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Editorial Review:
Before joining the a-list as deskman to the likes of Madonna (Ray of Light) and the All Saints, William Orbit was a jobbing producer working with Laurie Mayer and Rico Conning as Torch Song through the eighties before producing his own instrumental material as Strange Cargo, the first volume of which was released back in 1987. This, the third in the series, has an eastern theme, which extends from the sleeve art through to occasional samples that cut through the bleeping electronics. It inspired an extreme of love it/hate it reviews on its release and was in fact dropped before finally seeing a release on Virgin. Despite all of this baggage, the album has grown to be the most widely acclaimed of the four to date, with the opening "Water From A Vine Leaf" featuring the vocals of Beth Orton the epitome of ethnic ambience while "Gringatcho Demento" clearly sets the seeds to the later Hinterland. Looking for an album that sits between trance, techno, dub and world music? Look no further -- Kingsley Marshall
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Largely overrated How this album got 5 stars? beats me completely. This is mediocre music at best, with clean sound arrangements perhaps but cruelly lacking inspiration. Melodies are flat, tracks all sound the same and the sound itself is a poor re-rendition of electronica/ambient sounds of the beginning of the 90s. I put 2 stars just because 1 star would be "I hate it", and that cannot qualify as this soporific collection merely leaves me totally indifferent. I bought it partly based on the Amazon rating (will teach me) and... more info
One of the most amazing things I have heard This album represents the whole world of ambient music. I've been a fan of William Orbit for a long time, but consider this to be his best album to date, perhaps twice as good as the rest of his works. The album starts with the great groove of Water from a Vine Leaf. The production work on this track and the next, Into the Paradise, are brilliant, and showcase Orbit's musical power. Time to get Wize and Harry Flowers are more chillout-based tracks, and show off William's thoughtfulness when it comes to... more info
A masterful example of electronic music with true soul From the outset this CD is a classic, even years after its initial release it sounds unique & fresh. So much other `electonica' fails to deliver in the `repeated listing' test. This disc does. Every listen brings forward new textures & themes buried deep within a multi-layered production. `Water from a vine leaf' is a total landmark track taking you through a real melodic journey. `Into the paradise' throbs with the driving beat of a club you have always imagined but will never see. The whole work... more info
