Childrens Toyshop
Welcome to The Childrens Toyshop, here you will find all the latest and traditional toys in our toyshop. You can search and locate the best selling Toys Games & Puzzles to purchase online and have delivered to the door. We have a large selection of Music with reviews.
Back to Home Page > Go back a page
Music : Incantations
1 2 3
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.
Rating:
- Chanting Mike Oldfield
First of all the remastered version here offers excellent sound quality and the production on the album is excellent.Im a big fan of Mike Oldfield and have 11 of his works in my collection,Im afraid to say this album is my least favourite out of all of them.I found the four pieces of work on the album very difficult to get in to,I found the songs very very laid back with heavy chanting throughout and the songs I found very droning in nature,dont get me wrong If your the sort of person that enjoys a lot of chanting you will well enjoy this work and I would recommend to you but for me I didnt find this work on the level of Omadawn,Discovery or Hergest Ridge which in my meagre opinion are far more enjoyable works and I listen to them often.Other great works are Crisis and Islands all superb works by Mike Oldfield.I would strongly suggest if your thinking of purchasing Incantations is to listen to it first because it might not appeal to you,then again you might find it great and enjoy, anyway I hope my review here of Incantations is of help to you,please check out my other reviews as you might find something of help to you.
Rating:
- remastering has been kind to this old favourite
I sought out this cd especially for the Hiawatha poem sung by Maddy Prior which features on tracks 2 & 4. On the original 1978 album this was an especially beautiful and memorable part of the album, especially the version on track 4. The melody develops in gradual layers, growing into a holding space promising the lovely song to come. Maddy's singing also grows gradually to a crescendo that's just a joy to sing along to. The song seems perfect: minimalist in its repeating melody while very moving in its layered development, and closed in perfect time.
This "new" version has not been annoyingly tampered with, if anything the slight tweaks make it even more pleasing to the ear. Incantations is not a perfect album, it has its weaknesses (tedious underdevelopment of potential on track 1 hence 4 stars) but to hear it again is a lovely trip down memory lane.
Rating: - Simply the Best!!
For me "Incantations" stands head and shoulders above the rest of Oldfield's work.
Not only because of the sheer energy that runs through it (and the moments of outstanding nocturnal beauty), but the whole thing derives from the opening chord so, despite its length, it is highly concentrated.
I love many of his other albums but this is the very very best.
Rating: - I Share All Of The Previous Observations Frustrations!
What a wonder it would be that if a musician as eminent as this would be drawn to opinions expressed here and thereby be reborn as an artist and reproduce the breath taking simplicity (ostinato) and yet genious of Incantaions again. Whatever is said about TB1 or Ommadawn this album is a true zenith but came out a year or two late and disappeared in the punk backlash. You MUST buy it and put it on your IPOD or car stereo - it will eat into your psyche and you will look for similar genious in Oldfield's other work - but alas, to date, you won't find it!
- So beautiful it literally makes me cryI 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.
Rating:
- Chanting Mike OldfieldFirst of all the remastered version here offers excellent sound quality and the production on the album is excellent.Im a big fan of Mike Oldfield and have 11 of his works in my collection,Im afraid to say this album is my least favourite out of all of them.I found the four pieces of work on the album very difficult to get in to,I found the songs very very laid back with heavy chanting throughout and the songs I found very droning in nature,dont get me wrong If your the sort of person that enjoys a lot of chanting you will well enjoy this work and I would recommend to you but for me I didnt find this work on the level of Omadawn,Discovery or Hergest Ridge which in my meagre opinion are far more enjoyable works and I listen to them often.Other great works are Crisis and Islands all superb works by Mike Oldfield.I would strongly suggest if your thinking of purchasing Incantations is to listen to it first because it might not appeal to you,then again you might find it great and enjoy, anyway I hope my review here of Incantations is of help to you,please check out my other reviews as you might find something of help to you.
Rating:
- remastering has been kind to this old favouriteI sought out this cd especially for the Hiawatha poem sung by Maddy Prior which features on tracks 2 & 4. On the original 1978 album this was an especially beautiful and memorable part of the album, especially the version on track 4. The melody develops in gradual layers, growing into a holding space promising the lovely song to come. Maddy's singing also grows gradually to a crescendo that's just a joy to sing along to. The song seems perfect: minimalist in its repeating melody while very moving in its layered development, and closed in perfect time.
This "new" version has not been annoyingly tampered with, if anything the slight tweaks make it even more pleasing to the ear. Incantations is not a perfect album, it has its weaknesses (tedious underdevelopment of potential on track 1 hence 4 stars) but to hear it again is a lovely trip down memory lane.
Rating:
- Simply the Best!!For me "Incantations" stands head and shoulders above the rest of Oldfield's work.
Not only because of the sheer energy that runs through it (and the moments of outstanding nocturnal beauty), but the whole thing derives from the opening chord so, despite its length, it is highly concentrated.
I love many of his other albums but this is the very very best.
Rating:
- I Share All Of The Previous Observations Frustrations!What a wonder it would be that if a musician as eminent as this would be drawn to opinions expressed here and thereby be reborn as an artist and reproduce the breath taking simplicity (ostinato) and yet genious of Incantaions again. Whatever is said about TB1 or Ommadawn this album is a true zenith but came out a year or two late and disappeared in the punk backlash. You MUST buy it and put it on your IPOD or car stereo - it will eat into your psyche and you will look for similar genious in Oldfield's other work - but alas, to date, you won't find it!