Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby never/ever » 03 Jun 2015, 10:52

I fear that without the treatment Oldfield would have lost more than just his muse.
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby Hugh » 03 Jun 2015, 13:14

I didn't see much coverage but Oldfield's son Dougal died recently.

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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby Quaco » 03 Jun 2015, 21:07

Just watching the documentary -- now I feel a bit bad for the guy, for all the problems he had.
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby trans-chigley express » 03 Jun 2015, 23:07

Hugh wrote:I didn't see much coverage but Oldfield's son Dougal died recently.

I hadn't heard of that. Seems he died of natural causes while at work. In his 30s!!

I know his oldest child Molly works on the QI TV series as a question researcher or something.

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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby Hightea » 04 Jun 2015, 03:16

Big fan of the first four albums and also Five Miles Out and Crisis. He has had a few other good moments Amarok and some of Voyager.

Listened to those other versions of Hergest Ridge a few months ago didn't realize the Boxed version was difference as that was the only copy I had.
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby trans-chigley express » 04 Jun 2015, 05:28

Copehead wrote:I'm a big fan of Crises and Five Miles Out.

The 70s stuff is nice enough background music, it was music your parents had though and played at dinner parties.

You have enthused me to give Ommadawn another go though after about 30 years.


I like Crises and Five Miles Out too but to dismiss his 70s stuff as background music is an huge insult to great music. I'd like to be invited to any dinner party that plays Ommadawn.


Incidentally all the deluxe editions of these albums have been great with loads of brilliant extras - new mixes, original mixes, demo versions (which are like a whole new alternative version), non-album tracks and loads of good live shows on the later albums (Platinum to Crises) which make even those worth having. Discovery and The Killing Fields deluxe editions should be out this year and I think both will worth having just for the extras. I will probably stop at those unless a good Amarok reissue appears especially if there is a remix which removes all the random loud noises and includes demos.

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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby fange » 04 Jun 2015, 07:35

Nice work, Ray. As i've said to you before, i'm a fan of most of Oldfield's early records.
I discovered him in my early teens at a time when i was just a musical sponge, happy and willing to soak up whatever came my way. I found the first 4 or 5 records really fascinating in their own ways, but it's HR i go back to most. It's a real deep down record for me now, soul food stuff.

What do you think of the live record, Exposed? And have they ever re-released Amarok with the sections cut into different tracks? The original, one giant slab of music on CD, annoyed me to no end.
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby billy » 04 Jun 2015, 11:30

Doobie doobie thread! :)

Well ...

I went and acquired the multi-disc versions of the first four albums (Bells, Ridge, Dawn, Cantations) earlier this year for re-appraisal and have been enjoying them immensely.

I must admit there is something beyond the music with these - it's a kind of time travel, which I just adore, darlings ... everything goes flock wallpaper and bulrushes in an old jug.

One thing that I had missed out on/overlooked was memories of Exposed. God, I used to have it on cassette as a callow youth and would play it to death until my capstan protested ... so I found a source on the Internet and listened on the headphones last night, while staring out the window at the random flaming chinese lanterns that appeared from nowhere and floated by (all true, by the way).

It's great in all its ragged glory - the 'human music' versions of the albums - cuts out all the smoothness ... I like that with my time travel -- a nice bit of not quite perfect -- keeps me on edge and avoids complacency ...

Perhaps I should go further, although I reckon this might piss on the spell of the first four ...
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby The Slider » 04 Jun 2015, 12:17

It will
Don't.
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby Hugh » 04 Jun 2015, 18:28

There isn't an album past Incantations that is really worth your time although I confess to not hating Tubular Bells 2

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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby Quaco » 04 Jun 2015, 18:38

billy wrote:Doobie doobie thread! :)

Well ...

I went and acquired the multi-disc versions of the first four albums (Bells, Ridge, Dawn, Cantations) earlier this year for re-appraisal and have been enjoying them immensely.

I must admit there is something beyond the music with these - it's a kind of time travel, which I just adore, darlings ... everything goes flock wallpaper and bulrushes in an old jug.

One thing that I had missed out on/overlooked was memories of Exposed. God, I used to have it on cassette as a callow youth and would play it to death until my capstan protested ... so I found a source on the Internet and listened on the headphones last night, while staring out the window at the random flaming chinese lanterns that appeared from nowhere and floated by (all true, by the way).

It's great in all its ragged glory - the 'human music' versions of the albums - cuts out all the smoothness ... I like that with my time travel -- a nice bit of not quite perfect -- keeps me on edge and avoids complacency ...

Perhaps I should go further, although I reckon this might piss on the spell of the first four ...

Interesting -- I have Exposed but have never really explored it, possibly because I thought there was something annoying about the cover! Will investigate.
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby Hugh » 04 Jun 2015, 19:12

As Billy says, Exposed does bring a more human element to TB and Incantations. There are a few misjudged moments but it works well on the whole.

