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Topic: New fans, After the Olympics< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
CJJC Offline




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Posted: July 31 2012, 10:48

I got into a few arguments online about Two Sides, people saying that we were being fleeced, that it's all stuff that we already have and why isn't there a new album instead of another compilation?

I countered that such releases aren't intended for the likes of us, that we aren't obliged to buy the collection and that Two Sides doesn't take the place of a new album. If there was a new album recorded, it would be coming out.

I related how I felt when I'd been a fan for a year and got the money together to buy The Complete. I recall it was quite expensive, certainly to me, and I rarely saw it in the shops and so I was overjoyed to have all this stuff (including things I didn't realise I wouldn't have on albums otherwise, like Mistake and Crime of Passion) and it made me want to move on to Ommadawn and Incantations which I did not regret. Later, the Elements set made me realise that Amarok was the next one I should consider.

Compilations are great for new fans, and apparently very strong sales of Two Sides have borne this out. So, and not expecting fast replies to this - I've seen how threads on this forum can languish for years with only occasional updates, are any of you out there new fans? Saw Mike at the Olympics and took a chance on this compilation making you want more?

Old fans sometimes forget what it's like to be new fans without all the stuff.


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IMHO
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qjamesfloyd Offline




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Posted: Aug. 03 2012, 04:04

I agree with you, and again these types of best off's are aimed mainly at finding new fans of the artist, to give a taster of the artists music over the years, If I had heard TB for the first time at the opening ceremony, and loved it, and wanted to hear what else Mike Oldfield had done, I'd rush out and buy Two Sides :D But also being a completest as I am, I'm going to buy it too.
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Tati The Sentinel Offline




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Posted: Aug. 03 2012, 05:50

I've started myself to get into MO with Elements (the old VHS video).

It did work for me then,and I'm sure Two Sides would do the same for a new generation of MO fans.


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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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Cavalier (Lost Version) Offline




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Posted: Aug. 04 2012, 01:58

I'd been mindful of the fact that there might be more important persons than myself to consider when I went into the local HMV on Monday.   When it transpired that there were copies of all the three main releases in the New section near the shop entrance, I realised my duty of care to new or returning fans could take a back seat:  time to shoulder the responsibilty of first day and week purchase!  Before payday, I went for Two Sides and picked up the two special editions yesterday.

On Monday, the shop had yet to update their "What the hell... look at these!!!" section.  By yesterday, Two Sides was up there; maybe larger branches have Platinum and QE2 as well.  I took a photo of the card underneath that tells you how essential these albums are.  It's not for public consumption - I can barely make out the words myself - but I submit the text to you, that you may judge whether you would be sufficiently intrigued to pick it up and head, post haste, to the checkout!

This compilation comes hot on the heels of Mike Oldfield's rousing turn at the Olympics Opening Ceremony, where he provided the musical underpinning to the incredible celebration of villians from children's literature.  Oldfield's musical career has never been less than enigmatic, featuring equal measures of experimentation and pop smashes.  Sometimes, in the case of the unique Tubular Bells, achieving both in the same song.  Living up to its title, Two Sides attempts to explore this curious dichotomy.


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"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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Mirage Offline




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Posted: Aug. 10 2012, 11:22

I have to admit that I pre-ordered this CD (it hasn't been released in the US yet), pretty much sight unseen. It wasn't until the next day that I looked at the track list. True, a lot of it I already have in my collection, but I bought it to support Mike, and to add a little something to my collection. If it plays well, meaning the songs flow pretty well when I'm listening to it in my car, then all the better. Now if only I could talk him into doing a concert in California...
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3Wheeler Offline




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Posted: Aug. 14 2012, 06:04

For the Money its great Value..   A Double Cd for under a Tenner can not be Bad...   Guess You could Mix in the tracks off "The Collection" Disc to make it more Complete but thats not the Point.. They are Mikes Choices so I will ride with That :cool:

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We're Flying Aeroflot, We've Got Reservations.
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Cavalier (Lost Version) Offline




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Posted: Jan. 01 2013, 22:07

To my initial post I can add that the card actually said Twi Sides - which does beg the question as to whether Mike is Team Edward or Team Jacob...

Helped by the fact that my other compilations are decidedly more buried, this one has had a few spins.  It's hard to go wrong when it's a lot of music that you like already, but the others would need to be permanently interred for the order of tunes here to become the order.  What I did realise is that this is the first time I'd heard Crises and The Lake through headphones - cassettes in nearby stereos in the good old days - and they sounded damn fine.  Crises in particular has always been a okay instrumental side to me; not reaching the heights of examples from the previous few albums.  Listening to it wrapped around my ears here in Two Sides (and this is a pretty good place to drop into it), I've been transported by the Fairlight dancing around and Simon Phillips' extended drums climax.


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"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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