The Orb – Orbus Terrarum

Wonder why Universal has deleted all the 2CD versions of the albums?

I guess I was quite lucky to find this double CD in HMV Bluewater a few years back, as it had already been deleted by that point I think. The extra tracks are still available digitally, but are incredibly rare to get hold of physically.

The main album itself is great, brilliant attention to detail, sounds unlike any other ambient record, or indeed any other record. The combination of treated found sounds and synth textures really makes it sound like the natural world, either of Earth or of a completely different planet altogether.

The second disc is pretty inessential in that, other than the 'All Hands On Deck' mix of 'Plateau', which begins with just the pads and vocals for a few minutes and is all the more effective for it, and maybe the completely unrelated 'Peace Pudding', the rest of these alternate mixes don't offer anything vastly different. You could get some fun putting them on as long as you temper your expectations - it sounds incredibly similar to the end product, a slightly rougher take on 'Orbus Terrarum'. The tracks cut off slightly abruptly as well.

Much as I love Orbus Terrarum, I prefer the original American release. "Plateau" is 30 seconds longer on that release, and more "Plateau" is better. I'd enjoy an hourlong mix of that track. "Slug Dub" on the American release is more than a minute longer, and the European release, remastered here, fades out before the satisfying conclusion to the story of the slugs. On the other hand, "Occidental" on the European release is about 20 seconds longer. Not sure where those seconds are squeezed in.

There may be some other subtle differences, but it might be hard to identify and quantify them because so much of the album is deeply layered. The remastered sound isn't dramatically different, however. The main advantage of this two disc remaster is the inclusion of a number of unreleased mixes, none of which exceed the originals but all of which are worth hearing.

Fun fact: David Sinclair of The Times derided "Orbus Terrarum" in a 1995 review as "generic ambient music." No easier way to telegraph to your audience that you didn't actually listen to the record you're reviewing! Love it or hate it, there's nothing generic about this nonpareil album.

This album simply gets better and better over time. Oddly, it didn't resonate with my when I first heard it, it took years for it to fully sink its hooks into my brain. It's altogether more subtle and deeper than "Ultraworld", and more earthy and grounded (intentionally so, looking at the album title, obviously) than "U.F.Orb" was. The tracks have more subtle melodies and layers, and it feels somehow more geological, sedimentary in construction. There are moments of great, tranquil beauty that build imperceptibly into noisy assaults, dubby wanderings in moist mornings through a soggy garden, aerial flights along a verdant valley. The second disc of remixes on the 2CD reissue is fantastic, as well, though it's more a dessert than a main course. When I'm in a certain mood, "Orbus Terrarum" is a full repast.