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Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 02:17:11 -0600 (CST)
From: Alphabet <jah10@Microcosm.com>
To: International Delinquent Mothers <idm@hyperreal.com>,
Subject: Orb - Orbvs Terrarvm (Review)
Hey folks.
At last I have time and opportunity to review a disc before it's pointless.
And as coincidences go, I as well have something to review that is good
and in demand!
Anyway...
There seems to have been a double promo release of The Orb's latest stuff.
The first is a cd5 that is labelled 'An Introduction to Orb' that
features the 8 and a half minute live version of little fluffy
clouds...the 15 minute live version of assassin, pommes fritz (meat n
veg) and Oxbow Lakes (The New One). It is not of huge consequence as the
other tracks besides Oxbow have been released a million times. I suppose
it would however be useful for people unfam,iliar with the Orb. But then
again it is a dj only promo, so it is a poor marketing decision to say
the least.
The copy of Orbvs Terrarvm I have is a cassette promo, so the CD release
may differ, but the copy I have is as follows:
1. Valley 7:34
2. Plateau 13:18
3. Oxbow Lakes 8:19 (About 50 secs longer
than the cd5 promo)
4. Montagne D'or (Der Gute Berg) 11:13
5. White River Junction 9:36
6. Occidental 13:55
7. Slug Dub 17:05
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Track 1 - Valley
The track begins suddenly with an echoing mixture of a mans voice and
steam engine like sounds...more voices...cymbal patterns...hollow synthy
sounds...chimes...deep hollow bassline and the 'dub' snare
echoes...watery background beats...rolling bass...electronic
voice...something about 200 million years...more texture...chirping
background...reminds me of the 'old' orb...texture fades...breezy
synths...sparse bass thumps...rolling bass undertone still
there...echoes...synth strings...but not like violins...a new electronic
sound has come from somewhere...more of them now...undulating on the
surface...chimes again...rolling bass has slowed tempo...electronic
sounding chimes fade out...
Track 2 - Plateau
Track begins on top of the previous one...a guy is introducing
something...'weve had many requests for this...its a simple little
sentimental song...'...distorted stuff in background...this is different
sounding from the live 93 cd...but similar i guess...been a while since i
heard it...undulating orbish drums...underneath birds and deep synth
waves...not bass...just deep...loud chime...synth
strings...orchestral...that 'pastie to be grill you' sound way off in the
distance...laser sounds...the snare comes from the background...tight
loop....this is great make out music...:)...electronic birds...the
strings are now breezes...waves...intensity builds through sudden loud
arrays of synth sounds...chime/voices...loops still tight...texture very
thick...all is now looped....'dub' echoes and intense birds break the
repetition...'dub' echo/tempo drop...loop still tight...still there
underneath the activity now taking place...cricket sound
intensified...strings come in as loop fades to background...I keep
thinking I should answer the phone...but hey...im online...everything is
breaking apart...and now the structure resolves itself in a more intense
version of itself...ooooohs and echoes...strings are in the middle...more
beats...vocal samples echo off into nowhere...now all the sounds fade to
leave the choppy bass and cymbals with a few birdy sounds and insectlike
stuff...now all is fading save the windy texture that remains....the
'landing spaceship' sound...the bubbling buzz...all fades
Track 3 - Oxbow Lakes
Crazed intro...cant figure out if this is the end of one or the beginning
of this one...the piano comes in...definitely the beginning of
Oxbow...echoes underneath the piano...flutelike sounds usher in
cymbals...cymbals boil up with the orbish patterns of pseudo
drums...cymbals full throttle...piano is more obscure...trumpet/flute
still here...bass arrives...i think this version is different from the
promo single...better...piano is gone...hollow bamboo drum
sound...electronic textures and bass beats...cymbals...loop is now
clear...all is now looped...loop dissolves...synths and orbish
patterns...piano returns underneath...all goes quiet except for synths
and a wave in the background...wave becomes melody...sort of...no like
ocean wave...synth wave...deep space sounds...long
echoes...oscillations...ends in odd voice saying I am leaving for
constantinople tonight...
