This album was the first long-play recording for Liverpool band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The overall sound is rougher than any of their later albums but this album's charm resides in this almost-amateur recording combining with some of their punkiest songs.

Their self-entitled album starts with "Bunker Soldiers", a song that give us a general impression of what is going to be on the rest of the album: punk singing, experimental electronic backgrounds, strong melodies that remain in your head hours after you've heard the song, and the satisfaction of having such a great song in your collection. And this impression will not leave us till finishing the album.

"Almost" is kraftwerkian. Superb repetitive lead synth melody -very catchy- that crosses the whole song with Andy McCluskey's dark singing.

"Electricity" is their first single (released 3 times-three different versions too). Is an electronic classic song. This is a tribute to Kraftwerk's "Radioactivity" but much poppier. If you still haven't heard this song, you'll have to buy this album or OMD's best of.

"Mistereality" is an experimental and chaotic track. Really interesting for listening. In some kind, the title describes the track.

"The Messerschmitt Twins" is another of the punk-sounding numbers with a very notable Kraftwerk influence.

"Messages" is much much rougher than its single version. Comparing this version with the single re-recording is like comparing a Korg Trinity with an ARP 2600 (belive me!!!). Single version's excellent but this LP version has a lot to appeal too.

"Julia's song" is the punkiest OMD song ever. Andy's singing is stronger than ever after (with the exception of "The Misunderstanding" - in the 2nd album-), and the song is rock-sounding too. It's one of OMD's best songs with no doubt.

"Red Frame/White Light" was originally their 2nd single. Sweet sounds and melodies in another experimental track. It's great that a band releases their experimental songs as singles for the albums instead of more commercial tracks!!! (Nowadays nobody works in this way).

"Dancing" is the most strange song OMD has ever recorded (and they recorded a lot of strange songs -if you don't believe me, take a look at their "Dazzle Ships" album). Starting from a sampling (in 1979!!!) of an orchestral theme, comes into a random combination of rare synth sound with experimental melodies. In another album, this may lead to an opinion for a lack of creativity and thinking of it as a 'filler', but in this album is a perfect complement that fits into the whole LP's background.

"Pretending to See the Future" is very similar to "Messerschmitt Twins": punk singing and rough electronic melodies with obvious Kraftwerk influence.A very good way to finish this not enough rated album. If you think you've listened everthing, buy this CD and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

If my memory serves me correct, this was the band's debut album, and except for the great track "Electricity", this album has little else to offer. Many of the tracks are very much in the experimental stage, and overall production was a bit weak. "Dazzle Ships" is another very experimental album of theirs, but there the band's experience and artistic flair really comes through well. Although I rate this as their poorest effort, the album is a must for the true OMD fan - even if only to hear the humble beginnings of this great band.

If you do not own any OMD music, then perhaps the "Best Of" compilation is the place to start. If you already own that, then maybe move to "The Pacific Age" or "Crush" next, especially if you're a recent OMD fan. Hardcore fans should find this album interesting and worthwhile to own, but keep those expectations down.

OMD singles give the image of a group devoted to producing good pop tunes. Their albums paint a very different picture. This group was heavily influenced by Vevlet Underground (doesn't the title of 'Red frame/white light' remind you of something? and they also did a cover version of 'Waiting for the man') and Joy Division but also prepared to experiment in the most radical ways with the possibilities offered by new technological advances such as 'Emulators'. The version of 'Messages' here falls short of the glory of the single but the other two singles, the classic 'Electricity' and 'red Frame/White Light', are good. High points for me on this album are the superb 'Messerschmitt twins', the haunting synthesiser of 'Almost' (terrible lyrics though) and 'Julia's Song' (which sounds totally different from anything else they ever produced). 'Pretending to see the future' unfortunately is less convincing than a later live version released on flexi-disc (whatever happened to them?). The experimentation on this album is less radical than it would become but there is a good reason why DJ John Peel liked this group so much- they were very original for the time. The album has a certain youthful naivety which might not appeal to all.

This album shows how OMD took the influence of Kraftwerk and was able to mold it with their own style and the result is a quirky solid collection of songs. Besides the recognizable "Electricity" and "Messages", there are solid songs such as "Bunker Soldiers", "Almost", "Pretending to See the Future" and maybe one of the best OMD songs ever "The Messerschmidt Twins". The only negative to the album is that it doesn't sound as well-produced as other OMD albums; however, there is a certain charm from the lack of production.

I got this CD at a local outlet store, and i must tell you the content is a beautiful combination of dark, synth driven vocals and superb early 80s electronica. Unlike some of OMD's later albums, this one is much rougher and darker than any other i've heard. "Almost" is my favorite cut on the album, basically because of its fearful and cold driven synthline. "Bunker Soldiers" is one of those songs that really stick in your head for a while, as is "Red Frame/White Light". I also enjoy listening to "Dancing", which is kind of like a puzzle you keep trying to figure out but can't. "Mystereality" comes close to being too lighthearted for the album, though. But you can tell their experimentation pays off in the end with the very succesful "Electricity" and "Messages". Overall I was more than happy with the CD though. A wonderful debut album for OMD, I highly recommend it to anyone who are fans of McCluskey and Humphreys.