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MIKE OLDFIELD

Crossover Prog • United Kingdom


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Mike Oldfield biography
Michael Gordon Oldfield - Born 15 May 1953 (Reading, Berkshire, England)

Mike OLDFIELD took up the guitar at seven and was composing instrumental pieces by age 10. With his sister Sally, he secured a record deal under the name SALLYANGIE and released the folkish album "Children of the Sun" in 1968. He then landed a position playing first bass and later guitar with WHOLE WORLD, led by ex-SOFT MACHINE co-founder Kevin Ayers. During the next few years he also served as a studio musician at Abbey Road, where he experimented with a wide range of instruments. He gradually built up a home studio and began working on a large-scale project, playing all of the parts himself. This was the prototype for "Tubular Bells", but OLDFIELD had no success generating label interest until he met with future Virgin Records founders Simon Draper and Richard Branson. They loved his ideas and gave him plenty of freedom to record in their state-of-the-art The Manor studio, and ended up releasing "Tubular Bells" on their brand new label when no other record company showed interest. The record shot to first place in the UK and elsewhere, attracting the attention of director William Friedkin, whose use of the intro segment in "The Exorcist" generated widespread recognition (OLDFIELD was not pleased by the association, however).

Retreating from his newfound celebrity, OLDFIELD recorded several more critically acclaimed albums, similar in scope and approach but constantly developing new instrumental and compositional skills. In 1979 his single "Guilty" showed that shorter vocal-based pieces and more recent music styles were beginning to creep into his work; he also returned to touring in 1979 after undergoing therapy to combat his reclusive, solitary tendencies. His work in the 80s included such far-ranging releases as "Crises" (including vocals by Jon ANDERSON), the soundtrack to the film "The Killing Fields", and a song called "Family Man" which became a hit for HALL & OATES. Known for consistently offering a visual spectacular in his live performances, he also developed an interest in video artistry, including a video album called "Wind Chimes". The 90s saw a return to longer symphonic-style works, including "Amarok" and "Tubular Bells II", for which he departed the increasingly commercial Virgin Records for the smaller WEA label. His "Songs of Distant Earth" album was the first CD ever to include CD-ROM content, as well as album notes by legendary sci-fi author ...
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MIKE OLDFIELD discography


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MIKE OLDFIELD top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.15 | 1363 ratings
Tubular Bells
1973
3.96 | 697 ratings
Hergest Ridge
1974
4.30 | 1526 ratings
Ommadawn
1975
3.96 | 543 ratings
Incantations
1978
3.17 | 357 ratings
Platinum
1979
3.51 | 380 ratings
QE2
1980
3.69 | 444 ratings
Five Miles Out
1982
3.51 | 508 ratings
Crises
1983
2.83 | 311 ratings
Discovery
1984
2.72 | 186 ratings
The Killing Fields
1984
2.63 | 245 ratings
Islands
1987
2.11 | 203 ratings
Earth Moving
1989
4.03 | 658 ratings
Amarok
1990
2.50 | 205 ratings
Heaven's Open
1991
3.59 | 377 ratings
Tubular Bells II
1992
3.72 | 342 ratings
The Songs Of Distant Earth
1994
3.10 | 256 ratings
Voyager
1996
3.35 | 268 ratings
Tubular Bells III
1998
2.96 | 218 ratings
Guitars
1999
2.32 | 176 ratings
The Millenium Bell
1999
2.46 | 176 ratings
Tr3s Lunas
2002
3.76 | 247 ratings
Tubular Bells 2003
2003
2.75 | 174 ratings
Light + Shade
2005
3.05 | 216 ratings
Music of the Spheres
2008
3.14 | 220 ratings
Man on the Rocks
2014
4.07 | 425 ratings
Return to Ommadawn
2017

MIKE OLDFIELD Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

2.54 | 203 ratings
The Orchestral Tubular Bells
1975
3.82 | 114 ratings
Exposed
1979
2.50 | 2 ratings
Dark Star - Live American Radio Broadcast
2021

