Bauhaus Staircase (album)

**Bauhaus Staircase** is the title of the fourteenth studio album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 2023.

The title track was released as a digital single on 22 August 2023, with second track Slow Train released digitally on 18 September. A further track Veruschka was made available for download and streaming on 05 October. All three tracks were supported by computer generated videos. A video for Anthropocene was also released on the same day as the album itself.

A UK & European tour to promote the album, beginning in Oslo on 22 January 2024 was announced on 18 September.

## Origins

> *The genesis of this album was troubled. We were on tour with our latest album and brought it to the stage until February 2020. Then everything happened: the pandemic, the isolation, everything changed. The absurd thing is that, if it hadn’t been for this stop, perhaps there would never have been “Bauhaus Staircase”. During lockdown I rediscovered the creative power of total boredom. I didn’t know what to do so I sat down in this room (the one from which we did the interview via zoom), I opened the computer and I said to myself: OK let’s do something! I started working on this new album. And here we are, three and a half years later, and it’s ready and out. -* AM, October 2023
>
>

## Personnel

* Andrew McCluskey - vocals, keyboards, bass guitar
* Paul Humphreys - keyboards, vocals
* Martin Cooper - keyboards
* Stuart Kershaw - drums
* With special thanks to Malcolm Holmes

## Tracklisting

### Standard editions

CD, LP, MC, digital

1. Bauhaus Staircase
2. Anthropocene
3. Look At You Now
4. G.E.M.
5. Where We Started
6. Veruschka
7. Slow Train
8. Don’t Go
9. Kleptocracy
10. Aphrodite’s Favorite Child
11. Evolution of Species
12. Healing

vinyl and cassette editions split between tracks 6 and 7.

### First edition bonus CD

1. Bauhaus Staircase 2.7 Demo. Andy 30th Aug 2020
2. Anthropocene Demo (A Haven for Lost Souls 1.1 Paul’s track April 2020)
3. Look At You Now Demo (Zimmer Frame For Andy) Paul 28th Feb 2021
4. G.E.M. Demo (Culture War. Andy 6th March 2021)
5. Where We Started Demo (Stadium 6.0) Andy 26th May 2020
6. Veruschka 2 Demo 2nd December 2020
7. Slow Train Demo 1.3 Dec 2020
8. Don’t Go Demo 14th Nov 2018
9. Kleptocracy Demo (When I Was Young) Andy 14th March 2021
10. Aphrodite’s Favourite Child Demo (B Side Choir) Fotonovela 2011
11. Evolution Of Species 2.5 ruff
12. Healing Demo (Water April 9th 2020)
13. Bauhaus Staircase Demo. Andy 20th July 2020

### Digital deluxe edition

(Available 28.10 - 02.11.2023 only)

Tracks 1-11 per standard CD/digital

13. The Rock Drill

14. Tomorrow Is Today

15. Silver Cloud (La Düsseldorf cover)

16. Bauhaus Staircase (12" extended mix)

17. Bauhaus Staircase (Stealing Sheep remix)

18-29 standard album tracks instrumentals

## Formats

Announcement of the release was given on the official OMD site on 23 August, with the following purchase options available from the Shop:

* **First edition vinyl LP** (limited,signed and numbered) - 12 tracks, 140g opaque yellow vinyl matt finish, numbered, hand signed by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, with alternate, original concept artwork showcasing the original Bauhaus Staircase painting by John Petch
* **First edition 2CD** (limited,signed and numbered) - 12+13 tracks, presented in book style packaging with a 12 page lyric booklet, with sleeve printed on high quality board with a matt finish, with alternate, original concept artwork showcasing the original Bauhaus Staircase painting. CD2 features early demo versions of every track on the album (plus a bonus second demo of the title track).
* **Exclusive 50/50 split red and grey** 140 g vinyl with embossed sleeve, with standard 'bar graph' cover design.
* **Classic 140 g black vinyl** in embossed sleeve, with standard 'bar graph' cover design.
* **Single CD** with mini-gatefold packaging
* **Double CD** - 12+13 tracks, presented in book style packaging, standard grey sleeve design, with a 12 page lyric booklet, includes demo versions (as 'First edition' 2CD).
* **Tape cassette** in printed O-card

Various 'bundles' of the above items, plus promotional T-shirt and key-ring, were also made available.

* **Digital Deluxe** edition featuring remixes and B-sides and an instrumental version of the entire album was released for download on 28 October (see below for detais).

## Artwork

The two editions, "first edition" and "standard" have different artwork. The former bears an illustration is by Liverpool artist John Petch based on 'Iconic Stairs in the Bauhaus building in Dessau Germany' by Bauhaus artist Walter Gropius (1883-1969). [1] The standard artwork is a 'bar chart' design, with six ascending black bars and a final bar in red, with OMD logo and album title in lower case. This design was also used for the digital single releases.

## Notes

1. ↑ "Interview – ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (OMD) making art is making politics", Johnson C, wecb.fm, 27 October 2023.