DISCOVERY

A great big sigh for this album. Up until this point, despite that Virgin tried to commandeer some of Mike's music (covers on QE2, "Sally", side two of Crises, etc.), he continued to put out 4 and 5 star albums. This is where it all went wrong. Discovery is just not a good album. The first seven tracks are awful and not prog at all. The last track, while slightly proggy, is nowhere near Oldfield's previous standard of quality. In my eyes, this one should be down there with Invisible Touch and Love Beach in the "Are these really the same guys?" pile. Oldfield would redeem himself, but it would take a few years. Avoid this one at all costs... unless you're a "completionist", that is.