Track 4 - Montagne D'or (Der Gute Berg)
Bubbling watery sounds with wide open synths...quacking water...guitarish
sounds...there is a certain twang...simialr to other orb works...very
nice high pitched layer...the voice is back...this is a very HUGE
improvement over Pommes Fritz...This very well might be my new favorite
Orb CD...voice...buzzing synths....now it is quiet...watery sounds in
background...small echoes...now the song takes
off....louder...louder...faster....voice....wow...volume in and out...i
wish this was on cd...now it is calm...but only for a sec...it is up again...
pings and synths...buzz again...deep kettle drums...end up sounding like
thunder...the high pitch is back...nice...voice...sounds like echoing
gibberish...ahhh!...beats from hell! actual emotion in orb
music!...scared the hell out of me...hard hard beats....toms and bass..
snares and cymbals...drive you mad with the texture of the background in
a chaotic blend...boiling loops...i just pissed off my
neighbors...slapping cable sounds to the fade out....then a sudden
burst...one more cable on concrete slap for the end...
Track 5 (Or Side B track 1) - White River Junction
Crickets and breaking glass...another odd voice...waves and
water...bubbling....'respect for
yourself...something....understanding...giving and recieving...' and an
evil sounding female whisper saying 'listen to the radio'...you almost
miss it at first...splashes...listen to the radio listen to the radio
listen to the radio...synth scratchiness...voices leave...synths smooth
out....water gets a bit louder...either a clock or hoof steps...beats
rise...i didnt catch them...secretly the beats come out...bass
punches...big big bass...loop is very tight...technotic sounds...bubbling
electro mysteries...huge angry waves like altered race car sounds enter
and then drop tempo and leave...bass loop...texture builds...the pattern
becomes clear just before the addition of new sounds to the loop...the
chaos tries to return just as order is restored...loop is very tight yet
structure is open to suggestion...new elements sneak in and out...there
is no way to catch them...they did some work on this one...very very
good...this has to be one of if not the best Orb yet...synth bass
sounds....bubbling water still there...listen to the radio is back...i
didnt catch it again...high pitched synths....seeming random but slowly
becoming part of the composition...synths fade into quiet and then a
wacked voice and then random sounds...and then the end....
Track 6 (Side B track 2) - Occidental
Began simultaneously with the end of last track...odd vocal loops...this
one is aggressive...the beats begin instantly almost...very scratchy and
almost scary...then the keys come in and the mood is more one of whimsy
than it is of hostility...the wobbling keys stay and seem like
hallucinatory 70s funk patterns...beat has died somewhere back
there...the whole piece has changed in a matter of seconds....sounds are
all grumbling deep sounds...synth waves....echoing synth warbles...bass
level....loop is very tired loop....metronome tempo
sensations....suddenly a guy says he has time to negotiate...then redd
foxx talks about mississippi...im proud the state of my rearing has been
mentioned in an orb album...more redd foxx talking about
mississippi...and then the beats return...once again an enigma...now the
beats are militaristic...one two one two..i dont know if its the next
track...and then here it comes...the stomping forces of the rest of the
track....keys are plinky and bothersome....the beats are wild...the
sounds are wild...voices are here underneath...a freaky melody is going
on...a monstrous wave wreaks havok....bass booms....electro snares like
from a casio portasound...the loop is here...but the calm is not....now
it is only the cymbals and the angry bass...and now the bass is gone and
the orbish cymbals have entered with the plinky chaos...a voice says
something about october something...bass...piano sounds....bassline
same...echoes....the cable sound...it is a motif...this is the third
track where it has been...I dont know what track this is...but i can say
that you have not heard this if you have not had headphones...in and out
synth waves and echoing whalish sounds...a voice says attention...oh
cool....green acres....i think...maybe its jimmy crack
corn...whoa!...something went by....a studioriffic tape delay
effect...beats sound random again....effects....voices...the
orb-bees...brake sounds...synth waves try to calm things down...a
voice....cable sounds....chaos...electronic loops....some guiy talks
about taking ahoes off and something....
Track 7 (Side B track 3) - Slug Dub
All the voices from the last track were the beginnings of this track...
'the movement is split right down the middle" some guy talking about
slugs...then a woman...'did those slugs walk into the trap?"
a 'goofy' laugh...woman voice....all talking about slugs...old guy says
he will shoot the slugs...the slugs get shot and dont care...vinyl
crackling...slug story seems to be gone...here come the
beats...cymbals...snares...synth 'wowowwwowww' sounds...the super orb dub
bass comes in....beats level off and the dub is officially on the
move...beats get strong and then subside...guy tells slug story
again...slug does goofy laugh...slugs went on eating lettuce
leaves...beats fade out almost totally...just keys...and background
noise...goofy kaugh and sounds...voice...the slugs are eating all the
lettuce, tim...the story is now all there is...again....a whistle....the
end....
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I apologize profusely for the cross posting.
I would like to take this opportunity to declare Pommes Fritz a complete
pantload...
Jason
This has been a message from : Jason A. Hutto (Brother Alphabet)
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