An entire thread for William Orbit

Exhibit A: Torch Song, "Don't Look Now" (1984). If this is new to you, don't give up on the merely above-average verse -- stick around for the genuinely inspired chorus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RakYlOPtcEM
(With Orbit himself working those cheekbones in the video!)

wish hed get back into producing pop songs

Also, don't forget about Bassomatic! Science & Melody is a great example of fun, funky Eurodance. For some reason that album seems to have been totally forgotten though, even Allmusic doesn't acknowledge it's existence.

Er, "Water from a Vine Leaf" is on Strange Cargo III... I'm not sure if it's actually the best tune on it, though.

So I found Caroline Lavelle's first album Spirit for a couple of bucks and thought I would give it a listen, and whaddaya know, Orbit produced and pretty much co-wrote the whole thing.

and is it worthy of pocket money Ned, its hiding away in a cheapo bin near here, hence the interest.

also, the 1st (excellent) bassomatic album is easily available again, yet the (not as excellent) second is still OOP.

remix of Nitzer Ebb's "Backlash" = best thing Nitzer Ebb released (aside from "Getting Closer")

Spatial Expansion mix of S'Express's "Music Lover" = BEST DANCE TRACK OF THE 90s!!!!!!!!!1

I still adore his remix of The Shamen's "Hyperreal".

and is it worthy of pocket money Ned, its hiding away in a cheapo bin near here, hence the interest.

It's not what I expected -- very low key, better for that reason given it's Lavelle, I think. Orbit in extremely restrained mode.

Orbit in extremely restrained mode

oh thats a shame i actually like his bubbly synth production style.
suspect it will remain in the bin.

I really like the second Bassomatic album, the singing is kinda generic, but Orbit has lots of fun with his samples, plus it features a great British rap duo called "The Sound of Sha'bass", which doesn't seem to have recorded anything else besides this album and one single in 1991.

Oh, and one of them also appears on Strange Cargo III, but that seems to be the last anyone's heard of them. Anyway, everyone should check out the Bassomatic tune "Science and Melody", it's a great piece of funky Eurodance with these two guys trading lines, old school style.

Ah, what the fuck, since the album is long out of print anyway, I don't think anyone will get mad if I share that tune with you:

Bassomatic - Science and Melody

Btw, I already said it upthread, but everyone should check out Strange Cargo III, especially since it is available again, being reissued a few years back. It's an incredibly nuanced piece of ambient house or whatever you want to call it - part dreamy, part moody, part creepy, part dancey, it's got everything. One of the best electronic albums of the nineties.

Some of the backing tracks off Beth Orton's first album "Superpinkymandy" were re-used as various "Strange Cargo" tracks. Including "water from a vine leaf"

http://joesvault.blogspot.com/2006/03/superpinkymandy-super-cd-that-no-one.html

ok, I'm not a completist or anything but yeah... I didn't know about it either!

Hey look, my thread! I have the "Hinterland" album he released under "Strange Cargo" which I only got for "She Cries Your Name", the rest was good but not exceptional.

renegade soundwave's rmx of 'fascinating rhythm' -- best thing ever.

postulation: chart-pop this decade has not come even remotely close to re-attaining the heights of "pure shores" and "beautiful stranger"

not even remotely

rong

refute

still awaiting refutation

ok this is getting its own thread

Has anyone heard the 4-disc Rare Orbit bootleg thing that's floating around? There is the most amazing version of "Feel Good Time" on it; apparently it was originally written by Orbit and Beck (who let Pink have it instead), but this thing's got the original version both with and without vocals and it's off the chaaaaarrrttss good!

Also, his 12" mix of "Justify My Love" rivals the original

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0R8MYGREmg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1tIsAjtWQM

oh snap

[A Madonna fan, Madonna Express Yourself, then mentioned what a lot of other Madonna fans are thinking: the lack of promo and the way the singles have been released, especially in the UK, have prevented MDNA to reach its full potential.

