AMAROK

here is the best Mike Oldfield album ever!!.this album is much more than a music CD, is a critic to his boss, Richard Branson. In that 60 minutes song you could hear many different types of music, especeally great the last 10 minutes with african drums and choirs, amazing. in minute 48 you could hear a morse which say to his boss [%*!#] OFF R.B.Incredible! This is a must for anyone.Highly recommended!!!

As the warning stipulates "This record could be hazardous to the health of cloth-eared nincompoops" and this is certainly true. "Amarok" is yet another masterpiece from OLDFIELD. Once again OLDFIELD has put thousands of instruments and instrumental sections together in one very long but superb song. "Amarok" contains lots of the pattented OLDFIELD characteristics that we have all come to love and appreciate. The melodies are lush and very captivating moving through many different moods. "Amarok" has no constraints around it and obviously Mike was free to take this piece in any direction. Some absolute stunning symphonic rock moments which will make you shiver. This cd is perfect for those nights when you want to sit and stare out into the sky at the stars.

Well how many re-recordings were performed here? Probably a lot and moreover such recordings were almost equal to those ones of "Dark Side of the Moon" by PINK FLOYD. Nevertheless, unlike these latter, the present album is the output of a one man band only, involved with the whole wide range of guitars. Another modern and essential issue!!

Unbelievable! 60 minutes of incredible music! There is only one song! The airs are never the same, always full of surprises! This music is EXTREMELY progressive! There are so many instruments involved: there are TONS of acoustic string, percussive and wind instruments, all perfectly matched with an advanced keyboards technology! Mike relies again on his famous sublime female vocalists of the 70's: Clodagh Simmonds and Bridget St- John among others: they produce TONS of catchy, addictive and graceful chant.

This is Mike Oldfield's best album! Right now, it is my 3rd all-time best record! You want to know what is genius? Well, listen to this album!! The music is very complex and it brings me many pleasant emotions. I can't ask for more! There are NO fillers! We almost can say: "The daydream guarantee is your cash refund"!!! This music is not for simpleminded people! You must have a certain intelligence to appreciate all this complex structure! If you listen it in your 200$ radio and dare to rate it 2 stars, then shame on you!!

THIS MUSIC IS NOT FOR THE CLOTH EARED NINCOMPOOP!!!!!!!

EXTREMELY RECOMMENDED!

Since day one (the day I purchased it), 'Amarok' is my absolute Oldfield fav album of all- time... and let me tell you that I am lost in love with such classics as his first four studio recordings. But the way he said goodbye to the 80s in 'Amarok' is simply astonishing beyond imagination. All the Oldfield ingredients are here: varied compositions, peculiar sensibility towards diverse folk sources (Celtic, Flamenco. African, Asian), exquisite treatment of electric sources (rock, blues), interesting use of special effects and weird stuff, of course excellent performances on all sorts of guitars, keyboards and other gears... and yet, Olfield manages to take these things to the most bizarre level ever. The way each section is connected through abrupt contrasts and cuts over and over again is cleverly designed to drive your aesthetic perception to a state of overwrought disbelief. Well, sometimes the transitions are smooth and perfectly fluid. Two examples: the link between the Dixieland ukelele portion and the dissonant banjo sequence; and the link between the Flamenco tour-de-force and the Greek party section, which softly leads to a calm, eerie piano section. But generally speaking, the name of this album's game is deconstruction. Finally, it all ends with the emergence of the three final African sections, where the invitation is clear: "dance and enjoy, release yourself from all the previous emotional tension". Once I read in an Oldfield-devoted web site this brief review on 'Amarok': "Happy? Happy!" - well, this simple statement summarizes my diagnose very accurately.

P.S.: A special mention goes to those weird multilayered guitar effects shaped as abrupt brass counterpoints, that appear now and then as unexpected flashes of lightning. Some of them were aligned in order to create a (deservedly obscene) Morse Code message sent to Virgin "dictator" R.B.

The first Oldfield album since 'Crises' that I can listen to in it's entirety without getting bored.Someone described this as 'Tubular Bells one and a half' and they have a point.It follows in that same tradition and is basically a return to the instrumental side long suites that epitomised his seventies output.And it doesn't dissapoint.Mike has clearly learnt much from his foray into commercial music and is now able to enbue his music with a warmth that truly involves the listener.Whereas before you needed a degree of perseverance now the music just flows beautifully.Also Oldfield is prepared to be self effacing and not as much up himself as in earlier days when he was something of an 'upstart'.This is a mature and sometimes funny work that still displays all the man's immense talent.Highly recommended.

An album like this comes along but once in a lifetime and we should all feel privileged that it came along in ours. After ten years of compromising his music to satisfy record company A&R men, in 1990 Mike Oldfiled burst out of his chains and produced a work of true unshackled genius. Amarok is a tour de force in compositional ingenuity: one hour of continuous music in which a few themes are intertwined and woven together to form a rich sonic tapestry of considerable complexity and beauty. Stylistically the music crosses over continents: Celtic/Irish; African, Greek, Bluegrass, country, reggae ambient, 12-bar boogies, soaring orchestral peaks, simple pentatonic folk melodies, all blended together and "Oldfield-ised" to produce some of the most life-affirming music ever recorded. Apart from African drums and choirs and some penny whistle, Oldfield plays everything on this album. The guitar playing is particularly exceptional -- Oldfield really is one of the most unique but sadly underrated guitarist around. The album's also full of unusual instrumentation and sounds effects, none of which are samples as many people mistakenly believe. In my opinion Amarok is one of the greatest artistic achievements of the last century. If you haven't heard it, I urge, nay, COMMAND you to go and give it at least TEN listens then try and tell me I'm wrong. I give this one ***********************************x100.

A good album with one song on it. Mike has used a huge amount of instruments or however you should call it. A little impression of the unusual instruments here: Glass, shoes, toothbrush and teeth, face slap, toy dog, a glass of water, spoons etc. etc. However he used a lot of different objects to make music I think it is a rather empty album with a view climaxes in it. The best one at the end when Margaret Tacher begins to speak. Well... I know how a toothbrush sounds and how a spoon sounds since I use it regularly. I think three stars is well deserved because it is worth listening more than once I must admit. I bought this record in the early '90's after listen to it with a friend of my. But after playing the album a dozen of times within a view years I have to say that I miss a view things on this album. I think the tempo could have been much better, I have to wait to long for the climax and instead of that I get a pair of shoes a toothbrush and a glass of water! Thanks Mike! Anyway good, but not essential.

Just when you thought Oldield was sliding irreversably down the slippery slope after the nightmarish ' Earth Moving' album he returns in 1990 with this masterpiece. It just proves what a genius he is and I guess he has nothing to prove so if like with the Earth Moving album he was catering very much to ' cloth eared ninkompoops' as in the sleeve of Amorok quite evidently this time he is not. This is a 60 minute jumbled masterpiece from beginning to end. It is hard to define it as it is one song throughout and only after repeated listens do you find the genius at play.The guitar solo's are beautiful, the sound effects apt and humorous as he takes the piss on Virgin record mogul Richard Branson, but more importantly the work of music put to disc is a stunning achievment. Definitely along with Ommadawn and Incantations one of his top three albums.

I honestly did not know what I was going to hear when I placed this CD in my player for the first time. Reading the various reviews of this disk here, I was ready for whatever noise came out of the speakers.

I was pleasantly surprised throughout almost the entirity of the disk. Although Mr. Oldfield does provide a fairly schizophrenic listen, the changes in the themes throughout this disk generally make sense. As usual, his musicianship is apparent regardless of the instrument being played. I especially like the sections where the bass is front and center, as well as the African drum passages. This release keeps the listener on his or her toes for the full one hour playing time.

While I personally find this recording fascinating, I limit my rating to four stars because it is definitely not for everyone. At one hour long, the listener has to commit to listening to it. You can't easily pick it up where you left off, because there is no context throughout, other than what came before it. I can't even tell what parts of this disk I like, as I couldn't find them again myself without listening to the whole thing. Also, the bursts of guitar and keyboards throughout, as well as other randomly placed sounds, may throw off the casual listener.

If you are willing to devote time and attention to this recording, though, it will reward you greatly.

A formula for success?

I found "Amarok" to be something of a disappointment. The usual ingredients are here, with each side (I have the cassette version) consisting of a single track, which moves through various moods and sounds.

Unfortunately, the composition as a whole is weak and disjointed. Oldfield sounds as if he has run out of ideas, and is merely composing by the numbers. The actual performance is, as you would expect highly competent, with the guitar work in particular being notable. The inclusion of female choral style voices also offers a pleasant diversion. There are however, too many jarring changes of tempo and sound, and too much noodling with superfluous effects.

Had this been one of Oldfield's first albums, I would probably have enjoyed it more, and rated it more highly. For me though, by the time of this album, Oldfield reckoned he had found a formula for making albums, and stuck to it a bit too rigidly. This was to some extent later evidenced by Oldfield's own attitude to his work in various interviews, where he indicated he had become bored with his own musical style.

While "Amarok" has many of the qualities you would expect from a Mike Oldfield album, the key one which appears to be missing is inspiration. When compared to albums such as "Tubular bells", "Ommadawn" and "The songs of distant earth", "Amarok" does not stand up well with its illustrious peers.

Oldfield's personal and creative history aside, looking at this album as a stand alone sonic phenomenon and not a reactionary or tongue-in-cheek move on his part, 'Amarok' stands as perhaps the greatest album ever made.

It's either this or 'Ommadawn'.

This sixty minutes (and it is sixty, not fifty) of music immerses the listener in a truly epic onslaught of the most diverse, multi-layered, intricately textured and exquisitely performed sounds I have heard on record. The depth is astounding (a very common response to this music is how much it can be scrutinised and yet continually reveal fresh subtleties) and presents a vast landscape of emotions and perceptions without even the faintest need for lyrics - Oldfield's mastery of every instrument he touches offers far more than any voice could. On good albums, there are always certain points where several factors of melody, harmony, timing, instrumentation and atmosphere combine in an extra special way, give that little something more, and a memorable moment is born. Every constituent segment of 'Amarok' is like this... so much attention and vision has been put into shaping each theme, each change, making it a rather challenging but supremely rewarding listen.

While the running length of this piece will intrigue some, the gentle sounds will suit some people as easy listening, and Oldfield's unmistakable guitar playing will impress your friends, 'Amarok' meets standards far above and beyond this as a serious masterwork of the musical artform.

A must for all mortals of worth - music doesn't come much better than this, and you've heard nothing like it before.

