Mike Oldfield - Music of the Spheres
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Free Music Notes for Music of the Spheres
Free Music Review: Forutnately I was wrong!
Hit: 4 Stars
Never really cared for Mike Oldfield's previous works, I enjoyed Tubular Bells the song but not the Tubular Bells album. I own "The Best of" album but wasn't really inspired enough by that to purchase any of his other albums. So when I purchased "Music of the Spheres" I felt I was taking a real chance and might not enjoy it - fortunately I was wrong. Strong melodies are supported by orchestra and choir. It's like a sound track to a movie where they used only the most beautiful and melodic pieces. This is not Tubular Bells and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys beautiful orchestral music.Free Music Review: Mike Oldfield: Music of the Spheres
Hit: 4 Stars
I've liked Mike Oldfield's music since the first "Tubular Bells" when I was a early teen way back in the 1970's. I have most of his LP's and now CD's, and had read about how this CD was very cinematic in it's sound. I fully agree about that, much less "New Age" and much more "Film Soundtrack", that's NOT a bad thing! Not in this case. In all his music I've always liked the all or mostly music only CD's, for me not so much on the vocal CD's and tracks. Overall this CD is very good and I enjoy listening to it. Not one track is a total stand out yet, but very good.Free Music Review: nice addition
Hit: 4 Stars
The latest of Mike Oldfield's work is a nice addition to his collection of music, definitely would recommend buying this cd!Free Music Review: Tubular Bore
Hit: 3 Stars
I've heard this before, only when it was new and fresh and original back in the 70's. Not many artists, especially one of Oldfield's stature, can continue to make music of unending brilliance and creativity. Asking him to match his best work (TB, Hergest, Omma, Incantations, Platinum, etc.) 30 years out is probably not realistic. Every artist has a season when the work is strong and perfect and compelling. Oldfield has been repeating himself for quite some time now, and creating an "all-orchestral" work can't disguise the fact that Music of The Spheres is yet another version of Tubular Bells (listen to "Harbinger").
For my money, no popular artist has created work that approximates the grace of of a Bach concerto, except for Oldfield. No one has created largely instrumental music with such devastating emotional resonance. Oldfield created the genres of Ambient (before Eno) and New Age music and Classical Rock (if you're thinking Yes and Tull you're wrong). But that was some time ago. Some of the passages in Music of The Spheres are quite lovely: "Aurora" for one. But the creative engine that powered the early work is laboring and tired.
His earlier, long form works were focused with energy and inspiration and ideas. "Music of The Spheres" seems like an "average" of past work, a dash of TB and a shot of the ghastly "Voyager", warmed over and presented as a new work. As such, the emotional impact is minimal and my interest is therefore minmal.
In popular music there has been no one comparable to Oldfield (if Phillip Glass is a classical composer) and his stunning body of work, with the possible exception of Van Morrison during his "new age" period and maybe the Cocteau Twins. So I hope Oldfield continues to create new work. Maybe inspiration will strike again, but if not, there is his past catalogue to listen to. And that music is better than 99% of anything I've ever listened to.
Free Music Review: Tubular Bells (Again).
Hit: 3 Stars
I like Oldfield, I have all of his albums including this one, but "Music Of The Spheres" is just more of the same. Oldfield has been spinning his creative wheels for over a decade now. I'd say the last Oldfield album I really enjoyed was 1994's "The Songs Of Distant Earth". Since then, Oldfield has been doing variations on the same themes with "Music Of The Spheres" being pleasant, but as another reviewer said, not innovative.
Yes, Oldfield utilizes real instruments and an orchestra and opera singer, but when it's all said and done it's not memorable. Some tracks standout more than others, and for me that moment comes in the middle of the album with "On My Heart" and "Aurora". I know I'm going to be lambasted for what I'm going to say next, but I'd really like to hear Oldfield utilize singers again and make more pop albums like "Five Miles Out", "Crises", "Discovery", "Islands" and "Earth Moving" as much as many fans would gasp in horror. It's been almost 20 years since he tried his hand at making a pop album, and I still think Oldfield excels at making good pop songs.
So, "Music Of The Spheres" is merely a rote exercise. Pleasant, inoffensive, average Oldfield. It did not excite me as some of his past work has. Good, but not above average or great.