This reminds me of going to see OMD perform at the De Monfort Hall in Leicester in 1983 when I was 15. I had loved OMD previously and had a number of their singles including ‘Enola Gay’ and ‘Maid Of Orleans’ in my collection and loved the fact that their songs were often about really odd things like the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb, Joan of Arc and Oil refineries and now robotics.
1983 saw the release of the album ‘Dazzle Ships’ which heralded a new departure for the group as they started to use radio recordings, samples (with the help of the Emulator which was ground breaking at that time) and more and more unusual sounds as the basis for their songs. This song is a comprised of various samples looped with spoken dialog played over the top. I was in the bar at the side of the De Monfort Hall (getting a coke – honest!) when the concert started and the opening number was ‘Dazzle Ships Part II’ which for those who have the album will remember was a recording of a very loud alarm rather like the sort of warning sound you might hear in an emergency on a ship or submarine. Once that had finished one of the band switched on a tape recorder and played this song as I made my way to the front of the hall to get a better view.
This is probably the weirdest song in my collection but it has a simplicity and collection of unusual loops and sounds that I love. It is an acquired taste however.
Listen to the song….
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