Crush (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album)

File:Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark 2011.jpg opted to introduce a more polished sound to the US market.]]

With OMD's Gramophone Suite studio now dismantled, the band commenced work at the more sophisticated Amazon Studios (also in Liverpool) in late 1984. The group booked Amazon for two months and tried to embrace a more relaxed, almost spontaneous approach to songwriting. Bandleaders Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys averaged a new composition every two days, with much of the lyrical content coloured by McCluskey's blossoming relationship with girlfriend (and future wife) Toni. OMD continued to make use of the Fairlight CMI sampler keyboard, which had been introduced on predecessor Junk Culture (1984). The group employed a greater use of organic instrumentation during the sessions,{{cite magazine|date=29 June 1985|title=Album Releases|magazine=Cashbox|pages=8}} as many of the Fairlight-generated sounds came to be replaced by the live playing of Martin Cooper and Malcolm Holmes (and session musicians Graham and Neil Weir). Humphreys explained, "We were looking for a more band-type sound, since a lot of people have been telling us for ages that they like the way we sound on stage."

As OMD set their sights on breaking America, Virgin Records suggested American producer Stephen Hague, of whom the band were fans.{{cite web|url=https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/omd|title=OMD|last=Wilson|first=Lois|date=30 September 2019|website=Record Collector|access-date=5 June 2021}} The group began recording with Hague in spring 1985 at The Manor, Shipton-on-Cherwell. Hague would heavily influence the feel of Crush, employing a meticulous approach and largely streamlining the band's sound. OMD had reservations about Hague's production, which McCluskey felt approached "dullness"; Humphreys admitted publicly at the time, "It's a little smoother than we would have done it ourselves."{{cite news|first=Len|last=Righi|title=OMD: British Synth Band Maneuvers Its Way Onto American Radio|work=The Morning Call|date=14 December 1985|pages=A67, A88}} Mixing was completed at Advision, London. The pressure of finishing the album on time, while working 19-hour days in a basement room with "very peculiar acoustics", served to damage rapport between the exhausted group members. Humphreys briefly quit the band during the making of the record.{{cite magazine|date=July 1993|title=A Discographical History of OMD|magazine=Vox|issue=34}}

Despite its polished sound, Crush features elements of the group's trademark early experimentation.{{cite news|first=Paul|last=Bennett|title=On Track|work=Times Colonist|date=14 December 1985|page=33 (C7)}}{{cite magazine|last=Fitzgerald|first=Helen|date=22 June 1985|title=A Fine Crush|magazine=Melody Maker|page=27}} Sampling was extensively used on both the title track and "The Lights Are Going Out", with the former utilising tuned snippets of Japanese television commercials recorded by McCluskey; Humphreys' then-wife Maureen provided additional vocals on both songs.{{cite web|url=http://www.omd-messages.co.uk/disco/albums/html/a_23.html|title=OMD Discography: Crush|website=Messages|access-date=8 June 2021}} Elsewhere, "88 Seconds in Greensboro" was inspired by a TV documentary about the Greensboro massacre of 1979, and was recorded in one live take. "Hold You" was considered as the follow-up single to "So in Love", and a music video was made, but the band ultimately reneged on the idea. Other tracks considered for inclusion were "Heaven Is" and "Southern". The title Crush refers to the number of love songs on the album.

OMD intended to use a painting by American artist Edward Hopper for the sleeve art. Martin Kirkup, the band's then-manager, stated, "I remember Andy McCluskey telling me the reason he wanted a Hopper-style painting on the cover of Crush was that he had always felt there was a lot of melancholy in the paintings of Hopper and he felt that it matched the melancholy that was in the songs." After learning of the enormous fees required to reproduce Hopper's work, the group instead hired artist Paul Slater to imitate Hopper's style (in conjunction with XL Design). Slater based his artwork on Hopper's Early Sunday Morning (1930).

