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Wanderer Group: Members Posts: 119 Joined: Aug. 2002 Posted: Oct. 13 2003, 21:04 Probably the two questions I have most often been asked by friends in my life are these: "Who is Mike Oldfield?" "What is it about him that makes you like his music so much?" This has happened so often in fact, that I have begun to formulate a standard speel to introduce Mike and his music to the uninitiated. Plus, I have developed a shortlist of albums which I feel are most representative of Mike's unique and diverse talents, which I play as examples whenever I have piqued someone's interest enough. Which one I play largely depends on what I know of the given individual's own musical tastes. I like to start off presenting newcomers with music from Mike that I believe is the most compatible with their own collections - it makes Mike more accessible to them. I've found Mike's music endearing and alienating in equal measure myself... Mike's greatest strengths are his versatility, unpredictability and continuous experimentation. They are also his greatest weaknesses. As an artist, he surprises me with each successive work, combining different musical styles together and flying in the face of convention (even in his more "mainstream" releases). Because he has refused to structure his career around a single formula I never get the feeling he is merely treading water with his music, and I can purchase each individual album of his knowing that I am not just getting "more of the same" - I am witnessing a distinct aspect of his artistic character in each individual album. However, in his all consuming quest to reach new heights of artistic success by pushing the boundaries of popular music his reach often exceeds his grasp. His worst albums all crumple under the weight of massive overambition - the music itself weighed down by pretentious, ham fisted attempts at profundity. Still, it is a far nobler thing to aim high and fail (as Oldfield has done on occasion) than to aim low and succeed (which Oldfield has never done). The above six paragraphs are a word-for-word paraphrasing of what I tell to people when asked why it is I find myself so drawn to Mike's music. Below is word-for-word what I tell them when asked "Who is Mike Oldfield", and the albums I cite as best representative of his career: Mike Oldfield is a British composer and multi-instrumentalist who first made a name for himself in the seventies by composing a series of instrumental symphonic works combining elements of classical, folk, rock and world music. The first of these, "Tubular Bells", is by far the most well known and commercially successful - with a two year run in the British top 10, toppled only by his followup work, the minimalist "Hergest Ridge". His third album, "Ommadawn" remains the favourite of Oldfield's fan community. But to my ears they are all eclipsed by the brilliant 75 minute epic "Incantations"... which incorporates vocal passages into Oldfield's diverse ethnic/classical/rock pallette. Towards the begining of the 80s he started flirting with the mainstream a bit more, producing rockier albums which featured shorter, rockier instrumental tracks, the best of which is the hideously under-rated "QE2". After this he moved into writing pop songwriting, although he made a game stab at it, it's not a phase I particularly cared for. Namely because Oldfield comes across as a bit of a clueless lyricist. The only album of the bunch that really approaches classic status is "Islands". It features a 20 minute instrumental piece on side one and rounds out the second with some quality ballads including the sublime title track (sung by Bonnie Tyler). This change of direction was largely prompted by the demands of Mike's record company, Virgin. Stuck with the obligation to fulfill his contract he released two angry, atonal, disonant works in rapid succession "Amarok" (an incoherent work with some brilliant moments) and "Heaven's Open" (utter crap, undoubtedly the worst album he has ever afflicted upon humanity). Since signing onto Warner records he has developed a kind of pastiche style, producing a series of "high concept" albums and multimedia projects. These have left both fandom and critics divided - go on the internet and you'll probably find a lot of irate fanboys bashing Mike's current output for betraying the high ideals he set for himself in the past. He still produced some good music, the exquisitely melancholy concept album "Songs Of Distant Earth" (based on the novel by Arthur C. Clarke) broke new ground by being the first to feature CD-ROM material. It remains a personal favourite of mine, it's the one that made me become a fan in the first place. People are often taken aback by such a lengthy, detailed answer... but I find it hard to properly articulate my feelings for Oldfield's music at shorter length. I usually spice up my speel a bit by getting up and walking round the room, making dramatic hand gestures and pointing out the albums on my shelf. My closest friends know when I'm getting into the "Mikey Boy Pitch Routine" with newbies... I guess that's the sad mark of a fanboy, deliberately trying to work your idol into a conversation so you can make a pitch to potential converts. I'm a sad fanboy. Guilty as charged Back to top

