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Topic: A theory on Ommadawn< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
manintherain Offline




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Posted: Mar. 08 2006, 07:48

I don´t think this topic has been discussed here before but I assume there are at least two versions of Ommadawn.

In Tony Palmers "All You Need Is Love", a 17 part series on the history of American Popular Music Mike is shown in his then studio at the Beacon, Herefordshire, fiddling around with his mixing console.

You can hear parts of Ommadawn Pt. 1 in a kind of a "rough" version. The same bit is featured in the Artists Council video "Reflection".

Now in the same episode of "All You Need Is Love" Richard Branson mentions that during the recording process of Ommadawn, Mike completely wore the tape out and had to start again.

I was just wondering what happened to that first version. My guess is, that the part featured in the film was an extract from Ommadawn Pt. 1, Version 1.

Anybody to prove me wrong?
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The Bell(end) Offline




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Posted: Mar. 08 2006, 08:00

Wasn't what Mike was playing just the released Ommadawn? He was playing around with the master tapes, that clip was from 1977, so I think that what you say is unlikely :)

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When the night's on fi-ya, do you need love's arms to hold yew? :D
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manintherain Offline




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Posted: Mar. 09 2006, 02:23

Quote (The Bell(end) @ Mar. 08 2006, 08:00)
Wasn't what Mike was playing just the released Ommadawn? He was playing around with the master tapes, that clip was from 1977, so I think that what you say is unlikely :)

Nope, watched it again last night and it´s totally different. It´s the bit where he comments on the different parts on the multitrack and lights a couple of cigarettes. :O
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moonchildhippy Offline




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Posted: Mar. 09 2006, 19:00

On  "The Making of Ommadawn" film clip, the music is different to the Ommadawn album.   The clip definitely is filmed at The Beacon , so that would date it to 1975.  In 1977 Mike lived at Througham Slad Manor, having sold/let The Beacon to the Griffiths'  (parents of The Penrhos Kids) in late 1975   :) .

Richard Branson does mention that Mike did wear out the original tape and had to start again, maybe just a few snippets of the original version of Ommadawn do survive.  Regarding the All You Need is Love series I haven't seen it but I did manage to request/borrow the book from the local library recently :).  The book was published in 1977 as I guess the series was also broadcast then.  

Incidentally surfing the web recently I found that both Martin and Jason Griffiths are involved with the Penrhos Trust  www.penrhostrust.org
Well worth a look for anyone interested in the presevation of old historic farm buildings, or organic food.  I'd hate to see England's heritage vanished forever under concrete
:O .  Sorry for going slightly off topic, but mention of the Griffiths' rang a (tubular) bell with me.


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I'm going slightly mad,
It finally happened, I'm slightly mad , just very slightly mad

If you feel a little glum to Hergest Ridge you should come.


I'm challenging  taboos surrounding mental health


"Part time hippy"

I'M SUPPORTING OUR SOLDIERS

BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW!!
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Airborne Offline




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Posted: Oct. 02 2006, 16:24

The "All You Need Is Love" section with Mike in was shot during the recording of Ommadawn. It is true that the album was rerecorded (in a short time) to meet the deadlines for mastering and pressing. What is heard on the film is an album in progress and not the finished article. The Branson interview was a lot later when Mike began working on Tony Palmer's Space Movie project - this was to become a part of Incantations.

The "All You Need Is Love" series was three years in the making. Hence some bits from 1975 and others from 1977.
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Jameson Kimball Offline




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Posted: Jan. 15 2007, 18:58

OMG...ITS LIKE A CONSPRICACY!!!!

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Sweetpea Offline




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Posted: Sep. 17 2007, 14:06

Quote (manintherain @ Mar. 08 2006, 07:48)
In Tony Palmers "All You Need Is Love", a 17 part series on the history of American Popular Music Mike is shown in his then studio at the Beacon, Herefordshire, fiddling around with his mixing console.

I'm curious as to why a program supposedly about "American Popular Music" would feature MO, be named after a Beatles' song, and be made by a Brit?

Quote (Airborne @ Oct. 02 2006, 16:24)
The "All You Need Is Love" section with Mike in was shot during the recording of Ommadawn.

I recall catching some of this on YouTube some time ago, and I had wondered about the timeframe. Thanks for the info, Airborne. I think it's great that there's some footage from that period. Although he appeared young and vulnerable, I think it was in this video that Mike said the Pop business was 'silly' and that if he was going to make an exhibition of himself he'd prefer to do it in his studio. Which I thought was either a mature and perceptive outlook or just insecurity. After reading Changeling, which covers this period in depth, I now think it was really both.


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"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
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Airborne Offline




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Posted: Sep. 17 2007, 15:42

Just for the record, Mike's interview at the Beacon in All You Need Is Love was shot on June 18th 1975. So what is heard is about 5 months of work on Ommadawn. It took on a whole new life after rerecording, sometime between July and September 1975. The interview with Richard Branson took place on September 24th 1975.

I had thought that Branson had mentioned the Space Movie during his interview but Tony Palmer assures me he was referring to Mike's "space music". Tony did not visit NASA until February 1978.
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