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Topic: Music of the Spheres tops the UK classical chart!< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
Olivier Offline




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Posted: Mar. 24 2008, 21:31

I don't know, I don't feel the sense of invention I feel in other albums, it's like Mike has put some barriers around his creativity and we're caught inside the barriers when listening to it too. I don't imagine him smiling or excited doing it, more like a professional doing a repetitive job using well established rules and sending electronic files to Karl Jenkins for quality control and fixes. (That's all in my mind of course, I have no clue what the reality can be.) But if I compare it those modern bombastic Hollywood soundtracks, which I like a lot even if I'm getting tired of them, I find it would be one of the best ever made. So I probably have too high expectations for Mike...
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christopher Offline




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Posted: Mar. 25 2008, 00:51

DAMMIT!!!!!  Bloody iTunes has released a US Version of the album which excludes the LIVE version... I HATE THIS BLOODY COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  They wouldn't know music if it smacked them across the face... lit them on fire and then smacked them again!!!!!!!  

Will someone PLEEEEASE have pitty on a someone who lives in America who WANTS TO PAY for a LIVE version, but is blocked??????????  

Thank God the rest of the world understands what real music is!!!!!  Don't ever let go of that... the rest of the world is soooo much better than America in so many ways and I'm an American!!!!!

Congrats Mike Oldfield for giving the world such an amazing piece of music... which I've bought 5 copies of already... excluding the LIVE version!!!!!
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Sweetpea Offline




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Posted: Mar. 25 2008, 01:19

Quote (christopher @ Mar. 25 2008, 00:51)
DAMMIT!!!!!  Bloody iTunes has released a US Version of the album which excludes the LIVE version... I HATE THIS BLOODY COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Admittedly, I was saddened when I first saw the "US version" qualifier, but as I'm awaiting my copy of MOTS (from Amazon) I wouldn't really need a "MOTS & MOTS Live" download package. It would be nice, however, if Universal took pity on us deprived Americans and released a CD containing both "MOTS Live" and "Spheres" here.


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"I'm no physicist, but technically couldn't Mike both be with the horse and be flying through space at the same time? (On account of the earth's orbit around the Sun and all that). So it seems he never had to make the choice after all. I bet he's kicking himself now." - clotty
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christopher Offline




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Posted: Mar. 25 2008, 02:14

I might have found a loophole in the system at iTunes.  I will let you all know if it works.  If it doesn't... then I'm willing to pay ANYONE on here for a purchased copy of the LIVE version of Music of the Sphere's and the Sphere's single... using PayPal.  

What I mean when I say pay is not for YOUR copy of the album, but for you to purchase an additional copy of the album from iTunes and then email it to me and I will pay you for allowing me the use of your credit card since I do not live in Europe, unfortunately!  

There is always a way around the system... we just have to rise above the music industries inabilities!  The reason that the Music industry doesn't release hard copies in these cases is for cost reasons.  They'd make a lot more if they would get with worldwide distribution and stop all this country by country rubbish!!!  Can't you tell I'm really really pissed????  This is NOT the first time this has been done to me nor I'm sure to many more out there!!!!!

I sat next to some record execs at a local food shop here in Los Angeles and they ranted on about how much they wish that iTunes, digital music, and technology would go away!  They said repeatedly that they just don't want to mess with this worldwide distribution... it's too frustrating!  

I have a few choice words for them... but instead I'll just say... DINOSAURS.  The music industry will go the way of the Dinosaurs if they don't get with the program!
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TOBY Offline




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Posted: Mar. 25 2008, 04:58

Quote (Olivier @ Mar. 24 2008, 21:31)
I don't know, I don't feel the sense of invention I feel in other albums, it's like Mike has put some barriers around his creativity and we're caught inside the barriers when listening to it too.

Although I really like the album and generally I think its his best in years   I pretty much agree with all of that Olivier. I certainly wouldn't start comparing it with his classic albums, there's no where near the level of inventiveness or originality and I would certainly say one of those musical barriers you talk about is called Tubular Bells.
However in its best moments it does conjure up atmospheres that do remind me nicely of some of my favorite early albums which is why I like it.
I'm not sure I agree with you about him not being excited by it. Although Mike does come across as someone utterly bored by music during interviews I'd say MOTS sounds to me like more a labor of love than something like Light and Shade which always sounded to me like an utterly bored musician holed up in his studio with far to much technology to play with. I can imagine Mike genuinely enjoying the process of writing, producing and mixing MOTS much more than I could various other albums by him I could think of.
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Alan D Offline




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Posted: Mar. 25 2008, 05:30

Quote (Olivier @ Mar. 24 2008, 21:27)
When I listen to it thinking of his trademark albums or to "real" classical music, I find the album sad. I mean, Mozart's music is sad and happy, but this is sad and sad, dark, suffocating, you feel framed in one those spheres, the fanfare, perhaps the happiest notes, evokes war and dumb military music to me.

