The Orb Album: “Live 93”

I was kind of shocked that so many people gave this mediocre or poor reviews. I actually prefer this to the majority of their studio albums. Nothing compares to Orbus Terrarum, their crown jewel, but I would rather listen to this one before any of the others. '...Ultraworld' is great, but sounds a little dated now, same can be said for'UFOrb'. 'Pomme Fritz' shines, but only on a couple of tracks...same for 'Orblivion', and 'Cydonia' was a massive disapointment. So...this two disc live album, which might as well be a remix album, makes up for the others(In my humble opinion). The early versions of 'Plateau' and 'Valley' are great listening, as are the live versions of 'oobe' 'towers of dub' and of course 'blue room'. Every Orb fan should have this in their collection. Also, if you can find 'Orbscure Tracks'...don't pass it up. Peace...

Okay, a live double-disc album from an ambient act doesn't come across as anything essential. And it's not. But if you're into the Orb, this is a surprisingly entertaining disc. It offers up some fun remixes of classic Orb - I particularly enjoyed the versions of "A Huge Ever Growing..." and "O.O.B.E." here. Sadly, not everything here is great. This mix has the habit of putting elements into the tracks that seem dissonant, as in the engine on "Star 6 & 7 8 9". Also, of course, you probably aren't going to sit down and listen to 2+ hours of ambience on a regular basis. But overall, this is a lot better than the title would indicate. So here's what you do - buy the Orb's "Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld" and "U.F.Orb" albums, and if you're into those, pick this one up some time.

If you're not too familiar with The Orb, this isn't the one to start with. For introductions, check out "Orblivion", "Orbus Terrarum", or "U.F.Off".

If you're a fan and you don't have this one, you need to stop sleeping. Even though it's not their best release, this one remains a personal favorite. Most people tend to think that electronic music doesn't translate well into a live, improvised atmosphere. This album blows that notion out of the water. If you're a dready tour kid that likes Phish or the Dead, you may even appreciate this one (if you're open-minded enough). I prefer the renditions of "OOBE" and "Little Fluffy Clouds" on this over the studio versions and the contribution of a REAL bass player and a REAL drummer definitely allows this to compete with any other so-called 'live psychedelic' rock music.

This stuff is way more danceable than those other jam bands out right now. It's widely believed that dancing can put you into a psychedelic trance and if this is the case then 1960s nostalgia doesn't compare to modern acid rock like this.

The style and grace, and the reggae vibe that this album fluctuates ands breathes with......... excuse me for taking a deep breath......go ahead breath........ live........Enjoy this

Unbelievably well-recorded live tracks byt the masters of ambient dub (is that redundant?). Some favorites, like "OOBE" and "Perpetual Dawn," many from the album "Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld." The vocal samples are turned up a bit (and listed inside the cover, thank you very much), but not at the expense of the rhythms, which are as free as ever to follow their course. This is actually a great introduction to the Orb.