Customer Reviews

In Sides (Saint)

5 star:		(101)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was ill in Intensive care for 4 months totally paralysed (I had Guillian Barre Syndrome)..desparate to ease my boredom my folks bought in a portable CD player. Most music gave me headaches, until a week later a nurse put on Insides...after 40mins he asked 'How do u do that?' He nodded to the monitors and my BP and heart rate had sunk down as I swam blissfully amongst the album. Im not a hippy type, but that album was a treat for me....I can still put it on and get lost in it. The best album I have ever heard

I was a late bloomer when I got into techno music. I didn't get into it until I was in college and started going to nightclubs where I was exposed to some really great dance music. I also lived with a guy who was into techno music. Not only did he expose me to Delerium and Leftfield, but he also exposed me to what I consider to be a classic and definitive album in techno music...Orbital's "In Sides". I first heard Orbital on some import compilation of techno music, the song I heard was "The Box". I loved the melodies as well as the intricate beats. A couple of years ago I bought "In Sides" when I found a copy of the cd in the used bins. I haven't listened to it in a long time because of my constant change in musical obsessions. I decided to listen to "In Sides" tonight because I haven't heard it in a long time. Unlike a lot of techno artists/groups, their music doesn't hold up very well with time but Orbital is an exception. Eight years later and "The Box" and "The Girl With the Sun in Her Head" still sounds fresh to me. I love all the songs on the first disc. there isn't one song I don't like on it. The second disc is a live disc except for "The Saint" and "The Sinner". I like "The Saint" but I wasn't too wild about "The Sinner". Overall "In Sides" is still the masterpiece that I thought it was a few years ago.

For you techno fans: it's Orbital. 'Nuff said.

This is the most amazing CD I've ever listened to. Honestly, no hyperbole there.

The first Orbital I heard was on the radio. It sounded pretty good, but I didn't really get into it for about another year, when I bought the "Satan" single, and was just blown away by the masterful work on the last two songs (I wasn't much for the "Spawn" version of the song, but it was still good.)

From the initial ambience and thumping of "The Girl With the Sun in Her Head", I knew I was in for a real treat. The song goes for a full 10 minutes, hardly ever reaching a point where you could call it repetitive. (In fact, on quite a few occasions, I just stuck this song on repeat for about an hour.)

P.E.T.R.O.L. has a bit of industrial feel to it, and can get a bit boring; you may like it, you may not.

The album version of "The Box" is a great song, starting out rather ambient, then on the second part adding some definite beat and tune to it.

"Dwr Budr" was a song written about the oil spills off the coast of Wales; it's Welsh for "dirty water," and is perhaps the darkest Orbital song made yet.

You may want to pay attention to the track listing the first time you listen to the CD, because it's difficult to tell when "Dwr Budr" becomes "Adnan's."

"Out There Somewhere?" is Orbital's latest UFO song, after "LC1" and "Are We Here?" At a total of 24 minutes, when it ends it's nothing at all like it starts out.

The second disc of this will either be the "Times Fly/Box" disc, or the "Satan/The Saint/Halcyon" one. To put it simply on "Times Fly" and "Sad But New": Orbital meets Enya. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, if you don't like Enya. "The Tranquiliser" is, to say the least, just holy. The 28 minute version of "The Box" is, in fact, 4 versions of it: the radio version; another that starts out very industrial-like, and ending with what I believe is a harpsichord; a version using quite a few bells; and a vocal version. It's worth every minute.

The other second disc of "In Sides" isn't quite as impressive as the first, but it's still got some good stuff on it. However, you will probably be sick and tired of "Satan" after a while, as it has two versions of it, one lasting 3 minutes, and one lasting 7 minutes. There's also "The Saint", as well as a remix of it (or, as Orbital calls it, a "diversion"; they take the original tune, and go off in a different direction with it). The disc also has the fabled live version of "Halcyon" in which they use samples of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name" and Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven On Earth." (The reason for this? They found the tunes quite similar, so they decided they'd let other people in on it.) This is the last you'll hear of the Bon Jovi/Belinda Carlisle mix, because they're going to be doing it anymore. (Well, they'll still be performing "Halcyon," but, oh, nevermind...)

