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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Although the non-partisan synth-pop admirer will find little on Navigation to match the melodic investment of OMD's finer singles, this is a purposeful collection of B-Sides dating from an era when filling-up the flipside with anything as lazy as dull out-of-house extended remixes would result in a sound lynching from the fanbase. B-Sides once had a life of their own. Accordingly, Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphries used theirs to proffer some work-in-progress ("Romance Of The Telescope" was later reworked for the "Dazzle Ships" album while 1988's "Gravity In Mind" was actually a shelved single from 1981), doff their caps to some obvious influences (Neu), to dabble with the classics (as on a not entirely convincing, rinky-tinky synth Velvet Underground cover) or to pursue a swooping synth gloom far-removed from the sing-song buoyancy of some of their singles. Also included is "Wheels Of The Universe", first given away as a free one-sided 7-inch with Junk Culture. A handy collection of lost treasures, if only for badge-wearing OMD fans who forget to store their old 45s at room temperature. --Kevin Maidment
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
What better way to discover the true talent and skill of a group than to explore their "b" sides? This is a fantastic album which shows that OMD were more than just a synth pop band. The early Kraftwerk influences in "I Betray My Friends", the awesome "Gravity Never Fails", all the way through to the hauntingly brilliant "Romance of The Telescope". A superb compilation of the most undersold band ever.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It is hardly surprising that OMD, prodigious producers of early 80s synth-dominated music should produce such a varied mosaic of B-sides as this. The tracks on this CD fall into two types. Those stemming from the albums 'Organisation' to 'Dazzle Ships' and which are of similar ambience and quality and those more erratic ones from the more 'pop' phase of the mid-80's. I much prefer the earlier. There are a couple of stand out tracks here. '4 Neu' is an Eno/Bowie inspired piece that makes great late night listening. 'tis both sad and wonderful. Likewise the instrumental '66 and Fading' (although the version here is less than half the length of the one from the 'Telegraph' 12").'The Angels' (Keep Turning the Wheels of the Universe), despite its pompous title, is great and has some of the Vangelis influences of the 'Junk Culture' album. This was originally not a b-side but a one-sided single that came with initial copies of 'Junk Culture'. This CD is a good complement to 'Dazzle Ships', 'Architecture and Morality' and 'Junk Culture'. More selectivity in this set would have been good ('Waiting for the Man' is awful) and a great b-side from 'Secret' called 'Drift' has been left off. As, thankfully, has the super-awful 'Maria Gallante' from the 'So In Love' double single. Other good tracks: the pensive 'Avenue', 'Gravity Never Failed' and 'Romance of the Telescope'. If you like early OMD, this is a good one to have.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This cd is a must for hardcore omd fans. The group displays their experimemental synth capacity on their b-sides, and it sounds great. I've never understood why this band did not receive the accolades depeche mode got, considering they were doing electronic music before dm. Although mostly experimental, this cd features some synth pop gems such as Concrete Hands, which would have been the 2nd best track on the Crush album had it been included on the album, as well as a definite hit. There are no weak links on this cd.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Better than the 'Best of,,'
To an extent, this mirrors the 'Best of OMD' album, in that it starts very strongly, but sort of drifts off at the end ( though at least it does'nt have the awfull Dreaming or... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Neil Hugh Holliday
b side the OMD
having nearly all the OMD 45's it is nice to have the b side's on cd.
better sound than making your own tape there's a few missing if you have all the singles you know which... Read more
better sound than making your own tape there's a few missing if you have all the singles you know which... Read more
Published 17 months ago by smilersluck
Great compilation showing real experimentation
This album doesn't try to be definitive, but picks a cross-section of interesting b-sides that work really well as a challenging (and rewarding) album in their own right. Read more
Published 19 months ago by M. B. Wilson
Navigates Its Way To Your Heart
One of the few brilliant artists to get an almost (but not quite complete b-sides collection), this is a long-awaited present for us Omdies who didn't buy all (or any) of the 45s... Read more
Published 22 months ago by ScottPaul ScottPaul
An eclectic collection of rare gems
Although I've been an OMD fan since 1980 I rarely bought singles, sticking mainly to the albums, so this collection has alot of stuff that I've never heard. Read more
Published on 23 Aug 2002 by Pchat
Excellent for long time fans (like me!)
There are some excellent tracks on this album, and it's great that they've been collected together in this way. Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2002
DANGER - Genius at work!!
OMD are the defintive 80's artists. I have always favoured their album tracks above their singles. Here is a collection of trackes even most OMD fans may not have heard. Read more
Published on 24 May 2001 by Ty
Orchestral Men shine out from the dark
Once again, the song writing talents of Humphreys and McCluskey are brought to the attention of the music world through this compilation of the B-sides. Read more
Published on 14 May 2001
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