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Topic: Masterpiece< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
Taurus Outcast Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2008, 12:17

its perfect from start to finish, probably mike's greatest works. so much passion and feeling put into it. certainly one of my favourites. i love the 'ommadawn finale' feel to secrets/far above the clouds. totally immense!
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Ray Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2008, 16:57

Naa it's techno rubbish........ ;)

Ray  :p  ;)


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Scatterplot Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2008, 18:09

I could leave the "techno" parts, but it it is one of his best and has some -Incredible- moments that rank up there with HR and others like it......top of the morning piano and the female vocal emotional part prior to that is "best of" material for sure. Man in the Rain was obviously written to sound like Moonlight Shadow, but still a nice song.

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We raise our voices in the night
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Sir Mustapha Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2008, 21:57

Quote (Ray @ Mar. 11 2008, 16:57)
Naa it's techno rubbish........

Nah, that's not true.

Only the beginning and the end are techno rubbish. The rest is just regular rubbish... ...

...


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Check out http://ferniecanto.com.br for all my music, including my latest albums: Don't Stay in the City, Making Amends and Builders of Worlds.
Also check my Bandcamp page: http://ferniecanto.bandcamp.com
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Moz Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2008, 22:00

I particularly like Outcast, Serpent Dream, Man in the Rain, and The Top of the Morning.  I wouldn't say any of those are rubbish...

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Dirk Star Offline




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Posted: Mar. 12 2008, 04:20

Quote (Moz @ Mar. 11 2008, 22:00)
I particularly like Outcast, Serpent Dream, Man in the Rain, and The Top of the Morning.  I wouldn't say any of those are rubbish...

I agree love all of those tracks.Would add The Inner Child to that little list there as well,great stuff.

I know there`s a number of people on this forum who are not especially fond of Mike`s more thump,thump,dancey stuff, for want of a more sarcastic description.But how anybody can fail to be moved by the last two tracks on this album is beyond me.Completely agree with Taurus Outcast here "totally immense!"

It doesn`t make a blind bit of difference to me if it goes thump thump,crash,bang wallop.Or,bom,bom diddley bop.As long as it makes all those little hairs on the back of my neck bristle with excitement.The guy could have Animal out The Muppets drumming on it for all I cared.
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Taurus Outcast Offline




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Posted: Mar. 12 2008, 08:00

Quote (Ray @ Mar. 11 2008, 16:57)
Naa it's techno rubbish........ ;)

Ray  :p  ;)

all personal taste i guess, i thinks its genius from start to finish.
its totally different to everything before it so in my opinion mike was very brave to go with a techno themed album, especially if you consider the majority of his fans are from the 70s. im only 20 so maybe thats why i enjoy TBIII so much.
i would love it if he made another album like this!
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Holger Offline




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Posted: Mar. 12 2008, 10:51

Trance, not Techno!  :(


:p
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Sir Mustapha Offline




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Posted: Mar. 12 2008, 15:44

Trance is faster than that, isn't it? I'm a bit illiterate in this, but if we were to be subgenre-specific, it would qualify as what, House music? Unless there's a subsubgenre called "snail-pace trance", or something like that.

Quote
I know there`s a number of people on this forum who are not especially fond of Mike`s more thump,thump,dancey stuff, for want of a more sarcastic description.But how anybody can fail to be moved by the last two tracks on this album is beyond me.


Well, I fail at that, and I can explain why using as an analogy a Woody Woodpecker cartoon, in which a king has a songbird. He asks the bird to sing a little tune, and then asks "higher!", and "higher!", "higher!", until the bird sings so high that he passes out. That is exactly 'Far Above the Clouds'. It's not just "far above the clouds": it's far above the stratosphere, far above the ionosphere, above the asteroid belt, above the Milky Way, up and up until it knocks on the door of the Restaurant at the End of the Universe for a cup of tea. If I didn't have any shame, I'd consider it the funniest musical piece ever.


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Check out http://ferniecanto.com.br for all my music, including my latest albums: Don't Stay in the City, Making Amends and Builders of Worlds.
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Holger Offline




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Posted: Mar. 12 2008, 15:59

Quote (Sir Mustapha @ Mar. 12 2008, 21:44)
Trance is faster than that, isn't it? I'm a bit illiterate in this, but if we were to be subgenre-specific, it would qualify as what, House music? Unless there's a subsubgenre called "snail-pace trance", or something like that.

Quote
I know there`s a number of people on this forum who are not especially fond of Mike`s more thump,thump,dancey stuff, for want of a more sarcastic description.But how anybody can fail to be moved by the last two tracks on this album is beyond me.


Well, I fail at that, and I can explain why using as an analogy a Woody Woodpecker cartoon, in which a king has a songbird. He asks the bird to sing a little tune, and then asks "higher!", and "higher!", "higher!", until the bird sings so high that he passes out. That is exactly 'Far Above the Clouds'. It's not just "far above the clouds": it's far above the stratosphere, far above the ionosphere, above the asteroid belt, above the Milky Way, up and up until it knocks on the door of the Restaurant at the End of the Universe for a cup of tea. If I didn't have any shame, I'd consider it the funniest musical piece ever.

No, House music is the direct descendant of the Disco music of the late 70s. "Pump Up the Jam" is House, "Vogue" by Madonna is (Pop-)House, "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" by Kylie Minogue is basically modern House. It's got that typical Disco feel which I refer to as the "bathroom" sound.
Techno, on the other hand, is largely derived from Kraftwerk; Trance has the Kraftwerk influence as well, but mixes it with influences from other, "softer" electronic pioneers like Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream and probably even Jarre. Well, those are the roots of the respective genres, anyway. I'm oversimplifying things here, and of course there's always some overlap between the different genres of electronic dance music.