MIKE OLDFIELD Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

3.95 | 54 ratings
Tubular Bells II & III Live (DVD)
1999
2.59 | 48 ratings
The Art in Heaven Concert Live in Berlin (DVD)
2000
4.28 | 18 ratings
DVD Collection
2003
3.20 | 39 ratings
Elements - The Best Of (DVD)
2004
3.89 | 50 ratings
Exposed
2005
4.48 | 85 ratings
Live At Montreux 1981
2006

MIKE OLDFIELD Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.82 | 56 ratings
Boxed
1976
3.60 | 20 ratings
Airborn
1980
3.12 | 7 ratings
Impressions
1980
3.03 | 13 ratings
Music Wonderland
1981
3.73 | 54 ratings
The Complete Mike Oldfield
1985
3.41 | 10 ratings
Collector's Edition Box I
1990
3.24 | 11 ratings
Collector's Edition Box II
1990
2.65 | 31 ratings
Elements: The Best of Mike Oldfield
1993
2.95 | 17 ratings
Elements: 1973-1991
1993
2.66 | 20 ratings
XXV - The Essential Mike Oldfield
1997
2.15 | 12 ratings
The Best Of Tubular Bells
2001
2.88 | 8 ratings
The Mike Oldfield Collection
2002
2.80 | 11 ratings
The Complete Tubular Bells
2003
2.61 | 17 ratings
The Platinum Collection
2006
4.21 | 14 ratings
Two Sides: The Very Best of Mike Oldfield
2012
2.59 | 18 ratings
Tubular Beats
2013
4.40 | 5 ratings
The Studio Albums: 1992-2003
2014
4.00 | 3 ratings
The Best Of: 1992-2003
2015
2.75 | 4 ratings
The Space Movie
2015
3.38 | 8 ratings
The 1984 Suite
2016
4.10 | 10 ratings
Tubular Bells (50th Anniversary Edition)
2023

MIKE OLDFIELD Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

3.83 | 9 ratings
Tubular Bells
1974
4.03 | 11 ratings
In Dulci Jubilo
1975
3.25 | 8 ratings
Don Alfonso
1975
2.00 | 2 ratings
Don Alfonso (German Version)
1975
3.29 | 12 ratings
Portsmouth
1976
3.88 | 8 ratings
William Tell Overture
1976
4.00 | 8 ratings
Cuckoo Song
1977
4.00 | 3 ratings
Take 4
1978
4.11 | 9 ratings
Guilty
1979
4.00 | 7 ratings
Blue Peter
1979
3.60 | 5 ratings
Extract From Tubular Bells (live)
1979
3.80 | 5 ratings
Arrival
1980
4.20 | 5 ratings
Wonderful Land
1981
5.00 | 2 ratings
The Singles
1981
3.75 | 8 ratings
Five Miles Out
1982
3.43 | 7 ratings
Family Man
1982
2.43 | 11 ratings
Mistake
1982
3.13 | 4 ratings
Crime of Passion
1983
3.32 | 12 ratings
Moonlight Shadow
1983
3.29 | 16 ratings
Shadow on the Wall
1983
3.71 | 14 ratings
To France
1984
3.89 | 19 ratings
Pictures in the Dark
1985
3.44 | 16 ratings
Shine
1986
1.62 | 12 ratings
Innocent
1989
3.00 | 11 ratings
Tattoo
1992
3.33 | 6 ratings
Man In The Rain
1998
3.00 | 4 ratings
Far Above The Clouds CD 1
1999
2.50 | 2 ratings
Far Above The Clouds CD 2
1999

MIKE OLDFIELD Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Tubular Bells by OLDFIELD, MIKE album cover Studio Album, 1973
4.15 | 1363 ratings

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Tubular Bells
Mike Oldfield Crossover Prog

Review by Dapper~Blueberries
Prog Reviewer

5 stars Another year means another couple of holidays, like Halloween. Picking an album to review on Halloween was a bit of a thoughtful thing for me, since there are a lot of good records to choose from. Luckily, the theater I worked at, was showing that new Exorcist movie, which so gracefully uses the classic Tubular Bells jingle in its main theme. I thought 'Well I guess I have found the record I am gonna review for Halloween this year'.

