U. F. Off: The Best Of The Orb [Limited Edition] [Limited Edition]

Amazon.com
This celebration of the British ambient-dance group's first 10 years is one for all electronic tastes. Whether you like your beats hard and fast or slow and gentle, U.F. Off has something for everyone, with each of the album's 12 compositions wrapped generously in the Orb's uniquely dubbed-out style. Orb aficionados will enjoy some new mixes of old favorites, such as "Little Fluffy Clouds" by LFC and "A Huge Ever Growing Brain..." by Orbital, while newcomers will be drawn by the timeless sunrise aura of "Blue Room" and "Pi (Part 1)." However, it is during the pulsating reggae throb of "Perpetual Dawn (Solar Youth Mix)" and the metronomic trance-floor classic "Assassin" that the Orb's richest identity shines. The first 15,000 copies come with a 12-song bonus disc containing further riches, rarities, and previously unreleased recordings. --Steffan Chirazi

URB
This 10-year-career retrospective [is] not only a good educational tool and convenient buy for new listeners, but an essential volume for the collectors as well.... The main collection contains many songs that were originally released as singles, featuring seven-inch and other rare mixes.

Tracks:

A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld (Orbital Dance Mix)
Little Fluffy Clouds (Dance Mix 2)
Perpetual Dawn (Solar Youth Mix)
Blue Room (7'' Mix)
Assassin (7'' Mix)
Pomme Fritz (Meat 'N' Veg)
Toxygene (7'' Mix)
Outlands (LP Version)
DJ Asylum (7'' Edit)
Mickey Mars (7''Edit)
Tower Of Dub (Original Mix)
PI (Part 1) (LP Version)

Tracks:

Little Fluffy Clouds (Live From Washington DC '97)
Perpetual Dawn (Ultrabass II)
Pomme Fritz (Orb Remix)
Toxygene (Ganja Kru Remix)
DJ Asylum (The Soulcatchers Mix)
Assassin (Chocolate Hills Of Bohol Mix)
O.O.B.E. (Pool Mix)
A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld (Radio Version)
Blue Room (Ambient Mix)
Mickey Mars (Red X Mix)
PI (Part 2) (Orb Remix)
Montagne D'or (Der Gvte Berg) (Vestax Mix)

Amazon.com

This celebration of the British ambient-dance group's first 10 years is one for all electronic tastes. Whether you like your beats hard and fast or slow and gentle, U.F. Off has something for everyone, with each of the album's 12 compositions wrapped generously in the Orb's uniquely dubbed-out style. Orb aficionados will enjoy some new mixes of old favorites, such as "Little Fluffy Clouds" by LFC and "A Huge Ever Growing Brain..." by Orbital, while newcomers will be drawn by the timeless sunrise aura of "Blue Room" and "Pi (Part 1)." However, it is during the pulsating reggae throb of "Perpetual Dawn (Solar Youth Mix)" and the metronomic trance-floor classic "Assassin" that the Orb's richest identity shines. The first 15,000 copies come with a 12-song bonus disc containing further riches, rarities, and previously unreleased recordings. --Steffan Chirazi

Customer Reviews:

The Only Way to Start.......2005-08-26

For those of you who are Orb-curious, this a great place to start. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. More or less a singles compilation, with a few rarities, remixes and a live track as well. All the bases are covered. Techno, ambient house, hard electro, drum 'n' bass, dub reggae. It's all here. Kind of like a primer of 1990's style electronic music. Great for fans and completists also, because of the before mentioned rarities.
If you like this, I'd suggest the first album "the Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld" as your next purchase; it's where it all started. If you like more ambient style music that doesn't bash you over the head with hard beats and endless repitition, give "Orbus Terrarum" a listen.

Greatest hits.......2004-05-15

This is your typical greatest hits album. It didn't show me anything wonderful or new, but it has a bunch of 7" edits, which are great for mix cds. I like "Evergrowing..." much more when it is a straight ambient track, like it is on the album, but the mix is cool too. "Mickey Mars" is cool too, and the "Towers of Dub" mix is great. The second disc is a collection of remixes and rare mixes and stuff, great but not a must have.

A Three star album because I think it would be better to go buy all their studio albums instead of just this.

