[appophylite]

Tubular Bells
Tubular Bells II
Tubular Bells III
The Millenium Bell
Light And Shadow
Tr3s Lunas
The Songs Of Distant Earth

I bought them all after I heard Duggeh raving about him on the forums. I definitely have to agree with what FalconP said about him blowing away Vangelis. Vangelis barely gets played on my CDP anymore, now that I have Mike Oldfield. Especially The Songs Of Distant Earth.

I too recently found out about Music Of The Spheres impending release and can't wait.

 

[mercbuggy]

I am often able to find a Mike Oldfield piece that suits a mood or reflects my musical taste at any given moment. It means he always appears on a playlist whether personal or for other people. I agree he has often tried too many ideas on some releases and some directions he has taken have not always found universal favour. I always find the lyrical guitar playing to hold my attention through whatever musical thread he is exploring. Maggie Reilly's vocals are always highlights.

.

 

[Duggeh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appophylite /img/forum/go_quote.gif Tubular Bells Tubular Bells II Tubular Bells III The Millenium Bell Light And Shadow Tr3s Lunas The Songs Of Distant Earth I bought them all after I heard Duggeh raving about him on the forums. I definitely have to agree with what FalconP said about him blowing away Vangelis. Vangelis barely gets played on my CDP anymore, now that I have Mike Oldfield. Especially The Songs Of Distant Earth. I too recently found out about Music Of The Spheres impending release and can't wait.

Millennium Bell is very meh, and Light & Shade is pretty mediocre too imo. Tr3s Lunas is the best of his lazy albums. Cant go wrong with the others tho.


Music of the Spheres has been delayed again I'm afraid guys. Mike is moving to Spain at the minute, and his wife is due to have a baby soon too, so he wants that all done with before the album release. It'll mean it misses the Christmas season, but its better for him to do publicity when he isn't dealing with domestic stuff like that, and there's rumours of a launch concert even if there's to be no tour.

The song "On My Heart" from the album is to be on a new classical compilation disc though.

 

[craiglester]

Mike did the BEST Blue Peter theme music ever

 

[Duggeh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... The song "On My Heart" from the album is to be on a new classical compilation disc though.

And its this one.

Amazon.co.uk: No 1 Classical Album 2008: Music: Various Artists

 

[progo]

I feel like waking this thread because Mike is the man.

Now I am playing the B side of Hergest Ridge. Pretty nice, although in very Oldfieldian way slow and 'sluggish', 'towing' maybe. Mike does these fine though.

My favourites are (in order

Amarok, Tubular Bells and Crises. Amarok's restless style is pretty fatiguing but I've listened it through three times a day on my best (worst?) days. It indeed has something unique. On the other hand it could be much better. The first 5 minutes are the best. The sharp bursts just thrill me and the melodies are great. Why those aren't used later on? At least Mike uses that happy man sample very geniously, giving listeners some subconscious allusions that are clear to hear while it gives kind of feel of succession. If you watch Lynch movies, you just might get the same feel.

After the kickstart Amarok gets more boring, but not entirely bad. When I listen to Amarok, I listen to it completely to the end. It has some fine melodies even though they can't match the ones of beginning. The very first is something that needs a song of its own imo.

Tubular Bells isn't sharing the similar anxiousness -- it has some kind of continuous like Crises (the track) has. The last 10 minutes of TB owns the set.

 

[IceClass]

Yes, I remember Oldfield appearing on the scene. I am indeed that old now. Heck, I still rememeber the original Virgin Record store being full of hairy, stinky hippies, beanbag chairs and incense. (Thank God that period is over, I never did have much tolerance for hippies.)
My parents had copies of Tubular Bells, Ommadawn & Hergest Ridge and those pretty much remain the only Oldfield albums I've ever owned or appreciated.
I heard some of that awful stuff he was cranking out in the 80s when I was at boarding school in blighty and just couldn't connect with it.

