Mike Oldfield Cds

This Modern and “New Age” version of “Tubular Bells” represented a kind of compromise- being not equal to “Tubular Bells”
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Ok this Modern and “New Age” version of “Tubular Bells” represented a kind of compromise- being obviously not equal to his most famous jewel, but it was so pleasant after all!!

Well actually it could have been his first occasion to “update” the style of his album “Incantations” for instance (in a sort of “minimalist-format” but with symphonic elements inside); instead Mike Oldfield kept on using the style of the “New Age music”, which could have been also more commercial in comparison to his old works, so the Discographic Label of course preferred this latter choice, above all for the sale reports…but coming back to the present “The songs…”, it was in the vein of his previous “Space” and “New Age” works, in the most polished manner, but without the versatility of “Ommadawn” for example (otherwise this latter lacking of the quality compositions which characterized his early albums) as well as his cleverness in the use of the electronic effects, like within the modern “AMAROK”…nevertheless you can find a lot of simple music phrases, floating everything away, both the listener and the soft (but never suspenseful) guitar textures too, which made “The songs of Distant Earth” closer to the normal listener and a bit distant from the intelligent crossover prog genre, still now!

It’s not completely essential, being anyway worth checking out at least, especially for your pretty and sometimes beautiful moments of “soul tranquillity”…so if you’re into this specific sensation, you could either add an half star or definitively refuse it as a boring music product…however, more or less extremist in your music preferences inside the prog world I suppose, make your own choice!!

Beautiful
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The music on this album is astounding in its beauty! I had the cassette years ago, and forgot how much I was missing. This music intertwines the beauty of nature with human longing for home. I once used one of the tracks for a ballet dance that I was to perform. Perfect music for my dance. I never get tired of listening! The music is complex, but soothing. This could have been a great soundtrack to the recent movie “Avatar.”

SONGS OF DISTANT EARTH
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE FAST SERVICE AND GREAT PRODUCTS YOU SELL. I AM TOTALLY PLEASED EVERY TIME I ORDER SOME THING. THANK YOU AGAIN JON NICHOLSON

If you like Tubular Bells … Try this one! It’s BEAUTIFUL!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Absolutely love it. Mike Oldfield is truly original — when he’s not stuck in the Disco groove, that is. If you love Tubular Bells I, I recommend this one, as well as Tubular Bells II. TB III is a little different, but I like that one too; and the music from Killing Fields.

One of the best examples of Oldfield’s work
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
As an avid listener to Mike Oldfield since ‘Hergest Ridge’ (endlessly played during an angsty youth!), his work has gone through numerous phases combining natural acoustic instruments, electric guitars and electronica but this is definitely one of the highlights for me where the blend works best.

Listening to it almost 15 years after release, it doesn’t lose its interest nor sound too naff plus it works as a brilliant thematic accompaniment to Arthur C. Clarke’s work.

The Songs of Distant Earth
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The Songs of Distant Earth being Oldfield’s 1994 release is based on

Arthur C. Clarke’s science fiction novel Songs of Distant Earth and it sure is a dandy of a record. We can hear that he has taken cues from Enigma, Jean Michel Jarre, William Orbit and Vangelis. The booklet is very nice and blends perfectly with the space theme. 4/5.

A Rare Masterpiece
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Mike Oldfield has been at the forefront of music composition for years, approaching it with a genius that compares only to that of classical composers. With this offering, Oldfield blends technology and melody in a way that removes the listener from the world around them and flies them to the far reaches of the galaxy — an impressive contribution to the world of music.

Revisiting
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I originally(many years ago) bought this on tape,I must have let someone “borrow” it and it was never returned,and so this CD was like visiting an old friend who I had not seen for years.It is still very good and really worth listening to(unlike some of his later rubbish)

let me be as concise as possible.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I played this recording often during a journey I made with my parents and chinese girlfriend, around south africa. My father was dying of cancer. We all loved the music – cross generational, haunting, seamless and seemingly endless – ideal for a road trip. Several years after my fathers death, I played it again. I noticed my girlfriend crying. I asked why. The music instantly returned her to that wonderful journey and reminded her of my father. Can you ever ask for more from a recording?

Aboard Oldfield’s Spaceship
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Mike Oldfield’s range sometimes stumps listeners. His Tubular Bells series remains one of the most idiosyncratic in all of popular music, yet he’s done rock (Five Miles Out), Celtic (Voyager) and this piece of Science Fiction New Age. Of all of Oldfield’s work, “Songs of Distant Earth” is one of my favorites.

He ustilzed the concept of Arthur C Clarke’s famous work, but eschews narrative/voiceovers and lets the music form the story. Random words and an Apollo broadcast form what “lyrics” the music has, as the album builds in a meditative way. Oldfield even coyly cops from his own work on “Tubular World,” as well as from Enigma on “Hibernaculum.” When the album reaches its climax on “Ascension/New Beginning,” it matches the goal of Clarke’s work, which was to reach unity in song and discovery. As ambient electronic music, it also soothes, relaxes and offers joy.

One of the best of the ambient genre, “Songs Of Distant Earth” accomplishes what few concept albums do. It stands on its own as a great piece of music.