Metamatic Forums Socialising The Green Room Dazzle Ships 2008

Dazzle Ships is one of the Ultimite 'concept' albums.
It's a superb colection of what OMD did best,but the majority of the public just didn't 'get it'
A terrific collage of sounds,shapes and samples to help muddle things together so you never knew what was coming next.Some of OMD's finest EVER moments can be found here so if you dismissed it all those years ago you've missed out on years of pleasure!!
"This is Helena!"..nuff said!!

I think I read somewhere that '66 & Fading' is 'Telegraph' reversed, or something like that.

As an OMD anorak geek I too am overjoyed at this re-issue which may, at last, get Dazzle Ships some of the recognition it deserves (doubt it tho..). Yes it is a concept album, yes it does 're-cycle' some old B sides and yes it isn't commercial but hey, what the hell .. Virgin wanted Arch&Moral part 2 and boy did that NOT happen. Luckily the OM's were on the crest of a wave with aforementioned opus so basically thought that they could get away with anything. They didn't but hoorha for pop experimentalism in 1983!

Telegraph, Radio Waves, Silent Running are all timeless pop classics, whereas the title track(s), 'Helena' and, say, Genetic Engineering all go where no other synth-band had previously gone before.

A special mention must go to the wondrous 'Time Zones' .. leaves me gobsmacked to this day.

re. extra tracks . .let's hope it's the full '66 & fading' this time and not the butchered 'edit' on Navigation.

A McCluskey has commented on the offish forum thusly:
PS as a concept album you've gotta listen to it form start to finish, pausing only after 'International' to 'turn it over' ..oh and remeber to turn the volume right up before you start side 2....

Oh WOW!! Thanks for that. I'll have to go & join the forum, now. Goodeee..............

I almost bought all the OMD cds a few years back, but im glad i didn't now as the remasters are worth the wait. The 'OMD', 'Organisation', and 'A+M' are not just great albums but the whole remaster / repackage thing is top quality. Will be buying 'Dazzle Ships' too as soon as its release. I hope they dont start putting some dodgy two disc cd and dvd version together later, just to try keeping up with the 'A+M' one though. If it stays as one cd per album......then 'Universal' here we come!!

Yes must be one of those rare forums where the 'star' actually contributes now and then... (imagine if JF were to make the odd post here...)

.. I doubt, say, "The Pacific Age" will get the same attention... time may me prove me wrong. :rolleyes:

I love "Dazzle Ships" - it got me through my mock exams along with "Ha!Ha!Ha!" and "Systems of Romance". I think "A+M" is slightly better (and certainly more consistent) but it is "Dazzle Ships" I turn to in uninspiring times. We won't talk about what came next ...

I think they did a good job with 'Junk Culture' trying to recover commercially while still maintaining a bit of 'experimental' cred ..

'Crush' was def leaning towards the 'over-commercial' and soppy side but it was a lovely warm spring and I was madly in love myself so everything in the world was dandy ..LOL ....

For exactly the same reasons, I have a soft spot for both 'Junk Culture' and 'Crush' - that was it for me though - 'Pacific Age' was just not OMD.

Have Andy & Paul been pulled up yet for nicking ideas for 'Junk Culture' from Vangelis' Blladerunner soundtrack?