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simmo2005 Group: Members Posts: 173 Joined: Sep. 2005 Posted: Sep. 28 2005, 16:11 i JUST WANT TO GET SOME FEEDBACK ON THIS- Do most M.O fans like Jarre's music? I only ask because just lately Jarre has been gaining good ground over here in the UK. hIS Aero project was a commercial success (top 20 i believe) and latter DVD concert also did well. Why is it that Oldfield, who is obviously 'influenced' by Jarre's style on 'Light And Shade' seems to be left out to dry lately? Is it because the older fans are: .turned off by Oldfield's embra ing of new technology? .or becuase Jarre has a bigger fan base than Oldfield? .Or because Jarre does dance/modern 'better' than Oldfield? imo I liked Aero and I find Jarre's music V interesting, however, I still thing that Oldfield is the 'top dog' both with long instrumentals  as well as short dancy/techno tracks, as can be found on L&S. It appears the British public don't agree, so i I would love your thoughts on why Jarre seems to have a higher profile over here (And i bet PROMOTION has a lot to do with it!! P.S sorry that my posts always relate to 'sales'- i know i should forget sales and just embrace the music, but now that  Oldfield seems amiss from the UK charts of late its a bit hard to stomach.... Back to top

Guest Unregistered Posted: Sep. 28 2005, 16:26 I'm a very big Jarre fan, though I have to say I thought Aero was a bit limp. I suppose my favorite album would be Zoolook. As to Mike versus Jean Michelle's popularity, I suppose the visual spectacles Jean Michelle puts on always get talked about so maybe he stays fresher in the public mind because of that. I feel Mike is the more competent musician, but whether it's Mike or Jean michelle doing dance music, they both tend to sound like old men recording their idea of what pop youth culture is, and they both end up sounding a little old and sad. Back to top

TOBY Group: Members Posts: 1562 Joined: May 2002 Posted: Sep. 28 2005, 16:45 I actually didn't know Jarre had got his album into the top 20, isn't Aero a greatest hits re-recording package anyway? They do tend to chart better for obvious reasons, still all credit to him. There are quite few issues involved in the success of these two artists who do indeed share a similar fanbase. (go back through the forums, you won't have to go far before you find a few Jarre related discussions) Jarre does indeed do eletronica better because thats where his genius lies, he along with people like Kraftwerk and others pioneered what we now call eletronica. Strangely though Jarre has never been good at dance music and that he shares with Mike. I think it takes a certain type of musician to write good dance music. With out exception all the greatest dance musicians are/were DJ's, and DJ's obviously have they're ear to the floor, as it were, and react with the fast moving trends of what is in vogue in a creative sense and a technical sense. Mike and Jarre are often cited as helping create the dance music genre and with good reason. You don't have to listen to hard to some dance music to see a similar formula that Mike blue printed with TB. Stick together and simple but brilliantly effective and quite often dis-disseperate group of music and there you have it. The sounds used may be utterly different but the formula is there. Jarre I think has more of a technical influence though again there is that same formula of building atmospheres. Both Mike and Jarre's take on dance music is far to pedestrian and stinks of two men in their early 50's trying their hardest to sound in vogue in what is notoriously a young mans game. Though Jarre I would say is in a better position to have a crack at it, he is after all Mr Eletronica, its what he's associated with.   So returning to Mike. I think he's getting such a grilling with L+S right now because people, or a lot of fans, don't come to him for this sort of eletronica, I certainally don't and I love eletronica. I'm sure the general public's view will be the same, its all about sticking to what you're good at and knowing what you're good at. I've got a feelling Jarre isn't deluding anyone there and probably not himself, perhaps thats why he's more successful. ps I think on paper JMJ has sold more records, as Tangram says he did promote himself quite well with his huge concerts, especially in the 80's. Back to top

Guru Meditation Group: Members Posts: 55 Joined: May 2003 Posted: Sep. 28 2005, 19:54 Quote (simmo2005 @ Sep. 28 2005, 16:11) i JUST WANT TO GET SOME FEEDBACK ON THIS- Do most M.O fans like Jarre's music? I only ask because just lately Jarre has been gaining good ground over here in the UK. hIS Aero project was a commercial success (top 20 i believe) I listen to Oldfield and Jarre almost equaliy, and I didn't know that Jarre is recently being gaining ground in U.K., since my impression is that both Oldfield and Jarre are amongst the most obscured of all the famous musicians of 70's and 80's. Limelight has gone elsewhere in the meantime... But since Oldfield was more into traditional music than Jarre, I suppose it is even more so with him. And don't forget that almost every Jarre's release was a comercial success, while Oldfield had great success only with TB series and Crises. And as for dance music: Oldfield and Jarre doing dance music - like albatros trying to walk Back to top

qjamesfloyd Group: Members Posts: 1357 Joined: April 2001 Posted: Sep. 29 2005, 04:00 Why does everyone think Mike is doing dance music, he is'nt, he even said so himself, he does'nt think it's dance music, he is'nt trying to make dance music at all, he is just doing music.As he has always done so many different styles of music, then that is again what he is doing, a different style. Back to top

