QE2

In an effort to smooth over the developing cracks in his relationship with Virgin records, Mike Oldfield adopted their suggestions of adding a couple of cover versions to "QE2" and bringing in acclaimed producer David Hentschel to collaborate on the album. Oldfield's hope was that by doing so, Virgin would give his output better promotion, especially in the USA where some previous albums had not even been released. As far as Oldfield was concerned however, his efforts were in vain, with Virgin failing to react as he had wanted and a further nail was hammered into the coffin of their relationship.

Although Oldfield predictably dominates the instrumentation of the album, he does call on the services of Phil Collins, singer Maggie Riley, and the keyboard skills of Hentschel among others. He also uses a vocoder for what I believe is the first time (for him), a device which makes one instrument (or vocal) sound like another. Used in small amounts it can be effective, but many artists have been too fascinated with it, leading to tedious results.

"Taurus 1" opens the album with a suitably nautical shanty like mandolin piece. Maggie Riley provides some brief distant backing vocals prior to an orthodox Oldfield guitar riff. The track dominates side one of the album but, while pleasant and unassuming, it is very much a case of Oldfield by the numbers. The rather unsatisfactory fade on the piece sums up the lacklustre approach to its recording.

The aforementioned vocoder makes a second appearance already on "Sheba", but thankfully it is quickly pushed to the background by Riley's vocalising. The "words" are allegedly written by Oldfield, but if there is a language to the lyrics, it is not one I recognise. Mike Frye's African drum playing features heavily on many of the tracks, giving the album a slightly world music feel. Oldfield's guitar work, especially on tracks such as "Conflict" however is more perfunctory.

The two cover versions link side one to side two. Abba's "Arrival", one of a couple of impressive instrumentals by them, is given a faithful rendition by Oldfield, enhanced by Riley's vocals plus strings and choir arranged by Oldfield's long term ally David Bedford. The Shadows' favourite "Wonderful land" loses the distinctive Hank Marvin guitar sound, to be replaced by Oldfield's slightly more rugged tones. The strength of the melody remains though.

Unusually, Oldfield incorporates a horn section into two of the tracks on side two of the album. "Mirage", while upbeat and loud sounds rather messy, and does not benefit from the addition. The title track, which is also the longest on side two, sees the horns playing more of a supporting role. While the themes are strong and thoroughly enjoyable, I have great difficulty in finding a relationship with the QE2, either in terms of the ship or the monarch. If anything, the music has a slightly folk feel to it, perhaps describing a victorious medieval army returning to their base. Once again, the track has a disappointing fade. The following "Celt" maintains a similar theme and feel, Riley's Celtic vocals contributing to the atmosphere. The album closes with a brief disposable Oldfield solo entitled "Molly".

In all, a positive offering from Mike, with much to enjoy. While he appears not to have been firing on all cylinders, it seems he may well have been aware of this, and worked within his limitations. The result is a generally upbeat feel, and some strong melodies, enhanced by the incorporating of a couple of solid cover versions.

The album came in a rather bland and uninspired sleeve, with a cartoon like picture of the front of a boat, presumably the Cunard liner the QE2.

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