The OMD Singles by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark The atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the execution of French heroine Joan of Arc and society's fixation with electricity may not seem like ideal topics for chart-topping hits, but strangely enough; it works. Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys are the nucleus of OMD, creating dark, mysterious synth ballads and classic pop songs.

This album is an anthology of the group's best singles from beginning to end; spanning some 17 years. It tracks the group's journey from an unknown, experimental band to an international, chart-topping pop group.

The album kicks off with OMD's Kraftwerk-homage, Electricity' a high-energy synth-pop cult classic which has a melody that would get even the most die hard synth-hater's foot tapping. Their first hit, Messages' is a pensive and dulcet love song, characterised by its infectious melody, unusually in G sharp which helps to create the morose ambience for the song.

The international smash-hit; Enola Gay' is the magnificently up tempo, true pop' song which catapulted OMD into the limelight. Underneath its hypnotic bass-line is the story of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima; Enola Gay being the name of the plane (named after the pilot's mother). Souvenir', the first single to feature Paul Humphreys' ethereal lead vocals is a beautiful and romantic ballad which was OMD's biggest selling hit in the UK and was number one in several countries in Europe.

Joan of Arc' and Maid of Orleans', both taken from the Platinum-selling album Architecture and Morality' along with Souvenir' are written about Joan of Arc - The Maid of Orleans. The latter track is an anthemic, exquisite, orchestral masterpiece which was number one in no less than six European countries.

Tesla Girls' and Locomotion' are classic pop songs which still manage to stand-out from other, more mainstream acts of the time with their unusual arrangements and quirky synth effects, put in for good-measure. Secret' and Forever Live and Die' are two more bittersweet love songs which show off Paul Humphreys' vocals yet again.

So In Love' and If You Leave' are both catchy pop-tunes which allowed OMD to conquer America and build upon their snowballing success. The mellow track Talking Loud and Clear' gives you an opportunity to relax a little before Dreaming' the melancholically-lyriced yet bubbly track which was the last single OMD released before Paul Humphreys' departure from the group.

After a 3-year hiatus OMD were back with another platinum-selling album, Sugar Tax' and three hit singles. Sailing on the Seven Seas' is a nonsensical, almost psychedelic track with a mesmerising drum beat, Pandora's Box' is a gentle, yet poptastic' paean to silent movie star Louise Brooks and Call My Name' is a true pop song, but with choral inserts, reminiscent of OMD's earlier work.

The Barry White-inspired Dream of Me' is soft and mellow but Walking on the Milky Way' is imperceptible yet powerfully rhythmic and grows on you with every listen, it also gave OMD their 17th Top 40 hit.

I would highly recommend this album to anyone who loves music, it's a potted-history of one of the most influential groups of recent times. It conveys so many different emotions in its 18 tracks and spans a variety of different genres, it's not an album which would be pushed to the back of your CD collection. These songs, which infiltrated the mainstream with their individuality and experimentation are striking and different in their very own special way.

The first six tracks of this album are timeless, and it is almost impossible to believe they were released when they were, I haven't mentioned dates so you can make up your own mind. What OMD set out to achieve was to create music which sounded like it was from 2001In my opinion we are yet to reach a point where mainstream music reaches this peak of pop perfection.

Liam P Spencer