Customer Reviews

U.F.Orb

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There isn't enough to say about how incredible this CD really is. Overall this CD is one of the Orbs mellowest albums and one of their darkest too. The album also has a mysterious and futuristic feel to it. Every song on here is almost produced to perfection in a way that this 1992 album beats out just about everything else that the Orb have done(Orblivion & Orbus Terrarum come close behind though). There isn't a bad track on here and the voice effects work so well. The album cover sets the overall mood of the record with it's mysterious artwork. 74 minutes of bliss compressed onto one CD! You couldn't ask for much more playing time.

The rumbling hum and electronic cricket sound effects of O.O.B.E begins the Journey above the Earth. O.O.B.E. is a very dreamy song with a very eerie mood like that of orbiting above the earth or when strolling along the outer suburbs at 3 AM on a foggy night. Eventually the dreamy ambient crescendos and the spaceship machine sound effects are laced with electronic keyboard blips and a wash of flutes that gives the song a very eerie, spacey feel almost as if you're looking out the window and seeing Earth from orbit. The keyboard blips stop around the 10:10 mark and the spaceship machine and circket effects keep going before a watery chime sound effect ends O.O.B.E. and ushers in the title track. The title track begins with with a haunting intro and the sample of a general during the Bay Of Pigs and the strange loud watery sound effects and then a helicopter sound effect comes and then the song becomes a driving techno number with pounding beats and sonic bite to it. After that we head into much darker and more mysterious territory with the ever so timeless Blue Room. This song isn't one I could explain enough with words as it's absolutely an amazing track streched to 17 & a half minutes. It starts off with strange guitar effects and the sound of an air raid siren in the background giving the song alot of spook factor. The siren returns at the 4:10 mark and then a strong ambience comes in like an approaching storm. I just love the clinging keyboard sound effects. The real good part of the song begins around the 6:50 mark with a misty ambience and the sound of a female chanting before a techno beat comes in. The song becomes an ambient techno song with incredible funky bass guitar. I just love it. I consider this song to be the Orbs darkest song and one of the eeriest tracks they've ever made. Blue Room offers more than what I can explain in words! To me, this is Dr. Alex Paterson at his best as Blue Room ties with Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain as my favorite track by them. Towers Of Dub is another bizarre track that begins with a conversation of someone being asked to meet someone at Babylon Antine. The dingling sound of a keyboard comes in and then a harmonica comes in and then funky bobbling bass lines come in and Tower Of Dub becomes a bizarre track with echoing harmonicas, awesome guitars, and the sound of a gong in the background. The song overall is an awesome track that is one of their dubbiest tracks to date and offers far more than I can say in words. A barrage of shooting laser sound effects ushers in Close Encounters with a much more ominous intro and then becomes a much heavier techno beat driven song with a very intense almost space battle like atmosphere. I just lov e the middle part of the track where it seems to struggle between a major and a minor note track. Definitely a rave like classic. The ominous rumbling sounds tie Close Encounters with Majestic. This song starts with someone saying "WAKE UP!...WAKE UP!....WAKE UP!....WAKE UP!" and jungle sound effects. A barrage of tingling synthesizers come on almost like raindrops and then the song becomes a funky upbeat song and with an earthier feel but still maintaining the spacey feel of the album. I just love the bizarre flutes and the crazy sound effects that go along with the beat. Overall Majestic is another classic. After the beats stop, all there is is just a cymbol going and a rumbling in the background when a waterfall sound effect ends the song and begins the final track Sticky End which is a 49 second outro with the sound of what I guess is the sound of sticky paper being pulled off a surface (Some say though that it's actually the sounds of elephants defecating) and the sound effects being toned way down. It ends this incredible journey of UFOrb.

This CD is a masterpiece that I cannot reccomend enough. Believe me this disc is worth owning just for Blue Room alone(There's a 40 minute, that's right, 40 minute version out there somewhere which I've had no luck in hearing or finding). No other album by the Orb has the punch that this one has. In fact, it deserves a rating of five galaxies, not just five stars. It's that good! For the next four years, the Orb would put out much earthier materieal with the bizarre and chaotic Pomme Fritz and the misty Orbus Terrarum before returning to their trademark sound with the apocolyptic Orblivion. There's lots more from this CD than what I could give away. Go and buy it now!