William Orbit responded…

I appreciate your analysis of the album release ‘strategy’ @Madonna Express Yourself. I wasn’t involved in its formulation in any way myself. All I will say is that certain thoughts about it that I see expressed online by committed fans such as yourself, were blindingly obvious to me from the very get go, well before the release. But I’m no Jimmy Iovine, with the ability to advocate my convictions forcefully, and as co-producer, co-writer etc am aware that it is not in my ‘job spec’.

But you won’t see me exactly jumping up and down with delight over the way that things have panned out. We were very pushed for time, due to a rather interesting and shall we just say, ‘traditional’ method of recording that the esteemed engineer Demo was partial to, and various pressing commitments that took up the artists limited time, such as perfume ranges and teen fashion contests and other such endeavours which are beyond my own limited understanding of pop star agendas.

The recording sessions for the six songs I did were hugely enjoyable for all of us. M was on form and better than ever with her singing and writing and musicality, and was having a great time. We had songs lined up that were breathtaking. You’ll hear some of them on Chris Brown’s new album, and they are the best ones, Kreayshawn’s (INCREDIBLE) new album, my own recently completed ‘Strange Cargo’ album. And some other surprising places. SNAPPED up by the artists concerned. Most of them, I believe, destined to become classics (let me know in a couple months wether you concur with that)

The team I assembled in NY for MDNA were, and are as good as it gets now. Writers and musicians and performers I picked because they take my breath away with their talent. And are totally of-the-moment in everything good that is going on in contemporary music at the moment. And usually hard to book because they are so in demand. And all of us fully committed to putting ourselves through extraordinary efforts to make MDNA the greatest album of the year.

But alas, the time wasn’t there. Great swathes of it taken up by the engineer and his assistant bouncing reverb tracks for hour after hour, night after night. Not to real tape or anything, where you could posit that there would be an advantageous sonic dividend (real tape can be magic) but all in the digital domain. A purely procedural thing. Although not a procedure I or any of my own colleagues in this game would want to squander time with.

I was just describing to a friend of mine, and whom I frequently work with Serban Ghenea (just look him up if you want to be awed) how it was done, and he thought I was kidding him!

There. I’ve said it. I did try to say it earlier but I must have not made the point with enough push, my way being to always say it with the music itself.

Over the years it’s become obvious to me that along with Madonna being the greatest pop artist of ALL time, her fan base are also the most ardent, cohesive, discerning and loyal fan base of any artist. Not saying that to blow smoke, is quite obviously true. Big respect. And long life to us all. And as you look at things in a ‘long term’ way (my way also) you always call it like you see it. And I’m with you on that too. Be honest and true, speak your heart and mind, and let the dust fall where it will.

So basically, i’d lie down in the mud if she didn’t want to get her shoes messed up (well, figuratively speaking, neither of us does a lot of Glastonbury mud tramping) it’s hard to be an effective knight when your hands are bound. I will submit to wisdoms that are possibly beyond my comprehension and that will play out to glory in the fullness of time. And get back to my own fervent canvas, and speak no more of the matter.

Oh, and if some bright spark at marketing central suggested a Hilary Clinton approach, ie, press ‘restart’ and get back in the studio for a couple weeks and do what they nowadays call a ‘re-pack’, I’d certainly put my hand up for that, whatever else I had going on. But realistically, there is only one person that could make that happen. And with the best songs in the world, and the best mixing, best ProToolsing, best team, best lyrics, best bananas, after this little screed I don’t suppose I should while away my hours staring at the phone! But i feel better for saying all that. Debt free and not beholden. The thing about having little appetite for riches and fame, and no great tower of expectations, you haven’t got anything to be taken away. And having always been an outsider, outside in the cold, It’s always clear which way the wind is blowing. I was never inside any bubble long enough to forget how the wind blows, and changes, and ebbs and gusts, and dies away completely. As before a storm. And that a beautiful bubble might yield to even a the breeze from a humble fan.

