Orbital – Blue Album

This album seriously deserves better recognition.

I can it to some bias here because I'm a younger Orbital fan and this was the first CD I ever bought with my own money, listening to it reminds me of being a little kid, and even I can't really go as far to say it's on par with the run of 5 incredible albums they came out with before that, it is a bit scattered and markedly lower stakes than their usual fare and I can definitely see a little bit of that B-side-ish quality that everyone else seems to see in it, but I really don't think it's as far behind as everyone says it is, certainly doesn't deserve people (including the brothers themselves) dismissing it as a "dud" in their catalog with nothing worth ing.

I personally love this album's overarching downbeat mood, in that particular way it's probably the closest they ever came to retreading the success of In Sides like so many fans claim they want the brothers to be doing, but still coming about it from a different angle that has its own separate merits. Cuts like "Transient" and "Lost" have this really well-enveloping and lonely atmosphere, always really liked the modern classical-ish approach to the former that hinted at the direction Paul went in with Ideal Condition (and doing it better than most of the stuff on that album), cuts like "Pants" and "You Lot" have much stronger and more danceable backbeats but carry some more of that sadder tone in the background and the latter makes for a pretty solid epic album centerpiece. Cuts like "Bath Time" and "Easy Serv" have a lot of that more playful energy that I always liked in certain Altogether deep cuts, always loved that weird spooky turn the former took in the middle and thought it added a lot of interesting depth to an otherwise seemingly childish idea, and the latter has definitely been a grower as of late since it just feels like entering into this light and fluffy dreamlike state. Cuts like "Tunnel Vision" and "Acid Pants" go super hard and provide the album with more energy than any other cuts here, idk why "Tunnel Vision" in particular doesn't get more credit since I it completely blowing my mind as a kid with how ridiculously forceful but still atmospheric it is. As widely varied as these tracks may be in of how much energy they have, every single one of them still feels well sequenced to form a semi-coherent arc and complement each other as all Orbital albums do. And of course I will fully stand behind "One Perfect Sunrise" as belonging among the absolute best tracks they ever made, signaling the end of an era and a fond farewell to their original run as a band, and I think was entirely successful in its attempt to reverse engineer the magic they hit on with Halcyon without openly stepping on that track's toes and containing a completely different emotional quality to it that no other Orbital track really matches. I know there's pretty much zero chance I'll get the chance to see any of these tracks live at this point but if I ever get to see "One Perfect Sunrise" performed again I have no doubt it would end up making me completely melt and turn me into a sobbing mess.

Again I can't deny that their previous albums were even better structured and fleshed out (even The Altogether in all of its complete wacky insanity and much wilder tone-shifts felt like it was more substantive and carefully thought out), it'd probably be too much of a stretch to call it a true classic and I do understand its detractors, or even why the brothers themselves wouldn't want to revisit this era, but even Orbital at their supposed weakest and most burnt out can still completely knock it out of the park and make some truly great dance and downtempo that keeps me totally invested without really even trying that hard. If you dismissed it before, give it another chance.

Damn, I am surprised how HATED this album here is!

Is it one of the weaker Orbital records? Well, yes. I would go so far and say the only actual standout track is the Sparks collaboration Acid Pants, which is one hell of an Acid Techno banger. But the rest isn't bad. Maybe a bit on the B-side material side, but the good kind of B-side, that you find yourself listening to, even if the A-side lost all its magic.

It was the last album before Orbital's first split, so maybe they were a bit burnt out at this point, but at least in of production it doesn't show. It has all the layers and clever arrangements that you love and expect from them. It's just a bit low on instant classics and anthems. But hey, for most other producers, this album would be a career highlight! For Orbital it's "just" really good.

In Orbitals discography this album is the dud, production like it was made on a laptop, Transient a long lament of an opener, instead of something like "Technologicque Park". Bath Time and Easy Serv throwaway easy listening pieces suitable for Plone, not the Hartnolls. "You Lot" and "Acid Pants" really the only tracks that stands up to their regular standard. It is peculiar that they would start their own label to release this album.

I think this album should be reissued, in vinyl format please!

If you give this album a chance, it will grow on you. It may not be in the same league as the Brown Album or In Sides, but there is real some real mastery at work here.

If, like me, you first felt this was garbage, give it a few more listens. And use some really good headphones when doing so, because there are layers and subtle details in each track worth listening to.
Jason

Worth buying for the one amazing track, "One Perfect Sunrise". "You Lot" is OK and all the rest of the tracks are fillers in my opinion. Of course this album is essential for Orbital fans whether it's great or just OK (my rating). However, I got into dance music because of Orbitals gig at Glastonbury in 1994 on the (then) NME stage so they are very special to me. What an amazing evening, I'll it till I die.

This is nowhere near their past work, that is for sure. It sounds really lame at points, like Orbital was commissioned to make the new theme song for Sesame Street (Acid Pants, Bath Time). Some of the tracks are real nice, such as Tunnel Vision and Pants, but at best this was a decent release. If you want to hear the true Orbital, you have to go back to the Brown Album, which is by far their greatest work.

The announcement about Orbital leaving us came as a really sad message to me, after following their unique, wonderful music almost from their beginning. Orbital was one of the bands that brought my attention to electronic music for full back in the days, and their albums has given me tons of good memories and fantastic moments. This Blue album was their way of saying goodbye, and this way of doing it is like quitting on top in my opinion. This album is in my ears one of the best albums they ever produced, and for sure way better than the previous couple of albums. Here we get great variation, everything from chilled to uptempo stuff. My personal favourite track here is track 2 called Pants, which is a pretty relaxed track with a very typical Orbital sound. A track I have put into several of my sets around the world lately... Orbital is for sure a band that will be deeply missed...

I can't believe what I'm hearing ! this is a terrible album ! their worst album ever ! it's not in the same league as the "Brown Album" or "Snivilisation" !! Fair enough it has got two good tracks on there "Pants" and "You Lot" but apart from those it's crap ! You can't put "One Perfect Sunrise" and "Halcyon + on" in the same category it doesnt even come close ! the collaberation with sparks is laughable and sounds like the music from a circus ! And as for "One Perfect Sunrise", it sounds like Paul Oakenfold's done a remix of the theme tune from the movie "GLADIATOR" and given it his usual septic commercial re-rub !
Orbital recently split up and if this is the best that they can do fair play lads you did the right thing ! Maybe for their next project they should collaberate with DJ Sammy ????!!??

I think this is their best album to date,only the Brown Album,or perhaps Snivilisation even come close.The last track on the album 'One Perfect Sunrise' is truly magnificent.Amongst a haze of euro-trance and trance-pop crapola,the Originators,i.e.The Hartnoll Brothers produce an epic tribute to themselves and dance culture itself - an all out emotive,uplifting and inspirational hard trance track,with a tear jerking vocal added courtesy of Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance,also responsible for classics such as 'Host Of The Seraphim' used in Orkidea's 'Unity',or the beautiful 'Sanvean',featured on Oakenfold's Goa Mix back in '94.Her contribution to this album shows the class and sophistication of Orbital's work,which the Blue Album exemplifies.Orbital go out with a bang that will echoe on forever,and I'm not even a die-hard fan to be honest !