Welcome Guest
[ Log In :: Register ]

 

[ Track this topic :: Email this topic :: Print this topic ]

Topic: To France outro, Hate the 'twang' segue into track two< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
compound eye Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 13
Joined: Feb. 2010
Posted: Mar. 16 2010, 10:39

Having recently listened to 'Discovery' for the first time I can say in all honesty that 'To France' is the best thing, and indeed only good thing on this LP. The  musical style & vocals of other tracks are just too contrived and the 'faux' angst & attitude is really embarassing...

Anyway, I love 'To France' to pieces - the trademark MO wailing electric guitars are awesome and the folky feel & almost fairytale lyrics very well judged indeed. It would be hard to choose between TF and Moonlight Shadow.

HOWEVER, one small thing ruins this track every time for me... the imminent, unavoidable, awful jarring 'twang' segue into the next track. It would have been much better if MO kept the tracks separate and finished TF with the unaccompanied vocal echo that immediately preceeds that horrible twang.

DOES TF the single end with this twang, or was this dropped for issue at a 7"? I would love to be able to listen to TF without the awful dread of it ending in such a hamfisted manner.

If anyone could point me toward a good quality mp3 of TF without the segue - if it exists - I should be very grateful  ;)
Back to top
Profile PM 
larstangmark Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 1759
Joined: Mar. 2005
Posted: Mar. 16 2010, 11:56

You hate the twang? I bought the album upon its release and have listened to it hundreds of time and I never thought of the twang! I think the album has a good flow and that the segues are partly responsible for that.
Is To France really that different from the rest of the album? I never thought so, but it's certrainly one of the strongest tracks.
If we're talking faux angst/attitude, what about Shadow on the Wall? See the Light? Disovery is not the worst offender in that department IMO.
Lars T


--------------
"There are twelve people in the world, the rest are paste"
Mark E Smith
Back to top
Profile PM WEB 
wiga Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 2113
Joined: Sep. 2008
Posted: Mar. 16 2010, 12:57

Quote (compound eye @ Mar. 16 2010, 10:39)
I can say in all honesty that 'To France' is the best thing, and indeed only good thing on this LP.

Ah, a good example of 'splitting', that I was trying to highlight in another thread. "To France" is all good and the rest all bad - black and white thinking :/ - where good and bad never merge.


--------------
Barn's burnt down - now I can see the moon.
Back to top
Profile PM 
Matt Offline




Group: Admins
Posts: 1186
Joined: Nov. 2002
Posted: Mar. 16 2010, 13:19

I imagine the original poster meant "In my humble opinion" regarding their view of the album.....

On the actual question about "To France", I don't have that single but I would imagine it ends without the segue. The extended edition certainly seems to just fade away.

Compound Eye, I'm surprised you didn't like "Talk about your life" since it has such strong ties to "To France"? Talk about your life is certainly one of my favourites!


--------------
"I say I say I say I say, what's got three bottles and five eyes and no legs and two wheels"
Back to top
Profile PM 
captain cavern Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 267
Joined: Oct. 2003
Posted: Mar. 16 2010, 13:41

Quote
To France' is the best thing, and indeed only good thing on this LP.


Really ?

For me, Discovery is one the best pop album from the 80's. Homogeneous, beautiful...
Back to top
Profile PM 
Scatterplot Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 1980
Joined: Dec. 2007
Posted: Mar. 16 2010, 19:55

I bought a 12 inch single in the 80's of TF, I believe it has a nice fade out. You could achieve the same thing with your CD, just use software to fade it out before the twang. Then albumwrap it back together in one file.

--------------
We raise our voices in the night
Crying to heaven
And will our voices be heard
Or will they break Like the wind
Back to top
Profile PM 
nightspore Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 4759
Joined: Mar. 2008
Posted: Mar. 16 2010, 21:58

I find "To France" awkward: the melody doesn't seem very inspired, and I don't like the way one line of the verse ends on the word "to" (that's pretty awful poetry, unless you really know what you're doing).

I mean the bit:

You're never going to
Get to France...

The rest of the album doesn't do much for me either. I much prefer Earth Moving.
Back to top
Profile PM 
The Caveman Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 2178
Joined: Jan. 2008
Posted: Mar. 17 2010, 09:57

It's got it's moments.Talk About Your Life is an extension of To France though.Saved By A Bell sucks IMO.But then The Lake is brilliant!Pure genius.

