Mike Oldfield CD releases

Whilst writing a recent post about "Platinum" - I began to wonder when Mike Oldfield's back catalogue was first released on compact disc in the UK. Unfortunately I couldn't find an answer on the internet - so decided to see if I could find out myself. 

As I began this work I started to make lots of notes and tried to edit them into some sort of post for this blog. Unfortunately the text read like a stream of consciousness and it was boring for me to read, let alone anyone else. 

Instead of a long post about my Mike Oldfield research I have decided to simply present the results. If you can fill in the blanks then do let me know. I've tried to work from contemporary sources and cross reference where I can.

Sources:

Dark Star https://www.mikeoldfield.org/ Fan site that led me up a few cul-de-sacs but also helped get some of the chronology right

Official Charts https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/ Authoritative but not too much depth of information. Helped corroborate probable release dates

Music Week archive at Worldradiohistory.com An absolute mine of information - shame all records for 1983 are missing. My go to resource.

Discogs Like any community led site, the data is subject to the vagaries of those that contribute, but is generally very useful for images

"Mike Oldfield Every Album, every song" (2020) Ryan Yard Highly recommend book written by someone who knows the subject matter intimately and understands music theory. Also manages to not be patronising.

One record at a time: 311. Mike Oldfield - Platinum

I own a rather battered copy of the second pressing of "Platinum" from 1979. The fact that this is the second pressing is significant because on this version the sleeve and labels list a song called "Sally" - but the record actually plays another track called "Into Wonderland".

The story goes that "Sally" was initially included on the album but Richard Branson didn't like it and had it replaced. However, this change was made whilst the record was still being pressed and initial copies (thought to be around 30,000) containing "Sally" had already been distributed. 

A new master with the revised running order was finally cut, but the pressing plant continued to use the labels and sleeves from the first batch. This is how we end up with a record that doesn't play what is listed on the artwork. There is also a third pressing (presumably created when all of the incorrect sleeves and labels had been used up) that fixes the issue.

This album was first released on CD in 1985 and for some bizarre reason the errors on the second pressing of the LP were repeated on the CD sleeve. In fact, the correct tracklisting wasn't included on CD artwork until 2011.

The music on this record is generally lighter than previous efforts and you can even hear some disco influences lurking here and there. I had never really considered what a departure this record was until I began listening to Mike's back catalogue in the order they were released. To some degree this new style is attributable to changes in Mike's personal life, but the use of session musicians from New York must also have been a significant factor.

The first side of the record features the title track which is split into four parts. "Charleston" is one of the most immediate pieces, but the dated backing vocals and disco bassline detract from the sound somewhat. The final section of "Platinum" is one of the best tracks on the record and it builds to a very satisfying crescendo. "Finale" is listed as a co-write as the choir section towards the end is taken from a piece called "North Star" by Philip Glass.

Another change on this album is the break away from long form compositions and the inclusion of shorter pieces. The second side of this record is occupied by two instrumentals and two songs - "Woodhenge" is my favourite. You can hear the excised "Sally" on YouTube and I have to say, I quite like it. Yes it is a little light hearted and disposable, but I wouldn't say "Into Wonderland" is any better. 3.5/5

One record at a time: 310. Mike Oldfield - Exposed

One of the things I find fascinating about this record is the sticker. It shows how much things have changed that 100,000 copies of a record could be considered a 'limited edition'. If anyone but Taylor Swift were to press 100,000 copies of a record today they would have enough stock to last until their great-great-grand children were still around. 

As I understand it, this record was initially pressed as a limited run to recoup some of the costs incurred on the tour that Oldfield embarked on post "Incantations". However the record sold so well that Virgin continued to press it and it finally paid off the debt ten years later. My copy is an original pressing from 1979 and is in great condition. This is a SQ Quadraphonic record but sorting out a decoder and the witchcraft required to hear that effect isn't worth the effort.

