GARY DALY - HOW TO LIVE AND LOVE YOUR LIFE BOX SET

            In terms of  80s New Wave  music, the past decade was gratifying for me. Many of my favorite New Wave bands from the 80s have survived and are still churning out satisfying to excellent music. I’m referring to Depeche  Mode, The Cure, The Church, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Erasure among others.  New Order roared  back to life at the start of the decade but  disbanded   midway through , leaving  2 great albums to add to their already formidable catalogue. The Lotus Eaters released their second album, Silentspace in 2001, seventeen years after their classic album, No Sense of Sin.   Tear for Fears had an excellent reunion album (Everybody Loves A happy Ending) last 2004, and still continue to tour.(Although there seems to be  no new album on the horizon.) OMD reunited in 2007 and released a new album, History of Modern , in 2010.  Four years ago, The Wild Swans was resurrected after two decades in oblivion  and  released  another classic album, The Coldest Winter In A Hundred Years last year . Everything seems to be falling on the right place… except there is something missing.  In what I would consider  as an 80’s New Wave bands reunion or revival era this past decade, there is no new China Crisis album. That is why listening to Gary Daly’s CD/EP  is like  a breath of fresh air.

             How To Live And Love Your Life is the first in a series box set editions from Polite, a company that specializes on greeting cards and postcards  using the  artworks of various artists. This box set contains 16 postcards reproduction of Gary Daly’s paintings and drawings as well as a 5 track EP of his previously unreleased solo works. The  release coincided with the opening of  Gary Daly’s first Art Exhibition  at his home town in Kirby sometime in February, 2009. The opening of the exhibit featured performance by China Crisis (see flickr.com for pictures)  The box set cost  12 GBP plus 8 GBP   international (signed for ) shipping fee. The songs are also available for download via itunes.

                                                                       

              The EP is around 15 minutes long. The music in general has a live feel to it. (Sort of  an unplugged.) The  sound quality is excellent.  It is  centered on Gary’s acoustic guitar and  piano with  accompanying music.  I would describe this EP in two words --  BEAUTIFUL MUSIC! (Mr. Daly still has his touch.) Something that we (especially the middle-age fans), can associate our life experiences. The songs are slow to mid-tempo, melancholic,  delicate, and reflective. The themes are generally about losing someone or something, about realizations, acceptance, passage of time and being thankful in life. Track  no.2("Bang On A Dress") is an instrumental that has a breezy Sergio Mendez-like atmosphere.  This  is  definitely a welcome  release and will surely satisfy Gary Daly’s (and China Crisis’) fans or anyone  who has a knack for good music. 

Tracks:

                           1.  *Loved By  The Bees

                           2.   Bang On A Dress

                           3.  *They Conspire -  Beautiful song! see  the video from
                                                          lowstar65.youtube (thanks a alot!)

                           4.   How To Live and Love Your Life

                           5.   Bag head Blues 

                                  * My Favorites

 

The Postcards

OMD TO PERFORM LIVE IN MANILA !!! 3-12-12

Farmers  Market, Cubao

ATM section



OMD's concert poster  with Olivia-Newton John and Brian Mcnight's concert posters

 Talk about a very pleasant surprise or another wish came true--Of all places, I found out about the upcoming concert of Liverpool’s  New Wave band OMD (Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark)  at the Smart Araneta Coliseum  on March 12, 2012, while withdrawing at the ATM  section  in Farmers Market here in Cubao, today February 15, 2012.

 I was reading the poster rather nonchalantly, since this was totally unexpected. The realization that they were coming here dawned on me in a delayed fashion but when it did, my neurons got electrified. I wasn’t able to contain my excitement, "Wow! Unbelievable! Amazing! OMD live here in Cubao!" , I told my wife in a restrained shout much to the consternation of the people nearby.

            

              OMD was in the forefront of the New Wave synth-pop revolution in the 80’s. Though   they never reached the level in popularity of some contemporaries like Depeche Mode,   they are one of the pillars of New Wave music. Their influence and contributions are undeniable. Their songs such as “Secret, “So In Love”, “If You Leave”, "Dreaming"  and the New Wave gem “Enola Gay” amongst others, once ruled the Philippine airwaves during the 80’s.

              OMD’s classical line-up of Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys with Martin Cooper and Malcolm Holmes reformed the band last 2007 and have been touring since then. They released an excellent  album, entitled, History of Modern two years ago. That is 24 years after their last album with this classical line-up (Pacific Age,1986) and  14 years after the last (McCluskey-only led) OMD album (Universal ,1996).   

                             

OMD is  one of my favorite New Wave bands. I have all their studio albums. Their comeback live concert dvd (2008),  OMD Live Architecture & Morality & More  is one of my favorite concert dvds. If  they  will perform the same way they did in that concert , then I believe we are in for a TREMENDOUS  live  synthpop experience, the OMD way.



Paul Humphrey's and Andy McCluskey



OMD -1983
L-R: Martin Cooper, Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys and Malcom Holmes

                        


Some of my OMD cds
L-R: Messages OMD Greatest Hits cd/dvd - available in local record bars. OMD Live Architecture &Morality &More dvd.  History of Modern cd. The concert poster says" new album out now." I checked the Odyssey music bar in  Cubao but it wasn't available.