All in all, one of the best techno albums. Ever.

Orbital are one of the most important bands at the end of the 20th century, and "in Sides" is here to prove that. This is Orbital's fourth album, their most complete, beautiful and most progressive edition - their best yet. And i honestly doubt that we'll hear something like this ever again, not just by Orbital but in all of the electronic music out there.

It will make you cry, it will make you smile, make you dance, but most importantly it will make you listen to it all the way - from beginning to end. It's unbelievable! A landscape of sounds going in and out of your head, swirling around and around, again and again. You won't just listen to the music, you'll be able to SEE IT. That's how amazing this album is.

It starts with TGWTSIHH, a very sad song, dedicated to Sally Harding, the girl that photographed Orbital. A true electronic ballad.

P.E.T.R.O.L. is a total contrast to TGWTSIHH - very powerfull, hard.

On to THE BOX. A long time favorite among Orbital fans, today it still remains the most famous and most recognized Orbital song.

Then we have DWR BUDR and ADNAN'S, both row, but also very emotional, ballad - like tracks in a way only Orbital can do it.

And the best for last. The 24 minute OUT THERE SOMEWHERE?, spacey, trance - like. While listening to it every single time, it always make's me find something different in it, something new, something magical. Listening to it is like floating in space. It's that good!

You're still reading this? Hey, haven't you figured it out by now? There aren't words good enough to describe this to you. Go on, get it. Buy it. It's the only way you'll understand what i'm trying to tell you.

A truly life - changing experience. Listen to it, enjoy it... I know i did...

i can't even begin to explain the magnitude of this work. it's truly a masterpiece of techno music. nearly every track is jaw-dropping. when i first bought the cd, i popped it into my portable stereo, pushed play, and was basically in a trance for the whole first track. (the girl with the sun in her head) the way they manipulate sound and put layer after layer of beautiful melody and harmony with an incredible set of percussion loops, and when you think you've figured out the main tune, they'll bring in another electronic noise to absolutely blow you away. i highly recommend the tracks the girl with the sun in her head, P.E.T.R.O.L., Dwd Budr (or whatever it is), Adnan's, and ESPECIALLY out there somewhere? pt.2. adnan's uses trash can beats and drip of water into their percussion, while out there somewhere? pt.2 weaves the melody in and out for almost fourteen minutes of great music. this song lovely.. got to be my favorite orbital song right now, it nearly brings me to tears every time i hear it. this cd, along with diversions has placed orbital as one of my favorite bands, and this cd is in my top five of all time. if you're a techno/electonica fan, get it!

I have this cd, but I have the release #1 that was put out June 4, 1996. For some reason you can't buy it anymore as far as I could find. The second cd is the only difference between the first release and the second. I can't seem to find any of the tracks that are on the second cd anywhere else except here on amazon but only the audio cassette. Here is what the #1 release looks like if anyone is interested
[...]
1. Girl With the Sun in Her Head
2. P.E.T.R.O.L.
3. Box, Pt. 1
4. Box, Pt. 2
5. Dwr Budr
6. Adnan's
7. Out There Somewhere?
8. Out There Somewhere?
Disc: 2
1. Times Fly (Slow) 7:58
2. Sad But New 7:29
3. Times Fly (Fast)7:53
4. The Tranquilizer 6:27
5. The Box 28:11

I love the second cd, especially the last track it's almost a half an hour long.
I never knew until now that the first cd's tracks had titles the front of cd that I have is pretty blank.The tracks on the second cd are listed on the front. I don't know why for some reason the tracks are listed on one but not the other.

This is suuuch an amazing album on every level. I don't throw the word "masterpiece" around lightly, but that's exactly what In Sides is. If you're not a believer in electronica as a true art form, this may be what changes your mind.

A few specs, so you know I'm legit: In Sides is the big brother to Orbital's 1993 "brown album," with its relentless, continuous-groove, DJ mix style. In Sides is four distinct "sides," built around a pair of 2-part, side-long suites-- the now-classic techno ballad "The Box" and the mind-expanding "Out There Somewhere?," with several incredible feats of MIDI engineering in between, including "P.E.T.R.O.L." and "Adnan's".

