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Topic: Whats up with caveman?< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
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Posted: June 14 2008, 07:34

No, no no relax, no flaming intended -...not the user here in Tubularnet  :-)

I mean the caveman section of Tubular Bells I+II and other musicparts
Is MO marking us...is it a little sort of joke from him e.g. Maggie Thatcher in Amarok?..
Why on earth did he put a caveman section and other parts in pieces of music where he "screams" or saying odd sounds..
I have read somewhere that it could be his "demons" he fight against...but why put in an album - even a breakthrough music for an unknown artist in the 72-73´

My personal belief is, that MO think it´s a part of him (half madness in his earlier years) but putting it in music is to "take a piss on the audience" ...
What is it I´m not getting?
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nightspore Offline




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Posted: June 14 2008, 07:59

The Caveman fits in better on TB, because it's a sinister sounding album, and the Caveman's utterances sound threatening. Mike obviously had to have Caveman in TB2 - otherwise it wouldn't truly be a parallel album - but a sinister feeling wouldn't fit in with the mood of an album which generally tends to contrast yearning with lilting, rather than the sinister with something lighter. So the only solution was to make it a piece of light relief. I think it works well. "Moonshine" is obviously meant to be comic as well.
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moonchildhippy Offline




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Posted: June 15 2008, 19:07

I don't think of the original Tubular Bells as being sinster, well maybe a bit dark in places, but TB to me also has it's fair share of light and happy sounding moments  
   :)  :D .
I'm wondering if the Caveman or Piltdown Man is meant to be threatening, or is it a case of shouting out of frustration, rather than Mike spoiling for a fight.
Wasn't Mike suffering from depression when he composed TB???  I think anyone who has sufered from a depressive illness will know that there are some days better than others. Depression doesn't mean you have to be miserable  and feel hopeless all the time, or sitting in a corner crying, or thinking suicidal thoughts, it's possible to have good days where you feel  a natural high, and buzzing with energy.  I hate that when people say that someone isn't depressed, or depression is not a real illness  , as they've seen the depressed person on a good day, Or physically a depressed person has no obvious disability unlike say a wheelchair user , so they think a depression is "all in the head". DEPRESSION IS A REAL ILLNESS. I know some people say they're depressed when it's simply a case of "the blues", which is short term.  Depression is a longer term mental health problem , which often involves treatment with drugs or St John's Wort isa herbal alternative, along with talking therapies.

Maybe menacing  is perhaps the word for PDM , but I find PDM is the ultimate in primal scream therapy         :cool: , so it's the ultimate mood lifter  :D .  That's the one thing that does concern me a bit about Tubular Bells is I find it brings me great pleasure, but I don't like to think that I derive pleasure from Mike's pain   :O .


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Tati The Sentinel Offline




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Posted: June 15 2008, 21:55

The Caveman section on TB means the ultimative scream therapy to exorcise your own internal demons.I feel that it's an important part of TB as a whole.

Who has never had the chance to make it one day to relief yourself from the pressions from everyday life?
I've done myself and it really works !


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ex member 419 Offline




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Posted: June 15 2008, 23:01

[EMAIL=tubularnet.com]tubularnet.com[/EMAIL]

Hi caveman. Mike probably likes to vent in his recordings. I find it quite sexy actually. You know the saying still waters run deep, he may not say much but we get to "hear" parts of mikes personality whan he does let loose
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Sir Mustapha Offline




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Posted: June 16 2008, 08:11

I have felt - I believe, from day 1 - that the Piltdown Man is a fine balance between crazy and goofy. Reading the story of how the thing was done, I'd probably just say it's something they came up one night as one of those throwaway ideas that just happen to work; and the good thing is that it's open to interpretation. I mean, what I love the most about that part is the way it switches moods so dramatically, between the lurking deep notes and the squeaky guitar riff. I perceive it as rather humourous, but it's a completely personal interpretation, I accept that. :)

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The Caveman Offline




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Posted: June 16 2008, 08:16

Eh what??Joking.I read the first biit.
 Regarding why Mike did the caveman first i'd go with primal scream.If Mike was as depressed as he says then this would be a refectly reasonable way to get it all out.I've been dealing with depression for years and it IS a real illness,and when it's bad it really is horriffic.So the idea that he just wanted to scream his head off is perfectly OK.Ask anyone who's been there and sometimes screaming is an option.As for the sequels then why not?Worked once and whats TB without the caveman?