AMAROK - OUTSTANDING! I missed the first wave of Oldfield albums. I was too young to be into Prog music in '73 when TB came out. I didn't get my first Oldfield album until 1993 - TB2 (which I still think is better than the original - yikes!). But having had 11 or so years to plumb the depths of one of the great musical masterminds of modern music, I've come to the conclusion that Amarok is Oldfield's "Sergeant Pepper", this is Oldfield's Symphony #9, the ending, his Ode to Joy. It's Mike at his creative best. He pulls out all the stops. I even gained a new found respect for Maggie Thatcher - this album was the first time she made me laugh! (Charming!) This album is too complex and layered to describe here. In fact, I dare you, after even 20 listens, to give a "description" of the album. The best I can do is explain my emotions after listening to it: fear, exhilaration, perplexity, joviality, thoughtfulness, and oh yes . . . HAPPY!

By this stage in his career Mike OLDFIELD was struggling with his musical direction. There is no doubting his talent. Ommadawn and Tubular Bells are classic symphonic progressive pieces, and he proved he could write decent pop music during the 1980s. However, after two poor records (1987's Islands and 1989's Earth Moving), this album comes as a pleasant surprise.

Amarok features one 60-minute composition, harking back to his symphonic period. OLDFIELD enlists the help of people who appreared on his 1970s work, including Clodagh Simonds, Bridget St. John and, most notably, Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains. However, Amarok is not one organic, beautiful whole in the way his first four albums were. It is a more troublesome beast, sitting uncomfortably on the boundary between familiarity and experimentation. Many of his touches are awkward or just plain silly. When he returns to his symphonic roots, as he does in the last twenty minutes of this work, he is once again brilliant, though arguably bordering on self-parody. In the end, the music suffers from OLDFIELD'S thin skin, and sounds like an effort to be all things to all people. When he decided to ignore his critics and write beautiful music the results were glorious, as he proved in 1993 with Tubular Bells II and again in 1996 with Songs of Distant Earth. What a pity he didn't make this the wonderful record it so nearly was.

DOWN RIGHT ALSOME! Amorok is a large chunck of music perfictaly crafted and shaped and turned into a fantastic rythm of music that often changes. this abum was part of my farthers collection and i picked it up one day and listened to it. i loved it and i still do. my favourite part comes at 43.08 with a slow steady bass rythm mixed in with piano sounds lead up to a huge guitar rythm and keeps getting louder and has the best sound. another similar to this comes at 49.42 but theres heaps more. almost the whole album is great music. but i need some guidence PEOPLE OUT THERE, i only have Amorok and want to listen to somthing with the same quility as it by mike oldfield, please tell me a good choice of his albums that is as good as Aorok or better if you think. but i t would be hard for me to think there is a better album than AMOROK!

Amarok is probebly the best peice of music created by mike oldfield, this contains a huge range of insterments. it has a very nice soft chating sounds and also has bursts of the guitar and moments of complete pounding music that you would think twelve people are playing. it is very similar to its sequel Omadawn, but Amarok goes places Omadawn couldn't go and has exrtemly skilled guitar and even piano in the bulk of the album, and even though this recording goes for an hour thats an hour of complete engoyment and happyness. if you see this on a shelf in a store don't think twice. Extreamly recomended!!!

I'm only 19 years old and I'm one of the rare who listen to prog music at my age. All my friends listen to punk or hip hop music and it really sucks... All these words to say that this mike oldfield's album is my best album of all. I think that what we have here is better than thick as a brick, close to the edge, foxtrot or all those classic albums. Wow, a 60 minute piece and its good from the beginning to the end. This album is perfect. there's no repetitive sounds like we can find on incantations, the melody is changing every 2-3 minutes and it's so good. The end is so really fantastic. I dont think that any prog fan can dislike this masterpiece... It's impossible. I listen to this album 2-3 times a week since 1 year when i do my homeworks in my big headphones, the volume at the max and it's better eveytime. If you liked tb, ommadawn, hergest ridge and incantations, you will love this album. Highly recommanded!!!

(sorry for my english writing, english isn't my first langage)

P.S. this is not a 4.5 or 4.99 stars....It's a 5 stars

Amarok & Ommadawn. Which is the best Mike Oldfield album? It's very difficult to choose. Amarok in fact was originally conceived as OMMADAWN II. The first time I heard Amarok, I was listening with all the attention. I was completely blown away. The album has 1 track, exactly 60 minutes long, divided in a myriad of short sections. The other reviews roughly described its structure. In fact, the first time you listen to it, it may sound like a disjointed mess. However, the more you listen, the more you notice the album's structure. Like Mike usually does on his long instrumental works, there are many themes that are repeated in different arrangements. The album can be divided in 3 or 4 sections, limited by the Fast Riff sections (Fast Riff Intro, Fast Riff, Fast Riff Reprise). The final part of the album is called Africa, it's been described before. You can find a list of the 52 SECTIONS easily on the net. Mike Oldfield is very keen on climaxes, and on this album he manages some of the most cathartic ones, specially in the very end of the album. Amarok has a sense of humour unheard since Mike's very first album, Tubular Bells, 1973. In some moments, you can listen to sounds of toys, toothbrushes etc. you can hear him saying a "nice" thing to the manager of his label, in morse code. There's even a short section called "mad bit". The Thatcher impersonation is very nice and funny. She says a slightly philosophical speech; I won't spoil by describing what she says. It's very meaningful and emotional, for me. About the joy of listening to music, and the pure joy that is Amarok. An album I value so much that I don't even play it frequently, just like Ommadawn.

It´s difficult for me to talk about this album, because talk about "Amarok" is like talking about one of the most secret and beautiful parts of my life...It´s just like when you have a secret that you don´t want to share...

But how can a single mind create music of such originality, quality and beauty? The Oldfield´s fans we know that he is able of the best, but unfortunately he is also able of the worst...How can be this absolute masterpiece called "Amarok" between two mediocre albums like "Earth Moving" and "Heaven´s Open". It´s something unbelievable, but this think makes this album shine even more brightly...

"Amarok" in my opinion is obviously the sequel of "Ommadawn". Its style is similar, with a lot of world music influences. But "Amarok" is more experimental and more original, and maybe even better...This album has no songs or tracks. "Amarok" it´s just an album itself, it´s a single piece longer that 60 minutes!!! Maybe some people think that the originality of this albums are just the noises and sound effects...Ok, it´s right! But these sounds are mixed with the music of such form that it´s impossible to imagine it separated! And everything makes a incredible mixture... But I also think that the great thing of this album it´s the great different parts and differents styles that it has, but that never fades the album integrity! You can hear flamenco, pop, celtic music, folk, african, symphonic, ambient, electronic...But Oldfield mixed it of such form that it made this album something really compact and with a very definited style! It´s just incredible!!!

Don´t worry about you have heard about Mike Oldfield. Don´t care if you have not liked the Oldfield´s music you´ve heard before...Because if you have not listend "Amarok" yet, you´re missing one of the most original and unique albums ever recorded!!!

My brother played this record for me in 1991. I was just 16 years old and I believed that he (my brother but also Oldfield) was taking some kind of drugs. "Weird as hell" was my first reaction. I started do listen to the best of album - The Complete Mike Oldfield - and was beginning to like the more complex works of Oldfield, not just the pop-songs from the mid eighties. I gave Amarok yet another chance. JESUS!. I completely freaked out! To be able to enjoy this album you have to listen a couple of times. Then it´s musical nirvana. Oldfield is probably one of the best guitarists in the world. Listen to the Fast Waltz at around 22 minutes, and you´ll get a minor heartattack. I´ve listened to the album a million times. Incredible. It´s fascinating to read about how the rest of the reviewers look upon this masterpiece. One wrote that he uses to look up in the sky and the stars when he listens to it. I like to listen to it in my headphones doing nothing and with no lights at all. Just concentrating. This isn´t an album for Oldield-beginners, but it´s the best piece of music ever made.

Yet another masterpiece from MO. I would rate it 4.8--- 20 points off because of the scary Orchestra Hits at places. He could have done without those Orch Hits-- which tend to jolt you out of the incantation of his music. I may add, there are several funny lines to shock you out of your trance-- words like "water!" "Water!" are just one example. But despite a little bit of joke and shock, the brilliance of this album shines over most other instrumental albums in most genre. Its a must have.

To a fan of early Oldfield works, his last two decades (and a half) might appear as sadly boring, apart from some fantastic part-instrumental 20-minutes tracks in the 80´s (Wind Chimes, Crises, Taurus II). These tracks were surrounded by pop songs that most people would like to forget about today. "Amarok" is a lot different from any of his works from late 80's and further. It seems almost like an "oasis" in this late Oldfield catalogue. Previously the LP-format stopped him from doing this length of tracks (there is only one track on the album which is 60 min long), so on this album he could do what he does best: Fantastic and highly progressive loooong epics. "Amarok" is beautyful, surprising, and mysterious, all in one!

Amarok, or Mike Oldfield versus Virgin Records! after the pop-ish Earth Moving MO wanted to go back to his roots, and the result is a one hour long single piece. In there he proves he's still one of the world best guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist as well! The piece contains music from afica, Ireland and even flamenco music. This album is a 100% un-commercial, you can't a part of it without losing all the coherance! A MASTER-Piece

This twelfth studio album by Mike Oldfield represented his reunion with the producer whom produced Mike's debut album that mae him one of legendary musicians of the seventies, Tom Newman. As the debut album was a success, this album reached a position of no 49 in British Album Charts after it was issued in June 1990. The album comprises only one track that consumes 52 minutes duration. The music flows with a balance of folk music at the beginning, flamenco and ethnic sounds / world music. Mike seemed to repeat his success in Tubular Bells as well as Ommadawn. In fact, he ever mentioned that this album was a follow up of Ommadawn or even he called this album as Ommadawn 2. Mike used roughly about 30 instruments in this record.

As far as taste concern, it might not be the kind of album that I'm into it because it requires high level of patience in enjoying the music that to me sounds like elongated way too much. I find some boring parts of this album. My CD is a HDCD disc with new packaging and it has a warning at the back cover of the CD saying: HEALTH WARNING. This record could be hazardous to the health of clothe-eared nincompoops. If you suffer from this condition consult your Doctor immediately. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

By far MO's most adventerous and mind expanding album. Here he pulls out all the stops. A thrill a minute for (almost) exactly one hour. As usual Mike plays most of the instruments himself. And again, as usual, his guitar playing is the standout. I don't know how he gets the sound he does from his guitars, but it is so unusal, so refreshing, so Oldfield. Anyway, Oldfield's theme and hook line are awesome. There are actually a couple of repeaters, but the opening 5 mins and the last 5 mins are just brilliant. African choirs, Mr. Happy, Maggie Thatcher, they're all in there. Check it out. This is a materpiece

Happy ? Happy ! Depending on my mood, this is sometimes my favorite album of all time. Having said that, this album isn't for everybody, or for most people for that matter. This is Mike Oldfield at his most complex, most inaccessible, and dare I say... maddest. This album is exactly 60 minutes long(it's not 60:04 as listed on the top of the review page) and you should be prepared to invest several hours of listening to appreciate it. You WILL hate it the first time, maybe even a couple times after that. Once you get it, you will be rewarded with a tremendous listening experience. That is, if you do eventually get it. Even some long time Oldfield fans never do.

