The discography of European electronic music group the Orb includes eighteen studio albums, one live album, eight compilation albums, four remix albums, four mix albums, two video albums, ten extended plays, thirty-four singles and twenty-two music videos. Founded by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty in 1988, the group's first release was the extended play Kiss EP, issued in May 1989. The single "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld", which marked the group's first foray into the ambient house genre, was released in October 1989 on Adam Morris and Martin Glover's record label WAU! Mr. Modo Recordings. It was later re-issued by Big Life and peaked at number 78 in the United Kingdom despite sample clearance issues. Following Cauty's departure from the group, the Orb signed a long-term recording contract with Big Life and released their debut studio album The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld in April 1991. It peaked at number 29 in the United Kingdom and has since been recognized as a seminal album of the ambient house genre. "Little Fluffy Clouds" and "Perpetual Dawn" were released as singles from the album.
The Orb's second studio album U.F.Orb was released in June 1992 and topped the United Kingdom albums chart. The album's second single "Blue Room" – at a length of 39 minutes and 57 seconds – became the longest-running release to enter the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at number eight. Following the success of U.F.Orb, the group signed to Island Records and released the live album Live 93 on the label. "Little Fluffy Clouds" and "Perpetual Dawn" were re-issued and became top 20 hits in the UK. The Orb's third studio album Orbus Terrarum was released in April 1995, charting at number twenty in the UK and producing the single "Oxbow Lakes". Orblivion followed in February 1997 and peaked at number nineteen in the United Kingdom; it also became the group's first album to chart in the United States, peaking at number 174 on the Billboard 200 chart. "Toxygene" became their first UK top five single and also charted at number 23 in Ireland.
The Orb's fifth studio album Cydonia was released in February 2001 following several delays, peaking at number 83 in the United Kingdom. The group subsequently left Island Records and released several albums on assorted labels: Bicycles & Tricycles (2004) on Cooking Vinyl, Okie Dokie It's The Orb on Kompakt (2005) on Kompakt, The Dream (2007) on Liquid Sound Design and Baghdad Batteries (Orbsessions Volume III) (2010) on Malicious Damage. Metallic Spheres, a collaboration with former Pink Floyd musician David Gilmour, was released in October 2010. It gave the group their highest-charting album in the UK since U.F.Orb, peaking at number twelve on the country's albums chart. Metallic Spheres also charted in several European countries, including Belgium, Greece and Ireland. The Orb then collaborated with Jamaican reggae musician Lee "Scratch" Perry on the albums The Orbserver in the Star House (2012) and More Tales from the Orbservatory (2013). More recently, the Orb have returned to their ambient roots, collaborating with Roger Eno and other musicians to produce Moonbuilding 2703 AD in 2015, COW / Chill Out, World! in 2016 and No Sounds Are Out of Bounds in 2018.
Albums
Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions Title Album details Peak chart positions UKPeak chart positions for albums in the United Kingdom: All except Cydonia, Bicycles & Tricycles, The Dream, The Orbserver in the Star House and More Tales from the Orbservatory: Cydonia, Bicycles & Tricycles and The Dream: The Orbserver in the Star House: More Tales from the Orbservatory: UKDance BEL GER GRC IRL NLD US USDance USRock The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld Released: 2 April 1991 (UK) Label: Big Life, Mercury Formats: CD, cassette, LP 29 — — — — — — — — — U.F.Orb Released: 6 July 1992 Label: Big Life, Mercury Formats: CD, cassette, LP 1 — — — — — — — — — Pomme Fritz Released: 13 June 1994 (UK) Label: Island Formats: CD, cassette, 12" 6 — — — — — — — — — Orbus Terrarum Released: 4 April 1995 (UK) Label: Island Formats: CD, cassette, LP 20 — — — — — — — — — Orblivion Released: 24 February 1997 (UK) Label: Island Formats: CD, LP 19 — — — — — — 174 — — Cydonia Released: 26 February 2001 (UK) Label: Island, MCA Formats: CD, LP, digital download 83 — — — — — — — — — Bicycles & Tricycles Released: 3 May 2004 (UK) Label: Cooking Vinyl Formats: CD, LP, digital download 107 — — — — — — — 22 — Okie Dokie It's The Orb on Kompakt Released: 26 October 2005 (JPN) Label: Kompakt Formats: CD, LP, digital download — — — — — — — — — — The Dream Released: 19 September 2007 (JPN) Label: Liquid Sound Design, Six Degrees, Traffic Formats: CD, digital download 175 — — — — — — — — — Baghdad Batteries (Orbsessions Volume III) Released: 7 September 2009 (UK) Label: Malicious Damage Formats: CD, LP, digital download — — — — — — — — — — Metallic Spheres(featuring David Gilmour) Released: 11 October 2010 (UK) Label: Columbia Formats: CD, LP, digital download 12 3 34 95 21 65 40 73 3 23 The Orbserver in the Star House(featuring