Junk Culture

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 27, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Caroline
• ASIN: B000025JU0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,838 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2004 UK pressing features a total of 10 tracks. EMI. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OMD's zenith, December 7, 2005

By 

F P Cassini (Ibogaine, Montevideo) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Junk Culture (Audio CD)

A very different perspective than the reviews i've read here is that Junk Culture is OMD's peak! This release very successfully blends the 'art' with the 'pop'. The previous release, Dazzle Ships, doesn't have hooks to demand the listener play the album over and over, while the next release, Crush, is contaminated by the peppering of crassly calculated careerist "hit singles" (souless Stephen Hague produced and banished all quirk factor, except Andy McCluskey's distinctive(!) voice) that unapologetically marked OMD's short wade into mainstream impotency. In my mind, Junk Culture is their final chapter, w/ a few of the more interesting tracks from Crush as an addendum. DISCLAIMER of ADOLESCENT SUBJECTIVITY: this lp took over my turntable in 1985 when i was developmentally in "teenage sponge mode". Still, objectively speaking, it is the culmination of their intelligent quirky art-pop aesthetic. Beautiful arranging/production, and Peter Saville design, too!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars OMD Steps away from Avant Garde and into Pop, April 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Junk Culture (Audio CD)

After the disappointing sales of OMD's 'Dazzle Ships,' they returned with the quirky 'Junk Culture.' There are a few scintillating moments here that hark back to old OMD, but quite a few silly tracks as well. 'Tesla Girls' and 'Locomotion' are two of the band's best singles, the first crashing pop, the second tinged with carribean flavor. 'Apollo' and 'White Trash' are the only stand-outs here, both with unusual arrangements and those 'only-from-OMD' weird effects. The rest of the tracks would be great from anybody else, but just music to clean house to from OMD. Still... try to get the chorus of 'Talking Loud & Clear' out of your head.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Taking the plunge..., March 6, 2006

By 

Kid A (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Junk Culture (Audio CD)

As another reviewer noted, this album marks OMD's departure from the more synthy/new-wavy/electronic sounds they embraced on earlier releases, especially Dazzle Ships.

Although Junk Culture doesn't fully embrace the pop culture as the follow up album, Crush, did, there was still a notable pop influence on this release. I don't say that as a bad thing, either. Good pop is still good music. It's just a shame that there's so much *bad* pop, but I digress.

Junk Culture took a little bit of time to sink in with me. I admit it. I love Crush. I suppose part of that is sentimental, as it was my girlfriend of the time (and wife now, so many years later) that exposed me to OMD via Crush. I had always liked Organisation and their other, older albums. Once I fell for Crush, though, I think the beauty of Junk Culture was finally exposed to me.

The great thing about Junk Culture is exactly its merging of the quirkiness of OMD's earlier material with the more pop-oriented melodies of the time. Those two elements came together in Junk Culture to create a genuinely unique work. You just can't go wrong with the eccentric Tesla Girls, the emotion of Love and Violence or the Latin flair of All Wrapped Up.

Any fan of the '80s owes it to themselves to own this album. It may not be my favorite OMD album, but it does a great job of displaying both sides of the OMD coin. It has also stood the test of time, in my opinion sounding as brilliant today as it did 20+ years ago.