THE COMPLETE MIKE OLDFIELD

''The very incomplete Mike Oldfield'' this should have been named.The first 2 sides are just for collectors/fans only and really only warrant 2-3 stars on their own.The instrumental side is just the end bits from his seventies instrumental suites plus a peice from the Killing Fields soundtrack thrown in.Not much thought has gone into these choices at all and you are much better off getting the original albums (as I'm sure you've already done!).2 stars maybe.What makes this collection worth getting is the side of previously unreleased live tracks.This is top stuff and catches Mike and band perfectly.'Platinum' in particular is brilliant and shows an evolution from the peice that originally appeared on the album of the same name.5 stars.Overall then 3 stars is just about warranted thanks to the live side.

Or is it "The incomplete Mike Oldfield"?

Certainly as far as disc two is concerned, the rather arbitrary extraction of 4 to 8 minute segments from Oldfield's first four albums is to say the least unsatisfactory. The whole appeal of "Tubular Bells", "Ommadawn" etc, is that they are complete pieces. At worst, it would just about be acceptable to include one of the sides from each album, but the selections here are far too random and ill thought out. It seems strange that with around 150 minutes of time being available on a 2 disc set, the curtailing of these extracts results in this collection running for only 110 minutes.

The album is split into four well defined sections. Part one, "The instrumental section" would be better titled "The short instrumentals intended as singles section". Part two, "the vocal's section" includes some of Oldfield's well know singles such as the excellent "Moonlight shadow" and "To France" which are greatly enhanced by the vocals of Maggie Reilly.

The album extracts fall within "The complex section", while the final "Live section" contains four unreleased (in live format) pieces. For me, sticking to the studio versions would have been better.

Oldfield's music from the period covered here was generally of an exceptionally high quality. Disc one is worthwhile as it collates his singles output well. Disc two on the other hand is something of a travesty committed by the compilers.

Couple of reviews suggest that it should have been named The Incomplete Mike Oldfield. Because there are only relatively short extracts from TB, Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn and Incantations? I think this fine compilation does nearly the best it can in given measure (2 LP's - no added tracks in 2CD which COULD have been a nice move). First of all the package (speaking of the vinyl) is lovely and very informative, and I like the idea to make four different sides: Instrumental, Vocal, Complex and Live.

The first side includes 11 short, mostly light instrumentals such as 'In Dulci Jubilo', 'Guilty' and 'Blue Peter' - they don't appeal to everyone but I think they represent a crucial side in Oldfield's career; they show that he wasn't always taking himself too seriously and also the strong orientation to folk music. Vocal Side could be called Hits Side - but quite an enjoyable one, reilly. At the time the latest album Discovery is surprisingly exluded but I'm not complaining about the choices.

Ah, then the second LP/disc: true, those extracts leave longing for more of the early masterpieces, but isn't that just the way it should be? Up to this point albums Platinum and QE2 are not much heard ('Wonderful Land' in the Instrumental Side), and the fantastic Live Side gives very delicious, almost magical versions of 'Sheba', 'Mirage' and 'Platinum' - this first one of Oldfield's one-album-side tracks is shorter than the original, but much better. 'Mount Teide' also sounds better live.

A beautiful compilation with a personal structure, nearly worth 5* to me considered as the LP edition. The CD edition lacks the overall spirit somehow.

Like all compilations, "The Complete Mike Oldfield" is flawed in its attempt to cover a prolific career in the space of only 2 CDs. Given the high quality of Oldfield's material up to that point, the task is even more daunting, and the preponderance of 20 minute instrumentals in the man's discography only sets us up for further compromise. This is in particular noticeable on the extracts from the early albums.

The compensation for these difficulties is in the generally excellent choices and the inclusion of live recordings hitherto unavailable as well as a smattering of fine hard to acquire singles. In particular, the live version of "Platinum", while clocking in about 5 minutes shorter than the original, has preserved the exploratory essence of the piece while adding muscularity. The "North Star" ending is exhilarating. The short instrumentals include a couple of little gems from QE2 but also jaunty rarities like "Portsmouth" and especially "Blue Peter". Indeed, when adding in the ultimate section of "Incantations", an extended and powerful rendition of "Shadow on the Wall", and the masculine counterpart to "Moonlight Shadow", "Crime of Passion", the breadth of the man's material is astounding, whether one approves or not. This allows one to forgive the too-short excerpts and the complete omission of "Taurus 2", one of his best and most varied works to date.

No 2-hour distillation of Mike Oldfield could rightfully be called Complete, nor should completeness be the ultimate goal. But this compilation does provide an entertaining precis of the work of a significant artist for neophytes, and a sufficient smattering of collectible items for the committed fan, and does both wholeheartedly.