I bought this album (in cassette format) as i was 15...now i am 46, i have listen this for several times, 200, 300 times? With joints, no joints, when it rains, in the car, dusk, dawn... happy and sad, young and not so young... for me is the best work from Mike Oldfield because it sounds most time in my head comparing with ommadawn, hergest ridge, return to ommadawn and excepts from Amarok, crises, qe2, Platinum, five miles out, songs from distant earth, music from the balcony and anymore in this order. But turning on this masterpiece: the real introspective Musical journey in here, nobody could make something so aesthetic and deeper like this beautiful four music pieces. I love this man, i saw him playing live in Valencia, my city...in Spain. I cried and i enjoyed it. We are very lucky people to be born in this times and places having the chance to discover this people like Mike Oldfield, Vangelis, Neal Morse, Philip Glass and many more privileged minds whom gave us the beauty in form of music.
Yeah! Well; one maybe could say, there are some lenghts that are a some kind of exhausting to hear and that you won´t hear these that often any more, but there are also all these loads of totally epic and brilliant repetetive convolving complex parts, so that it´s at the end of the day "a hell of an album" though! And i think, it probably might have been the most difficult album to produce; must have been a real nightmare to record all these partially highly complicated tunes and all these layers! :-/
@@rechtschreib-exorzist8936 Those lenghts create anticipation, it is a build up to those magical moments throughout...That is how I feel about it but I can understand where you are coming from.
My favourite piece of music of all time, from start to finish. I never fail to get utterly lost in those intricate vibraphones - there is something truly magical going on there. Then the utter power and emotional punch of the heavy guitar section. Followed by the utterly gorgeous finale with Sally Oldfield (and Maddie Prior of course!) and the bringing together of the whole album into a stunning climax. I never ever tire of listening to this!
beautiful indeed but it is Maddy Prior that sings “Ode to Cynthia” by Ben Jonson...., It will always be my personal favourite album of Mike Oldfield ahead of Ommadawn & TB 2003.....
@@sablebasilisk7998 I always believed it was primarily Sally singing the Ode to Cynthia with Maddy Prior on backing vocals. Their voices are quite similar on the track and blend quite beautifully. I may be wrong though!
FABULOUS!!!...The way Mike Oldfield combines instruments so characteristic and with such different sounds is absolutely brilliant. With this magnificent symbiosis, he presents us with unique moments that transport us to unforgettable auditory memories.
Again: it's worth to watch the live performane recorded in 1979 - especially the final part when Mike Oldfield conducts the audience's clapping. The most emotional part of the album
This is my favourite part of Incantations - particularly the last section with Maddy Prior singing Ode to Cynthia. The ABC TV station in Australia used to use that piece of music as an interstitial between shows in the early 80's. It was the version used in Space Movie. So it's always had a "spacey" kind of vibe to me.
Possibly Oldfield's most experimental work? While also being accessible and compelling to listen to - Amazing. So nice to experience this fresh again. Thanks JP.
JP, I’m so happy that you’re enjoying Mike’s journey. It’s oh so worth it! Mike Oldfield, hands down my favorite musician since... since my earliest memories. In high school we dreamed that Mike Oldfield, one very distant day, his music will be part of 20th Century’s classical music. I cannot chose a favorite between the “Early Mike”: Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn, Incantations. They’re all amazing. Next one will be Platinum. I love this one. I myself think of Platinum “Mike’s idea of what Jazz can be”. Of course, it”s a very special, Mike-style, atmospheric, interesting “””jaz”””. After that, 80’s Mike. I don’t care what purists say, I love 80’s Mike. QE2 is beautiful, “Mike’s version of folk mixed with 80’s influences”. Well worth it. (QE2 is the name of the majestic cruise ship Queen Elizabeth 2). Short pieces with oh so beautiful guitar melodies. You like Mike’s playing guitar, helps there for you. I’ll stop now before I write a 10,000-words long epic poem on how “Crises” changed my life forever.
If you continue your Oldfield journey the next few albums are very different from the first four. However, there are many rewarding moments in them. No matter how 'commercial' Mike went at the behest of his label, he has musical genius coming out of his pores, he can't help it.
Agree. Next one should be Crises. QE2 is not worth, North Star (platinum) is great, but something similar to incantations... he must jump now into Crises. That album has everything. Pure epic. His best album in the 80' by far.
It's amazing how each of the 4 pieces sound SO different but that they are still all built around the same complex chord ... I love the vibraphone / marimba piece that jumps into the reverse guitar section is AWE-INSPIRING.
Sitting here watching a guy listening to a lengthy part of 70ties music. How crazy can this be? Nothing crazy at all. It's pure joy. Thank you for bringing some nice memories back. And BTW: My favorite Mike Oldfield album is the one of the five long ones that I just listen to in the moment. (as are Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn, Incantations and Amarok) But nothing is as mesmerizing like this one.
My favourite Oldfield album, I was captivated listening to this first time. Just pure joy. Incantations just makes your mind drift off to another place,. It especially helped my mental health giving me calm over the years through bad times. Part 3 the guitar solo is brilliant and part 4 with its change in music and Sally Oldfield bringing to an end is pure bliss!
First :) Thanks again JP for taking your time out to review Mike's albums. Really happy you're enjoying your experience, his music is certainly amazing. If you are going to continue i would like to recommend Platinum(Side one only) or Crises(Side one) - Mike rated side one as the best piece he composed since Tubular Bells or The Songs of Distant Earth. You are not ready for Amarok just yet :P Amarok is chaotic yet beyond amazing with so much meaning....You should read about Mike Oldfield & Richard Brandson in the early years of their partnership. Once again, awesome content. :)
It's bloody annoying that the non-creative 'bean counters and suits' at virgin couldn't understand Mike's music. All they wanted at that time was 3 1/2 minute catchy hit songs. He eventually felt compelled to go down the 'single' road. And a lot of the essence of Mike Oldfield was lost in the process. IMO Mike's sublime work is instrumental, I just can't get into the later 'singles with singing' stuff. Having said that there are still some great extended instrumentals on these later albums that are well worth listening to independently (similar to listening to Echos by Floyd on it's own). 'Wind chimes' and 'The Lake' being two prominent ones. The Amazing and Incomparable, "Amarok" is coming up soon, sooooo excited to hear your review of it!!! First listen tends to blow the mind! Tubular Bells '2' is up there with his best work too, likewise 'Songs of Distant Earth'.
Amarok is my third. Ommadawn 2nd. Incantations 1st. IMHO. Loved Mike’s music since ‘76 when I heard Portsmouth. It was a privilege to see him live 3 times. 🤟🏻
Maddy Prior's vocals really are fantastic. I have seen her perform a couple of times with her band Steeleye Span. A band worth investigating. I'd love to hear your reaction to the Steeleye Span song, Lovely On The Water.
I enjoyed this reaction. I think I had only heard the last 5 minutes before. I hope that you can do the song “Taurus II” from the album “Five Miles Out” at some point. It’s one of his prog first tracks!
Hey Justin! I'm so glad you enjoyed this album, for me it's a religious masterpiece and I can't get much closer to god than this. I would rank "Incantations" to my top 10 albums of all time and believe me, I've listened quite a few albums! We seems to somewhat have a similar taste for music, because you liked "Pawn Hearts" and this... (and many many more) I might finally recommend you progressive metal. "Opeth" is my top three bands of all time. I never thought a band from the last 20-years would get that spot but they are so fantastic it's incredible. The mix of prog rock, death metal, emotional and classic music is genious! If you want to give them a try, start with "Ghost Reveries" or "Blackwater Park". It took me time to get into them, but once you get into, there is no coming back! Their live show was the best gig I have ever been to. I'm still here checking your videos on a regular basis, if you still remember me :)
Great way to end this 4 part composition! Like you I go from liking the first part, then the second part better, and then the third part even better and then ending it this way is the best part. Wonderful album which I revisit regularly each time looking forward to the next part ;-) Magical sounds and great guitar playing.
❤️ Its a journey, but whatca journey Justin.. Epic..absolutely Beautiful.. Tranquil as Hergest Ridge. 😊 The intro is mind blowing imho butty.. That acoustic guitar hmm.. What an atmosphere, pure Oldfield at his best. 😊 Xylophone takes into PLATINUM territory imo. 😊 Gorgeous section. What a finale to such a great, and much under appreciated opus by Mike, Justin. I remember a mate saying to me, Mike is clever.. But and average guitarist!! I've since put him on the right track.. And he loves his work has much had me lol. Mike Oldfield is, and always will be an absolute genius imho. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ Great, wonderful review Justin... You get it so much.. Awesome Carry on my friend.. 👍👍👍❤️😊
So great to hear you on this stuff! The abrupt ending is quite purposeful. Listen again and you'll see that the piece needed to be brought to a halt. Why? Because it has an infinite quality to it. Not only could those long ostinatos of minimalist harmonic progression (the circle of fifths) go on forever, but the variations could do the same. The very end is a moment as sweet an interlude as there could be. The jarring change you mention is just magical! I I had exactly the same reaction you did when I first heard it, but there's something about that wild synth-pipe line in the last measure -- it's like some sort of winged sprite flying down and turning the page...
