Music Of The Spheres

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-10-31 rating:
One Star reviews for sounding like Mike Oldfield??????????
Mike Oldfied does what it says on the tin no more no less. Why buy or review something which changes slightly from disc to disc but be shocked that it sounds similar to the last album?

You could of course be clever and slate it with a wolf in wonderland review but it will change nothing

MIKE OLDFIELD SOUNDS LIKE MIKE OLDFIELD

Shock horror what a revelation.

Being Mike Oldfield is enough for most of us

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review by: pticachelovek date: 2008-10-03 rating:
Music of the Spheres.
I was introduced to Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells in my teenage years, and have bought and listened to a great deal of his music in the intervening quarter century or so.
I guess it's always a mixed blessing to produce iconic debut material, and it was a peak that, in my opinion, Mike would struggle to reach again for many years.
Follow up albums were merititious in their own right, but over time I think it became obvious that something, perhaps his increasingly strained relations with Virgin Records meant that albums of the late eighties seemed to lack "desire" and Mike was maybe going through the motions to fulfil his contractual obligations - and with the exception of Amarok, I shied away from Mike's music.
1994 brought The Songs of Distant Earth, which I bought on the strength of the novel it was based on rather than Mike's reputation. Yet it became my favourite. A new ambient style from the composer, and more matured tastes from the listener combined to make TSODE the "Bells Beater".
Still, it was so far removed from my previous experience of Mike's music that I have neither bought, nor indeed knowingly listened to anything since.
Until now.
Intrigued as I was to hear of a new "Classical" piece, I took the plunge, and I am pleased to say the water is fantastic.
Music Of The Spheres has its roots set firmly in Tubular Soil, but that is not to say it is Tubular Bells 4, 5 or whatever we are up to now. Nevertheless, it has the DNA, and fans of Mike's debut opus will recognise this newest offspring as one of the family.
Composed by Mike, but fully orchestrated by Karl Jenkins, MOTS is performed by a symphony orchestra, rather than by Mike beating chair-backs to the rhythm of his guitars, the Neanderthal bvs of "Bells" are replaced by Homo sapiens choirs and the solo voice of melodic and angelic Hayley Westenra. (Those afeared of Mike's songwriting need not worry... it fits perfectly.) Fountains and cascades of piano are provided by Lang Lang (he of the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony, if you are not otherwise familiar), and the whole is a triumphant synergy of its parts.
Fans of the Oldfield axe are substantially rewarded and Mike does what he does best on much of the piece.
Ostensibly comprising 14 tracks, MOTS is a wonderful composition that should appeal to all Oldfield followers, and will not frighten off those who love more traditional Classical Music.
It is a fabulous modern composition which deserves to be played alongside other popular classics at Prom type concerts.
Do I have anything bad to say...?
Well, just two things.
There is one harsh note, just one, played with considerable vim and vigour, which takes a little getting used to (at about 5.04 in track 14 if you're interested).
Also, at about 45 minutes in length, it is perhaps a bit short.
I can't help thinking there's 27 minutes of free space going begging on the CD. In the early 70's 45 minutes was a good length, but today, maybe we have come to expect at least an hour?
But I quibble over nothings in what is a near-perfect and five-star scoring masterpiece from the New Man of Classical Music!

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review by: Tom date: 2008-06-25 rating:
Good-to-be-alive music
Brought up on TB1, I have to admit to bias but without doubt this is joyous music which lifts the spirits and makes one glad to be alive. Sit back and enjoy!

Thanks, Mike.

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review by: date: 2008-06-19 rating:
it just gets better week after week.
Have had this lp for about a month,at first i thought it was t.b by orchestra but over the weeks it has developed a place of its own. It is not "planets" for the millenium ,it is a valid piece of classical styled music.Give it a go" your worth it".


review by: date: 2008-06-17 rating:
Music?
I'd waited the two weeks it takes for parcels to cross from UK to the Gulf in huge anticipation after inadvertently discovering this album on Amazon - Oldfield taking a crack at galactic vibration - now you're talking!

What a deflationary, nay, interplanetary let-down.

I'm listening to and rejoicing in Amarok as I write - even though I'm depriving myself of sleep and have an early start, you simply cannot start Amarok and not go right through to the end of its glorious, muli-layered delights which include the most innovative bridges ever committed to tape - and I cannot help but wonder why Mike chose to align himself with Karl Jenkins and his Lowest Common Denominator Orchestral Music Prevention Officers. And I really could have done without the Queen of Twee halfway through this 21st Century Planet Suite (please!! - poor old Gustav must be spining like a top!). I am aghast and saddened that MOTS has apparently become the standard bearer for classical music ingenues????

Mike Oldfield is an under celebrated genius who has written, recorded and performed some of the world's most original, joyous, mournful, exciting, upsetting, gut-wrenching, tear-jerking, lively, funny, mind bending music in my universe - sadly, only the faintest of echoes are found on this travesty.

If, by faint chance, this is your first exposure to the wonder that is Oldfield, please, please, please treat yourself to one, more or all of Tubular Bells (an integral part of my life for 35 years), Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn, Platinum (George Gerswhin never could have known how wrenchingly beatiful I Got Rhythm could be when slowed to a crawl), Crises and, again, the hour long, singular delight that is Amarok.

Don't be misled and think that this is Mike Oldfield at his best and, please, don't let the cloth-eared nincompoops drag you down - explore the work of this man with an open mind and join in revering his extensive gifts elswhere beyond the repetitious scope of this piffle.

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