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The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

from: Virgin Records

December 01, 2003
I just had to give my opinion on this cd as I had ordered it on the recomendations of the other reviewers,
first of all if you are not a fan of david bedford then give this a miss as it sounds to me like it was cheaply put together, I know this was recorded in the 70's but there are better alternatives out there from that decade. robert powells voice as the narator gives it some credit but is drowned out too often by the music, I gave this cd a few plays just to see if it would grow on me but I have just taken it to the charity shop.

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Karl Jenkins: Stabat Mater

by: Karl Jenkins

March 10, 2008
As a fan of "The Armed Man', 'Requiem' and 'This Land Of Ours', it's no wonder I listened to the CD prepared to be instantly blown away. However, at first I found it to be less inspired than the previous works, yet was delighted to find Jenkins was coming to my home town to conduct Stabat Mater, which I went to see last night.

It's true that the movements with more pace have the signature quirky rhythms we have come to expect from Karl Jenkins; yet the more contemplative movements are profound and poignant, particularly those featuring the amazing Belinda Sykes. Her Arabic singing and playing of the duduk (which I discovered last night is a recorder-sized instrument with a double reed) is nothing short of mesmerising, both on the ... Read More:

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Songs of Distant Earth

by: Mike Oldfield

October 09, 1995
i have been in love with this mans music since radio plays of tubular bells opened my ears to a vision that has reached many highs and a few lows. this album proves......GOD IS BACK BIG TIME.
I HAVENT ENJOYED ON FIRST PLAY AN ALBUM SO MUCH SINCE AS FAR BACK AS INCANTATIONS. EACH track weaves a musical spell that leaves you wanting more , getting better as you get further into the magical sound play that mike has created. if you thought the king was dead.....think again.

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Changeling: The Autobiography of Mike Oldfield

by: Mike Oldfield

May 01, 2008
i enjoyed this book a lot-polished it off in under a week(quick for me!).i had a lot of sympathy for mike's youngest years,very depressing to read in parts there,great fun reading about his mid teen musical exploits and admissions too.a a good chunk of the music bits did relate to tubular bells one but that's no surprise.i was expecting a lot more info on his future recordings and i was looking for more about his feelings in respect of mr branson-it was fairly positive on the whole-maybe that is because at the time of writing mike's head was at a good place?

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Chant

by: Cistercian Monks Of Stift Heiligenkreuz

May 19, 2008
This Cistercian abbey has a continous history since its foundation. My only criticsm is that according to the Rule Cistercians should chant in the Ambrosian mode - very slow & ponderous, and this CD is a little too fast. One of the plus points is that Cistercians do not have choir boys so the overall effect is a deeper more inspiring chant.

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Oxygene - 30th Anniversary + 2D DVD

by: Jean Michel Jarre

December 03, 2007
I was hoping JMJ would start re-releasing his earlier work in 5.1 surround and my prayers have been answered. I've fallen in love with the album again. Let's hope he does the same thing with Equinox, Rendez Vous etc......

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Durham Concerto

by: Kathryn Tickell, Jon Lord, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Mischa Damev

January 28, 2008
I bought this recording because my son, a student at Durham, was in the cathedral for the first live performance and rated it highly. I was a Deep Purple fan in my youth, too! The first time I listened to the concerto all the way through I was left feeling slightly 'flat', as other reviewers have commented, but I have listened to it quite a few times now and love it more and more. I was going to say that 'From Prebends Bridge' is my favourite movement but I went and checked the CD and decided I'd be hard pushed to chose one track above the others. Listen to them all - more than once - and see what you think!

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Ommadawn

by: Mike Oldfield

May 29, 2000
This album is so awesome I really don't know what else to say. It is very short, around 36 minutes in total. Two instrumental parts. Each of them shines on its own. Fantastic melodies, amazing build ups to climaxes, and one of the best guitar solos ever (at the end of the second instrumental).

The first part starts with a repetition of the same spanish guitar over and over, with some minor break ups and linkages. This builds up to a passage in which, well, it's difficult to say. If you've got a good stereo you can feel stuff flying and flapping around you. Continues with a small melody that builds up on guitar to a really dark passage with an amazing sequence of african drums accompanied by quite a lot of top guitar wizardry. It ends with the same african drums riff fading away ... Read More:

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Tubular Bells Vol.1: Remastered

by: Mike Oldfield

May 29, 2000
Amazon, for some reason, has suggested to me that I might want to buy this.

Ah no.

If you are really desperate to hear tubular bells, can I suggest a good recording of Parsifal? It has the virtue of being, if only subjectively, shorter.

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Hergest Ridge

by: Mike Oldfield

May 29, 2000
Hearing this composition is only part of the experience as it is a musical adventure that can be felt it in the very soul of anyone who is appreciative and persevering enough to listen. Each time you play it, it becomes more profound... OLDFIELD'S music is addictive. Hergest Ridge is a real place, a wild desolate spot on the Welsh border that is the epitome of everything English. MIKE OLDFIELD, having lived there whilst composing the album, has succeeded in capturing the very essence of the place in a unique piece that has been unsurpassed since its original release in 1974. Happy in places and dirge-like in others, this album is one of OLDFIELD'S finest and in my opinion it places him in the same league as some of the best composers who have ever lived. I would like to see the eventual release of a ... Read More: