MIKE OLDFIELD

Four albums in, and I'm surprised (and kind of saddened) by the fact that I'm struggling to really "get" these early Mike Oldfield albums. His debut, 'Tubular Bells', is one of the most iconic albums in history. With plenty of memorable musical passages, it's held up well all these years later. But following releases 'Hergest Ridge' and 'Ommadawn', which both seem to be beloved by fans, fall completely flat for me.

Don't get me wrong, I love Oldfield's music. Whether he's dabbling in rock, pop, classical, folk or electronic, or making his songs three minutes long or twenty minutes long, I've always admired many of his releases. But these early ones? I just can't seem to get into them.

This brings me to 1978's 'Incantations'. Mike's fourth studio outing. As always, I respect the living hell out of his musical prowess. Plying his craft at writing, playing and recording, Oldfield is an exceptional musician, and should be commended especially for such ambitious work at such a young age too. But the songs here all seem a bit long-winded. Basically repeating what he has done on his previous albums. Of course, there's always going to be a few bits here and there that I like, and in all fairness, this whole album is just a huge smorgasbord of nice melodies. But sadly, in my opinion, they just don't make for such engaging compositions when crammed together.

Maybe, instead of four twenty-minute songs, he should have broke them down into more tracks of shorter durations. That might have made them more easily digestible. Or maybe not. We'll never know. Either way, this album just isn't working for me. There are plenty of other Mike Oldfield records I'd rather put on, so I'll just put 'Incantations' back on the shelf where it belongs, and listen to those ones instead.

I started reviewing on Prog Archives because as both a prog fan and a musician, I want to study and analyze this genre carefully to see what works and what doesn't. In keeping with this aim--and the Prog Archives rating guidelines which urge people to write extreme reviews sparingly--I've written my last two reviews about albums by all-time favorite artists (namely Dream Theater and Mike Oldfield) to see why I didn't feel they worked musically and learn from those missteps for my own music. But having done that, I want to turn now to one of my favorite albums of all time and outline why I think it's a complete masterpiece of prog rock, New Age, and the Mike Oldfield formula.

I was introduced to Mike Oldfield by my dad at a very young age, and I've always been heavily influenced by his experimental drive and energy as well as his ear for crafting and reinterpreting melodies throughout a 40-80 minute opus. Some say this album tries too hard to rip off Mike Oldfield's former glory from the Tubular Bells and Ommadawn days, and I don't agree at all. Now, Tubular Bells II--THAT was unquestionably a self-ripoff (perhaps deliberately so, in keeping with his frustrations toward Virgin). But while Amarok certainly feels like a return to form, Oldfield doesn't just rehash the formula--he expands upon it, developing parts of the formula that never fully congealed in the classic works and developing his melodic themes more than ever across the 60-minute track.

It's true that this album represents arguably the most prog rock we've gotten from Oldfield since Ommadawn, maybe even Tubular Bells. Not that Oldfield hasn't been prog--but this is the first time in a while that he has genuinely rocked. Between the repetitive New Age drift of Incantations and Crises, the electronica bent of QE2 and Five Miles Out, and the pop leanings of Islands and Earth Moving, it's hard to recall a time when Oldfield's compositions have had so much energy. Here Oldfield achieves a harder rock edge by leaning on his strengths as a multi-instrumentalist, keeping a rawer sound while allowing synths and orchestral hits to provide additional bursts of energy.

The frenetic 19/16 guitar riff in the opening beautifully exemplifies both the instrumental virtuosity of prog and the primal energy of rock. Longtime listeners accustomed to Oldfield's more mellow sounds on Hergest Ridge or Incantations will be shocked by the sudden loud orchestral hits here and on the next section. Me, I find myself head banging to them every time--which is exactly what great rock music should accomplish. There are several sections like this throughout the piece--almost reminiscent of the musique concrete explored by John Lennon in the late 60s, they differ substantially from the sound fans have come to expect from Oldfield. But as far as I'm concerned, that's a good thing.

Technically, Amarok consists of a single uninterrupted track, but I find it helpful to divide it into three distinct sections. Part 1 is largely defined by the kind of manic energy mentioned earlier, with heavy use of synth stabs, squealing guitars, and frenetic riffing--this first part continues until the "breathing troubles" section that kicks off part 2. This second part is a bit closer to what Mike Oldfield fans tend to expect, with many sections echoing previous melodic motifs in less discordant ways. For example, the final section of Part 1 has a mandolin riff punctuated by off-tempo percussion, which is reprised in Part 2 as a more typical Mike Oldfield melodic idea. Interspersed in both these parts are some standalone (mostly acoustic) sections that serve to break up the monotony--again, pretty standard for Oldfield's oeuvre. There are videos on YouTube of Oldfield interviews where he plays some of these guitar sections as stand-alone performances--and I think they really demonstrate what a criminally underrated guitarist Mike Oldfield has always been.

