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ubik210486 Group: Members Posts: 43 Joined: Sep. 2005 Posted: Sep. 26 2005, 17:14 I've already heard the whole album and I think that it isn't a step back for Mike Oldfield (as I supposed at first it was going to be). Blackbird, Rocky, Sunset, Surfing, Tears of an Angel and Ringscape are amazing, are pure Oldfield style, but more technological. However, there are horrible details (like Romance... aargh) in this album. He isn't the one we met on TB, Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn or Amarok, but he's still Mike, and we can be very pleased because now he has released this album. Back to top

Rileman Group: Members Posts: 93 Joined: Jan. 2004 Posted: Sep. 27 2005, 07:34 I buyed Light+Shade yesterday..and listened to the whole of it. I have to say it's amazing..and wonderful. It was hard to hold my tears back (of happiness, of course )when I heard the first track of Light, Angelique. That track sounds so lonely to me. So far, I think it's the best track on Light. Also First steps and Our father is great. All the tracks on the two cd's are great, but I prefer the Light cd. Hm..what about the track Closer? It's got the same melody as the old song Nearer, my God, to thee ? And the booklet says it's written by Mike. Hmm... Does anybody know if Mike sings or use his vocal on some of the tracks?   Thanks Mike!   -------------- It's not easy going where no-one goes, and no-one knows... Back to top

CuNimb Group: Members Posts: 222 Joined: July 2003 Posted: Sep. 27 2005, 07:42 Gonna have to let this grow on me! I liked Quicksilver straight away (although it's a bit of a Robert miles rip-off). I just can't listen to The Gate. A lot of the other stuff is Tres Lunas - thought I'd already bought and paid for that one. Some of it is nearer my god to thee. Another one is an old guitar piece (romance) horribly bought up to date. I quite like slipstream but I understand that this is a Fruity loops melody. A lot of the other stuff could have been done by anyone. Not given in on it yet but not impressed so far. I like the u-myx thing though. -------------- Happy? ha ha ha.... Back to top

Magellan Group: Members Posts: 12 Joined: Sep. 2005 Posted: Sep. 27 2005, 13:57 I'm with CuNimb, I'll have to let this one grow on me but I'm pretty sure it won't be in my favourites pile. All of it sounds pretty reserved/conservative compared to majority of his other works. I love Mike's signature guitar wails that send shivers up my spine, and didn't find any of those moments on the two discs of L&S. Maybe being on a new label, he's being a bit more conservative to start? I don't know. Quick Silver and Sunset are great tracks though. I'll have to listen to these discs a few more times. Back to top

TOBY Group: Members Posts: 1562 Joined: May 2002 Posted: Sep. 27 2005, 14:16 Although I did get shivers up my spine when I heard TOAA for the first time, and thats the first time thats happened with a Mike tune in a good few years, possibly even since hearing TSODE for the first time. But generally i'm not getting much out of L+S now that its finally sitting in my CD drawer. The good stuff I've heard umpteen times before from playing Tres Lunas and there is just a handful of good 'new' tracks, those being for me Blackbird which is nice Angelique which is also harmlessly nice, TOAA which is awsome and Surfing for the guitar solo, and the rest just isn't doing it for me at all so far. I'm quite suprised by how utterly un memorable Mike's first collaboration in years is - NightShade. Two obviously very talented musicians work together on a track and all they can jointly come up with is this utterly forgetable little tune that seems to go nowhere? Quite shocking really Back to top

Guest Unregistered Posted: Sep. 27 2005, 14:31 I bought it on Monday morning, took it home and played it. It will never see the inside of my CD player again. Oldfield has taken the piss before, but this is beyond belief. There is a saying used in some partts of England, "Can't be arsed", and I think that was what went through Oldfields mind just before producing this drivel. I wasted 14.95 on Mike Oldfields attempt at being a Jean michelle Jarre tribute band. Back to top

Magellan Group: Members Posts: 12 Joined: Sep. 2005 Posted: Sep. 27 2005, 14:34 I'm thinking the same. I listen to a lot of Chillout/Ambient and practically all the stuff on Light is unremarkable against that backdrop. Stronger/edgier guitars in a Chillout context could have yielded some innovative stuff, but I think Light misses the opportunity. In Nightshade you can hear hints of Mike's signature guitar screams in the background but it's really too faint to be noticeable. Isn't this u-myx stuff supposed to allow you to change all this to make it sound the way you want it to? Back to top

TOBY Group: Members Posts: 1562 Joined: May 2002 Posted: Sep. 27 2005, 14:53 Yeah I don't know how or why Mike sounds so generic on this album. If it wasn't for his signature guitar sound I quite genuinely wouldn't know this was a MO album for quite few tracks, all musical individality seems to be lost somewhere, possibly up the arse end of numerous software synths and a desire to played as background musak in the bars of Ibiza. On the plus side i'm getting slightly more into Resolution tonight, its Ok once it gets going but when it does get going it just seems to go nowhere. Also the bonus track Lakme is truly a musical abomination of the worst kind, presumably this isn't Mike though but part of his deal with Fruity Loops, god its awful.   Finally is it stipulated in Mike's contracts that he has to have a musical reference to TB on every album? Quicksilver just seems to be built around the TB2 piano tune Back to top