Wanderer Group: Members Posts: 119 Joined: Aug. 2002 Posted: Oct. 13 2003, 21:15 Phase One: Long Instrumentals (Tubular Bells to Incantations) BEST - INCANTATIONS WORST - TUBULAR BELLS Phase Two: Flirting with the mainstream (Platinum to Five Miles Out) BEST - QE2 WORST - PLATINUM Phase Three: Mike Oldfield, Pop Maestro (Crises to Earth Moving) BEST - ISLANDS WORST - DISCOVERY Phase Four: Pissed off with Virgin (Amarok & Heaven's Open) BEST - AMAROK WORST - HEAVEN'S OPEN Phase Five: High concept Oldfield (Tubular Bells II to The Millennium Bell) BEST - THE SONGS OF DISTANT EARTH WORST - THE MILLENNIUM BELL Miscellaneous: Soundtrack Albums (The Killing Fields & Tres Lunas) BEST - THE KILLING FIELDS WORST - TRES LUNAS Back to top

Sir Mustapha Group: Musicians Posts: 2802 Joined: April 2003 Posted: Oct. 14 2003, 08:35 Sheesh. -------------- Check out http://ferniecanto.com.br for all my music, including my latest albums: Don't Stay in the City, Making Amends and Builders of Worlds. Also check my Bandcamp page: http://ferniecanto.bandcamp.com Back to top

Wanderer Group: Members Posts: 119 Joined: Aug. 2002 Posted: Oct. 14 2003, 14:08 Now, is that a good "sheesh" or a bad "sheesh"? Hmmmm, maybe such a long rant wasn't the best way to inaugurate my return to this forum after six months absence. Back to top

TOBY Group: Members Posts: 1562 Joined: May 2002 Posted: Oct. 14 2003, 19:21 And welcome back chap, I at at least apreciated your thoughts. I agree with some of your general observations which I think are valid and thoughtfully made. I do question your pigeon-holing of various areas of Mike's career, Amarok quite clearly for me comes out of exactly the same musical stable as his early works (TB to Ommadawn) and not a 'pissed off with Virgin' catagory. I mean Mike was pissed off with Virgin for ages before Amarok he just didn't obviously articulate it in morse code. These debates are always subjective, personaly I think TB is possibly his best album, though Ommadawn obviously has more originality. I do like Incantations but it is overblown and certainly loses itself in some places. I don't think Heavens Open is anywhere near Mike's finest hour but Music From the Balcony contains more thought and originaliy in it in any given second than a lot of stuff from say Voyager of TB3. I must admit I've never ever viewed Mike's career in terms of phases. True enough there was the glorious trilogy of TB, HR and Ommadawn but everything from Incantations to TB2003 just comes under the fantastic, erratic and diverse umbrella that is Mike Oldfield. I suppose everthing he's released under WEA has had a certain generaly negatively viewed characteristic, the heavy use of sequencers, drum boxes and to much synth. I don't think any of it apart from TSODE is high concept let alone low concept, I suppose the Millenium Bell was conceptual but do you think TB3 was a concept album?????? Or Voyager for that matter. I know we've had this debate before but TL is not a soundtrack album in the same way that The Killing Fields is, I don't think anybody really regards it as a soundtrack album, though obviously bits were used in his computer game. Its a very different kettle of fish, you may as well say TSODE is a soundtrack to a book or Islands was a soundtrack to a video project. I've always viewed it quite negatively when people try to pigeon-hole areas of Mike's career because a) To a cartain extent its fairly pointless and b) It doesn't excuse anything. I suppose if it helps you understand his music better then fair enough, but I've always judged each album on its own merrits. I only really compare them when I (all to often in recent years) think how could the man who wrote something so amazing as say Amarok write something as so thoughtlessly god-awful as say Thou Art in Heaven (not to be confused with Berlin 2000) Back to top

