formed in the late '70s.
began performing together in school, playing in the bands VCL XI, Hitlerz Underpantz, and the Id. After the Id split in 1978,
for a brief time. Once he left
. The group released its first single, "Electricity," on Factory Records; the record led to a contract with the Virgin subsidiary DinDisc. Using their record advance,
built a studio, which allowed them to replace their four-track, and recorded with drummer
In 1980, the group released its self-titled debut album.
Organisation appeared the same year, which featured the U.K. Top Ten single "Enola Gay";
Hughes was replaced by
Martin Cooper after its release. The band's next few albums -- Architecture & Morality (1981),
Dazzle Ships (1983), and
Junk Culture (1984) -- found the band experimenting with its sound, resulting in several U.K. hit singles. Recorded with two new members,
Graham and
Neil Weir,
Crush, their most pop-oriented album, found more success in America than in Britain as the single "So in Love" hit number 26 on the charts. "If You Leave," taken from the
Pretty in Pink soundtrack, was their biggest American hit, climbing to number four in 1986.
The Pacific Age was released the same year, yet America was the only country where it was popular. Shortly after its release, the Weir brothers left the band, followed by
Holmes,
Cooper, and
Humphreys.
McCluskey continued with the band, releasing
Sugar Tax in 1991; in the meantime,
Humphreys formed
the Listening Pool.
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark returned with
Liberator in 1993. It was followed three years later with
Universal, which saw
Humphreys return for some co-writing credits. By the late '90s,
McCluskey had moved into artist management, while
Humphreys revived the OMD name for occasional shows.
A full-blown reunion came in 2006, including both
McCluskey and
Humphreys plus
Holmes and
Cooper. Initially, the band toured around a full-album performance of Architecture & Morality, and released one of their performances as Live: Architecture & Morality and More. Finally, in 2010, the new album History of Modern appeared on the 100% label.
–
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi