Electricity - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark formed in 1978, when childhood friends Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey, who had been in a few bands before, decided to play as a duo, using a Teac 4 track tape-recorder as backing.

They managed to released their debut single on the independent label Factory Records in 1979. 'Electricity' was supposed to be produced by Martin Hannett, but the A-side was the band's original demo, produced by their friend Paul Collister, owner of their Teac tape-recorder. The single's sleeve was designed by Peter Saville, who would continue to do the band's artwork throughout most of the Eighties. The unusual graphics that feature on the sleeve were partially inspired by Andy and Paul's original musical notation style. Unable to read or write music, they adapted a series of symbols, each one representing different instruments. The single did not chart, but the band subsequently went on tour supporting Gary Numan, which gave them enough exposure to warrant a debut album, released in 1980.

My collection: 7" single no. 4269
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Electricity' / 'Almost'