Cyberspace Label Compilations

"OMD: Of All The Things We've Made" (Compilation Album, 2008)

Cyberspace

Behind the minimal Peter Saville-stylee variation on OMD's own Architecture and Morailty sleeve art is an eclectic melange of tributes to Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. In part, this collection of eight fan cover versions reminds me of Trans Slovenian Express - that unforgettably leftfield Slovenian homage to Kraftwerk. In this case, it's French web radio show Cyberspace that has pulled the concept together and released it as a free digital download from their website.

There are just eight tracks here and, slightly oddly, one of those, Commuter's cover version is of a cover version - namely, OMD's cover of Kraftwerk's Neon Lights that features on the 1991 Sugar Tax album. One presumes that Commuter do know that it is a Kraftwerk song (how could they not?) but as briefly interesting as the idea initially sounds, the actual execution renders the idea pointless. OMD's cover was a very faithful rendition of the original and Commuter's merely follows suit - so, really, what's the point?

Messages is performed by Violating Groove whose name pretty neatly sums up describing their interpretation for me. But at least they have taken it into a new direction - something that is true of all the entries (bar Commuter's). Naveed's overwrought take on The Black Sea is from 1996's Universal, the tenth OMD album and one I've never actually heard so is the only track included where I'm not familiar with the original recording.. Foretaste, who I first heard back in 2004, tackle Architecture and Morailty's The Beginning And The End. But it is Babylonia's respectful yet inspired title track Of All The Things We've Made with its extra guitars that emerges as the winner here. 6/10

Rob Dyer (May 2010)

Official Cyberspace website: http://www.cyberspace.eu.com