CRISES

One of the best Mike Oldfield albums after the early classics. Here progressive elements and pop accessibility meet fruitfully, and also the choice of guest singers is perhaps the best to find in Oldfield. Since Family is (strangely!) not presented in our archives, the raw larynx of Roger Chapman ('Shadow on the Wall') is not as known as it should. Jon Anderson fits well to 'In High Places', and who wouldn't enjoy the simple pure pop ballad 'Moonlight Shadow', Maggie Reilly's finest moment? The two remaining tracks of 2nd side - speaking of the original LP - are another Reilly song featuring Pierre Moerlen on vibes, and acoustic guitar dominated 'Taurus 3'. But the jewel on the top is the epic title track, a great composition that combines prog and New Age. The latter is a bit misleading term if it makes you think of soft synth carpets and lack of solid percussion. No, the keyboard-oriented Crises is full of crisp energy and drummer Simon Phillips puts his best. Not many veteran made this good albums in around 1983.