'Messages' | OMD | 'Greatest Hits' - 30th Anniversary CD + D
Jason W. Bellenger | Byron Center, Michigan, USA | 11/05/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"CD tracklisting:
01 Messages [Mike Howlett 10" Single Version]
02 Electricity [Martin Zero Version]
03 Enola Gay
04 Souvenir
05 Joan Of Arc
06 Maid Of Orleans
07 Genetic Engineering
08 Telegraph
09 Locomotion
10 Talking Loud And Clear
11 Tesla Girls
12 So In Love
13 Secret
14 If You Leave (From 'Pretty In Pink')
15 (Forever) Live And Die
16 Dreaming
17 Sailing On The Seven Seas
18 Pandora's Box
19 Dream Of Me (Based On Love's Theme)
20 Walking On The Milky Way
Total CD playing time: approximately 76 minutes. All CD tracks have been digitally remastered, using either the 1998, 2003, or 2008 remasters from the original analogue master tapes.
DVD tracklisting:
01 Electricity
02 Red Frame/White Light
03 Messages
04 Enola Gay [UK Version]
05 Souvenir
06 Joan Of Arc [Live On 'Top Of The Pops', 1981]
07 Maid Of Orleans
08 Genetic Engineering
09 Telegraph
10 Locomotion
11 Talking Loud And Clear
12 Tesla Girls
13 Never Turn Away
14 So In Love
15 Secret
16 La Femme Accident
17 Hold You
18 If You Leave
19 (Forever) Live And Die
20 We Love You
21 Shame
22 Dreaming
23 Sailing On The Seven Seas
24 Pandora's Box
25 Then You Turn Away
26 Call My Name
27 Stand Above Me
28 Dream Of Me (Based On Love's Theme)
29 Everyday
30 Walking On The Milky Way
31 Universal
DVD9 (dual layer format). NTSC format. Region 0. Running time = 2 hours approximately. Authored by Abbey Road Interactive. LPCM audio. DVD audio restoration: Andy Walter.
In late September 2008 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark celebrated their 30th anniversary with the Virgin/EMI release of 'Messages - OMD's Greatest Hits', a CD & DVD retrospective. The CD features 20 classic OMD tracks, from their very first single, 1979's "Electricity", to 1996's hit, "Walking On The Milky Way". The DVD features, for the very first time, all 31 promo videos. Note that the 1998 "Enola Gay [Sash Remix]" promo video for the 1998 'Singles' release is missing.
The remastering on the CD, in my opinion, ranges from good to excellent. The liner notes do not list any mastering credits for the CD. My understanding is that EMI used previous remasters for most of the tracks featured on the CD. Tracks 1 and 3-6 are apparently the 2003 digital remasters by Simon Heyworth. Track 2, the Martin Zero mix of "Electricity", which also featured on the 1988 The Best of OMD collection and the 1998 The OMD Singles, was not included on the 2003 first album remaster. According to information on the official OMD site, one reason why this package was delayed was due to finding an improved master for "Electricity". So, as far as I know, "Electricity" is a new 2008 digital remaster.
Tracks 7-8 are apparently the new 2008 digital remasters by Arun Chakraverty, as featured on the 25th anniversary release of Dazzle Ships. The remainder of the tracks, 9-20, on the other hand, are, as far as I can hear, the 1998 digital remasters used on the 'Singles' retrospective. How can I tell? Well, earlier tracks like "Locomotion" and "So In Love" sound the same as the 1998 remasters. Andy McCluskey also confirmed on the official site that the 1998 remasters would be used for these tracks as well.
So what does this have to do with anything? Personally, I think that all tracks featured on the CD should have been given a fresh new 2008 remaster by a new mastering engineer. The 1998 remasters sound good, but I still think that the mastering could have been improved on a number of these 1998 remasters. "So In Love", for example, has always sounded relatively flat to me, even in it's 1998 remaster. Perhaps this is the result of the production. Maybe it needs a new remix? Standing next to 2008 remasters such as "Genetic Engineering" and 2003 remasters like "Messages" make these 1998 remasters sound a little dated.
Including 20 tracks on one disc over such a massive career is quite a squeeze! Nonetheless, I think that, for the most part, the right tracks were chosen. "Dazzle Ships At The River", a Groove Armada mash-up, was originally scheduled to be included but was pulled at the last minute due to licensing issues. "Telegraph", which was originally missing, was replaced, thankfully.
The DVD is the main reason to buy this release, in my opinion. Finally fans get a chance to view 31 of the band's promo videos over the years, some for the very first time! "Red Frame/White Light" makes it's debut here! The master tape for this promo video apparently got ruined, leaving the band to use a VHS source for this release. The quality, despite a few jitters and lines here and there, is surprisingly good, considering it's age. "Enola Gay" is the UK version of the video, featuring more close-up shots of Andy.
Overall, the video quality of the DVD is good to excellent. I had the privilege of watching "Enola Gay" on a big screen plasma tv, and it looked stunning for a 1980 promo. My guess is that all the promo videos, with the exception of "Red Frame/White Light", were pulled from the original masters.
So how's the audio track for the videos? For the most part, good. Most of the videos have been re-syncronized with digitally remastered audio by Andy Walter. However, I have noted a few audio flaws in a couple of promos. "Genetic Engineering" sounds a bit muffled, as if the audio track may have been remastered from a mediocre source. "So In Love", unfortunately, is the original audio soundtrack, sounding flat and fuzzy like an old VHS copy. "Secret", the following track, is an improvement, and "La Femme Accident" suddenly sounds excellent. Why include a few tracks with poor/mediocre audio quality? One would think that these things would be double checked before sending the DVD to the presses. I guess not!
Nonetheless, complaints aside, I still have to give this release 5 stars for the generosity of the band and record label for including this many promo videos! I don't think that many fans would have ever imagined getting these videos on DVD after all this time. I am very excited since I have not seen most of these videos, since OMD were never really that big in the U.S. and received limited play on MTV. Most of these 'Sight & Sound' releases by EMI tend to leave out numerous videos, yet Andy and company went the extra mile here to ensure that most everything made the DVD!
If you want a trip down memory lane or if you are just discovering this brilliant underrated band for the first time, I highly recommend this package!"
Excellent videos! It is NTSC, Region 0
david | San Francisco | 06/18/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've seen here a few times, and it's true, the package clearly says NTSC Region 0. And it is. It works great on my USA player.
Plus, it's great. Some of those videos i've ever seen. Some i never knew existed! Now i have a copy of my own! Yeah!!"
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1