moonchildhippy
Group: Members
Posts: 1807
Joined: Dec. 2004 |
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Posted: Feb. 21 2006, 18:44 |
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| Quote | Bee Posted on Feb. 20 2006, 18:53Like you, Moonchildhippy, I adore Ommadawn and completely understand why you find Amarok quite a challenge. Amarok appears to be the opposite, not at all smooth or undulating, quite jumpy and forever changing direction. But keep listening.
In places Amarok is plain bonkers but it is clever stuff & really the work of a genius. It stands alone. And that is what I like about it the most. It has to be appreciated as that too. There will never be an Ommadawn II, and thank goodness for that.
I do find that I leave Amarok alone for a long time then suddenly my state of mind changes and then that's all I play for a while. And I hear new things, wonderful things & feel better for it. It has a magic of it's own. But it is odd, and can scare people of a nervous disposition! But do give it a chance 
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That's what I find with Amarok, it's forever changing direction, often suddenly without warning, where as I find Ommadawn and other long instrumentals flow much more harmoniously .
Maybe I made the mistake of listening to Amarok for the first time whilst driving. I put it on the car CD player, and heard the first few minutes, I was rather puzzled, I was expecting another Ommadawn, but I heard stabbing guitars and synths and a lyric that sounded like "Happy". Well it frightened me, I think I was on the receiving end of what was intended for Virgin's Simon Draper. After my driving experience I put Amarok to one side for several weeks, I was thinking WTF have I bought here  , with a few more plays I could hear some inner beauty to Amarok, but I did find the peace and tranquility were often broken, by those stabbing guitars or synths, yes Amarok can be bonkers, I can listen to some music that some people find too crazy for their more austere tastes.
I would say Amarok is in a class of it's own, despite using many the same instruments/ musicians as Tubular Bells or Ommadawn, Tubular BellsII or Ommadawn II it isn't. Amarok started out as Ommadawn II, but ended up going off on another tangent. I too am so pleased that there hasn't been and will never be an Ommadawn II.
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I'm going slightly mad,
It finally happened, I'm slightly mad , just very slightly mad
If you feel a little glum to Hergest Ridge you should come.
I'm challenging taboos surrounding mental health
"Part time hippy"
I'M SUPPORTING OUR SOLDIERS
BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW!!
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, I decided to give Amarok another try, I've never really been able to get into Amarok in a big way. I bought Amarok to fill the last few gaps in my MO collection after first joining TubularBoard, after reading Amarok is regarded as Ommadawn 2, I'm sure you all know about my love of Ommadawn 
) I think that is the best way to approach any art form because it hits your instincts at a level where you have no control. In our modern world there is an information saturation, this can be good but also not so good. Too many outside influences cloud your judgement.