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Wanderer Group: Members Posts: 119 Joined: Aug. 2002 Posted: Aug. 23 2002, 12:51 The topic of Mike's current musical direction has been something of a hot topic lately. Also his new re-recording of "Tubular Bells". I was quite impressed with Mike's two soundtrack albums, "The Killing Fields" and "Tres Lunas". I am also quite impressed at the way various directors have used Mike's music in their films - like "The Exorcist",  "Weird Science" and "Scary Movie 2". I think Mike's way of making music fits in really well to the genre of music soundtracks and it could prove quite a lucrative sideline if he played his cards right. It would mean, if nothing else, that whenever he felt the need for a quick buck he wouldn't have to resort to rehashing "Tubular Bells" again, or resorting too what some forum members have called commercially minded production techniques. Who knows, perhaps doing a film soundtrack could actually expose Mike's music to a wider audience and raise his profile. If the film was a big hit it could even entail a degree of commercial success for Mike himself. The soundtrack albums for "Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring", "Titanic" and "Gladiator" actually entered the charts (at least in Australia, where I live) - methinks simply by association with the hugely successful films (though the music is none too shabby, it wouldn't normally get in the charts). Does anyone else agree with me. I think that it would be the perfect compromise position between "artistic" and "commercially minded" music, that a lot of people are suggesting for Mike. Watcha think guys? Back to top

raven4x4x Group: Members Posts: 1535 Joined: Jan. 2002 Posted: Aug. 23 2002, 21:38 Yeah, Mike's music for a soundtrack to a movie would really work well. I can just imagine albums like TSODE or Voyager being used as a soundtrack to a Sci-Fi or Celtic movie. I have heard, however, that Ommadawn was used in a porn movie sountrack, so its sort of a mixed bag...   But seriously, if a really big movie came along needing a sountrack, Miek could do the music. I would certainly buy the sountrack, as would quite a few other people, who maybe had never heard him before. After the new Tubular Bells he is doing another Music VR album (so I've heard) so we can see what that's like! -------------- Thank-you for helping us help you help us all. Back to top

Blue Dolphin Group: Members Posts: 1232 Joined: Nov. 1999 Posted: Aug. 25 2002, 07:09 I don't think he will do it. With Killing Fields he told it was so unsatisfieing he wouldn't do it anymore. -------------- -The mark of a good musician is to play one note and mean it- Mike Oldfield - 1980 Back to top

Jerome C Group: Members Posts: 138 Joined: Mar. 2002 Posted: Aug. 28 2002, 07:44 Especially because he was not free to do what he wanted to, having to follow precise timeline and stick to "required atmospheres". I guess it's quite a unpleasant and frustrating exercice and surely doesn't apply to Mike's independent style. -------------- Jerome C (long time out of here, but always having MO in mind somewhere) Back to top

Korgscrew Group: Super Admins Posts: 3511 Joined: Dec. 1999 Posted: Aug. 28 2002, 13:05 I think that he prefers producing things like Music VR, where he has control over the images as well as the music, and they can be developed in tandem. Back to top

Thea Cochrane Group: Musicians Posts: 445 Joined: Nov. 1999 Posted: Aug. 28 2002, 15:15 Perhaps if Mike has a say in the plot/ visuals? With collaborators? Back to top

Man In The Rain Group: Members Posts: 405 Joined: April 2002 Posted: Aug. 28 2002, 15:56 The last time Mike wrote specifically for a film was Tubular X, for The X-Files: The Movie. It didn't even end up in the film! I seem to remember reading a couple of years back that Mike was in the shortlist for possible composers for the Lord Of The Rings soundtrack. Sadly, and perhaps inevitably, he wasn't chosen. It's a shame, because Mike's music helps give films a tremendous sense of dramatic impact. In The Killing Fields, The Boy's Burial/Pran Sees The Red Cross plays over the final few scenes as Pran is rescued, and really sticks in my mind as a devastatingly emotional combination of visual and sound. Even the Exorcist is most memorable for *that* music, rather than any individual image from the film. But I think that after Mike's bad experiences on the Killing Fields, where some scenes were edited after Mike had recorded music for them and thus putting his music out of synch, he may be somewhat reluctant to work again on a full-length score. Unless he could get assurance from the director that his work would not be tampered with I too hope that Mike does something in this vein in the future. Passion by Peter Gabriel (the soundtrack to The Last Temptation Of Christ) was the best instrumental album that Mike never wrote! Oliver -------------- Hergest Ridge 165 - Ommadawn 038 - Incantations 243 Back to top

TOBY Group: Members Posts: 1562 Joined: May 2002 Posted: Aug. 30 2002, 17:48 I would agree with you there about 'Passion' by PG, a great album. In an interview with David Porter many years ago Mike's assistant Jeremy Parker said that he used to get 2 to 3 offers per week (repeat per week) to do film music. This was of course after the success of the 'Killing Fields'. Apparantly he came very close to doing the soundtrack to 'Highlander 2' (a truely shit sequel if ever there was one) and of course Ridley Scott's 'Legend'. Ken Russell has apparantly allways been keen to work with Mike as has Micheal Winner (please god no, never let this happen). It's a shame he seems to be so against doing another movie score. As was said above 'Passion' by PG is a great album and a very good example of where a big production like that was willing to take a risk and commision a truely creative score. I think a simmilar situation to that would inspire Mike to open up a bit and and do something really original. Back to top

Blue Dolphin Group: Members Posts: 1232 Joined: Nov. 1999 Posted: Aug. 31 2002, 08:30 I wondered what Roland Joffe (the director of the Killing Fields) must have been thinking. Because his next movie, The Mission, was music by Ennio Morricone (which was very beautiful by the way). Maybe he offered Mike another score but Mike said no? -------------- -The mark of a good musician is to play one note and mean it- Mike Oldfield - 1980 Back to top

qjamesfloyd Group: Members Posts: 1355 Joined: April 2001 Posted: Aug. 31 2002, 12:45 I was that impressed with the music to "The Killing Fields",but i do believe that Mike has at least one great film score in him,but like he has always said,he needs to be in total control of a project,so that would mean audio and visuals,hence what we see as MVR,and i think his experience with "The Killing Fields"might have put him of doing anymore film scores,having said that,he is certainly more than capable of doing it,Mark Knopfler has made a great side line out of movie scores,he does the small independent films,and shuns the big ones,which is what Mike could do,every now and then if he would choose to. Back to top

oldfield_fan Group: Members Posts: 198 Joined: May 2001 Posted: Sep. 05 2002, 16:03 Yes, I also think it would be nice with another soundtrack :-) As some of you may know, Mike also did the soundtrack to the film Reflections. Have anyone seen it? I haven't :-( There's a song called "Making Way" (with Mike singing) that was written for it and also some other non-released music, right? Does anyone know where I can find this music? Perhaps someone has it on mp3? I'd very much like to hear it! :-) Best wishes / Johan Back to top

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