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Topic: REVIEWS of Man On The Rocks, Post your review and/or read others here< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
Jesse Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2014, 09:26

Quote (knife edge @ Mar. 10 2014, 09:00)
Quote (Jesse @ Mar. 10 2014, 05:24)
Quote (scienceguy @ Mar. 04 2014, 07:08)
Album is as good as The Songs Of Distant Earth, which many (including me) have considered to be Mike’s best work of the past 20 years. No kidding!

that's funny

even though I like that album, it's hardly considered by many as a standout album.

About the album: Nuclear is pretty good

:O TSODE is one of the greatest Mike's instrumental album. Different from his standards, but marvellous in melodies and production. Magellan is one of the best piece of music I've ever heard.

Yes, and I would agree, but from what I have seen TSODE is only by a minority considered a standout album.

Amarok and others are much more apreciated

check

http://tubular.net/forums....74;st=0
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oldfield_fan Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2014, 15:42

Quote (Tati The Sentinel @ Mar. 10 2014, 11:49)
Quote (oldfield_fan @ Mar. 08 2014, 18:06)
I wonder though why Mike changes his accent from British to American when singing (that also applies to Heaven's Open for example). Is that part of rock culture?

For example,you've got people like Phil Collins who sing with a British accent.I don't know,maybe for these songs Mike thought American accent would fit best to their musicality and how the songs flows while you're listening.

I'm not sure how you mean it affects the flow, but the pronunciation of some words just sounds wrong to my ears ( no offense to all Americans! ).

Quote
Yes, and I would agree, but from what I have seen TSODE is only by a minority considered a standout album.

As it followed shortly after Amarok and TB2 (considered masterpieces by many), I guess many fans were expecting something else. Mike had, in several interviews at the time, talked wholeheartedly about the important art of playing instruments by hand, and had made strong statements like "computers are like cancer to music". Next thing we know, he presents TSODE - an album full of synthetic instrument sounds, prerecorded samples and simple drum patterns. I think many fans were disappointed and thought "he can do better!" and put the album on the shelf. If I remember correctly, I've also read somewhere that Mike himself was not entirely happy and felt that TSODE was unfinished at the time when the album was to be released.
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Cavalier (Lost Version) Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2014, 16:04

Quote (oldfield_fan @ Mar. 10 2014, 15:42)
Mike had also, in several interviews at that time, talked wholeheartedly about the important art of playing instruments by hand, and had made strong statements like "computers are like cancer to music". Next thing we know, he presents TSODE - an album full of synthetic instrument sounds, prerecorded samples and simple drum patterns.

Not that he's ever been accused of holding contrary opinions  ;)  but at the time he also talked about how faced with all that computers had to offer, it was important that creative people made the most of technology.  As some of his interviews are saying, Skype-ing the MOTR sessions is a future he never saw coming!

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oldfield_fan Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2014, 17:44

Haha! Yes, that's true! Oh, and happy birthday by the way! Personally, I think that TSODE is one of his top 5 albums, but it took many listens to really appreciate it. I don't know where to place MOTR yet - it is still climbing...
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Tati The Sentinel Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2014, 18:59

Quote (oldfield_fan @ Mar. 10 2014, 19:42)
Quote (Tati The Sentinel @ Mar. 10 2014, 11:49)
Quote (oldfield_fan @ Mar. 08 2014, 18:06)
I wonder though why Mike changes his accent from British to American when singing (that also applies to Heaven's Open for example). Is that part of rock culture?

For example,you've got people like Phil Collins who sing with a British accent.I don't know,maybe for these songs Mike thought American accent would fit best to their musicality and how the songs flows while you're listening.

I'm not sure how you mean it affects the flow, but the pronunciation of some words just sounds wrong to my ears ( no offense to all Americans! ).

As you said,the pronunciation of the words and their sounds! (I prefer British >>> American,nothing against!;).

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scienceguy Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2014, 06:41

Quote (Jesse @ Mar. 10 2014, 09:26)
Quote (knife edge @ Mar. 10 2014, 09:00)
Quote (Jesse @ Mar. 10 2014, 05:24)
Quote (scienceguy @ Mar. 04 2014, 07:08)
Album is as good as The Songs Of Distant Earth, which many (including me) have considered to be Mike’s best work of the past 20 years. No kidding!

that's funny

even though I like that album, it's hardly considered by many as a standout album.

