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Topic: There's A Crises, Most Annoying Grammatical Error?< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
Platinumpty Offline




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Posted: June 02 2011, 10:32

What I cannot help wondering on every spin of "Crises" is why no-one mentioned to Mike that the singular of Crises is Crisis, and that therefore the lyric "I need you by my side 'cause there's a crises" is horribly wrong.

A small point, I'll admit but it irritates the hell out of this English Lit. graduate.

Gavin.

p.s. I'm embarrassed by my own moniker on this site - for over 20 years I was convinced that my copy of the novel "Born in the UK" by Mike Oldfield was a valuable rarity - recently I was informed its just a crappy novel by some hack with the same name.  Oops.  It's appearance on "Virgin Fiction", an imprint that didn't seem to exist at the time, had convinced me.  Having said that, I can find no traces of the Springsteen book Mr Oldfield (2) apparently also wrote.
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stpaul Offline




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Posted: June 02 2011, 10:43

But is the pronunciation of the singular of crisis so different to crises ? Maybe it's inarticulate in the mix.
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nightspore Offline




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Posted: June 02 2011, 10:46

Quote (BornInTheUK @ June 02 2011, 10:32)
What I cannot help wondering on every spin of "Crises" is why no-one mentioned to Mike that the singular of Crises is Crisis, and that therefore the lyric "I need you by my side 'cause there's a crises" is horribly wrong.

A small point, I'll admit but it irritates the hell out of this English Lit. graduate.

Gavin.

p.s. I'm embarrassed by my own moniker on this site - for over 20 years I was convinced that my copy of the novel "Born in the UK" by Mike Oldfield was a valuable rarity - recently I was informed its just a crappy novel by some hack with the same name.  Oops.  It's appearance on "Virgin Fiction", an imprint that didn't seem to exist at the time, had convinced me.  Having said that, I can find no traces of the Springsteen book Mr Oldfield (2) apparently also wrote.

I don't think it's an error. It could be something like stream of consciousness, where the speaker is about to say "there's a crisis" but suddenly has his attention drawn to the sea, and the word comes out instead as "cry-seas". The presence of the mantra-like "watcher and the tower" suggests the reporting of what's going on is anything but straightforward!
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Platinumpty Offline




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Posted: June 02 2011, 10:55

I'd like to agree but I think it's more than likely just a mistake.  Oldfield has admitted a number of times that lyrics aren't his strong suit.  Wish he'd have a go at setting someone's else's lyrics - now there would be a new challenge for him!

Having said that - the "watcher and the tower" couplet referenced on the album cover is a nicely minimalist and surreal conceit.  He can hit on a poetic image now and again.

Another favourite of mine is from Northpoint - "They chanced to look at what was inside / there were a million stars at Northpoint / and from the silent tomb / they took it to the heart and left for the moon".  Not sure what it means, exactly (shades of "It's full of Stars" from 2001: A Space Odyssey?) but its a lovely image.

It'd be interesting to start a thread for other favourite Oldfield lyrics, albeit possibly a short one!
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Platinumpty Offline




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Posted: June 02 2011, 10:57

Quote (stpaul @ June 02 2011, 10:43)
But is the pronunciation of the singular of crisis so different to crises ? Maybe it's inarticulate in the mix.

In English it certainly is.

Crisis is prounced exactly like "cry, Sis"

Crises rhymes with Pisces.  "Cry, seas".

It's never sounded like a pronounciation gaffe to me, and if it were, I'm pretty certain Mike would have chosen a different vocal take, especially as it's repeated so many times.

But - hey - we all make mistakes!
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3Wheeler Offline




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Posted: June 02 2011, 11:09

whatever its a crisis which ever way you look at it

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wiga Offline




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Posted: June 02 2011, 14:24

Quote (3Wheeler @ June 02 2011, 16:09)
whatever its a crisis which ever way you look at it

yes, you can't get away!

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Barn's burnt down - now I can see the moon.
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ex member 137 Offline




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Posted: June 02 2011, 17:51

Quote (BornInTheUK @ June 02 2011, 16:57)
Quote (stpaul @ June 02 2011, 10:43)
But is the pronunciation of the singular of crisis so different to crises ? Maybe it's inarticulate in the mix.

In English it certainly is.

Crisis is prounced exactly like "cry, Sis"

Crises rhymes with Pisces.  "Cry, seas".

It's never sounded like a pronounciation gaffe to me, and if it were, I'm pretty certain Mike would have chosen a different vocal take, especially as it's repeated so many times.

But - hey - we all make mistakes!

Maybe Mike used a french keypad. This ones a wucker for getting it zrong.

Funny it took you lot t' pick up on it.

:laugh:
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nightspore Offline




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Posted: June 02 2011, 19:09

Quote (BornInTheUK @ June 02 2011, 10:32)
p.s. I'm embarrassed by my own moniker on this site - for over 20 years I was convinced that my copy of the novel "Born in the UK" by Mike Oldfield was a valuable rarity - recently I was informed its just a crappy novel by some hack with the same name.  Oops.  It's appearance on "Virgin Fiction", an imprint that didn't seem to exist at the time, had convinced me.

I just noticed this. I hadn't heard of this but I'll track it down. What about the novel didn't you like?
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Platinumpty Offline




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Posted: June 10 2011, 11:48

Quote (nightspore @ June 02 2011, 19:09)
What about the novel didn't you like?