Watcher of the skies Group: Members Posts: 67 Joined: Oct. 2003 Posted: Oct. 15 2003, 01:36 LONG INSTRUMENTAL the best AMAROK OMMADAWN TUBULAR BELLS PROGRESSIVE ROCK/POP the best FIVE MILES OUT QE2 POP the best ISLANDS NEW AGE/ELECTRONICS SONGS OF THE DISTANT EARTH TUBULAR BELLS III TUBULAR BELLS II in my opinion htese are the most representative albums for someone who want to discover Mike's music! -------------- Hillmen are swore of allegiance living a live of silent dignity for your protection only so you don't worry... your pretty little head! Back to top

stitchfan Group: Members Posts: 44 Joined: Feb. 2003 Posted: Oct. 15 2003, 03:55 Long instrumental Tubular Bells I New Age / Electronic Tubular Bells II [QUOTE] Ohana means family Back to top

Wanderer Group: Members Posts: 119 Joined: Aug. 2002 Posted: Oct. 15 2003, 15:17 IN REPLY TO TOBY TOBY SAID: And welcome back chap, I at at least apreciated your thoughts. WANDERER SAYS: Thankyou. Sometimes I feel that going onto a fan forum is like going to confessional. I don't feel right talking about the positive and ignoring the negative (or vice versa). I feel that I have to be passionate about a subject in order to express my opinions on it in an intelligent way. There are times however when I soak in so much Mike Oldfield I just need to take a rest for a while to gather my thoughts... broaden my horizons, listen to other music etcetera... TOBY SAID: I do question your pigeon-holing of various areas of Mike's career... to a cartain extent its fairly pointless and it doesn't excuse anything. WANDERER SAYS: This isn't about me trying to make excuses for Mike's past mistakes. As I said, it's a way for me to make Mike's music sound more digestable when I'm asked by people who've never heard of him to justify my obsession... which has happened quite often. They look down at what I listen to as rather "geeky" I think, though they wouldn't say as much to me, being friends and all. TOBY SAID: I do like Incantations but it is overblown and certainly loses itself in some places. WANDERER SAYS: It's funny that I think that "Incantations" and "Amarok" are his best albums - yet I would never play them to people who had never heard Mike Oldfield before. The phrases "overlong", "repetitive" and "bombastic" have cropped up consistently in reviews I've read by mainstream music journalists. One of my friends actually listened to "Amarok" of his own accord, because I told him "you wouldn't get it". When he had finished listening to it he said to me: "I get it - you listen to so much music and have such an analytical mind you're bored by chart music's dependance on formula. Thus, you gravitate towards weird experimental artists like Oldfield cause they are doing something original. Unfortunately, original doesn't always equal good and this album is an incoherent mess." He was right of course, well except for the bit about "Amarok" not being good. He really didn't get it. TOBY SAID: Music From the Balcony contains more thought and originality in it in any given second than a lot of stuff from say Voyager of TB3. WANDERER SAYS: I agree totally. But as my friend said, originality and quality are not the same thing. I think of "Music From The Balcony" as a louder, brasher and shorter "Amarok"... but without the catchy hooks n' guitar licks that made that piece so memorable. "Voyager" probably counts as mainstream by Oldfield standards although these traditionals are arranged in a very non traditional manner... the celtic funeral dirge "Flowers Of The Forest" is given a peculiarly triumphant, anthemic arrangement by Oldfield. Others have also complained about the modern instrumentation used in interpreting these folk chestnuts. But to each his own I say. I view it as a successful attempt at embracing and exploring the outer limits of an established style - more successful than any of his song based records in the 80s. TOBY SAID: I suppose everthing he's released under WEA has had a certain generaly negatively viewed