Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Celebrate 40 Years of “Crush” With Expanded Edition LP Re-Release

Celebrating four decades since their American breakthrough, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark have unveiled an expansive reissue of their influential album, Crush, due out October 10th via UMR/Virgin. The announcement arrives hot on the heels of the recent anniversary of their equally celebrated LP, Junk Culture.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Celebrate 40 Years of “Crush” With Expanded Edition LP Re-Release

Initially surfacing on June 17th, 1985, Crush marked a pivotal juncture for OMD, catapulting them firmly onto American shores. Driven by the luminous allure of So In Love, a Billboard Top 40 entrant, and the infectious radio favourite Secret, Crush swiftly secured accolades on both sides of the Atlantic. Its enduring resonance amongst fans and band members alike underscores its lasting appeal.

Born from rough sketches in Liverpool’s Amazon Studios during a bleak winter in 1984, the band, comprising Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys, multi-instrumentalist Martin Cooper, and drummer Malcolm Holmes, soon moved operations to the rural tranquility of Oxfordshire’s The Manor. There, with American producer Stephen Hague at the helm, they crafted a collection ripe with precise pop sensibility.

“We felt for the first time like we needed somebody to help us focus on the production,” reflects McCluskey. “We were too close to these half-written songs and needed someone who could be a little bit more objective. Stephen had a very slick production sound. Maybe unconsciously, we were also thinking, ‘If we’re going to break America, we need to be a bit more polished’.”

The gamble on Hague’s glossy aesthetic paid dividends, resulting in a record still cherished today. McCluskey acknowledges the intense conditions behind its making yet remains unequivocal about its value: “We managed to create an exceedingly good album. We are very proud of every track.”

This anniversary edition, available as a 2LP (black and coloured vinyl), 2CD, and digitally, has been meticulously remastered from original analogue masters. Notably expansive, the reissue includes seven unreleased tracks from multitrack sessions, newly mixed by Humphreys, along with two demos, an alternative mix, four previously unheard songs, non-album b-sides, and rare 12″ extended mixes. Accompanying the music, journalist Jason Draper provides insightful liner notes featuring fresh interviews with McCluskey.

“The 40th anniversary re-release of Crush has been a wonderful opportunity for us to re-assess the album,” McCluskey notes thoughtfully. “1985 was a period of great intensity with constant touring and time pressure in the studio, but we created a powerful collection of songs and lyrical themes. In hindsight, we made a much better album than we knew at the time. Two hit singles, So in Love and Secret, remain live set constants to this day. There is raw energy and anger in 88 Seconds in Greensboro, swaggering pomp in The Native Daughters of the Golden West, and the melancholy shroud of the title track, Crush, juxtaposing relentless samples of Japanese TV adverts against weary vocals and somnambulant instrumentation perfectly captures the jet lag-induced dream state of global touring. We changed style and musical palette, but Crush retains a confidence and energy that I am very proud of.”

OMD’s 40th Anniversary Edition of Crush is out October 10th via UMR/Virgin. See the tracklisting below, and preorder/presave here

:

CD 1

1. So In Love
2. Secret
3. Bloc Bloc Bloc
4. Women III
5. Crush
6. 88 Seconds In Greensboro
7. The Native Daughters Of The Golden West
8. La Femme Accident
9. Hold You
10. The Lights Are Going Out

CD 2

1. Wheels of Steel* 
2. Lana Turner v.1* 
3. Hold You (Rough)* 
4. Choral* 
5. Lana Turner v.2* 
6. Drift (Demo)* 
7. All or Nothing (Demo)* 
8. Concrete Hands (b-side) 
9. Firegun (b-side)
10. Maria Gallante (b-side) 
11. Drift (b-side) 
12. Secret (Extended Mix) 
13. So In Love (Special American Dance Remix) 
14. So In Love (Extended) 
15. La Femme Accident (12″ Mix) 
16. Concrete Hands (Extended) 

*Previously Unreleased Track

LP1

Side I

1. So In Love
2. Secret
3. Bloc Bloc Bloc
4. Women III
5. Crush

Side II

1. 88 Seconds In Greensboro
2. The Native Daughters Of The Golden West
3. La Femme Accident
4. Hold You
5. The Lights Are Going Out

LP2

Side III

1. Wheels of Steel*  
2. Lana Turner v.1* 
3. Hold You (Rough)*  
4. Choral*  
5. Lana Turner v.2*  
6. Drift (Demo)*  
7. All or Nothing (Demo)*  

Side IV

1. So In Love (Special American Dance Remix) 
2. Secret (Extended Mix) 
3. La Femme Accident (12″ Mix) 
4. Concrete Hands (Extended)

*Previously Unreleased Track

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