bee
Group: Members
Posts: 1227
Joined: Jan. 2004 |
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Posted: May 31 2006, 15:08 |
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Have had a little time to myself just lately & have spent much of it listening properly (ie no interruptions) to music. Absolute self indulgence...well you have to once in a while! Haven't listened to FMO for a while, though I have always loved it. When it first came out in the 80's I was obsessed with it & played it constantly.
There is something so whole and complete about this album I'm not sure how to begin describe it. For me Taurus II is as perfect as music gets. It's got everything I love about Mike Oldfield in there, changes of direction, changes of tempo, surging sounds, thousands of instruments, fantastic guitar , different styles. It takes you everywhere at once and never loses it's direction, in other hands it could be a cacophonous mess but Mike makes it hold true. It feels good. He knows how to get the best from every instrument and allows them each a space of their own, giving them respect, and then together they blend and work together to create a masterpiece. And timpanis - I love timpanis...real drums bring such incredible structure to music. Taurus II is gentle, tender, thoughtful, playful, exhilarating, clever and a joy to listen to. So I like it.
A while back on tubularnet there was a discussion regarding Light & Shade & the difference between the old style Mike with real instruments & longer pieces as opposed to the new style with all the electrickery. I am generalising now but I feel there was an idea that those that really loved Tubular Bells Ommadawn & Hergest Ridge should move with the times and not hanker after the past. For me, Five Miles Out brings everything together, successfully combining elements of both styles, without making it sound either one way or the other. I know it's not an electronic album as such, but it in many ways makes me think of later stuff.
When you think it was written during the 80's & there was such a lot of strange, plastic, going nowhere music around at that time, it shows you again that Mike is a unique artist. He was doing something unlike anything at the time, as he always does. I honestly believe he will be regarded generations from now as a remarkable composer.
I think he made a masterpiece here and would rate it very near to Ommadawn if I had to make a list. And Ommadawn for me, is sublime.
Looking forward to the new album ofcourse & really hoping for some of that Oldfield sound that comes across with a strong and powerful energy.
bee
-------------- ....second to the right and straight on till morning....
You heard me before Yet you hear me again Then I die Till I call me again
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