AlexS
Group: Members
Posts: 194
Joined: Nov. 2005 |
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Posted: July 09 2007, 09:59 |
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Since I started making my own music in 2006, I've really started to realise how much Mike's music inspires me.
The original Tubular Bells is one of the first albums I ever heard in the early 80s - I was only about three years old at the time. My Father liked it so would play it a lot, along with Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygene. Anyway when I first heard Tubular Bells, something 'clicked' even then, and the album has stayed with me for almost 30 years, and still remains a huge inspiration to me today, probably more than ever.
I have just spent the last week on my honeymoon, baking myself under the Spanish sun, in the most beautiful private villa, set on the peak of a mountain. One moment I remember was listening to "Only Time Will Tell" whilst looking out over the huge valley towards the sea. Such a tranquil moment. And what better time to finally start reading Changeling.
So far it has been a fantastic, if occasionally sad or concerning read, but it is so well written, I didn't want to put it down. I'm only halfway through, but I have learnt so much more about the man behind the music and his personal problems with panic attacks, and the musical world he created to escape.
Tubular Bells is not just a piece of music or a masterpiece - it is much more. I have always been propelled into another world with that album; a kind of fantasy wilderness. It takes me there every time. Mike wanted to create something with staying power and indeed he did. But reading about his personal life leading up to the writing and recording of the album, has been both inspiring and fascinating. It gives the music more meaning in many ways and now I can start to relate it to what he went through prior to making it.
I look forward to completing the book and listening to the albums of his that it has inspired me to play. Reading the book and playing the albums has been a timely reminder of just how much, and why I love Mike's music. It's been a while since I played any until now.
It is already having an effect on the album I am currently working on myself. I wanted to make possibly my best piece of work, but I think it will go through several transitions before it starts to really come together. I look forward to sharing the results with everyone, when it is finished. I think it'll be a much slower process than usual for me, but I feel truly inspired!
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http://www.thelightdream.net
http://thelightdreams.bandcamp.com/
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