Herc
Group: Members
Posts: 9
Joined: Nov. 1999 |
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Posted: Nov. 30 1999, 05:14 |
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Having just bought my copy of The Millennium Bell, I have spent some hours digesting this epic work fresh from Mike's studio. I have to say I am impressed! I had been dreading the release. So many people on Tubular Web had expressed their revulsion at the cover, which even now I cannot bring myself to like. There seemed to be utter confusion over the Millennium concert and the release date of the album and subsequent singles. What was going *on* in the Oldfield camp? I suspected Mike's recent management kerfuffles (the break from CBL, the dismissal of Jazz Summers etc.) may have meant that his mental problems were finally getting the better of him. But I was wrong, wrong, wrong.
So here we go. Firstly, let me say that the album is 45 minutes in length, almost exactly as long as TB3. Nobody I spoke to found TB3 too short; rather, they thought it just right for the type of material it covered. However, in the case of TMB, I must admit I am confused - Mike's desire not to overstay his welcome on stage these days seems to have blurred his usually perfect judgement in the studio. Why not make this marvellous project an hour long? Amarok was a gorgeous, bursting hour's worth of genius, and it was all over the place, without purpose or structure, let alone a grand scheme such as the story of the last two millenia. However, if you can get used to the "single-serving" tracks Mike has settled into these days, you'll notice he still packs that content in.
The album opens with an eerie, holy carol, simply entitled "Peace on Earth". This track has a mysteriously Christian, religious tang to it - and it works. It is a vibrant, moody, original carol that is both fresh and antique at the same time. It is, simply stated, a celebration of the birth of Jesus in Nazareth. The lead vocals and choir sound just right, nicely timed, very "old England". Delicate "Watchful Eye" synth backing doesn't steal the limelight, and that swishing Amarok splash cymbal punctuates the tune nicely. The backing vocals are different to any previous Oldfield effort, and smack of the airy perfection of Enya. They are *gorgeous*! Mike gently adds guitar parts in his own inimitable style. Already, this album is uniquely Mike Oldfield.
When this track slowly fades out, the gently pounding drums of Pacha Mama take the stage. A gorgeous, new-style "Tubular" piano part appears. This is graceful and mysterious and winds along nicely. Inca-style choir vocals "Eea eea eea" in the background, and swathes of Incas fill out the front of the soundscape. Mike's guitars again gently add to the track, without you noticing. This is a totally new sound for Mike; not since Platinum has his sound advanced so suddenly.
Next comes The Santa Maria. This is a weaker track, with a slightly crappy, repetitive set of sections that don't work all that well. The strong female vocal calls out "The Santa Maria" over a summery, airy, undulating synth backing. There is choir backing after a while, but somehow the track goes absolutely nowhere. Also, you'll notice Mike making a little too much use of that Amarok splash cymbal sample here.
Moving on, we get to a simply awesome piece. Who has Mike been listening to? How did he come up with this gem? He has taken the verses of the slave song, "Amazing Grace", but added a very convincing chorus "I want to feel sun on my face and I feel the shadow in its place". The verse is spoken in a metallic monotone. The slaves call in the distant background like the "Prayer for the Earth" track on TSODE. The verse builds over a very catchy drum backing, like that you'd find on Michael Jackson's better works (whatever they are). The piece is so overwhelmingly uplifting I think it would make a fantastic single. The Gospel choir only add more to the piece, already an icon of Mike's ability to tackle any musical challenge with aplomb. There is applause at the end of the track, as it melts sofly away.
The Doge's Palace then kicks in. This piece will "strike a chord" with "Top of the Morning" fans. I am afraid it has the unfortunate habit of reminding me of the Mr. Bean theme music (so I've giggled each time I have heard it), with a fast oboe topline, funny six-syllable Venetian names (those of actual Doges) sung in falsetto over the music, and thumping dance bass + tambourine percussion. Very lovable - a baroque/dance mix only Mike could have carried off, but trust me...it's stone mad. Great to see Mike's not taking himself too seriously...
Lake Constance is another unbelievable track...completely orchestral, recreating that successful Oldfield blend of Spanish guitar vs. full orchestra that worked so well on OTB Pt. 2 and Mont St. Michel. This is a track Mike will be proud of. It's rich and smooth, optimistic, emotional and refined. As ever, Mike's guitar is spot on, flying over the mellow, romantic strings and flutes. (Have we heard flutes since Incantations? Don't think so...correct me if I'm wrong).
