In Sides
| In Sides | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Orbital | ||||
| Released | May 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1995/6 | |||
| Genre | Electronica Acid techno Braindance |
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| Length | 72:02 | |||
| Label | Internal/FFRR | |||
| Producer | Paul and Phil Hartnoll | |||
| Orbital chronology | ||||
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In Sides is the fourth album recorded by Orbital, released in 1996. The name is a reference to the fact that the album was originally available as a 3-LP vinyl box set, with one track per "side" of each LP.
Contents |
[edit] The album
"The Girl with the Sun in Her Head" was dedicated to the memory of Volume magazine photographer Sally Harding who died in 1995.[1] The track was recorded using electricity from a Greenpeace solar power generator. It opens with the sound of a heartbeat which serves as bass and develops into what many critics hold as one of Orbital's most accomplished pieces.[2]
"P.E.T.R.O.L." was included in the soundtracks for the video game wipE'out" and also the film π. The title of the fifth track, "Dŵr Budr" is Welsh for dirty water and was written with the then-recent MV Sea Empress oil tanker disaster just off the coast of Wales in mind.[3] "Adnan's" was originally written for 1995's The Help Album benefitting War Child.[2]
Vocals on the album are credited to the mysterious Auntie, a pseudonym used by Alison Goldfrapp[4] on this release. Her singing on "Dŵr Budr" is nonsensical chanting, and has been rumoured to have been played backwards, though neither the brothers nor Goldfrapp herself will divulge any information.[citation needed]
American and other overseas versions of the album contained a bonus CD of tracks that had been previously released in the UK, such as "Times Fly", "The Saint", "The Sinner", "The Box" and live versions of "Satan" and "Halcyon".
[edit] Success & critical response
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [5] |
| Select | [6] |
| Rolling Stone |  [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B+) [8] |
| Ink Blot | (Very favourable) [9] |
| Stylus | (Very favourable) [10] |
| Almost Cool | (8.5/10) [11] |
The album spent 12 weeks in the UK charts in 1996, and reached a high of #5 the week of its release.[2] By late May 2006, over 60,000 copies of the album had been sold.[2]
The album was also included in British music magazine Melody Maker's, end-of-year, best albums / singles retrospective.
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melody Maker | United Kingdom | "Albums of the Year"[12] | 1996 | 31 |
| NME | United Kingdom | "1996 NME Albums"[13] | 1996 | 3 |
| Mixmag | United Kingdom | "Best of 1996"[14] | 1996 | 3 |
The album was also included in Q magazine's "90 Best albums of the 1990s".[15]
The single "The Box" also made NME's Best singles of 1996 list, coming in at number 5.[16]
[edit] Track listing
The original track listing from 1996:
- "The Girl with the Sun in Her Head" – 10.26
- "P.E.T.R.O.L." – 6.17
- "The Box (Part 1)" – 6.28
- "The Box (Part 2)" – 6.00
- "Dŵr Budr" – 9.55
- "Adnan's" – 8.41
- "Out There Somewhere? (Part 1)" – 10.42
- "Out There Somewhere? (Part 2)" – 13.26
The U.S. version of the record was initially packaged to include the Times Fly EP along with The Box EP (the latter included as a single 28-minute track):
- "Times Fly (Slow)" - 7:58
- "Sad But New" - 7:29
- "Times Fly (Fast)" - 7:53
- "The Tranquilizer" - 6:27
- "The Box" (Extended Play, full version) - 28:11
In 1997, the reprint of the album included both tracks of The Saint single along with Irving Plaza recordings of "Halcyon" and "Satan" (previously found on Orbital's "III EP" and the "Satan Live EP"):
- "Satan (Industry Standard)"
- "Satan (Live at NYC Irving Plaza)"
- "The Saint"
- "The Sinner"
- "Halcyon (Live at NYC Irving Plaza)"
[edit] References
- ^ "Tribute to Sally Harding". Miscellaneous. loopz.co.uk. http://www.loopz.co.uk/misc/sally.html. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d Pride, Dominic (25 May 1996). "Internal's Orbital Takes Ambient Techno From Studio To Stage". Billboard: pp. 9, 96.
- ^ "What?". FAQ. loopz.co.uk. 19 January 2000. What is the story behind "Dwr Budr"?. http://www.loopz.co.uk/faq/what.html. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
- ^ Auntie discography at Discogs
- ^ Bush, John. "Orbital: In Sides" at Allmusic. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
- ^ Muirhead, Stuart (June 1996). "In Sides". Select (EMAP Metro). ISSN 0959-8367. http://www.songtwo.demon.co.uk/orbital/ois.html. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
- ^ "Orbital: In Sides". Rolling Stone (Straight Arrow) (RS 740). 8 August 1996. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on 5 December 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061205205951/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/orbital/albums/album/218982/review/5942701/in_sides.
- ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (21 June 1996). "In Sides (1996): Orbital". Entertainment Weekly (Time) (#332). ISSN 1049-0434. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,293080,00.html. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
- ^ Hanks, Peter. "Orbital: In Sides". Ink Blot. http://www.inkblotmagazine.com/rev-archive/Orbital_In_Sides.htm. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
- ^ Unterberger, Andrew (16 January 2004). "Orbital - In Sides". Stylus magazine. http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/on_second_thought/orbital-in-sides.htm. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
- ^ "Orbital: In Sides". AlmostCool.org. http://www.almostcool.org/mr/911/. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
- ^ "Albums of the Year". Melody Maker (IPC Media). 1996. ISSN 0025-9012. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mmlists_p2.htm#1996. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
- ^ "1996 Albums". NME (IPC Media). ISSN 0028-6362. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/1996.html. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- ^ "Best of 1996". Mixmag (Development Hell). ISSN 0957-6622. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mixmag.html#1996. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- ^ "90 Best albums of the 1990s". Q (Bauer Media). ISSN 0955-4955. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlistspage2.html#Q%2090%20Of%20The%2090’s. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
- ^ "Best Singles of 1996". NME (IPC Media). ISSN 0028-6362. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/1996.html. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
[edit] External links
- In Sides at Discogs
- Full details of Orbital In Sides
- Reason for album name explained
- Orbital Gear List, including a list of synths used on In Sides
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