Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Messages (10" EP)

OMD's "Messages" EP reflects three very divergent sides of the group's personality.  The version of "Messages" on side A, which differs from the one on their debut album, features impressively lush and beautiful synthesizer and drum machine sounds.  The vocals are filtered to be a bit too thin, but the bass guitar solo sounds great with so little low-end and so much articulation.  It's followed by a primitive Velvet Underground cover, "Waiting for the Man"—the austerity reminds me as much of Cabaret Voltaire as OMD.  Finally, "Taking Sides Again" is a dub-influenced instrumental take on "Messages", using a line from that song as its title.  It's a bit less sophisticated than XTC's Go + or the Basement 5 In Dub, but it's similar in concept.  The dark, austere packaging matches the two songs on the B-side more than the beautiful recording of "Messages".