The album has only one track, but the album is divided by MO into many sections depending on the many themes which he used throughout the piece. I always found it convenient to divide the CD into threes- with each trimester being approximately 20 minutes long and each starting with approximately the same guitar part. You could, I suppose, divide the album in half (having been released in 1990, I think it was issued on cassette as well as CD- the dividing mark for the CD probably coming at the spoken part around the 26:00 minute mark). I was actually surprised to find that there is very little synthesizer in this album. These are real world sounds he used.

The Good: Mike Oldfield considered calling this Ommadawn 2 and the similiarities are striking. Many of the same themes, the Celtic influence, the world music parts, the haunting female vocals. As always, the guitar playing is incredible. Mike Oldfield never gets the credit he deserves as a guitarist. As I said above, you could divide Amarok into thirds, and in my opinion, the middle part of the album has some of the most beautiful music I've heard in my life.

The Bad: The last third of the album is stretched out like many Oldfield long pieces seem to be. I don't know if he determined before hand that he would make an hour long record and found he didn't have enough so just added filler in the last section, but as much as I hold this album in high esteem, it would be better as a 50 minute album, trimming some of the fat at the end.

The Ugly: As I said this is one of my favorites, but I realize it isn't one that many people can appreciate it, especially the first time around. Be prepared for very dissonant parts, very loud "Orchestra hits" and the "Happy" voice at unexpected moments. Don't worry, if you finally do learn to love Amarok, you will get used to it. The Maggie Thatcher impersonator at the end could also be something you would find annoying and does seem rather dated.

Overall a great addition to your collection. I debated whether to give it 4 or 5 stars given the rating system. It probably isn't "essential." BUT it is definiitely a masterpiece of progressive music.

Amarok is probably Oldfield's most serious yet adventurous project from the after 70s era. It is definitely interesting and intriguing, Original and unique.

The general style is naïve, influenced by folk, flamenco and such. Occasionally the mood is pastoral, but this serenity is interrupted from time to time by various effects as long as Oldfield imagination would let him, like broken glass, tooth brushing, telephone ringing, and the question that goes over and over again: happy? So this is not exactly the record to nap with. Actually even the pastoral environment is not complete, sometimes it sound very distance and pent up, so there is a kind of tension here. The second part (from about 29 minute) is more rhythmic and easy to digest, and it comes very stirring through the end, featured 'Margaret Thatcher speech', confront with tribal section and the happy question.

There are few simple themes that go over the whole composition. Despite the relational simplicity of the themes, this is not a simple composition at all. It feels like a chain, with links, that combined together weakly. Only after numerous listening the connections could be heard and clarified.

Oldfield's guitars take major place here, acoustic, electric, flamenco and more. Other instruments also played very well. Pipes are great and percussion are good, but could be better IMO. Sound and production are great here, as well as the orchestration, which is quite complex and interesting.

Rating: I cannot swear this is a masterpiece but imo it IS essential at any serious prog collection, especially if you don't concentrate just in the 70s period, or things that done exactly at the 70s spirit Oldfield became here more sophisticated, and unexpected. I think not many artists from the 70s can reclaim to progress after their glory days, so I give it 5 stars, and a high recommendation. Happy?

This is what it happens when an artist is a hundred percent commited to create a good musical composition instead of paying attention to record companies' demands or commercial input (in this particular case the main reason was Mike's anger towards his record company).

This said, I don't know if this record is the best one from Mike Oldfield's catalogue, since he has released many albums and many of them where outstanding, but this is probably the most unique one.

I know few composers capable of putting such a varied, complex and well structured musical sequence in a one hour track. Each part of the track is unique and there is almost no repetition. It is also remarkable that almost no electronic element is used on the whole track, relying mostly on traditional instrumentation, something quite uncommon since the late seventies, and something the very Mike Oldfield had not done since those years (that's why many people consider this record as a sequel to 'Ommadawn')

Then again, this is not a record for a listener searching for conventional sound, but well, most prog records are this way.

This is an unbelievable record.

Released in 1990, it is hard to believe something so incredible could be put out, where everywhere, music was at it's all time low point in terms of quality. The same holds true for Oldfields output at the time, with albums like Earth Moving and Islands preceding it, some of the most ghastly sell out albums of all time. (Credit to the Wind Chimes though, good epic)

The story is, Oldfield had been fed up with Branson not promoting his music enough, and pushing him to dive deeper into the realms of the pop sell outs. Responding to that, Oldfield thought he'd release a CD so un-radio friendly, so un-commercial, that none of it could be edited and put on the radio, or MTV.

Looking at the sheer quality of the compositions, it seems like Oldfield had been saving all his best ideas just for this since 1980. The beginning starts with some fast guitar, and the infamous jarring brass stabs.. And it's all uphill from there. Amazing virtuosity on the guitar from Oldfield in many places.

I could go through the whole peice and highlight all 50 odd sections, but that's really something for the listener to experience. It's a very emotional and disjointed album, and it needs time to get used to it.

It took me approximately 20-25 listens to get to fully enjoy, memorise and look forward to this album. it is quite an experience.

Essential, for the fact that there is simply nothing else like it.

A hodge podge of intelligent and interesting sections, but ultimately fails to come together as a whole.

This album has some of my favorite moments of music, but it's very disjointed and doesn't build enough on what I would consider superior sections of the music. The beginning for one, is perhaps the highlight of the album, as the first 5 minutes or so are absolutely stunning in terms of quality and musicianship, especially when the Spanish flamenco-like dance pattern comes in.

Low spots like the repetitive "happy" drives me nuts. I can understand Mike's desire to make something virtually unsellable, but this basically spoils the wonderful backing music during these mock vocal sections. Overall, the album is better than Tubular Bells, but not as good as Hergest Ridge, which I consider the superior Oldfield work. If you're a fan of any kind of instrumental music or multi-instrumental efforts a la Gentle Giant, this is strongly recommended. However, I can't help but think that if a bit more thought was put into the release and less frustration with the recording company, that this could have been something much greater than it already is.

As Mike says himself, this is in a way an Ommadawn 2. It picks up on the World music allusions that Ommadawn made, and still contains the buoyant symphonic edge. However, Amarok is much more experimental than Ommadawn. It is also a bit more electronic, modern, and precise. It shifts, evolves, swifter than Tubular Bells. It has some melodies as emotionally packed and surreal as Hergest Ridge, and NO pop elements à la Discovery. Sometimes, things shift so quickly: even before you begin to see where a melody was going. The huge list of different instruments (and unorthodox ones: toothbrush?) increases the too big to comprehend factor.

Some of the transitions and shifts come suddenly enough to make me jump (quite literally), and in a way, that often ruins the emotional experience of the album. However, there are plenty of great melodies - and most of them are intact. Unlike Tubular Bells, there is absolutely no sloppy playing, and no messy editing. Instead, we have a perfectly scripted, masterfully edited, flawlessly timed wave of perpetual noise, evolving totally in mere moments. A beautiful symphonic moment morphs in a split second into a folk jam, then to a percussion circle, then to who-knows-what, to electronic droning (or something near it) to ethnic Zulu percussion and chant-like vocals. It never stays anywhere long, but despite that, I'm sure many cloth-eared nincompoops will find it boring.

Musicianship is high: feel and (surprise) virtuosity both. There are no programmed instruments, and every sound you hear is played by hand (or foot [seriously]) by the great Oldfield himself. (The exceptions being, of course, comedian Janet Brown doing her Margaret Thatcher impression [another silly, cheesy idea like the MC concept of Tubular Bells], Paddy Maloney playing Uillean pipes [which is a sort of Irish bagpipe] and Bridget St.John and Clodagh Simmonds covering the vocals.) Julian Bahula's African drums arrangements are a huge part of the album, and Mike owes Julian a lot!

In the end, Amarok is a bit of a crazy album: a hodgepodge of sounds, with some really ridiculous notions and absurd concepts, but is delivery masterfully and with majestic accuracy. This is certainly not for everyone, and even fans of this strange avant-garde, yet straight-forward type of music will have to listen to it fully many times to totally understand.

Back in the 1970s, the sounds of TUBULAR BELLS streamed through hundreds of thousands of incense-soaked boys' rooms. Other Mike Oldfield albums, most notably OMMADAWN, gave the impression that their creator was a man who would always keep astonishing the world, almost single-handedly, with kaleidoscopic rock symphonies.

But at the end of the seventies Oldfield's career took a strange turn. Although he still released a few "symphonic" albums (such as INCANTATIONS) they were just a pale reflection of his earlier work. He also started recording material in questionable taste (Abba-covers, Euro-disco) as well as catchy folk-rock tunes, with which he had a few minor hits. It seemed he could no longer be taken seriously as an artist - an impression that was confirmed by endless re-workings of TUBULAR BELLS, and by the bloated excess of the box set ELEMENTS, in which the first two discs (with early material) were much more striking than the remainder (full of more recent stuff).

Until about a year ago, I had completely given up on the idea I would ever hear anything interesting from Mike again, but positive reviews on Progarchives encouraged me to give AMAROK a try. After several spins I'm happy to confirm I'm thoroughly enjoying this album! It may not be Oldfield at his very best (the original TUBULAR BELLS still sounds more mysterious; side one of OMMADAWN leads up to a more exuberant climax) but it's definitely inspired from start to finish, and full of delightful tunes. The music takes so many unexpected twists and turns you'll find yourself gasping at the audacity of it all! There are lots of mischievous echoes from the man's earlier work and, in good old M.O. tradition, there's a truly zany finale. Warmly recommended to everyone who enjoys instrumental prog with folk-music leanings.

The only thing I don't understand is why the brilliant African drummers who appear on this album had to remain uncredited.

First of all.. If you havent got this album go straight to shop / online and purchase NOW!!!! (you wont regret it).

This album I am currently playing for the first time and straight away I love it.. There is so many different styles in there (folk, rock, celt, flamenco, classical, etc) which us Proggys tend to love, and you get this for 60 minutes solid! (yes.. one song called "Amarok").

He used every instrument and non-instrument he could get his hands on for this album (no kitchen sink?). Those folk who were disappointed with "Earth Moving" are in for a nice surprise, be prepared to go on a journey through Total Prog Enjoyment.

Fantastic album!