To me, Mike Oldfield is probably one of the more prestigious early prog acts in the early 70s, up there with Yes, Genesis, and King Crimson. His ability to combine melodic classical-esque music with progressive rock and folk has always been something I hold dearly into my heart. I even say his combination makes him probably one of the most experimental artists in prog rock history, aside from Fripp and Zappa, of course, as he is able to create these modern Bachs within the confines of a Canterbury styled rock/folk effort.

He's also a pretty big hit maker, especially in Europe. While in America, Oldfield, to us, is just that British guy that made one of the most timeless horror movie pieces ever, in Europe he is very known for such pieces like On Horseback, Family Man, Shadow On The Wall, Moonlight Shadow, To France, and plenty more. After the 70s he would lay low on the whole big 20+ minute epic, though he does occasionally dip his toes in those waters in time, as that is something he is quite known for. Though, he would still find himself within pop culture, as his work Nuclear, originally from Man On The Rocks, does appear as a trailer theme for Metal Gear Solid V. Kinda funny how Mike manages to find his music in some pretty big pop culture phenomenons from time to time.

But less talk about Oldfield's extensive career, and more about his biggest namesake, Tubular Bells. It is not a surprise to call this his magnum opus, at least from what I think. Not only was it a top charter, it is made anew time and time again with different takes, boxsets, remixes, and whole albums, usually made with different instruments, new compositions, and different genres. If there was one prog epic that I would consider to be the largest crowd hit, it'd be Tubular Bells.

Tubular Bells contains a full 48 minute worth of music, shared within 2 parts of the same whole. Part 1 is the one most are familiar with, as it contains that familiar piano melody in the beginning, as well as shifting and winding musical melodies that transform throughout, until a big burst of instruments form in the last half. The way Viv Stanshall says "plus tubular bells" at the tailend of the symphony of instruments brings me a very strong amount of euphoria, especially as the tubular bells hit for the first, and from what I can gather, only time on this record. Part 2 isn't half bad either, a lot more pagan and mellower than part 1, aside from the massive guitar playing in the middle, and the caveman part. I like the ending to part 2, being this old folk jingle called The Sailor's Hornpipe. It's much like On Horseback from Ommadawn a few years later. A fun jingle to end off a stellar piece of music.

Now, the reason why I really like this album is just the massiveness of it. How it combines Steve Reich-like minimalism, with an orchestral hue, a very symphonic prog outlook, and a rich Canterbury inspired stylization makes for such an interesting fusion of music, one of which that I am still trying to wrap my head around. It's avant- garde, yet there is a feeling of familiarity within it. It's mellow, yet has moments that feel big and grand. There is never one part to this whole piece, it feels like a very true classical piece, like Pictures At An Exhibition and The Four Seasons, but at the same time, it is a very rocking piece of music that feels young and fresh. It is truly progressive rock in all its facets, heck I would say even more so than most symphonic prog bands.

I also have fond memories of listening to it in car rides. Whenever the wifi goes out, I listen to my MP3 download on my phone, watching the scenery; the rocks and trees; snow and sometimes even forests of northern America, just taking in what is in store for the sights, as I hear Mike's strums of his guitar. It is enriching, honestly.

There is no doubt in my mind this is one of the peaks in progressive rock, next to some of its very beginnings, to its modern lives. It is complex, simple, beautiful, haunting, and in every which way a classic. I think this is an essential album, especially when first getting into prog, as it introduces the whole big epics pretty well, and can give listeners a familiar, but still quite complex level of music. Happy Halloween folks.

 Hergest Ridge by OLDFIELD, MIKE album cover Studio Album, 1974
3.96 | 697 ratings

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Hergest Ridge
Mike Oldfield Crossover Prog

Review by AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars Following on the success of Tubular Bells Mike Oldfield turns away from the crystalline chimes to an organic pastoral atmosphere on Hergest Ridge.

The first part floats airily along in waves conjuring images of sweeping meadows filled with marigolds and weeping willows under a blue cloudy sky. It is beautiful captivating music. Then it switches gears with a pulsating bassline and passionate lead guitar playing. Choral voices are heard and pipe organs that herald the end of another day and it closes with tubular bells chiming descending into the peace and solitude of night.