characteristic, the heavy use of sequencers, drum boxes and to much synth. WANDERER SAYS: I should point out that I am not trying to vilify that view. There are several albums he's released through Warner that I think are pretty weak by Oldfield standards ("The Millennium Bell", "Tres Lunas" and the woefully incomplete "Essential Mike Oldfield" and "Best Of Tubular Bells" compilations). However, I do feel that he has produced three classic albums under that label ("Tubular Bells II & III", "The Songs Of Distant Earth"). Plus two albums which, whilst not being masterpieces by any stretch of the imagination, are genuinely under-rated ("Voyager" and "Guitars"). TOBY SAID: I don't think any of it apart from TSODE is high concept let alone low concept, I suppose the Millenium Bell was conceptual but do you think TB3 was a concept album?????? Or Voyager for that matter. WANDERER SAYS: I do consider "Millennium Bell" to be just as much a concept album as "The Songs Of Distant Earth". In his latest albums, Mike has chosen to devote entire albums to a single musical idea or concept - that is what I mean by "High Concept". With "Voyager" he did an album with celtic music as it's central motif. "Tres Lunas" saw Oldfield venturing into the realm of ambient electronica to create a chillout album. "Guitars" took as it's central motif - guitars! This building of albums around a single musical "theme" is in contrast to his seventies work, which tended to weave in more diverse genre elements and fit less easily into stylistic pidgeonholes. TOBY SAID: I know we've had this debate before but TL is not a soundtrack album in the same way that The Killing Fields is, I don't think anybody really regards it as a soundtrack album, though obviously bits were used in his computer game. WANDERER SAYS: A lot of soundtrack albums nowadays come with the tag "music from and inspired by the motion picture". I think that if the music contained on the album is an extension or reworking of the themes featured in the film then it's worthy of the soundtrack tag. All of the tracks on Peter Gabriel's "Passion" are extended or remixed versions of the themes featured in the film "Last Temptation Of Christ". Thus I count it as a soundtrack. Many wouldn't since there is not a single track on the album that is exactly the same as it's film counterpart. I understand their position totally. I also understand how many people are disappointed when they see a film, buy the soundtrack and find out it's not what they heard in the movie. TOBY SAID: Its a very different kettle of fish, you may as well say TSODE is a soundtrack to a book or Islands was a soundtrack to a video project. WANDERER SAYS: Although Clarke's novel was optioned for filming by Michael Phillips (producer of "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind") nothing came of the project... only Mike's music. So "SODE" must retain the label of "concept album", which is the same tag I put on other albums-to-books like Rick Wakeman's "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth" and Jeff Wayne's "War Of The Worlds" (two albums I often find misfiled under soundtracks in record stores). Also "Islands" was written before any promos were shot - the images were structured to accomodate the music, not the other way around. You can't say the same about "Tres Lunas" since Mike had been working on the game side of "Music VR" since 1995. TOBY SAID: I only really compare them when I (all to often in recent years) think how could the man who wrote something so amazing as say Amarok write something as so thoughtlessly god-awful as say Thou Art in Heaven (not to be confused with Berlin 2000) WANDERER SAYS: We're into apples and oranges here, though I think the "Tres Lunas" arrangement is a pretty gutless rendition of the Berlin 2000 theme. When it comes to evaluating the quality of the album what I normally do is divide the number of tracks I like by the total number of tracks on the album in order to get a percentage. Back to top