About the album: Nuclear is pretty good

:O TSODE is one of the greatest Mike's instrumental album. Different from his standards, but marvellous in melodies and production. Magellan is one of the best piece of music I've ever heard.

Yes, and I would agree, but from what I have seen TSODE is only by a minority considered a standout album.

Amarok and others are much more apreciated

check

http://tubular.net/forums....74;st=0

That depends on how you define "stand out album"... Within the thread that you have posted a link to, statistically 70% of mo-fans have listed TSODE within their TOP 50% (i.e. Top 13 of Mike's 27 albums). ;)

And here's another interesting statistic... as of right now 77% of people have rated MOTR 4 or 5 STARS on AMAZON.CO.UK :)
See HERE: AMAZON.CO.UK - Man On The Rocks, Mike Oldfield - REVIEWS
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Jesse Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2014, 07:56

Quote (scienceguy @ Mar. 11 2014, 06:41)
Quote (Jesse @ Mar. 10 2014, 09:26)
Quote (knife edge @ Mar. 10 2014, 09:00)
Quote (Jesse @ Mar. 10 2014, 05:24)
Quote (scienceguy @ Mar. 04 2014, 07:08)
Album is as good as The Songs Of Distant Earth, which many (including me) have considered to be Mike’s best work of the past 20 years. No kidding!

that's funny

even though I like that album, it's hardly considered by many as a standout album.

About the album: Nuclear is pretty good

:O TSODE is one of the greatest Mike's instrumental album. Different from his standards, but marvellous in melodies and production. Magellan is one of the best piece of music I've ever heard.

Yes, and I would agree, but from what I have seen TSODE is only by a minority considered a standout album.

Amarok and others are much more apreciated

check

http://tubular.net/forums....74;st=0

That depends on how you define "stand out album"... Within the thread that you have posted a link to, statistically 70% of mo-fans have listed TSODE within their TOP 50% (i.e. Top 13 of Mike's 27 albums). ;)

And here's another interesting statistic... as of right now 77% of people have rated MOTR 4 or 5 STARS on AMAZON.CO.UK :)
See HERE: AMAZON.CO.UK - Man On The Rocks, Mike Oldfield - REVIEWS

top 50% seems not very standout to me ;)
But ofcourse you are right. Also: standout album of the last 20 years isn't so tough ^^ his most apreciated work was before that
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TheMann Offline




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Posted: Mar. 12 2014, 03:58

It is indeed interesting to have the demos too; some are really good, and I agree that his voice is quite decent. I really liked the (demo) title track.

The guitar solo on the title track is lovely heavy, yes, not too many notes but with a great impact. Very 'Crisis' with all those background guitars bacing up the lead.
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Matt Offline




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Posted: Mar. 12 2014, 05:42

Here's my thoughts...

When it was announced that Mike was going to make an album of rock songs, I think most here had at least *some* idea of what that might end up being. It wasn't going to Amarok 2 that was for sure but would it be Earth Moving 2? I guess in some ways it is, though Mikes choice to use only one vocalist (Luke Spiller) I suppose invites comparisons to Heavens Open which had all of the songs sung by Mike himself. Luke is certainly a fine choice for many of the tracks. I personally wonder if the album would have benefitted by feeling a bit more varied if the choice of vocalist had also varied a bit?

The album after a few listens certainly seems to contain some strong melodies and Mike saying it would be personal is certainly reflected in the lyrics! Sailing is nice enough and fairly catchy. Moonshine fun, the title track itself I absolutely love particularly when it ramps up a few gears in the middle. Dreaming in the Wind is another standout track for me. Very few tracks *don't* have anything much going for them when I listen to the Album. Irene doesn't do much for me it has to be said, a bit too simple in lyric, melody and style. I can imagine Irene being a fun track when played live and I understand why Mike wrote it. Lots of good guitar work in various songs keep things interesting even when the songs themselves are a bit more mediocre.

The album finishes with "I give myself away", a track that has a melody that isn't Mikes, lyrics that aren't Mikes, vocalist etc. etc. etc. and even a general style that doesn't seem particularly like Mikes. A contribution to the arrangement and some guitar work seem to be all there is so why is it there? Listening to the demo with Mike singing it himself and I feel I understand why it is there, Mike is opening his soul a bit in this album and the words of "I give myself away" just match everying he wanted to say at the end of the album. I just think it would have been more poignant if Mike had been the vocalist in the final album track.

