Cavalier (Lost Version)
Group: Members
Posts: 598
Joined: Nov. 2010 |
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Posted: Sep. 02 2011, 11:47 |
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Quote (Tati The Sentinel @ July 21 2011, 05:24) | If you search Mike Oldfield on twitter,I've seen recently two users saying that they were supposed to interview him - one is for Record Collector,the other for a US music website (!!!! called The Quietus. |
I can't imagine I threw off many of you in speculating that the Record Collector issue would be in September, but it made it into the shops a couple of weeks ago and I've not noticed any reference to it yet. Scanning not an option even if I buy it, but the opportune arrival of a text whilst in Tesco gave me the idea to photo it last week - mwah ha ha!
Subsequently found the review available on the website, on the front page sometimes, but here all the time for the moment: http://www.recordcollectormag.com/reviews/review-detail/7453
A mini interview and a rather unflattering picture complete the package. My angled, blurry snap is almost an improvement but not worth sharing. But am I evil enough to transcribe the rest?
Q & A Mike Oldfield
Were the master tapes all present and correct for your new mixes? Virgin got bought by EMI and the tapes were moved around, so we never got all the bits together. There are one or two missing multi-tracks, and one in particular - I think it's the beginning of Side 2 - we could never find that bit. Then again, we found some outtakes and a couple of tracks - the Pipe Tune and Piano Improvisation - that I had completely forgotten about. I think those missing master tapes will be lost forever.
The original album has a minimalist pulse. Was that intentional? I didn't have any intentions at the beginning. I wanted to try to do my own string arrangements and had this idea to make it about incantations. I just had this word in my head. With the help of my record company, I tracked down anybody I thought was likely to give me incantations like the druids. A cheap druid turned up at my house and spent the day with me, as well as other people. One researcher at Virgin was very helpful and sent me lots of material. I just ended up with what I ended up with, really.
What do you think of the LP today? There are wonderful seeds of ideas there, but I was going through a transition in my life. It was the end of the good times with Virgin. Really, we split up after that album - me and Virgin - though I carried on as, contractually, I had to make about another 11 albums!
How did the track Hiawatha come about? I had this fantastic tune and harmonies, but didn't know what the hell to do with it. I tried putting guitar with it and various other instruments... And through all my research forIncantations I came across Longfellow's poem and realised that the meter of the poem fitted my tune perfectly. I then had to find the right singer, and knew Steeleye Span. Maddy Prior came in and did it in a very deadpan way, which seemed to approximate the mood of the whole thing, becoming Hiawatha. It took months and months of me pulling my hair out and thinking, "What shall I do with this tune?" As told to Ian Shirley
-------------- "Who was that?" "That was Venger - the force of Evil! I am Dungeon Master - your guide in the realm of Dungeons & Dragons!"
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