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Topic: Review in Guitarist< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
Harmono Offline




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Posted: Jan. 23 2017, 18:59

Guitarist, the biggest selling guitar magazine in the UK, gives Return to Ommadawn 9 out of 10 points.

"Succeeds on every level", is the verdict.

I really like critics when they agree with me.

I'll post the whole thing sooner or later. Just tell me when it is ok to do so.
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pauly Offline




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Posted: Jan. 24 2017, 05:01

Now there's a review that has some credibility in my eyes.
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Yann Offline




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Posted: Jan. 24 2017, 06:15

Probably it's because it's not a first day review.

Something that many people is saying is that this album grows on you. Instead of getting bored of it after playing it a couple of times, you like it more the more you listen to it. I have myself listened to it more than a dozen of times easily. Probably reviews are getting better from now on.
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Holger Offline




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Posted: Jan. 24 2017, 07:13

Quote (Yann @ Jan. 24 2017, 12:15)
Something that many people is saying is that this album grows on you. Instead of getting bored of it after playing it a couple of times, you like it more the more you listen to it.

I can confirm this from my experience. My initial reaction was along the lines of "mostly positive, but..."; however the "buts" seem to carry less weight with each listen. I'm not growing tired of playing it so far, and I find the themes are starting to get stuck in my head.
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qjamesfloyd Offline




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Posted: Jan. 25 2017, 09:42

Is the Guitarist review available online to read?
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Harmono Offline




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Posted: Jan. 25 2017, 19:38

No, at least not yet. It's in the February issue.
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captain cavern Offline




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Posted: Jan. 25 2017, 20:31

The review from Guitarist :


Mike Oldfield - Return To Ommadawn - 9/10
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Enigmatic songwriter reconnects with 'true self' on aching instrumentals.

The last time we saw Mike Oldfield, he was on top of the world, basking in the validation of his starring role at Danny Boyle's 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony. If that was the pinnacle of the 63 year old's career, the nosedive was close behind. The last five years have seen Oldfield rocked by tragedy - cruellest of all, the death of his son Dougal, aged just 33 - and Return To Ommadawn finds him attempting to process events too painful to articulate. "It's the age-old story." he tells us in next issue's interview. "Out of suffering comes beauty."
Long-time fans will recall Oldfield's 1975 release Ommadawn - a pastoral-themed masterpiece, also framed by personal loss - and Return... taps into the same spirit, unfolding across two 20-minute instrumentals where the aching sense of melancholy is offset by some of the sweetest melodies of his career. The abiding mood is one of mist-shrouded Celtic folk, but Oldfield's farned multi-instrumental prowess ensures the material shape-shifts and slips easy categorisation, as he darts between mandolin, ukulele, bodhrán, african drums and a flamenco section so fierce that you can feel the catharsis bleed off his fingertips.
It's hugely accomplished stuff, yet Return To Ommadawn is often at its most affecting when Oldfield keeps it simple, returning to a sparse melody on a lone Gibson SG Junior, say, or picking out a handful of perfect acoustic notes, then letting the space in between speak emotional volumes. Not a word is said, but through these intimate moments, you feel that Oldfield is truly laying himself bare.
As an artistic statement, Return To Ommadawn succeeds on every level. Oldfield has claimed this album is a reconnection with his 'true self' following a mid-period of diminishing returns. It's good to have him back.
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qjamesfloyd Offline




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Posted: Jan. 26 2017, 05:48

Thanks captain cavern, that is a great review, and it seems like they have an interview with Mike in next month's issue :)
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TubularRidgeDawn Offline




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Posted: Jan. 26 2017, 20:14

Great interview with Mike and review of 'Return To Ommadawn' in Prog magazine, too!

--------------
En yab na log a toc na awd
taw may on ommadawn egg kyowl
ommadawn egg kyowl
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nightspore Offline




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Posted: Jan. 30 2018, 22:42

I like the improvisation on Mike's records, but one of the things that I most like about RTO is the feeling that every note is charged with meaning. When I listen to the guitar line, there are the words of a beautiful, terrible, and almost unimaginable story.
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