As with much of Oldfield's work, there are several melodic motifs that echo throughout the piece. Some highlights include:

-The "mi-re-do-sol" melody that is first developed fully at the end of part 1 and the beginning of part 2, but can subsequently be heard subtly echoed all throughout the album on repeated listens.

-The closely related "intro" and "climax" melodies, introduced as a New Agey type of chant in the first part and eventually reinterpreted as an African choral melody

-The discordant "fast riff" and "mad bit" that occur intermittently throughout more manic sections of the piece.

-The recurring chord structure of I-V-vi-IV-IV-V-I-V

-The "la-ti-do-ti-la-sol" motif introduced early on

-The "sondela" chant in the Roses section, eventually expanded to a full Xhosa chorus.

Compared even to his classic period, Oldfield does a much better job of reinterpreting and expanding on these melodic themes, resulting in an album that feels more cohesive than ever even though it's designed to be as disjointed as possible. For example, while the orchestral hits in the fast riff intro sound jarring at first, repeated listens reveal that they foreshadow the "mi re do sol" motif that appears later in the song.

Then we get to Part 3 of Amarok: the Africa section. Here, Oldfield recruits South African bandleader Julian Bahula, who previously led the Jabula Quartet's performance on "Incantations" backing up the "Song of Hiawatha" sections. Hearing this African group perform a style distinctly in its wheelhouse is a welcome departure from the Incantations appearance, where they were brought in for a Native American-style sound, presumably because "well, they both have tribes and were mercilessly exploited by white settlers... close enough, right?" The result was a confused musical offering that sadly exemplified (maybe even invented) the New Age trope of world music as artsy pretension. By contrast, Amarok really feels like a celebration of the African sound that by that point was actively being platformed in popular music. Nothing about it feels shallow, and it has all the eclectic and compositional energy one expects from Oldfield.

It's also here, at the 48-minute part, that we get to Mike Oldfield's now-infamous message to Richard Branson, where he tells the Virgin CEO to "f*** off" in Morse Code. Of course, the whole album is designed as a middle finger to Branson, who'd been pushing him in more of an 80s pop direction to diminishing returns and was pressuring him to release a sequel to Tubular Bells. As a result, Oldfield deliberately made this album--one of his last two with Virgin--as deliberately uncommercial as possible, injecting them with sonic assaults like synth stabs, vacuum cleaners, and even one mad bit (no, literally, that's what the album calls it) where it sounds like a car bomb is going off. One can imagine Oldfield exasperatedly walking into Branson's office with the final product saying "well, here's your new album. Are you ha-a-a-appy?"

A lesser artist might have rebelled by just making the absolute most discordant, most unlistenable assortment of nonsense they can think of. Instead, Mike Oldfield threads the needle between artistic integrity and corporate rebellion, creating an intricate tapestry of interwoven sounds while also ensuring that none of it could be spun off into a radio single. There are certainly enough oddball elements to go around in this piece, but most of them come across in a musical way. Some have called this album a disjointed hodgepodge. I would say it's no more so than Tubular Bells or other albums from his classic period, where Oldfield's eclectic grab-bag of musical ideas is very much his style--and his charm. Amarok is fundamentally the next step in that progression from an artist whose label has tried to steer him to calmer waters, but who now breaks off into less charted territory with more abandon than ever.

Then, in the last 5 minutes, after a cheeky interlude about endings by a Margaret Thatcher impersonator, Oldfield does something I don't think he'd ever done before in his extended compositions--he writes a satisfying conclusion. Previous entries would peter out repetitively while saying little of substance (Crises, Hergest Ridge), fail to tie back into the album's developed musical ideas (Ommadawn, Five Miles Out), or just break out into the Beverly Hillbillies theme (Tubular Bells). But here, Oldfield actually builds one of his recurring musical motifs into a crescendo with an African chorus that offers a payoff to the "sondela" motif repeated throughout. The instrumentation swells as new choral parts are added, and that final note of guitar squeal as the chorus cuts off is just orgasmic. A fantastic ending to his Virgin tenure--but as we all know, endings are just beginnings. ;-)

I suppose this album was my first real introduction to the world of instrumental music, and indeed one of the first prog albums I heard. Safe to say it was pretty life-altering not least because it also introduced me to the albums of Mike Oldfield, who would easily be my favourite solo artist of all-time.