I have to confess that that period just completely turned me off from Oldfield (and his turgid sister) and I've never put my toes back into Oldfield waters since, sticking to his tried and tested first three albums.
With that in mind, I completely avoided ANY of the TB rehashes but I'm now wondering if a listen to TB2 might be in order.

 

[IceClass]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appophylite /img/forum/go_quote.gif I definitely have to agree with what FalconP said about him blowing away Vangelis. Vangelis barely gets played on my CDP anymore, now that I have Mike Oldfield.

Some think Vangelis was better before he became Vangelis.
Try some Aphrodite's Child some time.
I highly recommend the 666 album. It's a classic of prog rock.

 

[Contrastique]

Edit...feels stupid....mixed up Mike Oldfield with Mike Bloomfield...nevermind...

 

[skullguise]

Hmmm, first i saw of this thread....wonder how I missed it....

I've liked TB 1 & 2, and Five Miles Out myself; haven't got to hear much else, though will check some out (thank you Duggeh, et al). I enjoyed Islands for a while, and there is something special about Northpoint that "hits me" despite being a bit pop.

As for Moonlight Shadow, I like Annie Haslam's version better.....what a voice on her!

 

[scompton]

Somehow I missed this thread. Back in the 80s, I was a fan of Oldfield, not a big fan, but I had 3 or 4 albums. On a whim, I bought tickets to see him in Philadelphia on the Five Miles Out tour. He was only doing 5 shows in North America and Phillie was the closest. It was a fantastic show, one of the best concerts I've ever attended. The next day, I went out and bought every LP I could find. I haven't listened to most of them for years.

My favorite album is Incantations, which for Faust2D is like 45 minutes of the Oldfield track on Downwind. The only thing I don't like on that album is his sister chanting Hiawatha.

 

[Aardvarks]

Heh, Yeah I heard TB on John Peel and bought it the same weekend. Followed by Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn.

A couple of years back I bought the 25th anniversary dig remaster of TB and it sounds terrific on my system.

Sounds crap on old tin boxes tho'

 

[aamefford]

Funny this should come up. I was just thinking that it was time to get "Tubular Bells" (original) on CD. I haven't heard it in probably 20 years, but I can still hear it in my memory. TB, along with Yes Fragile, Deep Purple "Made In Japan," Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" and a few others are inextricably linked to hours (probably months or years actually) of mis-spent adolescence and early adulthood!

 

[appophylite]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IceClass /img/forum/go_quote.gif Quote: Originally Posted by appophylite /img/forum/go_quote.gif I definitely have to agree with what FalconP said about him blowing away Vangelis. Vangelis barely gets played on my CDP anymore, now that I have Mike Oldfield. Some think Vangelis was better before he became Vangelis. Try some Aphrodite's Child some time. I highly recommend the 666 album. It's a classic of prog rock.

Oh don't get me wrong: I love Vangelis, and his older stuff is definitely really good. I was just on a major discovery kick back then. While, right now Oldfield still dominates my system in terms of playtime, it has gone from being more like 90% Oldfield & 10% Vangelis, to being closer to 60-40. I imagine that will change again though when I get Music Of The Spheres.

 

[psryan]

I'm new to this forum, but not new to Mike Oldfield. TB I was movie music to me. Scary movie...the Exorcist. TBII was an incredible find. Like someone else I heard it playing in a music store. Hooked by the repeated references to TB I, I found much more and must have listened to it 500 times.

Amarok I have listened to over 1000 times. There was always something new to discover. The locations were always pinpointed perfectly and the soundstage was out front and above my head. First time I ever experienced that with my HE-60 HEV-70 rig. I learned to listen with complete focus thanks to these two albums. I could stop all thought completeley for the longest time. Talk about chill bumps. If you have the CD and haven't really listened attentively, try it.

Have others had the experience of extended time with pure sound and no thoughts interfering? Music meditation is what I call it.

Oldfield's extended tracks and orgasmic climaxes can create fireworks in your whole body.

I have bought all US releases since TBII and look forward to Music of the Spheres.