Also, THIS (orig version of "Ray of Light" where Orbit has weirdo guitar freakouts):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kRDEy9BGKQM

erm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRDEy9BGKQM

I mean obv they shouldn't have kept it in but it's still way cool to hear.

is there a thread for discussing the 90s production style Orbit perfected on Ray of Light, in a way the perfect synthesis of 70s and 80s production - digital and crystal clear, but with plenty of room for acoustic and analogue elements, groovy and fresh, drawing on world and electronica influences, moving and melancholy at its core

I once started a thread about how Beautiful Stranger and Pure Shores were the best pop songs of our time, but I was young and (more) idiotic tbf

*cringes*

postulation: chart-pop this decade has not come even remotely close to re-attaining the heights of "pure shores" and "beautiful stranger"

obviously this is RONG, although I stand by those two songs being great

Beautiful Stranger was the first single I ever bought with m' own $$. Cassette from Woolworths.

I'm sure I pop up earlier in the thread saying the exact same thing, but when the Madonna album came out I only knew him as the guy who had done those Strange Cargo Collections and had some relationship Peter Gabriel.

There is the most amazing version of "Feel Good Time" on it; apparently it was originally written by Orbit and Beck (who let Pink have it instead), but this thing's got the original version both with and without vocals and it's off the chaaaaarrrttss good!

i still listen to this track a lot. its great.

omfg the arpeggio at the end of the intro of “Beautiful Stranger” where each note is sustained to create this huge chord and then it just abruptly cuts off omg I love it

Just gonna put this here. Never knew Orbit remixed this (or that Thomas Dolby played keyboards on it) til recently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl7_jpvy-Jo

https://youtu.be/bwfYshZAW5s

This Limp Bizkit remix makes no sense in 2018

omg this is great lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zgWHuKSA0c

renegade soundwave's rmx of 'fascinating rhythm' -- best thing ever.

hope this is the 'claudia canniggia' mix as i actually have that in my archive and in honour of this revive have dug out the cd single of 'ease on by' and added it to the library.

and in the process, heard 'fascinating rhythm' for the first time in years.
bloody hell, it's brilliant pop.

I once started a thread about how Beautiful Stranger and Pure Shores were the best pop songs of our time, but I was young and (more) idiotic tbf

― imago, Sunday, April 29, 2018 5:48 AM (four days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

counterpoint: these are both terrible

beautiful stranger is the aural equivalent of austin powers

counterpoint: it was by far the best thing on the austin powers soundtrack that wasn't by the zombies

I heard William Orbit talking on R4's Only Artists show last year. What a fucking colossal bell-end. I can't remember much about his music other than the odd 90's remix, but never want to hear the cunt talking about it again.

I once started a thread about how Beautiful Stranger and Pure Shores were the best pop songs of our time, but I was young and (more) idiotic tbf

― imago, Sunday, April 29, 2018 5:48 AM (four days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

counterpoint: these are both terrible

bloody hell jim.
you may live in one of the few cities that i would love to get to know, but man, this is so very wrong.
they are still both high on my list of all time Orbit production classics.

jim you are ridiculously wrong about “pure shores”

holy shit @ that Belinda Carlisle remix

Really good interview:

A deep interview we just did with legendary record producer William Orbit (Torch Song / Strange Cargo / Madonna / Blur and more)...https://t.co/yirnfGAo2O pic.twitter.com/Fyi6Rqx1kE

— Test Pressing (@Test_Pressing) January 18, 2022

A couple of my favourite William Orbit bits that I don’t see doing a text search:

Bassomatic - Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Bass (Va Va Voom Mix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=892Sd9untB8

and

Torch Song - Prepare To Energize (The Fong Test Mix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyaBRJyK7CU

Looking forward to that interview. I remember him from the Strange Cargo era, then when he was briefly in Peter Gabriel's (er) orbit. No idea what he was done post Blur, though, and even that was iirc pretty atypical for him. As opposed to the Madonna album, which was a bullseye.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak58y8EE0YY

playing with Hawkwind! ^^