c o n r a d

Mike Oldfield's third album remains true to the formula of his first two. Two long tracks take up one side of the vinyl each (although the uncredited "On Horseback" appears at the end of Side 2), the music is instrumental, and Mike Oldfield showcases his multi-instrumental virtuosity. What was a daring statement on Tubular Bells had become safe, well trodden ground. The point of this album though, for me at least, is not the innovation, or lack thereof. The point is that this is Mike Oldfield presenting music the way he does it best. For all that he was to have success with a couple of singles such as "Moonlight Shadow" in later years, Mike Oldfield is primarily a creator of long, atmospheric pieces of music which slowly and insidiously draw the listener in over twenty minutes. This album presents evidence for this argument, because while "On Horseback" may be a sweet song, it is the other 36 minutes that are of primary interest. There is an almost rustic feel to this album at times, with tin whistle and mandolin making an early appearance, and the skirl of the uillean pipes in "Part Two" add a distinctive Celtic air. The rest is pure Mike Oldfield. You can call him a pop Phillip Glass, but that doesn't quite fit, and any comparisons to Vangelis are likely to be more apt the other way around; Mike Oldfield is Mike Oldfield, and once you've heard him once, you can spot him a mile off. Oldfield's opening trilogy remain among the very best of his albums, but this one falls just a little short of Tubular Bells. The music is still generally strong, but the high points are somehow not quite as satisfying. If you liked his first album and are after more of the same, buy it straight away. If you've never heard any of them, buy Tubular Bells first. review by Conrad Leviston — 10-13-03 —

s e a n

As usual, the music consists of several slowly developing themes. Oldfield does an excellent job on this album of ending longer, idyllic sections with tense, anxious phrases. Keyboards get a lot of emphasis on this album, while there is somewhat less of a presence on percussion compared to some of the later material. The first half of this album consists mainly of these ethereal keyboard swirls, building sometimes into the kind of tension and anxiety mentioned above, and sometimes into a more majestic, triumphant ending which segues into the next segment. As is usually the case with Oldfield, some Celtic/traditional music sneaks its way in as a simple, but pleasant melody on flute and acoustic guitar, which quickly is worked into something more vigorous. The climax of Part One, which builds for minutes, contains a repeating chant similar to what would be used in Incantations and finally allows Oldfield's guitar to come screaming to the forefront. Simply beautiful. Part Two begins as an almost sad meditation; if Part One rages to a stormy ending, Part Two is its solemn aftermath. Over the course of the song, the music heads more towards plaintive and relaxed themes. It, too, gradually approaches a tense climax, but this time lets off as if to say that the cycle of music is finished and we are now only reprising it. Finally there is the 3-minute song "On Horseback", which is the only part of the album containing vocals. The song itself contains much of the idyllic wistfulness of the conclusion of the album, except that this sentiment is expressed rather directly in words, which makes it somewhat less successful than the rest of the ablum. As can be readily ascertained, this is one of my favorite progressive rock albums period. I highly recommend it to any reader who hasn't yet listened to it. review by Sean McFee — undated —

j o e

The debut album of Aragorn, Son of Arathorn, Son of... (sorry, who could resist with that album cover?). No, of course not, it's Mike Oldfield, with his third album employing a more ambitious, instrumental palette expanded to reflect a more worldwide feel than the music of previous albums Tubular Bells and Hergest Ridge. Side One of Ommadawn is centered by a main theme that is intriguing for its cultural polymorphism. When we are introduced to it, the immediate impression is Celtic, with the melody played on graceful harp and acoustic guitar sleepwalking through a ghostly mist of spiritual vocals. When the theme is recapitulated about ten minutes down the road, it then approximates a Native American war song, with harsher textures and tribal drums beating urgently. Towards the end of side one, it reappears a third time, now sounding like ceremonial music from the Orient. It's commendable how Oldfield can use the same melody and through clever arranging transform it to such degrees. Side two is more grounded, opening with solid sheets of electric guitar reminiscent of some of Anthony Phillips' work, and a gradual return to the Irish coasts with an acoustic, pastoral theme played on bagpipes. The closing song of the album, "On Horseback," is a bit of harmless, enjoyable fluff, sounding like something you would imagine Frodo and the boys singing while tromping through Farmer Maggot's mushroom patch. Relative to the beautiful instrumental work of what came before, though, it ends the album on a somewhat jarringly silly note. Ommadawn does contain trademarks in Oldfield's music in general that I have a hard time assimilating. Often his major works breeze through many themes. Some get repeated and built upon, but others seem uncapitalized by piece's end, leaving the listener with a diminished sense of bigger picture. Also, there is the way he indiscriminately shifts into humorous or light-hearted passages, tending to undermine the effect of immediately preceding passages that were unassailable in their power or lyricism. These slight criticisms aside, however, Ommadawn is still a terrific symph-rock album, and is essential, prime Oldfield. If you haven't gotten any of his work yet, this makes an excellent starting point. review by Joe McGlinchey — 1-27-03 —

b r a n d o n

Mike Oldfield is one of those guys that is impossible to categorize. In one of the informational texts on the GEPR, his music is credited as its own entire subgenre. Oldfield is a masterful multi-instrumentalist with a penchant for crafting lengthy, epic instrumental songs heavily saturated with diverse influences ranging from symphonic rock to world music. On Ommadawn, this huge variety of instruments - acoustic and electric guitar, recorders, bass, and various winds are most prominent - creates a sound that is simultaneous serious and upbeat. The delicate guitar picking is delicious, backed by nice, atmospheric, and restrained synth work (the musicianship is nothing if not tasteful, so don't expect any ELP-style bombasticism here); and when countered by Oldfield's various other instruments, a unique beauty is achieved. Transitions from relatively tense moments to serene flute or glockenspiel playing are numerous and all are extremely successful in evoking a sense of solemn serenity. Frivolous moments are to be found as well, with jaunty rhythms and upbeat recorder playing - some listeners may find these sections a little cheesy. The closing song is one of those dreaded Oldfield pop songs, with nonsense lyrics and similarly goofy instrumental work; but though I might be embarrassed by it, hell - I like it anyway. I know I've done a poor job of describing the music, but it's a tough task. Put it this way - few musicians can make acoustic and electric guitars sound this beautiful in context with the rest of the music. Any fan of symphonic rock should give this one a shot, and listeners of New Age would enjoy it as well. One of my favorite releases, and I do not recommend many other discs as highly as I do this one. review by Brandon Wu — 11-25-99 —