AMAROK

Amarok & Ommadawn. Which is the best Mike Oldfield album? It's very difficult to choose. Amarok in fact was originally conceived as OMMADAWN II. The first time I heard Amarok, I was listening with all the attention. I was completely blown away. The album has 1 track, exactly 60 minutes long, divided in a myriad of short sections. The other reviews roughly described its structure. In fact, the first time you listen to it, it may sound like a disjointed mess. However, the more you listen, the more you notice the album's structure. Like Mike usually does on his long instrumental works, there are many themes that are repeated in different arrangements. The album can be divided in 3 or 4 sections, limited by the Fast Riff sections (Fast Riff Intro, Fast Riff, Fast Riff Reprise). The final part of the album is called Africa, it's been described before. You can find a list of the 52 SECTIONS easily on the net. Mike Oldfield is very keen on climaxes, and on this album he manages some of the most cathartic ones, specially in the very end of the album. Amarok has a sense of humour unheard since Mike's very first album, Tubular Bells, 1973. In some moments, you can listen to sounds of toys, toothbrushes etc. you can hear him saying a "nice" thing to the manager of his label, in morse code. There's even a short section called "mad bit". The Thatcher impersonation is very nice and funny. She says a slightly philosophical speech; I won't spoil by describing what she says. It's very meaningful and emotional, for me. About the joy of listening to music, and the pure joy that is Amarok. An album I value so much that I don't even play it frequently, just like Ommadawn.