I never knew there was an OMD tribute to Ian

..just discovered that Statues on OMD's 1980 album Organisation was about IC.

From the OMD website :

The lyrics in Statues are partially about Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division who died in early 1980 . OMD had played with Joy Division at early concerts and the band's melancholic feel had a profound effect during the recording of Organisation.

I was always in to OMD, but I never knew that ! Statues was always my fave track too...

OMD have used Peter Saville virtually all the way through their career too.

The way you moved I can't explain The mood subsides And grows again I've lived alone I've held a hand I've tried to care And understand What is faith And when belief And who knows how These things deceive I never said And though I tried If I could leave And sleep tonight I can't imagine How this ever came to be I can't imagine How this ever came to be

I have this mp3 here.I can send it for Jd fans with broad band. OMD "Eletricity" is on Palatine Box CD.They were from Factory Records in their early days. Stephen Hague also produced them.

SLEEVE DESIGN TREVOR KEY, INTERPHOTO & PETER SAVILLE

OMD's first 3 albums are all excellent, very much in the post-punk, atmospheric electronic mode. Statues is indeed a fitting tribute to Ian Curtis, it's a beautiful song.

In the excellent Postpunk Chronicles discs that Rhino put out a few years ago (where else is one gonna get hard-to-find tracks by artists ranging from The Pop Group to The Passions?), the liner note from one fan to OMD's Enola Gay said "OMD's first few records tapped into the emotionality of Joy Division, and I remember singer Andy McCluskey breaking into tears when talking backstage about his then-just departed friend, Ian Curtis."

Check this out...

So back in the 80's I was dating one of the heads of the Thompson Twins fandclub. We accompanied them on tour with OMD through 6 cities in the southwest of the USA....

So I am sitting in the back of the Riverside or San Bernardino auditorium during the OMD soundcheck and the bass player/singer starts PLAYING TRANSMISSION!!!

I drop my book (Maslow I think) and begin walking up towards the stage as he's playing the bassline riff and singing the song....

After he's done I ask him about NO and he says "hooky's a great baseplayer..."

I knew that there was a gig connection between the two of them but didn't realize that they were such fans...

from the OMD fan site

"but the obvious commercial appeal of their music provoked enough interest that it eventually led to Factory Record's supremo Tony Wilson offering them the chance to cut their debut single 'Electricity' on the Factory label"

a connection indeed!!

Originally posted by Hydrapelican Check this out...So back in the 80's I was dating one of the heads of the Thompson Twins fandclub. We accompanied them on tour with OMD through 6 cities in the southwest of the USA....So I am sitting in the back of the Riverside or San Bernardino auditorium during the OMD soundcheck and the bass player/singer starts PLAYING TRANSMISSION!!!I drop my book (Maslow I think) and begin walking up towards the stage as he's playing the bassline riff and singing the song....After he's done I ask him about NO and he says "hooky's a great baseplayer..."I knew that there was a gig connection between the two of them but didn't realize that they were such fans...

The bass lines in Electricity sounds very familiar.

sleeve design allusions....?

Get Ready / Architecture & Morality Substance / Junk Culture

Originally posted by mmh sleeve design allusions....?Get Ready / Architecture & MoralitySubstance / Junk Culture

Isn't Architecture & Morality's cover a picture of a stair well on the inner sleave viewed through a cut out in a plain sleave. Ah, just thought there is a stripe on the outer sleave. The pill shape is a recurring theme, used on early OMD satge sets and the epoymous 1st album and then on fine Time.

Being an OMD fan at the time before I even discovered New Order, I too recall the Organisation lp being dedicated to Ian Curtis cos both records were released the same year. I read in an interview once that Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys and just finished laying down the tracks for the first cut when they heard of Ian's tragic suicide, and the mood that permeated through the studio was more or less captured on the final recording - a very doleful, sad mood (the single Enola Gay apart). I read elsewhere too that Andy admitted that the lyrics to another track on that album - Second Thought- was also inspired by Ian...

Here's a spooky coincidence - both albums (Closer / Organisation) made number 6 in the charts.