The Best of the Orb.......2004-04-17

This is the best of The Orb. It is an essential collectible for fans new and old. Since purchasing this CD in 1999 I have collected most of the main Orb releases, including the classic (unfortunately deleted) full version of Blue Room. I still come back to this CD often.

Here The Orb offers up its best; mixed perfectly. The CD includes rare tracks such as Assassin, Huge Evergrowing Brain, Blue Room, and Perpetual Dawn. The unreleased (and underrated) track Mickey Mars is only available here. The hidden Oxbow Lakes remix, at the end of CD1, is excellent.

The double CD offers music unavailable elsewhere including a 1997 live version of Little Fluffy Clouds and the Mickey Mars Red X remix. There are also rare gems including the fantastic Soul Catchers remix of Asylum. Side two is mixed well and is presented symmetrically to the first CD and makes the collection nearly complete.

Older fans may want more. The "Chocolate Hills" remix of Assassin is trimmed down to a minute and a half from fourteen. The edits of Blue Room are good, but fail to catch the majesty of the original that sent the standard for Ambient House music. Still, this album is a good representation of the group's body of work up to 1997. If are new to the Orb fan this CD might be the place the start and finish with The Orb.

A good introduction to The Orb.......2004-04-17

I love techno music. I have been a techno fanatic for some time now. It really irritates me when people who don't like techno music has to criticize the music and try to shove their music down other dance fans like myself. A reviewer here wrote that he didn't understand why people listened to this sort of music. Well I like it because I love listening to music that doesn't get played on the radio. I also love to dance to this sort of music. I will pass on Pink Floyd and Eric Clapton. That sort of music bores me to death.

Back in college I had a roommate who was even a bigger techno fan than I was. He helped shape my taste in music by unwittingly introducing me to Moby, Orbital, Leftfield and Delerium. Another techno act he exposed me to was The Orb. Their music was nothing that I haven't heard before. It was a good mixture of techno and reggae, especially on "Perpetual Dawn" (my personal favorite song by The Orb). I bought "U.F.Off: The Best of The Orb" to familiarize myself with their music. It was definitely different from Moby, Orbital, and Leftfield to say the very least. Another favorite song of mine by The Orb is "A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating..." which takes a sample from the old Minnie Ripperton song "Loving You". Good use of sampling as opposed to any song by Poofy (my nickname for the former Puffy/P.Diddy). All the songs on both disc one and two are cool. I more akin to the first disc though. For people who want to check out The Orb's music but never have, I strongly suggest checking out their best of cd. It is a good introduction.

PI + 4:48 (Tr. 12) is THE reason for this comp........2003-05-29

A mix that covers -very lightly- a catalogue of tracks formented from the Land of OZ & beyond, it spectacularly hits the mark at 'PI'- Four minutes & Fourty-Eight seconds after the track fades, mind. It's a piano swimming through the ozone... or something. Whatever, it makes this compilation absolute.

Average customer rating:

Great if you like something in a different techno sound
AMBIENT 101
Uninspired Selection
Greatest hits doesnýt quite capture their magic
Great Selection of Orb Hits

U.F. Off: The Best of Orb
The Orb
Manufacturer: Island
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ambient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

IDM | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Orbus Terrarum
Orblivion
U.F.Orb (Limited initial quantities include 2nd disc with full length 40 minute "Blue Room" +3)
Cydonia

ASIN: B00000DLV2
Release Date: 1998-11-17

Tracks:

A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld (Orbital Dance Mix)
Little Fluffy Clouds (Dance Mix 2)
Perpetual Dawn (Solar Youth Mix)
Blue Room (7 Inch Mix)
Assassin (7 Inch Mix)
Pomme Fritz (Meat 'N Veg)
Toxygene (7 Inch Edit)
Outlands (LP Version)
DJ Asylum (7 Inch Edit)
Mickey Mars (7 Inch Edit)
Towers Of Dub (Original Mix)
Pi (Part 1) (LP Version)

