Happy?
July 13, 2012 2:51 PM Subscribe
Right then, MeFi'ers, your task for the weekend, should you choose to acccept it, is to dig out your copy of Mike Oldfield's "Amarok" because once more iTunes has thrown it at me via shuffle and I've just happily lost an hour to, frankly, a slice of musical genius. You should too, especially as it's lurking on YouTube.
Some background, via wikipedia:
Virgin Records had been trying to convince Oldfield to release a sequel to Tubular Bells, though probably more for the name recognition than anything else, particularly as Oldfield's contract was due to expire. Instead, he created an album that seems to have been designed to be as much a delight to his fans as it was a frustration to Virgin.
It is next to impossible to isolate any one short, radio-friendly section of Amarok without it seeming out of place, and thus no single could be cut and released separately, nor could the album ever be played on popular radio... Oldfield had expressed many times his displeasure at Virgin's lack of promotion of his works, and Amarok might have been his revenge: a completely unmarketable album that still showcased his talent as a composer and performer.
This is a piece of music that I can find something new in every time I sit down and listen to it. Everyone knows Tubular Bells, but Oldfield can do so much more. Like this. Revisit it if you have it already, if you've never heard it before... 1) find a really good pair of headphones, 2) find a darkened room, and 3) try not to be interrupted for an hour.
Some background, via wikipedia:
Virgin Records had been trying to convince Oldfield to release a sequel to Tubular Bells, though probably more for the name recognition than anything else, particularly as Oldfield's contract was due to expire. Instead, he created an album that seems to have been designed to be as much a delight to his fans as it was a frustration to Virgin.
It is next to impossible to isolate any one short, radio-friendly section of Amarok without it seeming out of place, and thus no single could be cut and released separately, nor could the album ever be played on popular radio... Oldfield had expressed many times his displeasure at Virgin's lack of promotion of his works, and Amarok might have been his revenge: a completely unmarketable album that still showcased his talent as a composer and performer.
This is a piece of music that I can find something new in every time I sit down and listen to it. Everyone knows Tubular Bells, but Oldfield can do so much more. Like this. Revisit it if you have it already, if you've never heard it before... 1) find a really good pair of headphones, 2) find a darkened room, and 3) try not to be interrupted for an hour.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Heya, a link to a widely-blocked youtube of an album is not really a workable basis for a post. -- cortex
Blocked here in the states too.
posted by octothorpe at 2:54 PM on July 13, 2012
posted by octothorpe at 2:54 PM on July 13, 2012
I coulda sworn this was going to be a Linux thread. I'd be interested in hearing the namesake of the program that utterly destroyed my mp3 collection, alas it is blocked on this end too.
posted by carsonb at 2:57 PM on July 13, 2012
posted by carsonb at 2:57 PM on July 13, 2012
It sounds like a really cool album, though.
posted by Kevin Street at 2:57 PM on July 13, 2012
posted by Kevin Street at 2:57 PM on July 13, 2012
It's not blocked here in the UK but unfortunately I Do Not Like The Mike Oldfield. I will dig out my copy of Mogwai Young Team instead.
posted by mippy at 2:57 PM on July 13, 2012
posted by mippy at 2:57 PM on July 13, 2012
I never said it woulld be an easy mission! It's kicking around iTunes and Amazon as well, and yes, there's only one track.. at 60 minutes and 2 seconds long.
posted by ewan at 3:00 PM on July 13, 2012
posted by ewan at 3:00 PM on July 13, 2012
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posted by juv3nal at 2:53 PM on July 13, 2012 [1 favorite]