The Altogether

The Altogether is Orbital's sixth studio album and was released in 2001. It features guest vocals by the Hartnolls' brother-in-law David Gray, a sampled Ian Dury, a sample from "Sober" by Tool and a version of the Doctor Who theme. It was Orbital's last studio album for FFRR and received a mixed critical reception.

The Altogether
Studio album by
Orbital
Released30 April 2001
Length62:40 (UK) / 70:26 (US)
LabelFFRR
London/Sire (US)
ProducerOrbital
Orbital chronology
The Middle of Nowhere
(1999)		 The Altogether
(2001)		 Work 1989–2002
(2002)
US edition cover
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic66/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Alternative Press[3]
Blender[4]
Mojo[5]
Muzik[6]
NME5/10[7]
Pitchfork5.2/10[8]
Q[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
URB[11]

Describing the album shortly before it was released, Phil Hartnoll said, "Whereas Middle of Nowhere was written for a detached mood, for sitting in a field and listening to by yourself, The Altogether is for listening to at a party with your mates. That's what I take it to mean anyway. Paul thinks it's about not having any clothes on."[12]

As of 2001, it had sold 135,000 copies worldwide.[13] As of 2004, the album had sold 58,000 copies in United States.[14]

Track listing

UK edition
No.TitleLength
1."Tension"5:53
2."Funny Break (One Is Enough)"4:55
3."Oi!"5:04
4."Pay Per View"5:11
5."Tootled"4:51
6."Last Thing"5:12
7."Doctor?"5:30
8."Shadows"5:48
9."Waving Not Drowning"4:31
10."Illuminate" (featuring David Gray)5:27
11."Meltdown"10:18

US edition

For the US release, the album was given a double-disc treatment, with many of the songs on the second disc being B-sides from various other releases. This version remains the standard US release.

Disc 2
No.TitleLength
1."Bigpipe Style"5:16
2."Monorail"6:18
3."Much Ado About Nothing Left"5:13
4."An Fhomhair"6:59
5."Doctor Look Out"5:13
6."Beelzebeat"8:26
7."Nothing Left Out"6:04
8."Old Style"5:55
9."Funny Break" (Weekend Ravers Mix)8:28
10."Mock Tudor"7:38
11."New Style"4:56

DVD version

Because "The Strongroom" (Orbital's London studio run by the unofficial "third member", their producer Mickey Mann) had capabilities for mixing surround audio they decided to make a DVD release of The Altogether. The DVD is very rich in content and has an extensive navigation that invites the viewer to explore and try out various things to find hidden features, for example in the video to "Shadows" there are different angles available. The DVD features some fake commercials and an imaginary children's programme called "Play Factory" (in the video for "Waving Not Drowning"), which includes actor Brian Cant in a similar role to that as presenter of Play School.

It features mixed audio in stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. The bonus tracks "Meltdown", "Doctor?" and the hidden track "Monorail" (not mentioned on the cover) are Dolby Digital 5.1 only.

No.TitleExtrasLength
1."Tension"alternative live footage6:19
2."Funny Break (One Is Enough)" (shortened)Funny Peculiar (the making of Funny Break)3:57
3."Oi!" 5:04
4."Pay Per View"• alternative audio: footage sound
• the commercials from "Pay Per View"		5:09
5."Tootled" 4:50
6."Last Thing" 5:12
7."Shadows"multiple angles6:01
8."Waving Not Drowning"out-takes/behind-the-scenes (6 versions)4:30
9."Illuminate" (featuring David Gray) 5:27
Bonus tracks
No.TitleExtrasLength
10."Doctor?"multiple angles5:32
11."Meltdown" (extended) 22:00
12."Monorail"multiple angles6:37

"Tension"

"The track grew out of incidental music we were doing for this BBC Two film [by photographer Nick Waplington for the TX series]," Paul Hartnoll told Q. "We had this '50s vocal sample and then decided to put a sort of surf guitar thing on top. It gives it this Batman-type feel. We decided to call it techno-skiffle or something."[15]

References
  1. "The Altogether by Orbital". Metacritic.
  2. Bush, John. "Orbital: The Altogether > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  3. While the album certainly is a lot of fun, it may turn off fans who have come to expect moody electronica from the Hartnolls. [Oct 2001, p.98]
  4. Their grooves can sometimes roll on as if unattended -- which is fine for living-room techno, but not for the pop songs they're trying to emulate. [Jun/Jul 2001, p.114]
  5. Mojo (Publisher) (5/01, p.116) - "...The trademark lush, sweeping soundscapes are here, but THE ALTIGETHER is more of an album of one-offs and collaborations, odd sound-sources and aural digs....the sound of a band having a lot of fun..."
  6. Muzik (5/01, p.61) - 5 out of 5 - "...Slick, self-assured...Hartnolls' ability to surprise remains firmly intact....Orbital not only remind you how good the 'Dr Who' theme is - but they can make you dance to it as well..."
  7. "Orbital : The Altogether". NME. 12 September 2005.
  8. "Orbital: The Altogether". Pitchfork.
  9. Q (6/01, p.110) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Their spikiest, most experimental album in some time...acknowledging their punk roots by sampling Ian Dury, The Cramps and Crass..."
  10. Blashill, Pat (11 October 2001). "Orbital: The Altogether". Rolling Stone. No. RS 879. Straight Arrow. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on 28 April 2007.
  11. The Altogether is, all stated evidence to the contrary, a remarkable work. Why? Because it is the product of two brothers who, understanding that they can kid neither the audience nor themselves, mapped a musical course based on their root love -- musical energy -- and never strayed. [Sep 2001, p.147]
  12. Abrahams, Tim (26 April 2001). "Naked ambitions". The List. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  13. "Billboard". 11 August 2001.
  14. Paoletta, Michael (21 August 2004). "Dance Acts Go Beyond The Dancefloor" (PDF). Billboard. p. 31. Retrieved 13 September 2020 – via World Radio History.
  15. Q, May 2001


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