Ty Reacts To OMD - MESSAGES

Today we dive into English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. "Messages" was the third single from their self-titled debut studio album. The tune reached number 13 in the UK !
What Do Ya'll Think ?!
Insta: reaction_extraction

[@Toonheartache]

OMD timeless classic songs from this 1980s synth band not heard a bad song from these guys .So many hits in 80s

[@kdp8133]

Been in love with this song for 44 years ❤

[@markmcbride678]

My favourite omd song .... absolute classic

[@paulbullas2126]

I remember hearing this for the first time as a 15 year old in 1980 music changed forever for me and 44 years on I saw them again at Swansea arena a couple of weeks ago still the best live band on the planet

[@malcolmwilson4348]

I was there. They were awesome.

[@countlezard1546]

Ty noticed right away how uncluttered Messages sound was. Actually the whole 1st album is like that. There is a reason for this. Though they got their inspiration from Kraftwerk, It was OMD, with their release of single Electricity in 1979, and the subsequent release of this first album in Feb 1980, that fully birthed the electronic synth based new wave dance music era out of the late 70's post punk era. So like everything thing else in life, the first entries that usher in a new style of music always have the freshest and purest sound of that style. Clean, simple, raw, completely un-littered with the unnecessary complexity that comes afterwards. Which describes OMDs 1st album perfectly. Besides Electricity and Messages, there are 3 other iconic songs on that 1st album. There's Red Flame/White Light, Almost(with synths done by Vince Clarke before he left and co-founded Depeche Mode) and my favorite Julia's Song. There is great video of an OMD 1981 full concert at The Theatre Royal at Drury Lane, that has beautiful versions of all the songs mentioned. And the crowd shots can give the boys a glimpse of what the new wave concert scene looked like back then as well. Enjoying your videos very much,

[@Ingens_Scherz]

This is comfortably one of my all-time favourite songs from the day. I would like to add - and sorry for the length of this note - that having grown up in the UK at this time, I kind of feel it's important to know a bit of context too. Then, the nation was really struggling. Massive industrial decline, political upheaval, daily terrorism, recession, rising unemployment - you name it. Yet, between about 1979 and 1983, there was a kind of uprising - or upsurge - of aspiring young artists who were inspired to write about this increasingly barren national landscape. They wanted to reflect the deeply traumatic transition Britain was going though then, economically and socially. They wanted to influence the corresponding cultural change - and they did. But, they were all hard up. They could not afford more than one, pretty cheap synth so they made do with something basic (or built it themselves - as with Depeche Mode). They couldn't afford a drummer so they used an (often borrowed) drum machine. (The drummer is fake in this video, by the way - that is a mimed drum machine, ho ho). They couldn't even afford guitars, so the base line was usually sequenced using whatever was available (preferably a MiniMoog, just like Saint Gary used) in the studio. That was how it was. It was a very special, rarefied and creative moment in British music history that lasted barely three years. And, of course, we had Two-Tone Ska (equally brilliant) and British heavy metal coming through at exactly the same time. But, by 1983, everyone had Prophet 5s et al. - and lousy pop record contracts - so they didn't need to slum it any more. And that was that. For me, the most interesting group of that era was Japan. They seemed to both flow with and were ahead of the time. They were not of their time. I love their first albums, of course, which were very funky, but check out 1979's "Quiet Life", 1980's "Gentlemen Take Poloroids", and 1981's Tin Drum. I'd be interested in your opinions! Because they had been around for quite a while (they formed in 1974 when they were kids), they were heavily inspired by Bowie - especially the Berlin trilogy - and by nascent Japanese synth music (Yellow Magic Orchestra specifically - RIP Ryuichi). Also, because they were established recording artists by 1979, they had access to much more advanced synths but always wanted to break away and break out creatively (mainly from themselves!). They split up in 1982 I think because David Sylvian had already foreseen the end of the era and wanted no part of what was to come (Nyk Kershaw?!). Anyway, as you can no doubt tell, I could go on about this period for many boring hours. What can I say? It's always fascinated me because it had such a profound impact on many of the things I love about music to this day (though not all ;)

[@SmartCookie2022]

This is one of the very earliest electronic-synth pop singles that kickstarted the whole thing. It's only "basic" due to how prefatory and kitchen-table produced the whole album was. The technological advancements would go in leaps and bounds by the following year.

