Ahead of their 40th-anniversary Souvenir tour in Europe this Autumn, UK Synthpop legends Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark have unveiled a new career-spanning 7-disc box set with unreleased live and studio material as well as a 20-song singles collection to accompany the tour.
Both the singles collection and the box set are aptly Souvenir, named after the song released in 1981, and include and debuted a new single called “Don’t Go”, which is listed as the final track on the two-disc single collection also included as part of the box set.
Both the releases are due out on October 4th and can be pre-ordered via’s the group’s website.
The 7-disc box set features five CDs and two DVDs and is housed in a 10-inch box with a hardback book, a poster and a series of 10-inch prints. The first two discs carry OMD’s 20 singles, from 1979’s “Electricity” to 2019’s “Don’t Go.” The third disc features 22 unreleased tracks from the band’s archives, while the fourth and fifth CDs feature live shows recorded in 1983 and 2011.
The two DVDs are dedicated to OMD’s BBC television appearances and live concerts from 1981 and 1985.
The 20 track Souvenir singles collection on its own in both in 2CD and 3LP formats, and will be released digitally, too.
OMD, formed in 1978 by Andy McCluskey and keyboardist Paul Humphreys, OMD was heavily influenced by Kraftwerk and got their first big break from Gary Numan, whom they opened for during their first UK tour.
The band played their first gigs at Erics in Liverpool, one of which was support for Joy Division and Cabaret Voltaire, leading to their work with Tony Wilson, and Martin Hannett of Factory Records.
Through showing their love for their electronic music heroes, OMD would quickly inspire others to explore the depths of synthesizer-based music—in particular, their first single “Electricity”, released on May 21, 1979.
On this 40th Anniversary tour, McCluskey, and Humphreys are joined by both Martin Cooper, who joined the band in 1980, and Stuart Kershaw who started working with the band in 1991, the electro-pioneers have promised to play all of their greatest hits, as well as some exciting, rare material from their early days.
OMD currently is on tour in the U.S. with The B-52s and Berlin.
Below, listen to “Don’t Go” and check out the box set’s tracklist.
Tracklist: OMD, Souvenir 5CD/2DVD Limited Edition Deluxe Boxset
CD 1: The Singles 1979-1987
CD 2: The Singles 1988-2019
CD 3: Unreleased Archive Vol I
CD 4: Live at the Mermaid Theatre, London (3/2/2011)
CD 5: Live at the Hammersmith Odeon (10/5/1983)
DVD 1: BBC TV Performances
DVD 2: Live at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (04/12/1981), Live at Sheffield City Hall (14/6/1985) and Crush: The Movie
Live at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (04/12/1981)
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