MO fan
Group: Members
Posts: 177
Joined: Nov. 2002 |
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Posted: Dec. 25 2005, 17:16 |
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I bought the album two months ago, but I was waiting to see what everyone thought. It seems to have had a very mixed reception.
My own feeling with regard Mike's albums is that you need to play them over and over, so you can decide what you like and what you don't.
Way back on the old albums days, like Hergest Ridge, Incantations, Ommadon, to me these albums were one continious set piece of music and were just 100% perfect.
Now we come to more recent works that are more varied, and unfortunately theres no way they are 100% perfect.
For this 'light and shade' album, we have two CD's with a lot of songs, so I have just kept the songs I liked, plus bits of songs I liked and ditched the rest.
Also I have tried to blend one piece of music on to the next, creating a CD-R that I am happy with. This results in an Oldfield style of music that I am more pleased with.
I suppose we have to accept the fact that musicians want to try out different sounds, techno etc. Unfortunately a lot of the fan base is more used to previous styles of his works.
On a footnote: The one lot of music artists who have cottoned onto a similar Oldfield style of continious themes and haunting melodies, and stick with that format is 'Enigma'.
I look forward to each of their albums because up to now, like Mikes old works, I know they produce albums that are 100% enjoyable. Time will tell if they continue this way.
Finally, don't think I don't appreciate this 'light & shade' album, I would rather accept 80% of a Mike Oldfield album that I enjoy, rather than get no album at all.
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