Mike Oldfield appreciation thread
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=109623
Printed Date: April 26 2024 at 10:43
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Topic: Mike Oldfield appreciation thread
Posted By: Kingsnake
Subject: Mike Oldfield appreciation thread
Date Posted: December 09 2016 at 06:03
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I love anything that mister Oldfield did. The long symphonic pieces of the seventies, his disco/pop adventures. His celtic, dance, anything. He's so amazing in anything he puts his mind to. Now I saw the he's planning a follow up to Ommadawn, to be released in 2017. I'm already excited, I feel like a 14 year old fanboy right now  |
Replies:
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: December 09 2016 at 06:05
Keep searching, I'm sure you'll find one.  ------------- What? |
Kingsnake wrote:Posted By: Kingsnake
Date Posted: December 09 2016 at 06:48
I'm lost. What do you mean?
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Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: December 09 2016 at 06:52
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I think you can find them on-line, but be careful. ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Kingsnake
Date Posted: December 09 2016 at 06:55
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I'll just ignore those comments. Moving on. I was talking about this forthcoming album: http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=53419" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=53419
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Posted By: TheLionOfPrague
Date Posted: December 09 2016 at 09:17
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Ommadawn is his finest album. If it's anywhere near as good as it it'll be worth it. ------------- I shook my head and smiled a whisper knowing all about the place |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: December 09 2016 at 21:11
| Mike Oldfield is among my favourite 5 artists, mostly because of his 70's stuff, though there's stuff I like from later on. I'm excited about this Ommadawn follow up indeed, the first one (specially side one) is my favourite piece from him, but I guess we shouldn't get our hopes too high... as far as I'm concerned, the follow up to Tubular Bells was rather a disappointment (it tried to hard to follow the same steps of the first one, but every equivalent part was inferior to the original). Still, I heard a teaser for this Ommadawn one, and it sounded promising, even if a bit too tame (hopefully the album will get some highs). |
Posted By: aglasshouse
Date Posted: December 09 2016 at 23:11
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I've never regretted the day that I bought Tubular Bells on vinyl. Fantastic album. ------------- http://fryingpanmedia.com |
Posted By: aglasshouse
Date Posted: December 09 2016 at 23:15
A low jab but true nonetheless. ------------- http://fryingpanmedia.com |
Posted By: Kingsnake
Date Posted: December 10 2016 at 04:12
Where did you hear the teaser? Also, when I look at the album info, (like old days) Mike plays all the instruments himself. So, no vocals, drums etc. Probably it will have that organic, pastoral sound we all love so much.  |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: December 10 2016 at 05:09
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Google is your friend.  Sounds like Reginald Dixon on the Wurlitzer organ at Blackpool Tower Ballroom to begin with but hopefully that section of cheese is short-lived.and Mike has said in an interview with Prog Rock mag that it's a deliberate return to his acoustic era.
------------- What? |
Posted By: Kingsnake
Date Posted: December 10 2016 at 05:13
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^ well, that first clip has a horrible quality, so I couldn't make any cheese out of it. But the second clip has a nice intro. It got me the more excited. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: December 10 2016 at 20:36
He did play almost all the instruments in those early albums, but I believe he knew his limitations and his vision for the music, and if he couldn't do it he would have people doing it for him... like the female vocals, even if they weren't really singing but rather vocalising, or the tribal drums and so on... and I would expect it to be the same case on this one. |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: December 13 2016 at 05:51
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Tubular Bells is one of those 'classic albums' which is excellent when you consider when and how it was made and the back story, but I can take or leave much of the music to be honest. It's clever, but slightly boring to me. Ommadwan on the other hand is wonderful, especially part 1 which never fails to move me. I'm also rather partial to the cold sparseness of Hergest Ridge. An unfairly maligned album IMO, and dare I say it... 'underated'  Beyond that I've only heard Five Miles Out. I do need to check out some more Oldfield albums. Can anyone recommend anything that isn't too 'jiggy' or 'Earth mother - save the whale' orientated?? Acoustic or electronic is fine. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Kingsnake
Date Posted: December 13 2016 at 08:20
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I don't know what jiggy is. I love Incantations for its instrumental splendour and also love Crises and Discovery for its neoprog meets pop beauty. |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: December 13 2016 at 09:33
Not too sure what "jiggy" means in this context but I have one word for you: Amarok. ------------- What? |
Posted By: Kingsnake
Date Posted: December 13 2016 at 09:47
| Amarok is amazeballs 🖒 |
Posted By: O666
Date Posted: December 13 2016 at 09:56
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Mike Oldfield in one of Top 10 musicians (Prog or Not Prog!) in my book. I listened most of his albums and I follow him over 30 years! He always tried to be "Up to Date" in his career. He experienced some of different musical genres in some of his albums . There are some musicians that try to "Copy" his 70's style. The latest of them is "Rob Reed". He released 2 "Oldfield 70's Style copy Albums" : "Sanctuary" and "Sanctuary 2". If you love "Ommadawn" and "Tubular Bells" , You must listen to Reed's "Sanctuary 1,2" albums.
