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TimHighfield Group: Members Posts: 543 Joined: Oct. 2000 Posted: Oct. 20 2001, 08:21 G'day I bought Voyager today. I had no idea what the music would really be like- except that some people disliked it because of so-called faux-Celt ideas. So I put the CD on, and started listening without prejudice. And you know what? It reminded me a lot of Guitars (which I bought a while ago). Not the actual music itself- not essentially guitar-based. But the actual pieces, quite a few were very nice, without being too grandiose, just like many tracks on Guitars- Muse, for example. There are Irish instruments, or instruments like those from Ireland anyway, on it. So what? Some of my favourite albums by other, non-Irish artists, have featured Irish instruments and players to conjure up a Celtic feel- one particular example is a great soundtrack album, "Cal" by Mark Knopfler. I recommend checking out the final track, "The Long Road"- it's great stuff. This album isn't as bad as others may claim. While it's not, in my opinion, up there with Ommadawn or Five Miles Out, it's by no means a failure, and a very good album. I'm on my second listen, and so far, the standout tracks are "The Song of the Sun", "The Voyager", "Wild Goose..." (great guitar), and "Flowers of the Forest". I'm going to spend a while on Mont St Michel before I make a decision about it. -Tim- Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Oct. 21 2001, 17:19 Have a listen to Celtic Rain and try to play it somewhere. I do , and it's excellent. PS. A very belated happy birthday. My age is almost the double of yours, but who cares? -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

qjamesfloyd Group: Members Posts: 1357 Joined: April 2001 Posted: Jan. 14 2002, 14:04 I find Voyager a very good listen,i love Celtic Rain,very nice guitar sound,and the middle part of Wild Goose Flaps It's Wings,where is does that amazing Rake(guitar technique)is very powerful,i always turn the sound up very loud for that,and as for Mont St Michel,it just keeps on blowing me away,amazing,i would really love to here it played by a full Orchestra with Mike live on stage,wow,i also agree with what TimHighfield said about the Mark Knopfler track "The Long Road" from "Cal",i love that album,"Local Hero" is worth checking out to,another great Celtic album from Mr Knopfler,Mike and Mark really should get together. Back to top

Man In The Rain Group: Members Posts: 405 Joined: April 2002 Posted: April 01 2002, 16:45 Mont St. Michel is quite clearly the stand out track, IMHO. It is such an epic, the melodies so strong, it really conveys the feeling of passing time and adventure that Oldfield obviously wished to evoke with the piece. Cascades of violins rise forth and fall into the depths like the waves of the sea...it is pieces such as this that remind one just how gifted and outstanding Oldfield truely is. -------------- Hergest Ridge 165 - Ommadawn 038 - Incantations 243 Back to top

Baggiesfaninessex Group: Members Posts: 682 Joined: Mar. 2002 Posted: April 01 2002, 18:58 ...thanks for the descriptions guys...I'm hearing this album in a whole new light now! qjamesfloyd - deja vu, re Knopfler - we've had this dicussion before and I agree they should get together sometime!! -------------- “A dog is not intelligent. Never trust an animal that's surprised by its own farts.” - Frank Skinner Back to top

timshen Group: Members Posts: 684 Joined: Mar. 2001 Posted: April 08 2002, 12:52 Voyager is a wonderful album! What's wrong with Irish Folk? I love it - This album is not pure Irish folk but draws on that genre and is, I must say, very refreshing. Voyager actually restored my brother's faith in MO! He had gone off Mike's music for some time, having been the one who introduced me to the early stuff. When he came to visit me he listened to Voyager and was mightily impressed - a prodigal son returns!!!! -------------- Expect Great Things. Attempt Great Things. Back to top

Mike Chadwick Group: Members Posts: 231 Joined: May 2003 Posted: Aug. 15 2003, 08:54 Oh yeah - VOYAGER RULES (-: -------------- kik-eze kik-eze Back to top