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = All Music Guide to Rock

| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite book|first1=Vladimir|last1=Bogdanov|author-link1=Vladimir Bogdanov (editor)|first2=Stephen Thomas|last2=Erlewine|author-link2=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|first3=Chris|last3=Woodstra|year=2002|title=All Music Guide to Rock|edition=3rd|publisher=Backbeat Books|page=827|isbn=978-0879306533}}

| rev2 = Calgary Herald

| rev2Score = B+{{cite news|first=James|last=Muretich|title=Curious Duo Seduces Listener|work=Calgary Herald|date=6 July 1985|page=66 (E8)}}

| rev3 = Mercury & Herald

| rev3Score = 9/10{{cite news|first1=Chris|last1=Hawking|first2=John|last2=Shevlin|title=OMD: Crush|work=Mercury & Herald|date=12 December 1985|page=2 (of Rockin' Stockings)}}

| rev4 = Number One

| rev4Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Voller|first=Debbi|title=Albums|magazine=Number One|date=15 June 1985|page=37}}

| rev5 = Orlando Sentinel

| rev5Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite news|first=Bill|last=Henderson|title=Record Jockeys: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|work=Orlando Sentinel|date=7 July 1985|page=318 (Calendar, p. 10)}}

| rev6 = Record Mirror

| rev6Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Smith|first=Robin|title=Albums|magazine=Record Mirror|date=22 June 1985|page=16}}

| rev7 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev7Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite book|chapter=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|last=Evans|first=Paul|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|publisher=Simon & Schuster|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/607 607]}}

| rev8 = The Sault Star

| rev8Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite news|first=Jim|last=Halverson|title=Records|work=The Sault Star|date=27 July 1985|page=38 (Starlight, p.6)}}

| rev9 = Smash Hits

| rev9Score = 8/10{{cite magazine|last=Cranna|first=Ian|date=5–18 June 1985|title=Albums|magazine=Smash Hits|volume=7|number=12|page=20}}

| rev10 = Winnipeg Free Press

| rev10Score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}{{cite news|first=Glen|last=Gore-Smith|title=OMD album reconciles pop art with real culture|work=Winnipeg Free Press|date=20 July 1985|page=46}}

}}

Crush met with positive reviews.Waller, Johnny; Humphreys, Mike. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Messages. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1987. {{ISBN|0-283-99234-4}}. pp. 143–150.{{cite web|url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2022/10/orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark/|title=The Lowdown – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|last=Burke|first=David|date=25 October 2022|website=Classic Pop|access-date=13 November 2023}} It received five-star ratings from Debbi Voller of Number One and Robin Smith at Record Mirror, the former writing, "Crush... is a collection of remarkable songs. Each one has a life and mood of its own and OMD have cleverly combined atmosphere with instant appeal." Melody Maker{{'}}s Helen Fitzgerald named Crush the best OMD album to date, adding, "As a pop record it's sublime, intricate and unyieldingly persuasive, it doesn't give up its secrets lightly and the excitement is in the chase." According to Ian Cranna of Smash Hits, the album delivers "what OMD do best – strong, melodic songs – in a more lush, er, orchestral setting while retaining that passionate punch... it's the welcome return of the thinking person's dance music." The Guardian{{'}}s Robin Denselow said that while the group had reined in their sonic experimentation, they were "still able to roll out the strong melodies" and "swirling pretty songs".{{cite news|first=Robin|last=Denselow|author-link=Robin Denselow|title=Third Time Plucky|work=The Guardian|date=4 July 1985|page=10}}