10/10 Masterpiece

Well, this is definitely an earned change of mind, considering I previously scored this album much lower...Mike has earned this masterpiece score by pounding this into my ears recently non-stop! I have now listened damn good and hard to this one, because I initially thought it was "great" but didn't enjoy certain parts, which I can still understand why. Why, then? Well, it is not as accessible as most music, let alone most of what I have heard by Mike. But it takes a few listens and an open ear to really get into this journey of music. Also, I mean, it is one gigantic song, so splitting it up and trying to make a solid construction out of the whole thing is very difficult. Alas, I think I have made that solid construction, considering I have chills all over myself as I listen to this.

Do not approach this album expecting peacefulness all together, or some melodic atmospheric cake like Ommadawn. Most of the sections on here are pretty powerful, and uplifting. There is a recurring main, epic theme that is HANDS DOWN (from what I have listened to by him as of 10/25/07) his best melody I have heard. The theme is just beautiful and mind blowing. Now, there are a few odd items in here, like weird voices saying strange things time to time, which was something I had to get used to...but I now see them as almost necessary to the whacky little melodies behind them...and this all fitting perfectly to the atmosphere of just a giant hour long epic full of various changes and ideas. I am having trouble staying coherent reviewing this album because I love it so much and it is so crazy, so I will sum this up now quickly. If you like Mike's stuff, or if you have an open mind/ear for music, BUY THIS ALBUM. You will not be dissapointed.

His best work ever? Maybe, as for now...nevertheless, this is perfection in another great form, beautiful!

1.5 Stars, rounded up because I don't get it and others do.

Simply unlistenable, despite excellent musicianship and some scattered moments which are pretty nice. Mike Oldfield plays almost all the instruments in Amarok, which is quite a complex album. That says a lot about him. If only this album didn't have over thirty minutes of auditory torture, then it would be something that I would enjoy.

The album starts on a great way, with complex acoustic guitar harmonies in a fast tempo. I love that acoustic showmanship, making the first two minutes of the album the highlight for me. Unfortunately, it changes into calm background music ruined by random bursts of ultra-loud orchestra clashes, electronic voices saying Happy, and other out of place loud bursts.

minutes 6-10 feature a pleasant section. The next four minutes are inoffensive, but unremarkable Oldfield-style playing. Unfortunately, minute 15 is lighthearted ridiculousness with beeps, awful quirky music and vocals saying something like What the in a way you can't take seriously. After a dull moment, the brilliant acoustic theme of the beginning brings relief to my ears.

Around minute 22 to 24, there is a quite progressive section which is not bad at all. Adventurous but without the unbearable quirkiness which unfortunately appears, including the h-h-happy? vocals. A someone minimalist and dull moment leads way to the nice background music around minute 3-5 which was ruined by the h-h-happy? vocals. Appearing without the annoying interruptions, it's quite nice.

So anyways, the incoherence (did I say that this album is quite disjointed?) and inconsistency in quality goes on for several minutes until a truly hideous part comes that you have to hear in order to believe it: a synth loop that is fantastically childish in a bad way combined with annoying vocal grunts.

After a few incoherent minutes in the mid 40s (min.) of the album, we get a nice section ruined by telephones, cheesy grunts and more. Anyways, there is a supposed climax which is just an overplayed vocal-harmony theme slightly louder. Then we get the h-h-h-h-h-h-hAPPY?. Fortunately, there is the real climax just before the ending, which is more bombastic and more remarkable.

I will give it a 1.5 stars rounded up because it must have taken a lot of effort to do and clearly many enjoy it and understand the album better than I.

Me? I just not only find it a chore, I also find it embarrassing to listen to Amarok when not alone and parts make me angry. So, my personal enjoyment is actually one star out of five.

One of my shortest review for one of the longest track I know.

"Amarok" is a very good come back from Mike. Fully in his earlier and great style. This piece of music (difficult to call this a song) offers delectable parts but the start (six minutes) has some difficulties to lift off (happy?). And there are several other ones that aren't so brilliant.

One will encounter the "Ommadawn" mood regularly, but it is not to annoy me since I considered this album as his best one. There are lots of folk moments (even Flamenco is featured), but the whole work switches from mood several times without too much of a structure. The changes take place rather abruptly, but once you have gone through it several times, it is OK.

Bombastic parts are short but present and unlike most of his long pieces, I slightly prefer the second half of "Amarok" than the first one. Even if the "chant" during the last five minutes are not really shining.

Three stars for this good album.

Every now and then an album comes along which blows all the others around it out the water. In this case due to the nature of the music, this release went relatively unnoticed compared to the success of Oldfield's previous albums such as 'Tubular Bells'. But to those who did get into this gem; it is impossible not to be completely captivated by it. Released in 1990, Amarok is Mike Oldfield's 13th album. After a number of great albums; it is amazing how Oldfield creative juices just keep flowing. Amarok sees Oldfield step up a gear with great sounds which flow into one another creating an amazing musical landscape.

Sitting at just over an hour, Amarok is one long track which takes the listener on a musical journey unlike any other. Everyone has those thoughts in the back of their minds about holidays and dreaming of going on that once in a lifetime dream trip; For example trekking the Inca trail in Peru. Amarok is the musical equivalent and the most genius thing about it is that it costs a ten pound maximum compared to thousands of pounds trekking up the Inca trail is going to cost. Furthermore you can go on the journey again and again at no extra cost.

I was first introduced to Amarok by a friend who was to say the least completely obsessed with it to the point that it is his favourite album of all time and has been for many years. So when anyone is into album that much, I want to know why. After the first time I listened to the album there were two thoughts running through my head. The first was "yeah, this is ok; it's got some good bits in it". Secondly I realised I was totally exhausted just from listening to it. I have never experienced this before after listening to an album. But it's understandable as it is an hour long non-stop instrumental. Therefore it is heavy going and just sapped all the energy right out of me, due to the concentration required. The same thing happened for the next 10 or so listens. However at the same time, piece by piece, I was beginning to appreciate the album in its true splendour. By about the 30th listen, the bigger picture becomes clear and that's when you feel like you have completed the album so to speak. After this it's easy because I know what's coming next. I'm ready in position with my stick to strike the invisible tubular bell or have my invisible plectrum ready for another great guitar part. Even still the whole picture is yet to be completely deciphered but that is certainly the beauty of this album because the friend who I was talking about earlier is still finding new stuff and I dare to think how many times he has listened to it. But at the same time I don't blame him!

I think the key reason why this album is so good is because it is a really well thought out piece of work. There are numerous recurring themes throughout the album which give it a proper structure. In addition there is a very clear beginning, middle and end which can be recognised by the choir chanting style effects with 'sa, sa , sa' or 'ba, ba, ba'. I can assure you no sheep appeared in the making of the album, regardless of how you read the last bit! Seriously though it works really well and adds such freshness to the album. In saying that; I think bringing in the sheep would be a class idea for an Amarok spoof album.

The ending to the album is easily the best finish to an album I have ever heard and you could say it lasts for 15 minutes. You've got the appearance of the Tubular bells, a comedy interlude from Janet Brown and the usual phenomenal guitar playing some may even beginning to take for granted; but really shouldn't. The last minute especially is simply sublime. It is just a joyful, explosive and fitting climax to an awesome album

I have lost count of the number of times I have listened to this album, but I reckon it is at least 50. Still with every listen I seem to discover a different sound, theme or instrument. This is due to the sheer depth of the album; it is like an ocean where divers discover new species of fish and plants continuously. Unlike diving there is no risk of drowning here, although just don't try and hold your breadth for the duration! The attention to detail is unreal. So much so, this album would act as a great way to develop listening skills in schools. In fact there is so much to this album you could quite easily turn it in to a GCSE subject! Now that would be class. I have tried not to go into too much detail about the sounds and secrets of the album because I feel it is best for you to uncover them like I did. But I hope I have conveyed how much I like this album. Just in case ;-) ....THIS IS GENIUS!

We've come a long way from Tubular Bells here.

Mike Oldfield has composed a long, VERY long, rock symphony here. You won't even notice it until you hit the 30 minute mark, but suddenly themes and ideas will come back to you again and again. Amazing. If you have the attention span to encompass sixty minutes of music, you will find this amazingly rewarding. This is truly a masterpiece. Five stars.

But don't bother listening to it if you can't devote an entire hour to it. This work REQUIRES your full attention for an hour. Fortunately, the quality of the music is so high that that is not an onerous request.

This album is 60 minutes? Seems more like 10 to me.

This is my first review, and I was compelled to write this after once again listening to Mike Oldfield's Amarok. Despite the five star rating, I am normally a tough music critic, which speaks volumes for the quality and sheer brilliance of this album.

Here is a musician who has an unparalleled mix of virtuoso musicianship, experimental daring and songwriting ability. He is a genius, pure and simple. And there is no album where his genius is more evident than Amarok, his best album and my favorite album of all time, no questions asked.

The album is extremely powerful, yet at the same time subdued and relaxing. It has many very pleasant sounding sections which will send a shiver through your body, then it will take you to the other extreme, almost a cacophony of instruments and sounds screaming at you from all directions. It combines the humble sounds of varying acoustic instruments with electronic synthesizers, and almost every other instrument known to mankind, melding everything into stunning melodies. The rhythms are so complex that it boggles your mind trying to sort it all out, and each time you listen to it, you will discover new elements that you hadn't noticed before.

I could ramble on for hours on this album, but I have to warn that if you are not the type of person who enjoys something a little bizarre now and then, or if you don't have a good attention span, then this album is probably not for you (and I pity you).

Take this album, get some good quality headphones, lie down on your bed or a couch and just let go. Let the music enter you, and when it is over, you'll feel like you just got out of a hundred year sleep.

It's hard to really describe the feelings I have when listening to Amarok. The first time I gave this album a spin it was overwhelming. So many things going on, so many changes in styles, it was hard to take in for a first listen. I hated the album without giving it a chance. A week later, I decided to give it another shot. I don't know what was different, but this time it just clicked. There's not a minute I don't enjoy on this fine album.

That brings to mind probably one of the most accurate ways to describe this album: Very inaccessible, but ultimately extremely rewarding. Mike Oldfield has always been doing pretty inaccessible pieces of music, but this one is inarguably the most daunting. At the same time, he also shows us some of the finest musicianship you'll ever find in music.

If you are a fan of Oldfield's to any degree, this is your holy grail. Do yourself a favor and find it immediately.

Astonishing. Sensational. Fantastic. Other-worldly.

This is the first review I have written on progarchives after many happy months of browsing and researching, and listening to the products of its great catalog of artists and albums. Amarok by Mike Oldfield was the sudden impetus of what I felt was a necessity: to herald the 1:00:02 of absolute bliss this record has recently condoned upon my now-shattered brain.

As dedicated proggers, it is our desire and responsibility to be constantly searching for the next best thing in progressive music. For those who have already explored the depths of Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Van der Graaf, and the like, I implore you to listen to Mike Oldfield--particularly his albums Ommadawn and Amarok, the latter being the supposed quasi-sequel to Ommadawn, produced 15 years down the road.

