Architecture And Morality

''Architecture & Morality'' is the third studio album by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 6 November 1981 by Dindisc. Inspired by religious music, the group sought to broaden their musical palette by utilising elaborate choral samples, the Mellotron, and other new instruments to create a more naturalistic, emotive sound. The artwork was designed by longtime OMD collaborator Peter Saville, along with Brett Wickens, while its title was derived from the book ''Morality and Architecture'' by David Watkin.

''Architecture & Morality'' reached number three on the UK Albums Chart, and was a top-10 entry across Europe. It met with a lukewarm critical response, but has since been recognised as one of the best and most influential works of its era; '' The Morning News'' named the album the greatest of 1981, and "the blueprint for synth-pop". The record became a commercial success, selling over four million copies and spawning three international hit singles – "Souvenir", "Joan of Arc" and " Maid of Orleans" – which together sold eight million copies.

Background

During the initial sessions for ''Architecture & Morality'', OMD were looking for a new musical direction. Frontman Andy McCluskey, a longtime atheist, told how the band "found a lot of influence in the emotional power of religious music". McCluskey informed ''Melody Maker'' at the time, "I haven't gone and 'got God'... It's just trying to understand why people need religion and believe in it." The group spent two months recording at The Manor, Shipton-on-Cherwell, with additional recording completed at the band's own Gramophone Suite in Liverpool. Mixing took place at Mayfair, London. Instrumentalist Martin Cooper left and re-joined the group during the making of the album, missing the bulk of the sessions. During his absence he formed Godot with former OMD session musician David Hughes.

A catalyst in the development of OMD's new sound was Hughes using the band's studio to manipulate choral samples he had recorded. Musically, the album is noted for making liberal use of those samples, as well as the Mellotron, a mechanical tape-replay keyboard. The group introduced other new instruments including prominent guitars on opening track "The New Stone Age", whose sound was intended to startle the OMD audience. All of these measures combined to produce a more naturalistic, emotive sound than on previous OMD releases.

According to the album's credits, its title was suggested to the band by Martha Ladly (formerly of Martha and the Muffins), who had read the 1977 book ''Morality and Architecture'' by David Watkin. Ladly, who was also a designer, was the girlfriend of Peter Saville, the album's sleeve designer, at the time. McCluskey felt the title ''Architecture & Morality'' represented the interplay between the human and mechanical aspects of OMD: "We had the 'architecture', which was the technology, the drum machines, the rigid playing, the attempt to break out of the box by playing specifically crafted sounds, and the 'morality', the organic, the human, the emotional touch, which we brought naturally."

"Souvenir" was the first track to be written for the album. "Sealand" was named after the Royal Air Force Sealand base on the Wirral, although the song is actually about an oil refinery; it is also a nod to the Neu! song, "Seeland". The sample-heavy title track was compiled in the studio over a three-day period. "The Beginning and the End" was an older composition that the band had attempted to record previously, but had shelved due to being unsatisfied with the results. The songs avoided the verse-chorus-verse format, utilising lengthy instrumental passages and substituting choruses with synthesizer lines. Lyrics were largely inspired by historical figures and events, including Joan of Arc, after whom two songs were named. The tenth through sixteenth tracks of the remastered edition are bonus tracks and were B-sides from the album's three singles, except "Gravity Never Failed", which was an out-take from the ''Architecture & Morality'' sessions (its original title, "Georgia", was transferred to another song on the record). This track was envisaged as a single, but was not released until it featured as the B-side of " Dreaming" (1988). "Of All the Things We've Made", and a completed version of "The Romance of the Telescope (Unfinished)", would appear on OMD's next album, '' Dazzle Ships'' (1983).

The cover artwork was produced by Peter Saville and Brett Wickens. Inspirations included "art movements like The Circle, and... mid-century iconic furniture like eCorbusier and lvarAalto".

Singles

''Architecture & Morality'' yielded three singles, all of which reached the top five of the UK Singles Chart: "Souvenir" (number three), "Joan of Arc" (number five), and "Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)" (number four), a retitled "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)". Two singles were also successful in a variety of territories, with "Souvenir" and "Maid of Orleans" each charting at number one in various European countries; the latter became Germany's biggest-selling single of 1982. "Joan of Arc" was only released in the UK. The three singles sold eight million copies combined.

Dindisc proposed "She's Leaving" as a fourth single but the group refused, believing this would over-exploit the album; the label did proceed with a small-scale release in the Benelux region. OMD later regretted their decision, attributing it to being young and pretentious.

Critical reception

''Architecture & Morality'' met with a lukewarm critical response. Lynden Barber of ''Melody Maker'' wrote, "I don't believe the Orchs even care about this record... the style is the same, the content profoundly different, the onslaught of emptiness, frivolity disguised by furrowed brows, a new brand of meaninglessness." ''Boston Phoenix'' journalist M. Howell said the record "gives off the dry stench of self-importance" and would have been more aptly titled "''Mortician & Morality''". Brad Scharff of ''The Cavalier Daily'' observed a "flawed album" that occasionally lapses into "tedium", but had praise for much of the arranging and vocal work, concluding that "the positive aspects certainly outweigh its faults". ''Record Mirror''s Daniela Soave cautioned that the album "requires more effort on the listener's part", adding, "Although I had misgivings initially, ''Architecture & Morality'' is no disappointment."