American magazine Cashbox noted the "accessible" nature of Crush, whose increased use of organic instrumentation yields a "warmer, more inviting sound than [on] previous outings". Glen Gore-Smith of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote, "On Crush, the band has found a missing link between pop art and commerce. And, rather than compromising itself, OMD maneuvers with integrity." The Calgary Herald{{'}}s James Muretich said of the record, "It emphasizes danceable electro-pop at the expense of experimentation... Crush won't bowl one over, but will seduce one gradually with its elegance and wit." Len Righi of The Morning Call suggested that fans of the group's earlier output "may be shaking their heads... Which is not to say the songs aren't catchy or well-crafted."{{cite news|first=Len|last=Righi|title=Records|work=The Morning Call|date=24 August 1985|page=84}}

In a retrospective review, AllMusic journalist Dave Connolly unfavourably compared Crush to previous OMD efforts, observing a "lightweight" album that "represents a nearly complete reinvention of the band's original ideals."{{cite web|last=Connolly|first=Dave|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/crush-mw0000195119|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517033452/https://www.allmusic.com/album/crush-mw0000195119|url-status=unfit|archive-date=17 May 2017|title=Crush – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=17 May 2017}} On the other hand, the record was awarded a full five stars in the All Music Guide to Rock (2002), where editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine asserted that it "may be less adventurous than [OMD's] earlier work" but is still a "thoroughly winning album". Trouser Press saw Crush as the beginning of a sustained shift toward the mainstream for OMD, but allowed that the record "isn't half-bad".{{cite web|last1=Grant|first1=Steven|last2=Robbins|first2=Ira|last3=Reno|first3=Brad|url=https://trouserpress.com/reviews/orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark/|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|website=Trouser Press|access-date=29 June 2022|quote=Crush — OMD's least stylized, most mainstream album — isn't half-bad." [...] "...the type of pop OMD has offered since Crush.}} Paul Evans of Rolling Stone wrote, "With Crush, pure, luscious melody rules. Disowned (of course) by the band's cult, Crush is OMD at its most purely pop—'So in Love' and 'Secret' are flawless."

Crush has been listed among the best and most-played albums of 1985; CFNY-FM listeners voted it the year's ninth-best.{{efn|See: {{cite news|title=Best of '85|url=https://spiritofradio.ca/charts/bestof85.gif|work=Toronto Star|date=2 January 1986|page=B6|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010607083930/https://spiritofradio.ca/charts/bestof85.gif|archive-date=7 June 2001|access-date=7 March 2025|quote=Compiled from votes submitted by CFNY listeners.|via=SpiritOfRadio.ca}}{{cite news|first=Kevin|last=Bell|title=For the Record|work=The Brandon Sun|date=2 January 1986|page=13}}{{cite web|url=http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2013/08/01/best-albums-of-1985/|title=Top 100 Albums of 1985: Slicing Up Eyeballs' Best of the '80s — Part 6|date=1 August 2013|website=Slicing Up Eyeballs|access-date=1 August 2014}}{{cite web|last=Van Dorston|first=A.S.|url=https://fastnbulbous.com/lucky-85/|title=Revisiting Favorite Albums That Are 40 Years Old This Year: Top 100 Albums of 1985|date=21 February 2025|website=Fast 'n' Bulbous|access-date=3 March 2025}}{{cite magazine|date=13 December 1985|title=Alternative Top 100|magazine=Gavin Report|issue=1587|page=33}}{{cite magazine|date=5 January 2004|title=Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1985|magazine=CMJ New Music Report|page=16}}}} The record was placed at no. 141 in CMJ's "Top 1000, 1979–1989".{{cite book|date=1989|chapter=Top 1000, 1979–1989 (supplement)|title=Top 250 Singles, 1979–1989|url=https://coffee-for-two.com/2022/09/18/college-countdown-cmj-top-1000-1979-1989-143-to-141/|publisher=CMJ|access-date=1 February 2023|via=Coffee for Two}} In his 2023 list of "The 50 Greatest Synth-Pop Albums of All Time", Paste critic Matt Mitchell elected to include OMD's Architecture & Morality (1981) but stated that Crush and Organisation (1980) – both excluded under a "one album per artist" rule – were "equally worthy".{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-albums/50-greatest-synth-pop-albums-of-all-time|title=The 50 Greatest Synth-Pop Albums of All Time|last=Mitchell|first=Matt|date=21 July 2023|website=Paste|access-date=21 July 2023}} Kevin Hearn of rock group Barenaked Ladies recalled "loving" Crush. He added, "The title track, with its wonderfully strange sequence of samples, particularly appealed to my expanding musical tastes."{{cite book|first=Richard|last=Houghton|year=2019|title=OMD: Pretending to See the Future|edition=expanded paperback|publisher=This Day in Music Books|pages=414–415|isbn=978-1-9161156-2-0}}

