Babble on an' ting: Alex Paterson's Incredible Journey Beyond the Ultraworld with The Orb

by Kris Needs, Alex Paterson

Overview

Always steered by Alex Paterson, The Orb were the mischief-making pioneers of the late 80s acid house revolution. Inventing “ambient house”, they took it to the top of the charts, before continuing its idiosyncratic flight path through subsequent decades, battling meteor storms en route. Babble On An' Ting, the first full account of Paterson’s life, written by long-time friend Kris Needs in close collaboration with Alex, reveals a frequently astonishing journey from traumatic childhood through punk, Killing Joke and KLF to starting The Orb in 1988, then the five decade roller coaster that followed. Moving, shocking, hilarious and inspiring, at the heart of this story lies a true survivor doggedly following their musical passion. First-hand interviews include those with Youth, Andrew Weatherall, Primal Scream, Jah Wobble, Jimmy Cauty and a parade of friends, collaborators and starship mechanics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781787592223
Publisher:	Omnibus Press
Publication date:	05/28/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Kris Needs is a British author, DJ, recording artist and music journalist. After running Mott The Hoople's fan club for two years, he started writing for seminal fanzine Zigzag in 1975, becoming editor for five years while writing for NME and Sounds. Writing for Creem magazine saw him relocate to New York in the eighties. Back in the UK, Kris became a DJ-producer through the nineties, recording as Secret Knowledge, at the same time writing for dance music publications. Kris Needs is a British author, DJ, recording artist, and music journalist. After running Mott The Hoople's fan club for two years, he started writing for seminal fanzine Zigzag in 1975, becoming editor for five years while writing for NME and Sounds. Writing for Creem magazine saw him relocate to New York in the eighties. Back in the UK, Kris became a DJ-producer through the nineties, recording as Secret Knowledge, at the same time writing for dance music publications.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Chapter 1 The Lavender Hill Mob Meets Top Cat 1

Chapter 2 The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - 10-16 17

Chapter 3 Art School Soul & A Reggae Punky Dub 27

Chapter 4 Killing Joke & Bloodsport 39

Chapter 5 Future Shocks 53

Chapter 6 Tough Seeds Take Roots 73

Chapter 7 There's A Riot Going On 93

Chapter 8 Cause 7 8 9 111

Chapter 9 The Orb Is For Life, Not Just For Christmas 127

Chapter 10 Where's The True? 147

Chapter 11 Dark Side Of The Orb 171

Chapter 12 Fast Forward The Future 191

Chapter 13 Toxic Genes & Orblivion 211

Chapter 14 The Great Seal & Cydonia 231

The Rear End (Or, What Happened Next) 243

Part 1 2001-2010 243

Part 2 Snorewood Awakes: 2010-2018 259

Part 3 2020 273

Part 4 Andrew 281

Part 5 Afterword By Youth 283

Part 6 Alex's Finishing Off Notes 287

Discography 291

Acknowledgements and Sources 339