discovery

mike oldfield

blue plate caroline, 1984

Mood—Varied, typical of Oldfield.

Sample: "To France"

Thoughts— "To France" is absolutely my favorite Mike Oldfield song. While his strong suit is most definitely his long-form mostly instrumental pieces, every now and then he puts together a good song.

Some of his sillier stuff has grown on me over the years to the point where I like it all, but I'm no delusional. Even though Mike Oldfield has written a lot of "pop" songs, he's just not wired for it. They're musically interesting, and most of the times he works with talented vocalists... but the lyrics aren't anything to write home about.

Be that as it may, Discovery is one of his better song-based albums. The aforementioned "To France" leads the album, but nothing else is quite as beautiful as the opener. "Crystal Gazing" and "Poison Arrows" have their moments, but the latter half of the disk is somewhat dull. The title track, "Discovery", would be better with a less annoying vocalist. Musically it recalls his 1982 album Five Miles Out, but otherwise it's skippable.

"Talk About Your Life" and "Saved By A Bell" suffer from lame titles, but are okay songs. "The Lake", the final track and only instrumental, somewhat redeems the back end of the album. It is classic Oldfield: beautiful layers, fragile synths, abrupt changes, lots of guitar solo, and maybe some strange noises thown in for good measure. It's great to see how much a single piece of music can change over twelve minutes, and it ends on a triumphant note.

Which is a good way to end.

Recommended? For "To France" alone this is worth it. You'll learn to love the rest.

Link—mikeoldfield.com

Tracklist
1. To France
2. Poison Arrows
3. Crystal Gazing
4. Tricks Of The Light
5. Discovery
6. Talk About Your Life
7. Saved By A Bell
8. The Lake