By Dull Roaring
OMD didn’t fabricate any excessive damage and destruction waves with this final voyage home. There was no buzz when it comes to the last CD from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark when it landed here in the States. No radio attention. No tears wept by the dumbed-down MTV legions. Only the quiet whirring of a handful of CD players loosely scattered around the continent; CD players owned by a few truehearted OMD followers who knew this was the last link in a fading chain.
Having been moderately unmoved, yet evenly devoted to the two former OMD albums (Liberator and Sugar Tax), I was hoping for a clean diversion from the too-commonplace pop that had seeped into Andy McCluskey’s work as of late. What I heard was not the early OMD experimentalization that so a heap of OMD disciples have traditionally called for, and that was fine by me (you can’t go back to the way things were). More over, what I heard on Universal was not the poppy, simple melodies with over-instrumentalization that wore thin in recent projects, either. In fact, Universal didn’t match up utterly with any former OMD CD at all, and that was incisively what I necessitated to hear.
It’s easy on the ears, there’s no denying that. And the sound is unmistakably OMD’s (former OMD founder Paul Humphries even had co-writing credits on two of the songs here: “Very Close to Faraway” and “If You’re Still in Love With Me”). But the approach was so stylistically sensible that even now, in 2004, it makes more sense than half of the filler out there. Furthermore, it’s probably the most with regard to emotions authenti album I’ve ever heard from OMD, including their “roots” days back in the early 80′s. “That Was Then” captures McCluskey at his most reflective and sincere ever, his voice harkening back to the vulnerability of Sugar Tax’s “Was It Something I Said.”
This disc is, note for note, the album I would’ve chosen to honorably conclude the evolution that was OMD’s life.
5 of 5 persons found the following review helpful.
OMD at it is best – a superb swan song. They will be missed..
By A
I am a long-time fan of OMD and have been distressd at the band’s decreased output in the 1990′s. Now that Andy McCluskey has said that OMD is no more, it is with outstanding sadness that I realize that “Universal” is their swan song. But what a way to go out. This is a collection of great tunes: a lot of merely beautiful, bordering on mainstream pop-rock, and others with the distinguishable and iconoclastic flair that is typical OMD. “Walking on the Milky Way” and “The Moon and the Stars” are a great one-two punch. Unusual songs that show that McCluskey and his mates went out at the top of their game. It is reported that OMD is no more because of McCluskey disgust with the lack of support from his label, Virgin. Indeed, this lack of aid is shown by he fact that “Universal” was never freed in the US. There is, apparently, no place for distinguishable and strange bands these days in the new world of corporate music conglomerates. Too bad… Give this a listen and you will love it and be amazed at Virgin’s stupidity. A fine and distinguishable album in all respects, that, lke most OMD stuff, never got the attentio and respect it deserved. OMD will be principally missed!
4 of 4 persons found the following review helpful.
OMD at it is best – a superb swan song. They will be missed..
By A
I am a long-time fan of OMD and have been distressd at the band’s decreased output in the 1990′s. Now that Andy McCluskey has said that OMD is no more, it is with outstanding sadness that I realize that “Universal” is their swan song. But what a way to go out. This is a collection of great tunes: a great deal of merely beautiful, bordering on mainstream pop-rock, and others with the distinctive and iconoclastic flair that is typical OMD. “Walking on the Milky Way” and “The Moon and the Stars” are a outstanding one-two punch. Unusual songs that show that McCluskey and his mates went out at the top of their game. It is reported that OMD is no more because of McCluskey disgust with the lack of help from his label, Virgin. Indeed, this lack of help is shown by he fact that “Universal” was never freed in the US. There is, apparently, no place for distinctive and strange bands these days in the new world of corporate music conglomerates. Too bad… Give this a listen and you will love it and be astonished at Virgin’s stupidity. A fine and distinguishable album in all respects, that, lke most OMD stuff, never got the attentio and respect it deserved. OMD will be mainly missed!
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