How to lose 3 million fans in one easy step

I enjoyed this article in The Guardian the other day.

"The album that almost completely killed our career seems to have become a work of dysfunctional genius," says Andy McCluskey with a grin. "The reality is that it's taken Paul [Humphreys] 25 years to forgive me for Dazzle Ships. But some people always hold it up as what we were all about, why they thought we were great."

I've always loved Dazzle Ships. Some great songs, and moreover some really great sounds. After this album OMD start sounding 'successful' i.e. they sound like they can afford the same gear as everyone else. I love the lack of polish in the earlier albums.
I always remember when I bought Dazzle Ships (which is not something I can say about most albums I own). I thought I owned everything OMD had ever done, and yet I came across the tape (yes, it was a while ago) of Dazzle Ships in a little music shop on Waterloo Station. I felt like I'd stumbled on hidden treasure. And indeed I was right.

os, April 2008