This album encompasses thousands of layered parts, hundreds of melodies, tens of genres, and a colossal army of instruments and noise-making devices (almost all of them played by Oldfield himself). That alone should spur you to give this album a listen...if that's not enough, I will say that listening to this album is LITERALLY like taking a life journey, after which you come away a changed person.

It wouldn't be worthwhile to get into the specifics of the album as there is WAY too much going on. The only comparison I can draw is to say this album is like Ommadawn plus a lot of African choir and ambient/new age influences, but don't let these shy you away from what is the album's inherently progressive nature. The characteristic Mike Oldfield searing guitars, groovy riffs, ridiculous ethnic instruments, and top-notch composition--it's all there and more! Plus an epic ending to rival all epic endings...

Like any great prog masterpiece, you have to listen to it multiple times to even begin to appreciate its beauty and complexity. As a standalone hour-long track, this demands a lot of the listener. However, the rewards are great! Mike Oldfield is a true genius of progressive music (at least from the select albums I've heard), and it's a shame that it took me this long to find him!

Happy?

This is one of the most unique and accomplished albums you could ever hear. It is quite possibly Oldfield's best effort, though that's hard to discern and really is irrelevant. Whether it is his best album or not, it still is one of the most amazing musical experiences I have ever had and should be heard by anyone who claims to be a true fan of music.

Only warning I give: If you're completely new to Oldfield's material and you are not willing to take a huge plunge, then you may not want to go with this album. Try Ommadawn, Hergest Ridge, or Tubular Bells first.

That being said, now onto the only track of the album...

1. Amarok- Constantly changing and absolute music genius. Easily one of the best tracks I've ever heard in my entire life. The proficiency of Oldfield with his instruments here is stunning: just look at those credits and listen to the song for yourself! The song never gets boring or repetitive, though it may take a few listens to grow on you simply because of its length (it took 4 or 5 for me). The beginning is amazing, the middle section is amazing, and the ending is even better: absolute perfection and everything you could ask from Oldfield in the span of one song. This also is easily his most challenging work, with so much to be discovered and analyzed. This experience never gets old for me and I find myself lifted to heights I've hardly ever been taken by any other album, and when certain sections come all you can do is smile. The boat piano section, the ending African drum section with the voices and then with Thatcher's appearance, the majestic guitar break after the first few minutes of the composition... This song is perfect and really expresses grounds that Oldfield had never covered with any other album. Flawless. 10+/10

If you have an open mind to music, get this album. However, as I said earlier, because of the depth, track length, and relative inaccessibility of this work in comparison to Oldfield's more well-known and representative works/masterpieces, this may scare off some newcomers. If you are acquainted already with Oldfield, then what are you waiting for? Even if you're not, it's so hard for me NOT to recommend this album.

The first time I put this album on was very revealing. It. Kicked. My. Ass. This is an album that has completely changed the way that I view music, and it's one of my top 10 albums of all time for a reason. While there may only be one track on the album, it's an absolutely amazing work of art that's incredibly multi-layered. Don't expect to be able to fully analyze the entirety of this album in one, two, or probably even three or four sittings. There's that much going on in it. Except for mostly some vocals, Oldfield handles pretty much all the instrumental work. There are so many sections within this song that I probably still can't count all of them and probably never will. And each section transitions to the next one so effortlessly and effectively each time The last 5-10 minutes are probably my favorite parts of the song. Listen for the Thatcher vocals, which make me laugh every time I hear them. Overall, this is probably my favorite Oldfield album, but if you're new to him, I'd recommend starting with Hergest Ridge and/or Ommadawn before moving on to this. Still though, I have to give this 5+/5 stars. Complete artistic perfection, and I can't think of too many other albums that stack up to this quality.

Oh Mike Oldfield you reclusive genius. You first did the impossible by becoming a huge hit with an album consisting of two 25 minute instrumentals, then you made the truly inspired "Ommadawn," began a descent into the musical abyss along with the rest of the prog world during the horrible 80s and finally bottomed out with "Earth Moving." Lucky for us you had had enough and made an album both for yourself and to spite Richard Branson. "Amarok" is a 60 minute fantastic instrumental journey pushing the boundaries of music, revisiting and re-working musical styles Oldfield has mastered in previous albums, combining a huge variety of different music ranging from flamenco to African to Celtic, and touching on just about every emotion you can think of. It manages to stay new and exciting for the entire hour with 45 movements, eight different themes and countless variations on those, and what seems like a never-ending introduction of new instruments. I usually have this song broken into two separate parts in my mind when listening to it. The first part is the first 39 minutes of the song which is flawless in every sense of the word. The second is a 21 minute climax that has 10 seconds total of one layer of music that I find slightly irritating (a man shouting) which detracts from the building mood and it also doesn't sound good. Despite that minor flaw, the final 21 minutes are superb and far surpass the already fantastic first part. Thirty-nine minutes into the song, a relaxing acoustic guitar part begins which lulls you into a false sense of security. The music picks up again, and keeps getting so close to what seems like the point of no return of the climax only to once again calm down. "Amarok" does this a few times and you know that climax is just around the corner. However what you were expecting never comes. The music completely shifts completely with the happy movement "Boat Reprise" in which everything gives way to a chorus of strings. Other instruments join the party with a slow crescendo. The climax of the third theme leads seamlessly and instantly into the climax (which probably contains a perfectly positioned half-second break) of the first theme. When listened to with the buildup, those 40 seconds are, in my mind, the greatest 40 seconds of music ever written. And there ends my slightly overdone love affair with a section of the song and your minds can get out of the gutter to which they undoubtedly traveled in the past few sentences. Anyway, next comes a great 5 minute African section which leads to the movement entitled "Climax I." Next up is another 5 minute Africany build-up, which incorporates more of other music styles than the previous African section, and eventually ends in "Climax II." The final 5 minutes is yet another African section with a Margaret Thatcher impression talking for around a minute total about how about how no one likes ends so she decides to pick the song up again. And at last the big finale which doesn't disappoint. Wow. So this has easily been my favorite album since I discovered it a few months ago and I've listened to it in its entirety at least 25 times. Fear not if it doesn't instantly 'click.' Just have some patience and give "Amarok" at least a few tries to win you over. This is 100%, without a doubt, prog. It is also equally sure a masterpiece. As such I have no choice but to award "Amarok" not only a 5 star rating but also this loving review. The rest of the music world can only now shoot for second best as there is no chance of topping this giant.

"Cloth-eared nincompoops"

I love Mike Oldfield, but I've always found his personal health warning to the "cloth-eared nincompoops" to be a thinly veiled, childishly defensive preemptive strike against critics who may be of the opinion that they were listening to an artist short of ideas. An artist ripping off his own past glory as the basis for this somewhat contrived mess of an album. He felt the need to let listeners know that they might not be enlightened enough to follow him down the road he was about to take them. Not as effective as the standard rock musician line about making music to please myself, and if others like it, great, if not, that's great too. Mike opted for the preemptive insult instead--which I guess is an invitation for critics to be more frank than they might otherwise. Going a step further and comparing the oft-mentioned album covers of Ommadawn and Amarok (for people often consider Amarok an update of Ommadawn), one will notice that the Ommadawn cover shows an Oldfield at peace, rightfully pleased with the work finished I'm sure. The cover of Amarok on the other hand looks like a Mike Oldfield who just read an Amarok review written by one of his nemesis "nincompoops." He looks anything but pleased. But we move on to the all important music. Amarok is of course an hour long (tortuous) extravaganza (throw everything at the wall and see what sticks), a work that takes classic Oldfield musical sprites and arranges them in a "fresh and exciting" way (gimmick album.) You have a chaotic tapestry of bits glued together, guitar licks, keys, some vocals, lots of noises, odd instruments, and the kitchen sink. It's well done of course as is every Oldfield album, the artist being a fantastic musician as well as a studio wizard. I'm a huge fan of his earlier albums but found him occasionally floundering for substance in later periods. This is a monster regurgitation of past "impressions" gussied up to be something deep and profound when it is neither, a "weak and disjointed" composition as Easy Livin' notes. Being provocative and seemingly edgy does not always result in a great piece of music, acclamations I believe are sometimes given too easily to artists who do something "louder or weirder."

What absolutely does work here is the performance of Mr. Oldfield on his guitar. You will find these exquisite little snips of brilliance here and there, moments where you wish you were hearing Oldfield attempt another grandiose idea in another true epic composition. Then of course the moment crashes and burns in yet another pointlessly jarring noise (ticking clock or ringing telephone anyone?) or simply letting the brilliance die into another manic musical twinkie. For here ideas do not progress or evolve to states of developed bliss---instead they are born, scream briefly for attention like a musical toddler, and then die within the space of seconds or if you are lucky, perhaps a minute. It comes complete with a spoken-word ending which is cute on the first play and tiring by the 5th play. My opinion is certainly the minority at ProgArchives as many thoughtful reviewers compare this to masterpieces and great albums like Ommadawn, Hergest Ridge, or Incantations. For me Amarok is nothing but an occasionally amusing play for his ardent fans. A parody of Mr. Oldfield offered by the artist himself, giving it a great degree of authenticity, while not nearing the heights offered by his more thoughtful, original works. Even the caveman is back for an embarrassing cameo that feels as necessary as having Steve Martin host SNL one more time. Just as in cooking, a musician can attempt to impress with flash and presentation. It is far more difficult to slave over that stove, adding and tasting just the right ingredients for hours to create that special family dish that nourishes and stays with your gut. Oldfield's best offerings (and there are many) are the work of a wise old soul with a hunched back over a large cauldron of the finest stew you ever had, served with great crusty bread and some fine ale or vino. Amarok feels like the work of a first year pastry chef on their final exam for class---lots of oohs and ahhs but 30 minutes later you're still starving for some real food. Again, most find this album to be fantastic so judge for yourself. But be warned, a few of us see it as a mirage to be bothered with only after his 1970s masterpieces have been devoured, and then only with your heartburn pills.

"Mike Oldfield's twelfth studio album "Amarok" reunited him with Tom Newman, the producer who had contributed to Mike's first album "Tubular Bells". The creation of "Amarok" was also similar to that of "Tubular Bells". Instead of using computers, Mike played almost everything by hand, using over 30 acoustic stringed and percussion instruments. The kaleidoscope of sound also includes Paddy Moloney of the CHIEFTAINS playing his uillean pipes, Zulu percussionists, a Margaret Thatcher impersonation by comedienne Janet Brown and the sounds of Mike himself brushing his teeth and stomping around the studio". That was from the liner notes.