Lee "Scratch" Perry) Released: 28 August 2012 (UK) Label: Cooking Vinyl Formats: CD, LP, digital download 93 — 134 — — — — — 23 — More Tales from the Orbservatory(featuring Lee "Scratch" Perry) Released: 3 June 2013 (UK) Label: Cooking Vinyl, The End Formats: CD, LP, digital download 191 — — — — — — — — — Moonbuilding 2703 AD Released: 22 June 2015 Label: Kompakt Formats: CD, LP, digital download 90 19 158 — — — 84 — — — COW / Chill Out, World! Released: 14 October 2016 Label: Kompakt Formats: CD, LP, digital download — 9 116 — — — — — — — No Sounds Are Out of Bounds Released: 22 June 2018 Label: Cooking Vinyl Formats: CD, LP, digital download 51 4 — — — — — — — — Abolition of the Royal Familia Released: 27 March 2020 Label: Cooking Vinyl Formats: CD, LP, digital download 62 2 99 — — — — — — — Prism Released: 28 April 2023 Label: Cooking Vinyl Formats: CD, LP, digital download 85 1 — — — — — — — — Buddhist Hipsters Released: 10 October 2025 Label: Cooking Vinyl Formats: CD, LP, digital download 77 1 — — — — — — — —
Live albums + List of live albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications UK Live 93 Released: 22 November 1993 (UK) Label: Island Formats: CD, cassette, LP 23 BPI: Silver Further Adventures Beyond Dark Matter Released: 2 September 2014 (UK) Label: Abbey Road Studios Formats: CD, DVD, MP3 — The Orb's Further Adventures Released: 21 February 2016 (UK) Label: Live Here Now Formats: CD, DVD, LP, audio and video downloads —
Compilation albums + List of compilation albums, with selected chart positions Title Album details Peak chart positions UK U.F.Off: The Best of The Orb Released: 2 October 1998 (UK) Label: Island Formats: CD, LP 38 Orbsessions Volume One Released: 18 October 2005 (UK) Label: Malicious Damage Formats: CD, LP — Orbsessions Volume Two Released: 4 June 2007 (UK) Label: Malicious Damage Formats: CD, LP — The BBC Sessions 1989–2001 Released: 10 September 2008 (UK) Label: Island Formats: CD — Impossible Oddities from Underground to Overground: The Story of Wau! Mr. Modo(with Youth) Released: 25 October 2010 (UK) Label: Year Zero Formats: CD, LP — History of the Future Released: 7 October 2013 (UK) Label: Island Formats: CD/DVD 190 History of the Future Part 2 Released: 16 February 2016 (UK) Label: Malicious Damage Formats: CD/DVD — Orboretum: The Orb Collection Released: 8 November 2024 Label: Cooking Vinyl Formats: CD — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Remix albums + List of remix albums Title Album details Aubrey Mixes: The Ultraworld Excursions Released: 27 December 1991 (UK) Released and deleted on the same day Label: Big Life Formats: LP, CD, cassette Auntie Aubrey's Excursions Beyond the Call of Duty Released: 13 August 1996 (UK) Label: Deviant Formats: CD, cassette, LP Auntie Aubrey's Excursions Beyond the Call of Duty Part 2 Released: 4 September 2001 (UK) Label: Deviant Formats: CD Orbserving the Star House in Dub(featuring Lee "Scratch" Perry) Released: 13 May 2013 (UK) Label: Cooking Vinyl Formats: CD, digital download Auntie Aubrey's Excursions Beyond The Call of Duty pt.3: The Orb Remix Project Released: 4 December 2020 (UK) Label: Liquid Sound Design Formats: CD, digital download
Mix albums + List of mix albums Title Album details Back to Mine Released: 27 January 2003 (UK) Label: DMC Formats: CD, LP I'll Be Black Released: 15 October 2007 (UK) Label: Trojan Formats: CD Tundra and Sunflakes Vol. 1 Released: 20 May 2011 (UK) Label: Ketama Formats: CD, digital download Tundra and Sunflakes Vol. 2 Released: 9 September 2011 (UK) Label: Ketama Formats: CD, digital download
Video albums + List of video albums Title Album details The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld: Patterns and Textures Released: 1992 (UK) Label: Big Life Formats: VHS C Batter C Released: 11 November 2011 (UK) Label: Malicious Damage Formats: DVD
Extended plays + List of extended plays, with selected chart positions Title EP details Peak chart positions UK Kiss EP Released: May 1989 (UK) Label: WAU! Mr. Modo Formats: 12" — In Dub Released: 1991 (UK) Label: Big Life Formats: 12" — Peel Sessions Released: 1 July 1991 (UK) Label: Strange Fruit Formats: CD, cassette, LP — The Peel Sessions Released: 28 March 1996 (UK) Label: Strange Fruit Formats: CD, LP — Daleth of Elphame Released: 22 July 2002 (UK) Label: Badorb.com Formats: CD, 12" — Kompassion Released: 6 January 2003 (UK) Label: Kompakt Formats: 12" — Komplott Released: 15 November 2004 (UK) Label: Kompakt Formats: 12" — Battersea Shield(with Meat Beat Manifesto) Released: 22 November 2004 (UK) Label: Malicious Damage Formats: CD — Komfort Released: 7 June 2005 (UK) Label: Kompakt Formats: 12" — Alpine Released: 4 March 2016 (UK) Label: Kompakt Formats: 12" — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Singles + List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album nameTitle Year Peak chart positions Album UKPeak chart positions for singles in the United Kingdom: All except "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld" and "Aftermath": "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld": "Aftermath": IRLPeak chart positions for singles in Ireland: All except "Once More":