Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark lost a bit of momentum with their 1983 Dazzle Ships. Its more experimental direction wasn't what the fans and critics expected, and both charts and reviews reflected this negative reception. This fanfare also didn't settle well with heir label, and O.M.D. Knew their recording deal was on the line if they didn't find a way to sell more albums.
For their 1984 follow-up, Junk Culture, the band played it safe, moving towards a more commercial sound. Work initially commenced with Andy McCluskey, and Paul Humphreys recording individual demos at their respective homes. However, the two weren't happy with the end results, and opted to regroup at Highland Studios.
One of the end results was Tesla Girls, which was briefly considered to be released as a single, but abandoned when Virgin Records insisted they stay focused on the album as a whole. Writing continued prolifically, but the band soon found themselves running out of time at the studio, causing them to have to relocate back to Europe to finish the album.
Upon its release, it didn't take Junk Culture long to enter the charts. This was mainly a result of the lead single, Locomotion, which peaked at number five in the UK. This was followed by Talking Loud And Clear, which peaked at number eleven, and finally Tesla Girls, which peaked at number twenty-one. Virgin insisted that a fourth single be released, Never Turn Away, which peaked at number seventy.
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Things kick off with the instrumental album title track, and when I heard this, I was a bit disappointed. My mind immediately said, "Come on. This is what is being touted as this amazing release from O.M.D.?" All question was them removed with the following tracks, Tesla Girls, and Locomotion, which I found quite delightful in all that delicious 80's pop goodness.
Though track four, Apollo was passable for me, I was back to being thoroughly satisfied with Never Turn Away, and Love And Violence. There were a couple more tracks which I really dug, All Wrapped Up, and Talking Loud And Clear, but also some skippable tunes in between those. While it was definitely shaping up to be my favorite from the band, I wouldn't go so far as to say Junk Culture is perfect.
What it did do is excited me to hear their 1986 follow-up, Crush, and also made it worthwhile to pick up their albums to finally get to this point. I'm starting to see the appeal to O.M.D., and band I really missed out on in the 80's.
Unfortunately, with he success of Junk Culture, the pressure was turned up to eleven by Virgin Records who wanted a follow-up, and they wanted it, "now". Though the payoff would ultimately be worth it, in terms of sales. However, the band would start to suffer internally.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS December 16, 1989 |
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