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First_Excursion Group: Members Posts: 280 Joined: Aug. 2012 Posted: May 30 2019, 09:21 When I was 10 in 1982 I had already been a Mike Oldfield fan for ages. I could easily pick his music out when I heard it. Dad played Tubular Bells really loud on weekend mornings sometimes. I was so proud that our family listened to such amazing tunes, especially so loud. I knew Incantations and QE2 and then we got Five Miles Out from a mail order record club. The marketing text said the title track was based on a real life experience piloting a plane during a dangerous storm. We all sat and listened to it in the lounge room when it arrived and I was astonished that Mike added electric guitar to the bagpipe parts in Taurus II! Mum said Maggie Reilly could make her voice sound like an instrument. I used to love studying the big colourful gatefold track sheet with Mike Oldfield's artwork on it. I adored the whole Taurus II back then especially the Deep Deep Sound and the tantalising Taurus I reprise following it. Morris Pert was heroic. It really was a supergroup. Then I heard Mum on the phone telling Nan she was going to the Mike Oldfield concert and I had to interrupt and stop this conversation. The tickets were stored on top of the fridge. I moved a chair from the dining room into the kitchen sometimes to get up there and pore over them. The date was at odds with the tour poster. You notice these things. Mike gave an interview on the local Music Express television show, I was astonished that he hadn't even brushed his hair! I don't brush my hair from now on. They play the Wonderful Land video, I love that video. Mike said it was a beautiful piece of music and then they played the Five Miles Out video. You couldn't just watch these things whenever you wanted. The much anticipated night eventually arrives. I glimpse one other child in the entire shuffling crowd on the way in. I still hope to meet her and compare notes. An usher shows us to our seats with a torch! It's very exciting and then some solo guy plays a Neil Diamond song, thankfully he doesn't stay long. What follows would have shook Neil Diamond. You have to play loud when you have Pierre Moerlen and Morris Pert in your band. Mike's SG is raspy. More than slightly distorted but still twangy and it could really scream and I mean it. It was electrifying and I wasn't the faint hearted. It was loud guitars and those drummers. I can hear it like it was yesterday. All real players. Electric. It's a heavy intro. The way Mike moves on stage, colourful under the lights, struts and... frets.. no. After some stuff I now recognise as Platinum Mike sits down amongst the technology to perform the vocoder part at the start of Sheba. Live and for real. Pretty cool that. Unforgettable. Tim Renwick plays the recorder on Taurus II, Mum smiles at me with eyebrows, I was learning that instrument at school. The band tried to accompany quietly but it was too electric that band. Too electric that tune. Such electricity. That band got seriously loud really easily. Tubular Bells part one, trying to behave themselves during the quieter bits they sounded amazing. Really something. Then Mike Oldfield taking the bass for the finale as you would dream. Electrifying. I had an amazing flashback to this show just lately, turns out to within a day or two of an anniversary. Electric Back to top

Cipher Group: Members Posts: 67 Joined: Mar. 2000 Posted: June 08 2019, 01:57 I loved your post... Back to top

qjamesfloyd Group: Members Posts: 1357 Joined: April 2001 Posted: June 08 2019, 07:26 Brilliant memories, I am lucky to have seen Mike twice, being such a rarity for Mike to play live these days, I am thrilled I got the see him. Back to top

omgmo Group: Members Posts: 148 Joined: Mar. 2018 Posted: June 08 2019, 18:41 I'm jealous!   Yes, great musicians... Back to top

nightspore Group: Members Posts: 4770 Joined: Mar. 2008 Posted: June 08 2019, 19:28 Having read accounts of famous musicians running into Mike in supermarkets I hopefully wandered the general stores of Nassau hoping for a glimpse - but no luck   Back to top

First_Excursion Group: Members Posts: 280 Joined: Aug. 2012 Posted: June 12 2019, 05:26 Quote (qjamesfloyd @ June 08 2019, 07:26) Brilliant memories, I am lucky to have seen Mike twice, being such a rarity for Mike to play live these days, I am thrilled I got the see him. Europe was really spoiled for a while with new shows every year. It must have been a memorable time to be a fan over there. Something else. The Platinum band is great in the Knebworth video, the performance is almost flawless. The 1981 band was well documented too with some great video and recordings. Especially the Mirage bootleg I bought new and helped make rare as a careless youth. Nice prequel to the Deep Deep Sound. The Blue Danube seemed hilarious at the time. I'm thrilled to have seen the 1982 band, especially the early part of the tour before the setlist began to evolve. It had that raw sound of the Five Miles Out album, they had such energy. I would have loved to see the 1983 band too, Ant on guitar, that's a great person to have if you are going to play Taurus and Crises live. The anniversary bootleg that became part of the Crises box is as good as it gets. Explosive. Maggie and Roger really alive. Wish there was more video of that band. The Discovery band was really tame compared to 81-83, all much more faithful to the originals. It wasn't quite one of the grass roots Mike Oldfield groups but it still would have been great to see that stuff (mostly) live, I would have loved to see them play the Lake. Back to top

nightspore Group: Members Posts: 4770 Joined: Mar. 2008 Posted: June 12 2019, 07:07 As far as my experience is concerned, the Deep Deep Sound is totally mirage. Which is not to say that others may not experience it.     Back to top

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