Mike Oldfield - QE2
#488
By Aaron Conte
Mike Oldfield
QE2
Genre: progressive pop
Allen’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Aaron’s Rating: 1.5 out of 5
Yeah this isn't for me. I'm not Mike Oldfield’s audience. I stuck it out because I'm like that, and I give people a chance. Plus I got to learn something (not everyday huh?)...This guy was raised Catholic in England. When he was seven, his mother lost a child at birth who had down syndrome. She was prescribed barbiturates, became addicted and went in and out of mental institutions. In the ten years that followed, he learned to play guitar, piano, paint, and when he was finished, wrote the main theme to "The Exorcist" (a.k.a. "Tubular Bells"). Now if that isn't some spooky sh*t, what is?! Thinking that music was moving around in his head after he lost a baby brother and his mom was spinning out of control...whew. Grammy deserved.
Also found out, track two, "Sheba" has the master Phil Collins behind the kit. It's the best part of the song.
Otherwise it's very much an album of instrumental music that just gets lost in today's chaos. It has that Trans-Siberian Orchestra, From Genesis to Revelation, imposter David Foster feeling. Analog recordings of instruments that end up sounding digital.
Mark this for those medieval 1980 retro-nights.
Twenty-six albums, friends in high places, he is known for supporting Brexit and being an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump.
I am a believer that one can separate the artist from the person, but I never liked this multi-instrumentalist-music to begin with so...off with his head!
https://open.spotify.com/album/29mnCT1UKm7DduLNWdi842?si=9Z_85E01RYiklhPwYLP9wg
