So yesterday we were discussing the Dolby Atmos® attention being given to the late Imperial Period of the Simple Minds canon. Another former Virgin Records band that has also been active in the 21st century and carving out an extension to their legacy are core collection faves Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. At roughly the same time as those Simple Minds Blu-Rays with surround and alternate mixes were announced, OMD managed to do something different with a Blu-Ray.
They are putting out a video to watch on our televisions. Old school style. And while, yes, it will contain their latest album and b-sides in high-res audio, they look to be old fashioned 2.0 stereo. But that’s not the raison d’être of it all. They have apparently made seven music videos from the album and they are putting them in a mediabook package with reading, watching, and listening content all in one package. The book is a 32 page hardcover with lots of features for our perusal. Here’s what’s served up in your choice of Blu-Ray or even [gasp!] DVD.
OMD: BAUHAUS STAIRCASE ARTefact
• Bauhaus Staircase (Music Video)
• Slow Train (Music Video)
• Veruschka (Music Video)
• Anthropocene (Music Video)
• Kleptocracy (Music Video)
• Look At You Now (Music Video)
• Evolution Of Species (Music Video)
• In Conversation with Andy McCluskey & Andy Whitehurst (The Making Of Bauhaus Staircase’s Videos)
• Evolution Of Species/Anthropocene (Live Visuals – Audio Live From Edinburgh) • Kleptocracy (Live Visuals – Audio Live From Edinburgh)
• Bauhaus Staircase (Live Visuals – Audio Live From The O2, London)
• Veruschka (Live Visuals – Audio Live From The O2, London)
• Bauhaus Staircase (Hi-Res Audio)
• Anthropocene (Hi-Res Audio)
• Look At You Now (Hi-Res Audio)
• G.E.M. (Hi-Res Audio)
• Where We Started (Hi-Res Audio)
• Veruschka (Hi-Res Audio)
• Slow Train (Hi-Res Audio)
• Don’t Go (Hi-Res Audio)
• Kleptocracy (Hi-Res Audio)
• Aphrodite’s Favourite Child (Hi-Res Audio)
• Evolution Of Species (Hi-Res Audio)
• Healing (Hi-Res Audio)
• The Rock Drill (Hi-Res Audio)
• Silver Cloud (Hi-Res Audio)
• Tomorrow Is Today (Hi-Res Audio)
• Bauhaus Staircase (Video – First Draft)
• Veruschka (Video – In Colour)
• Look At You Now (Video – In Black & White)
So there’s seven viddys, an interview between Paul + Andy with Andy Whitehuerst, the creative director of their video directors, cine1080. The team who made the clips have eschewed AI and went about creating the clips via the painstaking, old fashioned way of grimly keyframed 3D animation instead. Honest, creative sweat! I feel better already.
We also get something that occasionally happens with bands who make video discs. Their video backdrops, enhanced this time with live recordings from Edinburgh, are included here for those that missed the action. Then there’s the album and B-sides in high-res audio; presumably 96/24, but that’s not been specified. Finally the package wraps up with an early draft of the title track viddy and two clips swapped for black + white and color where they didn’t previously have it. Who says you can’t have it all?
I’m somewhat flabbergasted that in this vintage media era there is our choice of Blu-Ray or DVD; each with the exact same content, if not visual resolution. Personally, I think they should have also opted for Japanese Laserdisc [with obi] and, why not, VHS of the material! Since the package is in a 32 page mediabook, those who pre-order early enough will have the option of a tipped in bookplate signed by Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey. Nice.
And what’s it all cost? Not terribly brutal with the DVD at $39.00 and the Blu-Ray at $45.00. We’ll take delivery in May of 2025, and since I’m sitting out the US tour this time, I may opt for the Blu-Ray. After all, I have every other OMD viddy, and this is reputed to be their final hurrah [though I’ll believe that when I see it].
Leave it to OMD to sit out the mad rush to have Steven Wilson reassemble their good works in 5.1 or Dolby Atmos® and to take the artistic high road instead. I’m still awaiting delivery of the three formats of the last single from “Bauhaus Staircase,” but I should think about ordering this sooner than later as I wouldn’t look askance at yet more OMD autographs in the Record Cell. DJs, hit those buttons!
BLU-RAY
DVD
-30-
![Want List: Visage DLX RM […finally!]](https://i0.wp.com/postpunkmonk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/visage-dlxrmuscda.jpeg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1)
Post-Punk Monk 
Nice of course, and they’re one of the best groups still going, but no of course we can’t have it all as there’s no Paul singing on the album anywhere, it’s another “History Of Modern” in that it’s Paul free in the vocal stakes, which I’d hoped would never happen again. I know Andy’s bossy, but I guess Paul just doesn’t want it enough. Oh well.
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I received the email announcing this release. It’s very tempting. Good to see that some artists still want to release straight forward dvds and Blue-Rays containing lots of interesting content.
As I didn’t buy any of the CD singles it’s a chance to get all their new b-sides at once. It’s not my favourite of their more recent releases but the visual content sounds very interesting.
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AndyB – I’m with you on the… vulnerabilities evidenced on “Bauhaus Staircase.” But I would still like this. Cuz it’s OMD.
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Sounds very good and I will likely pick this up, but even as someone with no 5.1 setup at this point, I would have appreciated a 5.1 surround mix (even if it’s not by Steven Wilson!) in anticipation of someday having such a setup. Synths sound great in surround!
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A paradigm shift for me to be perhaps as I’ve never been an OMD fan. Can’t really say why; the lead singer’s voice tone, the lyrics—who knows? BUT, I admire the tenacity of OMD as a songwriting and live performance force (just stop with the all black attire on stage!). And, the fact that they’re offering this supporting visual media, for me, makes me want to buy it sight unseen! Yes, I’m ‘physical media’ that way, and would rather support their efforts in appreciation of the art form than wait to watch on YouTube. I’m sure there’s something to like and maybe even love there!
I did discover OMD’s 1984 album’s title track ‘Junk Culture’ that proposes to complete the Vangelis club song heard briefly in the Taffy’s Bar scene in ‘Blade Runner.’ I’ve always wanted to attempt that but glad these guys did it! But, please give Vangelis an album credit here — it’s not just Humphreys & McCluskey — that middle-eastern horn motif is all his!
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René – Actually, both Vangelis and OMD used the exact same sample from the Emulator sample library. No one here gets out alive! And you can join my good friend Mr. Ware in the OMD-non-fan section of Post-Punk Monk. When we met, 39 years ago, we were excited to find that we had many, many areas of exact overlap, but OMD was conspicuously not one of them. I’m sure there’s a band that he’s really all about [OMD are a Top 3 band for me] that I’m curiously cold on as well. I’ll admit that I’m not crazy about Andy’s voice, but every other part of the early package hit all of my big pleasure center buttons. Hard.
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Wow! I never knew that Emulator sample bit about Vangelis! I thought I knew a lot on this soundtrack; would love to know more on these unreleased bits! At least the groove and vibe needs to be credited to him ’cause I imagine he at least assembled that.
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