Oldfield himself considered this album as sort of a Ommadawn II. In fact looking around the "Net" this is the hightest rated album since "Ommadawn". Although I honestly don't understand why. I am a Mike Oldfield fan but after many listens this still sounds like a mixed up mess to me. Actually Easy Livin says it well in calling this "...weak and disjointed". Finnforest's review is very enlightning and I certainly agree with his thoughts and rating.

The enjoyable moments are few and far between for me. 3 stars.

Oh, how I hated this record...

I can vividly remember the first time I listened to Amarok. I don't think I've ever been so irritated and disappointed by a record, before or since. I enjoyed the finale, but all of the disjointed themes and intentionally aggravating sounds (speaker-shattering orchestral hits, Margaret Thatcher, random carpentry, etc) littered throughout the otherwise perfect melodies left me feeling like I'd run a marathon uphill during an ice storm, with the neighborhood kids laughing and pelting me with ice balls the entire time. Every brilliant melody was immediately discarded and replaced by unrelated melodies at a frantic rate. It was incomprehensible gibberish. What themes there were came and went with psychotic abandon, handicapped by confusion. I threw the album in a drawer in disgust and forgot about it for about two years.

Eventually I got around to listening to it again (feeling like I hadn't gotten my money's worth), and found myself thinking that it wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered. I'd put it on again every couple of months when I needed something vastly different from all of that 'regular' (sane) music.

Over time I came to realize that the problems are not in the music. This composition is as perfectly flawless as music can ever be, the very embodiment of an idea. Mike knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote this album and he did a smashing job. All of the changing melodies and aggravating bits are in there specifically for the purpose of boxing your ears any time you might get comfortable. Right at the moment when you'd be getting chills on one of Mike's other albums, this one will blast you or aggravate you or just plain run off in an unrelated direction in an intentional attempt to ruin your listening experience.

Ordinarily Mike takes a lot of care crafting music that flows to an apotheosis of some kind - I tend to think of it rather like a master craftsman creating an intricate and gorgeous stained glass window. Had Mike done that here it would have still been one of his best works. Instead, he takes a gleefully sadistic tact and smashes this creation with a sledgehammer every time it begins to come together. The end result is that you've got to piece it together for yourself after repeated listening. For some, it may come together right away, for others, never.

This creates an incredibly frustrating musical experience for people expecting music that follows the normal rules, in any genre or format. I've only just recently been finding new artists that are learning and doing what Mike did here two decades ago - Kayo Dot and Mars Volta being two examples of similarly challenging artists that I also rather enjoy. The bits in Amarok that once pissed me off are now the highlights of the record. I wouldn't have thought it possible to go from hating a record to loving it, but here I am.

This record taught me how to listen to music in a new, and I think, better way. After this I've had no trouble at getting into genres and styles of music that I once found bland or distasteful. No other record, or artist, has done anything like that for me before, so I find I have to give this album the highest possible marks.

I wouldn't call it my favorite - that's not the point of the album. For me it's been more of a doorway into experiencing other kinds of music. It also gives me my own gleefully sadistic thrill to inflict this album upon unwary listeners for the first time. It's wickedly satisfying to see their faces while bopping along to the first movement - right when the orchestra hits kick in. It also stands out for uniqueness. I've never heard anything remotely like this album in the thousands of records I've listened to.

One friend of mine who has also come to enjoy this record described it as "the most user-unfriendly listening experience I've ever had." I think that's an apt summation. I've come to learn that the finest musical compositions rarely sound good on the first listen. The masterpiece reveals itself when the listener is ready. Thank you, Amarok, for teaching me that lesson.

I shouldn't have ignored the signs of creative exhaustion that had been evident on so much of Oldfield's post-78 output. But still, I let myself be convinced by the multitude of voices who hailed this album as a return to form.

Let's start with some good points.

There are a couple of nice ideas here. In contrast to many other weaker Oldfield albums, he doesn't resort to the sound of the new-age fake world too much. Except where he goes in midi-keyboard mode, the music avoids the plastic feel of the Island disaster. More good news comes from the guitar front. After gathering dust for about 15 years, we can note a welcome return of the acoustic guitar. And I mean real acoustic guitar playing, not the straightforward chord guitar strumming of Moonlight Shadow. Scattered throughout the album there are a couple of tasty acoustic guitar touches, and even the electric guitar is allowed to play some more challenging material.

But let's not fool ourselves.

This track is a hodgepodge of sections that are seemingly randomly put after one another, there's little that develops into something grander. The segments segue into one another quite fluently but never build up to something. On top of that, there are few really compelling parts, both melodically and rhythmically this album falls a few miles short of the richness of the 74-78 albums. It also doesn't have any of the impassioned inspiration, nor the mood or the emotive touch of that period.

Piecing this puzzle together into one continuous 60 minute track must have been quite a challenge for Oldfield, but I would have much preferred if he had put more effort in the creative writing process then spending all time in front of the knobs, buttons and gliders of his doubtlessly fun-to-play-with studio equipment.

The fact that it is better then anything since Crises doesn't warrant much as his material had been really poor ever since. But second best album after Ommadawn on PA? I think I need a bit more convincing proof then the cut and paste job that I witness here to be able to support that claim.

Well, people are generally happy about this release, agreeing on such a high rating. Let's add my piece then.

I'll tell you a little story. Don't worry, it will be short. I call it 6 minute long fairy tale, because it divides this long track into 10 pieces.

1)I'm not that happy about first six minutes, they don't offer anything of use for my taste. 2)Then Mike adds his trademark guitar arrangements and "Song" gets interesting. There are also "tribal" chantings towards the end. 3)From about 12:00, music starts as acoustic beauty, giving in into keyboard subtle sounds and then keyboards take two, but this time weird sounds.

I'm quite intrigued right now.

4)Starts almost instantly at 18 minute (about 17:56 ) with wild guitar (sounds like improvisation, only we know that Mike's doing it intentionally, which leaves just type of sound, not meaning - "to improvise"). The rest of "this part" is in this theme. 5)Continues with 4th's legacy, adding some distinct shredding in the beginning, however it turns into calm piano later, running just another of Oldfield's endless supply of original melodies. 6)Is in the name of choral singing & ethnic chanting tinged work again.

So far so good, journey continues (even I had to repeat song third time from this point to capture its essence).

7)Clocking at 36 minute, optimistic melody kicks back, combined with grunts from first part. Some experimentation as well. 8)Moving on to seemingly easier rhythms (that can surprise). Chants again, seems like Mike is fascinated by them. 9)Second to last section starts harshly, heavier sounds and unpleasant synth greets the unwary travellers. Chanting climaxes. Music shines and 10)Last part starts (after a while of tribal drumming) in the name of spoken word. Some variations and re-using of older ideas of previous sections. Not that good, again, the same as beginning.

4(+), as it is.

End of experimental review.

This is another album I've changed my mind about during the years. When I purchased it, few days after its first vynil release I was very disappointed: I didn't like the exhagerated high.volume of the orchestral accents. I found the techno-speech very disturbing also considering that in my home language it sounds like "BEE". It was coming to my ears like a sting, so I stopped listening to it after about 10 minutes and that album remained unused until last week when I decided to give it another try.

Well I still don't like the orchestral accents and the speech, but the remainng 40 minutes are pure Mike Oldfield's stuff, very intriguing with melodic parts alternated to more rocking parts. Said so, also the first 10 minutes wouldn't be bad if the two "disturbing" elements were removed.

What remains is a nice suite in the Oldfield style with some highlihts spreaded here and there during the suite. All this to say that what I would have rated very low until few weeks ago is now for me a good- but-non-essential album that doesn't add much to the very huge Oldfield's discography (non- essential for this reason) but good enough for 3 stars.

I might sound like a broken record by now, but I just can't understand why Mike Oldfield is as big as he is. By the time of this release he had already managed to neglect his '70s fans by playing a bunch of commercial New Age-flavored music all throughout the '80s and no one seemed to call him out for this. Then came a new decade and he suddenly shifted gear to the days of the past with the 1 hour long Amarok suite.

The early '90s was a tough period in Oldfield's career since he was just finishing off his contract obligations with Virgin Records and had a lot of pressure from the company to release another hit record. Among the biggest requests was a sequel to Tubular Bells which Oldfield felt reluctant to do, even though he did just that once he switched to Warner Music! So instead of all that, he chose to do exactly the opposite of what his record company wanted him to do and recorded a completely unmarketable 60 minute suite which could neither be released as a single nor was it radio-friendly since any stand-alone section of the album just didn't make any sense on its own.

But is it really as great as fans make it out to be? First off, let me state that, despite certain similarities, Amarok is not Ommadawn 2. Yes, both albums have some similarities but musically this release is miles away from the relatively smooth performance on Ommadawn. If anything, Amarok sounds more like a collection of short pieces that Oldfield most probably have gathered in his vault for some time now and finally decided to put together into one monster suite. Unfortunately this is exactly how this track plays like and no matter how much more time I'll spend on it, it will never lose this preconception of mine.

Even though I consider Mike Oldfield's '90s period a sort of new renaissance of his, Amarok is not an album that I can recommend to anyone but the already established fan base. The music here is way to abrupt and unstructured to hail it as one of Oldfield's best releases.

*** star songs: Amarok (60:04)

It's 1990. The media, bless them, have long since declared prog rock dead as a doornail, and, unless you are Oasis, Blur, or some sort of similar fare, you will never ever get a look in. Anyone releasing a 60 minute long track, with the barest amount of voice, on one whole album simply has to be past his sell by date and completely and utterly irrelevant, yeah?

Well, no. Oldfield commenced the new decade with a piece of work that not only aspires to previous heights, but actually matches them, and it is absolutely no accident that this marvellous album features on our site's top 100 albums of all time.

There are very few people who can make a symphonic piece like this interesting. Oldfield is one of them. Aside from some drums, pipes, and voices, the man does it all himself, and how well he does it. However, it is his electric and acoustic guitar work that really shines here - actually, my opinion is that these instruments have always been his strongest points. He is also, by the way, a mighty fine banjo player, as evidenced here again. The solos on this album, when they burst out, are incredible.

This is a very upbeat symphony, from the strains of h.h.h.h.h.h.appy (yes, thank you!), right to the end, and, along the way, we get some very eclectic sounds, rightly described as New Age, interspersed with more traditional Oldfield fare.

This is not the sound of an artist resting on his laurels and assuming the inevitable sales from a loyal fanbase. This is the sound of a genuinely progressive artist reaching out, pushing the boundaries, and his own limits, to create a beautiful piece of work.

There will be a lot of people reading this who will only have Tubular Bells albums, or Ommadawn and Hergest Ridge at a push.

Well, push yourselves. Get this, because it is every inch as good, and, in some respects, more interesting in the moods it creates.

A very strong four stars, 4.5 in reality.

