First time I heard it, I was really young. Ages before the Internet, maybe in mid '80s. Just imagine, no PCs around. No smart things. Just you, in your room. You turn on the radio and this song hits your soul. In a very good way! This and To France, of course.
Hard for me to type much on my phone which is all I have these days but I'm always so happy to see another Oldfield reaction and glad you're liking the album so much 😌 I agree, just a satisfying feel even if nothing groundbreaking. Actually quite creative. "Crystal Gazing" is like the next album's equivalent of this song. Oldfield's production around this time is so cool and unique.
when Oldfield remixed this in surround sound, there is an accordion that comes in near the end, which does reduce that monotony a bit. The question is, did MO record this part when he did the remix, or was it already recorded back in 83 but was dropped from the mix (having heard other remixes, like Crises (title track) you will realize that MO often arranges a song at the mixing desk and many parts, though recorded, are muted)?
I practically always listened at the album as a whole, and never track-by-track. I think you would feel very different the song if coming from the previous track and immediately continue to the next. Especially when it's not the first time you listen at it. And I think this is valid for all Oldfield album (except for Earth Moving, maybe). Even when they are separate tracks with no continuous play, I always feel the album as a whole tells a different story than the single tracks one-by-one.
This is such a good exemple of those minimalist, repetitive pieces of that era. Philip Glass (Mikel’s old friend) and Wim Mertens are possibly the best at this style.
While on paper there is... not much in there - I really love this song. Lovely and soothing, and stays in the head. (And Maggie can't do wrong) Prematurely, but I also can't get North Point from the Islands album out of my head, also a Vibe (on a record that sadly drowns in the pervasive late 80s sound and features mostly unimportant songs and an experimental video that aged poorly - second to last only to its follow up Earth Moving, that has JUST unnessecary songs...)
I already bought the tickets in advance to see your reaction to the MAJESTIC "The Lake", why I love it ? high level PROG ROCK song released in 1984, when everybody was looking for $$$
At the time the strings synthesiser sound was almost a trademark for Mike Oldfield along his guitar sound. You won't get that feel on a drum machine ! You should sometime react to Sallyangie, the band / duo with his sister Sally Oldfield. :) "Children Of The Sun" the song is a good starting point.
I don't dislike the song, but for me, this is the weakest track on the album. Nice vocals by Maggie Reilly and I think the whispered lines are a nice touch, but the song goes round and round in circles towards the end and outstays its welcome a little. The next track, "Taurus III", is absolutely brilliant!
I agree on Taurus 3. And like always some humour and depth. I guess his star sign is Taurus too. And a lighthearted bull-touched end to the Taurus cycle, that has no structural resemblance to the previous 2 but is great
I feel that Mike Oldfield lost something after his amazing output in the 1970's and this is a good example of that. I do like The Killing Fields and Amarok though. Of course this is just my opinion and it's great that there are also fans of his later works.
Sweet song. You're right, the end is too repetitive and I would like to have an instrumental break with guitar solo or sax, but Mike isn't this type of guitarist, doing solis. He's more a ambiance builder with all his instruments melted together. Beautiful song anyway.
@@hadenough2005 I tried to be subtle . Did it work? 😁 U sparked me to watch a 2024 gig performance on cameraphone... including a hilarious but f bomb ridden introduction of It's Everything. JP needs to hear Flaunt and Arizona Sky. They're a hidden gem of a band...still giving it 100% live
Yes it did work. Keep up your good work. It is strangely appealing watching somebody discover a song you know so well and hearing what they think of it, especially in such a considered manner.
One positive: None of that god-awful guitar thing MO does. That sound truly grates on me in a nails-on-chalkboard kind of way, so I'm glad it didn't appear here. (For anyone interested, the sound of actual nails scraped on a chalkboard is something that doesn't bother me.)
Total vibe. Somehow he makes the repittion work perfectly.
The strings/synth adding is very hypnotic and meditative. Very nice
First time I heard it, I was really young. Ages before the Internet, maybe in mid '80s. Just imagine, no PCs around. No smart things. Just you, in your room. You turn on the radio and this song hits your soul. In a very good way! This and To France, of course.
Actually, the whole album should be listenned to at once.
Interesting sound, some people call it Fairlight 😆.
Hard for me to type much on my phone which is all I have these days but I'm always so happy to see another Oldfield reaction and glad you're liking the album so much 😌 I agree, just a satisfying feel even if nothing groundbreaking. Actually quite creative. "Crystal Gazing" is like the next album's equivalent of this song. Oldfield's production around this time is so cool and unique.
