Architecture & Morality

Architecture & Morality
Studio album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Released 8 November 1981 (1981-11-08)[1]
Recorded 1980–1981 at The Gramophone Suite, Liverpool and The Manor Studio, Shipton-on-Cherwell[1]
Genre Electronic, experimental, synthpop
Length 37:13
Label Dindisc, Virgin
Producer Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Richard Manwaring and Mike Howlett
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark chronology
Organisation
(1980)		 Architecture & Morality
(1981)		 Dazzle Ships
(1983)
Singles from Architecture & Morality
  1. "Souvenir"
    Released: 4 August 1981[2]
  2. "Joan of Arc"
    Released: 9 October 1981[2]
  3. "Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)"
    Released: 15 January 1982[2]
  4. "She's Leaving"
    Released: 1982 (Benelux only)[3]

Architecture & Morality is the third album by British electronic group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1981. Hailed as a masterpiece and the band's seminal work, it has appeared in various "best albums" lists; The Morning News named it the finest record of 1981, and "the blueprint for synth-pop".[4] The album also became a commercial success, selling over 4 million copies by 2007.

The record spawned three international hit singles, which sold more than 8 million copies combined.

Album information

According to the album's credits, its 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 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 an 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 (Unfinished)" and "Of All The Things We've Made" appeared on OMD's next album, Dazzle Ships, released in 1983.

All of the album's songs were included in the first part of the setlist on OMD's 2007 comeback tour.

Artwork

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.

Singles

Architecture & Morality yielded three singles, all of which charted in the UK Top 5: "Souvenir" (#3), "Joan of Arc" (#5), and "Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)" (#4), a retitled "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)". The singles were also highly successful on international charts, with "Souvenir" and "Maid of Orleans" each charting at number one in various European countries; the latter became Germany's biggest-selling single of 1982.[5] The three singles sold more than 8 million copies combined.[6][7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
BBC Music(favourable)[9]
The Cavalier Daily(B+)[10]
Daily Record[11]
Melody Maker(unfavourable)[12]
Pitchfork(8.7/10)[13]
Q[14]
The Quietus(favourable)[15]
Record Collector[16]
Record Mirror(favourable)[12]

Although critically acclaimed,[17] Architecture & Morality met with a mixed reaction upon release. "We didn't think it got the respect it deserved", said McCluskey. "We put a lot into it and we really loved it... anything which undermines our own unstable balance creates a problem for us."[18] Lynden Barber in Melody Maker annihilated the album. He wrote: "I don't believe the Orchs even care about this record... the style is the same, the content profoundly different, the onslaught of emptiness, frivolity disguised by furrowed brows, a new brand of meaninglessness."[12] In his review for The Cavalier Daily, Brad Scharff applauded Architecture & Morality for its "interesting musical structures and vocals" but opined that it occasionally lapses into "tedium". He concluded: "While it is a flawed album, the positive aspects certainly outweigh its faults."[10] Record Mirror journalist Daniela Soave had at first resisted the album but gradually became a proponent. She said: "Because it falls between creating one overall mood and a collection of classic pop Architecture & Morality requires more effort on the listener's part... Although I had misgivings initially Architecture & Morality is no disappointment.[12]

Three years after the release of Architecture & Morality, a reflective article in Melody Maker exhibited a fervour that was absent from most contemporary reviews – particularly the one published in that magazine – wherein the album was dubbed "the first true masterpiece of the Eighties."[19] Other critics have since called the record a "masterpiece"[18][20][21][22] as opinion has shifted toward the positive. Ned Raggett in AllMusic wrote: "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." Raggett saw the album as an indicator the group's future sonic adventures, saying: "[T]he heartbreaking 'Sealand' and 'Georgia' hint at where OMD would go next, with Dazzle Ships."[8] In an enthusiastic review for Pitchfork, Scott Plagenhoef described the record as "a bridge between synth-pop's more bleak, industrial beginnings and the shimmer and shine of ambitious New Pop."[13] John Doran in The Quietus called the LP "astonishing", and asserted: "There isn't a note out of place on Architecture & Morality... this is one of the finest 1980s pop albums."[15] Daily Record critic Rick Fulton saw it as "one of the [electronic] genre's best albums".[11]

An international single release was planned for "She's Leaving", but the group ultimately reneged on the idea. Robin Denselow in The Guardian lauded the track as "the sort of song that Paul McCartney might have written if he'd grown up with the synthesiser bands of '81."[23] Retrospectively, Gareth Ware in DIY described it as "arguably one of the finest non-singles in modern history";[18] Ned Raggett praised the song's "polished pop perfection" and suggested that it "would have made an inspired choice for a fourth single."[8]

Legacy

Architecture & Morality is included in the book, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[24] In recent years, publications like The Guardian,[25] Mojo,[26] the Tampa Bay Times[27] and Phantom FM[28] have included it in "best albums" lists. In 2007, Andrew Womack in The Morning News named Architecture & Morality as the finest album of 1981, writing: "For the past 25 years, it's stood as the blueprint for synth-pop; few have approached an improvement upon its design."[4] It was selected as BBC Radio 6 Music's "Classic Album of the Day" on 21 November 2012.[29] In a 2013 listener poll, Architecture & Morality was ranked the 13th best album of 1981, based on the opinions of almost 25,000 respondents.[30]

In February 2007, The Scotsman reported that the album had sold over 4 million copies.[31] BBC Music writer Amar Patel noted that among OMD's output, Architecture & Morality is "often regarded as their seminal work".[9]

Track listings

All songs were written by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, except where noted.