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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby Jimbly » 04 Jun 2015, 19:20

Hugh wrote:There isn't an album past Incantations that is really worth your time although I confess to not hating Tubular Bells 2


First side of Platinum is good, second side is total pish though.
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby trans-chigley express » 04 Jun 2015, 22:54

Jeemo wrote:
Hugh wrote:There isn't an album past Incantations that is really worth your time although I confess to not hating Tubular Bells 2


First side of Platinum is good, second side is total pish though.


I like the live version of the first side of Platinum. There's a good jazzed up version on the live disc of the Platinum reissue and a shorter more rocked up version on the live side of old The Complete Mike Oldfield compilation with the bird on the cover. They are both a huge improvement on the horribly clunky studio version.

Five Miles Out is easily his fifth best studio album but still some way behind the first four. Billy should be very wary of venturing further. There be dragons!
Last edited by trans-chigley express on 04 Jun 2015, 23:06, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby trans-chigley express » 04 Jun 2015, 23:05

fangedango! wrote:
What do you think of the live record, Exposed? And have they ever re-released Amarok with the sections cut into different tracks? The original, one giant slab of music on CD, annoyed me to no end.


I love Exposed. It's a beautiful sounding live album with that huge band making an impressive noise. Incantations parts 3 and 4, TB 2 and the big band version of Guilty are the highlights for me.

Everything about Amarok was designed to annoy Virgin from its continuous 60 minute length making radio play impossible, to the random loud stabs of sound to annoy certain execs he despised and "Fuck Off RB" in morse code. Probably the Margaret Thatcher impressionist as well which I hate most. There is no other version available but I live in hope for a re-done deluxe version with the annoying stuff all removed. His last Virgin album I think.

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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby Quaco » 04 Jun 2015, 23:10

trans-chigley express wrote:Everything about Amarok was designed to annoy Virgin from its continuous 60 minute length making radio play impossible, to the random loud stabs of sound to annoy certain execs he despised and "Fuck Off RB" in morse code. Probably the Margaret Thatcher impressionist as well which I hate most. There is no other version available but I live in hope for a re-done deluxe version with the annoying stuff all removed. His last Virgin album I think.

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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby Jimbly » 04 Jun 2015, 23:58

trans-chigley express wrote:
Jeemo wrote:
Hugh wrote:There isn't an album past Incantations that is really worth your time although I confess to not hating Tubular Bells 2


First side of Platinum is good, second side is total pish though.


I like the live version of the first side of Platinum. There's a good jazzed up version on the live disc of the Platinum reissue and a shorter more rocked up version on the live side of old The Complete Mike Oldfield compilation with the bird on the cover. They are both a huge improvement on the horribly clunky studio version.

Five Miles Out is easily his fifth best studio album but still some way behind the first four. Billy should be very wary of venturing further. There be dragons!


I saw the Platinum tour three times. He announced two nights at the Apollo in Glasgow, then a couple of months before did a small tour of student unions. So, I saw him first at a uni gig, then the Apollo gig, the second night sold poorly, so everyone could come the next night with their first night stub and get in for a quid.

Each time they started with Platinum, with Oldfield starting on bass before moving to guitar. The live version is great.
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby Nervous Ned » 05 Jun 2015, 10:39

Yeah ... I saw the Platimum tour (Wembley May 1980 if memory serves).
Played 3/4 of Platinum, parts of Ommadawn, parts of Incantations and ... suprise suprise Tubular Bells (different variation to the Exposed concert).
Really good show it was too.

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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby copehead » 05 Jun 2015, 10:57

trans-chigley express wrote:
Copehead wrote:I'm a big fan of Crises and Five Miles Out.

The 70s stuff is nice enough background music, it was music your parents had though and played at dinner parties.

You have enthused me to give Ommadawn another go though after about 30 years.


I like Crises and Five Miles Out too but to dismiss his 70s stuff as background music is an huge insult to great music. I'd like to be invited to any dinner party that plays Ommadawn.


.


The parents didn't have Ommadawn, just Tubular Bells, I think it was the law or something.

It was popular amongst that age group for obvious reasons, doesn't mean it is bad, it isn't, just means you tend to dismiss much of your parents, meagre, record collection as a matter of course.

It was exactly the sort of record that would be put on after a dinner party, followed up by a nice bit of Neil Diamond or Switched on Bach.
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Re: Beyond the BCB 130 - Mike Oldfield

Postby Jimbly » 05 Jun 2015, 11:10

Copehead wrote:
trans-chigley express wrote:
Copehead wrote:I'm a big fan of Crises and Five Miles Out.

The 70s stuff is nice enough background music, it was music your parents had though and played at dinner parties.

You have enthused me to give Ommadawn another go though after about 30 years.


I like Crises and Five Miles Out too but to dismiss his 70s stuff as background music is an huge insult to great music. I'd like to be invited to any dinner party that plays Ommadawn.


.


The parents didn't have Ommadawn, just Tubular Bells, I think it was the law or something.

It was popular amongst that age group for obvious reasons, doesn't mean it is bad, it isn't, just means you tend to dismiss much of your parents, meagre, record collection as a matter of course.

It was exactly the sort of record that would be put on after a dinner party, followed up by a nice bit of Neil Diamond or Switched on Bach.



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