This album is totally over-rated. It is a bad remake of a once great reciepe, Bad ingredients ("happy", textes, phone rings ???), weak direction. I understand nostalgia of the great 70's era of Mike oldfield drive people to over-rate whatever has any, vague ressemblance to Ommadawn, but one must try to keep head cool. Since when recycling old material with a decade later, with nearly no creativity, makes for a great album ? There is nothing "great" here, just average. It's a fan thing only, with, obvisouly, a great effort on recording and mixing. That's not enough. Beside that, the world music edge is not my cup of tea. Sorry folks.

Mike returns to his more adventurous, experimental side for Amarok. Just one hour long song. It almost sounds like an updated Ommadawn. Here Oldfield reunites with producer Tom Newman who produced Tubular Bells. Mike's most recent output had been very pop-oriented yet as late as 1987 he was still putting out 20-minute epics. Amarok is a very adventurous album for 1990. It must have took a lot of time and effort to record and mix this album.

Mike uses a wide variety of different instruments here. He even uses non-instruments like chairs and telephones to create sounds. Also lots of weird vocal sounds here as well. Generally the sections change quite often, never staying in the same place for too long. The louder parts really jump out at you. Don't try going to sleep listening to this. A very warm sounding dynamic recording. If this gets remixed/remastered in the future, I hope this dynamic range is not lost. The music is in many different styles including Celtic, African and flamenco.

The beginning is not as memorable as that on Tubular or Ommadawn. The ending isn't the greatest either. I like the voice throughout that says "happy?" Some people hate it, but not me. As usual, Mike's electric guitar playing is what stands out the most. There are some parts which sound reggae influenced which I like. The part around 10 minutes with the robotic voice and African sound is good. Love the bass tone used in this album. Before 14 minutes is a section similar to 'Sailor's Hornpipe' from Tubular. The music behind the teeth-brushing part is some of the best moments on the album.

Almost halfway you hear the chanted female voclas that come back near the end. Like the part with the Jew's Harp and 'caveman' vocals. After 42 minutes is one of the best parts; very reggae sounding with robotic vocals. Starting about 44:47 is the best section on the album. This section is excerpted for 'best of' compilations. Based around the female chanting and African drumming. Love the bass here and the 'caveman' vocals. At the end is a Margarent Thatcher impersonator. Probably the most pointless section of Amarok, it really sounds dated now.

A brave and bold musical statement from a guy who is more reserved and reclusive. This is a lot to sit through in one setting. Obviously some parts are better than others. A very good effort, I would give this a 3.5 but will round up to 4 stars because how many 60-minute songs were there in 1990 this good?

5/10

Ommadawn, part two?

Mike Oldfield returns to produce an album after a long period of pop-rock and synthesizers.

During the the decade of 80 the creator of Tubular Bells is dedicated to making more commercial albums, in the spirit of that time. But he wanted to return to producing albums "organic" without the use of computers and stuff - that is, he had longing of 70´s. Grew out Amarok.

Amarok is definitely the most unconventional design of Mike Oldfield. Not only because it is an album composed of a single 60 minutes of uninterrupted music (because by then everyone knew that Mike could release a song that size), but the incredible - and controversial - mixtures of styles in it. While the Virgin wanted a sequel to Tubular Bells, Mike created an album that can be considered more as a result of Ommadawn (the sequence of TB would only years later when he had the record company Warner).

Many certainly shocked (and some future listeners will be shocked) with the antics displayed on this album. Besides zillion instruments Mike touches (guitar, flute, accordion, banjo, zither piano glockenspiel, triangles bells tubular (or rather "long thin metallic hanging tubes" a joke's own Mike over its first album ) pandeiros etc ...) some "instruments unconventional" as shoes phones (that really give nerves) and stuff, contributing to atmosphere strange and for totally inconsistency.

And "consistency" is the keyword for Amarok ... simply because this album does not her. There are some good moments, but these are confusing and surpass them by weird passages (nonsense, so to speak) where the album loses focus - example is there for 15 minutes, where it seems there are several tunes that alternate in conflict or overlap, creating an effect of multiple textures in music, in my view, do not bring anything interesting.

So do not be fooled when I say that Amarok is an uninterrupted music. There are several "breaks" in the mood of the music (if I may say that there is a climate with the vast amount of travel and experimentation on the album), so the album is not to be unitary. Although I do not know what's worse, millions of disconnected tunes in 60 minutes, or just a very dull ...

3 stars. The most bizarre of albums of Mike Oldfield, and even if not the best, an interesting trip that surely some will like it - even though I was not one of those.

First a bit of history. After the disappointing synth pop album 'Earth Moving,' Mike Oldfield felt like going back to progressive instrumental music with world influences. The record company he was with was pestering him about making a Tubular Bells 2, but he didn't feel like it at the time. Instead he made an album that pleased fans and at the same time upset the record company. How could they market a 60 minute song? It also contains a secret message in Morse code expressing his unhappy feelings towards the record company.

The music here can be compared closest to Ommadawn. The music is very wild and constantly changes to keep things interesting. There are a reocurring segments as well to make this a complete piece. Mike has brought a lot of things back from the Ommadawn days, including the singer (mainly used as an instrument), the pipe player and the African drummers. There's a lot of guitar, mainly acoustic, and lots of interesting percussion. There's even a toothbrush. Mike let his creativity run free; breaking though boundaries of normal, accessible music. The result is mind-blowing.

I can see that not everyone will be able to fully appreciate such a wild and complex album/song, and I understand. This album took me a few listens to appreciate but I ended up loving it.

Happy? Yes, very. 5 stars.

What do a giant wolf in Inuit mythology, a large truck manufactured by Volkswagen, audio software, a Spanish band, and Mike Oldfield's hour-long opus have in common? They are all called Amarok. And as this term has many definitions, so does that last entry contain a variety of musical styles and nuances. While Oldfield is noted for his eclecticism, this time he falls short in making that diversity work to his (and the listener's) advantage. The piece lacks compositional integrity- it is a hodgepodge of musical ideas thrown in a giant kettle; were this a culinary presentation, it would be a twelve-course meal where most of the courses don't work with what came before. This uninterrupted dinner is in need of several palette-cleansers, as it were. The transitions, when they exist, are uninspired at best. It is also a shame that Oldfield kept his cheap, thin guitar tone even though better possibilities were certainly available to him by 1990. Another thing of note is that there is a lack of bass presence throughout most of the work. Had Oldfield chosen a more acoustic approach (because, along with the African vocals, the acoustic guitar work is the best aspect of the album), crafted better transitions, and laid off the numerous upsetting electronic intrusions, he would have created a piece more or less on par with Ommadawn. But I suppose that's what sometimes happens when, rather than bow to the commercialism of a record label, one aims to piss it off- being purposely unmarketable does not automatically make one a musical genius at a given point in one's career.

"Amarok" The piece juxtaposes some fine acoustic guitar chugging with bizarre synthetic blasts and wet fart noises it could have done without. Those appreciating Jon Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow might love the first several minutes were it not for those ear-splitting interruptions and the occasional mechanical vocal. The various synthetic bits become even more disrespectful, as though someone wanted to make fun of the worst 1980s technology had to offer. When the music is peaceful, it is good, such as the nine-and-a-half-minute mark, when the synthesizer lead, tribal percussion and guitars sound wonderful together- a pity it falls right into another mechanized vocal romp. Eventually things morph into a bright piano and banjo tune- cheerful and quite enjoyable. A quarter of an hour in, the music becomes downright cartoonish, with all manner of irritatingly whimsical sounds. One of the best parts of the piece follows- intense acoustic guitar and banjo provide a bed for soft lead musings that sound similar to Greg Lake's lead guitar in Tarkus. Soon, the piece adopts a flamenco style, with pulsating Spanish rhythms, and is eventually provided with more unwelcome synthetic detonations. Midway through, the music becomes breathy and celestial again, and then abruptly, I feel like I've died and gone to the circus. When things become tribal again, Oldfield's guitar tone hurts my ears- it shrieks and squeals in a way a guitar shouldn't. Light, Irish folk music later ensues. After forays into previously explored styles, Oldfield pauses, and returns to Jon Anderson-like African-inspired music, with a pleasant Xhosa choir courtesy of Jabula. The roaring vocal is distracting, reminiscent of the Piltdown Man from Tubular Bells (though thankfully more restrained). The actress Janet Brown (who passed only a few months ago) makes an appearance on this album, impersonating Margaret Thatcher. The glorious ending is indeed inspiring and remarkable- would that the whole piece were so stirring.

A reimagining of the approach of Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn for the CD age, Virgin had been desperately hoping for a Tubular Bells II out of this one but what they got in the end was more reminiscent of Ommadawn than the other two of Mike's first three albums - the fascination with Irish folk music is back with a vengeance, in particular. Starting out with a more dissonant and chaotic section with heavy amounts of sampling, once the piece actually gets underway what we get is a 1 hour revisit of the Ommadawn concept which, whilst it isn't quite up to the high standard set by its predecessor, comes very very close indeed.

Close - but no cigar. The major problem with the work is that there's an air of insincerity running through it - whereas Ommadawn was infused with a sense of genuine musical exploration, here it feels like Oldfield is wheeling out a bunch of studio tricks for the simple reason that he can. It doesn't help that Oldfield goes out of the way to include an overt parody of Margaret Thatcher towards the end of the album in a failed attempt to put a new spin on Viv Stanshall's Master of Ceremonies performance in Tubular Bells - whilst the impersonator is rather good, in retrospect this rather dates the piece in a way Stanshall's interjection in Bells doesn't.

On top of that, there's the infamous hidden barbs directed at Richard Branson and Virgin Records that litter the composition for those who wish to seek them out, which leave a rather bitter taste in the mouth. Whilst individual parts of the release are quite lovely, the composition as a whole feels like it comes from a place of anger, petulance, and just plain bad feeling, and that rather poisons the proceedings in a sad and needless way.

Master of originality, freshness, innovation. Personal style, unconventional. The music of Oldfield is unique, unparalleled. And with this album this artist confirmed his capacity to make singular pieces of music, nothing more and nothin less than 60 minutes of magnificent sounds and melodies in one and only song. Don´t worry about the time, fluency is guaranteed when we talk about M.O. The music could be divided in three parts, combined in a perfect form. There is no way for me to be more specific, just is necessary listen to this fantastic piece of art. Everytime that I listen, I discover new pearls musically speaking. I tried to be impartial, no easy for me when I write about this kind of music.

After a series of half prog-pop albums throughout most of the 1980s, in which the quality of the side long prog track declined with each release, MIKE OLDFIELD dispensed with the requisite magnum opus on "Earth Moving", the single worst album of his career. As if in reaction, he followed this with a CD consisting of one 60 minute track, "Amarok" which many saw as a return to form.