Side one
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "The New Stone Age"  McCluskey 3:22
2. "She's Leaving"    3:28
3. "Souvenir"  Humphreys, Martin Cooper 3:39
4. "Sealand"    7:47
Side two
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Joan of Arc"  McCluskey 3:48
2. "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)"  McCluskey 4:12
3. "Architecture and Morality"    3:43
4. "Georgia"    3:24
5. "The Beginning and the End"    3:48

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (1981/1982) Peak
position
Netherlands Albums Chart[32] 1
UK Albums Chart[33] 3
French Albums Chart[34] 21
Austrian Albums Chart[35] 16
Canadian Albums Chart[36] 18
New Zealand Albums Chart[37] 22
Swedish Albums Chart[38] 28

Notes

    References

    1. 1 2 3 "OMD DISCOGRAPHY | ALBUMS 1980 – 84". Official OMD website. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
    2. 1 2 3 "OMD DISCOGRAPHY | SINGLES 1979 – 84". Official OMD website. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
    3. ↑ "Q & A". Official OMD website. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
    4. 1 2 Womack, Andrew. The Top 10 Albums of 1981. The Morning News. 4 April 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
    5. ↑ Stanley, Bob. How to lose 3 million fans in one easy step. The Guardian. 7 March 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
    6. ↑ "OMD – The Best of OMD". LeftLion. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
    7. ↑ "OMD (Andy McCluskey) interview". This is Not Retro. April 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
    8. 1 2 3 Raggett, Ned. "Architecture & Morality > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
    9. 1 2 Patel, Amar (20 April 2007). "Review of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Architecture and Morality". BBC Music. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
    10. 1 2 Scharff, Brad (13 April 1982). "Sound Advice". The Cavalier Daily. Google News. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
    11. 1 2 Fulton, Rick (4 May 2007). "Singles and albums". Daily Record. One of the UK's most influential electro groups and one of the genre's best albums. It may have been released originally in 1981 but still sounds as fresh today.
    12. 1 2 3 4 West, Mike. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. Omnibus Press. 1982. ISBN 0-7119-0149X. p. 28.
    13. 1 2 Plagenhoef, Scott (18 July 2003). "Album Reviews: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark / Organisation / Architecture & Morality". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
    14. ↑ "Architecture & Morality". Q (May 2003). OMD's 1981 masterwork [...] perfectly balanced the avant garde with top-flight songwriting, pooling those [Kraftwerk and Brian Eno] influences together for an unforgettable set that few in the genre have come close to matching.
    15. 1 2 Doran, John (29 November 2011). "30 Years On: OMD's Architecture & Morality Remembered". The Quietus. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
    16. ↑ "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Architecture & Morality". Record Collector. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
    17. ↑ Locker, Melissa (5 April 2013). "OMD Still Innovating on 12th Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
    18. 1 2 3 Ware, Gareth (4 March 2013). "OMD: Of All The Thing We've Made: Dazzle Ships At 30". DIY. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
    19. ↑ OMD feature. Melody Maker. 28 April 1984.
    20. ↑ Mardles, Paul (7 April 2013). "OMD: English Electric". The Observer. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
    21. ↑ Walsh, Ben (6 May 2013). "Music review: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Roundhouse, London". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
    22. ↑ Murphy, Tom (16 March 2011). "Andy McClusky of OMD on Dazzle Ships, the influence of '70s Krautrock and Peter Saville". Westword. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
    23. ↑ Waller, Johnny; Humphreys, Mike. Messages. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1987. ISBN 0-283-99234-4. p. 97.
    24. ↑ 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe Publishing. 2010. p.476.
    25. ↑ 1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die: Artists beginning with O. The Guardian. 21 November 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
    26. ↑ The 80 Greatest Albums from the 80's. Mojo. Archived at Acclaimed Music. August 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
    27. ↑ Spears, Steve. "80 must-own albums for '80s fans". Tampa Bay Times. 7 February 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
    28. ↑ "Top 500 Albums of All Time". Phantom FM. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
    29. ↑ "OMD's Andy McCluskey joins Steve". BBC Radio 6 Music. 21 November 2012.
    30. ↑ "Top 100 Albums of 1981: Slicing Up Eyeballs' Best of the '80s – Part 2". Slicing Up Eyeballs. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
    31. ↑ "Orchestral leap in the dark". The Scotsman. The Scotsman Publications. 3 February 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
    32. ↑ "Chart Stats – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Architecture And Morality". Retrieved 7 November 2009.
    33. ↑ "Chart Stats – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Architecture And Morality". Retrieved 7 November 2009.
    34. ↑ "OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) http://www.infodisc.fr/Albums_Detail.php". Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2009. External link in |title= (help)
    35. ↑ "OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Architecture & Morality – austriancharts.at" (in German). Retrieved 7 November 2009.
    36. ↑ "http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/ OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark) – Architecture & Morality". Retrieved 4 October 2009. External link in |title= (help)
    37. ↑ "charts.org.nz – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Architecture & Morality". Retrieved 7 November 2009.
    38. ↑ "swedishcharts.com – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Architecture & Morality". Retrieved 7 November 2009.

    External links

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