Lake Constance leaves you with a tear of sadness in your eye, but with a happy heart. It comes to a close, and we move into the Twentieth Century, with yet another *stunning* track from Mike. (How did he come up with this stuff? Guitars was so one-dimensional and rushed...this is so complete and polished.) Welcome to Mastermind...a track describing in music the shenannigans of the 1920s gangsters in the States (and presumably of any other criminal force you care to mention in this century). Mastermind is bang up-to-date, with thumping, stylish drums from Gota Yashiki and bangin' bass. The track features a very James Bond-style theme, with echoing guitar exactly as you'd find in the Bond theme tunes. There are vocal samples added in, such as a female vocal pair saying "Mastermind" like a mantra, and background TV samples like "meltdown"?, "killer!!" and "what...is...love?" Very cool, very stylish and probably too short. Mike could have treated us to some fantastic guitar here, but I'm afraid that "mustn't overstay my welcome" nonsense prevailed. So we move onwards and upwards.
Next, another first for Mike. Here, in "Broad Sunlit Uplands", he mixes Orchestral arrangements, worrying distant synth, a beautiful, elegaic piano tune and WWII samples (air raid sirens, machine guns, a ticking clock) to create the atmosphere of WWII Britain under Churchill. I can't speculate on the meaning of the laid back Harmonica bit. I don't personally go along with the "America entering Germany" theory. This seems somehow to be quite a British track. The harmonica may have some personal significance to Mike. Who knows.
Next, we revisit weird mood of the opening of the album. With Liberation, Mike captures the longing of Anne Frank, prisoner in her Amsterdam townhouse, to be able to enjoy the beauty of nature once again. Greta Hegerland-Oldfield reads the excerpts from the diary of Anne Frank in her unusual Scandinavian/English accent. This again is an effective choice...adding a touch of originality to the readings. The light, airy feel is added to by very Amarok-style bodhr‡ns and jumping, happy guitar backing, bringing Mike's guitar to the fore. This is another Oldfield beauty. Mike has captured the essence of Enya's work (about the only original aspect of it, really) and mastered it, putting it to use in harmony with his own work. This is an assured, optimistic track, gradually melting into the late twentieth century, with radio broacasts and tuning screeches, vocal samples and NASA-style ground control beeps. This track really captures the progress of the world since the second world war ended...right through the fifties, sixties and up to the recent past.
Amber Light follows...a sort of hymn for the future, with a black choir once again adding that spirit and energy to the music as they have done on some of Mike's best albums. Amber Light's melody is slowly introduced on Oldfield guitars, with Jeff Lynne-style fills on compressed guitars. Clickety-clackety tribal percussion and clashing cymbals add to the celebratory nature of this enjoyable track.
Finally, at track eleven, we reach the title track of the album. This, I thought, was the most unusual track on the album. This track, above all, will take getting used to. We open with a gong, and a reprise of the vocals of Pacha Mama, this time with heavier and heavier dance trimmings, and before you know it, bang! We're in a club. This is fabulous, pumping dance with clashing cymbals, and authentic samples wall to wall. It's over this background that Mike reintroduces some of the earlier themes of the album, with the dance beat constant the heavy club tune reappearing, building, building. Saqsaywaman is spoken over the track (cheeky, no?) and Mike's guitars wake up and start snarling. A piano tune appears; a blend of the slow, emotional themes on the album. Soon, the Sunlight Shining through Cloud theme hijacks the piece (rather clumsily), as does the Mr. Bean stuff from the Doge's palace. It really is hard to keep up. If you think it sounds like a mess, you're right...this track is all over the place, with only the dance tune providing some continuity. Then, to top it all off, the bell rings but once, disappointingly. But no, hang on, that's not all, the dance drums tap back in and a cool "Cossack" bit comes in, with frenetic guitars and cymbals splashing from left to right (you can see them dancing). To end the album, the Amber Light theme reappears for a moment, and an Amarok style ending with Mike's guitar stepping off into heaven rounds off the piece.
Phew...
I love this album. I just love it. It is a work of brilliance. It has depth in every direction...it's not at all the kind of dull, studio-stale album that preceded it, and it has much more to it than TB3. If you like, it's a work which really does represent the best of Mike's talents, taking every scrap of his musical genius and applying it to history, which is a brilliant mix. Therefore, I must agree with Mike that this is the most important album of his career. I didn't think Mike could do it. I was worried. I thought it would be a little sterile (like TB3) and a little unfinished (like Guitars), but despite the lame cover and crappy inlay card (Thanks a lot, Blue Cactus Design...what the hell happened Bill Smith?), this is an album I personally recommend to anybody who has good musical taste (Oldfield fans you know what that means) so go out and grab it now!
The only things I miss are (1) more guitars, (2) a better organised finale, in the vein of FATC, the most perfect of the TB finales, and (3) about 15 more minutes of music, to bring the work up to a respectable hour's length.
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nly 45 min.