I've also read online that elements of this record aren't live as the Manor Mobile couldn't record all of the sources on stage - so the multi tracks of "Incantations" were used to fly in the missing elements during the mixing. There is also a suggestion that this nefarious activity resulted in the multi track tapes being lost or damaged and thus the 2011 reissue of "Incantations" didn't include a new mix as with previous albums. I have no idea if its true as reading things on the internet is the twenty first century equivalent of hearing something from a bloke down the pub - but it would explain one or two things.

The cut-down versions of "Incantations" sound remarkably good here and you can't help but wonder at the chops of the performers. Inevitably the second LP contains a live version of "Tubular Bells" and I have no doubt this contributed to the success of the album. The use of drums is probably the most startling difference to the studio recording but there are all kinds of embellishments and changes that you ether love or loathe. "Part Two" is trimmed right down to a lean eleven minutes and is much more upbeat than the album version. I'm no purist and don't regard the original as sacrosanct, but this rendition of "Tubular Bells" isn't to my taste. We finish on a high with the disco tinged joy of "Guilty". 3/5

One record at a time: 309. Mike Oldfield - Incantations

By 1978 the British music press considered Mike Oldfield passée and unfashionable. If you believed some, punk was now king and progressive rock was finished. This shift in attitude was mirrored in the boardroom of Virgin records and as a result, Oldfield lost confidence and found it difficult to complete his new project "Incantations". Yet the music on this album is some of the best Oldfield ever produced and its beauty belies the struggle that led to its creation.

I own an original pressing and the double "ultra clear" vinyl released for Record Store Day in 2021. The newer copy carries a remastered version of the album but, contrary to what the promo sticker might suggest, this is not a new mix. Oldfield geeks might also like to know that the clear vinyl doesn't feature the glitches in Part 4 that were present on the first batches of the remastered CD and vinyl from 2011.

The haunting vocal chord that opens "Part One" makes for a stunning start and the complex flute melody immediately grabs the listener and doesn't seem to let go. For the first time synths feature prominently in Mike's music and their sound perfectly balanced against the strings, African drums and guitar. The "Diana" section in the middle of Part One is hypnotic and I find it strangely moving.

Some people are critical of the repetitive nature of the music on this record and accuse Oldfield of dwelling on ideas for too long. In his autobiography Mike points out that "Tubular Bells" works in a similar way to trance music in that it goes "on and on" and builds an atmosphere that pulls on a spiritual element of some sort. I think this is actually more applicable to "Incantations" and the repetitive nature of the music can be quite magical in places.

On side two we are immediately confronted with the sound of a Roland SH-2000 clarinet preset and bubbling arpeggios from an ARP 2600 sequenced via an EMS Synthi 256. We eventually hear the "Diana" theme resurrected before suddenly cutting to African drums and the haunting marimba that introduces the "Hiawatha" section. Maddy Prior provides a vocal that is as pure as the driven snow with occasional passages of acoustic guitar or Solina string ensemble breaking the monotony. It's only when this piece ends that I realise how captivated I am by it and find myself thinking, "Why did it have to end?"

The second disc opens with a completely different style of music that is much more bombastic before settling into an extended guitar solo underpinned by marimbas. There's some complex time signatures thrown in here and there but this is my least favourite section of the album. The final part on side four is driven along by a vibraphone and guitar before the "Hiawatha" theme bring things to a close. This album isn't perfect, but for me it is in the top three of those by Oldfield. 4/5

One record at a time: 308. Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn

I own an original pressing of "Ommadawn" along with the remixed version from the "Boxed" box set. The "Boxed" version is the one that has traditionally released on CD, but I prefer the original 1975 mix.

Having scored a worldwide hit with "Tubular Bells" in 1973, Mike Oldfield struggled to create a follow up and "Hergest Ridge" was considered a disappointment by some (even if it did get to number one in the charts and sell over 100,000 copies). 

With "Ommadawn", Oldfield was trying create a more worthy successor to his magnum opus and prove his artistic credibility wasn't just a flash in the pan. Happily, he succeeded and if "Hergest Ridge" was a washed out watercolour, then "Ommadawn" is painted in rich oils. 

For me this album is also interesting as it marks the first use of synthesizers in Mike's music with ARP 2600 and a Solina string ensemble featured - all be it sparingly - throughout both sides of the record. 

