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Holger Offline




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Posted: June 12 2003, 15:07

Quote (TheManIsBack @ June 12 2003, 14:31)
now PLEASE GIVE US NEW INSTRUMENTAL MATERIAL, NO VOCALS, JUST 40 MINUTES FLOWING COMPLEX LOADED POLYPHONIC MASTERPIECES IN THE STYLE OF TB, AMAROK, INCANTATIONS. We know you can do it!

70 minutes would be better. OK, now we won't be asking too much of the poor fellow, will we?  :p
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TOBY Offline




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Posted: June 12 2003, 15:13

Welcome back 'The Man' I wondered where you'd got to.
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TheManIsBack Offline




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Posted: June 16 2003, 15:35

Quote (TOBY @ June 12 2003, 15:13)
Welcome back 'The Man' I wondered where you'd got to.

Thanks TOBY!

Once again, I find Mike's playing on TB2003 very refreshing, elaborate, genious. You can really hear how much care he has paid to the details, something that has been totally lacking on each album released after 1994 (give or take a few tracks). I really wish he stays at this level for the next record.

There is nothing I hate as much on a Mike CD as hasty sloppy playing (like on Guitars).

May I complain on just one track on TB2003? The Cavemen ... it is embarrising, silly, and the "drums" are Casio 1A Default. Even the electric guitars on Caveman are way too 'nice', a shame on an otherwise BRILLIANT TUBULAR BELLS 2003! I also hated the corresponding track on TBII.


Otherwise, VERY VERY GOOD MIKE.

I find John Cleese quite appropriate; yes he says 'Mandolin' two times (it is not a bug), and I do not think that the introduction is played too fast. The Finale is great, with a nicer beat than on the original, and yes, 'there is no tomorrow' in the climax playing! What a joy to hear, Mike!

Who cares about the copy-protection? Stay focused on the music, boys.

Stay focused on the details, Mike, no one else can do it like you!

The Man
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Korgscrew Offline




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Posted: June 16 2003, 18:42

Quote (TheManIsBack @ June 16 2003, 20:35)
Who cares about the copy-protection? Stay focused on the music, boys.

Who cares about copy protection? People who care about hearing the music, on their favourite CD player, without clicks, pops, missing tracks, distortion, muddied stereo imaging and reduced detail. People who want to hear the music as it was mastered, and not in a lowest common denominator corrupt form forced on listeners by cloth-eared, cloth-brained executives.

Perhaps I would stay focused on the music if I could actually play it.
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KtheC Offline




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Posted: June 19 2003, 07:08

I love the music.  It sounds great.  The dvd is awesome as well.  The thing I hate about TB30 is that the songs are broken up.  This to me takes away the continuity and flow of the piece.   I think I read that this was at the record companies request.  We all know record companies know what's best.  The could have done it like SODE and just had the tracks bookmarked for easy access and left the flow intact.
Someone mentioned that Cleese said mandolin twice.  I don't know if this was a joke or I read it wrong, but I have been unable to hear this.
Anyway all in all I enjoyed this disc a great deal.
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Mark 1 Offline




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Posted: June 19 2003, 07:26

Well - I definetely don't like the copy protection, but enough has been said about that problem already so I'm not going to linger on it.

I love TB 2003! Got the boxset from Amazon yesterday as I couldn't find a store that stocked the boxset, but it is a lovely collectors item and the graphics are great. TB 2003 is wonderful too, very well balanced and mixed arrangements and I think it sounds very modern in a good way. Haven't checked the dvd out yet but I'm looking forward to the 5.1 mixes.

John Cleese indeed says Mandolin twice - but a lot softer the second time, you have to listen very carefully. I thought it was at the left hand side of the mix. It's not much behind the first time - several seconds but before the next instrument.
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TheManIsBack Offline




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Posted: July 02 2003, 14:03

Finale is amazingly good, IMHO far better than on the original!
What a hypnotic pulse! The basses are better played on TB2003,
in particular the solo bass (it really sings), the two distorted guitars
are great, and there is something that has changed in the climax compared
to the original ... but to the better I think. I LOVE THE BELLS, what
a great finale it finally became ...

... I always felt that TB73 was a bit boring compared to other masterpieces
like Ommadawn, Incantations, Amarok, etc. I consider myself as being extremely
well familiar with Mike’s music (having heard everything by MO a 1000 times at least),
but it is not until now that I really appreciate TB! Harmonics is very well done,
just genious.
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Airborne2003 Offline




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Posted: July 17 2003, 15:39

This is my first post on TubularBoard, or any board for that matter... So hello to all!  I have been waiting 23 years to find other Oldfield fans as rabid as me, and here you have all been lurking on the internet for months and years!  Living in central Canada has meant a more or less isolated existence for me as far as MO is concerned.

Any album by Mike is an automatic purchase for me, although I was frustrated by the Salesperson at HMV who called me on June 6th to tell me that my copy of TB2003 with the bonus DVD was in, and then called me back fifteen minutes later to say that he made a mistake and that I couldn't have it until June 10th.  I tried to bribe him, but he wouldn't budge.  

Needless to say, it was worth the wait!

Now, I don't expect anyone to be perfect, least of all Mike Oldfield, so I knew going in that I wouldn't necessarily like every centimetre of TB2003.  But after listening to it repeatedly over the past few weeks, there are only a couple millimetres that I don't prefer.

I am in wholehearted agreement with many that the bass sound in the intro doesn't work, but I can grit my teeth and bear that.  But the one thing I can't abide is John Cleese as the MC.  

While I know that Mike has a sense of humour, I just think that JC is too great a departure from Viv.  Every time I anticipate the introduction of the glockenspiel, I get this little smile because I love the way Viv sort of dropped his voice an octave and said it.  I miss it entirely.

And I don't care how many times John says "Mandolin", it sounds goofy every time.

The only thing I truly dislike about Tubular Bells 2003 is that, although it is a welcome addition to his body of work, I lament any time Mike takes away from creating intricate and dynamic new work during his short tenure among us mortals.

I don't mind the wait between albums great albums, I listen to all the albums regularly, and only occasionly skip a track, but I hope that all the stuff created in the interim before the NEXT great album is like Mike the Gourment serving us little appetizer morsels while he is in his big kitchen braising a spectacular main course.  Cuz even the tidbits Mike gives us are tasty and worthy of savoring.
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raven4x4x Offline




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Posted: Aug. 08 2003, 06:06

Well, I finally got it today!! I'm not sure where the record shop got it from, but it must be the Canadian version, because I have had no trouble with it whatsoever. I'm listening to it on the computer now, on Windows Media Player, and its working perfectly!

On to the music. I won't go through it track by track just yet (I've only had it for a few hours), but it sounds really good so far. I'm not exactly a huge fan of the original, but some of the parts I really love from the original, such as Latin, and the organ sound on Basses, are changed, and they don't quite work as well. I suppose that's just because I love the original versions of those pieces so much. For the rest of the album, it sounds excellent. Thrash sounds a bit strange, but Finale sounds really great. The original Finale wasn't much of a climax as far as I was concerned, but this version is great.

I'll finish this early review by saying that this only confirms my opinion that Mike is the world's greatest guitarist. Ambient Guitars is amazing!


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