Part two opens with Oldfield's acoustic flourishes over a melancholy woodwind section. Drifting peacefully over is an angelic choir, and a solitary organ like the calm before the storm. When the thunder breaks through, the music jars with discordant staccato organ that stabs through the bliss, igniting the atmosphere with flashes of distorted guitar and keyboard. So if you were lulled to sleep by part one, this will certainly wake you up. The storm passes and we are left with a tranquillity of meandering pipes and acoustic guitar. The orchestration of violin synths and guitar is beautiful after the cacophony that preceded it.

Overall this is a definitive Oldfield album and a glorious follow up to Tubular Bells.

 Tubular Bells (50th Anniversary Edition) by OLDFIELD, MIKE album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2023
4.10 | 10 ratings

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Tubular Bells (50th Anniversary Edition)
Mike Oldfield Crossover Prog

Review by AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars

A return to a triumph, an obsessive one at that from Mike Oldfield. When I reviewed the 1973 original 15 years ago here I called it one of the albums you must buy before you die, and then went onto say it  remains one of the best debuts for an artist in music history, and it seems to mesmirize with every listen with hypnotic effect encapsulating all that is great about prog rock, with wierd off kilter time signatures, lengthy sections of overture, the use of a variety of instruments, and the melody that haunts. It is unforgettable and when I saw Spotify had this 50th Anni version ready to satiate my ears, I couldn't resist.

It begins with the original album, always worth a listen before indulging in the newer stuff. I still adore the section when Oldfield introduces each new instrument,  including Mandolin, glockenspiel, up to the Tubular Bells sound itself. So familiar has this theme become it brings with it instant recognition par excellence.

The 50th set features Tubular Bells 4 Intro (demo / 2017) which is nice to hear as it was previously unreleased. Then the memorable  Tubular Bells / In Dulci Jubilo (London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony) which brought Oldfield's music out in the open to an even massiver audience at the Olympics. It's been criticised as being too far removed from the original but its compelling and majestic nonetheless.

Tubular Bells (Mike Oldfield & YORK remix) is a beautiful rendition of the famous theme, and captivates in its hypnotic melodies.

The Blu-ray features Tubular Bells ( David Kosten stereo mix) (25:29), though I do not own the physical version of this.... yet.

Tubular Bells 4 Intro (edit) is another previously unreleased treasure with a variation of the main theme that is rather jarring to the ear as it ascends and descends in a peculiar way. It has a soaring guitar solo also.

Finally Tubular Bells (intro / David Kosten stereo mix) is another version of the original melody that builds with multilayered keyboards and synth stabs and then guitars.

Overall this is a definitive look back at Tubular Bells that doesn't disappoint. It is a milestone for instrumental prog and catapulted Mike Oldfield into immortality as a progenitor of musical virtuosity

 Tubular Bells by OLDFIELD, MIKE album cover Studio Album, 1973
4.15 | 1363 ratings

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Tubular Bells
Mike Oldfield Crossover Prog

Review by Boi_da_boi_124

4 stars Review #130!

No. 1 in a series of album reviews I changed my opinion on(AICON)

What I once thought was a "dragged out, drugged out blob of nonsense" (courtesy of my premature 'Ommadawn' review) is now what I view as one of Oldfield's best works, if not best. Then again, I built that opinion before my altercation with prog. This "nonsense" is nothing but an anthology of noises, meant to be pieced together like a puzzle. And I've had practice with other difficult albums like 'Freak Out' and 'Duck Stab/Buster and Glen', so I was very ready for a closer inspection. As always, Mike Oldfield plays most instruments here, with some exceptions being drums, flutes, and string basses. 'Part I' is a nice, complex noise fest, drifting through many different melodies and sections, one with the comical announcements of Vivian Stanshall, the singer and songwriter for the Bonzo Dog Band, who lay their talents here, accompanying Mike Oldfield at play. It never gets too crazy: avant-garde, if you will. 'Part II' is very guitar-heavy, both acoustic and electric. It also drifts through many different parts (what suite doesn't?: 'Halleluwah'?). Much less repetitive than its predecessor, though. And much more enjoyable, in my opinion. There are some moments that wouldn't be out of place on a Frank Zappa album: crazed electric guitars, drunken shouting noises, and so forth. At other times, this could fit on a Yes album: somber acoustic guitars, heavy bass riffs, and others. Crazy or not, I highly recommend 'Tubular Bells' (I say like the people reading this haven't already heard it) for any prog lover in for some difficult music, or just a fun instrumental record to zone out to. Prog on, Bonzo Dog.

