Customer Reviews

Crush

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

CRUSH is the CD of the eighties as far as this reviewer is concerned. A neglected masterpiece that sounds as fresh today as when it was recorded in 1985. Pop it may be, but intelligent it most definitely is. Listen to "bloc bloc bloc", "women 111" La femme accident" and the title track and you will be hooked. This group from Liverpool have released several CDS and have a excellent greatest hits (not that they have had many chart hits) compilation, but this is the one to own. There is not a dud on the disc and it's not often you can say that about any CD these days.

The album dates back to the 80's, and is a top class representative of the synth / electronic pop genre of the time. This album is perhaps the one with the most "romantic egde" in of all the other OMD works. I characterise this album as softer round the edges, and perfect for a rainy evening when another OMD album would perhaps not fit as well. Three tracks made the "Best Of" compilation - namely "So In Love", "Secret" and "La Femme Accident". The other tracks may not have the same commercially catchy tunes, but are well worth the investment.

If you do not own any OMD music, then perhaps the "Best Of" compilation is the place to start. If you already own that, then this is a definite contender for getting into OMD a bit more seriously. The other contenders must the "The Pacific Age" as well as "Architecture & Morality", although every album is a masterpiece. Excellent album.

In many ways Crush was one final creative burst for the original lineup of OMD. Crush succeeds not only because it avoids gratuitous disco numbers, but because it taps into what made OMD great in the past; a balance between expirementation and pop appeal, moods of ironic melancholy, and the ability to combine music, lyrics, and cover art into one cohesive artistic presentation. "Bloc Bloc Bloc" manages to graft a rockabilly Elvis style onto an 80's keyboard pop song (no easy feat), and "88 Seconds in Greensboro' and "Native Daughters of the Golden West" take an unexpected turn with electric guitars and heavy drums. The expirementation continues with "The Lights are Going Out" and "Crush," which is built on samples of television commercials that Andy McCluskey recorded while in Japan. Lyrics are generally about dysfunctional relationships, though "88 Seconds" takes a stab at social consciousness (it's about a racially motivated massacre). Overall, the OMD sound has matured and warmed, there are some nice sax parts and drummer Malcolm Holmes serves up some tasty organic sounding grooves too. "Hold You" is the only filler track here, the rest is an engaging listen and refreshingly creative.

I've been moving my CD collection onto my computer as of late, and have been assembling a massive playlist of 80's pop/new wave singles. Its just amazing how many great songs OMD assembled before breaking up. Crush, which produced such classics as 'So in Love', 'Secret', and 'La Femme Accident', is one of the standout albums of the decade. It reminds me of highschool, going to dances, and....well.....a former girlfriend. Its just an all-around classic.

Musically, OMD came into their sound during their previous album, Junk Culture, and continued through Crush and the follow-up hit, The Pacific Age. All of them produced hits. But most people who only knew the singles were often disappointed by the songs inbetween, which were really more consistant with their older, more raw (and sampled) sound. OMD were a pure techno band - except in the studio, I don't think they interacted much with real instruments other than the sampled sounds through their equipment. The bulk of their songs are very rythmic and eclectic, using repetitive samples and simple keyboards to convey their music. Some of it can be overly simple and hollow, while others are simply beautiful.

I've been moving my CD collection onto my computer as of late, and have been assembling a massive playlist of 80's pop/new wave singles. Its just amazing how many great songs OMD assembled before breaking up. Crush, which produced such classics as 'So in Love', 'Secret', and 'La Femme Accident', is one of the standout albums of the decade. It reminds me of highschool, going to dances, and....well.....a former girlfriend. Its just an all-around classic.

Musically, OMD came into their sound during their previous album, Junk Culture, and continued through Crush and the follow-up hit, The Pacific Age. All of them produced hits. But most people who only knew the singles were often disappointed by the songs inbetween, which were really more consistant with their older, more raw (and sampled) sound. OMD were a pure techno band - except in the studio, I don't think they interacted much with real instruments other than the sampled sounds through their equipment. The bulk of their songs are very rythmic and eclectic, using repetitive samples and simple keyboards to convey their music. Some of it can be overly simple and hollow, while others are simply beautiful.

This album is all I have left of her, not counting the shallow grave in the back yard. This is the sort of music stalkers listen to to convince themselves that girls love them. Don't get me wrong -- I like it. There's just something kind of dysfunctional about the earnest pleadings of the lead singer. Depeche Mode could take some lessons from these guys.

Bloc Bloc Bloc. It gets no better for this 80's group.