Possibly the Orb's greatest and most accessable album, U.F.Orb was one of the most defining albums in electronic music's history. It's not a CD you can get tired of easily. The first track, "O.O.B.E." sets the mood for the whole album. It gives off an ethereal feeling, like you're floating far above Earth looking down at all the colors of the world. The title track picks up the pace, getting rather heavy and driving, voices permeating the bleak soundscapes, and giving the feeling of an alien invasion of Earth. The masterpiece of the album, "Blue Room", is a 17 minute epic into alien abduction. Where it starts out giving off the feeling of standing on the seashore where the moon is shining and dolphins are at play, everything quiets down and the air raid sirens belt out across the horizon. Then, the aliens come down and steal you away on an amazing voyage up against the bass rumblings of Jah Wobble and guitar mayhem of Steve Hillage. When they return you back to Earth, you'll be ready to visit the dubby bliss of "Towers of Dub". Starting with a prank call made to an English TV station, you soon find yourself in a field with harmonicas and a wishy washy dub bass playing over the playful barks of Rags the dog. The track warps, and you're climbing the towers of dub with Rags chasing after you. After you've made it out of the towers of dub, "Close Encounters" and "Majestic" take you on a whirlwind tour of the Earth as viewed from far above, with creative sampling dashed through both songs. Then the album comes to a halt with "Sticky End", a ponderous 50 second track of elephants defecating.

With every Orb album to date, the focus of each album seems to get more detailed. Whereas "Adventures..." focused on space as a whole, "U.F.Orb" seems to be more focused into the Earth as viewed from Space. Each new album seems to bfing the Orb's focus back into our planet Earth. I would not hesitate to buy this album.

"O. O. B. E." is perhaps the most enlightening piece of music I have heard come from the Ambient revolution. "The Blue Room" is long and exhausting but nonetheless full of worth. The star of the show is irrevocably "The Towers of Dub." From the odd conversation in the beginning to the tripped-out harmonica, it is perhaps the high water mark of ambient dub. The other songs on the album are all good, and have more beats. If ever one needs to fly through the cosmos, merely put this cd on and all will be well.

Before Acts such as 'The Orb' (as well as: 'The Black Dog, The Klf, Biosphere & Global Communication), the only sort of ambient music largely recognised by the general public, was the reflective sort of reflective, somber compositional ambient music favoured by the likes of 'Brian Eno'. But acts like 'The Orb' with their 'Ambient-House', was a relatively new term/Genre. It took the serenity & cerebral atmospherics of 'Ambient', and coupled them with synth pads, strings, keyboards, sampling & midtempo beats, to create a dreamier and progressively freewheeling sound of 'House' & 'Electronica'. The Duo (Dr. Alex Paterson & Jimi Cauty) take the technique of eclectic sampling, and a heavy emphasis on beat-oriented sounds, and reverb, bass and percussion, and forged several exceptional albums that retained the textured, placid tones of ambient, with the post-rave rhythmic aesthetic of Electronica. And coupled it with trip-hop grooves that successfully marry, themed tracks of 'Space Travel', Spoken Word, floatable tones & ethereal melodies.

The first track "O.O.B.E." brings with it, a soothingly cinematic synth arrangement, that is a fair indication of the sort of widescape sound, that you can expect from this stunningly atmospheric track. Think of the sort of Hushed, and delicate ambient textures used on 'Brian Eno's' ambient series of albums, with the serene lilting ambience, that his albums were acclaimed for, but with slight piano keys interspersed & the most restrained use of vocal snippets, that seem to touch on subjective and conscious thoughts...this is electronic music for the mind. And the use of looped beats isn't intergrated until some 6 Min's into the track, signalling the transition into Ambient-House. The theme here (and throughout the album in fact), is 'Travelling Through Space', with various metallic techno-futuristic samples, and dense detached rhythms & free-form ambience, seamlessly intergrated. Yet still retaining that all important balance between subtly detached ambience, and possessing synthesised ambient beats mixed with vocals.

The second track "U.F. Orb" mixes swirling, cascading synth work & expertly modified vocal sampling (alarm sounds, Dialogue from the 'Space Program', Environmental sounds...etc), before being replaced with uptempo techno beats (with a sublime use of high-hat rhythm breaks) moving at a relatively quick pace, that works alongside a superb, heavy echoey reverberated dub bass sound. Although the actual arrangement is simple, in its implementation, the effect is similar to a particularly well-judged fusion of World Music mood and instrumentation, intergrated with the smoked-out sounds/grooves of instrumental Dub. This is a beautiful pairing of Western Dub Fusion, and a complete contrast to the subtle tones of the previous track.

