Mike Oldfield
„Crises“
Progressive Rock, Pop. Black Vinyl 1983

A brilliant composer and multi-instrumentalist. Known since 1973 for his long tracks, almost always playing all the instruments himself. Tubular Bells, Ommadawn, Hergest Ridge. The shift towards more commercial albums began with QE2, Five Miles Out, and Crises (1983). The singles "Moonlight Shadow" and "Shadow on the Wall" are the best-known releases from the album Crises. Back then, I only listened to side two. Now, it's almost exclusively side one. However, the long-running album "Crises" does have its weaknesses. The title track is influenced by progressive rock, while the rest is pop/rock. Technically, though, it's all flawless.

"The Watcher and the Tower, Waiting Hour by Hour." The long track "Crises" covers side A entirely and is somewhat reminiscent of Tubular Bells, briefly reprising the melody from "Forreign Affair." At times, the track is quite rock-oriented for Mike Oldfield. According to Oldfield, "Crises was written for my own satisfaction, and side B for the fans' satisfaction." "Crises" is still worth listening to it today, except for the vocal parts, which I consider superfluous. Nevertheless, "Crises" is clearly the heart of this album. Side two begins with "Moonlight Shadow," a true pop song sung by Maggie Reilly, and of course, it charted. "High Places" isn't my favorite, and "Forreign Affair" sounds monotonous despite Maggie's vocals. I don't understand the purpose of "Taurus 3." A flamenco? Technically sound, but it simply doesn't fit the theme. "Shadow on the Wall" is straightforward rock, unmistakably Mike on guitars. Sung by Roger Chapman's excellent voice. Side 2 is thoroughly commercial. However, Mr. Oldfield knew how to assemble good musicians. Commercial? Yes, but technically top-notch.

Side 1 is great, side 2 is awful? Even highly commercial music by Mike Oldfield is technically and musically well-made. I simply tuned out side 2 back then, but now I listen to both sides, starting with side 2 and then looking forward to "Crises." I consciously pay attention only to side 2.

Mike Oldfield – diverse Instrumente
Maggie Reilly, – Vocals
Jon Anderson,  Roger Chapman – Vocals
Simon Philips – Drums
Phil Spalding – Bass

The photos are all from my LP. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.

No AI was used in the making of this Review.
©10.08.2024