Thank you JP for starting this wonderful journey with Mr Oldfield. I have been a fan of his from a child when my brother-in-law bought Tubular Bells on vinyl. Then I was hooked. Your journey has reignited my love of his music. So much so as I have purchased all his albums on CD as I don't have a record player. I was never a lover of Incantations, thinking it too long and a little bit boring. But listening along with you to it I have a new love for it. Side two and three are my favourites. But oh yes Omaadawn is in another class of its own. Oldfield's next release PLATNUM is so different and refreshing on first listen it blew me away with Oldfield going disco. So once again thank you for this musical magical journey.
I must confess that I never heard any Oldfield after Ommadawn except Moonlight Shadow and Froggy Went A-Courting. I would never have heard Incantations had I not been your loyal subscriber, so many thanks. I was happily surprised to hear Maddy Prior's voice. She and Annie Haslam were my greatest vocal influences back when I loved to sing. (FYI, Annie covered Moonlight Shadow). I'll add Incantations to my collection, and I think it'll be nice to have on when I meditate. Favorite Oldfield album: Hergest Ridge. It still gives me chills.
I have really been enjoying watching your reactions to Mike's music and do hope you will continue his work in chronological order. Although the earlier music will always be my favourite, he has some other real gems out there and it's interesting following the changes in style he made. My go to album at the moment is The Songs of Distant Earth, but Crises, Five Miles Out and Amarok are excellent too. I look forward to the next one.
People theorize that the stark change in composition and mood between parts 2 and 3 was around the time that Mike has his Exegesis rebirthing experience
Mike Oldfield is music to sit down and enjoy listening to music. It is not music for mp3 players while you go shopping, or to put it in the background while you do other things. It is music to sit and travel with. It is not music for supermarkets or waiting rooms. This music hits directly in your soul and in your heart. If you continue with the albums in order, be careful with Platinum, side A has cuts, but should be heard as one piece.
This part takes the most patience with the relentless vibraphone action going on for what feels like forever :-) your look when it ends - priceless! Overall, however, satisfying conclusion to this epic work. Kudos to you for putting it up here. If you continue, you will find that Oldfield from now on - unfortunately - almost abandoned this style completely. It certainly stands as his most complex, intellectual piece of music.
Its actually that part I find fascinating. If you listen to the bass part, it is following that stepwise progression that opens the album and is a constant feature of it.
There's so much going on in the vibraphone section, layer upon layer of shifting ambience and rhythm. I personally can't fathom how patience would be needed with it as it never fails to thrill me! It's so great to share the experience with so many others and to hear everyone's differing reactions though. Thanks for giving us this outlet JP!
@@bthagan I have heard called it a canon and would love to know whether that is true or not. All the melodic elements being the result of various ascending figures intermingling rather that being actually written out. There's a performance on here by a group called Fadalack and they make it look as though that could be the case.
JP, I waited to give my thoughts until after all 4 parts were played. Other than Tubular Bells I really knew nothing about Mike. The first to parts reminded me of the scene in Field of Dreams when the baseball player walks out of the cornfield and asks Kevin Costner if this is heaven? Costner answers, it’s Iowa. That’s how I felt about parts 1&2. Is this how heaven sounds? No, it’s just Mike Oldfield. Angelic absolutely. Parts 3&4, totally different feel to me but not in a bad way. We’re parts of it a bit monotonous? Probably but not any more than some Yes songs that I’ve heard. This was a beautiful experience and very uplifting. Thanks for reacting and no one else that I have seen is reacting to this type of music. 👏👏👏👍👍👍
Who would have thought you could get away with a vibraphone and electric guitar lead for a piece of music? If you know Oldfield, you know he can. The smart little twist in the timing, going 11/8, 10/8, 11/8, 11/8, keeps the main theme fresh, even though it lasts for several minutes in total. The vocal section at the end just wraps you in a feel-good blanket. You've been on this great journey and been delivered safely home again.
Masterpiece. A work of genius - especially the Vibraphone section and the pastoral Part 2, The most fantastic recording quality. I dont know why Mike doesnt rate it more highly himself. This could have been the start of a whole new direction for him as a crossover classical composer but came at the start of punk so he got dragged back into pop - the beginning of his fall. Remember getting this as a schoolboy and like listening to Ommadawn for the first time was utterly blown away.
Thank you so much Justin, I re-discover Mike's early discography with you, and Incantations climbed up the hill of my favourites ones thanks to you. I figure out how good he is. If your ADN is modified by Mike's music, mine has been in 1983 when I was offered the 33T from Crises, my own introduction in Mike's musical universe. I was fan immediately. I'm longing for seeing you hear Crises and of course the albums between Incantations and Crises that are so good too (Five miles out, OH MY GOD!), even Killing fields, the BOF of the movie La déchirure is a killer!!!! Lost interest after Tres Lunas, he lost kind of inspiration and originality, begun to multiply others Tubular bells (the number 2 is very good although)..... welcome to te magical music journey in Mike's discography. Now you've finished the studio version, try this awesome live one : ua-cam.com/video/nrxA2U3Xru8/v-deo.html
It's time for me to incantate my life. It won't be as melodic as this and there's more than probaly gonna be some swearing and loudly admitted regrets involved, but one thing I'll never regret is having watched JP listening to this music. Ciao hombre.
I’m also a big fan of Mike Oldfield, great commentary and introduction to new listeners. Try the album QE2, any cut on will impress. Thanks, nice work!
I do love this album, thank you for doing it. I think you're the first youtuber who has reacted to it. It, as does all of Oldfield's best work, deserves more attention. That being said, I'm not sure you're going to like the next album, Platinum. In the late 70s record labels put a lot of pressure on prog bands to stop making long epic tracks and focus more on hits. Disco and punk were popular at the time, and prog bands were seen as relics of the 60s. Prog became unfashionable. As you mentioned in the video, Mike Oldfield in particular became a target for criticism. Punk fans would often refer to him as "Mike Oldfart". He took it very hard. I'm glad Exegesis helped lift him out of his depression and made him more confident, but it also completely changed his personality and his music was never the same. IMO, Mike's first four albums are his best. That's not to say the rest of his albums are bad. Some of them are quite good. Particularly Amarok. And he did create more excellent side long instrumental epics on QE2, Crises and later on Tubular Bells 2 and Return to Ommadawn (His most recent, and probably my favorite of his post Incantations albums). I also do like some of his shorter, more pop flavored songs, but nothing he has done since Incantations has reached the heights of those first four albums IMO. But it's worth checking out. You might like it.
Return to Ommadawn is certainly among his best works - filled with intense emotion and some of the most beautiful guitar work of his career. I hope that JP gets round to doing a first listen to it someday. There is so much fantastic work throughout the remainder of Mike's career, even among his more "pop" moments. The albums Amarok, Tubular Bells 2 and Songs of Distant Earth are superb and Tubular Bells 3 has some glorious moments too. I'm just glad that Mike has given us so much incredible music to enjoy and I'm sure he's not done yet...
You've probably looked this up by now, but the singing at the end is from a poem by Ben Jonson (a contemporary of Shakespeare) called _Ode to Cynthia._ Cynthia is, again, the moon, being an epithet of Artemis, the Greek moon goddess, after Mount Cynthus, on the island of Delos, her supposed birthplace.
I like this album. It's different from the first three albums, but it's good in its own right. Minimalist influences here. Incantations for me is a constant over lapping of motifs that carry you away to a wonderful land. The shift from vibraphone to glockenspiel and back is cool. It is a ride in and of itself. And then sleigh bells doing counterpoint rhythm is a nice touch in the next section. And then marimba carries the tune. And then Maddy Prior brings us back with her beautiful voice. I hear you Justin, after this you really don't want to talk about it. Words seem small and just take you away from the moment that is Incantations. This music is powerful. Mike Oldfield changed me. He is a mentor and a master symphonist. I'm glad you dig his bass playing. Me too man. It is placed so perfectly and played so well. And you see that the strings and voices play with each other and are placed so well. Yeah Mike Oldfield just blows me away. It is so cool to explore his catalog with you Justin. We are privileged to live now while Mike lives and creates. We get to watch and listen to his music evolve. Yes I suppose some vapid critics did lose interest in Oldfield, some even calling him outdated and such. This may have had something to do with the direction he chose for the next album, Platinum. It is different from what came before; very jazz influenced and no really long songs. I look forward to your reaction. Cheers!
Incantations us brilliant, so original. Part 4 is sheer beauty. Mike got into different styles and showed himself to be gifted in writing 4 minute songs too eg Moonlight Shadow and To France. He will be remembered in 100 years or more.
Perhaps the term you were looking for is "Leitmotif". Incantations was based on the "circle of fifths" chord changes - with that being the recurring theme.
For me the rather sudden ending works, as it avoids any final climactic overshadowing of the vocal reprise, which I think stands as the emotional climax of the work. The musical climax is the lead up to that reprise: both the epic build up and the sudden drop to the (?) vibraphone. The very complex multi layered (?)vibraphone (etc) sections, with disguised, embedded motifs foreshadow some of what he does in Crises. Thanks Justin for taking my journey with this album to a new level. It has been for me the most neglected of his major works, partly due to length, partly due to repetitiveness. Listening with you has come at a point where I have heard it enough to appreciate the subtleties of texture. Your quick perceptiveness of those and your whole positive attitude to this subtle journey have helped.
