bee
Group: Members
Posts: 1227
Joined: Jan. 2004 |
 |
Posted: Feb. 09 2013, 04:47 |
 |
It was a good programme, I thought...giving a bit of perspective to the whole LP Album thing...
It was soooo good to hear Richard Branson acknowledge the 'enormous difference' Tubular Bells made to starting his record company...I know he has in his tv ads in the last couple of years (also good to see), but somehow this meant more. It did form a major part of the foundation of his Empire.
But I still keep thinking what an important piece of music it is, all that commercial stuff aside. As Mike said, the audience loved the live performance...it must have been truly astonishing to hear what was a totally groundbreaking sound, arranged & played live by such a young man in that time. If anyone was there & remembers it, I'd love to know what they thought.
The other fascinating thing about LP's is what Tony Parsons said at the end...he summed their magic up by by quoting Ray Davis of the Kinks...something about when you look into a man's record collection, it can make you feel like weeping, because it is like looking into his soul. (it would be more difficult to shove him off his computer and peruse his MP3's!...maybe you'd see into his interface) He also likened owning albums to being an ordinary man's art collection that only now, as the LP's slip into history, do we see their real beauty and power. This is so true. And of books too of course, but the idea you could share the listening by playing an LP, and that indefinable and mystical quality that music has, takes it to another level entirely. Words can always be debated, but music just 'is'.
And as much as I like Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, they are still not a patch on Tubular Bells. Great Albums undoubtedly, thousands of people love them and I do listen to them, but there's a pretentiousness there. Can't believe I just said that, who do I think I am, but I do feel it! I'm an Oldfield fan through and through. For me, there is no comparison.
Great to see Mike again too, windy old day that was when they did the interview, but probably a tad warmer there than the wind we have had this week in England!!
Was strange they put the photo of Simon Groom next to Mike in his studio, when he was recording Blue Peter wasn't it? Perhaps that was the only one they could find nearest to that time - quite a few years had gone by though...and a few albums! 
--------------
....second to the right and straight on till morning....
You heard me before
Yet you hear me again
Then I die
Till I call me again
|
Now I've seen them, I probably enjoyed the discussion programmes more than the style of the documentary just on, but nice to see Mike in the sun! 