 Tubular Bells by OLDFIELD, MIKE album cover Studio Album, 1973
4.15 | 1363 ratings

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Tubular Bells
Mike Oldfield Crossover Prog

Review by Frets N Worries

5 stars 9.5/10 Mike Oldfield's debut album is the best instrumental album that I've ever listened to (best, not favorite). As somewhat of a massive Mike Oldfield fan, so, this is a classic. There's only 2 tracks on here, 'Tubular Bells Pt. 1' and 'Tubular Bells Pt. 2'. The way the albums were structured would continue over the next few albums. Despite sharing a title, and being listed as 'Pt.1' and 'Pt. 2' the songs do not flow into one another when played back to back. 'Tubular Bells Pt. 1' opens with a piano playing a repeating line in 15/8. For all you movie fans, this was used as the opening theme to the 1973 horror film, 'The Exorcist'. I haven't seen it, and I highly recommend you don't either. The album came first, not the movie. However, the success of the movie did propell this album to sell over 15 million copies. It is a great piano line. The song continues as the ever virtuostic Oldfield plays most of them by himself, at the ripe old age of 19 when this album was recorded. It goes through various different changes, wonderful music, I don't know how he recorded it at such a young age. 'Tubular Bells Pt. 2' pails in comparison to it's brother, but nevertheless, it's still good. One factor of the track that can get a little grating is the caveman noises. If you want to know the story of how those were made, you can google it. (Hint, lots of alcohol). The music is too complex to try and run over everything here. The album is only 48 minutes. Keep in mind, this was a 19 year old's recording, and this review won't do it justice.

 Tubular Bells by OLDFIELD, MIKE album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 1974
3.83 | 9 ratings

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Tubular Bells
Mike Oldfield Crossover Prog

Review by alainPP

4 stars Hergest Ridge' Back to a hidden album! 1 'Hergest Ridge, Part One' for the beginning of a bucolic trip where everything is out of the ordinary, already the fact that I find a K7 in a nursery during my studies, but where are we going? already lost with toddlers... go Plastic I liked what you were doing too, in short I was with the toddlers who brayed to be skinned by their darling mom started to cry out loud; good the K7 I insert it into the K7 radio, obvious will you tell me, and I press play, yes before you had to do all that; good immediate EFFECT (did EF find its stage name to put us to sleep with its post-rock I don't know, but yes I'm kidding but snub to one of our members on PP), immediate because the offspring are fall asleep straight away without any other treatment (like I rock them like chickens with their heads stuck behind their necks... thank you dad for teaching me that!) and calm comes in the crèche; well you will have understood why I am making an OMNI album of it, an incredible thing, a title where time does not stop but twirls around according to the notes, even better. We arrive around 5 minutes we leave on the psychedelic notes of PINK FLOYD and Atom Heart Mother', go a bit of 'Meddle', in short this psyche sound which smelled good of the English countryside, to believe that the poppy fields were much more infused by the ambient rain; to believe that the weather in the countryside makes it possible to feel that the goal in life is to listen to sounds, to integrate them and to make of them a sensitive ball that you take in a state of stress. 13 minutes and the bass suddenly brings you back on the right track, yes you haven't yet spoken of the famous bells, listen they are there, they calm you down, they rock you, they flood you with happiness; we would forget what instrument the dear Mike actually plays; 18 minutes and the celestial choirs arrive, a little piano oh there the choirs rise even higher and begin to wake up the toddlers, it cries, phew a spurt of bells (Tibetan or others we agree) and the toddlers lay in their beds all amazed, phew. The staff is of course flabbergasted by my qualities in taking care of infants and looks at me enviously of the kind that we are going to keep. 2 'Hergest Ridge, Part Two' begins with an agreed sound, emotionally contemplative lethargic spleen, it's simple; 6 minutes of musical wandering... which I had my superior listen to when I arrived late in the morning at the nursery, just to lose her in her watch and the time! Well we feel that it's going up, that the vibrations are going to drag us into a space; 7'40 and the facsimile of 'Tubular' arrives, softer, the guitar meowing, the keyboard notes giving way to the metronome, a biniou no finally maybe good it explodes as expected and we arrive halfway to the best moment of the album; a fury of warriors with arrows and bagpipes parading and who are going to hunt the york in the tundra, yes the English bucloic field has suddenly dissolved and the storm weighed down, but the insistent storm brings a guitar solo oh yes we get there anyway; we change the musical gear and we continue, all the instruments are outside, it feels like spring when the bells come out to find the sun, the birds to perfect their rebirth elsewhere, the cycle of Life. 14 minutes and Mike goes into the last gear, today I still believe him to be a musical madman; luckily I didn't put this face of K7 on my happy toddlers, I don't think I would have had the same effect; we land 'finally', the acoustic guitar takes its place, the bells, the sirens come back to graze in the fields of algae, the sun reappears, yes you weren't dreaming you are there wondering how you could have passed so much time to read, and you are already looking for a last Andalusian tune where you have put your K7 on with this dog on the cover? yes it was me who had put this music in the nursery where you were little, yes it was me who made you want to listen to it, yes you know it now. An unclassifiable album.
 Ommadawn by OLDFIELD, MIKE album cover Studio Album, 1975
4.30 | 1526 ratings