Sir Mustapha Group: Musicians Posts: 2802 Joined: April 2003 Posted: Oct. 19 2003, 11:46 Sorry for the obscurity. I was just shocked with certain things I read. I agree when they say putting Amarok and Heaven's Open in the same cathegory is a bit clueless, and I'm not keen on giving titles of BEST ALBUM and WORST ALBUM like that, specially when Tubular Bells is on a WORST ALBUM mark. I mean, want it or not, Tubular Bells IS the quintessential Mike Oldfield album. Maybe not his best, but it is the starting point and should not be dissed like that. I'm also in disagreement when you consider Amarok and Heaven's Open "atonal" and "dissonant". Captain Beefheart is dissonant; The Residents are dissonant'; King Crimson's Thrakattak is atonal - I can't see how Amarok can be called atonal and dissonant, much less Heaven's Open. And I find it strange to say QE2 is "hideously underrated" and then say Heaven's Open is "utter crap". Those five tracks on side A of Heaven's Open are, without prefixes or suffixes, POP MASTERPIECES, and Music From The Balcony puts Taurus II to shame. That is my opinion, of course. But what I mean is that if you wanna define, once and for all, his most representative albums, you can't be based on such radical opinions because they are just that - opinions. I wouldn't say "Buy Amarok, because it is the best album ever recorded!!", instead I prefer to say "Amarok is certainly Mike's creative peak, in my opinion, but if you think it's too hard to digest, you can try Tubular Bells and Ommadawn, instead". And please, give a second chance to Heaven's Open. -------------- Check out http://ferniecanto.com.br for all my music, including my latest albums: Don't Stay in the City, Making Amends and Builders of Worlds. Also check my Bandcamp page: http://ferniecanto.bandcamp.com Back to top

Korgscrew Group: Super Admins Posts: 3511 Joined: Dec. 1999 Posted: Oct. 19 2003, 12:47 Quote (Wanderer @ Oct. 15 2003, 20:17) Also "Islands" was written before any promos were shot - the images were structured to accomodate the music, not the other way around. There was some cross pollination - Mike took a film crew across to Bali to shoot some footage before he began work on The Wind Chimes. Some of the soundtrack of that video footage made it into the music as samples, and the images were clearly in his mind as he put the piece together (you can find more details on this by browsing the articles section here, if you're interested). The songs I'd imagine were developed in a different way, though...those would seem to be more a case of music first, images later. I do actually feel that The Wind Chimes is missing something when heard without the images, despite the fact that they might not be anything spectacular. It's interesting that the flying red stratocaster appears in that, just as in Music VR...we could probably read much in the way of symbolism into that! Anyway, I'm veering a long way off topic here... We could group Mike's albums in any number of ways. I know someone who says that Ommadawn, Five Miles Out and Amarok are a kind of trilogy, and I think I can see where he's coming from, though I'd not group them together that way myself. I somehow see QE2 as a continuation of Ommadawn's Progressive Folk approach, though I'm not sure my reasoning involves much logic! I suspect that more interesting here is not which albums we think are the best examples, but the way we classify them... Out of his albums of songs, I think I'd pick Discovery as the most consistent. I think Heaven's Open has some good moments on it as well, particularly the title track. I would also agree that Music From The Balcony is quite related in structure to Amarok, though its use of odd sampled and synthesised sounds, in your face saxophones and rock drums makes it quite a different animal. I think a good thing about the songs on Heaven's Open is that they don't have the cloying sweetness that some of the songs on Earth Moving (and to an extent, Islands) had. Really, I think that they mostly all have something good about them, though I'd perhaps struggle a bit more to find something good to say about The Millennium Bell. I'd say it's mostly down to personal taste. Back to top