Humphreys feels "there's some nice things on [Crush]", although he and McCluskey have expressed regret over not challenging label-enforced time constraints.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzQjKnnxVW4&t=58s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/zzQjKnnxVW4 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=OMD interview - Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys (part 3)|date=29 April 2013|publisher=FaceCulture|access-date=4 October 2016|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|url=http://www.omd-messages.co.uk/the-messages-interview-andy-mccluskey|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003201956/http://www.omd-messages.co.uk/the-messages-interview-andy-mccluskey|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 October 2013|title=Interview: Andy McCluskey|last=Tarchala|first=Lori|date=24 October 2011|website=Messages – The OMD Magazine|access-date=1 December 2016}} McCluskey also believes that the record's production does not sound like OMD.{{cite web|url= http://www.contactmusic.com/interview/interview-with-andy-mccluskey-from-omd-july-2011|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Interview|last=Gourlay|first=Dom|date=July 2007|publisher=Contactmusic|access-date=4 October 2016}} Considerable resources were expended on trying to make Crush a success in the US, Humphreys noting, "We had a saying: 'In trying to break America, America broke us'... We got the success we craved, but we exhausted ourselves getting it." Morale would continue to fracture during the making of 1986 follow-up The Pacific Age (also produced by Hague), preceding a line-up split in the late 1980s.

{{Track listing

| all_writing = OMD, except where noted.

| headline = Side one

| title1 = So in Love

| writer1 = {{hlist|OMD|Stephen Hague}}

| length1 = 3:29

| title2 = Secret

| length2 = 3:56

| title3 = Bloc Bloc Bloc

| length3 = 3:28

| title4 = Women III

| length4 = 4:26

| title5 = Crush

| length5 = 4:27

}}

{{track listing

| headline = Side two

| title6 = 88 Seconds in Greensboro

| length6 = 4:15

| title7 = The Native Daughters of the Golden West

| length7 = 3:58

| title8 = La Femme Accident

| length8 = 2:50

| title9 = Hold You

| length9 = 4:00

| title10 = The Lights Are Going Out

| length10 = 3:57

| total_length = 38:37

}}

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Crush.{{cite AV media notes|title=Crush|others=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|year=1985|publisher=Virgin Records|type=CD booklet}}

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

• Paul Humphreys – vocals; electronic keyboards; piano
• Andy McCluskey – vocals; guitar; bass guitar; electronic keyboards
• Malcolm Holmes – drums; electronic and acoustic percussion
• Martin Cooper – vocals; saxophone; electronic keyboards

Additional musicians

• Stephen Hague – electronic keyboards; guitar
• Graham Weir – trombone; electric guitar
• Neil Weir – trumpet
• Maureen Humphreys – additional vocals

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

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{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Crush}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|title=Crush|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1985|certyear=1986|date=15 May 1986|access-date=26 December 2020}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=OMD|title=Crush|award=Silver|type=album|relyear=1985|certyear=1985|id=1582-1296-2|date=1 July 1985|access-date=26 December 2020}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Notelist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090112225848/http://www.omd.uk.com/html/song_crush.html Album lyrics]
• {{Discogs master|30437}}

{{Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crush}}

Category:1985 albums

Category:Albums produced by Stephen Hague

Category:Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark albums

Category:Virgin Records albums