Other critics were unapologetically favourable. Dave McCullough of ''Sounds'' gave a five-star review in which he referred to ''Architecture & Morality'' as OMD's "best album yet" and a "classic in the making", while the ''Belfast Telegraph''s Jim Cusack called it an "excellent album" by a band with "higher interests and concepts in music than most others of their genre." The '' Evening Express'' stated, "'Souvenir' and the beautiful 'Joan of Arc' are obvious standouts but really any seven of the nine tracks are potential hits." ''Architecture & Morality'' was included in ''Billboard''s "Recommended LPs".

"We didn't think it got the respect it deserved", said McCluskey in 1983. "We put a lot into it and we really loved it... anything which undermines our own unstable balance creates a problem for us." Sean O'Neal of ''The A.V. Club'' told how OMD responded to lacklustre reviews of the album by "pursu nga darker, more defiantly experimental direction on its 1983 follow-up, '' Dazzle Ships''—only to have the critics belatedly declare '' rchitecture & Morality' a masterpiece." In particular, a 1984 article in ''Melody Maker'' offset the magazine's unflattering contemporary review, with Helen Fitzgerald labelling the record "the first true masterpiece of the Eighties."

AllMusic's Ned Raggett wrote, "Combining everything from design and presentation to even the title into an overall artistic effort, this album showed that OMD was arguably the first Liverpool band since the later Beatles to make such a sweeping, all-bases-covered achievement." Mark Lindores of ''Classic Pop'' asserted, "Merging the machinations of German electronica with warm Merseyside melodies and otherworldly choral samples... OMD struck the perfect balance between experimentalism and commercial appeal." In ''Record Collector'', John Doran observed an "astonishing record" whose content ranges from atmospheric love songs to the "propulsive and aryNumanesque 'The New Stone Age'" and the sample-heavy "Georgia"; Doran also had praise for Saville's "austere and iconic" cover art. Author Lori Majewski said, "''Architecture and Morality'' is so original, so special, so sublime, that if there were no other new wave bands to speak of, the entire genre could still hang its hat solely on that record."

Legacy

''Architecture & Morality'' has appeared in various rankings of the best albums of 1981. '' The Morning News'' named it the finest of the year, adding that "it's stood as the blueprint for synth-pop; few have approached an improvement upon its design." It has been listed by other publications as one of the great records of the 1980s and beyond, receiving an entry in the book, ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''. ''Classic Pop'' ranked ''Architecture & Morality'' as the eighth-best electropop record in history; in ''Tylko Rock'', critic Tomasz Beksiński named it the fourth-greatest album of the New Romantic era. It was described by ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' as the 35th-best new wave album and "a crucial connecting point in synth-pop's MTV-era transformation from wrist-slashing industrial-town dirges to sleek, love-struck modern pop music." ''Fact'' identified the record as a "classic" and a "key influence on the 80s synth-wave explosion"; it has been spotlighted as a classic album by ''Classic Pop'', BBC Radio 6 Music and Classic Album Sundays.

Musicians Moby, Frost, Tor Lundvall, and The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon have named ''Architecture & Morality'' one of their favourite records. Moby said, "I mean it's not hard to overdo the hyperbole, but it's a perfect album, so cohesive, and every song perfectly speaks to the other song, the unapologetic emotional quality of it is really inspiring. Even the artwork by Peter Saville, everything about it is perfectly crafted." Peter Kember of Spacemen 3 cites it as one of the records that shaped his life. The Charlatans vocalist Tim Burgess staged a Twitter listening party of ''Architecture & Morality'', describing it as "genius" and "absolutely beautiful". The album has received further endorsements from Anohni, Kevin Hearn of Barenaked Ladies, Alex Naidus of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Jonn Penney of Ned's Atomic Dustbin, who selected it as the record he would place on a Christmas wish list. The ''Alan Partridge'' universe has incorporated songs from ''Architecture & Morality'', with the title character noting that it features "some classic electro-rock".

The album has sold over four million copies. All of its songs were included in the first part of the setlist on OMD's 2007 comeback tour, which spawned the live album and DVD, '' OMD Live: Architecture & Morality & More'' (2008). The band also staged a 2021 40th anniversary tour based around the record.

Track listing

All songs by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, except where noted

Notes
* "Navigation" is edited some 30 seconds shorter at the end; the full original length version (3:26) is available on '' Navigation: The OMD B-Sides''.
* Disc one of the 2007 collector's edition is the same as the 2003 remastered CD.

Personnel

* Paul Humphreys – synthesisers, piano, Mellotron, acoustic and electronic percussion, organ, rhythm programming, radios, melodica and vocals
* Andy McCluskey – synthesisers, Mellotron, guitar, bass, rhythm programming, acoustic and electronic percussion, French horn, organ and vocals
* Malcolm Holmes – drums, electronic and acoustic percussion, bass synthesiser
* Martin Cooper – saxophone
* Michael Douglas - synthesizers, piano, organ

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

Notes

External links

Album lyrics
at official OMD website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Architecture and Morality
1981 albums
Albums produced by Mike Howlett
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark albums
Virgin Records albums