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Archangel Foster Group: Members Posts: 215 Joined: Oct. 2000 Posted: Nov. 15 2000, 07:41 Doesn't anybody have an opinion about this album? How does it fit into the MO discography? I think it's a remarkable album, although of course a very untypical one. I'm listening to it right now and I think 'Evacuation' makes a better dance track than all of his latest efforts in that direction. Think how this would sound in a dark room full of dancing people, played at a very high volume... And the rest of it? 'Requiem For A City' - isn't it remarkable that Mike should have composed something like this? 'Execution' - isn't that genuinely disturbing? And how do you like the film? How do you think the music compliments the film? (It's quite a while since I saw it so I can't really say.) This seems to be to be an overlooked album of Mike's really since no one has posted any messages about it! I'm listening to the end of it now, and there is this tune 'Good News' which I had all but forgotten about! (The last-but-one.)Now THAT is a one, isn't it? Used to stick in my head for weeks, used to play it on my organ for hours... Back to top

bennyboy Group: Members Posts: 177 Joined: July 2000 Posted: Nov. 15 2000, 08:23 Yes a really frightening album. My favourite track is probably "The Boy's Burial/Pran Sees The Red Cross" it starts of really sad and then slowly builds up to this incredible feeling of hope. "Bad News" although very brief also got stuck in my head especially the gunshot effects at the end. Would have liked it more though if more music was included (ie the music from the darkroom scene). "The Killing Fields" is IMHO one of the greatest movies ever made 5 out of 5. Harrowing, uncompromising, shot with a documentary style realism, very believable acting and of course great music. Some of the music is edited very poorly into the film though, especially "Prans Escape/The Killing Fields" and "Worksite". "Blood Sucking", "Requiem For A City" and "The Boy's Burial/Pran Sees The Red Cross" are used very well though. If you liked "The Killing Fields" you might also want to check out "City Of Joy" which was also directed by Roland Joffe. It covers many similar themes and it too has an excellent soundtrack (by Ennio Morricone). Back to top

GMOVJ Group: Members Posts: 273 Joined: Dec. 1999 Posted: Nov. 15 2000, 11:55 Well, I like it but i don't listen to it so much often. It's quite hard to concentrate on this one IMO because it's designed to stick w/ the movie and except for some tracks (Evacuation and Good News are my favorites), it lacks pictures... But, I love this movie, so this is not a problem for me, and I often watch the movie (hum, a 60' DIY VHS clip of the movie), without sound, playing this CD. Cheers, GMOVJ PS : and try 'The Mission', R.Joffe and E.Morricone too !!! -------------- Cheers, GMOVJ [URL=http://tubular.fodplanet.com]http://tubular.fodplanet.com[/URL] - The french speaking mailing list Back to top

Cipher Group: Members Posts: 67 Joined: Mar. 2000 Posted: Nov. 17 2000, 10:54 I think it's one of the best works of MO. It's no easy to listen to because it's a soundtrack but has a top quality. The Requiem for a city it's very special for me, but I have no way to find out its lyrics... We have the xhousa ones from Amarok, but we can't get this ones just in latin (?)... Back to top

Delfín Group: Members Posts: 667 Joined: Nov. 2000 Posted: Dec. 16 2000, 09:47 High Boezz!!! Well I think about TKF that it´s one of the best soundtracks that I've heard. I agree with Bennyboy in that the film didn´t do it well with the soundtrack. My "top five" of The Killing Fields is as it follows: 1- Bad News 2- Good News 3- The Boy´s Burial/Pran Sees The Red Cross 4- The Trek 5- Execution And I have it on L.P. but have also a tape with that, and in the other side the other wonderful soundtrack "Ladyhawke" produced by Alan Parsons. Those are my too favour-right soundtruk reachords. SEAU! Delfín -------------- The most precious thing I possess, is knowing the answer's yes Back to top

tom Group: Members Posts: 3 Joined: Feb. 2001 Posted: Feb. 25 2001, 17:16 it seems that everyone likes requiem, and good news, but what about pran's departure, and more importantly, etude... this is a brilliant track that seems to have been totally overlooked. Listen to it! if it doesn't hit you straight away, turn it up some more! Back to top

Korgscrew Group: Super Admins Posts: 3511 Joined: Dec. 1999 Posted: Feb. 26 2001, 17:01 Bear in mind that the music probably wasn't edited to the film - the music would have been written to fit...If it doesn't work in the film, it's Mike's fault... I really liked the film and thought a good deal of the music worked very well. Some of it did rather scream out to me as being out of place though...I'd have to watch it a few more times to decide properly though. In general I think I actually prefer the choral/orchestral parts; they seemed to work better in context. Interesting that the orchestral stuff was only done when the director didn't like what Mike did originally (which if it was masses of fairlight weirdness, I'm not sure I blame him...). The main theme (pran's theme, etc) stands up for me amongst some of the great movie themes out there. Back to top

sEIGu Group: Members Posts: 59 Joined: Feb. 2001 Posted: Feb. 27 2001, 08:48 Killing Fields is a Soundtrack, so you can't "put" it to other Studioalbums. I really like it as a soundtrack.. and it got a special "memory", cos' it was played before the discovery-tour gig here in Germany.. :) -------------- sEIGu Back to top

bennyboy Group: Members Posts: 177 Joined: July 2000 Posted: Feb. 27 2001, 10:06 When I said it was edited very badly into it, what I meant was that the sound quality was so bloody poor, ("Pran's Escape/The Killing Fields" is barely audible on the actual movie soundtrack). Back to top