In general the production feels to me quite "non-Mike", much like the sound of any other artist. Listening to the demos that Mike produced this was clearly his intention. Where the songs head a bit towards intrumental (the second half of Dreaming in the Wind or the second half of Following the Angels for instance) I feel we are hearing a bit more of the more unique "Mike Oldfield" sound and I'd have preferred a bit more of that.

Mike is known in the past for using vocals and lyrics as an instrument rather than focussing purely on what the words actually mean all the time. Sometimes this has irritated people a bit (the grammer police dislike of "4am in the mooooorning" for instance) but I've always felt the lyrics flowed in the songs quite well. I am not sure the same can always be said for this album. Mike's writing here and getting across his emotions about each subject area seems to me to end up with some lyrics that don't flow as well as lyrics of previous songs he has written. This at times seems to me to be accentuated by Luke Spillars enthusiastic (overenthusiastic? ) take on the vocalisation. However the raw emotion is certainly put across.

So I love listening to various bits of this album, the title track "Man on the Rocks" is currently the highlight for me, I can imagine listening to and enjoying the album in the future but the aspects of Mikes music I enjoy the most aren't present enough on MOTR for me to give it a five star review. I'll go for 3.5/5 :)


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Olivier Offline




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Posted: Mar. 12 2014, 13:54

I judge music by my physical reactions. And I have none with MOTR, no tears, no goosebumps, no foot tapping. My theory is that Mike didn't spend enough time on the guitar solos, that he thought he'd keep them raw and not overworked, in the spirit of TB, but he kind of faked the roughness (like he was thinking "ok let's keep it rough" - that's not how it works with real roughness) and his emotions don't reach me this time around. I like him better when he polishes things like crazy.

My favorite part is the beginning of Man on the Rocks, I love the sound of Spiller and the acoustic guitar. I'm frustrated by the end of the song, it's like the song destroys itself instead of building up nicely. I think Mike said the first part was the first take of it, so my theory of liking him polishing stuff doesn't work that well actually. It's complicated.

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knife edge Offline




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Posted: Mar. 12 2014, 16:37

Quote (Matt @ Mar. 12 2014, 05:42)
I can imagine listening to and enjoying the album in the future but the aspects of Mikes music I enjoy the most aren't present enough on MOTR for me to give it a five star review. I'll go for 3.5/5 :)

I quote this :)
The same feelings here. Not enough Mike... I surprisingly prefer listening to Light and Shade because, at least, it's pure Mike music.
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Olivier Offline




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Posted: Mar. 12 2014, 17:16

Quote (knife edge @ Mar. 12 2014, 13:37)
Quote (Matt @ Mar. 12 2014, 05:42)
I can imagine listening to and enjoying the album in the future but the aspects of Mikes music I enjoy the most aren't present enough on MOTR for me to give it a five star review. I'll go for 3.5/5 :)

I quote this :)
The same feelings here. Not enough Mike... I surprisingly prefer listening to Light and Shade because, at least, it's pure Mike music.

This is becoming surreal... I think the exact opposite. To me, MOTR is unmistakably Mike inspired by pop and rock, L+S is teenage music that thinks it's inspired by Mike.
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Tati The Sentinel Offline




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Posted: Mar. 13 2014, 05:57

Quote (Matt @ Mar. 12 2014, 09:42)
The album finishes with "I give myself away", a track that has a melody that isn't Mikes, lyrics that aren't Mikes, vocalist etc. etc. etc. and even a general style that doesn't seem particularly like Mikes. A contribution to the arrangement and some guitar work seem to be all there is so why is it there? Listening to the demo with Mike singing it himself and I feel I understand why it is there, Mike is opening his soul a bit in this album and the words of "I give myself away" just match everying he wanted to say at the end of the album. I just think it would have been more poignant if Mike had been the vocalist in the final album track.

Well said! When I first looked at the lyrics of I Give Myself Away,I could connect directly to his own personal view as a musical messenger, giving his best to the listener. Maybe the lyrics suited best his intention at that stage? And yes,this message becomes clear on the demos.Still amused why he didn't want to share it on the regular release.