Bonsignore Group: Members Posts: 66 Joined: Nov. 2003 Posted: Dec. 13 2003, 22:35 Don't want to spoil the party but I was disappointed. It's an mediocre album with average tracks (save Celtic Rain and Mont St Michel) and doesn't really break fresh ground... it's a shame because he could have done so much better Back to top

Holger Group: Members Posts: 1506 Joined: Feb. 2003 Posted: Dec. 14 2003, 06:25 Quote (Bonsignore @ Dec. 13 2003, 22:35) it's a shame because he could have done so much better That's a phrase that keeps popping up in my head when listening to Mike's recent output. Voyager, Guitars, The Millennium Bell and Tres Lunas all could have been so much better with little or no extra effort. With Voyager, for example, take out the digital cheese, place the (truely gifted) traditional musicians participating on this album a little more up front, so you actually realize they're there, give us a little more of that MO guitar, a little less repetition, some real percussion; and there you are, a wonderful Celtic (in the true sense of the word) MO album. Would have been no extra work at all. But obviously that's not what he chose to do...   Back to top

Jammer Group: Members Posts: 643 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Feb. 11 2004, 16:39 I agree with the consensus. Mont St Michel is up there with the best of his works. I did think it was a bit simple and pretentious of film music, but now I can see its merits. It fits brilliantly with the sunset cover art. Just before the quicker jig section this image is perfectly depicted with the dying away bells and low-register strings. (BTW in the cover art I'm refering to the Ibizan scenery, not about Mike dressed up like something out of Braveheart) Back to top

Wanderer Group: Members Posts: 119 Joined: Aug. 2002 Posted: Mar. 13 2005, 04:23 I actually quite liked "Voyager". I wouldn't call it one of his all time greats, but it's certainly not a bad per se, IMHO. Back to top

Wanderer Group: Members Posts: 119 Joined: Aug. 2002 Posted: Mar. 13 2005, 04:29 Quote (Holger @ Dec. 14 2003, 06:25) Quote (Bonsignore @ Dec. 13 2003, 22:35) it's a shame because he could have done so much better That's a phrase that keeps popping up in my head when listening to Mike's recent output. Voyager, Guitars, The Millennium Bell and Tres Lunas all could have been so much better with little or no extra effort. With Voyager, for example, take out the digital cheese, Maybe I like this album, and much of Mike's more recent albums, more because I'm younger. I get that impression. I tend to be more open to the use of synthesizers, anyway. I guess another reason is that I didn't go into "Voyager" expecting a hard core, traditional celtic album. I expected more a Mike Oldfield album with a few celtic influences (whatever that means). That's what I felt I got with "Voyager". Back to top

farabovetheclouds Group: Members Posts: 10 Joined: April 2005 Posted: April 19 2005, 03:09 I only recently heard Voyager myself, and have heard some of the comments about it on other sites. Ok maybe there is no guitar blinding solos! its still a great album! Celtic Rain again is definately the highlight of the album. speaking of which did Mike work with enya on this track? if anyone knows let me know! Not the best album Mike has ever made, but it came out around the right time (the riverdance period of the mid-late 90s) its a deeply spiritual album once again. and can only be listened with patience. Back to top

Ratty Group: Members Posts: 386 Joined: Jan. 2005 Posted: April 19 2005, 03:28 I havent listended to Voyager for a while now. But reading the above comments find myself agreeing that all the tracks people are identifying as their favourthe tracks i liked. So i guess all round it int a bad album at all! Wild Goose is my fav!!! -------------- Far away across the field The tolling of the iron bell Calls the faithful to their knees To hear the softly spoken magic spells Back to top

Sir Mustapha Group: Musicians Posts: 2802 Joined: April 2003 Posted: April 19 2005, 08:00 It's not a bad album, it's just not very good. The classic tracks, imo, are 'Dark Island' and 'Women Of Ireland'. 'Celtic Rain' is beautiful, too. -------------- 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