Oldfield's most underrated album? A personal favorite of mine. So much emotion in it. The guitar playing is out of this world. Probably the album that has given me the most goosebumps (in a good way) over the years. Like the part in the end where the voice comes in. Even now after hearing it maybe 200 times, it still gave me goosebumps watching this video. If that's not magic, I don't know what is.
Hi Justin. Excellent reaction. This album published in 1978, could be defined as an indecisive album since Oldfield took three years to create this new work after the publication of the excellent "Ommadawn" in 1975, chronologically located at the exact point where both Mike Oldfield himself and his music they definitely changed. Although at that time, apart from his full-length works, he offered wonderful folk tunes on his singles. At that time, such memorable titles as "Portsmouth", "Argiers", "The William Tell overture" (by Rossini), "First excursion" and 2 of the titles closest to "Incantations", "paraded through stores and radio stations." Cuckoo song "(by Michael Praetorius) and a" Pipe tune "that already hints at the sound of the new album. This is a curious album and even with some occasional daring, such as the presence of a melody that can be heard in one sense (in part one) or in another (at the beginning of part two). We cannot deny Oldfield's thirst for research and his variety of registers and influences: a first work of classical and urban essences, another bucolic and country, a third folkloric, and finally a fourth more environmental album with medieval and minimalist essences. Incantation was due to the serious personal situation of Mike Oldfield at that time and whose personality problems were joined by popularity. Shortly after he took a radical turn in his behavior, thanks to a psychological therapy called Exegesis, but which led to the birth of a new Mike Oldfield. Now he spoke, laughed and gave interviews, thus forgetting about his media ruthlessness. But exegesis also had prominent side effects. The most important was the loss of inspiration that came from Reading's depressed and manic character. And with this, the first stumbling block was the return to the studio to finish "Incantations", a work that barely managed to finish in time for publication. In this album, apart from his magnificent solos and the use of more classical instruments such as flutes and trumpets, the inclusion of two poems, 'The song of Hiawatha' by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and "Hymn to Diana" by the Englishman Ben Jonson. After the exegesis and perhaps because of his now thirst for recognition, the next step was a world tour and the not too successful assault on the American market. This led him to record in New York and to come into contact with disco music and with the work of Philip Glass and George Gershwin. Meanwhile "Gulty" was born, a very successful disco-funky rhythm song, which was released as a single along with an extract from "Incantations" This extraordinary album, in my opinion, finally marks a before and after in his music.
Another great album from the legend that is Mike Oldfield. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on hi next Album Platinum, his last album from the 70's.
11:15 break is one of the most amazing moments of the first 4 albums... I'm not arrived to your final reaction either, but I imagine how good it will be. You are discovering Mike discography as many of us did. It is always a good refuge to return to (once in a while).
Isn't Incantations wonderful, like watching a beautiful play of a most interesting tale only you listen to the beautiful tale that is written in music!
Where next ? My preference would be Crises which was a big hit at the time thanks to the single Moonlight Shadow then tubular bells 2 and 3 also I have a very soft spot for Songs of Distant earth
So... Last week I instantly shared your reactions to Parts 1 and 2. They were both first listens for me, and as a fan of Philip Glass' Quatsi trilogy, instantly grabbed me. (An aside, I'm not a fan of much of his other work, so I completely understand your reaction to Einstein on the Beach). Yesterday's Part 3 did not grab me, although I can't explain why, so I didn't share it. But this... Part 4 pulled me back in again. I'm going to go ahead and share both Parts 3 and 4, and allow my friends to make up their own minds. As for me, I think I'll now try listening to the album all in one go. I suspect that after Parts 1 and 2, I may come to appreciate the different feel of Part 3 before the grandeur and denouement of Part 4.
This was a perfect way to start my Sunday evening. I spent a couple hours making a pumpkin cheesecake (which we can't eat until tomorrow). Enjoyed a glass of wine with this, and now I'm going to watch some vintage Gothic horror movies. Cheers!
Oh, and Amazon just delivered the deluxe Steve Hackett set of last year's concert tour. Two CDs, one DVD and one Blu-ray packaged in a hardcover book of concert photos. I'm about to have a seizure!
Sally Oldfield had a UK chart hit in '78 with a rather twee number called 'Mirrors'. Not long afterwards Mike would follow her onto the set of Top Of The Pops to perform 'Guilty'. There's a very good version on the live album 'Exposed', it contains a little surprise at the end that would round off this excellent series of reviews in fine style.
Beautiful, epic circulair staircase stuff, isn´t it?!?!! 😍 Only some kind of not-ordinary-mortal-ones can create something extraordinary like that!! :-)
Hello JustJP. Big fan of Mike Oldfield, I just discover your channel. Mike a little bit lost his way during the 80's, producing pop songs. Time to listen to "Return to Ommadawn". Icantations is great, but Ommadawn is so creative !
When Oldfield recorded this it was not long after he had discovered Philip Glass (on his next album, Platinum, he would use Glass' 'North Star' as the Finale) and he wanted to create a minimal piece with longer sections, this is why Incantations is a double album with much longer musical sections than his previous albums. Oldfield stated he wanted to give the music time to develop as they do in Glass' compositions.
Another fine reaction video. I have'nt played this for a long time, and that was on a Hitachi Music Centre, which were all the rage in the 70's. Even on a laptop, going through my amp, the sound is so much better. A very under rated guitarist, with his own sound.
Incantations Pt. 4 is the climax and amalgam not only of the album but also of everything Mike Oldfield has achieved since Tubular Bells. Sadly, it also closes a chapter in Oldfield's musical history because he will later compose less ambitious and satisfying things from my point of view. For me, Incantations is without a doubt his masterpiece !
@@neilloughran4437 Very relevant! I always had this same feeling when listening to Encore: Tangerine Dream Live. the best era of the German trio (although I like what comes next, until the departure of Johannes Schmoelling but it is not as inspired as in the days of Peter Baumann).
@@neilloughran4437 Yes, digital synths have taken over analog synths and it shows in the sound and in the more mechanical and less organic compositions. but hey, yes Tangram is a very good album (which I prefer overall to Cyclone and Force Majeure). I also really like Exit which has often been criticized for its cold sounds and its rather robotic compositions but whose atmosphere I really like.
@@neilloughran4437 Zounds! I thought I was alone in thinking the same thing! I never knew about Mike Oldfield's depression during this period. I did notice his change of direction in his albums after "Incantations", none of which appealed to me. Except I do enjoy "Tubular Bells II" and "Tubular Bells III". What strikes me about them is they feel like Mike Oldfield is lovingly poking fun at "Tubular Bells". Having just learned about his experience with Exegesis, such a reading makes sense. I'm happy to learn he was able to find something that helped him to carry on. Back to Tangerine Dream: I can never get enough of that classic sequencer driven electronic music.
The phase transitions are a clearly defined path that maintain the anticipation for the length of the journey. A staged and ongoing crescendo of "endings": @9:35, @13:05, @13:45 that is pleasurable, enduring, and exciting. Benoit and Pierre Moerlen weave a mystical incantation at the end. The ending isn't that abrupt when you feel the journey that is full of endings.
Now the plea for Exposed again! Fair dos if you don't plan to immediately expose(wink) yourself to Incantations variations, but it's just so good! You may wonder how it can satisfy as much with 26 minutes cut out, but compensation comes with the bits that are played so much better than in the studio. It may be artificial - a portmanteau of many different performances, after all - but it's genuinely wonderful. Plus - Tubular Bells...
You are quite right - Incantations is truly the peak of Oldfield. Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn draw for second, then TB. But sadly it goes downhill (fortunately slowly) after Incantations. The fountain/water section 21:30 in your video with the instrument you were not sure about is simply the piano in upper register (in octaves) with a lot of reverb playing the melody, and harp in the accompaniment (plus extremely softly a whole string orchestra in tremolo entering and exiting briefly but need to listen extremely carefully for that), plus Farfisa in background constantly there, plus the synth mimicking flute playing the brief arpeggios in 4ths. Thanks you for your great video. Only please try to get out of the habit of calling these movements "songs" though. Just call them "parts" or "movements" with this kind of music, or classical music.
Mike Oldfield played together with drummer and percussionist (vibraphone) Pierre Moerlen. On the album Downwind both harmonize in a brilliant way. He also supported his sister Sally on her album “Waterbearer”. Very, very creative music.
Hey there, Pal , To sum up the album (my humble take) , Parts 2,3 were the blast and main story , Part 4 is a bookend, but what a glorious way to fold in the album !!! GREAT !! B.t.w liked your descripion about the fountain the the Koto.
When you thing he was still a kid when this came out, about 24 I think, it’s scary. He was already messing around with EST i think. Some real awe inspiring moments. Guilty is very weird too
The musical term you were thinking of was "recapitulation," the part of the sonata form where the main theme is reintroduced right before the end. The theme itself, if it's repeated and mutates around a piece is a "leitmotif."
