The Orb
 

The Orb have been announced to play a best of set in the Slam Tent at T In The Park - I've never really gotten into them but ought to be catching them this year. I know there are a lot of The Orb fans on the forum, so if you want to recommend a suite of material for me to listen to go ahead - my ears are yours.

*currently obtaining the 2-dics "best of"*

Re: The Orb
 

yeah, get the 2 dicks one :p

(actually, UF Off is a good compilation, but Live93 is excellent too).

Re: The Orb
 

UFOrb and Adventures beyond the Ultraworld;)

Re: The Orb
 

I'm no huge fan either, but Adventures beyond the Ultraworld is essential in any collection, and one of my favorite early-electronic albums.

Re: The Orb
 

That's actually a pretty cool idea, the Orb doing a best-of set! I really enjoy their tunes, but many are just not suited for hearing live. Too laid back, i suppose!

UFOff is a nice compilation of most of the singles till 1998 or so, and i haven't heard any of their albums after Orblivion. But "Adventures beyond..." is the best introduction! Next up, try U.F.Orb! After that, thing's start sounding the same! "Orblivion" does rock out a lil bit, if you like heavier ambient house!

Re: The Orb
 

Some tracks by The Orb that are reccommended:

A Mile Long Lump Of Lard
Masterblaster (This is the best song I have ever heard)
L.U.C.A
Lunik
Beautitude

Re: The Orb
 

yea - I know what you mean...

I've never been a huge fan of the band... yet, in my case - I still seem to have picked up a good portion of their albums

I don't know if their live shows are the same nowadays, I missed them on the Area1 tour - which I believe was the last time they played in the US -> but you definitely should grab either "Live '93" or their Peel Sessions disc... just to prepare you for what their interpretations of tracks could be. At least on those two aforementioned live albums (and a bootleg I've got) they seem to really add in a lot of extra reverb and dub delays, also a lot of samples from movies & tv shows

so yea - pick up Live 93, also their new album "Okie Dokie" is really good, and "Bicycles & Tricycles" wasn't too bad either - although there are different versions of that album...

Re: The Orb
 

I'm with Rog.

Adventures (UK 2xCD) is the definitive.

Re: The Orb
 

Well here's what I think of their albums!

The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld - A classic, must-have double disc. Lots of classic tracks and a great sound, you can tell they spent a lot of time on this one.

U.F. Orb - Actually defines "ambient house" for me...it's good, at least the first four tracks are, after which things get a little bit stale. But some of the good tracks are classics..."Blue Room" is one of their most popular songs, and "Towers of Dub" is one of my personal favorites. Probably their second best.

Live '93 - Good stuff, but this is hard to find. For an electronic live album, these songs deviate a lot from their studio versions, almost to the point where it's hard to tell what the songs are until several minutes in.

Pomme Fritz - Doesn't really count, just a 40-minute EP Patterson put out to confuse the critics. Title track is good, though...

Orbus Terrarum - I think this is as good as U.F. Orb...a bit more down to Earth (which I suppose was the concept), this is one of the most complex ambient albums I've ever heard. Very often underrated.

Orblivion - More focus on beats and hooks with a nod toward commerciality. "Toxygene" is a great single and is the Orb at their most accessible, otherwise most of the tracks are catchy and danceable, although this does hurt the album's replay value a little...

U.F. Off - If you can get the 2 disc version do it, but the single disc should be fine. Contains all their big songs, often in alternate versions so you can get the albums too.

Cydonia - This is where they fell off the map...a lot of minimal techno garbage and hookless crap, but about half of it is good. The single "Once More" and ending track "Terminus" are worth hearing.

Bicycles and Tricycles - I think this is their lowest point, it shows them trying to make an album that's much more accessible and dancible than ever before. A few of the tracks are listenable but most of the album is boring and completely unoriginal.

Okie Dokie it's the Orb on Kompakt Disco - Not quite a return to form; the Orb never sounded like this before. Very German influenced, generally minimal, but it is very good, about as good as some of their early albums. The ambient stuff on the second half of the album is the best ambient music they've come up with in over a decade.

Hope this helps!