One record at a time: 322. Michael Oldfiled - Heaven's Open

When this album was being recorded Mike Oldfield was desperate to fulfil his contract and escape the clutches of Virgin Records. For this final outing, Oldfield returned to the tried and trusted formula of putting songs on one side of the record and a longer complex piece on the other.

However, to break the monotony, Mike attempted something new: he decided to sing. Despite not being known as a vocalist Mike's singing is reasonably accomplished and is certainly no worse than some of the guest singers on his previous albums. 

The songs themselves are all pretty good and only the faux reggae of "Gimme Back" sounds a bit clunky. Mike devotes one measly page of his autobiography to this album and the best he can say of it is that the title track "wasn't too bad". This summary is something of an understatement as "Heaven's Open" is a great song and Virgin even saw fit to release it as a single. I also like the drama of "No Dream" and the withering critique of  "Make Make" is hard to resist.

On the second side the track "Music from the Balcony" is one of the weakest pieces Oldfield ever wrote. This song sounds like he simply found a sample disc and decided to go to town with it. Terrible, terrible stuff. On the whole this isn't a bad record, but it definitely runs out of ideas after the first side. Still, once the album was delivered, Oldfield was free...2/5

One record at a time: 321. Mike Oldfield - Amorok

Having kowtowed to his record company when creating his previous album, Oldfield elected to go his own way for his next effort.

I have read that Oldfield teased Virgin Records that his new work could be "Ommadawn 2" and they became excited enough to suggest he should create the much anticipated follow up to "Tubular Bells"; but in the end his new work was neither of these. 

"Amarok" is one continuous piece that saw Oldfield go back to his prog rock roots. This move pleased his many fans but Virgin Records were less impressed and elected not to promote the album. 

Most of the sections on this album last about two minutes and, on the first side, "Fast Riff" from 18'00'' and "Fast Waltz" at 21'57'' are my favourites. There are some quite jarring stabs and effects in the music and the listener can never really relax. "Amorok" isn't always an easy ride. Whilst intended to be uninterrupted, the LP format necessitates an edit halfway through the piece and this robs it of a little momentum when compared to the compact disc.

The second side encompasses an infamous morse code message, an impression of Margaret Thatcher and "long thin metallic hanging tubes" - but it hardly sets the world on fire. To me this record has always felt a bit like Mike was just going through the motions to fulfil his recording contract. Yes, he still cared about the end product and the artistry that went into it, but this lacks heart and I find it hard to understand why it is so popular with his fanbase. 2/5

One record at a time: 320. Mike Oldfield - Earth Moving

The first I heard of this record was when the video for the title track was reviewed on a TV programme I was watching. The general consensus on the show was that Nikki Bentley had a good voice but the song was nothing special. As a teenage record buyer of the time I agreed and spent my money on S'Express or Pet Shop Boys singles instead. Yet, only a couple of years later, I did buy this album and I found plenty in it to interest me.

Having spent years badgering Mike Oldfield to record a follow up to "Tubular Bells", Virgin Records eventually switched track when the success of "Moonlight Shadow" proved he was more than a one trick pony. "Earth Moving" was released in 1989 in response to a demand for hit singles and, as a result, it features ten pop songs with no concession to the long form pieces traditionally associated with Oldfield.

Songs such as "Holy", "Far Country" and "Bridge to Paradise" have good melodies and even "Innocent" has its charms if you can forgive its slightly hokey lyrics. Elsewhere, songs such as "Hostage" and "Runaway Son" smack of a particular brand of clichéd rock that the melodies can't shake. Maggie Reilly is wasted on the lacklustre "Blue Night" and why the last two songs are listed as if they are part of the same composition is a complete mystery.

I was always a little fascinated by this record as it is one of few instances in which I can clearly hear presets from the Roland D-10. As I have mentioned on this blog before, the D-10 was one of the first 'real' synths I ever played and to hear the same kit being used by someone like Mike Oldfield was quite a revelation. Unsurprisingly there is also a fair few D-50 presets on here and there is also a splattering of Korg M1 - but I can't really discern much Fairlight. Anyway, the production was a little old fashioned for 1989 and despite some good songs, this album doesn't really impress too much. 3/5

One record at a time: 319. Mike Oldfield - Islands

From what I have read, there was some expectation that "Islands" would sell rather well when it was released in 1987. As a prelude to this success the title track was released as a single, but unexpectedly, it sank without a trace.

Given Mike's track record, I can see why people at Virgin Records would be confident of success. Yet, as we have seen with other artists, they just didn't read the bellwether. 

As "Islands" was released almost 15 years after Mike's debut, his core audience was clearly getting older and had potentially reached a stage in life where music represented an investment in time and money they could ill afford. Lots of people drift away from music as life becomes more complicated and this lead single was not likely to draw them back. 

As for new listeners, this record was released at a time when a generational change was occurring. The charts of the era were full of Stock, Aitken and Waterman and artists such as Steve 'Silk' Hurley and MARRS were signalling the emergence of dance music as a commercial force. This new pop audience were never, ever, going to buy a ponderous ballad sung by someone as 'uncool' as Bonnie Tyler (I know because I was part of this new generation). "Islands" was doomed on both fronts.

