Electricity (OMD song)
Encyclopedia
"Electricity" is the debut single of the New Wave
and synthpop
group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
. It is notable for having been recorded numerous times. The earliest versions are live recordings by Andy McCluskey
and Paul Humphreys
' previous group The Id
. The song is one of the OMD's most popular and recognisable songs even though it never became a hit. The three attempts at scoring a hit only achieved the lowly (but significant for the group at the time) #99 in 1979. "Electricity" would later appear on OMD's debut album
and is regularly featured on OMD compilations.
All incarnations of the "Electricity" single were backed by the B-side and fellow debut album track "Almost." This song was inspired by The Teardrop Explodes'
song "Camera, Camera" and the Kraftwerk
song "Radioactivity."
, DinDisc attempted twice to score a hit with "Electricity". Consequently, four versions of "Electricity" and three of "Almost" exist.
Version I: "Electricity" and "Almost" were originally recorded at Cargo Studios, Rochdale and produced by Martin Hannett
under the moniker Martin Zero, to be released by Factory Records
.
Version II: The band felt Hannett had overproduced their songs somewhat, so they recorded new versions at Henry's Studio, Liverpool. These versions were produced by themselves and band manager Paul Collister
under the moniker Chester Valentino.
A compromise was reached for the versions used on the single. This first Factory single contains the band's version of "Electricity" and the Hannett version of "Almost".
Version II of "Almost" remained unreleased until appearing on the 2001 Navigation compilation.
Version III: The album versions of "Electricity" and "Almost" differ from the previous versions, and were used for the third and final release of the single. "Electricity" was remixed from the original Hannett version. It's also the version used on the 1988 Best Of
and the 1998 Singles
collections and is the best known version of the song. The album version of "Almost" is similarly a remix of Hannett's version.
Version IV ("Electricity" only): A fourth mix of "Electricity" was produced by Mike Howlett
. This version of "Electricity" was recorded during the Organisation
sessions when the band fancied extending the instrumental section in the middle of the song. It was initially released on the Dindisc 1980 compilation album in 1980. In 2003 it was released on CD as a bonus track on the re-issue of Organisation.
didn't believe it could be done, but Saville persuaded a printer to do the job. The thermographic printing
was a success, but the place set on fire three times, so eventually only 5000 sleeves were printed. The reissue sleeves were standard white on black printed sleeves.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...
. It is notable for having been recorded numerous times. The earliest versions are live recordings by Andy McCluskey
Andy McCluskey
George Andrew "Andy" McCluskey is the lead singer, bass guitarist, and primary songwriter for the band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark ....
and Paul Humphreys
Paul Humphreys
Paul Humphreys is a British musician.-Life and career:He is best known as a member of synth pop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark , which he founded with Andy McCluskey in 1978.He grew up on the Wirral Peninsula in North West England, during which time he developed his interest in German...
' previous group The Id
The Id
-External links:*...
. The song is one of the OMD's most popular and recognisable songs even though it never became a hit. The three attempts at scoring a hit only achieved the lowly (but significant for the group at the time) #99 in 1979. "Electricity" would later appear on OMD's debut album
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (album)
-U.S. release :The U.S. version, released in 1981, collects material from the first two OMD albums, but retains the sleeve-art of the debut LP. -Remastered CD release with bonus tracks:Virgin / DIDCDR2 -Notes:...
and is regularly featured on OMD compilations.
All incarnations of the "Electricity" single were backed by the B-side and fellow debut album track "Almost." This song was inspired by The Teardrop Explodes'
The Teardrop Explodes
The Teardrop Explodes were an English post-punk/neo-psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Best known for their Top Ten UK single "Reward" the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s, the group also launched the career of group frontman...
song "Camera, Camera" and the Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
song "Radioactivity."
"Electricity" and "Almost" versions
There are many different versions of the two songs that were present on OMD's debut single. After the band left Factory RecordsFactory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...
