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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!
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