A little background: On 1994's Snivilisation the brothers Hartnoll got a little out of hand with the vocal samples and wild tempo swings. It was an album Orbital fans (like me) appreciated, but ultimately couldn't truly love it. I wished they'd leave the IDM to guys like Black Dog and just make us wanna spin 'round like a record again.

Well, call it a comeback: Im 1996 In-Sides delivered the goods with floorshaking rhythms that would make the Pope want to get down and boogie. He'd stop contemplating the significance of "Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me" to marvel at the interplay of unearthly synth melodies, robotic snare "whap"s and those signature Orbital basslines.

For that matter, there are only two carefully placed vocal samples on In-Sides, versus the seemingly hundreds that populated the last album. This is a good thing. Orbital may be many things, but it is not funny.

(One more thing: "The Girl With The Sun In Her Head" was recorded in a mobile solar-powered studio, I guess as a sociopolitical statement. Those tree huggers!)

And I haven't even talked about Disc 2! Discover it for yourself...

First, I should say the I own every Orbital album and every soundtrack they've been on, atleast one copy of each album. I have bought this album 3 times. I bought it first at the end of 1996, and loved it. A few years go buy, my car is broken into and all my CD's were stolen. I go buy another copy of the album and now the second disk is different, and a wave of depression comes over me. I listen to the new bonus disk and though it is very good it is not as good as the original bonus disk. Tangent-- Now don't get me wrong I enjoy the new disk - especially 'The Sinner' and the live version of 'Halcyon'. But I own the 'Green Album' and 'The Saint Soundtrack' already. Original thought-- After some time hunting for it I finally find another copy of the original In Sides and life is good. I just want to say, if you are an Orbital fan and you have not heard the song 'Times Fly' (fast) or (slow) then you are surely missing out. If you own Snivilization and haven't heard the remix of 'Sad But True' called 'Sad But New' then you are missing out. And lastly, the 28:25 minute 'The Box' opus. You thought 'Illuminate' and 'Frenetic' were the only Orbital song with real singing in them.

As for an actual review of the album. You buy this album and listen to it and you will understand that the greatest writer in the world could not convey emotion half as well as this album. I have had this CD for roughly 7 years and 'The Girl With The Sun In Her Head' and 'Adnan's' still bring a tear to my eye.

This is still one of my all time favorite albums of all time. I have owned this since the original version. The one that contains the wonderful full verison of the box along with four of the best orbital songs ever made.

Times Fly (slow), Sad but new,Times Fly (fast),Tranquilizer, The Box (EP),

I don't know if this album would have held up as well in my head over time if it wasn't for the second disk . The one they have added after the saint came out is not a fair exchange, but its not like the above songs are tottal impossible to find.

People seems to be confused at why orbital sounds so different, when it seems logical to me. Even though they use very "electronic sounds" they use them in a very natural and jazzy way. Giving a much more natural sounding technique for every sound makes them sound more like actuall music getting played. This album takes the concept even farther by having the most natural sounding drums of all the albums. Blending the electronics together with natural drums and natural rythems results in something thats still unique. Nobody has managed to have the same kinda of natural usage of electronic beeps with out just tweeking and sampling natural insturments. Orital writes the music to sound "real" and then uses very textured unreal sounds to layer the music into genious. This is by far the greatest Orbital album.

Out There Somewhere Pt. 2 is maybe my favorite ambient (in the expansive sense of the term) track ever. Every time I listen to it, I literally get goosebumps. A lot of times I read writing about music, where people try to explain the feeling they get when listening to something they consider beautiful, and I just shrug. It's so hard to explain or capture-- the most you can do is dance around it. In Sides is beautiful. It encapsulates so much of the promise of electronic music, so many of the possibilities. The whole album is organic and united-- not a single track feels out of place. Rhythm is rudimentary but for Orbital it's the melody that's essential-- intricately woven layers of melody that sound more and more precise and necessary each time I listen to the album. When I listen to this I think of faraway places I'd like to visit. It makes life feel dramatic and mysterious.