As time has gone on I have found myself returning to it less and less, mostly because there are actually numerous albums in Oldfield's catalogue that I personally enjoy more than this one. That said, it's still a classic that I would never want to be without a physical copy of.

I grew up with Mike Oldfield and would consider him one of my favorite artists of all time. His first three albums were a major inspiration for my own musical style (I still play "On Horseback" at some of my cover gigs), and as I started to explore music on my own I discovered the sheer brilliance of Amarok, in my opinion one of the best albums ever made. Even some of his less acclaimed albums like QE2 and Islands have music on them that I quite enjoy. But even though Incantations is often hailed as part of his classic period, to me it sounds more like he was running out of steam, trying desperately and ultimately failing to top himself with the first of his musical experiments that I would say didn't quite come together.

Oldfield has said in interviews that his inspiration for Incantations largely came from exposure to Bach (whose music he would sample in a later song, "Conflict" from QE2) and the circle of fifths. Part of what I love about Oldfield is the eclectic range of styles he brings to his compositions, drifting from neoclassical motifs to lilting English folk to shreddy proto-metal to the caveman grunts in Tubular Bells Part II. But here, that one musical idea--the circle of fifths--dominates about 50-60% of the entire album. This might not be such a big issue if Incantations weren't a 72- minute double LP, but with that fact in mind, that musical idea and the lead melody it introduces--pleasant and calming enough in part 1--grossly overstay their welcome by the time you get to part 4. At his best, Mike Oldfield is a master at playing around with and reinterpreting melodic motifs, taking them in new and interesting directions (I would call Amarok a prime example). But for most of this album, he doesn't do enough to the lead melody to make it not fade into the background.

Of course, this is Mike Oldfield we're talking about, so some exceptions apply. The intro to Part 3 is easily my favorite part of the whole album--it's highly energetic, reminding me a lot of the Trepak section from the Nutcracker, and it even features one of the few interpolations of the main theme that I would consider engaging. Part 4 also opens with a pleasant-sounding, Eastern-tinged lilt that interpolates the circle of fifths in at least a different way from the rest of the album--at least until it transitions right back into the main motif. I even like the disco interpolation of the main theme on the bonus track "Guilty"--maybe it's not prog, but it's definitely got some great energy and some fresh musical ideas. If Kanye can sample a Mike Oldfield song, I reckon Oldfield can get away with sampling himself.

But those flashes of creativity aren't enough to salvage the album for me, especially since I haven't even talked about the most confused part of the album and one of Oldfield's most baffling musical decisions ever: setting Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Song of Hiawatha to music.

A listener approaching this album from a prog perspective might be forgiven for thinking that this is at least a novel concept. But in fact composers have been setting this poem to music since at least 1858--most notably Oldfield's fellow countryman Samuel Coleridge-Taylor around the turn of the 20th century--which further calls into question why Oldfield would tackle this poem when it had already been so done before.

Oldfield likely took inspiration from contemporaries like Yes and Mahavishnu Orchestra, who incorporated world elements and lyrically drew on Hindu texts. But Jon Anderson was engaging with these texts and incorporating them into his brand of rock mysticism, and John McLaughlin would go on to collaborate with Indian and other world musicians. We don't see much connection with Native American culture on Incantations. The percussion is credited as "African drums" by the Jabula Quartet, and the poem itself is sung by English vocalist Maddy Prior. To the extent most Westerners know anything of Native American music, they think of flutes--which are present on the album, but if they're on the Hiawatha sections, they're mixed down to the point of inaudibility.

Granted, crafting a distinctly Native American sound would have been a Herculean task anyway given the scope of atrocities that uprooted indigenous people and alienated them from their cultures--and even the authenticity of Longfellow's original poem is... debatable. But it wouldn't have been impossible. A few years later, Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel would not only incorporate African elements into their music, they would actively platform African musicians like Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Youssou N'Dour. If Oldfield wanted to give his sound more connection with Native American culture, Louis W. Ballard (known as the father of Native American composition) was still actively composing in the mid-1970s--and even if Oldfield wasn't aware of him, surely Virgin's most successful artist at the time would have the connections to make that happen if he wanted to.

None of this would be a problem if the sections weren't so repetitive and uninspired. It's the same 8-measure melody and chord structure repeated ad nauseam for a 9-minute stretch of music. Though considering this is a poem about an Ojibway demigod filtered through a white American and set to music by an Englishman, maybe "boring" is the best case scenario here.

And that's basically the tenor of the album. None of it is "bad"--it's quite pleasant to listen to, has some standout moments, and even the parts that overstay their welcome are nice at first. But it's just not an album that rewards repeated listens, even compared to some of Oldfield's 80s work (which I think is rather overhated, but I digress). If you're looking to get into Oldfield, I'd say stick to the first three albums + Amarok, maybe Five Miles Out as well.

