Search - Orb :: Okie Dokie It's the Orb on Kompakt

I wanna go back to the future, like before

Rykre | Carson City, Nevada | 08/13/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'll admit that I haven't paid much attention to The Orb for many years. The classics "Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld" and "U.F.Orb", remain their ultimate classic innovative projects (including the various remixes and non-commercial releases surrounding those two albums). "Live 93" got old fast because it was just repeating too much previous work, and then I tried "Pomme Fritz", "Orbvs Terrarvm", and "Orblivion" (which did have a few gems, but too many weak spots as well), and I just eventually gave up on The Orb. Many other releases followed where I only read the CD jacket but never cared to buy anymore. I played some snippets here and there but nothing really captured my attention like the first two Orb albums did.



I did give "Cydonia" a try and I even bought it ("used" of course, so I didn't really risk much). I thought "Cydonia" was okay, not the greatest, but certainly more interesting than everything from "Pomme Fritz" forward. Then I actually paid full price for "Bicycles and Tricycles". I don't know what compelled me to do that. Maybe I just wanted to make sure I walked out of the CD store having bought something. Anything!



On "Bicycles and Tricycles", Alex has recorded probably the most ignorant rap track I have ever heard. Any rap track, that sounds angry, especially from a woman, is so damn annoying!. What's more, a "rap" track doesn't belong here anyway. That's not Orb music! But anyway, that stupid song ("Aftermath") greatly reduced the appeal of the album "Bicycles and Tricycles" for me, and continues to justify my opinion that The Orb is no where's near as great as they were with "Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld" and "UFOrb".



I don't know why The Orb feels that they have to have a speaking part in the middle of their albums although I do like the american guy on "Bicycles and Tricycles" talking about his observation of "pretty girls used for advertising". That was kind of cute, hell, that could have easily been me talking. However, the speaking part on "Cydonia" was confusing and annoying.



But alot of people here are saying that this new CD of "Okie Dokie" conjures up memories of The Orb's earlier days. I just don't see it. Maybe more of their middle years, perhaps. What was unique about "Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld" and "U.F.Orb" was that the main theme of those two albums are about Outer Space, Lunar Modulars, Interplanetary Space Travel, Space Station Communication, Super Novas, Dark Stars, Astronauts, etc. You know, our "not so distant future". It's the absence of these space themes that make me feel like this is no longer The Orb that they should always be. Plus The Orb use to be able to make tracks flow together more smoothly. That was an art in itself. All these tracks here on "Okie Dokie" seem like they could just end as they end, and start a new track as they start. No spacey ambience whatsoever. The otherworldly flow that they use to create so well is just not there anymore. And all these tracks here are much shorter so the "trance" concept has diminished as well. The feeling of floating, with no gravity, and just the simple but beautiful cold, dark, terror of being "out there", is gone. The first two Orb albums had a sound that was "larger than life". So much vastness and depth. Everything afterwards just seems like we've never left the ground. Never left the room. No otherworldly adventure to explore or fear.



I'll say that this album is fairly decent, but it's no landmark album, or any kind of respectable comeback of the days of old, that I can recall.



I'd like to see Alex Paterson try to do another Orb album where he takes us back to outer space, and tries to revive the cold terror of the unknown worlds of outer space. He should try doing an album called "U.F.Orb II: Another Ultraworld Adventure!" Commercially, the album title alone would bring many of the earlier Orb fans back. Hell, it worked for Jean Michel Jarre with "Oxygene 7-13" and Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells II (and even III)".



Give that a try Alex, see what happens. Even Pink Floyd might pay attention. Selling out to your glorious past is the American way to stay alive. Take us back to the future, Alex!



Fans of early Orb should check out Tomita and just about anything from Jean Michel Jarre."