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Ommadawn
Mike Oldfield Crossover Prog

Review by Boi_da_boi_124

4 stars Review #87!

Mike Oldfield's 'Ommadawn' is a huge step-up from his 'Tubular Bells', which, defying the universal laws of common sense, ranked #17 in Rolling Stone's '50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time' article. I find 'Ommadawn' to be much more structured, and because of that, more emotionally connective. Not just a drugged-out, dragged-out blob of nonsense. The first side starts off quite soft, as does the second. A short acoustic guitar section, then a descent into ambience. This is not average ambience, though. This is rhythmic ambience, something I have only observed with artists and bands like Klaus Schulze and Pink Floyd. An increasingly powerful guitar solo grows until it's crescendo, then moving into another rhythmic ambient section. Another heart wrenching crescendo, and a random transition to folky flute. This is honestly one of the most disappointing points in this album. Some other sections that aren't too notable follow. The second half of the album-long track is one beautiful menagerie of violin, bagpipe, keyboard, flute, and acoustic guitar parts that mold together to form a magical modern masterpiece. With hints of minstrel, medieval, choir, and electronic music, this side does not disappoint. Fulfills all your genre needs.

 Cuckoo Song by OLDFIELD, MIKE album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 1977
4.00 | 8 ratings

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Cuckoo Song
Mike Oldfield Crossover Prog

Review by Matti
Prog Reviewer

4 stars In the mid/late 70's Mike Oldfield released, among his ambitiously epic albums, a bunch of non-album singles containing mainly folk instrumentals, often with his pony riding companion Leslie Penning playing a recorder. 'Cuckoo Song' is one of them. The piece was written by German composer, organist and music theorist Michael Praetorius (1571 - 1621). Oldfield's arrangement features Penning's recorder as the lead instrument, backed by Mike's acoustic guitar, bass and light percussion. The electric guitar solo has his easily recognizable signature sound. This is a charming, happy little cover tune in the sincere Oldfield tradition.

'Pipe Tune' is Oldfield's original composition and it feels very much similar to the then-upcoming double album Incantations. It would be easy to imagine it as a movement from that album. The single was also included as a free bonus (in a plain white sleeve) when Incantations was released.

To my surprise I just listened to 'Pipe Tune' for the first time; unlike most of the brief pieces from this era it hasn't appeared (to my knowledge) on compilations such as The Complete Mike Oldfield which has several other little instrumentals, including 'Cuckoo Song'. This rarity factor increases the appeal of this single.

 Ommadawn by OLDFIELD, MIKE album cover Studio Album, 1975
4.30 | 1526 ratings

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Ommadawn
Mike Oldfield Crossover Prog

Review by WJA-K

5 stars I think this is Mike Oldfield at his peak. The similarities with Tubular Bells are obvious. But hey, it's the same artist!

