Advantages: A classical album I can enjoy Disadvantages: Area's are a bit repetative, influences of Tubular Bells felt frequently
It's a big year for MikeOldfield, releasing his first album in three years and in doing so storming into the number one spot of the classical albums list for several weeks, then achieving the number 9 spot in the popular album chart a few weeks later. Later on this year he regains the rights to the original Tubular Bells with views to rescoring the piece; But for now The Music Of The Spheres is his focus, and it's doing phenomenally well with a highly unexpected audience.
Like so many recording artists MikeOldfield became addicted to too many things he should not have, most of the 80's and 90's being a drug hazed blur, emerging from the back end of the 90's Mike found himself spiritually lifted, a deeper person if you like; or as I prefer a fake epiphany. Whether or not it's true is not for me to say, but having researched buddies ...
Advantages: Some electrifying passages where you can crank up the volume... Disadvantages: ...but nothing very memorable tune-wise.
What an unimaginative title I thought. Calling a MikeOldfield album "Guitars" is like calling a Bond film "Licence To Kill" - it tells you less than you already know. Then I got it: guitars and nothing but guitars. No drums, synths or vocals. No Tubular Bells even. Is that the idea?
Simple, but ambitious. Who else could even attempt this?
"Muse" opens the album, it is a beautiful, mellow, Spanish guitar melody. But is this to be another bland CD of Test Card music? (see my op. on Oldfield's "Voyager") Well the added urgency and edge of "Cochise" suggest not. This is serious, invigorating guitar playing. Truly electric.
The next track "Embers" is much more subdued though and "Summit Day" would not be out of place on his triumphant "Songs of Distant Earth" CD.
It's all good so far, but with no fixed mood.
Then the dynamism ...
Advantages: Relaxing... Disadvantages: ...or boring (depending on your p.o.v.)
A very laid back instrumental album, beautifully played, but in an emotional vacuum.
The trouble with MikeOldfield is that, although a brilliant instrumentalist, his music has become somewhat shallow, as his lap of luxury lifestyle has cushioned him from the slings and arrows of life. So whereas his early work had a real edge shaped by an unhappy childhood (his mother suffered from mental illness and became addicted to tranquilizers) and a stroppy adolescence (he left school at 15 rather than cut his long hair) his more recent CDs could easily be mistaken for elevator music.
This CD opens with the slightly nautical lilt of "The Song of the Sun" (reminiscent of Oldfield's "QE2") followed by "Celtic Rain" which although pleasant is like Test Card* music and not very Celtic... unlike "The Hero" which sounds uncannily like incidental ...
![River Is Wide, The [Remastered] - Forum (The)](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/251/prod_small-6006251.jpg)
![Tres Lunas (+CD-Rom) [ECD] - Mike Oldfield](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/951/Tres_Lunas_CD_Rom_ECD_Mike_Oldfield__6033951.jpg)