Wanderer Group: Members Posts: 119 Joined: Aug. 2002 Posted: Oct. 19 2003, 20:29 [quote=Sir Mustapha,Oct. 19 2003, 11:46][/quote] SIR MUSTAPHA SAID: Sorry for the obscurity. I was just shocked with certain things I read. I agree when they say putting Amarok and Heaven's Open in the same cathegory is a bit clueless. WANDERER SAYS: Yes, there are differences between the two. But keep in mind I am trying to describe Mike's entire body of work to people who have never heard of him. I lumped "Amarok" and "Heaven's Open" together because I believed Mike was working with a similar mindset on both albums - and I do think there are some genuine similarities in how the instrumental compositions are structured. SIR MUSTAPHA SAID: I'm not keen on giving titles of BEST ALBUM and WORST ALBUM like that, specially when Tubular Bells is on a WORST ALBUM mark. WANDERER SAYS: I don't dislike "Tubular Bells". I simply like it the least out of his first four albums. SIR MUSTAPHA SAID: I'm also in disagreement when you consider Amarok and Heaven's Open "atonal" and "dissonant". WANDERER SAYS: They aren't like that all the way through. But they both have their moments, in my opinion... the kinda jarring "explosions of sound fx" which Mike said annoyed Simon Draper so much. SIR MUSTAPHA SAID: I find it strange to say QE2 is "hideously underrated" and then say Heaven's Open is "utter crap". WANDERER SAYS: Personally, I don't see any immediate similarities between "QE2" and "Heaven's Open" other than the name of the composer. "QE2" contains a series of short instrumental pieces, blending Oldfield's pop/rock/folk influences. "Heaven's Open" contains a series of songs and one long instrumental - done in a much more experimental style than "QE2". Why are you so surprised? Where are the similarities? SIR MUSTAPHA SAID: Those five tracks on side A of Heaven's Open are, without prefixes or suffixes, POP MASTERPIECES, and Music From The Balcony puts Taurus II to shame. That is my opinion, of course. WANDERER SAYS: Exactly. The fascinating thing about "Heaven's Open" is the way it divides people. In my opinion, the album contains one classic song, the title track. But the rest of the songs are let down by some very leaden, awkward and non-catchy lyrics. "Music From The Balcony" sounds to me like a patched together bunch of out-takes from "Amarok"... but without the same energy or undefinable catchiness that made that album so great. SIR MUSTAPHA SAID: what I mean is that if you wanna define, once and for all, his most representative albums, you can't be based on such radical opinions because they are just that - opinions. WANDERER SAYS: I am not trying to come up with a definitive answer. I am merely stating my own personal opinion. I believe that when it comes to a topic as subjective as art - there can be no definitive answer. Back to top

Sir Mustapha Group: Musicians Posts: 2802 Joined: April 2003 Posted: Oct. 20 2003, 06:19 I don't imply that you were trying to be definitive, because I sincerely don't think anyone here could be that foolish. I just remind you that there's a difference between stating a personal opinion and writing a review on Rolling Stone. It's okay, I'm not bitter because of what I read. Heaven's Open is, to me, a delicate subject. I can stand it when people stab albums that I really like (some hard-to-swallow comments on Rush I find often), but that specific album is a different matter. I had low expectations when I got it. There were all sorts of comments about the pop aspect, the "rushed" feel, his voice, everything. Fact is, I was shocked at how good the album actually is. And I find it cruel when someone makes such biting comments on it. So, there are the lyrics. I can understand such complaint, but then, I don't care about lyrics themselves. I'm a bit like Eno, y'know, giving more importance to the sound of lyrics rather than the meaning, so I find it ok. I don't find any similarities between Heaven's Open and QE2, but I associated them together because of people's reaction to it. QE2 is Mike's first commercial release - a relaxed, careless, accessible album. And some people tend to avoid it for that. Heaven's Open is a very extravagant item, and people ALSO tend to avoid it. Let's face it - QE2 is, by far, Mike's most uninventive album by the time, but like Sir George Starostin says, "it's a wonder Mike really let himself loose only after an intense seven-year period of 'masterwork creation'." At least, Heaven's Open is an original, unexpected item in his catalogue, and I think it deserves at least a bit of recognition for that. To close it off, I wince at the "BEST/WORST" cathegories every time I see such thing, not only in your case. I think it's a way too strong statement, and people can take it the wrong way. I always tend to say "weakest" album in such cases, and I use "worst" only when I'm talking about something I really dislike. -------------- Check out http://ferniecanto.com.br for all my music, including my latest albums: Don't Stay in the City, Making Amends and Builders of Worlds. Also check my Bandcamp page: http://ferniecanto.bandcamp.com Back to top