--------------
"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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Tati The Sentinel Offline




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Posted: Mar. 13 2014, 06:06

Quote (Olivier @ Mar. 12 2014, 21:16)
Quote (knife edge @ Mar. 12 2014, 13:37)
Quote (Matt @ Mar. 12 2014, 05:42)
I can imagine listening to and enjoying the album in the future but the aspects of Mikes music I enjoy the most aren't present enough on MOTR for me to give it a five star review. I'll go for 3.5/5 :)

I quote this :)
The same feelings here. Not enough Mike... I surprisingly prefer listening to Light and Shade because, at least, it's pure Mike music.

This is becoming surreal... I think the exact opposite. To me, MOTR is unmistakably Mike inspired by pop and rock, L+S is teenage music that thinks it's inspired by Mike.

9 years on,L+S sounds like an amateur experiment Mike did but wasn't successful in terms of musical ideas.Way too disconnected from what it was trance/edm back in 2005.Back then I did enjoy it a lot,still like (and listen to) Angelique and Nightshade,but that's it really.

On the other hand,MOTR is more Oldfieldish without the PRS Custom on it.You've got the Telecaster there,which strips down Mike's guitar playing to another level.I can barely hear way too overprocessed guitars/synth guitars on MOTR.Raw,still getting back into his old form (slowly...).

At this moment of my life,I do enjoy MOTR.Standouts are the title track,Castaway,Dreaming in the Wind and Chariots.Moonshine is very U2-ish but has a lot of potential as the next single(MO said he's been editing the radio version on MO Personal FB page).Still don't get Following the Angels and Irene really...


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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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knife edge Offline




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Posted: Mar. 14 2014, 07:31

Quote (Olivier @ Mar. 12 2014, 17:16)
Quote (knife edge @ Mar. 12 2014, 13:37)
Quote (Matt @ Mar. 12 2014, 05:42)
I can imagine listening to and enjoying the album in the future but the aspects of Mikes music I enjoy the most aren't present enough on MOTR for me to give it a five star review. I'll go for 3.5/5 :)

I quote this :)
The same feelings here. Not enough Mike... I surprisingly prefer listening to Light and Shade because, at least, it's pure Mike music.

This is becoming surreal... I think the exact opposite. To me, MOTR is unmistakably Mike inspired by pop and rock, L+S is teenage music that thinks it's inspired by Mike.

Surreal or not, these are my feelings about it. In L+S there are tracks that I feel tipical Mike, as The Gate, a melody that, we real voices, could have been part of an old-style 2-tracks Mike album without problems, I hear behind it the same acoustic sweetness and passion for folk music that I hear in Ommadawn (expecially the lost version ;) ). Nothing of similar in the mainstream music of MOTR.
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Elf Offline




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Posted: Mar. 14 2014, 08:46

Quote (scienceguy @ Mar. 05 2014, 03:54)
I strongly recommend that you check out the INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM on CD2 of the DELUXE EDITION. ;)


Seriously? The instrumental versions sounds like just that. Backing tracks in sorely need of vocals.
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knife edge Offline




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Posted: Mar. 14 2014, 10:06

Quote (Elf @ Mar. 14 2014, 08:46)
Quote (scienceguy @ Mar. 05 2014, 03:54)
I strongly recommend that you check out the INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM on CD2 of the DELUXE EDITION. ;)


Seriously? The instrumental versions sounds like just that. Backing tracks in sorely need of vocals.

Indeed, they are only back tracks in real need of the vacant melody line.
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larstangmark Offline




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Posted: Mar. 14 2014, 15:32

What "works" and not is not science. I don't think the ethno stylings and pseudo new-age music of TSODE "works". I can imagine that lots of people don't think that the Discovery-era folk/pop/rock/AOR "works" either, but for me it does. It's almost impossible to explain why. It's like a vibe, a scent or a slight nuance somewhere in there.

Music is magic!   :O


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Jesse Offline




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Posted: Mar. 14 2014, 18:25

Tsode is magic and better than new age music :D

But it's cool how much people mike can touch with his work
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oldfield_fan Offline




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Posted: Mar. 14 2014, 19:22

Before MOTR was finished, Mike said he was working on a remix of a song by a very famous (rock?) band.

What was that? Does anyone have any more info?
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