Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark to Reissue "Crush" for 40th Anniversary

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) will mark the 40th anniversary of their U.S. breakthrough album Crush with an expanded reissue set for release on October 10 via UMR/Virgin. The reissue follows the recent commemoration of the band’s Junk Culture, which also reached its four-decade milestone.

Originally released on June 17, 1985, Crush was OMD’s sixth studio album and the first to achieve major commercial success in the United States. It featured the Top 40 Billboard single “So In Love” and the radio favorite “Secret.” The album also charted in the UK and across Europe, reaching #13 on the UK Official Albums Chart.

The album’s production began in late 1984 at Amazon Studios in Liverpool, where founding members Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, joined by Martin Cooper and Malcolm Holmes, worked from a group of early demos. The band then moved to The Manor in Oxfordshire, a more secluded location, to complete the album with producer Stephen Hague.

The author's copy of "Crush"

“We felt for the first time like we needed somebody to help us focus on the production,” McCluskey explains. “We were too close to these half-written songs and needed someone who could be a little bit more objective. Stephen had a very slick production sound. Maybe unconsciously, we were also thinking, ‘If we’re going to break America, we need to be a bit more polished’.”

The Crush anniversary edition will be available in multiple formats, including 2LP black and colored vinyl, 2CD, and digital. The recordings have been remastered from the original analogue tapes and include newly uncovered material from the album’s multitrack sessions. Seven previously unreleased tracks, mixed by Humphreys, are featured alongside two demos, an alternative mix, four unreleased songs, b-sides, and extended or 12" mixes. Some of these selections have not been previously reissued or made available in digital or CD format. The package also includes archival photographs and new liner notes by music journalist Jason Draper, based on conversations with McCluskey.

The two-LP version in clear

Reflecting on the record, McCluskey noted: “The 40th anniversary re-release of Crush has been a wonderful opportunity for us to re-assess the album. 1985 was a period of great intensity with constant touring and time pressure in the studio, but we created a powerful collection of songs and lyrical themes... In hindsight, we made a much better album than we knew at the time.”

He added that tracks such as “88 Seconds in Greensboro,” “The Native Daughters of the Golden West,” and the title track “Crush” offer insight into the band’s evolving sound and approach during that period. According to McCluskey, “We changed style and musical palette, but Crush retains a confidence and energy that I am very proud of.”