Holger
Group: Members
Posts: 1506
Joined: Feb. 2003 |
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Posted: June 28 2007, 19:42 |
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I've given this some thought and have come up with a few things. The first isn't an album, but only a track - "Variations on My Lady Carey's Dompe", by John Renbourn. It is a well known fact that Mike was heavily influenced by Renbourn in his formative years, and indeed the similarity in the guitar playing is striking; yet it appears that this track dates to 1985 (from the album "The Nine Maidens"), so the influence might actually be going both ways. If I didn't know better and someone tried to sell this to me as an unreleased, early MO track, I'd have no troubles believing it.
The other is the album "Renaissance of the Celtic Harp", by Alan Stivell. It mixes traditional, classical, and rock arrangements of traditional Breton, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh music, and in places gets quite close to the Ommadawn sound.
Lastly, and I'm a bit hesitant to say this, because I'm usually among the first to cry "bullshit" at any comparisons between Mike and a certain well-known Frenchman; but I remembered that I once listened to Equinoxe and found the ending of side one (part 4) quite similar to the ending of Ommadawn part one - not stylistically, but in structure and effect. Listening to the track again, I don't find the similarity as striking as I did back then, but there's still something there, and I'm willing to believe that Jarre was indeed inspired by Mike's album to let the first side of his end in a similar manner. Of course it could also just be coincidence.
Nice track, and yes, definitely an Oldfield influence there I'd say.
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