caption current_members associated_acts years_active alias label image_size article_title landscape past_members background genre image origin name
omd performing in berlin , july 2010 andy mccluskey paul humphreys malcolm holmes martin cooper the , the listening pool , onetwo id , dalek i love you , godot 1978 -- 1996 , 2006 -- present omd 100 bright antenna % , virgin , dindisc , factory , 250 orchestral manoeuvres in the dark
 yes dave coxon nigel ipinson abe jukes stuart kershaw hughes michael douglas graham weir neil weir phil group_or_band synthpop post-punk , electronic , new wave , experimental , omd at michalsky stlenite.jpg meols , wirral peninsula , england orchestral manoeuvres in the dark
orchestral manoeuvres in the dark

orchestral manoeuvres in the dark -lrb- omd -rrb- are an english new wave/synthpop group formed in 1978 , whose founding members , andy mccluskey -lrb- vocals , bass guitar -rrb- and paul humphreys -lrb- keyboards , vocals -rrb- , are originally from the wirral peninsula , north west england .
while steadily eschewing pop star status , the band cultivated a fanbase in the united kingdom from 1978 -- 1980 .
they gained popularity throughout europe with the 1980 single `` enola gay '' , and achieved broader recognition via album `` architecture & morality '' -lrb- 1981 -rrb- and its singles .
omd also garnered acclaim for their experimental recordings .
although retrospectively lauded , their album `` dazzle ships '' -lrb- 1983 -rrb- eroded european consumer interest during the mid 1980s ; `` junk culture '' -lrb- 1984 -rrb- marked a shift toward more pop-oriented songwriting .
concurrently , omd reached their peak in the united states and had a major hit with 1986 's `` if you leave '' , written for the film `` pretty in pink '' .
humphreys departed in 1989 with martin cooper -lrb- various instruments -rrb- and malcolm holmes -lrb- drums -rrb- to form the listening pool , leaving mccluskey to lead the outfit ; `` sugar tax '' -lrb- 1991 -rrb- and its initial singles were sizeable hits in europe .
by the mid 1990s , however , synthpop had become unfashionable amid the guitar oriented musical climate , and mccluskey dissolved the band in 1996 , months after their last successful single , `` walking on the milky way '' .
he founded pop group atomic kitten in 1998 .
the band reformed in 2006 and began releasing new material in 2009 .
their european fanbase remained steadfast : `` history of modern '' -lrb- 2010 -rrb- became the group 's biggest hit on the german chart ; `` english electric '' -lrb- 2013 -rrb- their largest in the uk since `` sugar tax '' .
the group have sold over 40 million records .
despite limited mainstream support for their works , omd have carved a unique legacy within popular music , being regarded by critics as the synthpop counterpart of the beatles , and a pioneering and highly influential act .
`` the quietus '' magazine editor john doran once remarked : `` orchestral manoeuvres in the dark are not one of the best synth bands ever : they are one of the best bands ever . ''
