More of this Oldfield talk

[Lazlo Nibble <cs2531bn@charon.unm.edu>]

> Everything [Mike Oldfield] did before he "switched to pop" sold millions of
> copies overseas ...

>     [ T'isn't true, according to Mike Oldfield's own book of sheet
>       music.  -- |>oug ]

I got my sales info from the insert in the *Complete Mike Oldfield*
CD.  Obviously *Tubular Bells* and *The Orchestral Tubular Bells* are
million- sellers several times over.  *Hergest Ridge* was a UK #1 LP.
I admit to being unsure about *Ommadawn* but I understand that the
*Incantations* set broke the million-seller mark.  Since I've always
considered *Platinum* to be his first album that turned in a "pop"
direction, that's where I stopped figuring...

      [	Well of course *Tubular Bells* sold millions.  But Oldfield's
	records after that didn't do so well.  According to the
	aforementioned book of sheet music, *Hergest Ridge*, despite
	going to number 1, did not sell well, and was not liked by the
	record company or critics.  (Poor sales for a high charting
	record in England is not that unusual.  Kate's *The Dreaming*
	went to number 3 on the charts, but took three years to go
	gold, which in England is 300,000 copies.)  *Ommadawn* did
	slightly better, but basicly the sales of his albums were on a
	downward spiral until *Five Miles Out*, which sold adequately.
	*Crisis* did very, very well.  The book of sheet music ends
	there.  -- |>oug ]


> Has anyone on this newsgroup considered the possibility that Oldfield
> is doing what he's doing now because he ENJOYS what he's doing now?
>
>      [ Yes, but it says it the aforementioned book of sheet music
>        that whenever Mike gets depressed now he balances his
>        checkbook, so pure musical enjoyment is clearly not all he's
>        doing it for....  -- |>oug ]

I don't think I said that was his ONLY motivation, but considering his
public statements about his recent work (*Discovery* being his "best
work to date", for example) I'm sure that money is not his primary
reason for producing more "popular" material.

That "book of sheet music" sounds like something to have.  Doug, if
you could post the vital info on it, I'd be really appreciative.

      [	Well, it's a British book called *Mike Oldfield: 1973 - 1983*.
	It contains music for a variety of pieces spanning his albums.
	It also contains an article and lots of photos of Oldfield
	with no shirt on.  -- |>oug ]

> I shudder to think what I'm going to see said about Kate on here the
> minute she releases an LP that hits the top 10.

>     [ It's way too late . . . -- |>oug ]

Yeah, I know . . . guess I was just trying to be snide.  It seriously
burns my cheese to see someone slagging an artist as completely as
Oldfield has been slagged on here lately.  I ENJOY the more recent
"pop" stuff he's been writing in the last few years, and if it's
"Total Garbage", then what does that make me?  A garbage-listener?
Gee, thanks!

Taking a more friendly direction, the latest GOLDMINE has an ad on the
inside back cover offering two Oldfield promo CDs: a compilation ('LP
cuts, edits, and 12" tracks' according to the ad) for $35 and a
CD-Video Single (!) for "Magic Touch" for $15.  Oh, to be employed
again...

Lazlo Nibble (cs2531bn@charon.unm.edu)