Yann
Group: Members
Posts: 46
Joined: Oct. 2015 |
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Posted: Oct. 23 2015, 12:19 |
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Quote (napoleon @ Oct. 20 2015, 09:47) | I have listened to and loved Mike's music since 1982, when I heard "Five Miles Out" on the radio, and I was completely blown away by the out of this word sound, and the sheer originality and beaty of the song. Ever since then I loved his music, and I thought that everything he recorded until Earthmoving was perfect. Every single album, every single song, all was brilliant! I thought no one else ever created 11 perfect records plus 2 records worth of singles, that is 13 in a row. Not the Beatles, not the Stones, not Zeppelin. No one, not 13! Then came a turning point, Mikes music in general became much calmer, slower, ever since "Islands". There was less urgency, less anger, everything sounded more content and "happy". I think Mike just lost a little bit of passion for music, having spent most of his life in the studio and not experiencing life very much. I think he spent an unbelievable amount of time with the Tres Lunas virtual reality game, and that was probably extremely exhausting. He probably did all he felt he wanted to do musically and does not know where to start next, he is bored. The calmness in his music, took away from his passion, over the last decade, in my opinion. It is probably caused by him getting more mature, possibly he got rid of some of his demons. Also I do not know if he was taking medicines to help him through this difficult period, to have such a sedating effect. Voyager simply does not sound as if it was made by the same person as Incantations, for instance. Voyager is exceptionally slow and calm, Incantations are a restless, desperate sounding, fight-for-your life record.
The main dissapointment most people find with Mikes recent recordings is that he lost his originality. As of recent he is sounding like anybody else, pop or rock, or chill out. Sorry Mike that's just how it is. Man on the Rocks does not sound like the MO genious we love, it could have been made by anyone, even Justin Bieber - sorry! If anyone is advising MO, they should consider that the ONLY reason he has a legion of fans is because of his original masterpieces. Mike, do what you are best at, and what God gave you your talent for, play to your immense strenghts. Do instrumental music, and dont slice evrything into 14-16 cuts of music, so it can be sold on ITunes. Make it symphony like. People appreciate originality, inventivenesss, being different in a good way. Who wants another 'brick in the wall'? Be original once again, do things differently, the MO way, the way you started, remember when you fell in love with music. Please dont create just another record, do something simple and fun, just you, the instruments, do another record to be proud of! Just dont waste your God given talent! |
I just registered to thank you for that. I keep following Oldfield, and I do because nobody has been able to compose the way he does. Some people try, and even get it for a few bars... but nothing gets close to what TB, HR, Ommadawn or Incantations (or anything until early 80s) are. I listened for first time QE2 in the early 90s. And I was blown out, I still remember it. The following day, I was in the shop getting every vinyl I could. Ommadawn keeps being my favourite album until today.
Those are the albums I keep listening again and again. No other one can substitute them. Those are the albums that will make Mike have a place in the History of Music.
Mike Oldfield is indeed a genre by itself. I would say that it's something similar to Django Reinhardt. I you listen to Gypsy Jazz (I love it), you realize that the whole genre is, in a nutshell, old Django songs played again and again and again. The only reason which makes it a whole genre is because Django recordings (from the 30s-40s) have such an awful sound that people keep playing and recording his songs. Probably, the same would happen to Oldfield would have been he lived that time.
With Django, it has taken seven decades until somebody has made something new of it (I'm talking of Zaz). I'm sure the same will happen to Mike's music eventually. But until then, Mike's unique.
And I'm sure he's the first one who feels frustrated and keeps trying to get the muse back. It's likely that jumping from one style to another is a symptom of a search for inspiration. And it's likely that the moment he stops trying and start enjoying will be the moment the muse will choose to come back again.
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