In Sides
Encyclopedia
In Sides is the fourth album recorded by Orbital
, released in 1996. The name is a reference to the fact that the album was originally available as a 3-LP vinyl box set, with one track per "side" of each LP.
solar power generator. It opens with the sound of a heartbeat which serves as bass and develops into what many critics hold as one of Orbital's most accomplished pieces.
"P.E.T.R.O.L." was included in the soundtracks for the video game wipE'out"
and also the film π
. The title of the fifth track, "Dŵr Budr" is Welsh
for dirty water and was written with the then-recent MV Sea Empress oil tanker disaster just off the coast of Wales in mind. "Adnan's" was originally written for 1995's The Help Album
benefitting War Child
.
Vocals on the album are credited to the mysterious Auntie, a pseudonym used by Alison Goldfrapp
on this release. Her singing on "Dŵr Budr" is nonsensical chanting, and has been rumoured to have been played backwards, though neither the brothers nor Goldfrapp herself will divulge any information.
American and other overseas versions of the album contained a bonus CD of tracks that had been previously released in the UK, such as "Times Fly", "The Saint
", "The Sinner", "The Box" and live versions of "Satan" and "Halcyon
".
in 1996, and reached a high of #5 the week of its release. By late May 2006, over 60,000 copies of the album had been sold.
The album was also included in British music magazine Melody Maker's, end-of-year, best albums / singles retrospective.
The album was also included in Q magazine's
"90 Best albums of the 1990s".
The single "The Box" also made NME
's Best singles of 1996 list, coming in at number 5.
The U.S. version of the record was initially packaged to include the Times Fly EP along with The Box EP
(the latter included as a single 28-minute track):
In 1997, the reprint of the album included both tracks of The Saint
single along with Irving Plaza recordings of "Halcyon" and "Satan" (previously found on Orbital's "III EP" and the "Satan Live EP"):
Orbital (band)
Orbital are a British electronic dance music duo from Sevenoaks, England consisting of brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll. Their career initially ran from 1989 until 2004, but in 2009 they announced that they would be reforming and headlining The Big Chill, in addition to a number of other live shows...
, released in 1996. The name is a reference to the fact that the album was originally available as a 3-LP vinyl box set, with one track per "side" of each LP.
The album
"The Girl with the Sun in Her Head" was dedicated to the memory of Volume magazine photographer Sally Harding who died in 1995. The track was recorded using electricity from a GreenpeaceGreenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
solar power generator. It opens with the sound of a heartbeat which serves as bass and develops into what many critics hold as one of Orbital's most accomplished pieces.
"P.E.T.R.O.L." was included in the soundtracks for the video game wipE'out"
Wipeout (video game)
Wipeout is the first in a series of futuristic racing video games developed and published by Psygnosis. It was originally released in 1995 for Sony PlayStation and PCs running MS-DOS, and in 1996 for Sega Saturn...
and also the film π
Pi (film)
Pi, also titled ,WorldCat gives the title as [Pi] and provides a note which states, "Title is the mathematical symbol for Pi." . Amazon gives the title as Pi with no notation concerning the math symbol . is a 1998 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Darren Aronofsky...
. The title of the fifth track, "Dŵr Budr" is Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
for dirty water and was written with the then-recent MV Sea Empress oil tanker disaster just off the coast of Wales in mind. "Adnan's" was originally written for 1995's The Help Album
The Help Album
The Help Album is a 1995 charity album devoted to the War Child charity's aid efforts in war-stricken areas, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina...
benefitting War Child
War Child (charity)
War Child is a non-governmental organisation founded in the UK 1993, which focuses on providing assistance to children in areas of conflict and post-conflict. They use their film and entertainment background to raise money for aid agencies operating in former Yugoslavia...
.
Vocals on the album are credited to the mysterious Auntie, a pseudonym used by Alison Goldfrapp
Alison Goldfrapp
Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp is an English singer-songwriter and record producer, best known as the lead singer of the electronic music duo Goldfrapp. Goldfrapp has a soprano vocal range.-Early life:...
on this release. Her singing on "Dŵr Budr" is nonsensical chanting, and has been rumoured to have been played backwards, though neither the brothers nor Goldfrapp herself will divulge any information.
American and other overseas versions of the album contained a bonus CD of tracks that had been previously released in the UK, such as "Times Fly", "The Saint
The Saint (soundtrack)
The Saint: Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack was the soundtrack to the 1997 movie The Saint.This soundtrack featuring Duran Duran, Sneaker Pimps, Orbital, Moby, Fluke, Luscious Jackson, The Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Daft Punk, David Bowie, Superior, Dreadzone, Duncan Sheik, and...
", "The Sinner", "The Box" and live versions of "Satan" and "Halcyon
Halcyon (Orbital song)
"Halcyon" is a song written and performed by Orbital. The song features a backmasked vocal sample by Kirsty Hawkshaw from "It's a Fine Day" by Opus III . Ed Barton, the composer of "It's a Fine Day", receives a co-writing credit for the track...
".
Success & critical response
The album spent 12 weeks in the UK chartsUK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
in 1996, and reached a high of #5 the week of its release. By late May 2006, over 60,000 copies of the album had been sold.
The album was also included in British music magazine Melody Maker's, end-of-year, best albums / singles retrospective.
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melody Maker Melody Maker Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody... |
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
"Albums of the Year" | 1996 | 31 |
| NME NME The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles... |
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
"1996 NME Albums" | 1996 | 3 |
| Mixmag Mixmag Mixmag is a British dance music and clubbing magazine. It styles itself as "the world's biggest selling dance music magazine", with an Audit Bureau of Circulations audited circulation of approximately 21,250... |
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
"Best of 1996" | 1996 | 3 |
The album was also included in Q magazine's
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
"90 Best albums of the 1990s".
The single "The Box" also made NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
's Best singles of 1996 list, coming in at number 5.
Track listing
The original track listing from 1996:- "The Girl with the Sun in Her Head" – 10.26
- "P.E.T.R.O.L." – 6.17
- "The BoxThe Box (Orbital song)"The Box" is a single by the British electronica duo Orbital. Taken from their 1996 album In Sides, the single was released in 1996 and reached number 11 on the UK Singles Chart.-The song:...
(Part 1)" – 6.28 - "The Box (Part 2)" – 6.00
- "Dŵr Budr" – 9.55
- "Adnan's" – 8.41
- "Out There Somewhere? (Part 1)" – 10.42
- "Out There Somewhere? (Part 2)" – 13.26
The U.S. version of the record was initially packaged to include the Times Fly EP along with The Box EP
The Box (Orbital song)
"The Box" is a single by the British electronica duo Orbital. Taken from their 1996 album In Sides, the single was released in 1996 and reached number 11 on the UK Singles Chart.-The song:...
(the latter included as a single 28-minute track):
- "Times Fly (Slow)" - 7:58
- "Sad But New" - 7:29
- "Times Fly (Fast)" - 7:53
- "The Tranquilizer" - 6:27
- "The Box" (Extended Play, full version) - 28:11
In 1997, the reprint of the album included both tracks of The Saint
The Saint (film)
The Saint is a 1997 film based on the character of Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books published as "The Saint." The film stars Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija...
single along with Irving Plaza recordings of "Halcyon" and "Satan" (previously found on Orbital's "III EP" and the "Satan Live EP"):
- "Satan (Industry Standard)"
- "Satan (Live at NYC Irving Plaza)"
- "The Saint"
- "The Sinner"
- "Halcyon (Live at NYC Irving Plaza)"
External links
- Full details of Orbital In Sides
- Reason for album name explained
- Orbital Gear List, including a list of synths used on In Sides