"Blue Room" is a epic track, the likes of which the 'Air-Raid' sirens to signal the beginning of the track should make that painfully clear, this is then mixed with subtle organs playing in the background, with subtle sounds & buzzing electronic sounds (along with a curious bubbling effect) and cold industrial sounds are all skillfully placed, with the effect carefully intergrated through the use of cleverly Cut & Manipulated editing, that fleshes out the long stretches of atmospheric organ. The occasion female vocal sample of "Awwwww- Whoooah" (taken from a early 90's UK Rave Track), provides the perfect canopy for the transition into thumping bass, that feels like its been modified to emulate thumping beats, this is insistent driving bass, with the harsh edges softened to resemble late-night Ambient-techno. Various snippets of mechanical sounds, Dialogue, Turntable effects (turntable spinback effects) & engaging synths, are all overlayed throughout the track, but care has been taken to give ample space to each sound, and thoughtfully stretched out intelligently over the 17Min's that this track runs to, and such is the beautifully devised arrangement, the time literally flys by, when listening to this astonishing track.

The overriding musical theme for "Towers of Dub" is (Obviously) DUB!!, a recorded telephone message or someone ringing "London Weekend Television" (UK television Broadcast), and getting through to a security guard to leave a message, is a highly amusing (or disorientating if you live outside the UK), start to the track. Bizarrely, the frequent use of : dogs barking, chirping birds and rhythmic sounds float in and out of the mix, are all firmly put in the shade by a truly stunning Harmonica sample playing throughout the track, mixing wonderfully with the heavy instrumental Dub, that is produced with pin-point keyboard and electronic sampling, and skitting drum beats audible in the background, the effect of these decidedly synthetic dubby basslines, could arguably have been the work of some of the Dub greats such as "The Mad Professor" or legendary "Lee 'Scratch' Perry", had they decided to make a more electronically orientated album, it's in turns, sophisticated, sprawling and hypnotic, and yet uptempo enough for either late night or daytime listening...working equally as well, whether your chilling out, or merely need some music to lose yourself into. And is so expertly judged and produced that is highlights one of the finest examples of Ambient-House.

The remaining 3 Tracks are all equally up the stunning quality of previous tracks, "Close Encounters" shifts the tempo, and moves into a combination of a blended Chicago electro-house orientated track, matched against the stylisation and experimentation of IDM (Intelligent Dance Music), and the low-end ambience of "Majestic", manages to feel like a surreal dreamlike track, encapsulating rhythmically and conceptally, the best attributes of 'The Orb' in an 11 minute breakdown, that at times feels like tightly crafted melodies, and creative samples, working in perfect unison.

There should be absolutely no doubt, that If you are a fan of either 'Ambient House' or 'Ambient Dub', (albums Such as: "Aphex Twins - Selected Ambient Works", "The KLF - Chill Out", "Future Sound of Londons - Lifeforms", "The Black Dogs - Bytes"), that this album is an absolutely essential purchase.
I'm reviewing this album have listened to it for the first time now in 2005, even though it was intially release back in 1992....and surprisingly it still feels vital, and doesn't feel dated. Admittedly if this is your first 'Orb' purchase, then (takes deep breath), you should pick up their incredible "The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld" (Double Cd) first, as it is the Duo's Definitive work, with this album a very, very close second. But that album's a sprawlling masterpiece which is a concentrated listen, whereas this albums single cd, is far more manageable listen. And unquestionably stands as one of the genre greatest exponents.

I will concede right away that "Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld" probably has the best songs the Orb has ever made in "Little Fluffy Clouds", "Perpetual Dawn", and "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre of the Ultraworld". Not to imply that this album is somehow slacking off, but those three simply are unequaled. And you know what? You don't even miss them. Simply put, "U.F. Orb" holds together far better as an album. All the tracks are fantastic and work well individually (particularly numbers 3 through 6), but when you sit back and experience the entire thing as a whole... well, words can't describe it. The best album the Orb has ever made, one of the best chill-out/ambient albums out there, heck, one of the best albums out there, period. If you don't own this one, buy it right now.

and there I was, in middle of nowhere (akureyri, iceland) waiting for the bus home, 3 hours to kill. I walked around and came across this music shop, walked in, saw some cds at 50% discount. I checked what was available and saw this funky cd called U.F.Orb. I faintly recalled having heard something about it, but I forgot what, so I asked the clerk if I could check it out, noprob he said, so I quickly spun through it... and I liked what I heard. it was different to what I was listening to at the time. so I bought it (for $10 at 50% off, those were the days :P ) and listened to it on the bus on my way home. the portable cd player I had then was crap. it skipped like mad all over, so the cd lasted me for 3:30 hours of playtime ;) but ya know, it didn't matter because it somehow always was able to skip to the right places so the it sounded just like a long whacked mix. that was back in summer of 93. I'm still listening to this cd a few times every month. and I swear I never get enough of it. it is just *too* awesome to be believed. Listen to what everybody else is saying, this is one of *the* very best cds ever released, you'd be a fool to walk past it. May the UFOrb be with you, always :)

