TOBY
Group: Members
Posts: 1562
Joined: May 2002 |
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Posted: Mar. 12 2007, 17:48 |
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Hi all, thought I'd give all things MO a rest for a while so I've been listening and doing other things. Nice to see bit of movement in his career again though and I must admit I'll look forward to a classically driven album if one transpires.
Firstly I can understand people getting upset that Mike hasn't kept his word, yet again, about doing a long complex multi-instrumental piece. But we've been here before, people should have realised long ago that you have to take everything he says with a pinch of salt, make that a large pinch in fact make it a spoonful.
Secondly a classical based album could be pretty damm good, his musical history in this area has got far more music weight behind it than his history at programming sequencers and drum machines. Mont ST Michel, his last long, involved and truly developed piece IMHO is highly listenable too. Its not staggeringly original but its got a great atmosphere and goes on nice little musical journey in its 9 mins or however long it is. I'd love a full album like this. The Killing Fields is simply genius, nuff said there. But what i think would be a great model for something he should do is an Incantations like album. He said in that interview that he's only going to use piano and acoustic guitar but why can't he throw in a bit of electric guitar too? Incantations proves how well Mike can convincingly integrate electric guitar with string sections, it never sounds out of place on Incantations.
I really wish Mike wouldn't compromise his music sometimes by saying 'I'm only going to use this or that' His Guitars albums, which contained some amazing music, suffered in this way I think.
I'm not sure what i make of his motivation for doing a classical album. He seems to be saying I'm doing it because I'm bored of everything else and I thought I'd give it a go. Mike rarely seems to sound excited by music these days, maybe you just don't when you get to his stage in a musical career.
I think the theme of Halloween is quite a good one, dark, mysterious, I think he could do well writing stuff around that theme, other classical composers obviously have.
It'll be interesting to see what his artistic relationship with Karl Jenkins is. Presumably Jenkins will be doing the orchestration, could be good, I like some of his work that I've heard, I'm not hugely familiar with it though.
I watched that Interview, I thought it was all right, nice to see Mike smiling and laughing for a change. Also good to see him realise why the original TB works and why the rerecording doesn't. Personally I thought he looked younger and healthier here that he has over the past few years, he certainly seemed cheery.
Didn't pay much attention to that Night of the Proms tour, classical renditions of non classical music don't really do it for me, i thought I'd best stay clear of it.
Anyway looking forward to the autobiography in May - should be interesting
Cheers Toby
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