The songs are mostly fine. I sort of liked "To France", it's good enough to be good, but nothing beyond that. Most of the remaining tracks are on par with it. "Trick of The Light" and "Discovery" are significantly better. Things don't start well with the beginning of side two. "Talk About Your Life" is just so so. It had the potential to be a little more, just enough to get it to be okay. But it doesn't, it just stays as a filler track. The next track is "Saved By A Bell" and this one is comically bad. I almost feel embarrassed listening to this one. It came close to making me want to stop the album altogether. Up next is the only instrumental in the album and its your typical Mike. A long piece where some of it grabs you and some of it doesn't. Just because its long doesn't mean its great. 12 minute pieces should not score 2.5 stars. I feel like I am being generous with the last track. It sounds cheesy at times, like a montage for happy 80's feel good movies.

Side A is fine by me. I just never see myself playing side B ever again. But side B is half of the album and its bad. I say this is a 2.0. star album.

I just finished listening to this album. This is the first Mike Oldfield album I've ever listened to. I really liked part 1 of the album. I think its between 3.5 stars and 4.0 stars. Part 2 however was a major step down. I tuned out to talk to my wife for a few minutes then I remembered I was rating an album. Part 2 is between 2.0 stars and 2.5 stars. I hope this isn't his best because I've ordered a few more of his albums and I don't want to endure another 20 minutes of Ommadawn part 2. Still, Part 1 is good enough to award this album 3 stars in spite of how average and lazy part 2 can sound. Had part 2 been close in quality to part 1 we could be talking about a four star album.

From Hergest Ridge to Ommadawn

Ommadawn is a feeling, a place or a Gaelic word for stupid. After the success of Tubular Bells, Mike Oldfield faced numerous challenges while recording his third album, Ommadawn. Technical problems from the beginning added to the emotional weight he carried after the recent passing of his mother. This personal loss left Oldfield feeling vulnerable, which inspired him to create a work that served as both artistic expression and emotional release.

Following the mixed reviews of Hergest Ridge, Oldfield felt frustrated and determined to prove he was more than a one-hit wonder. This drive, combined with his grief, led him to create Ommadawn as a conceptual album?meant to be experienced as a continuous journey. Drawing from childhood memories, Oldfield combined Celtic, African, and folk influences, using instruments like the bodhrán and African drums to build a rich sound.

Ommadawn is a deep exploration of emotions, moving from sorrow to healing and resilience. The title, based on the Irish word amadán (meaning "fool"), suggests innocence and openness, inviting listeners to share in Oldfield's personal experiences. The album is both intimate and universal, capturing themes of memory and loss while transforming pain into beauty.

When he began working on Ommadawn, Oldfield wanted to avoid traditional studios, so he persuaded his label, Virgin Records, to set up a 24-track studio at his home, The Beacon, in Herefordshire. He recorded the album there between January and September 1975, though some sections, like the African drums, were done at The Manor studio in Oxfordshire. Oldfield produced and engineered the album himself.

In the end, Ommadawn is a wonderful piece of music that showcases Oldfield's artistic depth and his ability to channel profound emotions into his work. It remains one of his most heartfelt and lasting albums, allowing listeners to connect with his journey and find resonance in their own experiences.

I am a level 1 going into this, as I have heard some excerpts, especially the intro part. This album seems to be an either you love it or hate it type of thing. The album is essentially one long piece divided into 2 parts to accommodate turning the record over due to the time restrictions of the format. But at 26 minutes, side 1 was certainly pushing those limits!

Track 1 - Tubular Bells, Pt. 1

The introductory section is probably the best-known part of the song. I believe the time signature is 15-8 (!). I like the little counter melody that joins at about 3 minutes, then harmony guitar parts join. We leave the intro section about 5 minutes in for a bit of lighter flute-based melody. Then Oldfield shows his electric guitar skills off at around 6 minutes in. Acoustic guitar joins at about 7:45. The intro piano figure returns at about 9 minutes in. We get a bit of blues shuffle at around 13 minutes, followed by honky-tonk piano and humming. At around 14:30 there is a new guitar riff. Some actual tubular bells are ringing at around 16 minutes, followed by fingerstyle acoustic guitar. Then we get a bit jazzy. I like the guitar riff at about 17:30. Master of Ceremonies Vivian Stanshall (formerly of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band) begins introducing the names of instruments that would join in and be featured one by one beginning around 20:15. The underlying riff is very proggy. The title instrument gets announced at 23:23. There are angelic female voices singing ahhs as the music fades out with the exception of a classical guitar being played.