The Bell(end) Group: Members Posts: 1051 Joined: July 2005 Posted: Sep. 27 2005, 15:11 Quote (Magellan @ Sep. 27 2005, 18:57) Maybe being on a new label, he's being a bit more conservative to start? I don't know. Sounds likely, Tubular bells II imo was a very conservative album to release as his first with Warner. My album arrives tomorrow/the next day!   -------------- When the night's on fi-ya, do you need love's arms to hold yew? :D Back to top

torbenyj Group: Members Posts: 377 Joined: Jan. 2003 Posted: Sep. 27 2005, 15:25 hi this is no good - better luck next time MO tyj Back to top

Magellan Group: Members Posts: 12 Joined: Sep. 2005 Posted: Sep. 27 2005, 15:29 Quote (torbenyj @ Sep. 27 2005, 15:25) hi this is no good - better luck next time MO tyj haha... don't hold back. Let us know what you really feel! Back to top

Cinos Group: Members Posts: 68 Joined: Aug. 2005 Posted: Sep. 27 2005, 15:36 I find this release very emotional and warm. I also can say that the synths aren't, for the most part, badly used. I've heard much worse. Light + Shade is a pleasure to listen to, and it certainly sets an atmosphere... transporting you to a whole different place.   Perhaps it's harder to hear if you like "real" instruments, but I assure you, the synthwork IS NOT BAD. It does it's job well. Back to top

Guest Unregistered Posted: Sep. 27 2005, 16:44 I have no problem with synth's or electronic music. I've loved the likes of Tangerine Dream, Jean Michelle Jarre etc for years, and I have a great affection for Trance music, but I won't tolerate garbage, no matter what it's played on, or who it's played by. Back to top

hiawatha Group: Members Posts: 2391 Joined: Mar. 2004 Posted: Sep. 27 2005, 16:46 Quote (TanGram @ Sep. 27 2005, 16:44) but I won't tolerate garbage, no matter what it's played on, I was going to offer you an old tin box to play it on, but I guess that is out of the question. No matter what it is fitted with. -------------- "In the land of the Dacotahs, Where the Falls of Minnehaha Flash and gleam among the oak-trees, Laugh and leap into the valley." - Song of Hiawatha Back to top

Guest Unregistered Posted: Sep. 27 2005, 17:07 Now that was funny Back to top

kcarr292 Group: Members Posts: 6 Joined: Sep. 2005 Posted: Sep. 28 2005, 04:31 I've listened to nothing but this album for the last few days so that when I came to write this I didn't just give a kneejerk reaction to it.  I think that overall it's one of his best attempts in the last five or six years but it's no classic.  I think Mike far too heavily courts the Ibiza sound and frankly others do that better.  I like my Mike Oldfield a little less reliant on synthetic sounds, synthetic vocals (which are a bit hit and miss on this) and with a bit less bloody drum loops.  I remember well about fifteen years ago when Mike took to his tent in his back garden as a protest against the drum machine and here we see him subscribing to the idea without shame.  He certainly is a bit of a mystery isn't he?    On the plus side I think Mikes gift for melody is still very much alive and there are some very good, well wrought pieces on this double album.  Great music is still a possibility as the light still burns there somewhere. I tell you what would be a challenge Mike .... put your love of technology for the hell of it to one side for just one album.  Get out your guitars, get some real musicians with real ethnic instruments and get the creative "unplugged" Oldfield out of his box.  GO ON , YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!!!   (yes, I know I'm a dinosaur! Back to top

Cinos Group: Members Posts: 68 Joined: Aug. 2005 Posted: Sep. 28 2005, 05:27 Quote (kcarr292 @ Sep. 28 2005, 04:31) I remember well about fifteen years ago when Mike took to his tent in his back garden as a protest against the drum machine and here we see him subscribing to the idea without shame.  He certainly is a bit of a mystery isn't he?   Perhaps he realized that there's no shame in using synths if you do it well, that they are just as "real" as actual, physical, instruments. Mike isn't a master of synths, but he does it well... and could probably learn to do it really good. Back to top

Rileman Group: Members Posts: 93 Joined: Jan. 2004 Posted: Sep. 28 2005, 06:50 I've listened to Light+Shade a few times now and the music are growing bigger and bigger and closer to my heart and thoughts. I can't get enough of it. And I can't see anything bad with it. I love Amarok and all those of his earlier works where he only plays real instruments. But to me, his more electric music is good too. I think you should'nt complain about it! To me, it got the same quality as Amarok, 'cause it's still his thoughts and his feelings that's translated to music. Maybe he wants to tell something with his music of today, something he don't want to tell us with making music the same way as he did on Amarok or his earlier records. He's really not making music for money or making something as fast as possible to make his fans happy, with making electronic music. He only wants to do his thing and don't complain about it! The main thing is that HE is satisfied and happy with his music! -------------- It's not easy going where no-one goes, and no-one knows... Back to top

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