Amazon.com

This celebration of the British ambient-dance group's first 10 years is one for all electronic tastes. Whether you like your beats hard and fast or slow and gentle, U.F. Off has something for everyone, with each of the album's 12 compositions wrapped generously in the Orb's uniquely dubbed-out style. Orb aficionados will enjoy some new mixes of old favorites, such as "Little Fluffy Clouds" by LFC and "A Huge Ever Growing Brain..." by Orbital, while newcomers will be drawn by the timeless sunrise aura of "Blue Room" and "Pi (Part 1)." However, it is during the pulsating reggae throb of "Perpetual Dawn (Solar Youth Mix)" and the metronomic trance-floor classic "Assassin" that the Orb's richest identity shines. The first 15,000 copies from the label come with a 12-song bonus disc containing further riches, rarities, and previously unreleased recordings. --Steffan Chirazi

Customer Reviews:

Great if you like something in a different techno sound.......2007-03-13

I would recommend 2,3,4,and 7. I don't really like the other songs on the CD and bought it only for the above songs. If you can get the CD for a reasonable price (below $10), then I would definitely listen to these songs.

AMBIENT 101.......2001-10-26

THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF THE ORB, FOR THE REAL AMBIENT MUSIC LISTENER, A MUST HAVE. PERFECT FOR RELAXATION AND LONG ROAD TRIPS

Uninspired Selection.......2000-11-27

As mentioned elsewhere, the choice of tracks range from the obvious releases (Little Fluffy Clouds, Blue Room) to noisy crap that was never released (Mickey Mars). The version of 'Towers of Dub' is noodly and boring, and tracks like PI and DJ Asylem can hardly be called 'The best of the Orb' really now, can they? I bought the one CD version of this album, and you can buy a limited edition two CD version. The tracks on CD 2 are practically the same ones as on CD 1 in different remixed forms! Where's the logic in that when there are so many classic tracks on the first two albums alone that surely belong here (the track U.F.Orb itself for instance). Anyway, buy Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld & U.F.Orb instead as everyone knows the rest of their output was dismal (Pomme Fritz, Orbus Terraneous and Orblivion were all dire, dire wastes of money).

Greatest hits doesnýt quite capture their magic.......2000-05-30

Greatest hits albums are usually a safe bet. After all, why settle for filler when all the good songs can be found on a convenient compilation? The exception to this rule is The Orb, one of the seminal bands of the 90's and arguably electronica's biggest act from `91-93. For this group, their albums of ambient-house music emphasized the whole over the sum of its parts. Picking out key songs may conveniently recap their career but doesn't capture the mood of their long, hypnotic sets.

Now, this does have their obvious hits, but for many reasons this album is still aimed for the Orb fan already. For instance, nearly all the 12 tracks are remixed to a varying degree, and half the songs are the better titles culled from their later, less successful releases.

As for the songs, leading off is an excellent Orbital dance mix of "A Huge...," with it's chugging beat, array of sound samples (a trademark of all Orb songs) and "Loving You" sample. There is, but of course, "Little Fluffy Clouds," sounding as good today - even in VW Beetle ads- as it did back then. "Perpetual Dawn" showcases the band's other tendencies: occasional raga sounds and cheeky humor. "Blue Room" is a good synopsis of their work, with it's blippy beat, effects, and voices worming in and out. "Assassin" is a minimal track, with a keyboard melody very similar to Sasha's "Xpander." "Pomme Fritz" features warped sounds but little else compelling, "Toxygene" is even more comically absurd and upbeat than their normal work, and "Outlands," like many other songs, is pulled from their first two albums. Rounding out the disc are the electro-tinged "DJ Asylum," the chaotic and poor "Mickey Mars," the too long skit/song "Towers of Dub," and the simple "Pi."

Getting this is a good choice for fans who want an easy Orb fix of their catchiest songs. Those looking to try The Orb, however, should get the magnificent The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld, their as-good follow up U.F. Orb, or the comprehensive Orb Live '93 set. U.F. Off may earn four stars, but it's their fourth-best release.

Great Selection of Orb Hits.......1999-11-10

This is a good selection of the Orb, so if you don't know the Orb this might be a good CD to get started. If you are an Orb fan, then you might want to get all of the other CDs instead of this one. But If you are really crazy about the Orb, then yeah, go ahead and buy it... I don't think you will regret it.

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