Most of the action here is on the first side of the record as the fist movement bristles with ideas and Oldfiled throws the aural kitchen sink at us with marimbas, vocals, African drums and his distinctive guitar solos. This is great stuff and, for me, it is even slightly better than the mighty "Tubular Bells". Part two is also brimming with ideas and sounds especially good when Mike kicks into a major scale and dons his guitar. Twelve minutes into side two we can clearly hear the ARP 2600 as, to my ears, it sounds far more majestic than the acoustic instruments that surround it. 

As the music progresses I find the "Northumbrian Bagpipes" become a little grating but this is a small gripe. Things finish with the whimsical "Horse Song" (it wasn't christened "On Horseback" until much later) but I find it a little awkward and it doesn't sit well when held up against the brilliance that has gone before. 4/5

One record at a time: 307. Mike Oldfield - Hergest Ridge

Here I am playing Mike Oldfield's second album "Hergest Ridge". My 1974 pressing was bought from eBay six years ago and is in pretty rough shape. I know someone called Stan used to own this album as he has written his name on the front cover. 

I'm guessing Stan wrote on his records because he lent them to friends and was keen that they be returned (I hope his friends weren't making illegal cassette recordings - although home taping wasn't killing music just yet). The concept of keeping ephemera such as records in pristine condition wasn't really around fifty years ago.

I also own the remixed version of this album included in the 1976 box set "Boxed". This record is generally in better condition but a previous owner (not Stan) has written the title on the inner sleeve in ball point pen. Thankfully it is now illegal to write on records.

I can't really discern much difference between the different mixes on these records (or even the 2010 mix Oldfield made when the album was re-released on CD) but then this is probably because I don't play them very often.

Like many of Oldfield's early albums, "Hergest Ridge" is split into two parts that shift between different movements and various styles. The music on this record is much less "rock" than its illustrious predecessor and the use of strings, woodwind and vocals point to an ambition to move in a new direction. Alas the ideas presented here aren't strong enough and the ambition isn't really realised. It's no secret that Oldfield struggled for inspiration after creating his magnum opus and this album lacks focus as a result. Everything here just washes over you: it's neither offensive nor exciting - it's just there. I imagine it's the kind of thing people would put on as background music for an early seventies dinner party. 2/5

One record at a time: 306. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells

I've been counting down to listening to the Mike Oldfield section of my collection for a while now. Since Mike has retired it has made me reevaluate his music and I realise I have underappreciated him over the years. I guess we always miss something more when it's gone.

In my youth I would spend ages poring over the LP of "Tubular Bells" in record shops and wonder what it sounded like. It wasn't until I acquired the album on CD back in 1989 that I actually got to hear it. 

This vinyl was released in 2009 and seems to play the original 1973 mix rather than the remixed version Oldfield produced in the same year. I say "it seems to play" as this pressing is so bad it is almost impossible to discern what is going on. The crackles, pops and surface noise are so bad you could consider it as unfit for purpose. Condition isn't an issue as the disc is spotlessly clean and, due to its poor performance, it has only been played a handful of times: it is just a terrible pressing. If I want to listen to this album I invariably play digital files or spin the version included in the "Boxed" box set - anything other than this GZ Media monstrosity. 

The music on this record is familiar to millions, but if you aren't aware of it I recommend you play it a few times on streaming services. Whilst "Tubular Bells" might not sound groundbreaking to twenty first century ears, records like this were seldom heard fifty years ago. When you then consider the fact that Mike played all of the instruments himself, this becomes a seriously impressive piece of work.

Having said that, the first time I heard "Tubular Bells" I was rather disappointed at how acoustic and 'rock' it was. I was a massive Jean Michel Jarre fan at the time and I naively assumed that this might be similar in style. Despite not really fitting with my taste, this record did eventually grow on me and kickstarted a long relationship with Mike's music. As I dug further into Mike's back catalogue I realised his music had become increasingly electronic during the eighties but retained enough of his virtuoso guitar skills to set him apart. I'm looking forward to listening to those records again. The music on this record gets a 4/5 but the pressing receives 0/5.