SHADOW ON THE WALL

'Shadow on the Wall' is probably the closest Mike Oldfield ever came to hard rock - and it works extremely well! The manic, masochistic vocals are by the one and only Roger Chapman (FAMILY) and I couldn't think of any better choice. The composition is built around the power riff of Oldfield's electric guitar and Simon Phillips adds his tasty, strong drumming. The production is excellent, and for once the extended version (12" single) benefits from the extension, even though I still prefer the tighter short version. Sort of funny that I enjoy this song the way I do, since I'm not generally into hard rock at all. In the album Crises it's a wonderful counterpart to the more ethereal approach of 'In High Places' (sung by Jon Anderson) or Maggie Reilly's 'Moonlight Shadow' and 'Foreign Affair'. The video of the song shows an interrogation scene, Chappo tied up in a straight jacket sitting in a chair.

Also 'Taurus III' is from the album. It's a fast instrumental piece dominated by virtuotic acoustic guitar. With a good non-album track on the flipside I could have rated this single better, now three stars is enough.