Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are a British new wave group formed in 1978, whose founding members, Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals), are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England. The band rose to fame with their fourth single "Enola Gay", which became a major hit throughout Europe in 1980, and achieved worldwide popularity the following year with their third album Architecture & Morality. Regarded as the band's seminal work, it spawned three international hit singles and propelled them to superstar status in their home country. OMD, whose music frequently eschewed traditional pop music arrangements in favour of experimentation, were retrospectively described by AllMusic's Ned Raggett as having been "in the enviable position of at once being creative innovators and radio-friendly pop giants." Record sales began to decrease in the UK during the latter half of the 1980s, but the group remained popular. Concurrently, they reached their US peak and had a series of hits, the most notable being 1986's "If You Leave", written for the film Pretty in Pink. Humphreys departed in 1989 with Malcolm Holmes (drums) and Martin Cooper (various instruments) to form The Listening Pool, leaving McCluskey to lead the band. 1991 album Sugar Tax and its initial singles were hits, particularly in the UK, where OMD experienced a commercial renaissance. By 1996, however, electronic music had become unfashionable amid the heady Britpop climate, and McCluskey disbanded the group due to dwindling popularity, months after their final chart hit, "Walking on the Milky Way".

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