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Topic: Rock Albums, Can Mike really "Rock Out"?

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olracUK

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Posts: 1683
Joined: June 2003

Posted: April 29 2014, 18:58

So, it's been a few months now for the new album to sink in,. to be heard and appreciated.

I for one heard that first sneak peak of Sailing and wrote off the album as Middle of the Roar, American soft rock. When Mike talks "Rock" we often get let down, his version is not the same as most of his audience.

What do you think? The album is certainly darker than most of his output. There are some great guitar solos in thier.

But is it "rock"? And, what is his most "rock" album if not?

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The answer is 42 - but what is the question?

Covenant

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Posts: 117
Joined: Jan. 2009

Posted: April 30 2014, 05:33

Nah... I wouldn;t class MotR as a 'rock' album at all.

'Castaway' has a bit of a heavier feel to it, certainly, but (as always) it all depends on how you classify 'rock'.
Prog? Art? Heavy? Hard? Folk? Metal?

But in a general sense... no.
Some of Mike's 'Rockiest' tracks, for me are things like "Outcast", "Serpent Dream", even parts of Platinum.

TB has bits, Ommadawn cedrtainly does, probably the most sustained piece of 'rock' was Hergest Ridge, but the problem with that was it was too long and sustained with little of the artisan solo work we 'know' he can play!

I think the short version is that Mike is generally too melodic to be classed as 'rock' - but it does seem to have become a 'catch all' phrase for anyone who makes "electric guitar based" music these days.

larstangmark Offline

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Posted: April 30 2014, 15:08

After the Exposed tour Mike started writing music with a small "rock" group in mind, which was undeniably rock music. IMO the albums from Platinum to Crisis is some sorts of hard rock/ethnic/prog hybrid that is fairly unique. It's not totally unlike something that Robert Fripp could have been involved with at the time. Listen to the second section of Tuaurus II for heaviness. Or the hard rockin boogie of Platinum pt II. Or the one-finger riff that is the central motif of Taurus II.

Which Discovery a Eurovision-esque influence can be heard and with Islands the first there was an attempt at AOR. I know that the "R" in AOR is for "Rock", but isn't it just another word for pop rock?

I think Mike is back in Discover territory again with MOTR. Pop-rocking rather than hard rocking. Not that i mind...

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"There are twelve people in the world, the rest are paste"
Mark E Smith

Sir Mustapha Offline

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Posts: 2802
Joined: April 2003

Posted: May 01 2014, 10:56

Rock is such a broad word, so broad that it isn't even a proper "genre". But I think XTC classified very well what rock is: "Drums and Wires".

And, well, Man on the Rock is a rock album. It's not heavy, but why should it be? It is poppy, but what is the problem with it? It's not a brilliant rock album, but hey, it's listenable.

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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.
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qjamesfloyd Offline

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Joined: April 2001

Posted: May 01 2014, 11:10

At the end of the day, does it really matter? Mike has his own genre, it's Oldfieldian

4 replies since April 29 2014, 18:58

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Mike Oldfield Forums » Tubular Talk » Mike's Styles » Rock Albums