q journalist Paul Davies called Sugar Tax "an unflappable album of quality songs which re-establishes OMD's credentials as masters of synthesized melancholia and dreamy pop."[11] Barbara Jaeger of The Record took issue with McCluskey's "banal [lyrics] detailing tales of lost and unrequited love", but commended his "rich emotive tenor" and allowed that "the rhythms and melodies of OMD's brand of dance-pop are as buoyant and inviting as ever".[12]

Other writers were less favourable. The Ottawa Citizen's Evelyn Erskine stated, "Occasionally OMD manages to find the hypnotic pulse that once made the band tick. But it never really traces it to the dark soul that once set it apart."[18] Steve Malins of Vox praised the album's candour and "smooth production", but felt its content "lacks any lasting impact".[17] NME's Andrew Collins portrayed Sugar Tax as a "deft exercise in short-range synthesiser pop that, for the most part, flutters along on a criminally simplistic vibe with all but a low-rent beatbox and a well-depressed instant choir button to perk it up."[17]

In a retrospective review, Ned Raggett of AllMusic described the album as "a less-spectacular range of songs that only occasionally connect". He did, however, have praise for "Sailing on the Seven Seas" as well as McCluskey's "fine singing".[7] The Morning Call's Len Righi felt Sugar Tax had been "underappreciated", and applauded McCluskey's "superb job" on the record.[19] Paul Evans of Rolling Stone was complimentary, writing, "McCluskey plays it pretty safe—but 'Pandora's Box', 'Walk Tall' and nearly all of the album's 12 mechano-ditties make for dance-floor wonder."[13] In 2021, the Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess staged a Twitter listening party of the record, stating that he had forgotten "quite how brilliant" it is.[20]

Sugar Tax became one of OMD's most popular albums, achieving sales of more than three million copies by 2007.[21]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by OMD (i.e. Andy McCluskey), except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sailing on the Seven Seas"OMD, Stuart Kershaw3:45
2."Pandora's Box" 4:09
3."Then You Turn Away"OMD, Kershaw, Lloyd Massett4:17
4."Speed of Light" 4:29
5."Was It Something I Said" 4:29
6."Big Town" 4:19
7."Call My Name" 4:23
8."Apollo XI" (instrumental, contains sample from JFK "Landing a man on the moon" speech and Apollo 11-related radio transmissions) 4:13
9."Walking on Air"OMD, Kershaw, Massett4:49
10."Walk Tall"OMD, Kershaw, Massett3:55
11."Neon Lights" (reworking of Kraftwerk track from The Man-Machine)Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Karl Bartos4:19
12."All That Glitters"OMD, Kershaw, Massett4:06

Personnel[]

OMD:

  • Recorded and Performed by: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, except "Neon Lights" by OMD, Christine Mellor
  • Produced by: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, except Howard Gray (4), Andy Richards (7,9,12)
  • Mixed by: Jeremy Allom, Avril Mackintosh, Alan Meyerson, Steve Williams
  • Engineered by: Jeremy Allom, Phil Coxon, Fred De Faye, Guy Forrester, Mike Haas, Renny Hill, Pat O'Shaughnessy, Steve Williams
  • Guitar by: Stuart Boyle
  • Additional Vocals by: Carmen Daye, Doreen Edwards, Sue Forshaw, Ann Heston, Stuart Kershaw, Nathalie Loates, Christine Mellor, Beverly Reppion
  • Management: Steve Jensen, Martin Kirkup
  • Sleeve designed by: Area
  • Photographed by: Trevor Key
  • Many thanks to: Stuart, Lloyd, Hambi and all the Pink Posse

Equipment[]

Recording:[22]

Live:

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[34] Platinum 500,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Platinum 300,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Wilson, Lois (30 September 2019). "OMD". Record Collector. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  2. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Biography: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  3. ^ Sugar Tax (sleeve notes). 1991. Virgin Records.
  4. ^ "Sugar Tax". OMD. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "OMD Discography: Sugar Tax". Messages. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  6. ^ Navigation: The OMD B-Sides (sleeve notes). 2001. Virgin Records.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Raggett, Ned. "Sugar Tax – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  8. ^ Muretich, James (2 June 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. 34 (D4).
  9. ^ Larkin, Colin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music. Virgin Books. p. 350. ISBN 0753501597.
  10. ^ Arnold, Gina (14 June 1991). "Sugar Tax". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Davies, Paul (June 1991). "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Sugar Tax". Q. No. 57.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Jaeger, Barbara (19 September 1991). "Quick Spins". The Record. p. 73 (D-19).
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ Andrews, Marc (15–28 May 1991). "LPs". Smash Hits. Vol. 13 no. 10. p. 45.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b Riccio, Richard (23 August 1991). "Sugar is sprinkled with gems". St. Petersburg Times. p. 94 (Audio Files, p. 21).
  16. ^ West, Brian (6 May 1991). "Manoeuvring Back to Prominence". Today.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b c Page, Barry (7 May 2021). "Sugar Rush – The Story of 'Sugar Tax'". The Electricity Club. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  18. ^ Erskine, Evelyn (8 June 1991). "Bee Gees resurface from the depths of disco". Ottawa Citizen. p. 33 (C3).
  19. ^ Righi, Len (14 August 1993). "Records". The Morning Call. p. A65.
  20. ^ Burgess, Tim (30 January 2021). "Sugar Tax replay". Tim's Twitter Listening Party. Event occurs at 8:12 PM. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  21. ^ "Orchestral leap in the dark". The Scotsman. 3 February 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  22. ^ "Power in the Darkness". Music Technology. December 1991.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ "Austriancharts.at – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Sugar Tax" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  25. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1569". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  26. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 36. 7 September 1991. p. 27. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  27. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Sugar Tax" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  28. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Sugar Tax". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  29. ^ "Swisscharts.com – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Sugar Tax". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  30. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  31. ^ "European Top 100 Albums – 1991" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 51/52. 21 December 1991. p. 24. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  32. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1991" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  33. ^ "1991 Top 100 Albums". Music Week. London. 11 January 1992. p. 21. ISSN 0265-1548.
  34. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (OMD; 'Sugar Tax')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  35. ^ "British album certifications – OMD – Sugar Tax". British Phonographic Industry. 1 September 1992. Retrieved 26 December 2020.

External links[]

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