U.F.Orb is the second studio album by English electronic music group the Orb. It was released on 6 July 1992 as their last work with record label Big Life.[1] Upon its release, the album reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The music database AllMusic described it as "the commercial and artistic peak of the ambient-house movement."[2]
Quick Facts Studio album by The Orb, Released ...
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Orb member Kris Weston integrated his technical and creative expertise with Alex Paterson's Eno-influenced ambience on U.F.Orb, creating "drum and bass rhythms" with "velvet keyboards" and "rippling synth lines".[12] U.F.Orb reached number one on the UK Albums Chart to the shock of critics, who were surprised that fans had embraced what journalists considered to be progressive rock.[13] Heavily influenced by the Orb and U.F.Orb in particular, many trip hop groups sprang up emulating the Orb's "chill-out blueprint".[14] U.F.Orb expresses the Orb's fascination with alien life with its bizarre sound samples and in the album's title itself.[15] The album's single, "Blue Room", is itself a reference to the supposed Blue Room of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which was investigated as a possible UFO evidence-holding room.[16]
"Blue Room", a near 17-minute piece, features bass playing by Jah Wobble and guitar by coproducer Steve Hillage. The full version of the song is 40 minutes and was released as a single. The initial UK vinyl release featured a limited edition which came in a sealed blue heavy PVC cover and featured two art prints and a bonus 12-inch of the soundtrack to the film The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld: Patterns and Textures.
On 1 October 2007, the album was reissued on two CDs as part of Universal Music's "Collector's Series". All the tracks were remastered, and the release coincided with the 15th anniversary of the album's release. The second CD includes remixes from the singles released around the period of the original album.
Original release
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Side threeTitle | Writer(s) |
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1. | "Towers of Dub" | Paterson, Weston, Fehlmann | 14:58 |
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Side fourTitle | Writer(s) |
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1. | "Close Encounters" | Paterson, Weston, Orde Meikle, Stuart McMillan | 10:27 |
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2. | "Majestic" | Paterson, Weston, Martin Glover | 11:06 |
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3. | "Sticky End" | Paterson, Weston | 0:49 |
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Total length: | 1:13:55 |
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1992 US double CD edition
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Mercury – 314 513 749-2, Big Life – 314 513 749-2
Disc 1Title | Writer(s) |
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1. | "O.O.B.E" | Paterson, Weston, Fehlmann | 12:51 |
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2. | "U.F.Orb" | Paterson, Weston | 6:08 |
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3. | "Blue Room" | Paterson, Weston, Giraudy, Hillage, Ward, Fraser | 17:34 |
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4. | "Towers of Dub" | Paterson, Weston, Fehlmann | 15:00 |
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5. | "Close Encounters" | Paterson, Weston, Meikle, McMillan | 10:27 |
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6. | "Majestic" | Paterson, Weston, Glover | 11:06 |
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7. | "Sticky End" | Paterson, Weston | 0:49 |
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Disc 2Title | Writer(s) |
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1. | "Blue Room" (Edit) | Paterson, Weston, Giraudy, Hillage, Ward, Fraser | 3:09 |
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2. | "Blue Room" (Remix) | Paterson, Weston, Giraudy, Hillage, Ward, Fraser | 7:37 |
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3. | "Assassin" (The Oasis of Rhythms Mix) | Paterson, Weston, Lewis Keogh | 15:14 |
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4. | "Blue Room" (Full Length) | Paterson, Weston, Giraudy, Hillage, Ward, Fraser | 40:00 |
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Total length: | 2:19:55 |
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15th anniversary edition
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Universal Music – 5300703
Disc 1 – Orbit One: U.F.Orb RemasteredTitle | Writer(s) |
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1. | "O.O.B.E" | Paterson, Weston, Fehlmann | 12:51 |
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2. | "U.F.Orb" | Paterson, Weston | 6:08 |
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3. | "Blue Room" | Paterson, Weston, Giraudy, Hillage, Ward, Fraser | 17:34 |
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4. | "Towers of Dub" | Paterson, Weston, Fehlmann | 15:00 |
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5. | "Close Encounters" | Paterson, Weston, Meikle, McMillan | 10:27 |
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6. | "Majestic" | Paterson, Weston, Glover | 11:06 |
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7. | "Sticky End" | Paterson, Weston | 0:49 |
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Disc 2 – Orbit Two: RemixesTitle | Writer(s) |
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1. | "O.O.B.E" (Andy Hughes Mix) | Paterson, Weston, Fehlmann | 11:58 |
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2. | "Towers of Dub" (Ambient Mix) | Paterson, Weston, Fehlmann | 10:14 |
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3. | "Blue Room" (Ambient at Mark Angelo's Mix) | Paterson, Weston, Giraudy, Hillage, Ward, Fraser | 8:57 |
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4. | "Close Encounters" (Ambient Mix 1) | Paterson, Weston, Meikle, McMillan | 12:49 |
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5. | "Majestic" (Mix 1) | Paterson, Weston, Glover | 11:52 |
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6. | "Assassin" (Chocolate Hills of Bohol Mix) | Paterson, Weston, Keogh | 11:06 |
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Total length: | 2:24:22 |
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Perry, Andrew (August 1992). "The Orb: U F Orb". Select (26): 96.
"The Orb: U.F.Orb". Uncut. 2007. Peppered with surreal humour, hypnotic sound paintings like 'Close Encounters' and Top 10 single 'Blue Room' have barely dated.
Sullivan, Caroline (9 April 1993). "Breakdown". The Guardian.
Sandall, Robert (12 July 1992). "Hippie dippie draw". The Times.