I love Mike Oldfield's instrumental music, pretty much everything from his first records. In works like Ommadawn or Incantations, we meet a Mike who has won a Grammy at the age of 22 and who is given free rein by the record company to continue writing music with almost all the media of the moment at his fingertips. After the overwhelming sales of Tubular Bells, around that time, the most daring Oldfield appears. He is very young and experiments with the recording studio (almost totally self-taught) without hindrance, he does what he wants. Mix all kinds of instruments and textures, turn up volumes of some parts of the recordings bordering on the impossible and reaching unexplored paths, re-record a minute of music 100 times if you think it's necessary and that's how it works. And above all with the innocence of his age, in my opinion, he achieves sound achievements that very few have ever managed to achieve. This is why at some point in Incantations he can seem ornate, repetitive, but also absolutely great in timbres, textures, composition and virtuosity.
If you find those transitions jarring Mike Oldfield's Amarok is probably not the album for you.... but I'm waiting for the day you do a First Listen on that album. I follow a few first listeners and no one has done that album justice yet. Incantations is probably one of my all time favourite Oldfield albums. Part 4 especially. Always good to hear your views.
I think all the first 4 Mike Oldfield albums are outstanding. Mike's music has quite a change forward from here and he would abandon record length compositions for a while (although 3 of the next 4 albums do contain some excellent side-long pieces). I think Mike truly shines with long pieces. I continued to buy his albums on sight thru "Crisis". There's plenty to enjoy in the next four albums. Great videos on Incantations. Thanks
I like watching your reactions as you know something is coming, and then it arrives. You then frown as you try to remember where you heard it before. Priceless. As to the ending, I think Mike missed a trick there. He could have had the sustained guitar fade into the voices at the very start of side one and then fade out, coming full circle.
Absolutely loved it. Favorite parts: the sung parts. Luna, Lucida, Diana brings me goosebumps, Hiawatha by Maddy brings me melancholy and Sally with her Hiawatha/poem reprisal (!) brings a tear of happiness to my eyes. Especially the double sung echo is a superb detail in the final. It starts barely noticeable but grows in difference until the last word that is sung when the double take becomes very clear.
When Incantations was first released, I had doubts that Mike Oldfield would be able to sustain 4 sides. How wrong I was. Part 4 is the perfect end to the Incantations journey. The opening harp like ripples as we embark segue beautifully into a return to the opening theme with Pierre Merlin's masterful vibraphone overlaid with trademark Oldfield guitar riffs. Things really take off as rhythms kick in to support one of my favourite guitar runs from Mike's magic fingers. Back to the opening chords on flutey synth and then the steady build up to a reprise of the Hiawatha melody from part 2. Constantly evolving, never outstaying it's welcome, each layer of melody is carefully planned and balanced, nothing over dominates leaving you the freedom to choose what to follow. Perfect summation of the preceding 3 parts.
*grin* you did it! All 4 sides - and you loved it! You're definitely a fan. As was I when I first heard it - It's been wonderful to revisit it with you as over the years it doesn't get played as much as TB, HR or O - mainly because it does require investing time to do it justice - but current circumstances mean so many of us have more time to enjoy these huge soundscapes. Your comment about music that changes your DNA or awakens something dormant inside you perfectly captures my experience with Oldfield's work. Always been a huge fan and my taste is vast from classical through to current EDM - Oldfield has always been top of my list since the mid 80's. Where do you go from here? I would suggest - if you are not quite ready to move on to the next stage of Oldfield's career - take a step back to 1976 and listen to First Excursion. A stand alone piece only about 7 minutes long but incredibly haunting in that 70's style. After that It's Guilty. A Disco track that came out of his work on Incantations - sounds dodgy but it holds up surprisingly well. A lot of people suggest his next album - Exposed. Again it's A double album so 4 sides and requires heavy investment. It's Live versions of Tubular Bells and Incantations and honestly it's great but you may want to just listen to them privately as it is going over old ground to a certain extent. You could diverge a bit - during this time 1977/78 - Mike hired his studio out to other artists and sometimes helped produce and/or appear on these records. Chief amongst them - which I think you will love - is Pekka Pohjola's "Keesojen Lehto" (it's Finnish) internationally it's known as "The Mathematicians Air Display". Mike produced and plays guitar and some percussion as does Pierre Moerlen. Pekka and Pierre become a part of Mike's touring band playing on the Exposed album. Otherwise move on to Mike's next studio album "Platinum" (In the states it was released as "Airborne".) Listen to all of side 1 (Platinum parts 1-4) in one sitting (19 minutes) as they should be played as a whole. I'll leave you to decide if you want to "react" to side 2 which is a real mish mash of tracks - but I don't think anyone will be disappointed if you miss those out and then move on to QE2. Thanks again for such a great reaction :-D
Ah man, I do almost envy you the joy of listening to all of this *for the first time*. :) If you want to go slightly beyond Incantations Mike did a *disco* (yes!) single based on the incantations chord run called *Guilty* (The "Knebworth live" version is probably the best) but you should also definitely have a listen to the track "Desiderata" from the "Deluxe" release of incantations for an amazing mix/re-visit of "Diana". Mike's style changed so much after this album, and it's arguable that he never really reached the same emotional heights after Exegenesis. Not that he didn't have some stunning albums after it, just... different. (Side 1 of Platinum is SUPERB! :) )
This is still my most favorite Mike Oldfield album. My music dna changed many times but older changes are not lost. I had it with Pink Floyd in te seventies, Tangerine Dream, Nightwish, Ayreon, Wardruna, Heilung.
Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn, Incantations ... 4 of the 5 best Mike's albums. Well, now you have to listen to "Amarok" ... ready for a 60"02 long track ?
my favorite Incantations Part!. Ah your MO map is still being written. I agree the transitions on this album are a bit abrupt, that's one of the reason why this isn't my favorite MO album as great as it it. His transitions get better as you move onto the other albums.
Recapitulation is the word you were looking for! Re your comments about the structure not quite satisfying, I believe the whole piece was edited down from the original. As Oldfield continually revisited his early work it is surprising that the original version of this ( the composer’s version if you wish) is not available. Though if it is somewhere please let me know! This work continually grows in my estimation and it was lovely to have a chance to hear it all through again.
Being obliged to listen to it carefully, rather than treating it as wallpaper has made me appreciate it more. And it is Mike Oldfield for fs sake, who is yards ahead of the rest of the field, but this one and Hergest, I don't reach for first. I find Ommadawn, T.Bell's 1 and T. Bells 2 much more entertaining. They DO grab my attention and never let go.
I bought this album (in cassette format) as i was 15...now i am 46, i have listen this for several times, 200, 300 times? With joints, no joints, when it rains, in the car, dusk, dawn... happy and sad, young and not so young... for me is the best work from Mike Oldfield because it sounds most time in my head comparing with ommadawn, hergest ridge, return to ommadawn and excepts from Amarok, crises, qe2, Platinum, five miles out, songs from distant earth, music from the balcony and anymore in this order.
But turning on this masterpiece: the real introspective Musical journey in here, nobody could make something so aesthetic and deeper like this beautiful four music pieces.
I love this man, i saw him playing live in Valencia, my city...in Spain. I cried and i enjoyed it. We are very lucky people to be born in this times and places having the chance to discover this people like Mike Oldfield, Vangelis, Neal Morse, Philip Glass and many more privileged minds whom gave us the beauty in form of music.
There are times when you forget how good Oldfield is as a guitarist, multi instrumentalist and composer, no ot good....... Genius
Most never realise first time 😉
Of all of his albums Incantations is the biggest epic journey, so this will always be my favorite.
Journey is the right word.
Yes it’s possibly his greatest work imo
Incantations is a masterpiece and all parts are excellent.
👍
Yeah! Well; one maybe could say, there are some lenghts that are a some kind of exhausting to hear and that you won´t hear these that often any more, but there are also all these loads of totally epic and brilliant repetetive convolving complex parts, so that it´s at the end of the day "a hell of an album" though!
And i think, it probably might have been the most difficult album to produce; must have been a real nightmare to record all these partially highly complicated tunes and all these layers! :-/
@@rechtschreib-exorzist8936 Those lenghts create anticipation, it is a build up to those magical moments throughout...That is how I feel about it but I can understand where you are coming from.
@@22RedEyeJedi22 Greetings from the capital of Germany!
My favourite piece of music of all time, from start to finish. I never fail to get utterly lost in those intricate vibraphones - there is something truly magical going on there. Then the utter power and emotional punch of the heavy guitar section. Followed by the utterly gorgeous finale with Sally Oldfield (and Maddie Prior of course!) and the bringing together of the whole album into a stunning climax. I never ever tire of listening to this!
beautiful indeed but it is Maddy Prior that sings “Ode to Cynthia” by Ben Jonson...., It will always be my personal favourite album of Mike Oldfield ahead of Ommadawn & TB 2003.....
@@sablebasilisk7998 I always believed it was primarily Sally singing the Ode to Cynthia with Maddy Prior on backing vocals. Their voices are quite similar on the track and blend quite beautifully. I may be wrong though!
@@bthagan We both Love this album...... I am going to search for a good version of First Excursion & Argieres,,,,
I think Sally Oldfield provides a vocal on Side 2 in the segment / reprise of Diana Luna Lucina...
