new xtc song / oldfield lp

[jsd%UMASS.BITNET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU (Jonathan S. Drukman)]

All you XTC addicts may have noticed that there is a new XTC song
available on the soundtrack to the movie "She's Having A Baby", yes
that's the movie which has the new Kate track too.  The song is called
"Happy Families" and an early demo version of it appears on a special
tape prepared by the Little Express fan club.  It's quite amazing how
little the song actually changed going from demo to finished product.
Real drums, better instruments of course, but otherwise very little is
different!  It's quite a wimpy song given XTC's history, but it's
still kinda nice and the lyrics are top notch as usual.  You KNOW
you're going to get the soundtrack anyway just to get the Kate song
(which is damn good!) so this gloss is probably just for informational
purposes anyway.

THE NEW MIKE OLDFIELD ALBUM - "Islands"
   I bought it.  More fool I!  Apparently there is a difference in
length and track content between the import and domestic.  I have the
import which is 48 minutes long and contains the following tracks: THE
WIND CHIMES (Part one and two) (21:47)
     A grandiose instrumental.  It has it's moments but given
Oldfield's past record, it's pretty bad.  The gritty textures and
bopping melodies have been replaced by wimpy Fairlight washes.  His
unique guitar style is all but thrown away in favor of Fairlight stuff
that isn't even that remarkable.  There is a nice Tull-like flute
break and some interesting percussion (which sounds sampled) but the
whole thing leaves a decidedly bad taste in my mouth.

ISLANDS (4:20)
    The first of the pop songs on this LP and the absolute worst in my
opinion.  I personally can't stand Bonnie Tyler because she JUST CAN'T
SING WORTH A DAMN.  This song sucks too, full of inane cliches like
"When the night's on fire..." (a banality that reoccurs frequently
throughout this album).

FLYING START (3:37)
    OK, a better tune, and a different vocalist (a guy named Kevin
Ayers).  Oldfield just CAN'T pick male vocalists, I'm sorry!  Listen
to "Discovery" and notice that Barry Palmer has NO VOICE!!  This guy
is better, but when he hits real low notes he sounds like Dudley
Do-Right.

NORTH POINT (3:33)
    Improvement in all directions!!  A good song, a good vocal
performance by Anita Hegerland (who Joe Turner _swears_ is from ABBA -
confirmation anyone?).  This is not classic Oldfield, but it's pretty
good stuff.

MAGIC TOUCH (4:14)
    I hated this song with a passion bordering on the insane at first,
but I've mellowed on it.  It's just chunky pop sludge, but there's a
simple stupidity to it that is quite seductive after a while...  When
you ache for that appalling heavy metal/pop sound but don't want to
stoop to buying Van Halen records...  The vocalist is male, and thus
truly appalling.  The original domestic USA 12" I have of this has
some loser named Max Bacon warbling away in true Bon Jovi fashion, but
on the import there's some marginally preferable twit named Jim Price
singing.  You can hear Max popping up every now and then in the
background.  Oooh boy.

THE TIME HAS COME (3:55)
    Good song.  I like it.  Anita Hegerland once again singing some
phrases that sound so much like Our Goddess Kate Bush at times that I
begin to wonder if maybe I put on a techno-pop version of "The Kick
Inside".  Or maybe "Never For Ever".  She's got that Kate trick of
breathy intonation down to a T.

WHEN THE NIGHT'S ON FIRE (6:40)
    This song does not deserve to be more than 3 minutes long.  It's
OK.  Thankfully Anita Hegerland sings it, so it's marginally bearable
but boy oh boy I wish Oldfield would write songs like "Family Man" or
"Five Miles Out" again...

CONCLUSION: Well, it may appear that I hate this album on the surface.
Strangely though, I find myself being sucked in by its vacuousity!
Each listen makes it sound more appealing.  It's little more than ear
candy, but hey, we all need some of it, and it makes a change from
Severed Heads...

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Jon Drukman                        BITNET: jsd@umass
209-C2 McNamara                   ARPANET: jsd%umass.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu
University Of Massachusetts           (or) jsd%umass.bitnet@mitvma.mit.edu
Amherst, MA  01003                  PHONE: 413-546-4262