Short reviews of two of my favourite Oldfield albums posted to the now-defunct Firefly in 1996 under a pseudonym.

Ommadawn

'New Age'? 'Pop'? This is nothing of the sort. A breathless, relentless, exhilarating fusion of Celtic, African, and hard rock elements in symphonic form, this is the best album of the 1970s, and one of the best compositions of the 20th century. Only one album can touch it for sheer brilliance, and funnily enough, that was by Mike Oldfield too ('Amarok').

Amarok

Akin to 'Ommadawn', this is Mike Oldfield's sustained shout of joy, and one that leaves this listener shouting with joy too. Loud, eclectic, inspirational, with no fewer than three uplifting climaxes that leave you tingling. If I had to choose one album out of my collection of 500-plus to take to a desert island, this would be it. If you haven't heard it yet, what are you waiting for?

©2001 Rory Ewins