The live section on The complete Album is fantastic. Platinuum 2.
when Oldfield remixed this in surround sound, there is an accordion that comes in near the end, which does reduce that monotony a bit. The question is, did MO record this part when he did the remix, or was it already recorded back in 83 but was dropped from the mix (having heard other remixes, like Crises (title track) you will realize that MO often arranges a song at the mixing desk and many parts, though recorded, are muted)?
I practically always listened at the album as a whole, and never track-by-track. I think you would feel very different the song if coming from the previous track and immediately continue to the next. Especially when it's not the first time you listen at it.
And I think this is valid for all Oldfield album (except for Earth Moving, maybe). Even when they are separate tracks with no continuous play, I always feel the album as a whole tells a different story than the single tracks one-by-one.
I think that Mike even managed to put an inner structure and spirituality in Earth moving as well, which no doubt annoyed RBranson
This is such a good exemple of those minimalist, repetitive pieces of that era. Philip Glass (Mikel’s old friend) and Wim Mertens are possibly the best at this style.
Wonderful song, one of my favorites.
Guilty by Oldfield is a gem....
There's a video live with Pierre Morlean and brother. Superdrummers that played with Holdsworth, Ponty etc in Gong.
While on paper there is... not much in there - I really love this song. Lovely and soothing, and stays in the head. (And Maggie can't do wrong)
Prematurely, but I also can't get North Point from the Islands album out of my head, also a Vibe (on a record that sadly drowns in the pervasive late 80s sound and features mostly unimportant songs and an experimental video that aged poorly - second to last only to its follow up Earth Moving, that has JUST unnessecary songs...)
"A lagoon by la mer"
I already bought the tickets in advance to see your reaction to the MAJESTIC "The Lake", why I love it ? high level PROG ROCK song released in 1984, when everybody was looking for $$$
And I personally love cosmic- ufo-related things, so I like the Lake (that has spacey sounds), as well as the album Songs of distant earth a lot
At the time the strings synthesiser sound was almost a trademark for Mike Oldfield along his guitar sound. You won't get that feel on a drum machine !
You should sometime react to Sallyangie, the band / duo with his sister Sally Oldfield. :) "Children Of The Sun" the song is a good starting point.
I don't dislike the song, but for me, this is the weakest track on the album. Nice vocals by Maggie Reilly and I think the whispered lines are a nice touch, but the song goes round and round in circles towards the end and outstays its welcome a little.
The next track, "Taurus III", is absolutely brilliant!
I agree on Taurus 3. And like always some humour and depth.
I guess his star sign is Taurus too. And a lighthearted bull-touched end to the Taurus cycle, that has no structural resemblance to the previous 2 but is great
Maybe try Tubular Bells old classical Symphony version. Then you will hear it's a entire concept, not just "pieces".
So....Shadow on the Wall when? :D
I think it's more or less a song for Maggie, where she can feature her voice abilities at best. A B-side to Moonlight Shadow maybe it was. Cheers!
I feel that Mike Oldfield lost something after his amazing output in the 1970's and this is a good example of that. I do like The Killing Fields and Amarok though. Of course this is just my opinion and it's great that there are also fans of his later works.
Sweet song. You're right, the end is too repetitive and I would like to have an instrumental break with guitar solo or sax, but Mike isn't this type of guitarist, doing solis. He's more a ambiance builder with all his instruments melted together. Beautiful song anyway.
I don't know, but it sounds like Jean Michel Jarre was very inspired on Oxygene by Tubular Bells.
Please do Wonderful Life by China Crisis.
@@hadenough2005 remind me again which album that one's from..?
Black's hit was good...
Once upon a time I did have a memory, I promise.
@@hadenough2005 I tried to be subtle . Did it work? 😁 U sparked me to watch a 2024 gig performance on cameraphone... including a hilarious but f bomb ridden introduction of It's Everything. JP needs to hear Flaunt and Arizona Sky. They're a hidden gem of a band...still giving it 100% live
Yes it did work. Keep up your good work. It is strangely appealing watching somebody discover a song you know so well and hearing what they think of it, especially in such a considered manner.
I like Mike Oldfield and his more catchy songs, too. But this was for me a little bit too boring.
Too long by about 45 seconds.
One positive: None of that god-awful guitar thing MO does. That sound truly grates on me in a nails-on-chalkboard kind of way, so I'm glad it didn't appear here.
(For anyone interested, the sound of actual nails scraped on a chalkboard is something that doesn't bother me.)
That's rather like saying 'that godawful present giving that Santa does'. Oldfield is primarily that guitar thing.
@@jameswarner5809 Which explains perfectly why I don't like much of what he's done.
Slightly annoying
Tepid shallow crass and calculated.
Not his best.
Ahem: bland crap. That is all.
Almost tuneless trite garbage...
Sing it baby