LIVE AT MONTREUX 1981

WOW. This an amazing release, the definitive DVD release from Mike Oldfield for many reasons. The first being the track selection -- it including pretty much all of Tubular Bells, and Ommadawn Part One! The second being the amazing ensemble band accompanying Oldfield's multi-intrumental genius. The triple percussion assault is so powerful, reminding one of the powerful dual drumming of Phil Collins and Chester Thompson on Genesis' Second's Out. Sure, Maggie O'Reilly is a bit stiff in her delivery, but her vocals are ethereal and beautiful nonetheless. Also, Mike really lets it loose on this performance, turning up his guitar and really pushing the tracks into rock territory, without sacrificing or taking away from the softer, more ambient parts. Oldfield really shows that he is an excellent guitarist; playing with an interesting classically trained finger-picking style! Also, it should be noted that the performance is masterfully captured by the cinematographers; they seem to be familiar with the music, knowing when to focus on the right musicians at the appropriate times. Sound quality is also quite good. I highly recommend this release to any progressive rock fan as one of the best DVD releases of a live performance of classic progressive rock.