The Orb - Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld

[seraph]

THE ORB - ADVENTURES BEYOND THE ULTRAWORLD

1991

ISLAND

 

1. LITTLE FLUFFY CLOUDS

2. EARTH ( GAIA )

3. SUPERNOVA AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE

4. BACK SIDE OF THE MOON

5. SPANISH CASTLES IN SPACE

6. PERPETUAL DAWN

7. INTO THE FOURTH DIMENSION

8. OUTLANDS

9. STAR 6 & 7,8,9

10. A HUGE EVERGROWING PULSATING BRAIN THAT RULES FROM THE CENTRE OF THE ULTRAWORLD

 

Here is The Orb first album but their third best after Orbus Terrarum and U.F.Orb. With this album you can hear that they wanted to make it a little bit commerical, same as with FSOL and their Accelerator. Maybe they wanted to get some recognition before they started doing underground stuff. This album is a double one, it lasts for 2 hours and what 2 hours we get ! Beside the first song being more popish ambient, then comes Earth ( Gaia ) which is stunning journey without being commerical. Supernova At The End Of The Universe is more ethnic, trip hop structured journey. I said journey cause they do tend to make extremely long songs with soundscapes and driving rhythms. Backside Of The Moon is one of the best on album, simply amazing, very trippy with lot of dreamy pads and noises. Spanish Castles In Space is another one best in here, gentle and soothing with distinctive bass thru whole track. Perpetual Dawn is funny, tribal track that reminds me a lot of Banco De Gaia music. Into The Fourth Dimension is one of the fastest here and it is pretty good. Rest of the tracks are some mixture of trip hop, dub and ethnic fusion. The only problem with the album is using a lot of samples from various films and broadcast shows but it goes with the concept of the album and that is Welcome Extraterrestrials, this is our planet Earth...Hehe...8/10

[N2O]

I must say that this is a standout release for me. If you consider yourself a psychonaut i can wholeheartedly recommend giving this a spin in the cd-player. For me this is definately the best the orb has ever produced. Very innovating for its time! Heck i even listen to this record 13 years after its release

[Snapinho]

Only 8/10?

 

Well, I guess Seraph and I usually agree on the artist, but differ in opinion about the albums. This is brilliant stuff, even though it is perhaps more ' commercial ' ( I would say more accessible, but then again... in the end it comes down to the same thing).

 

This is great stuff. Little Fluffy Clouds has indeed become a cliche chillout-track but that doesn't make it any less good. The album as a whole is brilliant to me, I simply love the sounds they make and samples they use. And the names they give their tracks... "A HUGE EVERGROWING PULSATING BRAIN THAT RULES FROM THE CENTRE OF THE ULTRAWORLD (LOVING YOU*)

But also Outlands, Perpetual Dawn, Earth (Gaia) ok, all of them... just great.

Alltime favorite!

 

*essential addition, cause they sampled this piece from Minnie Ripperton... very well done.

 

Why does this only have two comments? This is pure gold!

[seraph]

Only 8/10?

 

Well, I guess Seraph and I usually agree on the artist, but differ in opinion about the albums. This is brilliant stuff, even though it is perhaps more ' commercial ' ( I would say more accessible, but then again... in the end it comes down to the same thing).

8/10 just beacuse it is more on the commerical side and the production quality is rather raw, but considering that it was made in 91, it doesn't matter.

 

I give 9 and 10/10 only for top notch production, groundbreaking ideas and underground quality. But, now, thinking it again, I would gibe it 9 for the old times values.