Search - Patrice :: Free Patriation

Hasn't aged much, and disc 2 is fantastic!

M. Fulkerson | Portland, Oregon | 07/18/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've picked up all of the recent Orb reissues, and I have to say that the remastered Pomme Fritz package is impressive. Like many fans at the time, I was annoyed when I first heard Pomme Fritz in 1994. After the glorious ambient-house classic that was U.F. Orb, I was expecting more of the same, but was presented with a very bizarre and brief affair, filled with seemingly aimless tracks without much melody or direction. Mostly, though, it seemed that Alex Patterson and Co. weren't trying very hard and just threw something out there that sounded more like a collection of demos than anything else. It went right over my head, and I simply didn't like it. It took me a few years to get into it, and now, 14 years after the fact, I feel like it sounds better than ever before. The remaster is great, and with a band like the Orb, a clean transfer is essential. You're able to pick up on all of the intricate little details in the mix, and the bass and drums sound immaculate.

The bonus disc is absolutely fantastic. It really makes you understand and appreciate what the Orb were trying to do when they first released Pomme Fritz. Instead of throwing out a bunch of the same noises you had heard in their previous two albums, they mixed it up and challenged the listener with a more aggressive sound. The second disc proves that they still had the same tricks up their sleeve as when they recorded the first two lp's as disc 2 could easily be a different album all by itself. Disc 2 is the album that most Orb fans at the time were expecting, and to hear it after all this time is really cool. That early 90's Orb sound is all here in the second disc, complete with dubtastic grooves and downtempo beats, accompanied with spacey samples and atmospheric noises. The liner notes are written by Kris Needs, of course, and it's always fun to read his enthusiastic ramblings about a band he truly loves.

Out of all the recent reissues, this is presently my favorite of the bunch simply because of the second disc. Disc one continues to grow on me, but the immediate satisfaction of the treasures on the bonus disc cannot be ignored."