Burning The Ground Exclusive
Released in the UK on 18 March 1991, “Sailing on the Seven Seas” was the lead single from OMD’s eighth studio album, Sugar Tax. It marked a new chapter for Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, as founding member Andy McCluskey carried on the band name as a solo venture following the departure of co-founder Paul Humphreys.
Bold and unexpectedly bombastic, the track blends OMD’s pop-electronic roots with glam rock swagger. With lyrical nods to Sister Ray by The Velvet Underground and My Generation by The Who, McCluskey described the sound as “OMD goes glam rock.” The result is a hook-heavy, dancefloor-ready anthem that injected new life into the band’s career.
The single was a major success, reaching #3 on the UK Singles Chart, their biggest hit since “Souvenir” in 1981. It also found favor on U.S. dance floors, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Dance Chart—despite not receiving a full commercial release in the States. In the U.S., “Sailing on the Seven Seas” was issued only as a 12” promotional vinyl and a cassette single, making its chart success there even more impressive.
A powerful reinvention and a statement of resilience, “Sailing on the Seven Seas” proved that OMD could navigate the shifting tides of the early ’90s music scene—and still come out riding high.
SIDE A:
Dancing On The Seven Seas 4:44
Engineer [Engineered By] – Phil Coxen*
Sailing On The Seven Seas (Larrabee Mix) 3:55
Remix [Remixed By] – Alan Meyerson
Sailing On The Seven Seas (Original Mix) 3:45
SIDE B:
Sailing On The Seven Seas (Extended Mix) 5:45
Floating On The Seven Seas 4:45
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Sailing On The Seven Seas | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music / Club Play | #9 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Virgin – DMD 1802
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1992
Genre: Electronic
Style: House, Synth-pop
CREDITS:
- Engineer [Engineered By] – Guy Forrester (tracks: B1 to B2)
- Producer [Produced By], Written-By – OMD*
- Written-By – Kershaw*
NOTES:
Sticker:
Orgasmic Musical Delights
Here’s 3 uptempo and 2 sleaze remixes of Sailing On The Seven Seas
Get Ready To Dance!
Promotional Copy – Not For Sale
Original version available on Sugar Tax on Virgin Cassettes and Compact Discs. 91715
Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for burningtheground.net
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!
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I recall “Pandora’s Box (It’s A Long, Long Way)” getting airplay, yet I wondered why I didn’t know this OMD song and looked it up to discover Virgin only issued a “cassingle” in the US. No radio promos, no stock. This may be because Atlantic handled Virgin in the US after their deal with A&M expired. Virgin America issued only 2 remix 12-inch promos, the one Paul posted here, and another club promo that might explain why it hit #1 on the BB Dance chart. It had 3 unique remixes not on the 12″ Paul posted here. I hope he… Read more »
Oh wow, because the album version was a fast favorite and the first single in the US was Pandora’s Box (I don’t think this single was ever released here). I think I picked the CDs up used years later listened once and put them on the shelf! So now I’m finding the remixes quite fascinating (as typical when the mix diverged and such)… Dancing on the Seven Seas is new for my collection too / not on the CDs I have! Love love love
Thanks
OMD, what a title! With a name like this, I’m compelled to download and listen.
“The power of clever marketing COMPELS you…”
~ some ‘scary’ movie I saw a years ago 🙂
Thanks, Paul.
“ORGASMIC MUSICAL DELIGHTS” This is what caught my eye when this post entered my screen! This and the word, “SLEAZE” got me breathing heavy! I’ve always adored this song because it has really stood out from the rest of their records! I agree, it really has this glam swagger to it. I love how it has this rolling effect of being on the sea. It’s sexy and sublime! I am thrilled you have this promo, Paul, because I wasn’t aware of any mixes for this track. Again, I wonder why this wasn’t promoted more in the United States! I’d like… Read more »
Jeff, your comments are always a highlight—thank you! I’m right there with you—this track oozes swagger and style, and that glam-sleaze vibe gives it a totally different flavor from the rest of OMD’s catalog. It really does have that hypnotic, rolling motion—like you’re adrift on something seductive and wild. Totally agree too—it’s a shame this wasn’t pushed harder in the U.S. Despite limited release, it still managed to crack the Billboard Dance Chart, which says a lot. I’m so glad to share this promo and the mixes with everyone—it’s long overdue love for a standout era. And yes, the community’s… Read more »
uh oh… time for Jeff to take a cold shower again!
I always love your replies to me, DJ XREY! They always make me smile. I wasn’t going to take my comment to a sexual direction initially, but seeing the word “ORGASMIC” pop-up, I couldn’t help myself. Afterall, it’s my favorite word! Who doesn’t love an orgasm!?!
Have a great day and week, my friend!!
Jeff
Ha! I would have done the same thing. This might have been a US hit had they issued this as a commercial CD single and 12″ for shoppers to see in the racks with that steamy hype sticker!
Great to see another OMD post from the early 90’s, I remember this doing well in the UK charts at the time. The follow-up single Pandoras Box here in the UK was a favourite too, which you posted last year.