As for TBIII, it's well known that it was influenced by Mike's Ibiza experience and the typical style of Trance that comes from there, which I have to say I am not particularly familiar with; one thing I do know is that, interestingly, it frequently features acoustic guitars.


Edit: If you'd like to find out more about the different subgenres and sub-subgenres of electronic (dance) music, I recommend Ishkur's Guide to Electronic Music. It's a bit outdated as well as heavily biased on some subjects, but it makes for an interesting read (and listen).
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Ray Offline




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Posted: Mar. 12 2008, 16:55

OK - I was only joking (partly)

Serpents Dream is bloody amazing.  It's going to take me 10 years to learn to play it.

The first 3 mins of Jewel in the crown are ok

Outcast is good for the guitar sound

Top of the morning piano is great - brilliant

Ray  :cool:


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Dirk Star Offline




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Posted: Mar. 13 2008, 04:00

Quote (Sir Mustapha @ Mar. 12 2008, 15:44)
Trance is faster than that, isn't it? I'm a bit illiterate in this, but if we were to be subgenre-specific, it would qualify as what, House music? Unless there's a subsubgenre called "snail-pace trance", or something like that.

Quote
I know there`s a number of people on this forum who are not especially fond of Mike`s more thump,thump,dancey stuff, for want of a more sarcastic description.But how anybody can fail to be moved by the last two tracks on this album is beyond me.


Well, I fail at that, and I can explain why using as an analogy a Woody Woodpecker cartoon, in which a king has a songbird. He asks the bird to sing a little tune, and then asks "higher!", and "higher!", "higher!", until the bird sings so high that he passes out. That is exactly 'Far Above the Clouds'. It's not just "far above the clouds": it's far above the stratosphere, far above the ionosphere, above the asteroid belt, above the Milky Way, up and up until it knocks on the door of the Restaurant at the End of the Universe for a cup of tea. If I didn't have any shame, I'd consider it the funniest musical piece ever.

:D Are you trying to say that it`s just a wee tad over the top there Sir M. ;) Well that`s fair enough I guess.In a strange co-incidence to you finding this track amusing I actually laughed out loud to myself when I first heard this track.Just at the sheer throw in the kitchen sink brilliance of the thing.

Also while watching Mike perform the track on Jools Holland`s Later show at the time of it`s release.My friend`s wife was heard to say..."Does that bloke really have to hit that bell so bloody hard?"

"Oh yes! You better believe it!" :D
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trcanberra Offline




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Posted: Mar. 13 2008, 06:45

Quote (Dirk Star @ Mar. 12 2008, 04:20)
I know there`s a number of people on this forum who are not especially fond of Mike`s more thump,thump,dancey stuff, for want of a more sarcastic description.But how anybody can fail to be moved by the last two tracks on this album is beyond me.Completely agree with Taurus Outcast here "totally immense!"

It doesn`t make a blind bit of difference to me if it goes thump thump,crash,bang wallop.Or,bom,bom diddley bop.As long as it makes all those little hairs on the back of my neck bristle with excitement.The guy could have Animal out The Muppets drumming on it for all I cared.


Laughed out loud at that one.  After Amarok this is currently my favourite Mike album - I am an old (50+) dinosaur musically but just love the freshness of the CD, plus some brilliant music.

One thing I do wonder about, The Inner Child actually reminds me a bit of the Zorro soundtrack, same year as well, wonder which came first (or synchronicity?).
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andromeda Offline




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Posted: Mar. 29 2011, 08:10

IMHO this is not a rubbish album as others have said, but for me it was a disapointment. There are some great moments, but not consistantly so (if that makes sense?). I can remember that I thought it was a short album when I first played it.
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bootleg Offline




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Posted: Aug. 10 2011, 09:04

I first heard this when we were in London on holiday the day it came out. On the same trip my young daughter and i went to the top of St Paul's (as high as we could go) and now when ever i hear this album i am back in that dome (trying to keep up with my dynamo-powered offspring). I love this album anyway but this adds to the flavour too.
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AlexS Offline




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Posted: Aug. 06 2012, 08:50

I have a soft spot for TBIII. In 1998 it was the perfect album for me, and where everything was for me at that time.

I still think Far Above the Clouds is one of the best things Mike has ever done. Makes my hairs stand on end every time.

I actually love the uptempo "Secrets" tracks. I wouldn't call them techno at all; just a slight dance influence. I'm probably one of the only fans disappointed in the rest of the album between the opening and closing sections! I kind of wished the more electronic style had continued and flowed throughout.

However, I actually prefer (as I've come to realise years later) the excerpt on XXV - I prefer the male vocals too.


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Ugo Offline




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Posted: Aug. 07 2012, 19:42

After so many years since TBIII has come out, my opinion on that album hasn't changed. I always thought it is average and I still do. There are quite a few standouts ("Outcast", "Serpent Dream", "The Inner Child", "The Top of the Morning"), but unfortunately they are offset by tracks that are not so great, like "Man in the Rain" (good, but it sounds like nothing else than "Moonlight Shadow Part Two"!!!! :D), "The Watchful Eye" and "Secrets" (both of which sound like interludes to me rather than proper album tracks) and "Jewel in the Crown" (lots of good sounds but very few really interesting musical ideas). In short, TBIII to me is a good album, but not at all a masterpiece. To me the real masterpiece in the TB series is and will always be TBII.

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Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian
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