IMPRESSIONS

This Tellydisc promotional double-LP is tough to rate, like all compilations. If the music was being judged standalone, this would be four or five stars. But since 95% of the music on here can be found on Oldfield's other albums, which should all be purchased and savoured, I can only recommend 'Impressions' to completists. The two reasons an Oldfield fan would buy this LP (if they were lucky enough to find it) are: the inclusion of 'Pipe Tune', the beautiful instrumental B-side that sounds exactly like some lost interlude from 'Incantations', featuring a reprise of the last theme in Part One of that album; and the re-recording of 'I Got Rhythm', which is arguably better than the version found on 'Platinum'. Apart from these, 'Impressions' is really just a look into certain Oldfield periods - his genius 'Tubular Bells'-'Ommadawn' phase, the 'Platinum'/disco phase, and a summary of his trad singles.