Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - remember them? New-wave, post punk, electronic-style masters of some of the most romantic tracks of our teens? At least, those of us born in the 60s are likely to experience colorful flashbacks to fun times set to the tunes of OMD's "If You Leave", "Tesla Girls", "Talking Loud and Clear", even the theatrical "Joan of Arc"!
Back, white shirt, skinny jeans and all, are 51-year-old Brits Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys with the reformation of their classic late 70s line-up. Catching them at the Fox Theater in Oakland on their recent album release North American History of Modern Tour reminded me just how great an era the 80s was for music.
New material from the History of Modern Part 1 album blended seamlessly with blasts from the past. McCluskey joked about his dancing technique with his Bay-Area audience of adoring 40-somethings, though really, he could have stood back stage and sang, his voice is still so drop-dead distinctive. OMD are super good in their come back, a huge relief given the track record of some of their 80s counterparts.
Comments