jeff@dciem.UUCP (Jeff Richardson) (07/28/83)
Somebody asked about Mike Oldfield a few months ago. I just read it
today, so I hope this is not too late. It should be of interest to
somebody anyway. I have been a big fan of this unique composer/musician
for several years, and his 1982 concert here (Toronto) was by far my
all-time favourite concert. I have all of albums, which are listed
below. I'm not sure which are available in the U.S., but they're
probably pretty much the same as what's available here.
1. Tubular Bells (1973) parts were used in "The Exorcist"
2. Hergest Ridge (1974) deleted here, but still available as an import
3. Ommadawn (1975)
4. Boxed (1976) a 4-record set including his first 3 albums, plus a
disk of collaborations with David Bedford & others
and a very informative book on Oldfield. import only.
5. Incantations (1978) 2-record set. Available only on import.
6. Exposed (1979) 2-record live album including Tubular Bells & Incantations
7. Platinum (1979) available on import only
8. Airborn (1980) Canadian version of Platinum, with 2 songs substituted
9. QE2 (1980)
10. Five Miles Out (1982)
11. Crises (1983)
Tubular Bells, Ommadawn, and the last 4 are still available domestically
in Canada. He underwent a significant change in style in 1979. He added
more of a rock element and the music since then seems to have much more
power and energy than the older stuff, but the basic elements of the
distinct Mike Oldfield sound are still there. Lately, he has done a
few shorter songs, including some pop songs like Family Man, which was
a hit here last year. (It was later done by Hall & Oates, but the
original is far superior.) Tubular Bells and Five Miles Out are both
among my top five albums of all-time, and Ommadawn is almost as good.
I also recommend Platinum and Crises. They are the two with the most
variety of musical styles on them. If you like those, Exposed is also
worth checking out if you cv
can find it for a good price. The live version of Tubular Bells is
extremely different from the original because it's done in his new
style. Of the other 3, QE2 is good but disappointing because all the
songs sound pretty much the same, and Hergest Ridge and Incantations
are not very interesting. You have to be a real Mike Oldfield freak
like me to appreciate them. The live and studio Incantations are almost
the same, but the live version is better mainly because it has the whole
studio version shortened to one disk, which was the way it should have
been done in the first place. Sorry to go on song long, but I'm sure
anyone who is interested in Oldfield will appreciate the run-down.
If there are any other Oldfield freaks out there, I'd like to hear
your opinions.
Jeff Richardson