Surely, Olivier, this is an example of how we can't help bringing our own stuff with us when we listen?

One of my chief concerns about the album is its lack of sadness. It seems so buoyant all the way through that I can't quite believe in it. I keep looking for a dark edge somewhere to provide some kind of emotional balance, but not finding one. That fanfare, for instance, speaks to me of new beginnings, and confidence in the future - I don't read a military connection into it at all.

Once more, there's no escaping the fact that the art is a meeting ground between artist and observer/listener - and the resulting engagement is as much a creation of the listener as it is of the artist. It's why these arguments we have about 'is it good or bad?' are irresolvable.
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Blue Dolphin Offline




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Posted: Mar. 25 2008, 06:03

This is great news! Mike in the charts!! Well done!

Now I hope here in the Netherlands there will be some promotion... a TV ad or something.... hopefully! I remember seeing the TV add of Tubular Bells 2003 here only 1 time! And I didn't have time to record it.

Christopher: I really understand your frustatation! Hope your will get the live version though!


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-The mark of a good musician is to play one note and mean it-

Mike Oldfield - 1980
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qjamesfloyd Offline




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Posted: Mar. 25 2008, 07:12

I stand by what i say, i don't feel there has been a great deal of promo about this album, i think it's the the fact the his fans were so happy for him to get away from the more electronic computer music of recent albums, and hearing real instruments again, that it just got people interested in MO again, and that has been proved by the success in the charts.
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Korgscrew Offline




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Posted: Mar. 25 2008, 08:45

Quote (qjamesfloyd @ Mar. 25 2008, 12:12)
i don't feel there has been a great deal of promo about this album

It's been on heavy rotation on Classic FM and Radio 2, they've had adverts on prime time commercial TV, a good number of the major UK newspapers have run features on it and Mike's made several personal appearances on UK daytime TV and both local, national and international radio. The same goes for Spain, Germany and France. There's also been a fair degree of promotion on the internet, which though it might seem like it's just happened, actually was the doing of Universal's marketing people. The same goes for things like play.com's signed copies lottery and the live recording on iTunes.

Renewed interest from fans is certainly responsible for a reasonable percentage of sales, but fans wouldn't be buying it if they didn't know it was out. You could say "but they can find that out by coming to tubular.net" and yes, it's true...but we've only been able to report on it in the way that we have because they've made us part of their promotional campaign. Same goes for mikeoldfield.com - that's under Universal's control as well. They've also made sure that sites like Amazon have been carrying advertising for the album. The effectiveness of their online promotion could be argued about (as could their campaign as a whole - I'm sure everyone has an opinion of what would be the most effective way of spending the advertising budget), but from my point of view, it seems like they've at least been trying harder than for Light + Shade.

It may of course have helped that the people most likely to write the most enthusiastic reviews online somehow managed to get hold of pre-release copies...

The quality of the music is of course responsible for much of this - both the record company and many of the fans have been enthusiastic right from the moment they first heard it. That certainly wasn't the case for Light + Shade, and it didn't really seem to be quite as true for Tubular Bells 2003 either.

I'm not saying it's been a perfect campaign and that there was nothing more they could do, but I do feel there has been a considerable amount of promotion, none of it coincidental...and it's not all over yet!
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Bassman Offline




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Posted: Mar. 25 2008, 09:19

Well, you may find it interesting to know that in Canada Mike Oldfield's name does NOT appear anywhere on Universal Music's Canadian website, nor Decca's-the North American distributor for the album.

Not happy.
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B.BLUES Offline




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Posted: Mar. 25 2008, 20:11

This work is Mikes best since TB2. It has real soul and is not overly derivative of Tubular Bells. The general public obviously think so due to the sales figures alone.
I doub't Mike was bored when doing it. In fact, I think he is enjoying his new found freedom. His last amount of studio albums have been things of patchy delights.
This work has intergrity and depth. And the music is seriously catchy. My only criticism is that I'd like to hear more of his classical guitar. He is an amazing and entertaining player.
He is a fine guitarist and an excellent composer. This has been overshadowed by his studio wizardry. In recent years. There is no reason why Mike couldn't continue on this path.  
I really hope he doesn't retire. I'd like him to become like Philip Glass. He is after all, a true minimalist.
Lets hope he performs it a good few times in concert.
Also, I feel that TB, Hergest Ridge, Incantations are long overdue for a performance at Last Night Of the Proms. MOTS fits with that idea too.
I feel his work rates with ANY 20th century classical composer.
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Tati The Sentinel Offline




