''Libido Speedway'' is an album by
Orbit
In celestial mechanics, an orbit (also known as orbital revolution) is the curved trajectory of an object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an ...
, released in 1997 on
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
. It won a
Boston Music Award, for the best debut album of 1997.
The album's first single was "Medicine", which was a modern rock radio hit; the band had considered rewriting it after determining that it sounded too much like
Pixies Pixies may refer to:
* Plural of Pixie
* Pixies (band)
The Pixies are an American alternative rock band from Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986 by Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim ...
. Orbit supported the album by playing the second stage on select 1997
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
dates.
[
]
Production
The album was produced by Ben Grosse
Ben Grosse is an American record producer and mixer. Grosse has mixed and produce albums for numerous music industry acts, primary in the heavy metal and hard rock genres. His credits include Dream Theater, Marilyn Manson, Sevendust, Disturbe ...
and the band. Many of the songs were written by coming up with the bass line first.
Critical reception
The ''Chicago Reader
The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...
'' called "Medicine" a "memorable car-radio rocker." The ''Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' thought that "echo tracks and excessive vocal layering clutter an otherwise peppy, involving record."[
The '']Daily Breeze
The ''Daily Breeze'' is a 57,000-circulation daily newspaper published in Hermosa Beach, California, United States. It serves the South Bay cities of Los Angeles County. Its slogan is "LAX to LA Harbor".
Early history
The paper was found ...
'' determined that "Orbit has the rare ability to juxtapose a ferocious instrumental attack with buzzing melodies and make it work."[ The '']Omaha World-Herald
The ''Omaha World-Herald'' is a daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area.
It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper ...
'' deemed the album "crunchy, stripped-down rock that has a melodic aftertaste."AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
called the album "an entertaining collection of punk-pop and post-grunge power-pop, driven by fizzy melodies and fuzzy guitar riffs."
Track listing
All songs written by Jeff Lowe Robbins, except where stated.
#"Yeah" – 2:35
#"Bicycle Song" – 5:33
#"Wake Up" – 3:50
#"Amp" – 2:43
#"Medicine" – 3:56
#"Rockets" – 4:17 (Buckley / Robbins)
#"Motorama" – 3:01
#"Nocturnal Autodrive" – 4:21
#"Why You Won't" – 3:46 (Brookner / Buckley / Robbins)
#"Carnival" – 3:25
#"Chapel Hill" – 1:41 (Brookner / Buckley / Robbins)
#"Paper Bag" – 4:44 (Buckley / Robbins)
#"Gazer" – 1:42
#"Untitled (Hidden Track)" – 3:04
Credits
* Jeff Lowe Robbins – vocals, guitars
* Paul Buckley – drums, vocals
* Wally Gagel
Wally Gagel is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter.
Credits include: Family of the Year, Elliphant, Blondfire, Zella Day, Best Coast, Cold War Kids, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, New Order ...
– bass, vocals
* Produced by Ben Grosse (except "Motorama", produced by Orbit)
* Engineered by Grosse and Gagel (except "Motorama", engineered by Gagel)
* Mixed by Grosse (except "Motorama", mixed by Gagel)
* Mastered by Bob Ludwig
Robert Carl Ludwig (born December 11, 1944), is a retired American mastering engineer. He mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists, including Led Zeppeli ...
References
{{Authority control
Orbit (band) albums
1997 albums