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pentium75 Group: Members Posts: 10 Joined: Oct. 2005 Posted: Feb. 19 2007, 14:07 Hi, I thought it might be interesting how I came in contact with Amarok. When I was a child (in the 80s), I knew only Moonlight Shadow, PITD and such things from Mike. I saw Amarok (on tape) at our public library, and borrowed it. I listened to it for 5 ot 10 minutes and said "What a TERRIBLE noise!!!!", and I think I brought it back as fast as I could. Some years later, I got into Mike's instrumental works (started with Taurus II), and in time I got all of his albums - except Amarok, which I still remembered as a collection of terrible noise. Once, our local supermarket had a big rummage table, full with Amarok CDs - I think for 10 DM (approx. 5 EUR). I bought it, only to complete my collection, but not really wanting to listen to it ......... but NOW I think that it's the best purchase that I've ever done, and I consider it to be the greatest piece of music that anyone has ever made ...........   Back to top

twingoman Group: Members Posts: 5 Joined: April 2006 Posted: Feb. 20 2007, 04:41 I'm the same.  I bought Amarok in 1997, again, just to complete the collection.  Listened to it once, hated it, and put it on the shelf.  About a year later, I decided to take it on holiday with me, and I loved it. It is one album though, I think, that to appreciate it you need to sit down and listen to it, rather than have it as background music whilst doing something else. Back to top

moonchildhippy Group: Members Posts: 1807 Joined: Dec. 2004 Posted: Feb. 20 2007, 18:08 I've tried various ways of gettting into Amarok, but for me it's one of those albums I just can't grasp . I guess it was one of the last albums I needed to complete my Mike collection,( I'm not so worried about Islands(apart from The Windchimes) or Earth Moving, or Heaven's Open (stereo chewed up casette some years ago, love to hear MFTB again.)   Having heard Amarok was another Ommadawn, I had to buy it.  Expecting Ommadawn II , I loaded it into my car CD player. WTF , I thought to myself , this sounds nothing like Ommadawn.  I want to like Amarok, but try as I will, it just doesn't strike the right chord with me. -------------- 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!! Back to top

pentium75 Group: Members Posts: 10 Joined: Oct. 2005 Posted: Feb. 21 2007, 03:12 Quote (moonchildhippy @ Feb. 20 2007, 18:08) I loaded it into my car CD player. WTF You should listen to it with headphones lying on your couch, or sitting in front of good speakers with eyes closed and ears open ..... not in the car while driving! Back to top

moonchildhippy Group: Members Posts: 1807 Joined: Dec. 2004 Posted: Feb. 22 2007, 17:37 Quote (pentium75 @ Feb. 21 2007, 08:12) Quote (moonchildhippy @ Feb. 20 2007, 18:08) I loaded it into my car CD player. WTF You should listen to it with headphones lying on your couch, or sitting in front of good speakers with eyes closed and ears open ..... not in the car while driving! But I've tried that and it still doesn't work   , still don't get it. As I said above I read Amarok was Ommadawn 2, and so I expected it to sound very similar to Ommadawn, but was left rather puzzled as to me Amarok sounds NOTHING like Ommadawn   .  I guess I find a peaceful part then it's shattered by a loud guitar stab. I think the closest breakthrough I've had with Amarok was whilst doing some ironing once, except I try and keep my ironing to a minimum.  I try and unload my washing from my washing machine as soon as the spin cycle has finished in an attempt to avoid it becoming creased. Yes if you haven't guessed I hate ironing   . -------------- 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!! Back to top

amazarak Group: Members Posts: 284 Joined: Mar. 2005 Posted: Feb. 23 2007, 07:15 Few of my insights on listening to Amarok, perhaps someone will find them useful: 1) Always listen it from the beginning to the very end. NEVER let anything interrupt you. I always get angry when someone or something interrupts during amarok session. That's why usually people listen to Amarok not as frequently as other albums. 2) Of course during listening to music, do nothing except listening to music (that expands of course to all music) - no cleaning, no web surfing, NOTHING. Just listening. Amarok sessions may be quite challenging to keep focused for the whole hour 3) Be patient with Amarok. It is after third or fourth full-listening time when You usually begin to understand the piece, identifying the most important themes, getting the piece structure, realizing that it indeed IS one long consistent piece, not a concatenation of unrelated tunes, as many think. Discovering of Amarok is really much fun. 4) Yet another remark that extends to all music - don't listen to the same piece too often. Sometimes a good idea is to get through every owned album one-by-one, without repeating, until all have been played. best regards amazarak -------------- Just hold your heading true Got to get your finest out Back to top

qjamesfloyd Group: Members Posts: 1357 Joined: April 2001 Posted: April 01 2014, 07:16 All those 4 points are valid. I also think it explains a problem when Mike's album's are review by so called music journolists, they listen to the album once, maybe a track or two twice, but Mike's music does take repeated listening, it gets in to your blood after a few listens, like Man On The Rocks, but I feel no album sums that up more than Amarok, so many people heard it the first time and gave up on it, only to come back, years later in some cases to give it another go, and realise what a masterpiece it really is. Back to top

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