"Five Miles Out" is a fine illustration of how diverse Mike Oldfield's talent really was. This album contains virtuoso guitar performances, catchy pop songs, complex
instrumentals and synth wizardry of the highest order.
Unsurprisingly I enjoy this album because of the widespread use of electronic instruments and the sound of the Fairlight CMI is a particular highlight. I have written posts on here
before about my mild obsession with the Fairlight
and records like this have contributed to this fascination over the years.
The first half of this record is occupied by the monumental "Taurus II" which, despite the title, only features occasional references to the theme from "Taurus I" on "QE2". The Fairlight CMI is heard immediately on the opening track with the slide whistle sample "SWANEE" and growling strings featured heavily.
As the theme develops we hear the familiar vocals of Maggie Reilly alongside vocoder and a Linn LM-1 drum machine. There's a curious fade of the volume at 4'51'' that I always thought was a mistake, but I now realise it is to allow emphasis on the section that follows. Things move along almost effortlessly and it is only when you find yourself listening to the sound of Uilleann Pipes and Morris dancing that you realise the track has developed somewhat from the opening. There's a disco influenced section at about eighteen minutes before we return to the main theme and the conclusion of the fist side of the record.
The second side features the brilliant pop song "Family Man" which is probably better known as the Hall & Oats cover version. Whilst this original rendition is far superior musically, it didn't have a glitzy video to push it into American living rooms so wasn't as commercially successful as a result.
"Orabidoo" is a weird extended lullaby that is closest to a disappointment on the album. "Mount Teidi" is a nice tune but Carl Palmer's drumming dominates a bit too much for me. The title track takes the theme from "Taurus II" and develops it into a pop song about a real life experience of flying through a storm in a light aircraft. Interestingly "Five Miles Out" also features Mike on lead vocals alongside Maggie Reilly.
You'll notice the difference in the colour of the sleeves for these two records. This is because one is the original pressing from 1981 and the other a 180g repressing from 2013. As usual, the modern version is a poorer quality image than the original and the vinyl isn't much better. If you like this album I would always encourage you to pick up a copy of the original LP as it has a fascinating gatefold sleeve that reveals the studio tracklist for "Taurus II" on the inside. 4/5