Totally agree with your sentiment, Brian. Probably my favourite album of all time by anyone. A symphony of ambition and beauty.
FABULOUS!!!...The way Mike Oldfield combines instruments so characteristic and with such different sounds is absolutely brilliant.
With this magnificent symbiosis, he presents us with unique moments that transport us to unforgettable auditory memories.
If he painted, his pictures would be incredible.
Mike oldfield =THE KING .❤❤❤❤
I listen to this almost every day, it’s the perfect finale for this fantastic double album.
Definitely!
Again: it's worth to watch the live performane recorded in 1979 - especially the final part when Mike Oldfield conducts the audience's clapping. The most emotional part of the album
It's hilarious when he pretends to get mad about the audience getting the clapping wrong
This is my favourite part of Incantations - particularly the last section with Maddy Prior singing Ode to Cynthia. The ABC TV station in Australia used to use that piece of music as an interstitial between shows in the early 80's. It was the version used in Space Movie. So it's always had a "spacey" kind of vibe to me.
Mike Oldfield, original with his guitar sound, playing technique and style, style of music, album format etc etc, just damn incredibly ORIGINAL!
Yes it's vibraphone (Pierre Moerlen). Mike Oldfield will always be my favourite artist. He's the best.
And his brother Benoit.
@@gertsy2000 true 👍
Possibly Oldfield's most experimental work? While also being accessible and compelling to listen to - Amazing. So nice to experience this fresh again. Thanks JP.
well amarok is up there, if not above
JP, I’m so happy that you’re enjoying Mike’s journey. It’s oh so worth it!
Mike Oldfield, hands down my favorite musician since... since my earliest memories. In high school we dreamed that Mike Oldfield, one very distant day, his music will be part of 20th Century’s classical music.
I cannot chose a favorite between the “Early Mike”: Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn, Incantations. They’re all amazing.
Next one will be Platinum. I love this one. I myself think of Platinum “Mike’s idea of what Jazz can be”. Of course, it”s a very special, Mike-style, atmospheric, interesting “””jaz”””.
After that, 80’s Mike. I don’t care what purists say, I love 80’s Mike. QE2 is beautiful, “Mike’s version of folk mixed with 80’s influences”. Well worth it. (QE2 is the name of the majestic cruise ship Queen Elizabeth 2). Short pieces with oh so beautiful guitar melodies. You like Mike’s playing guitar, helps there for you.
I’ll stop now before I write a 10,000-words long epic poem on how “Crises” changed my life forever.
Crises is my favorite album, albeit this is a close second. I love most of Mike's music.
If you continue your Oldfield journey the next few albums are very different from the first four. However, there are many rewarding moments in them. No matter how 'commercial' Mike went at the behest of his label, he has musical genius coming out of his pores, he can't help it.
Yep, this album and Crises are my favorite albums. Although Tubular Bells and of course Ommadawn are awesome.
Agree. Next one should be Crises. QE2 is not worth, North Star (platinum) is great, but something similar to incantations... he must jump now into Crises. That album has everything. Pure epic. His best album in the 80' by far.
The beginning instruments are Harp, Synth Strings, Synth Recorder/Flute, Grand Piano, Timpani
Loved the Mike Oldfield series. Nice to see how happy his music makes you :) Ommadawn, Crisis, Tubular Bells and Incantations are best...
It's amazing how each of the 4 pieces sound SO different but that they are still all built around the same complex chord ... I love the vibraphone / marimba piece that jumps into the reverse guitar section is AWE-INSPIRING.
Absolutely! Its incredible :D
Sitting here watching a guy listening to a lengthy part of 70ties music. How crazy can this be? Nothing crazy at all. It's pure joy. Thank you for bringing some nice memories back. And BTW: My favorite Mike Oldfield album is the one of the five long ones that I just listen to in the moment. (as are Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn, Incantations and Amarok) But nothing is as mesmerizing like this one.
Haha ty so much for watching! This is a gem of an album from MO
My favourite Oldfield album, I was captivated listening to this first time. Just pure joy. Incantations just makes your mind drift off to another place,. It especially helped my mental health giving me calm over the years through bad times. Part 3 the guitar solo is brilliant and part 4 with its change in music and Sally Oldfield bringing to an end is pure bliss!
First :)
Thanks again JP for taking your time out to review Mike's albums. Really happy you're enjoying your experience, his music is certainly amazing. If you are going to continue i would like to recommend Platinum(Side one only) or Crises(Side one) - Mike rated side one as the best piece he composed since Tubular Bells or The Songs of Distant Earth. You are not ready for Amarok just yet :P Amarok is chaotic yet beyond amazing with so much meaning....You should read about Mike Oldfield & Richard Brandson in the early years of their partnership. Once again, awesome content. :)
Crises side one!
Side two has some very good short songs on it as well. Jon Anderson sings one, and I love Maggy Reilly's voice.
@@jimschroeder1176 Totally agree. Maybe JP could come back to Mikes songs after the instrumental pieces.
It's bloody annoying that the non-creative 'bean counters and suits' at virgin couldn't understand Mike's music. All they wanted at that time was 3 1/2 minute catchy hit songs. He eventually felt compelled to go down the 'single' road. And a lot of the essence of Mike Oldfield was lost in the process. IMO Mike's sublime work is instrumental, I just can't get into the later 'singles with singing' stuff.
Having said that there are still some great extended instrumentals on these later albums that are well worth listening to independently (similar to listening to Echos by Floyd on it's own). 'Wind chimes' and 'The Lake' being two prominent ones.
The Amazing and Incomparable, "Amarok" is coming up soon, sooooo excited to hear your review of it!!! First listen tends to blow the mind!
Tubular Bells '2' is up there with his best work too, likewise 'Songs of Distant Earth'.
Amarok is beyond words, it's so good, but work through the 80's albums first.
Amarok is my third. Ommadawn 2nd. Incantations 1st. IMHO. Loved Mike’s music since ‘76 when I heard Portsmouth. It was a privilege to see him live 3 times. 🤟🏻
Maddy Prior's vocals really are fantastic. I have seen her perform a couple of times with her band Steeleye Span. A band worth investigating.
I'd love to hear your reaction to the Steeleye Span song, Lovely On The Water.
JUSTIIIIN👏👏🇬🇷🥂THANK YOU
I enjoyed this reaction. I think I had only heard the last 5 minutes before. I hope that you can do the song “Taurus II” from the album “Five Miles Out” at some point. It’s one of his prog first tracks!
Hey Justin!
I'm so glad you enjoyed this album, for me it's a religious masterpiece and I can't get much closer to god than this. I would rank "Incantations" to my top 10 albums of all time and believe me, I've listened quite a few albums!
We seems to somewhat have a similar taste for music, because you liked "Pawn Hearts" and this... (and many many more) I might finally recommend you progressive metal. "Opeth" is my top three bands of all time. I never thought a band from the last 20-years would get that spot but they are so fantastic it's incredible. The mix of prog rock, death metal, emotional and classic music is genious! If you want to give them a try, start with "Ghost Reveries" or "Blackwater Park". It took me time to get into them, but once you get into, there is no coming back! Their live show was the best gig I have ever been to.
I'm still here checking your videos on a regular basis, if you still remember me :)
Ooh those sounds leads me way of wonder again .
Great way to end this 4 part composition! Like you I go from liking the first part, then the second part better, and then the third part even better and then ending it this way is the best part. Wonderful album which I revisit regularly each time looking forward to the next part ;-) Magical sounds and great guitar playing.
❤️ Its a journey, but whatca journey Justin.. Epic..absolutely Beautiful.. Tranquil as Hergest Ridge. 😊
The intro is mind blowing imho butty.. That acoustic guitar hmm.. What an atmosphere, pure Oldfield at his best. 😊
Xylophone takes into PLATINUM territory imo. 😊
Gorgeous section. What a finale to such a great, and much under appreciated opus by Mike, Justin.
I remember a mate saying to me, Mike is clever.. But and average guitarist!!
I've since put him on the right track.. And he loves his work has much had me lol.
Mike Oldfield is, and always will be an absolute genius imho. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Great, wonderful review Justin... You get it so much.. Awesome
Carry on my friend..
👍👍👍❤️😊
9.34...gets you crazy ! Isn't ?
So great to hear you on this stuff! The abrupt ending is quite purposeful. Listen again and you'll see that the piece needed to be brought to a halt. Why? Because it has an infinite quality to it. Not only could those long ostinatos of minimalist harmonic progression (the circle of fifths) go on forever, but the variations could do the same. The very end is a moment as sweet an interlude as there could be.
The jarring change you mention is just magical! I I had exactly the same reaction you did when I first heard it, but there's something about that wild synth-pipe line in the last measure -- it's like some sort of winged sprite flying down and turning the page...
Thank you JP for starting this wonderful journey with Mr Oldfield. I have been a fan of his from a child when my brother-in-law bought Tubular Bells on vinyl. Then I was hooked. Your journey has reignited my love of his music. So much so as I have purchased all his albums on CD as I don't have a record player. I was never a lover of Incantations, thinking it too long and a little bit boring. But listening along with you to it I have a new love for it. Side two and three are my favourites. But oh yes Omaadawn is in another class of its own. Oldfield's next release PLATNUM is so different and refreshing on first listen it blew me away with Oldfield going disco. So once again thank you for this musical magical journey.