If we put the God awful title track to one side, there are some highlights to be found on this record. Side one is occupied by "Wind Chimes" Part 1 and Part 2 which have flashes of real genius amongst their many phases and ideas. To some extent "Part 2" is a big tease as it plays with a few of the motifs from "Tubular Bells" in a way that suggests the much anticipated "Tubular Bells II" was within reach. This must have pleased and frustrated Richard Branson in equal measure.

The b-side of the record has 5 pop songs which feature various singers. Anita Hegerland's vocals are a pretty close match to those of Maggie Reilly except for the strange pronunciation of certain words such as "north" which is off putting. Kevin Ayers' larynx are stretched to breaking point and beyond by the verses of the otherwise catchy "Flying Start" but the faux heavy rock of "Magic Touch" is a car crash in denim and poodle hair. This is a strange album with one side I enjoy and another that I really do not. 2/5

One record at a time: 318. Mike Oldfield - The Complete

As with most of Mike Oldfield's back catalogue, I first bought this album on CD in the early nineties. This double LP came into my possession about nine years ago and it is in very good condition. Despite its condition, the sound reproduction from these records isn't very good as the bass is muddy and seems to almost disappear at times - it's quite an odd experience listening to it.

Unlike the "Impressions" compilation I wrote about previously, this one was released by parent label Virgin Records in 1985 and offers a more comprehensive (but not complete) view of Mike's career up to that point. The first record centres material included on single releases with instrumentals on side a and songs on the other. Most of these tracks are the versions heard on their parent album but "Shadow On The Wall" is presented as the 12" version for some unknown reason.

One of things this record does is collect together a series of "non-album" singles such as "Mistake", "In Dulci Jubilo", "Portsmouth" and "Guilty". Of all the material on this first disc I am most taken with the seemingly discarded b-side "Jungle Gardenia" which is an amazing piece that oozes atmosphere.

On the second LP we have excerpts from longer form pieces such as "Ommadawn", "Hergest Ridge" and inevitably, "Tubular Bells". These edits and early fades tend to truncate each piece down to a four minute "highlight" that offers a less than satisfying experience. 

The most remarkable part of this compilation is the fourth side which features previously unheard live recordings. I find it interesting that the sleeve notes point out that these versions are "real live-recordings without further synchronisation or other repair- work" (sic). Why would Virgin find it necessary to point to the authenticity of these recordings on the sleeve? Assertions such as this make me more convinced that some skulduggery occurred when "Exposed" was mixed (as I hinted at in my post for that album).

So whilst this compilation pulls together some disparate threads, today there are other albums that offer a better précis of Oldfield's work. This value of this album is purely in its exclusive live recordings. 3/5

One record at a time: 317. Mike Oldfield - The Killing Fields (Original Film Soundtrack)

I bought this record quite cheaply from eBay in 2015 and it is in good condition. If you are a fan of Mike Oldfield or the movie "The Killing Fields" then this record will be of interest. If you don't fall into either of these camps then you are never likely to purchase this album.

This LP is a mix of orchestral pieces and cues written using the Fairlight CMI; there's surprisingly little guitar on here really.

One track that does feature Mike's guitar more prominently is "Étude" which is also one of the better known pieces from the record. Whilst not successful when released as a single, this song was used on a commercial in the early nineties and became a little more prominent as a result. It also seems to feature on most "Best of" compilations that have been released.

"Evacuation" was realised on the Fairlight and probably sounds better when heard alongside the visuals. There are some fine melodic elements, but the hard edged samples can be jarring at times. The delicate melody of "Pran's Theme" is very impressive and there are some fine arrangements by David Bedford on pieces such as "Requiem for a City".

The cues on this record are highly accomplished and I suspect the only reason Mike didn't score for more films was that he was simply too busy. However, soundtrack albums tend to be less entertaining when isolated from the visuals and this one is no exception. 2/5

One record at a time: 316. Mike Oldfield - Discovery

Having fallen in love with the album "Crises", I was keen on hearing the follow up "Discovery" from 1984. Yet when I did finally buy this album I was left rather disappointed. My copy of the LP is a fairly ordinary European pressing from the time of release that I bought from eBay in 2014.

I seem to remember reading in Mike's autobiography that he came under pressure from the record company to write more pop songs after the success of "Moonlight Shadow" so we end up with an album that consists of seven pop songs and one extended instrumental. 

Of these songs, "To France" is probably the highlight with its Fairlight bass, tremolo mandolin and Maggie Reilly's familiar focal delivery. I like "Crystal Gazing" as it has some amazing drumming from co-producer Simon Phillips and a great vocal from Reilly once again.

Most of the other songs are sung by Barry Palmer and - how can I put this politely? - his delivery is not to my taste. "Poison Arrows", "Saved by a Bell" and the title track were never going to set the charts on fire but when you add Palmer's strained vocal they end up sounding very messy indeed. The single "Tricks of the Light" can be entertaining if I am in the right mood, but it still wears Palmer's vocal like a hair shirt.

"The Lake" turns into Status Quo mixed with The Shadows and even seems to imitate the 'magic break' from "In The Air Tonight" at one stage. There are some nice passages within this piece but it isn't anywhere close to Oldfield's best. 2/5