The Best of OMD

**The Best of OMD** is the title of the first OMD singles compilation album, released on the Virgin label on 29 February 1988.

The album marks and end to the first 'chapter' of OMD history as the group, and most notably founding members and friends Andrew McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, split up shortly afterwards. The album was also compiled and released in response to the large financial debts that the group were facing at that point.

The album was not a comprehensive compilation of the group's singles and omits some releases which had not fared well commercially (*see Omissions below*).

## Release and reception

*The Best of OMD* was released on LP, cassette and compact disc, and subsequently on MiniDisc and Digital Compact Cassette with the digital formats featuring some 'bonus' tracks with respect to the analogue counterparts. Sales of the album were also boosted by the inclusion of the single Dreaming which had not been released on any previous album.

A VHS video cassette was also issued, featuring 16 of the group's promo videos.

The album turned out to be a commercial success, peaking at no.2 in the UK for three consecutive weeks, and spending a total of seventeen weeks in the Top 40 and thirty-two in the Top 100. It was also the 26th best selling album of 1988 overall, outselling 'greatest hits' compilations by artists such as Fleetwood Mac, Roxy Music and The Human League (although admittedly these were released towards the end of the year).

*Record Mirror* news (27-02-88)full page ad*Number One* magazine album review*Smash Hits* magazine album review

## Tracklisting

### Audio

Side One1. Electricity
2. Messages
3. Enola Gay
4. Souvenir
5. Joan of Arc
6. Maid of Orleans
7. Talking Loud and Clear

Side Two1. Tesla Girls
2. Locomotion
3. So In Love
4. Secret
5. If You Leave
6. (Forever) Live and Die
7. Dreaming

*- LP in gatefold sleeve with individual group member photographs and*
*miniatures of single sleeves with release date, production, engineering/remix credits.*

2. Messages
3. Enola Gay
4. Souvenir
5. Joan of Arc
6. Maid of Orleans
7. Telegraph
8. Talking Loud and Clear
9. Tesla Girls
10. Locomotion
11. So In Love
12. Secret
13. If You Leave
14. (Forever) Live and Die
15. Dreaming
16. Genetic Engineering
17. We Love You (12" version)
18. La femme accident (12" version)

*- same tracklisting used for subsequent digital and streaming releases*

### Video

1. Electricity
2. Messages
3. Enola Gay
4. Souvenir
5. Maid of Orleans
6. Talking Loud and Clear
7. Tesla Girls
8. Locomotion
9. So In Love
10. Secret
11. If You Leave
12. (Forever) Live and Die
13. Dreaming
14. Telegraph
15. We Love You
16. La femme accident

### Notes

All tracks are the standard 7" versions except:

* Electricity: album version, also used for 1980 7" re-release
* Messages: slightly longer 10" version (4:44)
* Tesla Girls: previously unreleased 'compilation album' version (3:33)
* Telegraph (CD only): a unique mix found only on this release (3:43)

## Credits

### Personnel

* All releases state "OMD are Paul Humphreys, Andy McCluskey, Martin Cooper and Malcolm Holmes" and "also playing with OMD are Graham and Neil Weir.

### Writing

* All releases state "all songs written by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark except Locomotion OMD/Troeller, So In Love OMD/Stephen Hague".
	+ These credits effectively puts all *four* members of the group (see above) on a par, even for songs which were originally credited to Humphreys/McCluskey or individually.

### Production

* Electricity and Dreaming produced by OMD.
* Messages, Enola Gay and Souvenir produced by OMD and Mike Howlett.
* Joan of Arc and Maid of Orleans produced by OMD and Richard Manwaring.
* Telegraph and Genetic Engineering produced by OMD and Rhett Davies.
* Tesla Girls, Locomotion and Talking Loud and Clear produced by OMD and Brian Tench.
* So in Love, Secret, (Forever) Live and Die, We Love You and La Femme Accident produced by Stephen Hague.
* If You Leave produced by OMD and Tom Lord Alge.

## Omissions

The following singles were omitted from the release:

* LP/MC: Red Frame/White Light, Genetic Engineering, Telegraph, Never Turn Away, La femme accident, We Love You, Shame.
* CD: Red Frame/White Light, Never Turn Away, Shame. (We Love You and La femme accident included as 12" versions).
* VHS: Red Frame/White Light, Joan of Arc (no promo video was made at the time), Genetic Engineering, Never Turn Away, Shame.