Architecture & Morality (Digially Remastered Edition)

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Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

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Architecture & Morality is the third album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1981. It is the group's most commercially and critically successful album, selling over 3 million copies. Released just eighteen months after their debut album, it demonstrated both OMD's continuing musical maturity and advancement of their style. The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. According to the album's credits, the album title was suggested to the band by Martha Ladly, formerly of Martha and the Muffins, after the 1977 book Morality and Architecture by David Watkin .

Musically, the album was notable for making liberal use of the mellotron, a mechanical tape-replay keyboard more commonly associated in Britain with progressive rock bands of the early 1970s than with the synthpop of the 1980s.

The artwork was produced by Peter Saville and Brett Wickens. Architecture & Morality was released several times with varying artwork, most notably in yellow, blue and grey but even green versions are available. The original cover from 1981 is light yellow/orange in a die-cut sleeve.

The tenth through sixteenth tracks of the remastered album are bonus tracks and were B-sides from the album's three singles, except "Gravity Never Failed" which was out-take from the album sessions, originally intended to have been a single A-side, but not released until 1988, as the B-side of "Dreaming".

Remixes of "The Romance Of The Telescope" and "Of All The Things We've Made" appeared on OMD's next album, Dazzle Ships, which was released in 1983. "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)" is often simply referred as "Maid of Orleans", released as a single with the title "Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)".

All of the album's songs were included in the first part of the setlist on OMD's 2007 comeback tour.