Dazzle Ships by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

Dazzle Ships is the fourth studio album by English electronic music band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (credited as OMD). It was released on 4 March 1983 through Telegraph and Virgin Records. The title and cover art (designed by Peter Saville) allude to a painting by Vorticist artist Edward Wadsworth based on dazzle camouflage, titled Dazzle-ships in Drydock at Liverpool. Dazzle Ships was the follow-up release to the band's hugely successful Architecture & Morality (1981). OMD, then at their peak of popularity, opted for a major departure in sound on the record, shunning any commercial obligation to duplicate their previous LP. The album is noted for its experimental content, particularly musique concrète sound collages, and the use of shortwave radio recordings to explore Cold War and Eastern Bloc themes. Dazzle Ships met with a degree of critical and commercial hostility. Opinion of the record has changed in the years since its release, however: it has come to garner critical acclaim and a cult following among music fans. The album has also been cited as an influence by multiple artists.