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Dirk Star Offline




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Posted: June 16 2008, 09:46

Musicaly there`s quite a lot going on during The Piltdown Man section.Lots of different riffs and little appregios in there.And a lot of switching of moods and dynamics between the lighter and the darker theme.There`s a lot of playing off the drums/"rhythem section" here as well which also makes it kind of unique to the rest of the album.In fact that aspect of his playing/composition probably did`nt really resurface again until around the Platinum album.There`s a lot of spaces in the music itself to kind of will yourself into.

I`ve always really liked it myself.It does have a great sense of humour and feeling of fun to it.In an almost self-depreciating kind of way really.But at the same time you can pick all sorts of emotions and feelings from the "vocal" aspect of it.Frustration,an inabilty to communicate,the whole primal unleashing of the demons thing.I think that`s definetly there to me as well.But you know those are`nt exclusive emotions to Mike Oldfield.Imo he was fully aware of that when he done it.Overall though it does kind of make me feel good when I`m listening to it.Empathy through grunting!..
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The Caveman Offline




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Posted: June 16 2008, 10:00

btw way i only noticed the other day that in Outcast on TBIII the voice in the middle says "Out demon out".So he still hadn't gotten shot of the demons in 98 :laugh:

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Posted: June 16 2008, 17:37

I understand that it works like a primal scream for MO - but I don´t understand why an artist puts something like that in a record, he is presenting to record companys...
Did he really wish to sell the record?
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Ugo Offline




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Posted: June 16 2008, 18:11

@ Prisoner: indeed he didn't mean it as commercial. In an interview he did, hs said that he wrote ordinary lyrics for that section, as it was supposed a standard rock piece - he wrote "teenage angst" lyrics for it. :D But then he changed his mind and tried to make it very deliberately weird by having no actual lyrics in it. I don't think the growling has anything to do with the primal scream thing, it's just the result of Mike being very much in a fun mood that day, and of course very much drunk. :laugh:

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moonchildhippy Offline




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Posted: June 17 2008, 04:33

Quote
The Caveman Offline





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Posted: June 16 2008, 12:16
Eh what??Joking.I read the first biit.
Regarding why Mike did the caveman first i'd go with primal scream.If Mike was as depressed as he says then this would be a refectly reasonable way to get it all out.I've been dealing with depression for years and it IS a real illness,and when it's bad it really is horriffic.So the idea that he just wanted to scream his head off is perfectly OK.Ask anyone who's been there and sometimes screaming is an option.As for the sequels then why not?Worked once and whats TB without the caveman?
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Dirk Star Offline





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Posted: June 16 2008, 13:46
Musicaly there`s quite a lot going on during The Piltdown Man section.Lots of different riffs and little appregios in there.And a lot of switching of moods and dynamics between the lighter and the darker theme.There`s a lot of playing off the drums/"rhythem section" here as well which also makes it kind of unique to the rest of the album.In fact that aspect of his playing/composition probably did`nt really resurface again until around the Platinum album.There`s a lot of spaces in the music itself to kind of will yourself into.