Looroll Group: Members Posts: 10 Joined: June 2004 Posted: Sep. 29 2005, 06:21 I love Jarre, his stuff is amazing! Though I pefer mike's stuff, I can understand people saying that Jarre's covering ground here-Aero did really well, but because it was advertised. Maybe mike should try making more people aware of his music using the media. Just a thought! -------------- Common sense is a game many people don't like to play... Back to top

TOBY Group: Members Posts: 1562 Joined: May 2002 Posted: Sep. 29 2005, 12:44 Well I agree that the term 'dance music' is slightly confusing, the American coined term 'eletronica' is perhaps a bit more aplicable. Though some people may argue that tracks like Romance if not intended to be dance music certainly sound like it. Back to top

qjamesfloyd Group: Members Posts: 1357 Joined: April 2001 Posted: Sep. 29 2005, 12:55 So does the track "Guilty", but everyone loves it. Back to top

Sir Mustapha Group: Musicians Posts: 2802 Joined: April 2003 Posted: Sep. 29 2005, 13:13 In some aspects, I like Jarre more than Mike, but that's just like saying "in some aspects, I like ice-cream more than chocolate". Both are great in their own areas, and while Mike tackled more musical areas (mostly with success), Jarre's discography has been more consistent. Both are (or used to be) great melodists, brilliant sonic craftsmen (one with natural instruments, the other with synthesizers) and very, very inspirational. If I were to suggest any reasons for why Jarre seems to be more respected nowadays than Mike, at least in the electronic area, are: 1) Many consider Mike as a one-hit-wonder (an utterly wrong impression, mind you), and not Jarre; 2) Jarre is a synth wizard, and Mike is a mere apprentice - and yet, Mike publicly declared Jarre's music as "crap". Not that anyone remembers that, but it clearly expresses an attitude; 3) Geometry Of Love stomps and spits on any "electronic" work Mike did in the 90's and 00's, in my not-so-humble opinion. -------------- 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 Back to top

TOBY Group: Members Posts: 1562 Joined: May 2002 Posted: Sep. 29 2005, 13:14 Yeah but Guilty seems much more like the workings of a musical genius compared to a track like Romance, for me at least. Back to top

The Bell(end) Group: Members Posts: 1051 Joined: July 2005 Posted: Feb. 18 2006, 15:34 Oxygene = Classic, Equinoxe = as good, perhaps better in some ways, but nothing new, Magnetic fields = PAH! Zoolook = cheeky, innovative and great fun, Chronologie is one of my favourites, using styles from the past but creating something new and interesting (probably Jarre's equivalent of Amarok, after some mediocre albums beforehand (I'm thinking En attendant Cousteau)) All in all, I think he's a good talent, but not comparable to Mike Oldfield at all, he recycles too many ideas, Aero is a scam    And of course he only plays keyboards. Jarre is funky pop 'instrumental', he rarely strays from what he knows he does best. He made a huge impact with his first two albums, like Mike, but his best years are long gone IMO. (unlike Mike ) -------------- When the night's on fi-ya, do you need love's arms to hold yew? :D Back to top

hiawatha Group: Members Posts: 2391 Joined: Mar. 2004 Posted: Feb. 18 2006, 16:20 In a world without Oldfield, Jarre might really stand out (I'd say that he is better than anyone in the Americas except possibly Neil Young) and I'd never insult him and call him pop. However, in comparison he is too electronic, too disco-ey, and lacks the acoustic/"organic" dimensions and emotional range of Oldfield. Not only that, but his talent for creating great melody is just a fraction of Mike Oldfield's. -------------- "In the land of the Dacotahs, Where the Falls of Minnehaha Flash and gleam among the oak-trees, Laugh and leap into the valley." - Song of Hiawatha Back to top

The Bell(end) Group: Members Posts: 1051 Joined: July 2005 Posted: Feb. 18 2006, 16:39 Quote (hiawatha @ Feb. 18 2006, 21:20) In a world without Oldfield, Jarre might really stand out (I'd say that he is better than anyone in the Americas except possibly Neil Young) and I'd never insult him and call him pop. I didn't mean it as an insult! It's so happy and upbeat it's pop, in the sense of the word, not the definition Jarre's Zoolook (the track) London kid, Computer weekend, Calypso, they are great fun!   Tracks like these, and In dulci jubilo etc, make instrumental music a possible listen for the the mainstream, the real pop people, so if they get a taste of it, that's enough for me -------------- When the night's on fi-ya, do you need love's arms to hold yew? :D Back to top