I must confess that I never heard any Oldfield after Ommadawn except Moonlight Shadow and Froggy Went A-Courting. I would never have heard Incantations had I not been your loyal subscriber, so many thanks. I was happily surprised to hear Maddy Prior's voice. She and Annie Haslam were my greatest vocal influences back when I loved to sing. (FYI, Annie covered Moonlight Shadow). I'll add Incantations to my collection, and I think it'll be nice to have on when I meditate. Favorite Oldfield album: Hergest Ridge. It still gives me chills.
I have really been enjoying watching your reactions to Mike's music and do hope you will continue his work in chronological order. Although the earlier music will always be my favourite, he has some other real gems out there and it's interesting following the changes in style he made. My go to album at the moment is The Songs of Distant Earth, but Crises, Five Miles Out and Amarok are excellent too. I look forward to the next one.
Taurus II is one of my favourite pieces.
People theorize that the stark change in composition and mood between parts 2 and 3 was around the time that Mike has his Exegesis rebirthing experience
Mike Oldfield is music to sit down and enjoy listening to music. It is not music for mp3 players while you go shopping, or to put it in the background while you do other things. It is music to sit and travel with. It is not music for supermarkets or waiting rooms. This music hits directly in your soul and in your heart. If you continue with the albums in order, be careful with Platinum, side A has cuts, but should be heard as one piece.
It's a real masterpiece. A fantastic symphonic and magic ride through the world of Oldfield-Music. Part 3 has amazing guitar playing.
I love part 4 with the singing, It's amazing :)
This part takes the most patience with the relentless vibraphone action going on for what feels like forever :-) your look when it ends - priceless!
Overall, however, satisfying conclusion to this epic work.
Kudos to you for putting it up here.
If you continue, you will find that Oldfield from now on - unfortunately - almost abandoned this style completely. It certainly stands as his most complex, intellectual piece of music.
Its actually that part I find fascinating. If you listen to the bass part, it is following that stepwise progression that opens the album and is a constant feature of it.
@@egapnala65 I agree... so much a of a beautiful build up with loads of layering, time signature shifts... so powerful..
@@egapnala65 very true. It is carefully layered music (which takes patient and attentive listening to fully appreciate).
There's so much going on in the vibraphone section, layer upon layer of shifting ambience and rhythm. I personally can't fathom how patience would be needed with it as it never fails to thrill me! It's so great to share the experience with so many others and to hear everyone's differing reactions though. Thanks for giving us this outlet JP!
@@bthagan I have heard called it a canon and would love to know whether that is true or not. All the melodic elements being the result of various ascending figures intermingling rather that being actually written out. There's a performance on here by a group called Fadalack and they make it look as though that could be the case.
JP, I waited to give my thoughts until after all 4 parts were played. Other than Tubular Bells I really knew nothing about Mike. The first to parts reminded me of the scene in Field of Dreams when the baseball player walks out of the cornfield and asks Kevin Costner if this is heaven? Costner answers, it’s Iowa. That’s how I felt about parts 1&2. Is this how heaven sounds? No, it’s just Mike Oldfield. Angelic absolutely. Parts 3&4, totally different feel to me but not in a bad way. We’re parts of it a bit monotonous? Probably but not any more than some Yes songs that I’ve heard. This was a beautiful experience and very uplifting. Thanks for reacting and no one else that I have seen is reacting to this type of music. 👏👏👏👍👍👍
Who would have thought you could get away with a vibraphone and electric guitar lead for a piece of music? If you know Oldfield, you know he can. The smart little twist in the timing, going 11/8, 10/8, 11/8, 11/8, keeps the main theme fresh, even though it lasts for several minutes in total. The vocal section at the end just wraps you in a feel-good blanket. You've been on this great journey and been delivered safely home again.
10.34 el summum de la guitarra electrica
09:38 (and again at 13:05) Your face when the Drops kick in, typical of anyone hearing this for the first time.... Still gives me goosebumps
Such wonderful moments :D
Masterpiece. A work of genius - especially the Vibraphone section and the pastoral Part 2, The most fantastic recording quality. I dont know why Mike doesnt rate it more highly himself. This could have been the start of a whole new direction for him as a crossover classical composer but came at the start of punk so he got dragged back into pop - the beginning of his fall. Remember getting this as a schoolboy and like listening to Ommadawn for the first time was utterly blown away.
Thank you so much Justin, I re-discover Mike's early discography with you, and Incantations climbed up the hill of my favourites ones thanks to you. I figure out how good he is. If your ADN is modified by Mike's music, mine has been in 1983 when I was offered the 33T from Crises, my own introduction in Mike's musical universe. I was fan immediately. I'm longing for seeing you hear Crises and of course the albums between Incantations and Crises that are so good too (Five miles out, OH MY GOD!), even Killing fields, the BOF of the movie La déchirure is a killer!!!! Lost interest after Tres Lunas, he lost kind of inspiration and originality, begun to multiply others Tubular bells (the number 2 is very good although)..... welcome to te magical music journey in Mike's discography.
Now you've finished the studio version, try this awesome live one : ua-cam.com/video/nrxA2U3Xru8/v-deo.html
It's time for me to incantate my life. It won't be as melodic as this and there's more than probaly gonna be some swearing and loudly admitted regrets involved, but one thing I'll never regret is having watched JP listening to this music. Ciao hombre.
Incantate away~peace and happy returns🙏
@@JustJP Rhum and pineapple to you amigo.
@@JimmyRJump 🍹🥥
I’m also a big fan of Mike Oldfield, great commentary and introduction to new listeners. Try the album QE2, any cut on will impress.
Thanks, nice work!
I do love this album, thank you for doing it. I think you're the first youtuber who has reacted to it. It, as does all of Oldfield's best work, deserves more attention. That being said, I'm not sure you're going to like the next album, Platinum. In the late 70s record labels put a lot of pressure on prog bands to stop making long epic tracks and focus more on hits. Disco and punk were popular at the time, and prog bands were seen as relics of the 60s. Prog became unfashionable. As you mentioned in the video, Mike Oldfield in particular became a target for criticism. Punk fans would often refer to him as "Mike Oldfart". He took it very hard. I'm glad Exegesis helped lift him out of his depression and made him more confident, but it also completely changed his personality and his music was never the same. IMO, Mike's first four albums are his best. That's not to say the rest of his albums are bad. Some of them are quite good. Particularly Amarok. And he did create more excellent side long instrumental epics on QE2, Crises and later on Tubular Bells 2 and Return to Ommadawn (His most recent, and probably my favorite of his post Incantations albums). I also do like some of his shorter, more pop flavored songs, but nothing he has done since Incantations has reached the heights of those first four albums IMO. But it's worth checking out. You might like it.
Return to Ommadawn is certainly among his best works - filled with intense emotion and some of the most beautiful guitar work of his career. I hope that JP gets round to doing a first listen to it someday. There is so much fantastic work throughout the remainder of Mike's career, even among his more "pop" moments. The albums Amarok, Tubular Bells 2 and Songs of Distant Earth are superb and Tubular Bells 3 has some glorious moments too. I'm just glad that Mike has given us so much incredible music to enjoy and I'm sure he's not done yet...
So glad you liked this album. This and Crises are my favorites. You cannot go wrong with Mike Oldfield. Excellent review as always. Enjoy the journey.
Carry on with Mike, please. I think is Platinum the next album, and he is always worthy.
You've probably looked this up by now, but the singing at the end is from a poem by Ben Jonson (a contemporary of Shakespeare) called _Ode to Cynthia._ Cynthia is, again, the moon, being an epithet of Artemis, the Greek moon goddess, after Mount Cynthus, on the island of Delos, her supposed birthplace.
Which Obviously means that the reprise is casting a moonlight shadow....
@@johngathercole9245 Boom boom! Well done.
I like this album. It's different from the first three albums, but it's good in its own right. Minimalist influences here. Incantations for me is a constant over lapping of motifs that carry you away to a wonderful land. The shift from vibraphone to glockenspiel and back is cool. It is a ride in and of itself. And then sleigh bells doing counterpoint rhythm is a nice touch in the next section. And then marimba carries the tune. And then Maddy Prior brings us back with her beautiful voice. I hear you Justin, after this you really don't want to talk about it. Words seem small and just take you away from the moment that is Incantations. This music is powerful. Mike Oldfield changed me. He is a mentor and a master symphonist.
I'm glad you dig his bass playing. Me too man. It is placed so perfectly and played so well. And you see that the strings and voices play with each other and are placed so well. Yeah Mike Oldfield just blows me away. It is so cool to explore his catalog with you Justin. We are privileged to live now while Mike lives and creates. We get to watch and listen to his music evolve.
Yes I suppose some vapid critics did lose interest in Oldfield, some even calling him outdated and such. This may have had something to do with the direction he chose for the next album, Platinum. It is different from what came before; very jazz influenced and no really long songs. I look forward to your reaction. Cheers!
