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
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