Mike even enlisted some old friends like PADDY MOLONEY of CHIEFTAINS fame, who had appeared on "Five Miles Out", and CLODAGH SIMMONDS ("Ommadawn"), to appease and convince long time fans that this was the real deal. Indeed, how could he miss the mark with so much going for him. But miss it he did, hugely, with what sounds like outtakes from his 1970s classics, each 30 second interval sounding fine on its own but diminished by its utter disregard for its neighbours. This is a slapdash goulash of deliberately undeveloped concepts that rarely impress even as much as the mediocre "Wind Chimes", its most recent predecessor at the time. It's intentionally schizophrenic, but rather than furnishing even virtual links it severs them. Even on the vividly disjointed "Taurus 2", there was rhyme and reason and yes, melody.

This isn't entirely lost, but even in the MP3 era, it's too hard to extract the 8 or so outstanding minutes - mostly those with tribal rhythms as a cross between "Five Miles out"and "Ommadawn" without improving upon them in the slightest, from their murky milieu. This is like the "on the rebound" album, where the second relationship is only better because it is so different, and it couldn't have been worse anyway. True, but not by much.

There is no doubt about it: this is a very odd piece which provokes very mixed reactions and I'd say it's by far and away Mike Oldfield's least accessible album. When I first heard it I didn't like it and it only really got played because it was on side two of a cassette a friend had made for me, and my tape player had no working fast-forward or rewind. Slowly, though, parts of it started to gel for me and eventually it started to make musical sense.

As a piece it's very jarring and full of rapid changes of direction and character. This makes it quite different from most of Mike Oldfield's instrumental output which tends to rely heavily on minimalist techniques such as a slow and repetitive development of sections.

As an example of what I mean: it opens with a frantic guitar riff then suddenly explodes with aggressive stabs, but before the first minute is up it's changed down into a more gentle acoustic guitar rendition of the opening, but by two minutes it's changed again, and thirty seconds later it's broken down in into something different again. It's almost like a story where the narrator keeps changing their mind about the most important details to divulge first and you have to wait for them to calm down.

There are some beautiful sections, and some of the interplay between different lines and harmonies is up there with his finest. Once you get used to the undeniably chaotic and disturbing presentation, it's compelling stuff.

A lot of people describe it as Ommadawn 2, and while I can see where they're coming from I think this is a very different beast. There's a lot of trademark Mike Oldfield electric guitar work, a large amount of acoustic guitar, a lot of percussion instruments and chants, and then there's the occasional sound effect like a chainsaw or toothbrush. I think if you come to it expecting to be Ommadawn, you'll have the wrong expectations. I'd say it's not an album that everyone's going to love, but that it's certainly worth listening to a few times before writing it off.

I'm giving it five stars. It would certainly be one of my desert island discs, but I think more than that it's an album that's unique and so far I've not found anything else like it.

"Amarok" is probably one of the more interesting albums/songs I've ever listened to. If ever there was an artist who could successfully create an hour-long song and still maintain the listener's attention for the entire duration, it is Mike Oldfield. Not only does he compose this elaborate test of dedication with the expected skill we've come to know and love as Mike Oldfield, but he does so with the perfect balance of melodies one might relate to in Thick as a Brick. Besides kill time, this album/song provides a most elaborate escape into the world of music that is quite unparalleled in music that I've listened to. You could listen to this song in fragments like any other album, or you could sit yourself down and listen to the full hour. Either way, Oldfield's got your back. There's just enough random nonsense contained within for it not to be taken too seriously, which I think humbles the music itself. I respect the fact that I can take this music seriously and at the same bask in the silly moments with delight. Definitely one of Oldfield's best, if not his best already and definitely worth checking out if you enjoy his other works.

Also, for some reason I always pictured Meryl Streep as the "woman of endings".

CLASSIC OLDFIELD-DEFINITELY BACK TO FORM W/ONE EXCEPTION: NUMEROUS POINTS OF HUMOR!

I listened to this cd at work the other evening and I remembered how I liked it, but I really felt that I never paid as close attention to it as it deserved, until then! It made me feel...ha-ha-ha-happy?! Although I had known that it was as good as his hey-day work from the seventies, I had forgotten just how good it was! Sure, history shows us just how good Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn and Incantations are without a doubt and how well received they've been, but there is something special about this cd! There are many points within this work where humor is both subtly and obtrusively brought to the fore. I love the classic cd's I mentioned above, but it is the amount of humor in this work that sets it apart. I haven't reviewed any of his other albums, but needless to say, I'd rate the four that I had mentioned all 4 to 5 stars! And although this has been reviewed almost innumerably as well, I just felt compelled after my emotional reaction while listening to it for the first time in quite a while the other evening, to spend the time to critique it also. If anyone who enjoys Mike Oldfield's oeuvre, but as of yet hasn't purchased this album, I'd highly recommend this as a 2nd or 3rd purchase of his with only Hergest Ridge a close 4th and Incantations as a close 5th. It is somewhat lighter than the classics but not at all in a bad way. I can't help but wonder if Mr. Oldfield was just in a very happy period of his existence during the time he produced this album or if making it, with that humorous vein, was a conscious decision? Which ever is the case, I'm glad that the stars aligned the way they did so as to leave us blessed with this piece of artwork! As I listen to this again while writing this review, I can't help but smile at the quality and the humor! Just great!

But even if you think that nothing much is happening, wait for the grand finally! Lol! Well that's what I'd like to talk to you all about...endings. Now endings normally happen at the end, but as we all know, endings are just beginnings! You know, once these things really get started, it's jolly hard to stop them again. However, as we have all come this far, I think, under the circumstances, the best solution is that we all just keep going! Let's keep this going in site, never an ending. Let's remember that this world wants fresh beginnings!...of course...of course...

Well that's about it for now. Take care and enjoy God's gift of music!

Isn't that charming, toodle-oo, I really feel like I could dance! Lol...Lol, charming, Lol...

Though entering into this musical adventure with quite an open mind, I was very quickly disenchanted by the continuous appearance of tired old motifs that he had used up in his 1970 releases--but that's not all, Mike has gone a step further to try to mix in quirky, "humorous" samples and electro-rhythms that had been made popular with the entry of computer technologies in the late 70s and then became ubiquitous in the techno-crazed "New Wave" of the 1980s. Sadly, Mike is rather late to the game in this latter respect and, I'm sorry, but an artist cannot, in my brain, get away with the use of singularly unique ideas and/or motifs more than once in one's career: it's like parodying himself or, worse, cut and pasting old material into a "new" piece. Plus, I'm sorry, but this aimless, reckless meandering of brief themes feels more like treating us listeners as if we're lab rats set loose in some labyrinth/maze without any care whatsoever for the route he's set us upon as well as a total disdain for how we get to the end. I feel utter cynicism and laugh-in-the-face-of-danger hopelessness upon listening to this--a feeling that I have trouble escaping once I've finished. "How do I reclaim that hour that was so selfishly taken away from me?" Then, to think that I've done it more than once (years apart)--always willing to "forgive" and give a piece a second and/or third chance--in case I've "missed" something or in case I've "grown" ready to appreciate it! Maybe that's the joke Mike's trying to let us in on! "Create your own reality--stop relying on poseurs like me!"

this album really polarizes listeners and fans alike i find it quite humorous a sort of Creative ADHD update on his 2 Meisterwerke Tubular and Ommadawn. Of course if you have a fragmented mind as a listener you are going to be chasing your own tail within minutes because it is a musical form of " Let us go here oh no here oh no there oh no back to there ha well oh an alleyway here let us dive into it" For an hour non- stop

I love it most of the time but would also happily defenestrate it with relish .... it really polarizes and discombobulates the listener .... maybe what Mike wanted .....

With the release of Mike Oldfield's "Amarok" on June 14, 1990, the world gained a classic. The album reignited the fire for many fans of his music and it was much needed. His previous two albums, "Islands" (1987) and "Earth Moving" (1989), were huge disappointments for most fans. It seemed that Oldfield had permanently lost the art of creating captivating music. But then came the beautiful "Amarok", an album where Oldfield broke away from the commercial direction he was taking at the time and returned to the epic prog of the 1970s. "Amarok" was considered the follow-up to the 1975 classic "Ommadawn". How unpredictable can you get?

Releasing such an album demonstrated Oldfield's stubbornness at the time. He defied Virgin, his record company, by presenting them with an album that didn't align with their vision. The relationship between them was far from good. Oldfield believed that Virgin's focus on promoting their punk and new wave bands came at the expense of supporting him. Nevertheless, "Amarok" seems to have been made for music lovers. Put on your headphones. "Amarok" unmistakably bears Oldfield's signature. With impressive craftsmanship, he blends prog, folk, new age and world music. "Amarok" is heavily guitar-oriented, with a lot of string instruments and very few synths.

The album consists of a single one-hour track that feels like a burst of pent-up creativity. Oldfield unleashes all compositional restraints and delivers moments of greatness. It is a maze of relatively short themes that cleverly overlap or abruptly end. "Amarok" is primarily a labor of love, with a beautiful organic glow. The melodies, harmonies and rhythms, mainly produced by the instruments themselves, are strong. Additionally, the album is filled with various sounds and effects. As a result, "Amarok" is a massive patchwork quilt that is incredibly cozy.

In the beginning of the track, Oldfield frequently asks if you are happy. Many will answer with a resounding yes. You cannot ignore the beauty of the album. Take, for example, the intriguing intro where the acoustic guitar draws you into the rest of the album. For one hour, you are confronted with the genius beauty of the music. Don't be surprised by a suddenly ringing telephone or a heavily distorted mandolin. Oldfield keeps you awake throughout. Often, a razor- sharp fragment from a guitar orchestra cuts through the music. Later, it turns out to be part of a brilliant country piece. It all fits together so well, whether it's the flamenco section, the pulsating female vocals, the euphoric guitar solos, the ambient sounds, the playful recorder part, or the exhilarating African drum rhythms. How brilliant do you have to be to create an album that sounds extraordinarily coherent despite its fragmented approach?

Normally, such an album would have a significant lull somewhere, but not with "Amarok". There is a constant underlying tension. Although the expectations are fulfilled a few times along the way, it truly explodes into a grandiose finale. During the last quarter, all the puzzle pieces fall into place and you hear music that is pregnant with anticipation. There are elements such as marimba, glockenspiel, piano, and, of course, the striking tubular bells. But Oldfield wouldn't be Oldfield if he didn't also make room for the voice of Margaret Thatcher followed by a tap dance section. The last minute is monumental and the African choir sings with full force, leaving you feeling overwhelmingly happy.

In conclusion, "Amarok" is a breathtaking masterpiece that marked the beginning of the third phase in Oldfield's career. It is unfair to criticize Oldfield for being indebted to himself. Let's not do that. Let's commend him for his unwavering confidence in his own abilities.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com