This is Orbitals' best album except possibly In Sides. It's really best not to compare them but call one the 'best of the older stuff' and the other 'best of the newer stuff'. The Brown Album/Orbital 2 is the best of the older stuff. It begins with the Hartnolls having fun with the Star Trek vocal sample "there is the theory of the Moebius..." from The Green album's Moebius and takes off from there. The brothers expand on the happy dance tunes of that album here; they keep the dance beats going while getting a bit more experimental with synths, sounds, and moods. The best tracks include the spacy Planet of the Shapes, the hard-hitting apocalyptic Impact (the earth is burning), the synth-saturated Remind, and of course Lush 3-1 and 3-2, which are aptly named. I strongly recommend this album, but don't listen to people who tell you that the newer material is unworthy in comparison, because that is simply not true. Start with this album if you are new to Orbital, then sample some of the newer stuff and see how you like it.

Being a relative novice in electronica and techno, I was unaware of the contributions of Orbital, as musicians, over the past 13 years. Truly one of the most rare and innovative artists of the past decade, Orbital has remained a mainstay in the genre because it has always been ahead of it: to quote madness, "one step beyond" and into a land where only it will dominate.

2 takes a more experimental and even backwards step, drawing upon a wide variety of sources to create impressive and enchanting beats. Cut-rhythms and changes in the tempo, mid-piece, are 2 dramatic changes from the old-school (and to a certain extent, the new school) rave scene. From the up-tempo and revolving rhythms of "Walk now" to the illustrious and emotionally transcendental "Halcyon + On + On", Orbital's influence can be heard in modern trance and house as a motivational and creative force to give people the experience of their life.

In many ways, Orbital 2 encapsules what dance music could and should be about: the propogation of a feeling of euphoria for the duration of the music. I, for one, feel this with each repeated listening of the cd. When most music appreciators are asked what they think when they think of 1993, Soundgarden, Nirvana and Pearl Jam instantly come to mind. But for the electronica generation, Orbital 2 is pivotal and essential.

This album, Orbital's second (obviously!), but not their second full-length release (the longish EP "Radicchio" isn't shown here), is a landmark work. Period. Anyone who has any interest in electronic music should be required to own this. From the cruel soundmangle beginning that takes off from their previous release's "The Moebius", Orbital drops us into the plink-plonk strangeness and shuffle of "Planet of the Shapes". But just when we get comfy with that, the weird voices kick up again and then...just like being shot out of a cannon...we're off into this magnificent arc of tracks that starts with 'Lush 3-1' and ends in 'Remind', going on for nearly a half-hour of solid beats and astounding electronic orchestration that rivals ever efforts by classical composers such as Philip Glass, Steve Reich, or John Adams. And from "Radicchio", we have the remixed 'Halcyon+on+on', which uses a beautifully-manipulated vocal loop from Opus III's "It's a Beautiful Day". Everything here is museum-grade-perfection, and this makes this perhaps one of the finest full-length techno efforts by anyone, period. Essential, and along with "Snivilization", an excellent start-point for new Orbital listeners.

Being born and raised in the city where House Music was born, and where a lot of good industrial music was made (WaxTrax!)namely Chicago, I consider myself an expert on House, Techno and good, underground music in general. You name it, I've heard it. Early 80s mixes with Kratfwerk songs, Africa Bambaata and the Soul Sonic Force, to house mixes throughout grade school and high school days, not to mention the WaxTrax! sound (Ministry, RevCo, Front 242. I've been a fan of underground dance music since before the general public was even aware of its existence. Not to mention Depeche Mode, New Order, and industrial/alternative mixes. For you youngsters out there, the term "alternative" actually meant something at one time. Anyway, once our "House Sound" made it to Europe, especially England, and then became Techno, I've loved the techno sound, and since then, I have been in perpetual search of the "perfect trance/techno sound". I have found it twice. In 1993, I bought Orbital 2, partly because I thought the CDs name was interesting, "2". Tracks 3 through 7 are as good as techno/trance gets, especially the trancey part where Track 6 (Remind) melds into track 7 (Walk Now). I mean, I've heard it ALL, AND ORBITAL 2 IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS, IT IS THE ULTIMATE IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD!!!! I have bought this CD 6 times because copies have gotten stolen, worn or whatever, and it is as good today and the day I bought it - maybe because it was before its time, or is timeless. DIVERSIONS, with remixed versions of tracks from Orbital 2 is every bit as good. Here is my list of techno/trance perfection:

ORBITAL 2, DIVERSIONS, IN SIDES(AMERICAN RELEASE #1), FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON'S ACCELERATOR, EXPANDER AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA REMIXES, HIGHER INTELLIGENCE AGENCY'S COLOURFORM, TRANCEWERK EXPRESS' TRIBUTE TO KRAFTWERK VOL.1, BLADE SOUNDTRACK TRACKS 12 AND 13 (COVER OF NEW ORDER'S CONFUSION), MOBY'S 'COME ON BABY' SINGLE, AND EARLY GOA TRANCE FROM 95-96, ORB'S 'ULTRAWORLD)

Never mind the Oakenfolds, Sashas, and Digweeds, their early stuff is OK, but mostly they put out what I refer to as "Friendly Techno", if you want the real thing, the stuff that is dark, ominous, hard-driving, tripnotic, you must go to the source, and.......if you only buy one CD in this life, make sure it's Orbital 2....

This album is great.

I like very much the song "Impact (The Heart is Burning)", it's a beautiful masterpiece. I don't want to say better or worst, simply beautiful.

Very recommendable, specially for the electronic music lovers.