Mike had his music in him already when he was born. He just let if flow.....
Incantations us brilliant, so original. Part 4 is sheer beauty. Mike got into different styles and showed himself to be gifted in writing 4 minute songs too eg Moonlight Shadow and To France. He will be remembered in 100 years or more.
Perhaps the term you were looking for is "Leitmotif". Incantations was based on the "circle of fifths" chord changes - with that being the recurring theme.
For me the rather sudden ending works, as it avoids any final climactic overshadowing of the vocal reprise, which I think stands as the emotional climax of the work. The musical climax is the lead up to that reprise: both the epic build up and the sudden drop to the (?) vibraphone. The very complex multi layered (?)vibraphone (etc) sections, with disguised, embedded motifs foreshadow some of what he does in Crises. Thanks Justin for taking my journey with this album to a new level. It has been for me the most neglected of his major works, partly due to length, partly due to repetitiveness. Listening with you has come at a point where I have heard it enough to appreciate the subtleties of texture. Your quick perceptiveness of those and your whole positive attitude to this subtle journey have helped.
Oldfield's most underrated album? A personal favorite of mine. So much emotion in it. The guitar playing is out of this world. Probably the album that has given me the most goosebumps (in a good way) over the years. Like the part in the end where the voice comes in. Even now after hearing it maybe 200 times, it still gave me goosebumps watching this video. If that's not magic, I don't know what is.
Hi Justin. Excellent reaction. This album published in 1978, could be defined as an indecisive album since Oldfield took three years to create this new work after the publication of the excellent "Ommadawn" in 1975, chronologically located at the exact point where both Mike Oldfield himself and his music they definitely changed. Although at that time, apart from his full-length works, he offered wonderful folk tunes on his singles. At that time, such memorable titles as "Portsmouth", "Argiers", "The William Tell overture" (by Rossini), "First excursion" and 2 of the titles closest to "Incantations", "paraded through stores and radio stations." Cuckoo song "(by Michael Praetorius) and a" Pipe tune "that already hints at the sound of the new album.
This is a curious album and even with some occasional daring, such as the presence of a melody that can be heard in one sense (in part one) or in another (at the beginning of part two). We cannot deny Oldfield's thirst for research and his variety of registers and influences: a first work of classical and urban essences, another bucolic and country, a third folkloric, and finally a fourth more environmental album with medieval and minimalist essences.
Incantation was due to the serious personal situation of Mike Oldfield at that time and whose personality problems were joined by popularity. Shortly after he took a radical turn in his behavior, thanks to a psychological therapy called Exegesis, but which led to the birth of a new Mike Oldfield. Now he spoke, laughed and gave interviews, thus forgetting about his media ruthlessness. But exegesis also had prominent side effects. The most important was the loss of inspiration that came from Reading's depressed and manic character. And with this, the first stumbling block was the return to the studio to finish "Incantations", a work that barely managed to finish in time for publication. In this album, apart from his magnificent solos and the use of more classical instruments such as flutes and trumpets, the inclusion of two poems, 'The song of Hiawatha' by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and "Hymn to Diana" by the Englishman Ben Jonson. After the exegesis and perhaps because of his now thirst for recognition, the next step was a world tour and the not too successful assault on the American market. This led him to record in New York and to come into contact with disco music and with the work of Philip Glass and George Gershwin. Meanwhile "Gulty" was born, a very successful disco-funky rhythm song, which was released as a single along with an extract from "Incantations"
This extraordinary album, in my opinion, finally marks a before and after in his music.
Another great album from the legend that is Mike Oldfield. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on hi next Album Platinum, his last album from the 70's.
11:15 break is one of the most amazing moments of the first 4 albums... I'm not arrived to your final reaction either, but I imagine how good it will be. You are discovering Mike discography as many of us did. It is always a good refuge to return to (once in a while).
That ending from 13:24 onward is just fabulous! I can listen to that with my eyes closed and go to sleep for the rest of time and I'm happy.
Isn't Incantations wonderful, like watching a beautiful play of a most interesting tale only you listen to the beautiful tale that is written in music!
Where next ? My preference would be Crises which was a big hit at the time thanks to the single Moonlight Shadow then tubular bells 2 and 3 also I have a very soft spot for Songs of Distant earth
Crises! Listened to it last night. Great album.
Five miles out is good too.
I have all Mike Oldfield’s albums, still play them often.
part 4 is like a compendium of the other three parts.A masterpiece (four masterpieces,really).
So...
Last week I instantly shared your reactions to Parts 1 and 2. They were both first listens for me, and as a fan of Philip Glass' Quatsi trilogy, instantly grabbed me. (An aside, I'm not a fan of much of his other work, so I completely understand your reaction to Einstein on the Beach).
Yesterday's Part 3 did not grab me, although I can't explain why, so I didn't share it. But this...
Part 4 pulled me back in again.
I'm going to go ahead and share both Parts 3 and 4, and allow my friends to make up their own minds.
As for me, I think I'll now try listening to the album all in one go. I suspect that after Parts 1 and 2, I may come to appreciate the different feel of Part 3 before the grandeur and denouement of Part 4.
This was a perfect way to start my Sunday evening. I spent a couple hours making a pumpkin cheesecake (which we can't eat until tomorrow). Enjoyed a glass of wine with this, and now I'm going to watch some vintage Gothic horror movies. Cheers!
Sounds like the perfect weekend to me.
That pumpkin cheesecake sounds great!
Oh, and Amazon just delivered the deluxe Steve Hackett set of last year's concert tour. Two CDs, one DVD and one Blu-ray packaged in a hardcover book of concert photos. I'm about to have a seizure!
Sally Oldfield had a UK chart hit in '78 with a rather twee number called 'Mirrors'. Not long afterwards Mike would follow her onto the set of Top Of The Pops to perform 'Guilty'. There's a very good version on the live album 'Exposed', it contains a little surprise at the end that would round off this excellent series of reviews in fine style.
Beautiful, epic circulair staircase stuff, isn´t it?!?!! 😍 Only some kind of not-ordinary-mortal-ones can create something extraordinary like that!! :-)
For sure! Its a magical album
No more Mike Oldfield stuff coming? Feels like forever
In the near future, but just trying other bands/artists for a bit :)
Yes, I am looking forward to Platinum.
Hello JustJP. Big fan of Mike Oldfield, I just discover your channel. Mike a little bit lost his way during the 80's, producing pop songs. Time to listen to "Return to Ommadawn". Icantations is great, but Ommadawn is so creative !
Thanks so much Captain!
Here again in your channel....
When Oldfield recorded this it was not long after he had discovered Philip Glass (on his next album, Platinum, he would use Glass' 'North Star' as the Finale) and he wanted to create a minimal piece with longer sections, this is why Incantations is a double album with much longer musical sections than his previous albums. Oldfield stated he wanted to give the music time to develop as they do in Glass' compositions.
Another fine reaction video. I have'nt played this for a long time, and that was on a Hitachi Music Centre, which were all the rage in the 70's. Even on a laptop, going through my amp, the sound is so much better. A very under rated guitarist, with his own sound.
Ty John!
Incantations Pt. 4 is the climax and amalgam not only of the album but also of everything Mike Oldfield has achieved since Tubular Bells. Sadly, it also closes a chapter in Oldfield's musical history because he will later compose less ambitious and satisfying things from my point of view.
For me, Incantations is without a doubt his masterpiece !
Yes... the end of an era... I felt the same listening to the last moments of Tangerine Dream's Encore.
@@neilloughran4437 Very relevant! I always had this same feeling when listening to Encore: Tangerine Dream Live. the best era of the German trio (although I like what comes next, until the departure of Johannes Schmoelling but it is not as inspired as in the days of Peter Baumann).
@@a.k.1740 Yeah me too.. almost a different band really. I love Tangram esp.
@@neilloughran4437 Yes, digital synths have taken over analog synths and it shows in the sound and in the more mechanical and less organic compositions. but hey, yes Tangram is a very good album (which I prefer overall to Cyclone and Force Majeure). I also really like Exit which has often been criticized for its cold sounds and its rather robotic compositions but whose atmosphere I really like.
@@neilloughran4437 Zounds! I thought I was alone in thinking the same thing! I never knew about Mike Oldfield's depression during this period. I did notice his change of direction in his albums after "Incantations", none of which appealed to me. Except I do enjoy "Tubular Bells II" and "Tubular Bells III". What strikes me about them is they feel like Mike Oldfield is lovingly poking fun at "Tubular Bells". Having just learned about his experience with Exegesis, such a reading makes sense. I'm happy to learn he was able to find something that helped him to carry on. Back to Tangerine Dream: I can never get enough of that classic sequencer driven electronic music.
Been a fan for 44 years and this is his best album imho. 🤟🏻
The phase transitions are a clearly defined path that maintain the anticipation for the length of the journey. A staged and ongoing crescendo of "endings": @9:35, @13:05, @13:45 that is pleasurable, enduring, and exciting. Benoit and Pierre Moerlen weave a mystical incantation at the end. The ending isn't that abrupt when you feel the journey that is full of endings.