Track - Tubular Bells, Pt. 2

We begin in 6-8 here with electric piano and other instruments joining-in in a mellow manner. There is a small amount of female vocals here, most likely Mike's sister Sally. Layered instruments including both electric (clean) and acoustic guitars, electric piano, and some string sounds take over playing nice countermelodies. At about 6 minutes the instrumentation thins out a bit but is still quite nice. At around 8 minutes, we get 'Guitar that sounds like a mandolin' with female harmonies, followed by 'guitar that sounds like a bagpipe.' The sounds are achieved through various recording techniques Oldfield experimented with. Timpani drums join in as the music begins building in intensity. At just under 12 minutes in there are bizarre vocals and a drum set played by Steve Broughton of the Edgar Broughton band. The crazy vocals were added as Richard Branson wanted Oldfield to add vocals to the track so part of it could be released as a single! (Careful what you ask for Richard!) But this section (known as the Caveman section) may actually be my favorite as it is rockin' harder than most of the rest of the piece. Things chill back out following that with a mellow guitar solo with a gently rolling background of bass & organ. The guitar parts keep getting added to with overlapping meandering solos. I love the organ sound at about 21:15. The tune closes with Oldfield's rendition of 'The Sailor's Hornpipe'.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

Wow, what a wild and rather enjoyable ride that was. There are many different styles and melodies all nicely woven together in an entertaining way. What makes it especially impressive is that Oldfield was only 19 years old as he was recording almost all of the parts himself! As long as the piece is, I never found myself wondering 'jeez, how much longer is this?' Not one of my all-time favorite albums, but still quite good. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Actually, the very last studio album with new material by Mike Oldfield, "Man On The Rocks" from 2014, is quite a remarkable late addition to his discography. Initially, it was intended that "Music Of The Spheres" from 2008 would be the final chapter of his career. However, Oldfield's participation in the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London inspired him so much that he decided to continue his musical journey, resulting in the album we are discussing here, "Man On The Rocks."

Recorded at The Village Studio in Los Angeles and in his home studio in the Bahamas, the album features eleven song- oriented tracks and composing such songs happens to be one of Oldfield's skills. While Oldfield is renowned for his long compositions, his shorter pieces have always been well received. On "Man On The Rocks", he garnishes his songs with sublime guitar work.

Clearly, Oldfield has opted for a group sound on this album and it is a group of excellent musicians who perform the songs. The renowned session bassist Leland Sklar spoils the ears with his tasteful playing, while being supported by the driven drumming of John Robinson. Oldfield shares the honors on guitar (not lead) with Stephen Lipson and Michael Thompson and on keyboards, he does so with Matt Rollings. For vocals, Luke Spiller was brought in, a relatively unknown singer from the indie genre. He has won my heart with his catchy enthusiasm, whether he sounds warm in the verses or intensely Freddie Mercury-esque in the choruses. Thanks to these gentlemen, there is always a pleasant atmosphere on "Man On The Rocks".

The album starts exuberantly with Sailing. We hear acoustic guitar, enthusiastic vocals, an infectious rhythm and an excellent guitar solo. These elements give us hope. In the music video, we see Spiller strolling along the beach with the enthusiasm of someone who just won the lottery, but what stands out most is that he not only sounds like the Queen vocalist but also resembles him. In the subsequent Moonshine, there is a Mike And The Mechanics-like flow interrupted by a Celtic folk section complete with violin and low whistle reminiscent of Runrig. For me, it is one of the album's highlights.

Then a number of songs with a similar signature follow, including the melodic title track and Dreaming In The Wind with Chris Rea-like guitar playing and a magnificent guitar solo.

From then on, the atmosphere changes quite a bit. Nuclear presents a shift towards even more intensity and even a certain darkness. This solemn game-changer joins my list of favorite Oldfield shorties. In the steamy Chariots and the ballad Following The Angels, a whole gospel choir is even employed. It sounds as sultry as wearing a turtleneck sweater in summer. Irene is about the severe storm that hit the Bahamas. It goes without saying that the atmosphere there was far from delicate. The song often brings to mind The Rolling Stones and even AC/DC. The album concludes with the subdued worship song I Give Myself Away, a creation by gospel singer William McDowell. It seamlessly fits into the whole and provides a worthy ending to this beautiful album. A good choice.

"Man On The Rocks" is available in three versions: the standard edition, the deluxe edition with an additional CD excluding vocals and the super deluxe edition, which includes an instrumental disc as well as a disc of demos and alternative mixes. Personally, I consider every edition to be super deluxe.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com

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