Not sure where to start... it's very lightweight, kinda sexist and starts with something like this:

"Why am I here?  

Don't worry, you haven't stumbled into the philosophy section of the bookshop by mistake."

No kidding... I read it all the way through and thought it might be "our" MO as it's tied-up with music, specifically the trafficking in Bruce Springsteen bootlegs.  I'd not have taken MO for a Springsteen fan, but you never know.

That and the fact that it came out on "Virgin Fiction" in about 1989.  Here's the cover.  You can see why I was confused:

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?....rl=http

(p.s. can anyone tell me how to embed a photo?)
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Tati The Sentinel Offline




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Posted: June 10 2011, 19:53

Crises in Portuguese means Crisis...just a coincidence,really!

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"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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nightspore Offline




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Posted: June 10 2011, 21:31

Quote (BornInTheUK @ June 10 2011, 11:48)
Quote (nightspore @ June 02 2011, 19:09)
What about the novel didn't you like?

Not sure where to start... it's very lightweight, kinda sexist and starts with something like this:

"Why am I here?  

Don't worry, you haven't stumbled into the philosophy section of the bookshop by mistake."

No kidding... I read it all the way through and thought it might be "our" MO as it's tied-up with music, specifically the trafficking in Bruce Springsteen bootlegs.  I'd not have taken MO for a Springsteen fan, but you never know.

That and the fact that it came out on "Virgin Fiction" in about 1989.  Here's the cover.  You can see why I was confused:

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?....rl=http

(p.s. can anyone tell me how to embed a photo?)

You've just convinced me to get a copy and read it  :laugh:
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ex member 892 Offline




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Posted: June 11 2011, 09:18

You wanna know something really weird? My CD actually says "Crisis" on the spine and cover. :O
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Cavalier (Lost Version) Offline




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Posted: June 11 2011, 09:47

Despite not having listened to either, I was all set to post in the Islands vs. Islands thread started by Incantations; on the basis that we could also have had the likes of "Discovery vs. Discovery vs. Discovery..." and (until the penny dropped) "Crises, which Crises?"

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"That was Venger - the force of Evil!  I am Dungeon Master - your guide in the realm of Dungeons & Dragons!"
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yanouch65 Offline




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Posted: June 11 2011, 11:50

My mother tongue is French, so it is hard to me to talk about this, but my dictionnary says that "crises" is the plural of "crisis"...

Any info about this?

:)


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manintherain said: "You´d better ask Mr. Y who was first"

yanouch65 says: "I am in love with Scotland"
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Ugo Offline




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Posted: June 11 2011, 17:25

@ yanouch: that's the whole point of this discussion, which IMHO is totally made of goat's wool, like the ancient Romans used to say. :D "Crises" is the plural of "crises", but BornInTheUK said (in the thread starter) that the lyrics sound like "there's a crises", which they do, and which is gramatically wrong. :)

@ BornInTheUK: I don't have the Crises CD handy at the moment so I don't exactly remember what is sung in the title track, but I think that Mike sings "cry-seas" (in phonetics: ˈkraɪsiz) troughout - i.e. "cry-seas, cry-seas, you can't get away. He never sings "cry-sis", or, in phonetics, ˈkraɪsɪs. Maybe he just thought that the elongated ee-sound of "cry-seas" was better for the song, grammatically right or not. :D


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ex member 892 Offline




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Posted: June 12 2011, 09:24

Quote (Syd B @ June 11 2011, 09:18)
You wanna know something really weird? My CD actually says "Crisis" on the spine and cover. :O

So I guess this isn't all that surprising???
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Ugo Offline




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Posted: June 12 2011, 09:41

@ Syd: is your copy a Virgin edition or a (cheaper) Disky reprint? As far as I remember, all of the Virgin prints say "Crises" and all of the Disky ones say "Crisis". However, I have a Virgin Italy vinyl print which says "Crises" on the front cover, but "Crisis" on the spine AND on the record label. :D

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Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian
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ex member 892 Offline




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Posted: June 13 2011, 08:10

Quote (Ugo @ June 12 2011, 09:41)
@ Syd: is your copy a Virgin edition or a (cheaper) Disky reprint? As far as I remember, all of the Virgin prints say "Crises" and all of the Disky ones say "Crisis". However, I have a Virgin Italy vinyl print which says "Crises" on the front cover, but "Crisis" on the spine AND on the record label. :D

Neither. It's from Caroline Records, under license from Virgin (Caroline Records used to be a subsidiary of Virgin, but is now owned by EMI). On the spine and back cover it is labeled as a "HDCD Remaster".
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Ugo Offline




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Posted: June 13 2011, 09:21

@ Syd: Caroline, although it is US-only (I think), is identical to Disky in that they're both smaller companies which issued budget-priced reprints of material from the Virgin catalogue, of course licensed by Virgin. (Yes, they've also reprinted Virgin's HDCD remasters.) Their packaging is often careless. Just to quote another example, I've got two copies of the Five Miles Out CD, Virgin and Disky. The Virgin copy features the lyrics for "The Deep Deep Sound" on the booklet's second-to-last page, printed in grey on a grey background. The Disky copy, in the same spot, features just some undistinguished grey blurs. :)

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