Orb Re-releases

[shadyboy]

July 28th sees the re-release of a salvo of Orb albums through Universal Catalogue. All four albums, Pomme Fritz, Orbus Terrarum, Orblivion & Cydonia were all originally released on Island Records.

All four albums come as 2-CD packages and include fully re-mastered versions of the original albums, deluxe, expanded packaging with sleeve notes from Kris Needs plus rare and previously unreleased mixes from the period of the original album releases.


...::: Pomme Fritz :::...

Disc 1 (original album)
01: Pomme Fritz (Meat ‘n’ Veg) - 9.02
02: More Gills Less Fish Cakes - 8.03
03: We’re Pastie To Be Grill You - 7.11
04: Bang ‘Er ‘N’ Chips - 7.44
05: Alles Ist Schoen - 7.26
06: His Immortal Logness - 2.05

Disc 2 (Remixes)
01: Sausage Tats Mit Gravy – Dom mix #1 - 11.35
02: Star Twister – Pomme Fritz & Apple Sauce mix - 6.39
03: Potato Fields of Electric Gliding Blue – Ambient mix - 10.57
04: Eastern Hot Dogs in Gardens of Dub – Lx mix - 11.31
05: Wrapped With Salt & Vinegar – Thomas Fehlmann mix - 10.08

Released in July 1994, Pomme Fritz was the bands first album for Island Records having released their first two albums for Big Life. By now something of a ‘household name’ thanks to the success of 2nd album U.F.Orb, Pomme Fritz, sub-titled The Orb’s Little Album, came as something of a shock to fans and critics alike. At 41 minutes it was, in Orb terms, something of a sprint and following the almost ‘pop’ sensibility of tracks such as Perpetual Dawn & Little Fluffy Clouds the disjointed, dissonance of Pomme Fritz was at odds to what had gone before, yet with hindsight Orb leader Alex Paterson see the album in terms of wiping the slate clean in order to begin again.


...::: Orbus Terrarum :::...

Disc 1 (original album)
01: Valley - 7.36
02: Plateau - 12.49
03: Oxbow Lakes - 7.28
04: Montagne D’or ( Der Gute Berg ) - 10.41
05: White River Junction - 9.36
06: Occidental - 13.54
07: Slug Dub - 15.49

Disc 2 (Remixes)
01: Plateau – All Hands On Deck mix – 2AM - 15.45
02: Slug Dub – Dumpy Dub - 12.29
03: Valley – Mix 3 Dubby - 10.54
04: White River Junction – Zoom Vinegar mix - 13.09
05: Oxbow Lakes – Andy’s Space mix - 8.45
06: Peace Pudding ( Occidental ) - 13.30

1995 saw the release of Orbus Terrarum, an album many Orb officianados see as something of a lost classic. The last album to feature Kris ‘Thrash’ Weston (who would be replaced with Andy Hughes), it still baffled many UK critics who were, at the time, in thrall to the prevailing flavour du jour of Britpop, yet it proved to be the bands biggest success in the U.S. More organic and straight-forward than its predecessor only one single, Oxbox Lakes was lifted from the album.


...::: Orblivion :::...

Disc 1 (original album)
01: Delta Mk II - 7.00
02: Ubiquity - 6.13
03: Asylum - 5.19
04: Bedouin - 4.31
05: Molten Love - 6.39
06: Pi – Part One - 1.05
07: S.A.L.T. - 7.54
08: Toxygene - 5.19
09: Log of Deadwood - 1.13
10: Secrets - 5.32
11: Passing of Time - 9.27
12: 72 - 11.23

Disc 2 (remixes)
01: Delta Mk II – Love Bites mix - 14.21
02: Bedouin – The Sheik’s Film mix - 10.03
03: Log of Deadwood – Implanting Machines mix - 1.23
04: Secrets – I Love A Woman In Uniform mix - 8.25
05: Passing of Time – Ambient mix - 9.05
06: Molten Love – Orbits of Venus mix - 12.24
07: S.A.L.T – Snow mix - 9.12
08: Asylum – Soul Catcher mix
09: Toxygene – Kris Needs Up For A Fortnight mix - 7.59
10: Asylum – Soul Catcher mix - 7.27

2 years later in 1996 the Orb would return with Orbilivion, an album that would see them return to the commercial success they had achieved with their first two albums and spawn what was to be their biggest single to date. Now primarily Paterson & Hughes, the Orb scored their 1st top 5 single with Toxygene the first single to be lifted from the album. Starting life as a rejected remix of the Jean Michel Jarre track Oxygene (turned down as it bore no resemblance to the original) the single reached number 4 in January of 1996. The album saw the band re-capture some critical ground as reviews celebrated the long-player as something of a ‘return to form’.


...::: Cydonia :::...

Disc 1 (original album)
01: Once More - 4.18
02: Promis - 5.27
03: Ghostdancing - 7.29
04: Turn It Down - 8.29
05: Egnable - 1.58
06: Firestar - 0.46
07: A Mile Long Lump of Lard - 6.21
08: Centuries - 4.22
09: Plum Island - 5.22
10: Hamlet of Kings - 7.56
11: 1,1,1 - 0.36
12: Edm – The Blackhole mix - 4.12
13: Thursday’s Keeper - 4.09
14: Terminus - 11.16

Disc 2 (remixes)
01: Centuries – Eurofen mix - 4.45
02: Ghostdancing – Version - 6.45
03: Hamlet of Kings – Version - 7.58
04: Firestar – Front Bits - 1.14
05: Centuries – Wine, Woman & King mix - 4.01
06: Once More – Scourge of the Earth mix - 4.53
07: Plum Island – Flat mix - 5.21
08: Promis – Version - 5.46
09: Once More – Bedrock Edit 2 - 8.04
10: Turn It Down – Long Version - 9.08
11: Terminus – Andy’s mix - 13.30

Despite the various corporate reshuffles at the Orb’s label, Cydonia, the final album for Island, finally emerged in 2001. Recorded in 1999, the album played to the Orb’s strengths. Moments of bass heavy ambience, recalling the heady days of the early 90’s sat alongside ‘pop’ moments such as the first single from the album, Once More. Soon after its release the band parted company with the label, following a final ‘greatest hits’ compilation U.F.Off and a legendary show at the Royal Albert Hall.