[@ollythorp5428]

Also "basic" because every note was played in real time on analogue synths. No sequencers in those days.

[@fabien.boussat]

Can't believe how good the production sounds, I mean for 1980 ! I read somewhere that they had to perform the opening keyboard repetitive line BY HAND throughout the whole song !!! (And start over everytime it went wrong...)

[@reactionextraction]

I read that also Fabien 😎 Amazing talent and sound for 1980 !!

[@cjmillsnun]

@@reactionextraction Andy McCluskey conofirmed that was true in an interview

[@johnk6312]

Andy mclusky said he used the repeat function on the old micro korg and simply scrolled the octave dial up and down while the 8th notes repeated over and over. My guess is that was only on the 1st version though as this sounds like its sequenced properly as its too precise.

[@Yorkyscott]

The cord change from G# to D#minor sounds beautiful

[@Rob_Sausage]

Such a warm synth sound.

[@Stupot2]

Top Band . Need to see them 👍

[@samuraikaoss1455]

Saw them earlier this year. They said Electricity came out in 1979. I couldn't believe it was that old.

[@reactionextraction]

IKR 😎 Time moves quickly .. OMD are pure legends

[@ijustneedmyself]

I had the pleasure of seeing them in March in St. Pete's! They were amazing. It was one of the best shows I've been to in a while. I was one of the younger ones there, but I did see a few people that may have been in their teens! It was really cool to see that this music continues to be appreciated even by people younger than me. For me, their early, early stuff is where it's at!!

[@reactionextraction]

OMD are pure legends 😎 watching Andy McCluskey dance during their live shows is just awesome and fun!

[@ijustneedmyself]

@@reactionextraction He's still got it 🤩

[@lyndonbrock8684]

Mr Humphreys with his upside down bass guitar. ❤

[@dirkjohanneshuman]

Just to correct Andy plays bass upside down, Paul is the keyboard/synth genius.

[@wawawswfc4957]

Maid of orleans ....live

[@jamesmccallum209]

Tune!!!

[@reactionextraction]

Rad Tune ❗️

[@stansolo4138]

And the video only cost $10 to make ....... next up guys must be " ELECTRICITY "

[@ekadow]

Oh yeah that's a must!

[@alandoust551]

@@ekadow DEFO

[@thesoundlikechameleons2082]

I liked it

[@RaniOsnat]

OMD are named by bands like Depeche Mode and the Human League as their inspiration. They became more famous with their hit Enola Gay but I think this song is better. Have you guys reacted to Gary Numan?

[@reactionextraction]

No Gary Numan yet Rani, but he is on our list 😎✌🏼

[@k_t_a66]

​@@reactionextraction Love your channel :) Gary Numan is of all the "father" of UK electronic "New wave" music with his Tubeway Army project and his solo project. And he finally got credit as deserved these days and is better than ever both in concert and his writing. Most will recommend Tubeway Army "Are Friends Electric?" or Gary Numan "Cars" but I challenge you to pick Tubeway Army "Down In The Park" :) And also one of his new amazing tunes such as Gary Numan "My Name Is Ruin"

[@BAztid]

Phil Oakey is an OMD fan but he and THL weren't influenced by OMD. Many people were, though.

[@edwardtoyebo9690]

VCL10 and Promise on their next album, Organization personify how the band leaped from the first album and found that sound and grove. The album version of Messages is not has full and too much reverb went into the production. My cousin does not like this version of Messages. He says it sounds too much like A Flock Of Seagulls. The first song from their first album, Bunker Soldiers has a Peel Session version that sounds like this version of Messages. It sounds much fuller, the bass is pronounced and the synths don't sound so reverberated. This self titled debut is a landmark album.

[@SteveA308]

Talk Talk!

[@reactionextraction]

Fab band who are on our list 😎

[@SteveA308]

But good god, your son is lucky with this tutoring

[@edwarddodge7937]

Not so "basic" when you try to play it with a group and make it work. Also the video is misleading because the singer IS the bass player.

[@octaviussludberry9016]

I spoke to Andy McClusky about 5 weeks ago. I work in a museum in the North of England and he's one of our trustees. I asked him about the video and where they'd filmed it as I had a Quid bet with a mate about where it was filmed. He told me...I lost the bet. He's a great fella...down to Earth, which I knew any way as he's from round here (Wirral).