CUCKOO SONG

In the mid/late 70's Mike Oldfield released, among his ambitiously epic albums, a bunch of non-album singles containing mainly folk instrumentals, often with his pony riding companion Leslie Penning playing a recorder. 'Cuckoo Song' is one of them. The piece was written by German composer, organist and music theorist Michael Praetorius (1571 - 1621). Oldfield's arrangement features Penning's recorder as the lead instrument, backed by Mike's acoustic guitar, bass and light percussion. The electric guitar solo has his easily recognizable signature sound. This is a charming, happy little cover tune in the sincere Oldfield tradition.

'Pipe Tune' is Oldfield's original composition and it feels very much similar to the then-upcoming double album Incantations. It would be easy to imagine it as a movement from that album. The single was also included as a free bonus (in a plain white sleeve) when Incantations was released.

To my surprise I just listened to 'Pipe Tune' for the first time; unlike most of the brief pieces from this era it hasn't appeared (to my knowledge) on compilations such as The Complete Mike Oldfield which has several other little instrumentals, including 'Cuckoo Song'. This rarity factor increases the appeal of this single.