ELEMENTS: THE BEST OF MIKE OLDFIELD

We all have "those albums" that have been etched into our memories since childhood. My parents, both Mike Oldfield fans, had this on CD since its release and so it has always been, to some degree, ingrained in my mind. Especially the front cover. So simple, yet so interesting.

One of "those albums".

But now I'm older and more susceptible to cynicism, so it's with more critical ears that I listen to 'The Best of Mike Oldfield: Elements'. A lot of the songs definitely take me back to my childhood, sitting on my parents living room floor blasting out 'Family Man' or the eternally classic 'Moonlight Shadow'... but how does the record hold up as a whole?

'Elements' is a good compilation, no doubt, but it's pretty much an impossible task to try to summarize the music of Mike Oldfield on one disc. Even at the time of its release (1993), Oldfield's repertoire was so vast and constantly expanding that there's no way one album can cover every basis. With that in mind, 'Elements' does a good job of covering most of the more radio-friendly songs of Oldfield's back-catalogue.

Besides the aforementioned hits, songs like 'Five Miles Out', 'To France', 'In Dulci Jubilo', 'Heaven's Open' and 'Shadow on the Wall' are all Oldfield classics that will certainly appeal to the less-ambitious music fans, but it's when they're mixed in with various excerpts or worldly music-based tracks that the album just seems a little discordant.

It's a good compilation to own if you're a die-hard fan looking to finish their collection, but otherwise it's far outdated by now and there's much more relevant and career-encompassing ones out there.