Delfín Group: Members Posts: 667 Joined: Nov. 2000 Posted: April 03 2001, 19:45 Well, I think it´s not Mike´s fault at all. The parts fit well on the scenes but the problem, as BB says, is that the music is almost unaudible in some of the moments, and I would say that I love those ghostly, dark synthesised parts like the end of 'Execution' that bring that strong sense of gloom and sinister adecuate to the film. But I love 'Etude' I forgot it . Maybe I´d put it on the third place, ´The Trek´ in the fourth and 'Pran's departure' on the fifth... Just some little changes Delfín -------------- The most precious thing I possess, is knowing the answer's yes Back to top

Korgscrew Group: Super Admins Posts: 3511 Joined: Dec. 1999 Posted: April 03 2001, 21:00 It was the cheap sampled and pitch shifted cymbals that got me... I didn't have a problem with the levels of it...as far as I remember, the music sat in just the right place to create mood without obscuring anything...there were some great bits where one of those strange chords just swells eerily underneath. The point of a film soundtrack is to back up the pictures, rather than the film being a platform for the music. 'Barely audible' can sometimes be the right place for something - witness some of the elements in Mike's more intricate compositions that you don't notice until they're taken away. I can't defend the sound mix on the film 100% because I haven't watched it for a while. At the time I did, however, I was struck far more when there seemed to be a lack of subtlety than by anything being over-subtle. Back to top

timshen Group: Members Posts: 684 Joined: Mar. 2001 Posted: April 05 2002, 20:19 I agree that, as it's a soundtrack, it can't be compared with his other albums. When I first went to see the film at the cinema I went just to hear Mike's music but fell in love with the whole 'experience'. I know one British couple who, after viewing the film, made their life calling to work among the poor in Cambodia and they are still there! I love Evacuation and Etude. 'Bloodsucking' made me jump out of my seat in the cinema and was probably one of the best edited bits. I hardly listen to it all the way through though (unless it's when I'm rewatching the film which has been many times). -------------- Expect Great Things. Attempt Great Things. Back to top

mirwais57 Group: Members Posts: 188 Joined: Jan. 2002 Posted: May 29 2002, 20:23 i really love good news. i think that this album is overlooked because it mainly uses an orchestra. I think it would get a lot more attention if it were to be re-recorded with guitars and keyboards instead of the orchestra. Just an idea -------------- http://www.mp3.com/57_13/ http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/57_ttpo_13/ NB: Avatar = Mirwais himself. Back to top

Korgscrew Group: Super Admins Posts: 3511 Joined: Dec. 1999 Posted: May 29 2002, 22:06 I think it's probably overlooked because it is what it is...a soundtrack. I don't think it really quite holds together as an album. I actually think that the orchestral parts would lose something if re-recorded using guitars and keyboards. Pran's theme makes a nice little piece for classical guitar, though... Back to top

Peter Huender Unregistered Posted: July 25 2002, 20:03 I just played it over and over again in the last few days after not listening to it for over a year. And in fact I believe it is one of Mike's better pieces of work. I could compare this to "The Wind Chimes 1 & 2", it has a similar feel, and could have been part of the soundtrack. or some tunes of Killing Field could have made together with Wind Chimes in a complete concept album. I understand Mike had a lot of trouble and stress making this album, as he likes to please himself more so than others, but I believe it pushed him to be more perfect, more inventive, and to search for sounds, and styles he does not play ofetn. It is a pity that Mike does not like making movie music, for he would have walked away with many oscar statuettes, and be one of the hottest soundtrack composers of the world. I hope he reconsiders and will try his hand at writing a soundtrack ones more. Peter Huender Las Vegas Back to top

MusicallyInspired Group: Musicians Posts: 1445 Joined: June 2001 Posted: July 25 2002, 23:45 long live evacuation good news and etude are nice too. overall i really like this album and the sounds it produces. -------------- BrandonBlume.com "The beauty in life is in the embracing of the variety of things. If all the world was blue there would be no colour blue." Back to top

raven4x4x Group: Members Posts: 1535 Joined: Jan. 2002 Posted: Dec. 03 2002, 04:42 Etude is an awesome track, that bizarre pan-pipe-esque sound can really freak you out. What is that anyway? It sounds like a pan-pipes, but I can't be sure. I haven't really listened to it a lot, I suppose it dosen't have enough action to hold together as an album, as Korgscrew said. I suppose it can freak you out a bit. -------------- Thank-you for helping us help you help us all. Back to top

Korgscrew Group: Super Admins Posts: 3511 Joined: Dec. 1999 Posted: Dec. 03 2002, 13:22 That sound is a bambo flute sample, played from the Fairlight. Mike said at one point that he went to quite a bit of trouble to get it to sound really expressive - I think his work paid off. Back to top

Music, the ancient language... Group: Musicians Posts: 407 Joined: Jan. 2003 Posted: April 09 2003, 07:09 The album was much better than I had expected. 'Evacuation' and 'Execution' are awesome, and remind me of my own track 'Frustration' in the fan tracks. But Mike Oldfield is much more 'straight to the point'. Although I've never seen the movie (but I want and will see it! ) images of arid fields, filled with skulls, dead body's and survivers with great pain, flashed through my head. Awesome tracks! Make more like this, Mike! -------------- Read everything I write at own risk. I cannot be held responsible  for depressions and/or suicide attempts of any kind, caused by reading my posts. Back to top

theweightless Group: Members Posts: 604 Joined: April 2001 Posted: May 02 2003, 17:40 bad news..there's something good there..and pran's departure, great ones both, bit too short but great still -------------- ASMK Back to top

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