Orbital - Brown Album Deluxe 4xcd with underworld mix

[Dino3D]

Wait! The album reissue isn't remastered?? I'm still waiting for my copy, but if it's not a remaster, I will be mad.

[purlieu]

It hasn't been advertised as remastered so it would be unwise to expect it to be.

[Dino3D]

For me it was obvious that a 30 year old album will be remastered, unless what's the point of this reissue, especially when nothing new or unreleased in the package (I don't care about live stuff)? I am in shock.

[purlieu]

The point is it's a way of bringing the entire brown album era back into print in a straight-forward way, combined with an unreleased live album and a big book of history and liner notes.

Like, I get some albums need remastering - Dubnobass is a great example, the original always sounded thin and flimsy - but the original brown album sounds pretty fucking great to this day, so I don't really see why it needs it. If it ain't broke etc.


The fact that three tracks are digital only, despite there being space for them on the physical release, now that is a bit fucking irritating.

[holden]

Passed on this because aside from the live tracks, nothing I didn't have or feel the need to re buy. The brothers have been re-releasing EPs for the past few years that have been fun to hear. But yeah, I went deep down the Orbital collector rabbit hole years ago, so this release is inessential to me.
That said, anyone else disappointed with the live track quality? Just streamed and I appreciate that they're 30+ years old, but they sound flat, hardly any crowd and not very exciting renditions...but then I suppose it was pretty early on in their live career.

[negative1]

Originally Posted by holden

Passed on this because aside from the live tracks, nothing I didn't have or feel the need to re buy. The brothers have been re-releasing EPs for the past few years that have been fun to hear. But yeah, I went deep down the Orbital collector rabbit hole years ago, so this release is inessential to me.
That said, anyone else disappointed with the live track quality? Just streamed and I appreciate that they're 30+ years old, but they sound flat, hardly any crowd and not very exciting renditions...but then I suppose it was pretty early on in their live career.

i saw them live during this era.

to me this was their peak. they haven't been able to match
it the decades that have passed since then.

i haven't cared for anything they have released besides a few singles.

basically their first 2 albums was what made a huge 'impact' on me.

later
| || | |
ne gative 1

[iamneorev]

Originally Posted by negative1

i saw them live during this era.

to me this was their peak. they haven't been able to match
it the decades that have passed since then.

i haven't cared for anything they have released besides a few singles.

basically their first 2 albums was what made a huge 'impact' on me.

later
| || | |
ne gative 1

Snivilisation and In Sides was peak Orbital for me. I'm not really a fan of Green. Brown is decent. I love Wonky. Felt like a return to form. The rest is okay with some songs here and there I like.

[purlieu]

I really rate all five '90s albums, and have a soft spot for The Altogether which was a failed but brave experiment. Since then it's been a mixed bag, every album with a few great tracks and some utter stinkers. Something happened to their production and things just don't sound as big or dynamic as they used to for some reason.

[Dino3D]

I think there won't be any more Orbital remasters if the Brown haven't been remastered.

[holden]

Some albums certainly benefit from a remaster and I'm usually all for that. The fact that "Brown" LP was considered fine as-is is...something. So the re-release is really about combining all the peripherals for 1) fans that haven't got it all, 2) completists who want something new, be it a live cd, harder to find track, or even just the booklet. And that's fine. Underworld's three re-release box sets (Dubno, STITI, Beacoup Fish) had a bunch of extra demos, which was fantastic, but we, as superfanz still found ways to complain about it - e.g. stuff we already had on singles, EPs, remixes. It's new for many, old news for some.

Orbital does, in my opinion, seem to be mining the nostalgia/legacy route a lot lately, what with Green, Brown boxes, EPS (Omen, Chime, Lush, III, Midnight/Choice, Belfast), the 30Something re-edits/remix collection. I don't doubt they'll continue the trend with Snivilization...maybe even In Sides, since their first four are considered classics of the genre, and later releases get a bit more divisive.

(i'd rank 'em as such:
1. Brown, In Sides
2. Snivilization, The Middle Of Nowhere
3. Green, The Altogether, Blue, Wonky, Monsters Exist, Optical Delusion
Nothing bad, just preference and the later stuff is still mostly good in my mind, if a bit of retreads (Blue, Wonky), or oddball (The Altogether, Phil's contributions to Optical Delusion), or solid but pretty unsurprising (Monsters, Paul's tracks on Optical Delusion). Green is a collection of singles and sounds dated, whereas the rest feel cohesive and hold up well through time and space and loops of that nature!)