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: December 13 2016 at 21:01
OK, I do love Tubular Bells up to the Caveman part... but the one I know is the 2003 re-recording. Mostly I understan Oldfield fans prefer the original, but perhaps the new one might sound a bit better to you... though it's suposed to be the same music as faithfully as Oldfield could do it. In general, for me his most special work are his first 4 albums; besides Ommadawn side 1 and Hergest Ridge side 2, the other piece I really love is Incantations side 4 (that vocal ending is just about as magical as the first minutes of Ommadawn). And Amarok has been recommended, though the very part of it that I love the most is the Africa part one section... though this album is a tough nut to crack since it's actually suposed to be all one single song, and that's the way you find it on CD, only one track. What's the more, I understand Amarok was suposed to be some sort follow up to Ommadawn in spirit, so you might want to check it out while the new one arrives. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: December 13 2016 at 21:03
Yeah, Oldfield has become one of my top artists too... though I would put him in my top 5. However, I still got to get some albums from him, and somehow I don't expect to find anything as special as the best I already found from him. |
Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: December 13 2016 at 21:11
| has been one of my favorites since the 1970s |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: December 14 2016 at 01:44
Thanks all, I will definitely check out Amarok  ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: O666
Date Posted: December 14 2016 at 08:01
Hi. Sometimes I found him so Unexpected! For example "Amarok" album after 4-5 Semi-Pop albums or "The songs from Distant Earth" World Music genre album. Perhaps he have some "Bad" (I prefer to say "Not Good"!) albums but he is a great musician (IMO). He is my hero!
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Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: December 14 2016 at 08:38
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I have to admit I always get a bit squirmy when an artists says he's returning to something from his past. (aww, really? Must you?) Sometimes this works okay (Wakeman returning to the Centre of the Earth twice, once fair and once improved) or not bad (Anderson having a second bite of Thick As A Brick) while other times you have to wonder why they bothered (Tango's on several re-recorded albums including Phaedra 2005). Oldfield's not new to this plundering of the back-catalogue of course having "returned" to Tubby Bells on four separate occasions (one re-recording and three sequels) with mixed results, though it has to be said that Tubby Bells III and The Millennium Bell could have been released with completely different titles and no one would have been any the wiser. Time will tell I suppose but apart from trading on the name of a relatively well known album I don't see why a return to his acoustic era has to be "Return to Ommadawn" specifically. ------------- What? |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: December 14 2016 at 08:57
I agree with this. I would like the new album to be something new, not merely a retread, as good as the original was. We shall find out shortly. I actually prefer TBII to the original, whilst the third was an interesting take. Millenium Bell is not particularly inspired. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org |
Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: December 14 2016 at 10:21
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I think TB 3 was a major triumph, and I think titling it so was a disservice to the ingenuity within, which had precious little to do with TB. Been listening to Tr3s Lunas a lot, not a great album but somewhat addictive. Light and Shade is better Amarok was just too out there for me while I thought Voyager and Songs of Distant Earth were on the weak side
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: December 14 2016 at 20:53
I have been getting into Oldfield mostly since he already had released all of his albums, except Man on the Rocks, so I have had a fair idea of what to expect from his albums... at least as far as the kind of sound or genre it will have goes, so there's been little surprise for me on that respect. Songs from Distant Earth is, I think, the first album I heard from him, and I do like it a lot... very good as a whole piece of music. And the last one was a nice collection of songs, specially the title song and Nuclear are great, and very different to anything else I have heard from him... even from his 80's song format releases. |
Posted By: aglasshouse
Date Posted: December 14 2016 at 21:35
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My favorite by him has always been Hergest Ridge. Seriously awesome. On a side note- I hope I'm not the only one wishing for some darker undertones on Return to Ommadawn. That cover is just begging for it. ------------- http://fryingpanmedia.com |