, DinDisc attempted twice to score a hit with "Electricity". Consequently, four versions of "Electricity" and three of "Almost" exist.
Version I: "Electricity" and "Almost" were originally recorded at Cargo Studios, Rochdale and produced by Martin Hannett
Martin Hannett
Martin Hannett , sometimes credited as Martin Zero, was a record producer and an original partner in Factory Records with Tony Wilson...
under the moniker Martin Zero, to be released by Factory Records
Factory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...
.
Version II: The band felt Hannett had overproduced their songs somewhat, so they recorded new versions at Henry's Studio, Liverpool. These versions were produced by themselves and band manager Paul Collister
Paul Collister
Paul Collister is an English musicians manager. He was known during the late 70s and early 80s for his work with Liverpool bands such as Dalek I Love You and OMD....
under the moniker Chester Valentino.
A compromise was reached for the versions used on the single. This first Factory single contains the band's version of "Electricity" and the Hannett version of "Almost".
Version II of "Almost" remained unreleased until appearing on the 2001 Navigation compilation.
Version III: The album versions of "Electricity" and "Almost" differ from the previous versions, and were used for the third and final release of the single. "Electricity" was remixed from the original Hannett version. It's also the version used on the 1988 Best Of
The Best of OMD
The Best of OMD is a compilation album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1988. Despite the band's waning popularity both in the UK and abroad, it sold extremely well....
and the 1998 Singles
The OMD Singles
The OMD Singles is a singles compilation album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1998. It reached #16 in the UK charts. Originally, the compilation was to include a second disc of new remixes; however, this idea was abandoned due to budget limitations. The few remixes that were...
collections and is the best known version of the song. The album version of "Almost" is similarly a remix of Hannett's version.
Version IV ("Electricity" only): A fourth mix of "Electricity" was produced by Mike Howlett
Mike Howlett
Mike Howlett is a Fijian-born musician, Grammy Award winning producer and teacher based in the United Kingdom and Australia....
. This version of "Electricity" was recorded during the Organisation
Organisation (album)
-2003 remaster:# "Enola Gay" – 3:33# "2nd Thought" – 4:15# "VCL XI" – 3:50# "Motion and Heart" – 3:16# "Statues" – 4:30...
sessions when the band fancied extending the instrumental section in the middle of the song. It was initially released on the Dindisc 1980 compilation album in 1980. In 2003 it was released on CD as a bonus track on the re-issue of Organisation.
Singles
The following singles were released:| Date | Catalogue | "Electricity" | "Almost" | Sleeve | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Factory FAC6 | Version II | Version I | Special 'black on black' sleeve, limited to 5000 copies. | OMD's first single. | |
| DinDisc DIN2 | Version I | Version I | Standard white on black printing, with studio details on back of sleeve. | The single is re-released to coincide with the band signing to DinDisc. | |
| DinDisc DIN2 | Version III | Version III | Standard white on black printing, without studio details on back of sleeve. | Third attempt at achieving a hit, which finally resulted in reaching the charts. | |
Albums
"Electricity" and "Almost" were released on the following OMD albums:| Date | Album | Song | Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 February 1980 | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (album) -U.S. release :The U.S. version, released in 1981, collects material from the first two OMD albums, but retains the sleeve-art of the debut LP. -Remastered CD release with bonus tracks:Virgin / DIDCDR2 -Notes:... |
"Electricity" | Version III | |
| "Almost" | Version III | |||
| 12 March 1988 | The Best of OMD The Best of OMD The Best of OMD is a compilation album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1988. Despite the band's waning popularity both in the UK and abroad, it sold extremely well.... |
"Electricity" | Version III | |
| "Electricity" | music video Music video A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings... |
on the VHS VHS The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan .... version of the album |
||