Tati The Sentinel Group: Members Posts: 3360 Joined: Feb. 2002 Posted: Feb. 18 2006, 18:34 I like both,but Mike's music has something that Jarre's doesn't have,which is emotion and spiritual power.In the Electronica area,JMJ is one of my favs,alongside with german bands like Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. Dunno why that battle Jarre x Oldfield exists in Europe,which is totally an absurd! -------------- "But it's always the outsider, the black sheep, that becomes the blockbuster." - Mike Oldfield, 2014 "I remember feeling that I'd been judged unfairly and that I was going to prove them wrong." - Peter Davison, 2011 Back to top

MyCoalField Group: Members Posts: 34 Joined: June 2005 Posted: Feb. 18 2006, 19:07 I used to be a huge fan of Jarre as a young teenager as I found his music to be completely unique, inspirational and organic. Jarre himself was something of a mystery to me as I had never heard of him or seen him on TV etc. However, in more recent years I have largely lost interest and I think in part this is becasue Jarre became too commercial and lost his earlier air of mystery. His work became more about the spectacle than the music and his actually ability to play an instrument at all became more questionable once you started looking at the close ups of his technique live. However, I feel that he has more commercial success (not surpisingly) as a result of focusing on being a packaged product that is relatively easy to market. Here is the album, the DVD and the live concert. Mike has been far more reluctant? to perform live in recent years and when you combine this with a truely lacklustre promotion for each new album it is hardly surprising that he is out of the charts and out of the public eye. Frankly, this does not bother me too much as I can enjoy listening to Mike's music without worrying where he might end up in a commercial chart. The only worrying thing I suppose is that if he continues to fail in the charts, how seriously will Mercury take his stint with them, and will this result in a even lower (if this is possible) investment from them when it comes to future promotion. Anyway for me the equation is something along the lines... Mike / 2 = Jarre x 10 [U] Back to top

olracUK Group: Members Posts: 1683 Joined: June 2003 Posted: Feb. 18 2006, 19:11 Generally similar views to mine. In the 80's I was a big Jarre fan. I got the albums as they came out, then after "waiting for Cousteau" I fell away, lack of passion in his music, which Mike still had. As for why jarre is "bigger" commercially or fan-base wise - it's probably down to his love of the spotlight and willingness to put on shows. -------------- The answer is 42 - but what is the question? Back to top

Robbie Group: Members Posts: 68 Joined: Jan. 2006 Posted: Feb. 19 2006, 05:12 Sorry that i'm writing this at Oldfield's forum: Jarre is my best, but Oldfield is also great!   I really like both of them, a littel bit dissapointment the last Oldfield album because of too much dance-oriented tracks (on Shade) They are getting old and maybe running out of ideas...maybe...but there are so many fact against this also! Both MO and JMJ are very popular in Hungary, i wouldn't see that JMJ or MO would be the more popular... But generally Jarre can be more popular due to his shows and for bigger promotion-->mostly he went to Warner. Anyway, i think Jarre didn't loose his music mystery and Mike neither! And both of them are making new album, we will see the results how much their music is changing...or not... Back to top

Tati The Sentinel Group: Members Posts: 3360 Joined: Feb. 2002 Posted: Feb. 19 2006, 07:27 But JMJ only knows to do big concerts,not a proper tour like Mike,which is a pity. -------------- "But it's always the outsider, the black sheep, that becomes the blockbuster." - Mike Oldfield, 2014 "I remember feeling that I'd been judged unfairly and that I was going to prove them wrong." - Peter Davison, 2011 Back to top

The Bell(end) Group: Members Posts: 1051 Joined: July 2005 Posted: Feb. 19 2006, 09:10 I think it's all in the name, seriously. (well, some of it) My friends switched off as soon as I said 'Mike Oldfield', they didn't mind giving 'Jean-Michel Jarre' a try, they decided from what they heard, that JMJ was crap, and MO was cool, but not to their taste. If Mike released albums under the name 'Fiel' and stayed mysterious with the album covers/art, he'd probably sell more! Not that I'm 'dissing' his name, not at all. -------------- When the night's on fi-ya, do you need love's arms to hold yew? :D Back to top

TOBY Group: Members Posts: 1562 Joined: May 2002 Posted: Feb. 19 2006, 12:48 Actually JMJ did do a small arena sized tour in 97 which was actually really good, it was surprisingly intimate and weirdly it actually suited his music rather well. I'm not sure where Jarre is nowadays musically but then again I'm not sure where Mike is either. Jarre certainly comes across much less like he's walled up and isolated in his own studio. Back to top

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