The Orb Album: “Auntie Aubrey's Excursions Beyond the Call of Duty, Pt. 2 [UK]”

Since pretty much everyone who has reviewed this has reviewed the US version, I thought I'd point out the differences between that and the UK import (and since this listing claims it's the import, I thought I's choose here to put this). Here's the tracklisting for the UK import:

Disc 1:

01. KLF - 3am Eternal (Blue Danube Orbital Mix) (7:40)

02. Primal Scream Higher Than The Sun (Battersea Shield Mix) (6:20)

03. Wendy & Lisa - Staring At The Sun (Blinding Mix) (8:34)

04. Orb & Robbie Williams - I Started A Joke (I Started An Orb Mix) (4:27)

05. Orb - Once More (FT Explore Satan Mix) (4:46)

06. Lisa Stansfield - Time To Make You Mine (In My Dreams Mix) (9:58)

07. Rick Wright - Runaway (Leggit Dub) (13:38)

08. Art Of Noise - Art Of Love (Youth & Orb Mix) (4:26)

09. Tubeway Army - Jo The Waiter (Bon Apètit Mix) (9:32)

10. Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Music For A Found Harmonium (Pandaharmoniumorb Mix) (4:56)

Disc 2:

01. Mike Oldfield - Sentinel (Nobel Prize Mix) (14:24)

02. System 7 - Miracle (Orb Remix) (6:10)

03. Can - Halleluwa (Halleluwa Orbus II) (9:09)

04. Grid, The - Crystal Clear (Crystal Clear Water Revival Mix) (7:17)

05. Meat Beat Manifesto - Radio Babylon (Beach Blanket Bimboland Mix) (12:38)

06. Tangerine Dream - Towards The Evening Star (Mandarin Cream Mix) (8:23)

07. Witchman - Angel Art (The Tale Of The Orb Remix) (6:17)

08. Damage Manual - Sunset Gun (Full Monty Sunny Orb Up Mix) (5:05)

09. Yasuaki Shimizu - Morocco Mole (6:46)

10. Mindless Drug Hoover - The Reefer Song (Grass Garden Of Child's Mix) (3:04)

As you can see, many of the tracks are the same, but a bunch of tracks are exclusive to each release. Most of the tracks exclusive to this release are on the newer side, so people looking for old-school Orb may be a little disappointed, but I think that any compilation that has The Orb and Robbie Williams doing a cover of the Bee Gees has to get points for originality.

Too bad it's a lizard, and not an ant, featured on the album artwork, otherwise my stupid pun might make some sense. Anyway, I didn't realize I was getting the import version, but that's what I got, so I'm here to tell you that while there are some pretty good remixes here, the collection has its dull spots too, notably the 11-min.-plus dud "Runaway" on Disc 1. That's not a track to chill too, it just kills the disc dead, IMHO, even with The Primal Scream, Robbie Williams and Art of Noise fun mixes.

Disc 2 is much more consistent, building to the excellent Damage Manual mix, followed by a properly-handled cool-down "Morocco Mole" from Yasuaki Shimizu, and capped off by a crazy/funny found/"enhanced"(?) novelty number, The Reefer Song.

The whole 2-disc package is well worth it at the current stated price (under $15).