Oranger released four albums (five if you count From The Ashes Of Electric Elves, which appeared as a bonus disc with some editions of Shutdown The Sun). Their full length debut was Doorway To Norway (1998), and their final album was New Comes And Goes (2005).
Back in the Original Blog Era (O.B.E.), music labels and publicists realized that sending out a few mp3’s was a cheap promotional tool. I downloaded “Radiowave” and fell in love with it. Eventually I acquired most of the band's catalog, and compiled a mix of my favorites which I'm sharing here today. (I ripped Oranger's cover version of “Porpoise Song” from a 7” single.)
Oranger appeared on several tribute albums (Bread, Bruce Haack, Kris Kristofferson, Pavement) and a videogame soundtrack. After the band broke up, Mike and Matt formed Hot Fog, a “New NWOBHM” band. Mike, Jim and Matt collaborated during COVID on some cover songs, digitally released as the EP Please Leave Our Mind - Covers Under Lockdown. Matt Harris died in 2021.
I recently discovered that in 2023, Mike Drake released under the Oranger name a solid collection of solo recordings titled Everyone Says You're Lots of Fun. I also found (on Amazon Music) a digital double album called The Vanishing Eye. Also available now on Bandcamp is a recording of Oranger performing their live score to the 1929 film "Man With A Movie Camera".
If you've read this far, you've probably gathered that the members of Oranger were multitalented musicians who probably spent a lot of time listening to Something/Anything and Smile. Some fans of early Oranger may have felt they strayed too far from psychedelic pop with New Comes And Goes, but for me it is their best set of songs, with the satisfying punch of a more muscular sound.
ELSEWHERE IN THE BLOGOSPHERE: my collection of "Porpoise Song" covers, posted at Chez Nathan Nothin.
WHAT RHYMES WITH ORANGER: https://pixeldrain.com/u/WgaCsENL
ReplyDeleteI removed some of the cracks & pops from Oranger's track on the Porpoise Song Swarm.
Looks great, & I grabbed The Porpoise Song Swarm, too!
ReplyDeleteTHanks Jonder, AI search says OBE for hip hop was 2007-2012 but I'm sure not just specific to a certain type of music and the years fit my experience so thanks for introducing the term to me. I just took an hour before lunch today and got all the Don Lennon (Boston, MA) tracks for a post next week (had forgot about his Party Coordinator hit also on it--he is Mr. Nonchalant!!). However, I will have to add my rip of the Radio K version I had posted on one of my comp tapes of his 'Party All The Time' hit tune as the 1997 CD is a limper version. I hate that as it has happened before to me for example with the Beck first hit song had a way better version on the K than the album or Notorius B.I.G. big hit on a Vegas comp album I posted vs. the radio played version from the album everyone knows. Also no trace of it on Discogs or youtube either which steams me...seems the radio stations get the best stuff which totally disappears and on big hits too! Going to mine some of those oughts tunes in time that blew me away steadily through the 00's like what you have here. Good On Ya! Love this Windows 11 free google ai search at work: Porringer: This is a small, shallow bowl often used for soup or porridge. It is the most direct and recognized rhyme for "oranger"
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