Orbus Terrarum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Orbus Terrarum
Studio album by The Orb
Released 1995
Genre Ambient house
Length 79:18
Label Island
Producer Alex Paterson, Andy Hughes, Thomas Fehlmann, Kris Weston
The Orb chronology
Pomme Fritz
(1994)
Orbus Terrarum
(1995)
Orblivion
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4/5 stars....[1]
Rolling Stone 4/5 stars....[2]

Orbus Terrarum is the third studio album of electronic music artist The Orb released on Island Records in 1995.

Before leaving The Orb, member Kris Weston had begun work on Orbus Terrarum. However, when he left The Orb, German producer Thomas Fehlmann joined as a full-time studio member. The Orb, now consisting of Alex Paterson, Andy Hughes, and Fehlmann, finished producing Orbus Terrarum. Unlike previous albums by The Orb, Orbus Terrarum featured more "earthbound" and "organic" sounds instead of the trippy science fiction themed music they had previously written.[3][4] Orbus Terrarum suffered, as Paterson described it, "a good kicking" at the hands of the British press,[5] who described it as "generic ambient music" [6] and stated that it was a low point for Paterson's creativity.[7] Orbus Terrarum further alienated many of the group's fans as they had with Pomme Fritz,[8] causing the album to only reach #20 on the UK charts, much lower than their previous albums.[9] American critics, however, gave it great acclaim, including Rolling Stone who made it their album of the month, citing the album's symphonic flow coupled with The Orb's "uniquely British wit".[10]

A quote from Tony Benn, Labour MP, graces the inner case of the 1995 release and the CD booklet of the 2008 re-issue. It says, "There may be a legal obligation to obey, but there will be no moral obligation to obey. When it comes to history, it will be the people who broke the law for freedom that will be remembered and honoured."

In 2008, Orbus Terrarum was remastered and released with a bonus remix disc. The package includes liner notes written by Kris Needs.

[edit] Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Valley"   Alex Paterson, Kris Weston, Simon Phillips, Tom Green 7:36
2. "Plateau"   Paterson, Weston, Thomas Fehlmann 13:18
3. "Oxbow Lakes"   Paterson, Weston, Fehlmann 7:28
4. "Montagne D'or (Der Gute Berg)"   Paterson, Andy Hughes, B. J. Cole, Weston, Nick Burton, Fehlmann 10:41
5. "White River Junction"   Paterson, Weston, Fehlmann 9:36
6. "Occidental"   Paterson, Hughes, Kris Needs, Weston, Burton, Phillips, Fehlmann 13:54
7. "Slug Dub"   Paterson, Weston, Paul Ferguson, Fehlmann 17:03
Total length:
79:18
Remix disc
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Plateau (All Hands on Deck Mix - 2AM)"     15:45
2. "Slug Dub (Dumpy Dub)"     12:30
3. "Valley (Mix 3 Dubby)"     10:55
4. "White River Junction (Zoom Vinegar Mix)"     13:05
5. "Oxbow Lakes (Andy's Space Mix)"     8:45
6. "Peace Pudding (Occidental)"     13:31
Total length:
74:31

[edit] References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Rolling Stone review
  3. ^ Doerschuck, Robert (June 1995). "Inside the Ambient Techno Ultraworld". Keyboard Magazine. 
  4. ^ Gill, Andy (1995-03-31). "Oh, the Pity and Terra of It All". The Independent: p. 31. 
  5. ^ "Alex Paterson Interview". Future N Music. 1998-10. 
  6. ^ Sinclair, David (1995-03-24). "Pop on Friday". The Times: p. 1. 
  7. ^ Simpson, Dave (2001-01-19). "The Friday Interview". The Guardian: p. 6. 
  8. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (1997-03-19). "The Orb: Orblivion". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/theorb/albums/album/145147/review/5940398/orblivion. 
  9. ^ "The Orb". Everyhit.com. http://www.everyhit.com. Retrieved 2006-10-24. 
  10. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (1998-02-02). "The Orb: Orbus Terrarum". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/theorb/albums/album/98991/review/5945472/orbus_terrarum. 

[edit] External links

Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export