This is a condensed version of the original triple vinyl release of 'U.F.Orb', which came 'hermetically sealed' in blue-grey PVC and had to be cut open with knife or scissors - a typically elaborate Paterson/Cauty marketing gimmick that also seemed to say something about how they viewed The Orb as a cultural project. It was as if 'U.F.Orb' was a time capsule, a distillation of the sprawling experiments on 'Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld', a sealed container flung into space to show the rest of the universe what it was like on Earth (or at least in Britain) in 1992.

As a summation of a point in musical time, it's as evocative as 'Revolver' or 'Ziggy Stardust' or 'Sound Affects'. And like all of those, there's something ineffably British about the way The Orb took beats from Detroit, minimalist compositions from New York and dub from Jamaica, and stretched and warped them into a completely new form. If the clubs were full of house and techno, the bedrooms were full of smoke and ambient dub, and The Orb were responsible for much of it.

'U.F.Orb' is their finest achievement, proving that 'Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld' wasn't a novelty record but the herald (along with The KLF's 'Chill Out') of a new genre. The sound here is both denser and more dubby, with more going on but less dependence on the BBC sound effects records and slowed-down house beats that were the backbone of their earlier work. 'Blue Room' (here edited from its 39'58" single length) and 'Towers of Dub' are the standouts, but The Orb's legacy is even more impressive than their music. You can hear it not only in experimental 'dance' music from Shpongle to Monolake, from Portishead to Lemon Jelly; it's embedded in mainstream pop, soundtracks and muzak the world over. And if you still have that triple vinyl release, with the PVC intact, I bet it's worth a fortune.

Undoubtedly one of the greatest albums of recent times, of any genre: I can still put this on and get something fresh out of it.

One of the album's strengths is that it simply defies categorisation: after the first track you've probably settled down for yet another ambient ride, albeit a well-executed one, then you're thrown straight into a bass-driven dance track underlaid with a carpet of Cold War paranoic samples; next we're onto an extended guitar-noodling session and head-trip, followed by a blues harmonica and dog bark duet... it just goes on and on, the inventiveness never flagging.

Samples are humourous and pithy, rarely outstaying their welcome. Genuine musicianship is on display courtesy of Steve Hillage and Jah Wobble, amongst others, which adds enormously to the album's staying power. Epic in scope and sound, and you never quite know just where it's going to next.

A true modern classic - you won't regret buying it.

This CD has influenced my life beyond that of any other recording. Buy it, breath it and embrace the Orb!

I would give this CD ten stars if it were possible.

Mine still has the 'Brit Awards Nominee' sticker on the front. I believe this got to number one in the charts, which was dead unprecedented for what was mostly a lot of multi-layered samples with some beats here and there. For some reason it all worked; I have heard bootlegs of the early sessions which led to this album, and there's no magic in the demos. The Orb's later albums were conceptually similar but uniformly rubbish. But U.F.Orb, whether because the band was going the extra mile, or because of some ineffable fairy dust, U.F.Orb actually worked, it was relaxing, funny, mesmerising, an excellent listen with headphones, as background music, and loudly to dance to in the bits which have beats. The samples are all well-chosen and I can still recite most of them; the bit where there is a snippet from Radio Moscow, followed by loud drums, is the best. The second side of the album is noticeably moodier, with 'Close Encounters' sounding as you would expect a song about UFOs to sound.

It's also a nostalgic album, for people in their early 30s. The pre-internet 'Wired'-era computer whizz-bang space-age techno-pagan futurism of it all was mirrored in contemporary releases by the Future Sound of London, System 7 and so forth, and although this kind of ambient space music is now as dated as krautrock was in 1992, it's heartbreaking to listen to. So many dreams and hopes smashed to bits.

Excellent way to show off a hi-fi system, too, because it has quiet bits and loud bits and they all sound top-notch. 'Sticky End' is a short joke track and 'Majesty' is a bit irritating, but it's otherwise an excellent way to spend fifty minutes or so. Shame they didn't include the lengthy 'Blue Room' single as a pack-in or bonus track (it was basically the album version looped a couple of times, with a different bassline).

And it's "Teilhard de Chardin", it took me ages to find that out; he's the one who conceived of a third world, a world of objective contents of thoughts.