Posted By: Pastmaster
Date Posted: December 14 2016 at 23:42
| I should really delve into his discography more, the only album I've heard deep enough is Tubular Bells. |
Posted By: Kingsnake
Date Posted: December 15 2016 at 01:45
If you love the pastoral acoustic music then the first four albums will not disappoint. In the years 1979-1981 Mike flirted with disco and from 1982 on, he went almost full pop, with the occasional symphonic epics. In the nineties he flirted with worldmusic, electronica and celtic folk. There's something for everyone :-D
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Posted By: O666
Date Posted: December 15 2016 at 09:33
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Mike oldfield have a great Box-Set that released in 1976 : "Boxed . In LP version that released in 1976 , there were 4 LPs : Tubular Bells , Hergest Ridge , Ommadawn and Collaborations . In CD version , there are 3 CDs : TB , HR , Ommadawn without Collaborations! I want to write from Boxed cover : " All tracks of "Collaborations" are included as follows : Disc 1 : songs 3,4,5 Disk 2 : Songs 3,4,5 Disk 3 : Songs 3,4 " I really shocked when I read that. They cut "Collaborations" to little pieces !!! After all , These 8 sons are great and I recommended them to Mike's fans (if you didn't listen yet!) .
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Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: December 15 2016 at 09:47
actually he flirted with world music in the early 1980, particularly Celtic. QE2 and Five Miles Out are his most overtly Celtic albums, apart from the rather bland Voyager from the 1990s. I don't hear a lot of disco in either.
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Posted By: Meltdowner
Date Posted: December 15 2016 at 09:55
Platinum rocks!  |
Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: December 15 2016 at 09:59
agreed, a somewhat underrated epic. and live versions are way better than the studio one. I was lucky enough to see him live on the "Who's Next" tour in 1982, and he opened with Platinum. One of my friends have never heard it and, after the show, he asked what piece it was because he thought it was awesome
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Posted By: Meltdowner
Date Posted: December 15 2016 at 10:07
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^ I'm glad you agree. I don't know, the studio version has its own charm and the passages obviously work better. That's lucky, indeed! Even if he returned to the stages, I'm sure he wouldn't play this.
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Posted By: Kingsnake
Date Posted: December 15 2016 at 10:12
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Platinum is very funky/disco. I love it though 🖒 |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: December 15 2016 at 10:38
I still have one of these from the 1979 tour of Europe ....  ------------- What? |
Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: December 15 2016 at 11:04
cool! was that from the same tour that produced "Exposed"? The Who's Next Tour was in spring 1982 in support of Five Miles Out. I was living in Ottawa at the time and he was surprisingly popular there. His albums were selling well but even his singles were near the top of the local charts, even though the rest of North America largely ignored him.
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Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: December 16 2016 at 00:00
Yes. ------------- What? |
Posted By: O666
Date Posted: December 17 2016 at 10:20
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I love "Platinum" so much. As Kingsnake said its Funky and you can find another styles like Disco and Punk Rock ... in this album. Honestly , Platinum isn't one of Oldfield's great albums but its so enjoyable in my ears. Exposed is one the 10 BEST live performance that I ever listened IMO.
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Posted By: Kingsnake
Date Posted: December 18 2016 at 13:20
I'm putting some Mike Oldfield on my smartphone this week. I feel the urge for some 80's poppie stuff by the maestro.
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Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: December 18 2016 at 19:58
don't forget "Pictures in the Dark"!
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Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: December 23 2016 at 04:25
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I just listened to Ommadawn for the first time in a few years. This album still blows me away, and I still think it's Oldfield's best. ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: December 23 2016 at 10:08
I think he stripped away any ounce of fat that he could with this. Its quite short but all the better for it. Just think within the same year we had Vangelis - Heaven and Hell and a year later JMJ- Oxygene . Great times for progressive instrumental music.
