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Topic ClosedIs Mike Oldfield Symphonic prog or not?
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Poll Question: Is Mikeoldfield Symphonic prog ?
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
7 [20.59%]
15 [44.12%]
12 [35.29%]
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Cheesecakemouse View Drop Down
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Points: 1751 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Is Mike Oldfield Symphonic prog or not?
    Posted: June 22 2006 at 23:29

This has been bothering me since I first got into prog, I love Mike Oldfield's work very beautiful and powerful, but his style differs from genesis and Yes and definately ELP, the structures of the songs are different from Syphonic prog they have an ambience that symph bands have. Oldfield's work is not electronic prog but in some ways it has more in common with some of those groups in the way a lot of his songs are written, but he also has a strong folky element a lot of celtic folk themes in his music. I know that Art Rock is the dumping ground for the unclassifiable, but really where else could Oldfield go, his style does doesn't fit anywhere else. Perhaps in time if their are others like him he could be in a kind of Celtic Ambient prog category. Anyway tell me if your views differ from me. And if this poll gets enough votes maybe I'll start another poll on which category Oldfield fits in. Please voters make sure you are  informed enough before you cast a voteSmileWinkBig smile.



Edited by Cheesecakemouse - June 22 2006 at 23:29



  
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Ivan_Melgar_M View Drop Down
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Points: 19557 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 22 2006 at 23:41
Originally posted by Cheesecakemouse Cheesecakemouse wrote:

I know that Art Rock is the dumping ground for the unclassifiable, but really where else could Oldfield go, his style does doesn't fit anywhere else.

Just one thing, a genre that includes King Crimson, Gentle Giant, VDGG and many of the most challenging bands can't be described as a dumping ground.
 
We had two alternatives:
  1. I recomended to use the Various Genres sub-genre for this bands and artoists, but was convinced by other Collaborators that thuis really sounded as a dumping grounds, something like Various. So the best option was too use ART ROCK which is the name for which Prog Rock was known at the beginning and this bands describe the versatiliyty of the genre.
  2. The other alternative was to create several categories as other sites that invented: Zappa Music...Oldfield Progressive....King Crimson Progressive....Gentle Giant Oriented, etc.

I honestly go with our option.

About Mike, still I don't really know, Peruvian stores used to include him in Jazz section, in Argentina i saw him in Electronic, in other country I saw Mike lumped with New Age (Believe it was in Ecuador), probably Art Rock would be the right place..
 
Our team is checking each and every one of the almost 500 Symphonic bands, reading all the reviews in Prog Archives, creating Biogarphies in some cases, searching for comments, reviews, songs, albums or at least samples, we're still in the letter "M" so I will cross the Oldfield Bridge when I reach that river, probably in a couple of weeks.
 
Iván


Edited by Ivan_Melgar_M - June 22 2006 at 23:43
            
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Zac M View Drop Down
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Points: 3577 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 22 2006 at 23:43
Mike Oldfield is ambient symphonic art pop rock jazzy new age coolnessCool.
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Points: 965 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2006 at 00:51
I would definitely put him in Art Rock.
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Points: 46301 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2006 at 00:53
Originally posted by Zac M Zac M wrote:

Mike Oldfield is ambient symphonic art pop rock jazzy new age coolnessCool.


LOL I like that genre. Cool
I would not recommend Art Rock,it's not 100% his place and dedication.Personally as the classic "Tubular Bells" and many of the 70s albums are concerned,he is symphonic to me.Later he grows on what Zac just magnificently told.

LOL
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Points: 4318 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2006 at 00:57
No, he's a human being; usually present in the covers of many bad new age albums. (But there's a couple that are not that bad, one of them includes Robert Wyatt)...
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Points: 306 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2006 at 02:49
I feel that his beginning stuff is definitely a lot more symphonic than his latter stuff but still symphonic he should remain.

Also, I am confused as to how Gentle Giant got out of that genre.  They definitely used to be considered Symphonic... what happened there and how the F*** is Yes still classified in that genre when King Crimson, Gentle Giant and VDGG aren't?

Can we set aside our eight foot long hard-on's for Yes, please?
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Points: 19557 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2006 at 03:12
Originally posted by Legoman Legoman wrote:

I feel that his beginning stuff is definitely a lot more symphonic than his latter stuff but still symphonic he should remain.
 