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Posted: Mar. 26 2008, 09:32

MOTS in the charts:

#14 in Germany(best position in 10 years)

#37 in Switzerland

http://www.tubular-world.com/index.p....II.html


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"But it's always the outsider, the black sheep, that becomes the blockbuster." - Mike Oldfield, 2014

"I remember feeling that I'd been judged unfairly and that I was going to prove them wrong." - Peter Davison, 2011
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Fine_old_Tom Offline




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Posted: Mar. 26 2008, 10:04

On I-Tunes, in Belgium at least, MotS is trashed with a 1* review 'Oldfield tries to hide complete lack of originality in classic cloak'[I]  :O

Can somebody rush a good review in there? I have not checked the UK I-Tunes  :/


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Bassman Offline




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Posted: Mar. 26 2008, 11:35

And also trash that reviewer...
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leesonar Offline




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Posted: Mar. 26 2008, 11:52

Makes you wonder what insipid trash, the reviewer does rate...doesn't it!!!
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Matt Offline




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Posted: Mar. 26 2008, 11:58

I haven't read this review you are referring to but I don't see anything wrong with someone not liking MOTS. I know one person whose opinions I generally respect who I lent it to wasn't impressed. Too repetitive, harmonies simplistic and doesn't feel like it is going anywhere was their conclusion. I disagree of course but people are surely entitled to their own opinions.

However some of the amazon reviews whingeing because it isn't ommadawn seem to be missing the point completely! Fortunately most reviews seem to be fairly positive and the sales figures I guess speak for themselves  :D


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"I say I say I say I say, what's got three bottles and five eyes and no legs and two wheels"
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Harmono Offline




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Posted: Mar. 26 2008, 12:06

Quote (Fine_old_Tom @ Mar. 26 2008, 16:04)
On I-Tunes, in Belgium at least, MotS is trashed with a 1* review 'Oldfield tries to hide complete lack of originality in classic cloak'[I]  :O

Can somebody rush a good review in there? I have not checked the UK I-Tunes  :/

I wonder how he could and why he would try to hide 'complete lack of originality in classic cloak'. After all mots is full of strong melodies that would work equally well in a more prog-rock type setting, in fact I believe it would have been easier for him to do it in a way he's more familiar with, he wouldn't even have needed Jenkins' assistance. I hope someone makes that clear and points out that the real reason for going classical is most likely the one Mike has given ----> this is something he hasn't done before.
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leesonar Offline




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Posted: Mar. 26 2008, 12:17

In response to Oliver's page 2 comment 1 Mike has the ability to picture a melody / harmony in his head then instantly replicate it. He is highly competent and accomplished, I am sure he could turn his hand at any style. Usually when he takes his time producing an album over a couple of years, it's worth the wait. In the case of TB2 and Amarok, the only way you can sound like you're playing 30 guitars is to machine gun the master tape with guitar overdubs, this sounds great but can be time consuming. When you release 2 albums in a year like in the case of Guitars and Millennium Bell obviously you cannot afford this extravagance...and the album quality is not up to those of the former albums.
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hairy old hippy Offline




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Posted: Mar. 27 2008, 07:11

Quote (Fine_old_Tom @ Mar. 26 2008, 10:04)
On I-Tunes, in Belgium at least, MotS is trashed with a 1* review 'Oldfield tries to hide complete lack of originality in classic cloak'[I]  :O

I think this reviewer may have only given it one listen. At first I thought MOTS was a bit sappy and repeated old ideas too much. However, like all classic Oldfield albums, repeated listens revealed new layers of melody and subtleties. Now I absoloutely love it. So many people write Oldfield off with only one listen but for his music to make sense you need to hear it a few times. A classic example of this is Amarok, a lot of us seem to say that the more they hear it the more it makes sense, it becomes addictive with more listens. I'm definitely becoming addicted to MOTS. I think you have to give in to it, turn off the lights and completely devote your senses to it and, like those 3D pictures, it all of sudden pops out at you!
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Bassman Offline




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Posted: Mar. 27 2008, 07:55

Remember folks, the reviewer in question was in iTunes, not Amazon.  And having an opinion is fine, but to say something like "complete lack of originality" is NOT a review, it's deliberate flaming.  Hopefully the idiot who wrote it actually had to buy it first.  A person doesn't have a right to denigrade something unless they've earned the right.

Pearls before swine.
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