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Posted By: Meltdowner
Date Posted: August 04 2017 at 08:22
| I was listening to Amarok the other day and on the https://img.discogs.com/qd_J1RjjhnV0FEJ-fe7guyh6mIM=/fit-in/599x501/filters:strip_icc%28%29:format%28jpeg%29:mode_rgb%28%29:quality%2890%29/discogs-images/R-925388-1313962107.jpeg.jpg" rel="nofollow - booklet it says the inspiration for it came from a Tubular Bells version he played in 1989. I'm very curious to hear it but I can't find it anywhere. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: August 04 2017 at 11:57
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I am a huge Mike Oldfield fan. I have a few. Mike: Tubular Bells Hergest Ridge Orchestral Tubular Bells. The Ommadawn Incantations QE2 Five Miles Out Crisis Killing Fields, The Original Film Soundtrack Islands Earth Moving Amarok Tubular Bells 2 Songs of Distant Earth, The Voyager Tubular Bells III Tubular Bells 2003 Light + Shade Music Of The Spheres Sally: Water Bearer Flaming Star Mike and Sally: Sallyangie, The Children of the Sun ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: August 04 2017 at 21:09
Since I got to know Oldfield, he got up to my top 5 artists, but I'm afraid I'm still missing many of his albums. Anyway, for what I have heard, his very best were his first 4 albums... and with his latest he really came back to form. By the way, I noticed you didn't include it (Return to Ommadawn) in your list of albums by him... if you really don't have it yet and you are such a huge fan, you should get that one right now. The previous one (Man in the Rocks) is OK, all just pop/rock songs... but the title track and Nuclear are really outstanding (as pop/rock songs... the best pop songs I have heard from him... or well, at least my favourite ones). |
Posted By: ghost_of_morphy
Date Posted: August 05 2017 at 03:42
Correction: AMAROK is his finest album. Ommadawn comes in a close second. Many consider Amarok to be a spiritual follow up to Ommadawn. ------------- 
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: August 05 2017 at 20:45
| I had read about that comparison between Amarok and Ommadawn (even from Oldfield himself, I think), and the love Amarok gets... yet it didn't really work so well for me. It's got lots of good music, but I just couldn't enjoy the one song album thing... it's just not practical, it's not always that one has the time to listen to the whole thing in one sitting. Plus, it's sort of disjointed, and before one has time to enjoy a musical passage it's already changing, and not always in a good way. However, I do love the "Africa 1" section, one of the most beatiful things he has recorded. |
Posted By: zachfive
Date Posted: August 05 2017 at 21:48
There is a reason why Amarok is like that. Mike Oldfield was upset (to say the least) with his record label, or more so at head of Virgin Records, Richard Branson. The length and structure of the track made it difficult for Virgin to produce any portion that would be radio friendly. I really really enjoy Amarok, but I do only play it when I have the time to listen to it in its entirety, for it's a journey that one takes from start to finish. It can't be compartmentalized or sectioned off, for even the sublime Arfrica I-III suite sounds off when played out of context. There is however, a youtube video of this pianist (Gus Fogel) and a bassist that play Amarok as close for note to note as one could get and, other that less that optimal recording, is a great listen if you want a more "straightforward" Amarok. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: August 06 2017 at 21:04
Yeah, I know there was a reason for the way Amarok was design, but if Mike had a reason to do the album like that or not, it's still not the format I enjoy best for an album, even if he was mad at Virgin and wanted to piss them off. However, for me the Africa 1 section does stand nicely by it's own... perhaps because I first heard (and loved) that one as a stan alone in a compilation album. However, it does seem to me that Mike gave them the piece to extract a radio friendly part, or whatever. |
Posted By: Kepler62
Date Posted: August 07 2017 at 04:19
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Although I have some of his stuff that is really good he beat the hell out of the Tubular Bells concept to the piont where I gave up on him for a while. When Songs Of Distant Earth came out I thought wow, a science fiction/interstellar space exploration theme based on a novel by Arthur C. Clarke but he has to drag that Tubular Bells theme into it ( Tubular World ). When it came out in '94 his section was located in the new age section in a record store in my hometown of Montreal so that just demonstrates how confused people are over how to categorise him. I happen to have one of those picture discs of Tubular Bells that came out in '78. The mix sounds a bit different if you actually play it because it was a stereo remix of the quad remix if that makes any sense. I had an audiophile friend who explained it to me years ago. My favourite album by him has to be Crises. I played the crap out of it back in the 80s at one point.
I just put on side II of TB. Nobody really talks about side ii.
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