--------------
THE COMING OF THE GREAT WHITE HANDKERCHEIF IS NIGH.
Back to top
Profile PM 
Thea Cochrane Offline




Group: Musicians
Posts: 445
Joined: Nov. 1999
Posted: Mar. 18 2010, 16:40

Discovery was the first Mike Oldfield album I bought that wasn't a Tubular Bells album (I had 2 first then 1) and I really liked it actually. It was a bit different, of course, but I quite like the songs actually.

Favourites are To France, Trick of the Light, Talk About Your Life and The Lake which is just brilliant.

Listening to it now, I like to think that with The Lake  Mike doing the instrumental things that he had ideas for around that time but would have been unsuitable for The Killing Fields soundtrack.

In The Pool and Afghan are from around the same time as I remember, and I liked them too.
Back to top
Profile PM 
Scatterplot Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 1980
Joined: Dec. 2007
Posted: Mar. 23 2010, 16:10

Don't mess with Discovery or I'll get mean. Kidding aside, I got DSL up finally!!!! ATT sux! But Eddy.....Yes I'm "fraying", is using anxiety seperation. This is a NEW place, I put every penny into it. He tore a corner of carpet to the door. I'm blocking his access with speakers, etc. He is intent on trashing this place. What to do? I used a knife to put the carpet back in. It was my first night gone to work. I'll put speakers and boxes to block him tonight. Jesus. What do we pay for dogs?
Jim


--------------
We raise our voices in the night
Crying to heaven
And will our voices be heard
Or will they break Like the wind
Back to top
Profile PM 
smillsoid Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 548
Joined: Dec. 2008
Posted: Mar. 23 2010, 18:28

I adore every note on the entire album - always have, always will.  I must agree about the 'splitting' though - it's a very common attitude on the net.  People either think things are perfect, or they hate them with every bone in their body.  I reckon we're all guilty of it from time to time; it's as if you feel obliged to 'split' in order to appear to have something interesting to say.  I love "Discovery" - but I don't think it's perfect! :D

--------------
http://www.reverbnation.com/simonjmills
Back to top
Profile PM WEB 
Sweetpea Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 1476
Joined: April 2007
Posted: Mar. 24 2010, 23:38

Quote (compound eye @ Mar. 16 2010, 10:39)
Having recently listened to 'Discovery' for the first time I can say in all honesty that 'To France' is the best thing, and indeed only good thing on this LP. The  musical style & vocals of other tracks are just too contrived and the 'faux' angst & attitude is really embarassing...

Anyway, I love 'To France' to pieces - the trademark MO wailing electric guitars are awesome and the folky feel & almost fairytale lyrics very well judged indeed. It would be hard to choose between TF and Moonlight Shadow.

HOWEVER, one small thing ruins this track every time for me... the imminent, unavoidable, awful jarring 'twang' segue into the next track. It would have been much better if MO kept the tracks separate and finished TF with the unaccompanied vocal echo that immediately preceeds that horrible twang.

I agree that "To France" is wonderful and I often include it in my playlists. While MO was likely thinking about the total album experience, such segues don't necessarily work for extracts. But as lovely as that song is, the highlight for me is the instrumental "The Lake". "Talk About Your Life" is pleasant and has the bonus of the "To France" theme, but the rest of the songs don't do much for me.


--------------
"I'm no physicist, but technically couldn't Mike both be with the horse and be flying through space at the same time? (On account of the earth's orbit around the Sun and all that). So it seems he never had to make the choice after all. I bet he's kicking himself now." - clotty
Back to top
Profile PM 
Scatterplot Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 1980
Joined: Dec. 2007
Posted: Mar. 25 2010, 04:07

Discovery was released in my early-mid twenties era. Jeez I played it for so many women. Given my "region" it either was a hit or labeled me as a dork. Texas.....Jim spits on da flo. But in reality, at that time it was considered a romantic album by females who never heard of dis guy Mike Odefeed. I had some intimate moments with it. Nuff sayd. I be almost moved nayah. Just trying to clean up the old place so's I don't get sued too much, yayah.
Jimbo


--------------
We raise our voices in the night
Crying to heaven
And will our voices be heard
Or will they break Like the wind
Back to top
Profile PM 
12 replies since Mar. 16 2010, 10:39 < Next Oldest | Next Newest >

[ Track this topic :: Email this topic :: Print this topic ]

 






Forums | Links | Instruments | Discography | Tours | Articles | FAQ | Artwork | Wallpapers
Biography | Gallery | Videos | MIDI / Ringtones | Tabs | Lyrics | Books | Sitemap | Contact

Mike Oldfield Tubular.net
Mike Oldfield Tubular.net