Incantations by: Mike Oldfield

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Rating: - The end of the First Oldfield Epoch

For me this was a closing chapter in that it was the last truly significant work by Mike. His work hereafter left me feeling confused; eventually, I gave up on him!!
BUT what a closing chapter - sprawling majestic and enthralling. The vocal bits get a bit tedious at times but they are part of the package.
Plenty of mood swings and captivating passages a mark of Oldfield's style at the time. Keyboards, percussion, strings, woodwind and his trademark guitar all blend beautifully.
Next to TB, Incantations has always been my favourite Oldfield work.
Highlights for me are the stunning and hypnotic keyboard intro on Part 2; very emotive. Then there's Oldfield's blistering guitar work on Part 3 is a joy. Finally - the stunning percussion section (xylophone/glockenspiel)on Part 4 by the late great Pierre Moerlin is a treat. Having said this, the album is a remarkable achievement as a whole.
Full of emotion, this is a true "musicscape" and a fine piece of work; Incantations really stands the test of time, unlike some of his latter bilge.
It does seem strange reviewing this 33 years after first hearing it - but, as I said - it stands the test of time.

Rating: - Mike Oldfield's second best album

I remember when back in 1976 I could not decide if I loved Ommadawn more than Wish You Were Here. Both these albums released in 1975 were my most favorite albums of all time back then. How surprising is that almost 35 years and some 10,000 albums later... they still are within my first 5. Another album which is not at the very top only because music by the same artist is already there is Mike Oldfield's Incantations. I remember waiting for it almost 3 long years and being so grateful to Mike for not disappointing me when it came out. The music is spectacular but are many of us capable of appreciating it especially now? I would recommend listening to it once from beginning to end but if you decide that is not your cup of tea, please play part 4 only. I would put it on repeat 1 and listen to it for a few hours. You should get hooked. To be very honest I don't listen to complete Incantations very often these days. My compilation Mike Oldfield's Early Momentum contains Incantations Part 4, complete Ommadawn, Hergest Ridge Part 1 and Tubular Bells Part 2. That all fits on 80 minute cd and we still mostly listen to 5 CDs on shuffle at our office/showroom...all day long. Incantations are a beautiful piece of music from its first to last minute. It is perfect music to read to, just as you would to Brian Eno's Music For Airports. The music is louder on Oldfield's album, more instruments and higher tempo but the idea is similiar, the growth is repetitive and if not minimal than flowing in a peaceful way. After Incantations (1978) came Exposed (1979), Platinum (1979), QE2 (1980), Five Miles Out (1982), Crises (1984), Discovery (1984), The Killing Fields (1984). All the above are really good albums. Platinum started Mike's trend of composing a suite and pairing it up with some...pop songs. To be honest I have not listened to any of the albums following Incantations in the last 20 years but I think it is time for me to come back to their suites. I still remember that music well. However, there is very little doubt in my mind that Mike's most phenomenal music came to life between 1974 and 1978 when he was composing Ommadawn and Incantations. They are true musical jewels of the 20th Century. Another jewel I should mention is Sally Oldfield, Mike's sister who has appeared so often on his albums including this one. She is a great vocalist and if you don't mind beautiful pop music you should try to get Sally's Water Bearer or The Collection of her music. Mike's brother Terry was playing flutes on this album and as well is an accomplished musician.

Rating: - Difficult not to be blindsided

When I first heard this album I had been well-used to listening to at least half of Mike's other works. I thought I knew what he was about, I thought I understood what it meant to listen to his stuff.

I have to say, I hated it initially. But slowly as I listened again and again, taking ages to get to the point where I fully gave it a chance - I came to love this piece of music.

I always skip part III, it has to be said. To me, the rest of the album has a flow and direction - track III is like a brief little break away from that flow - which makes compositional sense but I prefer the experience without.

Parts to look out for... the "trumpet voluntary" section on the first part, the whole of part II, but more specifically the lucina, diana, luna chorus that builds amazingly. Also, all of part IV, that guitar section and the way it "ends" 3 times to round out an 80~ minute piece is truly wonderful.

My best advice to any listener who hasn't heard at least part of this before is just to keep an open mind and give it more than one chance. I didnt think it deserved it but it turned out to.

Rating: - What's with these prices?

Incantations is £3.19 on Amazon download and £7.99 on i-tunes, so who is going to pay over £100 for a CD? These sellers are mad!

Rating: - So beautiful it literally makes me cry

I love the whole album, but it is the last 5 minutes of Track 4 (what was side 4 of the double LP) that is the truly outstanding part. The rest of Track 4, and arguably the whole album, just builds and builds to the incredible climax when Maddy Prior's voice comes in. It is just so beautiful, it literally brings tears to my eyes. In more than 30 years of listening to music (this being one of the very first albums I bought), there are only a handful of tracks that can do that.

Don't just listen to Maddy, however. You have to listen to the whole album to get the full effect of Maddy's bit.

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