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Topic: Reviews, Reactions, etc., Concert, DTS, Tracklist ect.< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
Inkanta Offline




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Posted: May 19 2006, 19:21

Greetings,

I was absolutely shocked to have Live at Montreux 1981 waiting on my doorstep upon returning from my latest roadtrip. I had vowed never to order anything again from amazon.com after waiting months for Tag und Nacht, but ooops, forgot my vow. ;)

Mike's playing throughout is great--such an energetic group of musicians! I was a bit concerned about his guitar pic at times, hoping he'd not swallow it. I hadn't realized that Maggie Reilly would feature so prominently thoroughout. Maybe it was the mood of the evening, but though I love her voice, towards the end I was finding it a bit tedious--just not enough variety, perhaps.

Some of us had commented on the attire of the musicians in Exposed. Mike is still in stripes and tights except for the encore, at which point he is shirtless, along with all the other musicians except for Tim Cross, the keyboardist...and probably Maggie. :)


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ian Offline




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Posted: May 20 2006, 06:41

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Mike is still in stripes and tights except for the encore, at which point he is shirtless


Yes, I always wonder why he seemed to do that at his concerts. Its not like he had a tan or anything ha ha.

I am so stunned by the speed and complexity of his playing. The sailor's hornpipe just amazed me. I can play it on mandolin but not that fast. It's almost supernatural.
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Intuition2004 Offline




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Posted: May 20 2006, 07:31

[B]Got my DVD yesterday and have seen it.
It's great to experience the mood for 25 years ago where i saw Mike for the first time at Roskilde Festival.
This DVD captures the same spirit, and it's especially funny to see the innocence in the performanc, not mentioned the clothing and haircut .

The DTS sound is ok for material that old, with a bit of mixing the keyboards in surround.

Tracklist, actually there's a bit more than stated, in no. 2. The QE2 medley, suddenly there at bit of Taurus II from Five Miles Out.

The drum section in Ommadown is not so good, it's seems like a race, who will be first finished.

But check out the Sailors Hornpipe, fantastic performance.

So the Montreaux DVD is great, and fill a gap in video's from Mike career.

---did we really wear glasses and funny haircuts like that in 1981 -- seems like yesterday.
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W.Tell
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Posted: May 22 2006, 03:40

The track listing is stated wrong in the cover.

It says in the cover:
1. Intro
2. Taurus I/Sheba/Mirage

It should be:
1. Taurus I
2. Sheba/Mirage

Great concert though!
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nushky Offline




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Posted: May 22 2006, 04:07

It's interesting to hear during taurus 1 some bits that will feature in five miles out, especially the "deep deep sound" melody sung almost 3 times by maggie reilly (actually they should have come up with some words to make it less repetitive). The 2nd times she sings it (3rd party of taurus 1), it does not fit the keyboard melody at all, maybe she was not supposed to sing it during this part, because she actually stops after the 1st phrase and looks a bit embarrassed.

I find MO's playing very good, very concentrated and no mistakes in his playing.
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OneGeneratuonTooLate Offline




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Posted: May 22 2006, 15:58

Quote (nushky @ May 22 2006, 04:07)
I find MO's playing very good, very concentrated and no mistakes in his playing.

Did you perhaps miss Ommadawn?  :p
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Piltdownboy on horseback 22 Offline




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Posted: May 22 2006, 17:04

Mirage is my live favourite... and he does make a pedal mistake too there... but that doesn't disturb very much I think... I like it all the same ...  :cool:  :music:

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ThisName Offline




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Posted: May 23 2006, 10:16

Hey all. I have watched half of the dvd so far and am amazed at the level of playing, it is simply phenomenal for such a small band. The keyboard player is amazing, and makes it look so easy!

I thought Taurus 1 was played incredibly, and even rivals the original. The energy and commitment astounds me!

Just wanted to know if anyone found the picture quality a little fuzzy sometimes? Also, I have a little flickering line at the bottom of the screen, it dosent bother me too much but wanted to check that it wasnt my pc.

Looking forward to seeing the rest!


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Piltdownboy on horseback 22 Offline




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Posted: May 23 2006, 11:42

don't worry about your computer... hehhee... the little fuzzy bits are on my dvd too ;) :cool:

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ian Offline




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Posted: May 23 2006, 14:09

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Did you perhaps miss Ommadawn?


