The Orb – U.F.Orb

Side numbered 2 is just a mess of pops and crackling. I've cleaned with a carbon fibre brush and with the Spincare record cleaning solution but I dont have an expensive machine to clean them with. Its one of my favourite albums of all time so a bit disappointing but side numbered 3-4 plays well with little crackling. Is the cheap Spincare record washing machine worth buying?

Looks great, sounds great. No issues at all with the pressing, excellent sound quality. Very happy to own this classic

This reissue, whilst sounding ok, doesn't really hold a candle to an original pressing. Sound quality is somewhat flatter. The insect chatter at the start of O.O.B.E sounds more buried in the mix unless you crank the volume right up, for example. Jah Wobble's möbius strip bassline on Blue Room is a bit muddy and booming, and just compare Miquette Giraudy's floating, ethereal, gossamer-like synth lines wisping through the same track. There's less crispness to the highs, weaker dynamics. and none of the widescreen sparkle of Kris Weston's production that you hear on the original. Sonically, a thin blanket has been thrown over the whole album. Not awful by any means....just lacks the lushness of the OG. Minimal surface noise during playback (apart from Blue Room which has a few pops n' clicks, along with some areas of non-fill). Discs are flat and centered.

If I sound overly critical it's because this masterpiece of an album (that I've listened to so much it's almost bonded to my DNA) deserved so much more in an anniversary reissue. It's a shame they didn't release something on par with the sublime-sounding 'Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld' 4xLP reissue from 2016. A gatefold sleeve with opaque turquoise vinyl to compliment the labels and cover art would've been just the ticket too, but that's a minor quibble.

If you can find an original pressing for a good price in decent condition, I'd recommend going for that, rather than this edition. Otherwise, this version is serviceable enough and the 'Ultra Blue' colour looks tasty and vivid on the turntable.

My pressing is flat and after a few brushes it sounds fantastic. The inner sleeves are scratchy but a mofi sleeve can fit in them. Some surface noise but to me it's minimal to me and disappears when the sounds pick up. The blue vinyl looks nice too. Love this album!

Mine is dead silent after a go around with a record brush. Rich sound, great pressing!

At the risk of being that boring guy who's constantly moaning about the quality of record manufacturing on Discogs, does anyone else have a copy with loads of annoying clicks throughout, even after cleaning?

OK, this was a bit unexpected and, at least for me, and under the radar. I'm happy I got hold of a copy as I'm a huge and devoted Orb fan.
So, sorry for being so 2022 AKA technical specs for the mere physical quality, but;
1. There are some disturbances in the run-in groove that continues into the subtle start of A1. After a thorough ultrasonic cleaning, x3, it got better, not perfect.
There are still some minor surface noise issues along the way, but my 30 year old original isn't perfect either.
2. The thin paper inner sleeves do have a faux leather feel and the smell of the outer coating is ...PVC?!?? The direct annotation of the different original editions, many came ensealed in PVC bags - are these new inners an hommage to that? I'm hesitant to keep the vinyl in them as it can turn out as a true PVC clouding disaster.
The artwork itself, cover, inners, labels, vinyl is perfect, beyond the possible PVC tarnish.
So, 3, The Music. I love this album. It was a so massive to me in 1992, even more so after listening to the debut on constant repeat, and it was simply as mindblowing, but in a different and definitely more ravey way. So, this album will never be less than 5/5 to me, any day of any week. As compared to the UK original, the mastering here on this beautiful marbled blue vinyl, is less detailed and lacks a bit in the bass, specially when it comes to the sound effects rather than the Jah Wobble bass. but it still isn't that bad. But by all means, go for an original copy if you want this on one vinyl edition only - and then you can treat yourself with the extra third disc whilst at it >> U.F.Orb . But if you are like me and don't mind a beautiful extra copy of a favourite album, then go for this 2022 remaster on top. No clue how many copies they pressed.