Babble On An' Ting: Alex Paterson's Incredible Journey Beyond The Ultraworld with The Orb

By Kris Needs with Alex Paterson

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.  

‘Exhaustive, highly entertaining account of ambient-rave pioneer... An indispensable guide to an artist whose work has traversed topographic oceans of acid funk’ Classic Rock

‘Meticulously narrated… inside-track saga of The Orb, ‘90s ambient-house giants’ Mojo

'The detail of Paterson’s recollections is what makes this book so compelling. We’re taken deep into a slightly grubby, supremely creative world of squats, sequencers and spliffs, accompanied by a ton of nostalgic references. Who knows if this world exists any more. But visiting it is definitely fun.’ Record Collector

‘Warm, richly detailed and as idiosyncratic as you’d expect, full of amusing left turns, with few punches pulled. It’s like a pub conversation between two old friends’ Prog Magazine

Publication Date: 28.05.21
ISBN: 9781787602335
Extent: 352 pages
Format: Paperback & eBook

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