This record has more warmth, more soul and more variation than Tubular Bells. I also feel this one showcases better musicianship. Not Tubular Bells but this one is the go-to album to discover what Mike Oldfield is capable of. Because, unlike the far better-known debut, this one isn't frontloaded at all. Both sides of the album are equally beautiful and great.

And can someone please explain why this would be Crossover Prog? What's not "real" prog about this?

This is so great. 5 stars from me.

 Hergest Ridge by OLDFIELD, MIKE album cover Studio Album, 1974
3.96 | 697 ratings

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Hergest Ridge
Mike Oldfield Crossover Prog

Review by Dapper~Blueberries
Prog Reviewer

4 stars So funny story on why I am reviewing this album. I accidentally rated this album, and since you cannot remove reviews, I decided to take it as an opportunity to review this album. I have made a previous review on this album on a Discord server before, but it kinda blows so I decided to make a new one. Anyways, about Mike Oldfield. I really think he is one of Prog's best musicians, not THE best but definitely up there with some of the greats. His work blows me away with the fact that his albums are made mostly by himself, no band backing him up, just him in the recording studio playing a bunch of instruments to create one giant song. Obviously in recent years he doesn't do this anymore, and if he does than it is sort of less impressive due to the technology of today allowing people to create giant songs on their own without band members, but to me Mike Oldfield will forever be that man who created a bunch of albums with a bunch of instruments, all on his own, and Hergest Ridge is one such example of how impressive his work effort really is.

Mike Oldfield's songs are pretty hard to describe, especially his early work. His more pop stuff in the 80s are definitely a bit easier, but generally he is an interesting man to describe when talking about his music. Definitely not impossible but can be tricky. Though I think with this work, it's a lot more grassy, if that makes sense. Not like a folk sounding album, that's definitely a lot more adjacent to Ommadawn, but this album, or more specifically the first part feels a lot more homegrown. This is also the part where we see a bit of Mike's charm with leitmotifs. Mike's sound is a lot more based on the relation repetition but also a sense of movement. Generally his songs have a signature melody. For Tubular Bells it was the classic jingle that is famous for its inclusion in the Excursist films, while Hergest Ridge is a long winded flute melody that soon evolved into a melody with brass instruments. This album, like the preceding album before, has a bunch of different continuous melodies, however they are a lot more expanded upon and thus a lot longer. This definitely makes the songs on this album way more fulfilling. This all comes to ahead for part one's ending, being this acoustic bit of music with a chorus in the back that goes into this bell melody, obviously resembling the finale to Tubular Bells Part 1. Due to this, it makes this album feel like a logical next step for Oldfield's sound. However I do have to give my critique where it is due, and that is this song feels a lot more reminiscent of the previous album, clearly taking major notes from it, like the ending with the bells, but also the use of continuous and long winded melodies. I am not saying it is bad, in fact I like it a lot, it gives his albums before and afterwards a sense of growth and evolution from one to another, but here you could tell some things are more based off Tubular Bells than something completely original. Just a small nitpick to an otherwise good song.

Then we have part two. It still carries the same kind of feeling part one has, even including the leitmotif at the beginning to some effect, similar type of feeling too. However, that is all in the first half of the song. The second half is this extremely noisy guitar melody. Not metal in a sense, but you can definitely feel Mike cranking up the amps for this bit. I do admit though, it goes on a bit too long for my liking. However it is all worth it, because the ending, like the first part, has a nice pay off, with a melody that evolves from the signature leitmotif of the first part. It makes these parts feel a lot more connected and generally a lot smoother of an experience than the previous album. However I do feel like this has a problem, one which is the opposite to the problems of the first part. This part feels very removed from Mike's style. It's not poppy, or overly simplistic, but the part with the guitar and how long it is, it makes this part in particular less Oldfield and more like somebody trying to make his style more hard hitting and overdriven, and not working all too well in their favor. However besides that one critique this part is definitely still as good as the first, and definitely an enjoyable listen.

Overall I think this album is a very nice romp through Mike's signature style. Obviously I do think sometimes it feels too much like Tubular Bells at points and that overdriven guitar segment can be annoying, but I wouldn't call this album bad and certainly one I'd recommend to anyone wanting to get more into Mike Oldfield.

Thanks to ProgLucky for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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