Mike Oldfield Albums (28)
'Music of the Spheres'
Release Date 1/1/2008
Tracks 14
Label Universal Polska
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What The Critics Say
The legendary British composer will always be most identified with his breakthrough long-play composition "Tubular Bells" and the way it was used to illuminate fear in The Exorcist. The happy truth is that since then he's amassed an incredible catalog of over 20 albums featuring just about every instrumental form but jazz: pop, classical, new age, world music, computer game, film soundtrack, etc. The title of his 2008 45-minute classical-influenced opus Music of the Spheres is a reference to the prolific and eclectic composer's feeling that all music should aim to represent the spiritual or otherworldly elements of life -- something beyond the mundane and everyday. He accomplishes that via the sheer hypnotic beauty of the gentler passages and the percussive drama of others, both of which characterize the multi-movement opening track, "Harbinger," which lives up to its title as a preview of the overwhelming, ethereal joys to come. Mike Oldfield is a highly accomplished film composer and it would be easy to imagine gorgeous, sweeping pieces like "Animus" and "Silhouette" behind pastoral romantic scenes, and action-packed, percussively dense expressions like "The Tempest" building some heavy suspense for some nail-biting plot. Completely recorded by an orchestra at Abbey Road studios and featuring Oldfield himself on guitar, Music of the Spheres -- which features guest performances by world-renowned young soprano (and Decca labelmate) Hayley Westenra and classical piano phenom Lang Lang -- is huge in scope yet at heart simple and emotionally direct on a purely melodic level. While the piece was entirely conceived, produced, and written by Oldfield, he turned to popular modern classical composer Karl Jenkins to translate his ideas into traditional classical notations arranged for orchestra -- a great departure from the artist's usual array of studio-only wizardry. Jenkins, who once played oboe on a live BBC recording of "Tubular Bells" in 1975, gets a co-production credit, and with good reason. Oldfield scored his music via a computer program called Logic, while Jenkins used Sibelius to create the musical notation. Oldfield recorded an elaborate demo using orchestral samples, then handed it over so that Jenkins could add the human touch by re-recording it by an orchestra of classical musicians. It's a rich, heartfelt collaboration that breaks new ground for both men. Oldfield had no trouble declaring that he was almost moved to tears while listening to Music of the Spheres come alive at Abbey Road. It's a primitive spiritual and emotional response that every listener would later relate to. ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide
'Tubular Bells 2003'
Release Date 6/17/2003
Tracks 17
Label WEA International
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What The Critics Say
The fourth time Mike Oldfield has recorded Tubular Bells, and the third time in close to a decade, Tubular Bells 2003 handily reveals a few improvements over the last few, but still has nothing on the original (most of which was trumped by its brief, well-known theme). It's obvious Oldfield expanded his instrumental palette for this recording; the notes list over 40 instruments that he plays (that is, if you include his mixing desk, his 1000 mHz processor, and the 1.2 Gb of RAM credited). Unfortunately, Oldfield substituted an awkward stateliness for the smooth, haunted elegance of the original. As before, he uses "Part One" to evoke the theme several times over with various stylistic nods. Ironically, many of these references are to more popularized versions of the styles than to the originals themselves (e.g., "Thrash" sounds embarrassingly similar to "Rockin' in the U.S.A."). One trick, and a highly marketable one, up Oldfield's sleeve is a special guest appearance to make the familiar -- for fans of Tubular Bells -- announcements of instruments to be soloed on, here performed by John Cleese. In his diminished old English gentleman's voice, he makes sharp retorts such as "two slightly distorted guitars!" with a mood that falls somewhere between folksy and ironic. "Part Two" is much better; instead of attempting to reference styles or instruments, Oldfield breaks new (for him) stylistic ground, and ends with an ingenious version of "The Sailor's Hornpipe" (aka Popeye's theme). ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
'Thou Art in Heaven'
Release Date 12/17/2002
Tracks 8
Label WEA International
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What The Critics Say
A noble attempt to pursue Mike Oldfield's career beyond the usual range of suspects, Collection updates and refines the 1985 compilation that was the first serious attempt to anthologize his greatest hits and bits. So yes, all the usual suspects are here -- that is, "In Dulci Jubilo," "Portsmouth," "Guilty," "Moonlight Shadow," "Five Miles Out," "To France," and so on. Excerpts from the first four albums also pop up with dark inevitability. But there's also room for less heralded and certainly less feted material from later in his career, surprising jewels like "Heaven's Open," "Good News" and "Pran's Theme" from The Killing Fields, "Islands," and "Innocent" -- few of which will necessarily thrill those listeners who really wish he was still creating vast soundscapes à la Ommadawn and Incantations. But it definitely charts his development in a very digestible manner. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
'The Millennium Bell'
Release Date 12/14/1999
Tracks 11
Label Wea International
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What The Critics Say
The Millennium Bell is an attempt by Mike Oldfield to encapsulate 2,000 years of history with 11 slices of world music experimentation. From the Incan commemorative "Pacha Mama" to "Amber Lights," a celebration of political reform in South Africa, this album attempts to cover immense psychic territory. At some point, even the staunchest Oldfield supporters could end up questioning this odd and at times pretentious effort. The music is typical Oldfield: plodding, repetitive new age, sprinkled with some gentle melodic elements and sonic invention. The sparsely placed talk lines boost the minimal narrative at times, while choirs and orchestral elements add nice support to Oldfield's instruments. Ambitious to say the least, perhaps the composer is taking himself and his subjects too seriously here. In fact, The Millennium Bell is certain to come off to some people as obvious and full of itself, but to less cynical listeners and loyal fans it might play like an interesting and unique lesson. ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Ever the sonic experimentalist, Mike Oldfield uses guitars exclusively (strummed, plucked, struck, sampled, etc.) to create every sound on Guitars. Perhaps an intentional response to the composer's previous assortment of electronic recordings, the album suffers from its form-over-substance concept. The more delicate, acoustic material ("Summit Days," "Muse," "Enigmatism") has the meditative, elegant quality listeners would naturally expect from Oldfield. But the crunchier rock guitar ensembles seem to lack Oldfield's usual sense of order and purpose. "Four Winds," an unfinished cluster of distorted racket, really misses its mark. Miscues like this one demonstrate that Oldfield is as awkward with the rock form as he is accomplished with his subtle and meditative electronic creations. Innovative and at times beautiful, Guitars is another interesting experiment from one of modern music's most ambitious icons. ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Tubular Bells III is a record quite similar to Mike Oldfield's second update of the original classic, recorded just six years prior. The production methods are a bit more polished and the tone is more serious, but the music remains dreamy, somewhat overevocative new age-with-a-beat music, quite similar to Enigma -- thanks to the Eastern textures of vocalist Amar on three tracks. There are a few occasional moments of levity, however, including the raging guitar stormer "Outcast" and a remake of Oldfield's early-'80s hit "Man in the Rain." ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