Alan D Group: Members Posts: 3670 Joined: Aug. 2004 Posted: April 19 2005, 11:35 There's a fundamental difficulty with the album, for me, though I'm not sure how to express it clearly. In many of the tracks the tune is very obviously and emphatically stated, and then repeated without enough variation - so that after a few listenings it begins to grate on the nerves - and then it's downhill from there. I've never really understood why - normally I'm quite responsive to folk tunes, and melodies derived from them, and I can enjoy their simplicity. I presume there's a technical explanation? But even so the album is easily worth its asking price: firstly, for the stupendously fine guitar playing in 'Wild Goose'; and also for that wonderfully Hollywoodised, over-the-top, 'Mont St Michel'. Back to top

arron11196 Group: Members Posts: 826 Joined: April 2005 Posted: April 20 2005, 03:24 I must admit also, this is another one of those albums that I just put on from beginning to end occasionally when I can't think of something better to play (because all of my usual stuff I've already listened to 3 times that day...) but I still enjoy this album. I also have a lot of problems with Wild Goose... I dunno why, I just don't really like it much. Oh well. As for Hollywoodised, Alan, I can definately see what you mean, but I think (and I think you do to) that it doesn't detract from the feel of the music. Mont St. Michel and Flowers of the Forest are the odd tracks I play 'cause I feel like listening to them (ps. has anyone noticed the similarity between the female solo in FOTF and TIC on TBIII? Is it just me or are these both raw and emotional?) Cyas.   -------------- Arron J Eagling Everyone's interpretation is different, and everyone has a right to that opinion. There is no "right" one, I am adding this post to communicate my thoughts to share them with like-minded souls who will be able to comment in good nature. (insert the last 5 mins of Crises here) Back to top

Alan D Group: Members Posts: 3670 Joined: Aug. 2004 Posted: April 20 2005, 04:40 Quote (arron11196 @ April 20 2005, 08:24) As for Hollywoodised, Alan, I can definately see what you mean, but I think (and I think you do to) that it doesn't detract from the feel of the music. Oh yes, when I used the word 'Hollwoodised' I wasn't knocking Mt St Michel in any way; rather the opposite. It's a very artful piece. I think Mike knew exactly what he was doing, taking it as close to a lush romantic film soundtrack as he could, while still managing to retain that mystical landscape feeling that gives me goosebumps. [In the silence after the music ends, I can almost imagine him winking at me with a lopsided grin: 'I got away with it, didn't I?' To which I, melting away, can only nod.] Back to top

arron11196 Group: Members Posts: 826 Joined: April 2005 Posted: April 20 2005, 05:40 Quite true, Alan, quite true Perhaps you don't usually give this album as much attention because it might feel different to Mike's usual stuff (Where he would make his music, adding elements of cultural or ethnical music to add something extra) as he seems to turn that idea on it's head and adds a bit of Mikey to some Traditional style music. -------------- Arron J Eagling Everyone's interpretation is different, and everyone has a right to that opinion. There is no "right" one, I am adding this post to communicate my thoughts to share them with like-minded souls who will be able to comment in good nature. (insert the last 5 mins of Crises here) Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: April 20 2005, 18:23 @ Arron: this 'reversing' idea that you're mentioning sounds very interesting, because it may be actually true even if it's never occurred to me. Indeed, I think that Mike has been 'oldfieldizing' [sorry for the horrible neologism ] traditional stuff ever since the beginning of his career: he toyed with a traditional rhyme (Three Blind Mice) already when he was in Sallyangie (1968); after that, he closed TB with The Sailor's Hornpipe, which is is a traditional theme; some of Ommadawn part II is also traditional; Cuckoo Song and Portsmouth also are, etc. So I think that what he did in Voyager i.e. putting his very own 'Oldfield touch' on traditional themes, is absolutely not a new thing to him, and IMHO in Voyager it reaches a peak. @ Alan: Also your notion of a piece of music being 'Hollywoodized' [i.e. intentionally made to sound like a Hollywood film score - did I understand you correctly?] is something I never thought about, and very interesting as well. I think Andrew Powell did something similar on much of his score for Ladyhawke. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

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