I have strong doubts about this, but still not working oon it.

Also, I am confused as to how Gentle Giant got out of that genre.  They definitely used to be considered Symphonic... what happened there and how the F*** is Yes still classified in that genre when King Crimson, Gentle Giant and VDGG aren't?
 
Gentle Giant blended various sub-genres all their career including Medieval Folk in the same level as Symphonic while King Crimson during their career surfed through Symphonic, Fusion, Experimental, Prog Metal (Well almost) and Avant Garde.
 
Art Rock is the sub-genre where all the bands that defy the limits of categorization are being sent if they are 100% Prog, those that blend mainstream influences are sent to Prog Related, this is the reason why you won't find bands like STYX in Art Rock anymore
 
Just in case you ask about Genesis and their POP era, we don't use non Prog material to qualify a band, we only care about the Prog albums.

Can we set aside our Censored for Yes, please?
 
Yes is classified as a Symphonic band because except for their Rabin era albums (Pop that are not taken in consideration to clasify them), they were always a Symphonic band influenced by Baroque Classic music mostly, even during Relayer that blended also ither sounds, but they are a predominant Symphonic band.
 
BTW: Symphonic is not an award or a super sub-genre, it's only one more voice in the chorus, as important as Art Rock, Folk, Fusion, Neo Prog, Kraut, RIO, etc. We qualify bands mostly for the main influence that blends with Rock not for the quality of the band.
 
People used to add their favorite band to Symphonic, that's why we have to many bands in the genre that really don't belong in the Symphonic Prog Sub-Genre.
 
Iván



Edited by Ivan_Melgar_M - June 24 2006 at 00:58
            
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Points: 5851 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2006 at 04:45
Symphonic Ambient New age in 90% of his the music
 
Art Rock in 10% of his the music
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Points: 6308 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2006 at 04:49
Orchestral, more than symphonic.
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Points: 46301 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2006 at 04:53
Orchestral prog? LOL
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Points: 31663 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2006 at 08:56
Im not sure actually, sometimes he's symphonic, sometimes pop, sometimes new age etc.
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Points: 7606 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2006 at 09:12
there's more than a touch of folk to his classic releases, wouldn't you say?
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Points: 30270 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2006 at 18:12
Voted ''Not Sure''.I think he started New Age inadvertently but also as he had a folk duo with his sister Sally prior to Tubular Bells then why not 'folk prog'?? Those were his roots.He also worked closely with the avante garde composer David Bedford..so maybe 'avante garde new age folk prog' is correct.LOL

Edited by richardh - June 23 2006 at 18:13
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Phil View Drop Down
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Points: 1881 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2006 at 18:47
Unsure..both about what genre and unsure whether I really like the guy's music! Sometimes he's great but sometimes he doth indulge too much.......
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Points: 319 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2006 at 20:04
That's the problem with classifications - I just like his music whatever category he's forced into...
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Points: 1751 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 24 2006 at 04:13
There is a slight Magma influence, eg the gibberish singing in some of his songs, and some of the guitar effects on Taurus 2 is reminiscent of Udu Wudu, I don't think Oldfield plagerised Magma but I believe that it is another facet of his music which makes him so unique and almost uncategorisable.



  
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Points: 11 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 17 2007 at 20:48
Who cares?
 
Are you really bothered by not being able to label his music?
 
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Points: 19557 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 17 2007 at 21:22
Originally posted by imhotep imhotep wrote:

Who cares?
 
Are you really bothered by not being able to label his music?
 
 
The curious thing is that his myusic is already labelled, if you read all the posts, not ione is exact to the previous, thhis proves that Mike wrote and performed:
  • Electronic
  • Fusion
  • Ambient
  • Symphonic
  • New Age
  • Avant Garde
  • And other more

So this means he's an ECLECTIC musician, that's the sub-genre where you can find him now.

Now lets this thread rest, it has been closed for more than a year. LOL I believe in some cases old threads should be closed, specially now that Art Rocck doesn't exist anymore.
 
Iván
            
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Points: 1264 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 17 2007 at 21:42
Eclectic.

Nuff said.
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