Orbital (brown album)
Encyclopedia
Orbital 2 is the second album from British electronica
duo Orbital
. It is also known as the Brown Album to differentiate it from Orbital's 1991 debut album
, which had a green cover. It was released in May 1993 and reached the #28 on the UK album charts.
", with vocals from Kirsty Hawkshaw
of Opus III
.
The album begins with "Time Becomes", which features the same speech sample (by actor Michael Dorn
in Star Trek: The Next Generation
) which opened their first album. The piece uses the phasing
technique invented by Steve Reich
, in which two identical samples are repeated at slightly different speeds.
The second song, "Planet of the shapes", contains a sample from the movie Withnail & I, saying "even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day".
The brothers enjoy aural puns, and the use of the sample from Star Trek: The Next Generation
(which appeared on the opening of their first album) was meant to infuriate listeners by making them believe for a few seconds that they had bought a mispressing. The muffled intro on "Planet of the Shapes" has the intentional addition of record static and crackles, followed by the sound of a needle skipping grooves then scratching across the record, also meant to infuriate fans, who bought the vinyl edition, by making them think their copy was less than mint.
This album is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
alongside their 1994 LP 'Snivilisation
'. It (along with the In Sides
album) was also included in Q magazine's
"90 Best albums of the 1990s".
On cassette, "Planet of the Shapes" was re-titled "Planet of the Tapes", but the track is identical.
Also on cassette, "Planet of the Shapes" is the first song on side 2, and is placed after "Remind" in the track listing.
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
duo Orbital
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...
. It is also known as the Brown Album to differentiate it from Orbital's 1991 debut album
Orbital (green album)
Orbital is the first album from Orbital, released in 1991. It is often referred to as the "Green Album", to differentiate it from the band's second album, titled Orbital 2 , which bears only the band's name on the cover....
, which had a green cover. It was released in May 1993 and reached the #28 on the UK album charts.
The album
On Orbital 2 the duo aimed to make more atmospheric music than the dance raves of their first album. They used more complex rhythms and denser arrangements on the appropriately monickered pieces entitled "Lush" but still proving themselves capable of making quality pop music on "Halcyon + On + OnHalcyon (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...
", with vocals from Kirsty Hawkshaw
Kirsty Hawkshaw
Kirsty Hawkshaw is a British dance/electronica/house/trance musician and songwriter. She is known for her participation as lead vocalist for the group Opus III, and her collaborative work with other musicians and producers....
of Opus III
Opus III
Opus III were a techno and house music group from England who had success on the UK Singles Chart and on the U.S. Dance charts. The group consisted of vocalist Kirsty Hawkshaw and producers/musicians Kevin 'The Fly' Dodds, Ian Munro and Nigel 'Spider' Walton...
.
The album begins with "Time Becomes", which features the same speech sample (by actor Michael Dorn
Michael Dorn
Michael Dorn is an American actor, and voice artist who is best known for his role as the Klingon Worf from the Star Trek franchise.-Early life and career:...
in Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
) which opened their first album. The piece uses the phasing
Phasing
In the compositional technique phasing, the same part is played on two musical instruments, in steady but not identical tempo...
technique invented by Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
, in which two identical samples are repeated at slightly different speeds.
The second song, "Planet of the shapes", contains a sample from the movie Withnail & I, saying "even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day".
The brothers enjoy aural puns, and the use of the sample from Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
(which appeared on the opening of their first album) was meant to infuriate listeners by making them believe for a few seconds that they had bought a mispressing. The muffled intro on "Planet of the Shapes" has the intentional addition of record static and crackles, followed by the sound of a needle skipping grooves then scratching across the record, also meant to infuriate fans, who bought the vinyl edition, by making them think their copy was less than mint.
This album is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...
alongside their 1994 LP 'Snivilisation
Snivilisation
Snivilisation is the third album and the first named album by Orbital. It was released in 1994. "Are We Here?" features vocals by Alison Goldfrapp, as does "Sad But True"...
'. It (along with the In Sides
In Sides
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.-The album:...
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".
Track listing
- "Time Becomes" – 1:43
- "Planet of the Shapes" – 9:36
- "Lush 3-1" – 5:39
- "Lush 3-2" – 4:40
- "Impact (The Earth Is Burning)" – 10:27
- "Remind" – 7:57
- "Walk Now…" – 6:48
- "Monday" – 7:05
- "Halcyon + On + OnHalcyon (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...
" – 9:28 - "Input Out" – 2:11
On cassette, "Planet of the Shapes" was re-titled "Planet of the Tapes", but the track is identical.
Also on cassette, "Planet of the Shapes" is the first song on side 2, and is placed after "Remind" in the track listing.