Yes but he can be forgiven for that. Try playing it and you will see what i mean. I don't think even Mike could manage that now or the sailor's hornpipe. He had to slow that down to half speed for the remake of Tubular Bells. I know because he told me so on his webchat when I asked him.
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Herc Offline




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Posted: May 23 2006, 18:31

Received my DVD last week having pre-order from Amazon.co.uk; pretty impressed to find it in my letterbox in Ireland on the 17th.

I recently bought the Exposed DVD and the contrasts with 'Live at Montreux' are striking. Where Exposed had a large set with some really talented musicians (like Pekka Pohjola and the Moerlens) there were many others whose antics put them squarely in the 'messer' category. At Montreux, it's the opposite - small group, very versatile, tight set and hard work all round. To me, the result is edgier and more alive than the sprawling spectacle of the Exposed tour, good as it was.

At the Wembley Exposed gig, Mike seems to deliver at best detached competence on guitar. Again Montreux is such a contrast - many have already commented about Mike's energetic and alive guitar playing. It's so different to what now seems such a dull performance eighteen months earlier at Wembley on the Exposed DVD. I wouldn't even dwell on mistakes; it's a long show and Mike's working hard from start to finish. From a musician's perspective, I consider the few fluffs insignificant compared to the strength of his playing overall. It captures what must have been the heyday of Live Mike.

Other things others have commented on: Maggie Reilly is sulking the whole way through and seems thoroughly fed up - her vocals are somewhat flat and apathetic. She mopes on- and off stage like a despondent teenager at times. Interestingly the DVD inlay notes hint at her disdain for Mike's music in the early days; perhaps this led to the pop songs on later albums to make use of her undeniable talent?

Other comments:

Interesting to hear prototype bits of FMO in the QE2 medley section.

Morris Pert - wow! He's givin' it loads! Reminded me of Animal from the Muppets! Like all the band members at the gig, he is a very talented musician but unlike the others, he seems to be feeling every note of the set in strange and unusual ways. Anyway 10 out of 10 for added visual entertainment value.

Rick Fenn, Tim Cross and Mike Frye are the type of talented, no-fuss musicians anyone would love to have in their band; excellent performances and quite understated. MO must have worked hard to put together a small group this talented/versatile who so suited his style.

Tim Cross' keyboards/synth work is particularly impressive; he's got lots to do and needs to switch modes and instruments regularly even between sections of tracks. No programming in those days! Watch what he's doing in the transition between Airborne and the Platinum Theme for example. Also you've got to love that naff '80s Piano-teeshirt.

So I suppose I'm posting to convince people that this is a very strong show and captures a great gig from a great year of Live Mike. I only wish I was at it, but unfortunately I couldn't walk or talk at the time being as I was only 1 year old. ;-)
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OneGeneratuonTooLate Offline




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Posted: May 23 2006, 19:58

Yes, I can surely forgive Mike for his mistakes, it's just it HAD to be in Ommadawn.. I'd rather 432 mistakes in Tubular Bells or something.. Anybody know why Maggie Reilly ALWAYS has her right hand up to her ear when singing(mumbling)?
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larstangmark Offline




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Posted: May 24 2006, 03:51

Quote (OneGeneratuonTooLate @ May 23 2006, 19:58)
Anybody know why Maggie Reilly ALWAYS has her right hand up to her ear when singing(mumbling)?

Propably so that she can hear hearself. The sound you hear "inside your head" when you're singing is the most accurate. The sound that bounces back at you from the concert hall is slightly out of pitch (that's why even pro singers can sing out of tune for a whole concert without realizing it).
Nowadays most performers have in-ear monitoring, which solves this problem.


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amazarak Offline




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Posted: May 24 2006, 07:03

Quote (Herc @ May 24 2006, 00:31)
Morris Pert - wow! He's givin' it loads! Reminded me of Animal from the Muppets!

Bwahahah, Yes, when I saw him live for the first time, EXACTLY the same thing came to my mind  :D  :D  :D

cheers
amazarak


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Piltdownboy on horseback 22 Offline




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Posted: May 24 2006, 08:29

Exactly!! With me too!!
He's looking so weird and drums very strange way, so that you keep interested the whole concert through... I've watched this one even more than the Exposed dvd now!

