Orbital
Orbital
★★★★
LONDON
Orbital’s second self-titled masterpiece in two years completed the job, initiated by their “green” debut, of evolving classy listening music out of rough-and-ready UK techno – a puerile novelty no more. Where its predecessor carried gonzo nosebleed moments like Speed Freak, this Orbital completed the metamorphosis into grown-up sophistication: opener Time Becomes nods towards avant-garde tape manipulation, while Lush 3-1’s scurrying strings-synth and sublimely rolling melody evoke classical majesty, to a commanding clubland beat.
The latter, plus the eco-nightmare-presaging Impact (The Earth Is Burning) and the ecstatic, Opus III-sampling Halcyon + On + On, were outright classics of early-’90s dance, and still slay festival crowds globally three decades on.
Another sumptuous box-up here collates NYC live material, non-album banger The Naked And The Dead, and Underworld’s marathon tilt at Lush, all stirringly annotated by the Hartnolls and rave sage Andrew Harrison.
Orbital/‘The Brown Album’ is out May 23 on London Records.
ORDER: Amazon | Rough Trade
Track Listing:
Disc 1
Time Becomes
Planet Of The Shapes
Lush 3-1
Lush 3-2
Impact (The Earth Is Burning)
Remind
Walk Now…
Monday
Halcyon + On + On
Input Out
Disc 2
Halcyon
The Naked And The Dead
Sunday
The Naked And The Dub
Lush 3-3 (Underworld)
Lush 3-4 (Warrior Drift) (Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia)
Disc 3
Lush 3-5 (CJ Bolland)
Lush (Euro-Tunnel Disaster ’94)
Walk About
Semi Detached
Attached
Impact USA (The Earth Is Burning: Diversion)
Disc 4
(Live at The Limelight, New York, 1992)
The Naked and the Dead
The Naked and the Dub
Sunday
Remind
Halcyon
Walk Now
Kinetic
Choice
Chime
Satan
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Photo: Steve Double