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Havana Black : Growing wings

Nightwish - Once

Mike Oldfield 'Crises' (1983)



Another album that I have something of a love/hate relationship with. You know how it is - an artist you worship for his long, mysterious instrumental works suddenly has a 'hit single'! He's sold out, gone commercial, only in it for the dosh etc. etc.. With the result that you stop buying his records and disavow ever having been a fan.

'Crises' came along after a couple of muddled, directionless albums and the single 'Moonlight Shadow' put the last nail in the coffin. It took about 30 years before I really gave it a serious listen, not helped by the fact that it was playing in the car stereo during the worst accident I've ever had; a tractor ran into the side of my old Volvo and wrote it off. Couldn't listen to it for years after that.

So, now, an impulse buy in the 2nd-hand LP shop yesterday and time for another listen. First the 'acceptable' side, a single side-long piece propelled by distinctly heavy-rock drumwork from Simon Phillips and with glorious guitar/synth passages that are an MO trademark. Yet again, I am hearing things on vinyl that even the latest CD remasters haven't revealed. Then the 'songs' side; really enjoyable with vocals from Maggie Reilly, Jon Anderson and Roger Chapman. A varied and carefully-made selection that are now great fun to hear.

Nice to return to the LP where you can chose which side of MO you want to play. The virtuoso instrumentalist or the melodic songwriter. An underrated (by me) album and well worth a listen.

The Rolling Stones - A bigger bang - Live at Copacabana Beach

Give me back my wig...

Paradise Lost - Draconian Times
Smith/Kotzen - Smith/Kotzen

Best of Mark Knofler and Dire Straits, followed by the Best of Acoustic Alchemy

Opeth - Blackwater Park