HERC: I really like the review!!!

It's great yes that t-shirt of the keyboard guy... hehehe... It's even got his name on the front if you look closely!! :D

Maggie isn't my favourite musician from this dvd... Shame she is leaving all the time, when she could be dancing at that time or playing tambourine or something. Also she's a bit famous so she could speak to the audience and carry the group a bit more, like in making a bit of show.
Rick fenn is quiet, but just like Frye, gets your sympathy right away.

I think this is my favourite mike DVD :)

Ok, Virgin, come on: now realease Discovery Tour!!! :)


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Jools Offline




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Posted: May 24 2006, 14:52

Maggie does seem to be a bit of a sulker. At one point (can't just recall which piece) Mike goes out of his way to overtly applaud her efforts, perhaps recognising she needed a bit of a lift or ego-massaging

I think Conflict is my favourite track on the DVD - such energy and wonderful playing. It's a piece that often gets forgotten but it takes on a life of its own when performed live.
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Herc Offline




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Posted: May 24 2006, 17:55

It occurs to me that QE2 (which the Montreux gig was promoting) was Mike's first 'disappointing' album. To me, the key weaknesses are uninspired composition, cheap production and some weak guitar playing.

What I think I like best about the Montreux gig is that it takes some of this lacklustre studio material and fixes the weaknesses - there's more depth and we get tight & sparkling playing from all, esp. Mike. It turns poor studio tracks like Sheba and Conflict into exciting live performances without fundamentally changing the score. This is an achievement not to be underestimated.

To me, the only studio track on QE2 that was promising was Celt and unfortunately that was not in the Montreux setlist. Shame; if Mike could make Sheba come alive imagine how great Celt could have sounded?
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Alan D Offline




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Posted: May 25 2006, 03:19

Quote (Herc @ May 24 2006, 22:55)
It occurs to me that QE2 (which the Montreux gig was promoting) was Mike's first 'disappointing' album. To me, the key weaknesses are uninspired composition, cheap production and some weak guitar playing.

What I think I like best about the Montreux gig is that it takes some of this lacklustre studio material and fixes the weaknesses - there's more depth and we get tight & sparkling playing from all, esp. Mike. It turns poor studio tracks like Sheba and Conflict into exciting live performances without fundamentally changing the score.

Yes, my thoughts exactly. From the start I felt that QE2 seemed like a 'filler' album - something thrown together because the bits were there to add up to a couple of sides, and this Montreux DVD makes me reassess my attitude to the music.

I'm not sure that Sheba has undergone quite the transformation you suggest (at least, I still find it doesn't hold my interest), but in essence I agree with what you say. Some essential spark has been injected into these pieces that was missing on the studio album.
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Herc Offline




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Posted: May 25 2006, 03:48

Quote (Alan D @ May 25 2006, 03:19)
I'm not sure that Sheba has undergone quite the transformation you suggest (at least, I still find it doesn't hold my interest), but in essence I agree with what you say. Some essential spark has been injected into these pieces that was missing on the studio album.

Yes, perhaps Sheba isn't the best example - the music is still pretty poor, but surely Taurus I, Conflict and Mirage qualify as improved by live presentation?

Other comments: the lighting for the show is non-existent. At one stage, a rotating flashlight of the kind found on ambulances whirs around in the background for effect (humorous effect probably) but otherwise it's statically lit. Not a complaiint, just unusual. A very basic, makeshift stage setup it seems.

I found the percussion section in Ommadawn pretty tiresome - mostly Morris Pert going crazy-ape-bonkers for no real musical benefit.

Punkadiddle grates a little bit too - just drawn out a little too long with rather wandery ad-lib guitar work?

Taurus I intro (in which Mike plays mandolin) seems much longer than the studio version?
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Alan D Offline




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Posted: May 26 2006, 04:38

Quote (Herc @ May 25 2006, 08:48)
Yes, perhaps Sheba isn't the best example - the music is still pretty poor, but surely Taurus I, Conflict and Mirage qualify as improved by live presentation?

Oh yes, certainly. That's what I was trying to say.

Quote
Taurus I intro (in which Mike plays mandolin) seems much longer than the studio version?

Yes, and with some pretty substantial differences too, I think, unless my memory is playing me tricks (I haven't listened to Taurus 1 for quite a long time).
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