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Topic: Voyager - the anti intellectual album< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
wiga Offline




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Posted: Oct. 17 2008, 11:59

Quote (nightspore @ Oct. 17 2008, 07:38)
The feeling of possible or imminent loss is never far away in any of Mike's music

In the early days when I listened to "Mont St Michel" an awful lot, I remember deciding that it would be the perfect piece of music at my funeral, and had all the elements that would comfort and and ease the grieving process for the multitude of mourners gathered to bid me farewell.

Do comfort and heartache merge ?


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Barn's burnt down - now I can see the moon.
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nightspore Offline




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Posted: Oct. 17 2008, 19:30

Wiga, it's clear that Mike's music attracts people with similar emotional make-up. I had exactly the same thoughts as you with regard to "The Wind Chimes, Part 1". But I thought, what a pity I wouldn't be around to hear it!
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trcanberra Offline




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Posted: Oct. 19 2008, 02:18

Listened to the CD again last week - nice, calm and relaxing with some very pretty melodics.  Not 'easy listening' but a nice change of pace in the the body of work.

As with a number of Mike's CDs, not my favourite, but glad he recorded it.
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Jesse Offline




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Posted: April 30 2009, 15:45

I was thinking about it once more. I disagree that Flowers of the forest get's bad because it has a climax. Without the climax it wouldn't work as well as it does now. There's nothing intellectual about it, musically it is easy as cake. But still I think it does contain an atmosphere that speaks to the soul, as I can guerantee you that it wouldn't work the same with different chords.

I think there are various ways to listen to music:
1. a musictechnology way, where you listen to the complexity and enjoy the intellectual work of the song.
2. The emotional way, where you listen to what the song does to YOU.

I think if you can excel at either of those, you can be called a genius. I'd say Voyager is the album that may be called brilliant in the second category.

Perhaps Voyager contains songs we recognize/remember from a collective unconsious level.
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wiga Offline




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Posted: Aug. 16 2011, 04:00

It's that time of the year AGAIN - when Voyager came out - 1996. Why do I have a photographic memory of that time and this album?

It packs a poweful punch, and I would agree with Jesse that this is heart music - undefended and pure. The way it impacts on me is very... whoa, where's my intellectual defenses - because there's none here! It's all heart and emotion - and VERY nice, but also a bit uncomfortable.

Love it. Mike at his best.


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Jesse Offline




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Posted: Sep. 18 2011, 15:28

I really like Mike's 90's...Amarok not so much (but still very good) but TB2, TSODE, TB3, Voyager...
Then a few minor albums untill Mots came along :)
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Sir Mustapha Offline




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Posted: Sep. 19 2011, 13:35

The one thing that bugs me about this "anti-intellectual" label is that it implies that intellectuality is something to be fought, to go against, as if "heart" and "mind" are deadly enemies, opposing forces that try to annihilate each other. I find, however, that the vast majority of the music I like accomplishes both sides and understand them as partners, as complimentary forces, that depend on each other to thrive. It's pointless for music (or art in general) to be "anti-intellectual" as much as it is pointless for a person to be anti-intellectual -- really, is there any benefit in acting dumb?

Going for the heart is perfectly possible -- and in my opinion, much better -- when intellectuality is involved. Besides, the original post seems to be condemning not just "intellectuality", but effort, as if it's a bad thing to expect the artist to actually work on his art. Well, there is no art without work, without effort. The heart doesn't move the body all by itself -- if the whole body is not working well, the whole body suffers, isn't it? With art, it's exactly the same.

I find it perfecly okay to like Voyager for what it is: an unpretentious, unambitious dabbling in Celtic music, and I don't think that is its flaw. I don't think, though, that lack of brains, effort or sweat is something to be proud of, but that's just me.


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Check out http://ferniecanto.com.br for all my music, including my latest albums: Don't Stay in the City, Making Amends and Builders of Worlds.
Also check my Bandcamp page: http://ferniecanto.bandcamp.com
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HR lover Offline




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Posted: Sep. 19 2011, 16:04

Quote
The one thing that bugs me about this "anti-intellectual" label is that it implies that intellectuality is something to be fought, to go against, as if "heart" and "mind" are deadly enemies, opposing forces that try to annihilate each other. I find, however, that the vast majority of the music I like accomplishes both sides and understand them as partners, as complimentary forces, that depend on each other to thrive. It's pointless for music (or art in general) to be "anti-intellectual" as much as it is pointless for a person to be anti-intellectual -- really, is there any benefit in acting dumb?

Going for the heart is perfectly possible -- and in my opinion, much better -- when intellectuality is involved. Besides, the original post seems to be condemning not just "intellectuality", but effort, as if it's a bad thing to expect the artist to actually work on his art. Well, there is no art without work, without effort. The heart doesn't move the body all by itself -- if the whole body is not working well, the whole body suffers, isn't it? With art, it's exactly the same.

I find it perfecly okay to like Voyager for what it is: an unpretentious, unambitious dabbling in Celtic music, and I don't think that is its flaw. I don't think, though, that lack of brains, effort or sweat is something to be proud of, but that's just me.


I agree with you Sir Mustapha, but I must add that I deem all of Mike's works that I've listened to (I still haven't listened to either Guitars or MOTS) emotional works. For me there is not a Mike Oldfield album that isn't emotional.

Quote
The heart doesn't move the body all by itself -- if the whole body is not working well, the whole body suffers, isn't it? With art, it's exactly the same.


That's why I don't like a lot of modern art, because a lot of it is meant to be taken intellectual whilst the intellectual notion behind it is often very simplistic.


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Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
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Jesse Offline




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Posted: Sep. 20 2011, 13:11

Well the original post is like 4 years old and even I found it a bit fluffy ;)

but my point was that dismissing a work purely because it is not complex seems odd to me.

To be fair, I think there is music out there that just feels lazy and simple, looped because the artist had little time or mind to do it properly. I do not think Voyager falls under that because I think said tunes wouldn't work if they were further developped. They already feel 'right'.

I guess each tune needs it's own complexity
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