| 28 September 1998 | The OMD Singles The OMD Singles The OMD Singles is a singles compilation album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1998. It reached #16 in the UK charts. Originally, the compilation was to include a second disc of new remixes; however, this idea was abandoned due to budget limitations. The few remixes that were... |
"Electricity" | Version III | |
| 24 April 2000 | Peel Sessions 1979–1983 | "Electricity" | Version II | Bonus track, subtitled "Factory Version 1979" |
| 14 May 2001 | Navigation: The OMD B-Sides Navigation: The OMD B-Sides Navigation: The OMD B-Sides is a compilation album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark . It was released in 2001 by Virgin Records and contains a variety of B-sides from their DinDisc and Virgin output.-Reception:... |
"Almost" | Version II | |
| December 2002 | The Id | "Electricity" | A 1978 recording by The Id The Id -External links:*... , the pre-OMD band. |
|
| 10 March 2003 | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (album) -U.S. release :The U.S. version, released in 1981, collects material from the first two OMD albums, but retains the sleeve-art of the debut LP. -Remastered CD release with bonus tracks:Virgin / DIDCDR2 -Notes:... reissue |
"Electricity" | Version III | |
| "Almost" | Version III | |||
| "Electricity" | Version I | Bonus track, subtitled "Hannett/Cargo Studios Version" | ||
| "Almost" | Version I | Bonus track, subtitled "Hannett/Cargo Studios Version" | ||
| 10 March 2003 | Organisation Organisation (album) -2003 remaster:# "Enola Gay" – 3:33# "2nd Thought" – 4:15# "VCL XI" – 3:50# "Motion and Heart" – 3:16# "Statues" – 4:30... reissue |
"Electricity" | Version IV | Bonus track, subtitled "Dindisc 1980 Version" |
| 10 March 2003 | Messages: Greatest Hits Messages: Greatest Hits Messages: Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and features the band's most successful songs accompanied by a DVD of all the bands' music videos.... |
"Electricity" | Version III | |
| "Electricity" | music video |
Sleeve design
The sleeve was designed by Factory's designer Peter Saville. The band and Saville met in a Rochdale pub and exchanged ideas. Saville told them about a book of avant-garde musical scores which he'd come across. Andy McCluskey said that he sometimes wrote down the tunes he composed in a similar shorthand. This led to the unusual graphics that feature on the sleeve. Saville suggested to use shiny black ink on black paper. Both OMD and Tony WilsonTony Wilson
Anthony Howard Wilson, commonly known as Tony Wilson , was an English record label owner, radio presenter, TV show host, nightclub manager, impresario and journalist for Granada Television and the BBC....
didn't believe it could be done, but Saville persuaded a printer to do the job. The thermographic printing
Thermographic printing
Thermographic printing refers to two types of printing, both of which rely on heat to create the letters or images on a sheet of paper.The simplest type is where the paper has been coated with a material that changes colour on heating. This is called thermal printing and was used in older model...
was a success, but the place set on fire three times, so eventually only 5000 sleeves were printed. The reissue sleeves were standard white on black printed sleeves.
Cover versions of "Electricity"
| Year | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Apoptygma Berzerk Apoptygma Berzerk Apoptygma Berzerk is a Norwegian musical group. They have achieved success with a brand of synthpop, and ballads backed with electronic rhythms, commonly known within the scene and referring to themselves as "futurepop". Apop has won awards and top-10 spots in Germany and Scandinavia... |
7 |
| 2002 | NOFX NOFX NOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up... |
45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records 45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records 45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records is a double album released in 2002 by NOFX. There are actually 47 songs on the CD version, and all the songs could easily fit onto one CD.... |
| 2004 | Popvert | Drive Thru Happiness EP |
| 2008 | Party Animals Party Animals (musical group) Party Animals are a pop-gabber group from The Netherlands. The band was created by producers Jeff Porter, Jeroen Flamman together with vocalists MCs Remsy, Evert van Buschbach, Patrick de Moor, Dennis Adam and Paul Grommé... |
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