Now the plea for Exposed again! Fair dos if you don't plan to immediately expose(wink) yourself to Incantations variations, but it's just so good! You may wonder how it can satisfy as much with 26 minutes cut out, but compensation comes with the bits that are played so much better than in the studio. It may be artificial - a portmanteau of many different performances, after all - but it's genuinely wonderful. Plus - Tubular Bells...
You are quite right - Incantations is truly the peak of Oldfield. Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn draw for second, then TB. But sadly it goes downhill (fortunately slowly) after Incantations. The fountain/water section 21:30 in your video with the instrument you were not sure about is simply the piano in upper register (in octaves) with a lot of reverb playing the melody, and harp in the accompaniment (plus extremely softly a whole string orchestra in tremolo entering and exiting briefly but need to listen extremely carefully for that), plus Farfisa in background constantly there, plus the synth mimicking flute playing the brief arpeggios in 4ths. Thanks you for your great video. Only please try to get out of the habit of calling these movements "songs" though. Just call them "parts" or "movements" with this kind of music, or classical music.
Mike Oldfield played together with drummer and percussionist (vibraphone) Pierre Moerlen. On the album Downwind both harmonize in a brilliant way. He also supported his sister Sally on her album “Waterbearer”. Very, very creative music.
Hey there, Pal ,
To sum up the album (my humble take) , Parts 2,3 were the blast and main story , Part 4 is a bookend, but what a glorious way to fold in the album !!! GREAT !!
B.t.w liked your descripion about the fountain the the Koto.
Ty fufu!
When you thing he was still a kid when this came out, about 24 I think, it’s scary. He was already messing around with EST i think. Some real awe inspiring moments. Guilty is very weird too
The musical term you were thinking of was "recapitulation," the part of the sonata form where the main theme is reintroduced right before the end. The theme itself, if it's repeated and mutates around a piece is a "leitmotif."
Or maybe he meant "reprise"? ;)
I love Mike Oldfield's instrumental music, pretty much everything from his first records. In works like Ommadawn or Incantations, we meet a Mike who has won a Grammy at the age of 22 and who is given free rein by the record company to continue writing music with almost all the media of the moment at his fingertips. After the overwhelming sales of Tubular Bells, around that time, the most daring Oldfield appears. He is very young and experiments with the recording studio (almost totally self-taught) without hindrance, he does what he wants. Mix all kinds of instruments and textures, turn up volumes of some parts of the recordings bordering on the impossible and reaching unexplored paths, re-record a minute of music 100 times if you think it's necessary and that's how it works. And above all with the innocence of his age, in my opinion, he achieves sound achievements that very few have ever managed to achieve. This is why at some point in Incantations he can seem ornate, repetitive, but also absolutely great in timbres, textures, composition and virtuosity.
If you find those transitions jarring Mike Oldfield's Amarok is probably not the album for you.... but I'm waiting for the day you do a First Listen on that album. I follow a few first listeners and no one has done that album justice yet. Incantations is probably one of my all time favourite Oldfield albums. Part 4 especially. Always good to hear your views.
I think all the first 4 Mike Oldfield albums are outstanding. Mike's music has quite a change forward from here and he would abandon record length compositions for a while (although 3 of the next 4 albums do contain some excellent side-long pieces). I think Mike truly shines with long pieces. I continued to buy his albums on sight thru "Crisis". There's plenty to enjoy in the next four albums. Great videos on Incantations. Thanks
I like watching your reactions as you know something is coming, and then it arrives. You then frown as you try to remember where you heard it before. Priceless. As to the ending, I think Mike missed a trick there. He could have had the sustained guitar fade into the voices at the very start of side one and then fade out, coming full circle.
Absolutely loved it. Favorite parts: the sung parts. Luna, Lucida, Diana brings me goosebumps, Hiawatha by Maddy brings me melancholy and Sally with her Hiawatha/poem reprisal (!) brings a tear of happiness to my eyes. Especially the double sung echo is a superb detail in the final. It starts barely noticeable but grows in difference until the last word that is sung when the double take becomes very clear.
There is nothing else like this album. It's an utter joy.
It really is😃
@@JustJPMay I suggest Amarok? It's extraordinary. Just listen to the first minute and tell me I'm wrong.
@@donelliot5726 definitely plan on getting to that one as well😉
When Incantations was first released, I had doubts that Mike Oldfield would be able to sustain 4 sides. How wrong I was. Part 4 is the perfect end to the Incantations journey. The opening harp like ripples as we embark segue beautifully into a return to the opening theme with Pierre Merlin's masterful vibraphone overlaid with trademark Oldfield guitar riffs. Things really take off as rhythms kick in to support one of my favourite guitar runs from Mike's magic fingers. Back to the opening chords on flutey synth and then the steady build up to a reprise of the Hiawatha melody from part 2. Constantly evolving, never outstaying it's welcome, each layer of melody is carefully planned and balanced, nothing over dominates leaving you the freedom to choose what to follow. Perfect summation of the preceding 3 parts.
*grin* you did it! All 4 sides - and you loved it! You're definitely a fan. As was I when I first heard it - It's been wonderful to revisit it with you as over the years it doesn't get played as much as TB, HR or O - mainly because it does require investing time to do it justice - but current circumstances mean so many of us have more time to enjoy these huge soundscapes.
Your comment about music that changes your DNA or awakens something dormant inside you perfectly captures my experience with Oldfield's work. Always been a huge fan and my taste is vast from classical through to current EDM - Oldfield has always been top of my list since the mid 80's.
Where do you go from here? I would suggest - if you are not quite ready to move on to the next stage of Oldfield's career - take a step back to 1976 and listen to First Excursion. A stand alone piece only about 7 minutes long but incredibly haunting in that 70's style.
After that It's Guilty. A Disco track that came out of his work on Incantations - sounds dodgy but it holds up surprisingly well.
A lot of people suggest his next album - Exposed. Again it's A double album so 4 sides and requires heavy investment. It's Live versions of Tubular Bells and Incantations and honestly it's great but you may want to just listen to them privately as it is going over old ground to a certain extent.
You could diverge a bit - during this time 1977/78 - Mike hired his studio out to other artists and sometimes helped produce and/or appear on these records. Chief amongst them - which I think you will love - is Pekka Pohjola's "Keesojen Lehto" (it's Finnish) internationally it's known as "The Mathematicians Air Display". Mike produced and plays guitar and some percussion as does Pierre Moerlen. Pekka and Pierre become a part of Mike's touring band playing on the Exposed album.
Otherwise move on to Mike's next studio album "Platinum" (In the states it was released as "Airborne".) Listen to all of side 1 (Platinum parts 1-4) in one sitting (19 minutes) as they should be played as a whole. I'll leave you to decide if you want to "react" to side 2 which is a real mish mash of tracks - but I don't think anyone will be disappointed if you miss those out and then move on to QE2.
Thanks again for such a great reaction :-D
Appreciate that so much RM! Ty😁
There it is again, his guitar talking and singing 🥰
Ah man, I do almost envy you the joy of listening to all of this *for the first time*. :)
If you want to go slightly beyond Incantations Mike did a *disco* (yes!) single based on the incantations chord run called *Guilty* (The "Knebworth live" version is probably the best) but you should also definitely have a listen to the track "Desiderata" from the "Deluxe" release of incantations for an amazing mix/re-visit of "Diana".
Mike's style changed so much after this album, and it's arguable that he never really reached the same emotional heights after Exegenesis. Not that he didn't have some stunning albums after it, just... different.
(Side 1 of Platinum is SUPERB! :) )
This is still my most favorite Mike Oldfield album.
My music dna changed many times but older changes are not lost. I had it with Pink Floyd in te seventies, Tangerine Dream, Nightwish, Ayreon, Wardruna, Heilung.
Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn, Incantations ... 4 of the 5 best Mike's albums. Well, now you have to listen to "Amarok" ... ready for a 60"02 long track ?
Return to Ommadawm. after all these years...
my favorite Incantations Part!. Ah your MO map is still being written. I agree the transitions on this album are a bit abrupt, that's one of the reason why this isn't my favorite MO album as great as it it. His transitions get better as you move onto the other albums.
I spotted you trying to work out the time signiture. I think it's alternate bars of 5/8 and 6/8. Tricky.
yep and the odd bar of 4 thrown into the 6 and 5 soup!
Justin, when are you going to continue with more Mike Oldfield?
Not 100% sure just yet, but I can't imagine it'll be too long😄
I must have been more open today, but I liked this part much more then part3. Maybe because I heard the vocal part at the end before ?
Recapitulation is the word you were looking for! Re your comments about the structure not quite satisfying, I believe the whole piece was edited down from the original. As Oldfield continually revisited his early work it is surprising that the original version of this ( the composer’s version if you wish) is not available. Though if it is somewhere please let me know! This work continually grows in my estimation and it was lovely to have a chance to hear it all through again.
Being obliged to listen to it carefully, rather than treating it as wallpaper has made me appreciate it more. And it is Mike Oldfield for fs sake, who is yards ahead of the rest of the field, but this one and Hergest, I don't reach for first. I find Ommadawn, T.Bell's 1 and T. Bells 2 much more entertaining. They DO grab my attention and never let go.
With music and any art, you either get it or you don’t. Nobody can like all music.