Thanks Paul 🙂
Thanks so much, Mark! Always great to hear from fellow OMD fans who remember this era. “Sailing on the Seven Seas” really made a splash back then, and I agree—Pandora’s Box was another standout. Such a strong one-two punch from Sugar Tax. Glad you caught that post last year too!
Appreciate your support as always 🙂
Funny … I’d never seen the discussion about this song suggesting “Glam Rock.” But the second I saw it here, it made perfect sense to me. I also didn’t realize it was such a big UK hit which is good because that whole LP was just a terrific blend of their “art” and “pop” sides.
Right? Once you hear the “glam rock” angle, it totally clicks—those pounding drums, the crunchy guitars, and Andy’s vocal swagger give it that bold, almost theatrical energy. It’s such a fun twist on the classic OMD sound.
And yes, it was a huge hit in the UK—#3 on the Singles Chart, which was their best showing since “Souvenir”! Sugar Tax really does walk that perfect line between their experimental roots and polished pop—so glad to see it getting the love it deserves. Thanks for chiming in, always great to hear your perspective!
One of my favorite groups! Thanks for this Paul!
You’re welcome, Grant.
OMD’s “middle period”, with Andy soldiering on alone, started out pretty well. Sugar Tax is a good album but it began a strange pattern of relegating the best, most adventurous tracks to single b-sides. If some of those had been album tracks, in particular Sugar Tax itself, one of the best OMD songs from this period, the album would have been considered an absolute classic. Sugar Tax wasn’t ready in time to make it onto the album, but it also feels like confidence was lacking and “safer” tracks made the cut instead. Andy was swimming against the tide for the… Read more »
Thank you, River! You summed it up beautifully. That “middle period” really is fascinating—Sugar Tax had such a strong start, and I agree completely that some of the more daring tracks, especially the title track “Sugar Tax,” deserved a proper spotlight. It’s wild to think that one of the best songs from that era didn’t even make the album! There’s definitely a sense that safer choices won out in the final tracklist, maybe out of necessity more than desire. It was heartbreaking to watch OMD fade after putting up such a valiant fight, but like you said, the resurgence since… Read more »
Really cool background info River!
Their B-side collection, Navigation, is one of my favorite OMD LPs, even it was an unintentional one. (I have been listening to them since “Red Frame, White Light” originally came out, so I’ve followed them for — OMG — 45 years!)
LOVED this album and related mixes and b-sides. Thanks for this rip to compare to my CD singles!
The other 3 guys who were on The Pacific Age prior (and later reunions), including Paul Humpreys -did an album as The Listening Pool that definitely feels closer to a follow up than Sugar Tax, but I like both!
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the rip—and it’s always fun to compare the vinyl mixes to the CD singles, especially with how different some of the mastering can be. Totally agree about The Listening Pool—it really does feel like a spiritual follow-up to The Pacific Age. That album has such a refined, atmospheric quality, and it’s great to hear what Paul and the others brought to the table creatively post-OMD split. It’s definitely a different vibe from Sugar Tax, but both albums have their strengths. I love that each side of the split carved out its own identity. Appreciate… Read more »
It’s funny, Pacific Age is my typical go to OMD album, besides a collection, although I love them all, but I definitely like Sugar Tax over Listneing Pool any day! My it was my absolute love for it and defense of it amongst my hater peers! 😆
Thank you for uploading this fantastic 12″! Going to see OMD again in Dallas on 6/1.
I remember getting the original two-track UK 12″ back around April of ’91. Although I remember seeing this particular promo 12″ back in the day, I never picked one up. Most of the SotSS mixes themselves were spread out over multiple formats commercially in the UK/Europe and they’re all pretty much fantastically here on this one. As with a lot of club promos, its stellar B-Side “Burning” was not included, but these mixes are phenomenal.
A true gem!
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the upload—and how exciting that you’re seeing OMD in Dallas on 6/1! They’ve still got such incredible energy live. Totally with you on the promo—this one pulled together nearly all the key “Sailing on the Seven Seas” mixes that were otherwise scattered across multiple 12″s and CD singles. It really is a gem for collectors and fans who love to hear all the variations in one place. “Burning” not being included is a shame, but thankfully it’s easy to track down on the Navigation CD (a must-have in itself!). Appreciate you sharing your memories—nothing… Read more »
OMD! One of my all time favorite synth bands. You will always be a hero when you post these Paul. I was lucky enough to finally see them live at Cruel Fest a couple of weeks ago. They sounded great and put on an awesome show. Thanks!
Thank you, Mikey! That means a lot—I’m so glad you’re enjoying these posts. OMD really are one of the all-time greats, and it’s always a thrill to share these classic 12″s with fellow fans.
So cool that you got to see them at Cruel World! I’ve heard nothing but great things about their set. They’ve truly aged like fine wine—still sounding fantastic and full of life on stage. Here’s to many more live shows and deep cuts ahead!