raven4x4x Group: Members Posts: 1535 Joined: Jan. 2002 Posted: Nov. 08 2003, 20:01 For a good summary of Mike's career, I would have someone listen to my five CD "Best of Mike Oldfield" which I have burned for myself. If you just listen to his albums, you miss many of his best short instrumentals and live performances, like In the Pool, Afghan, Silent Night etc. I've got at least one song from every album on there (except TB2003 becuase that wasn't released when I burned it, so I would have to add Ambient Guitars to the best of). I think that is the only way to summarize Mike's career, short of listening to everything he ever recorded. In terms of 'best' and 'worst' albums, I would like to have a try at listing my most and least favourite albums Mike has done. It is important to note that these best and worst lists have no catagories and are in purely chronological order. Please also note that my 'worst' albums ARE IN NO WAY BAD ALBUMS. They are simply my least favourite, good as they may be. The ones not mentioned here are pretty much average for a Mike album. My Favourite Albums: Five Miles Out Crises Discovery Amarok TBII TSODE TBIII My least favourite albums: Hergest Ridge Islands Voyager -------------- Thank-you for helping us help you help us all. Back to top

Holger Group: Members Posts: 1506 Joined: Feb. 2003 Posted: Nov. 09 2003, 09:03 Wow, a lot of stuff to read in this topic, I hope you don't mind if I reply directly to the topic title first and read later So then, you just can't leave out Tubular Bells when talking of Mike, and actually it doesn't quite belong together with the other three early epics as far as I'm concerned (in fact, I tend to put it in one category with Amarok - 'funny instrumentals'... ) So let's say, phase one: Tubular Bells, a 'phase' of its own. Then we have the three lengthy instrumental works HR, Omm and Inc. Very difficult to choose, I love all three equally. I guess, though, that for various reasons, Ommadawn would have to be seen as the most 'representative' of those. Worst: none. Then comes the phase Wanderer calls 'flirting with the mainstream', and actually that phase does not begin with Platinum, but immediately after the release of Incantations with the Guilty single, and with the versions of TB and Inc that were played on Mike's first tour, and which are to be heard on Exposed (much more 'mainstream', rockier, at times even danceable). And then of course Platinum through Five Miles Out, although this phase really overlaps a lot with the 'Pop maestro' phase, and contains much of Crises, and one track of Discovery and Islands each. Again, very difficult to pick a most representative... It could be any of those really, Platinum, QE2, Five Miles Out... Let's say Five Miles Out. (Worst: none) The Killing Fields is a marvellous and 'hideously underrated' album, I wouldn't slap it together with Tr2s Lunas really (spelling mistake not intended, but left for entertainment value ). A category of its own, or maybe you could even put it together with the 'flirting' phase (if you leave out the orchestral tracks.) 'Pop maestro' phase, that means three tracks off Crises (In High Places is too weird to be considered pop - and actually, Shadow On The Wall is not pop but rock, as are some of the tracks on Discovery and Heaven's Open), most of Discovery, half of Islands, all of Earth Moving and half of Heaven's Open. My favourite of these is Discovery. I love all the songs on it. Heaven's Open is good, too. And Crises of course. I don't like the songs on Earth Moving and Islands. 'Pissed off with Virgin': Amarok and the other half of Heavens Open. Good: both. Bad: neither. Most representative: has to be Amarok. And the next, and so far last phase... I wouldn't really call it the 'high concept' phase... more like the 'new age' phase, or the 'mainstream instrumentals' phase (or some other names which I won't say here ). Contains everything since TBII. Best: Tubular Bells III. Worst: The Millennium Bell. Most representative: very difficult to say. Perhaps The Songs Of Distant Earth, or really Tubular Bells II. Wow, I got carried away once again and wrote much more than I intended to... Back to top

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