TOBY
Group: Members
Posts: 1562
Joined: May 2002 |
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Posted: Dec. 15 2003, 14:38 |
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With so much negativity going around recently towards our old Mike I thought with Christmas coming up it was time for a bit of celebrating, especialy since this is the end of Mike's 30th aniversary year. So this, at least for me, is why I'm here.....
I love Mike's music, sure there's a lot to criticise in the last decade and he's made a lot of choices I wouldn't have had I been in his position but scraping through the crap there's still a lot of worthy music there, even Voyager has Mont St Michel. I hugely enjoyed the whole of last years MVR project and the fun of sharing it all here, I can't wait for MVR2 next year, it should be fun. TresLunas may not have been the best Mike Oldfield album but it had its tunes and I must confess its been a fairly listened to album over the last year or so.
Going back, it's almost going to be 10 years since TSODE came out. It just seems like yesterday I was rushing along to the record shop at 9.am to buy it. I couldn't believe how good the first 20 minuits of that album were, it was the last time Mike really made the hairs on the back of my neck stick up, Let There Be Light and Only Time Will Tell are that good.
Amarok and Heavens Open will always be two albums close to my heart. Amarok because its Amarok and Heavens Open because it has Music From the Balcony, I love that track to bits, a rare case of Mike truely stretching himself way beyond what he normaly does together with some great playing.
I tend to group all Mike's 80's stuff together when apreciating it. Again a lot of great tunes, OK a lot of 80's stuff in general sounds dated, cheesy and naff but remember thats not Mike's fault, its all music of its time. Strip away the crap lyrics and its rare for one of Mike's 80's songs not to have a storming guitar solo tucked in there let alone some other great instrumentation. On the instrumental side you've Taurus II, Crises and the Lake, these are just my favorites, as well as short stuff like Taurus 3 and Orabidoo.
And then finaly going back into Mike's golden era, well what can you say that hasn't been said a million times before. Tubular Bells will always probably be my NO 1 Mike album and I say that witha degree of pride knowing that there are a few fans out there who you get the impression wish that album didin't exist. Tubular Bells is Mike's best known and best selling album because its FUCKING AMAZING, end of story.
Mike Oldfield is one of those exrtemely rare artistic breeds which incorporate an incredible technical ability, he's a very, very talented musician, with an amazing ear for composition and melody. I'm not sure that even amongs his peers there's anybodywith his level of individual talent. Remember somebody like David Gilmour may be an incredible guitarist but how many Pink Floyd tracks did he write? Not many! Mike Oldfield has singularly composed an incredible body of work, not all of it brilliant, but fair anount of it certainly is.
So cheers Mike, I may be critical of somethings you've done but even they are part of the enjoyment of your music. Merry Christmas. 
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