I`ve always really liked it myself.It does have a great sense of humour and feeling of fun to it.In an almost self-depreciating kind of way really.But at the same time you can pick all sorts of emotions and feelings from the "vocal" aspect of it.Frustration,an inabilty to communicate,the whole primal unleashing of the demons thing.I think that`s definetly there to me as well.But you know those are`nt exclusive emotions to Mike Oldfield.Imo he was fully aware of that when he done it.Overall though it does kind of make me feel good when I`m listening to it.Empathy through grunting!..
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It does make me wonder about the Piltdown Man section , whether it was done as a joke or if it's more serious. If the story about drinking whisky found in the basement of The Manor and also at the local pub is true then it would seem to say it was done with great frivolity, a darf drunken or stoned idea that worked really well.  I do think Piltdown Man runs deeper than a drunken /stoned idea.  If you liten to the 1971 Demo, there's the beginnings of Piltdown Man there I'm sure it ends with a scream, but I currently can't play it as my DVD remote control doesn't work, and I tried playing it on my PC but it wouldn't play as TB 2003 is copy protected.
Whilst I could believe that Piltdown Man developed as a result of a drunk en recording session, I do believe that Piltdown Man was born out of Mike trying to make sense of his feelings.  Reading Mike's life story I do feel there's so much that could make anyone depressed, so I would go with Piltdown Man being Primal scream therapy, I think Mike knew that there was a feelgood factor to it a release of emotions, something he revisited with Ommadawn.  

I do get the impression that some people think depression is not  a real illness, (my Mum included) Maybe she thinks it will all be solved if I go out and getr a job, yes very well, but when you're anxious, and could easily slide down that slippery slope towards depression (on top of having a physical problem as yet undiagnosed), and you doubt your employability depression is  not something you can just "snap out of".
         

Quote
The Caveman   Posted on June 16 2008, 14:00btw way i only noticed the other day that in Outcast on TBIII the voice in the middle says "Out demon out".So he still hadn't gotten shot of the demons in 98 :laugh:


Getting back to Mike's music,  I find Outcast ROCKS :)  :D , that's another variation on Piltdown Man revisited that really works.
Could it be that Mike still had demons to exorcise in '98, well yes highly possible, with anxiety/depressive illnesses it doesn't nessecarily go away, causes for anxiety/depression may change.  I'm wondering if "Out Demons Out" could be a tribute to the original Piltdown Man section,  as Steve Broughton from The Edgar Broughton band played drums on TB , and EBB did a song "Out Demons Out" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSdSaV_t2Ts

ODO was a rant against politicians of the day in 1970. I know Mike recently expressed  his dissatisfaction to this nanny state NuLabour government, maybe Outcast is a combination of these things.
Out Demons Out is still as relevent in 2008 as to what it was in 1970, there's a Liebour goverenment  taxing working citizens to the hilt, whilst they enjoy a luxury lifestyle, jetting off in polluting aircraft, whilst hiking up petrol and diesel prices, and driving round in gas guzzling cars whilst taxing the motorist for global warming.   I'm wondering if global warming is a myth to extort more money from motorists. Why is aviation fuel  exempt from the same taxes as petrol and diesel, when that is the worst offender for global warming.  Oh yes I do try and do my bit to be green, I recycle,car share if possible  and use low energy lightbulbs to name a few . Sorry for political rant there.


--------------
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!!
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Zappa Offline




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Posted: Mar. 01 2009, 07:00

These sections of TB1 and TB2 always make me think of a Zappa quote from his book "The Real Frank Zappa Book"

"If a musical point can be made in a more entertaining way by saying a word than by singing a word, the spoken word will win out in the arrangement—unless a nonword or a mouth noise gets the point across faster."
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BlueTape Offline




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Posted: Mar. 04 2009, 18:53

Mike always considered the vocals as a instrument, since the albums are both Instrumentals, why not use the vocals to effect... just a thought

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Ugo Offline




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Posted: Mar. 05 2009, 04:44

Quote (BlueTape @ Mar. 05 2009, 00:53)
Mike always considered the vocals as a instrument [...]

This isn't quite true, I think. In all of the songs he did with lyrics, vocals were not considered instruments but proper vocals. And indeed he often had proper singers singing 'em. :D There are a few (mainly long instrumental) pieces where vocals are just part of a whole - and two of those are "Taurus II" and "The Wind Chimes". But in the case of the Caveman in TB (in all incarnations and versions of it), IMHO it's more a matter of intentional lack of meaning than of vocals used as effect. In all cases, Mike wishes to sound angry, but at the same time he doesn't want listeners to know exactly what the cause or the reason for his anger is. :)

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