The album starts with a hesitant acoustic guitar that then charges ahead into heavy, incessant strumming underpinned by a electronic beat. 'The New Stone Age' is a post-nuclear protest song that's followed by the melodic synth-pop of 'She's Leaving' and 'Souvenir' - the latter, one of OMD's most successful releases commercially. 'Sealand' is superb - a quiet, richly-textured piece that's followed by the classic 'Joan of Arc' . The pace slows again with the elegant instrumental title track before perking up with the irrepressible 'Georgia', and the album closes strongly with 'The Beginning and the End'.

Exceptionally well realised, original and atmospheric, this album is probably the best thing OMD ever committed to vinyl. You won't be disappointed with your purchase.

One of the greatest albums in Electronic Music History
Yep...without a doubt. This album is where it's at. Forget all the so-called tags like "synth-pop" or "new wave". This album transcends any classification of the sort. Andy McCluskey & Paul Humphreys were the Lennon & McCartney of Liverpool in the 80's. If the Beatles had ever decided to make a "synth" album (heaven forbid), it probably would've sounded quite similar to this album. I can't say enough about how great this album iz. So I'll keep it brief. Melodies, harmonies, & emotional angst. Pure electronic pop ecstasy. Clearly one of the most influential albums to come out of 1981. And now it's been re-mastered in fully digital glory !!! Best tracks: SHE'S LEAVING, GEORGIA, SEALAND, MAID OF ORLEANS (will move you to tears), and SOUVENIR. What more could you ask for, except maybe for OMD to get off their duffs & get back together. 2004 will mark their 25th Anniversary. If Duran Duran & Echo can do it....OMD sure az hell can. I wish that Andy & Paul could understand the vast positive impact they had on pop music, & also on the lives of so many people. Oh well....enough ranting. You MUST have this album in your collection. Arguably OMD's finest hour. And hopefully, not their last.

an album that will stay with you
I've always liked the whole new wave scene, even if I was born a couple years too late to witness it myself. My obsession started around the age of 10, when I bought numerous 80's pop compilations and eventually found the more adventerous post-punkish stuff more interesting.

One thing that so-called "synth pop" had not done with me was connect on a deep emotional level, besides New Order and some other bands of that nature. I remember distinctly trying to get into Modern English not too long ago. Although I liked most of their "After the Snow" LP, it was never personal. No emotions were exchanged. It sounded good, but I never really felt anything.

I pretty much had lost all hope for this very specific genre after that. I didn't look into any band nor cared to. And then, thanks to some... er... filesharing service, I stumbled upon "The New Stone Age." It immedietely worked for me -- the impressively rough synth noises above the slightly distorted acoustic guitar sounded so violent, so different, so new. And McCluskey's vocals were interesting as well; he shouted each word with this sense of intense anxiety and fear of something of which I have no idea. Especially fetching is the line "oh my God/what have we done this time?"

I finally gave in and bought the newly remastered edition. Unfortunately, I must confess that I did not care for the album as a whole at first. It was pretty slow moving for the most part, and nothing else on the album sounded quite like "The New Stone Age" (which of course stupidly disappointed me). Admidst all of this complaining in my head, a couple of days went by. It was then that I realized that I had listened to the thing about six times. Why would I listen to an album that much if I disliked it so?

I've since come to terms with it and now find it endlessly fascinating. "Souvenir" is my favorite. The music is mysteriously detached and yet highly emotional at the same time (the same could be said for almost the entire album). I still can't get over the part when the main synth line kicks in at the beginning.

Another great one is "Sealand." It's one of those songs that you wouldn't mind going on forever, even if it's already eight minutes long.

Besides the three aforementioned songs, every other song on this wonderful nine song LP is amazing as well. From the beautiful synth stylings of "She's Leaving" to the curiously moving sounds found on the title track, everything simply works.

So, in conclusion: I love this album for how the cover looks, I love this album for how precise and edgily "cold" it sounds, and above all, I love this album for the way it makes me feel. No other album in recent memory has evoked such strong feelings inside.

"Architecture & Morality" is proof that synth-pop actually can have emotion.

The sound of a heart breaking
Souvenir, She's Leaving and Joan of Arc are absolutely heartbreaking songs. The CD is danceable in places, austere, hymnal, symphonic, spare and synthetic, but with a bass-deep atmosphere.

Did anyone else hear these on a walkman, in the snow, in the winter of 1982? This album is the perfect winter day lonely as heck wallow for people who aren't too close to the edge. If you are close to the edge, listen to something else. This will push you over.

The beats are relentless, the vocals emotive. Another one of those albums for which there was no precedent, and no successor. I can't listen to it without thinking about crying.

Simply incredible...
I was 19 when this album came out in 1981 - back then it was some of the freshest music I had ever heard - now that I am 40, it's STILL some of the freshest music I have ever heard. These guys are genius, and their early music has melodies and electronics that are so beautiful that some of the songs make me feel so good I almost cry. Their sound is like no other artist, before or after them. If you like this album, you MUST get "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark" and "Organisation". BRILLIANT.
Like their British synth-pop peers Tears for Fears, OMD tempered their dance-floor-friendly electro-pop with often somber philosophical or historical themes, their singles moving quickly away from the animated pop of "Electricity" to the slightly less bouncy, if increasingly brooding "Enola Gay." For this 1981 album, considered by many as their best, mainstays Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey worked hard to add depth and biotic ambiance to their heretofore largely minimalist electronic music. The results are an often surprising, sometimes challenging collection of unlikely disco-intended songs and soundscapes, highlighted by two of the period's most sullen dance hits, "Souvenir" and "Joan of Arc." This is music to dance to while pondering the meaninglessness of one's existence. --Jerry McCulley