Customer Reviews

Islands

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

(First of all, let me confess that I've been an Oldfield fan for years and years)... This album came out during a very tough period of my life, and I was able to draw inspiration from "Islands" - it really kept me going. For those of us with vivid imaginations, the music can become part of your personal biography. It's definitely worth exploring. I sometimes wonder where Mike O. pulls his sounds from. They sometimes seem other-worldly. Critics may over-analyze his music, but I just let my imagination run free with the sounds and enjoy what goes on inside...

One of Mike Oldfield's best albums. The opening two part suite The Wind Chimes is a masterpiece on par with his early album-length pieces. Part One is a nice, synth-powered intro and Part Two is an epic, featuring the usual stellar guitar and keyboard playing from Mike, as well as some nice flutes, wind chimes (obviously), and the unmistakable touch of Simon Phillips. The rest of the album consists of vocal pieces. Normally, this would be a downer for Oldfield, but unlike subsequent albums (say, Earth Moving) the vocal pieces here are actually interesting. Magic Touch, especially, is really quite good, and deserved to be quite a hit (which, alas, it wasn't.) The rest of the pieces are quite good as well, though not quite on it's level, and the closing title track features vocals from the (then) red-hot (commercially, I mean) Bonnie Tyler. An absolute must-own album for Oldfield fans, one of his very best.

Mike Oldfield has gone through many transformations. When Islands was released in 1987 he was in the middle of a pop phase- often focusing on writing songs. Islands is the best mix of his older style of long compositions and short pop songs. The instrumental first track, Wind Chimes, is a really moving piece, which is somewhat unique because of the clear influence of Balinese music and stands as one of Oldfield's best instrumentals of the 80's. The songs are more mixed. The two best that I often return to are 'Islands' with Bonnie Tyler and 'When the Nights on Fire'. Although I want to warn you they are rather syrupy, emotional and definitely over the top, they have a great overall feel to them. The theme of love is clearly, perhaps even too clearly, expressed but these songs are saved by strong performances from the vocalists and from great melodies. One of my favorite things about this disk is the way that the melodies of these two songs- indeed most of the songs in the album are based upon themes presented in the opening 20 minute long form piece- The Wind Chimes. So this is probably not the best release for 70's fans of Oldfield who want just one continously developing, almost symphonic piece in the style of Tubular Bells. Although for those fans I would recommend 'Incantations' (1978). But this album will work well for those fans of Oldfield's more recent work. All in all a very listenable album, and Wind Chimes alone would have deserved 5 stars, but the inconsistency of the vocal tracks diminish the album slightly.

To begin with, I've been a fan of Mike Oldfield since he sang folk songs with his sister Sally. Islands is half and half - the first half instrumental, and the second, vocal, light rock. The instrumental is a rich tapestry of harmonies with frequent changes of pace. Some of the changes are abrupt, but when you listen the second time you understand the thematic potential within the change. The vocal portion is a marvelous blend of strong rhythm and vocals. Listen closely to the words as well as the melody. There are some fun surprises. Islands, the title vocal, and the final cut on the CD, is a comentary on human nature and the need for others. Definitely not fluff. Islands is, I think, the first album by Oldfield released in the US containing lyrics. It is a wonderful promise of what is to come.

I was introduced to Islands in 1987 by a fellow progressive rock fan. The strongest track on the album was "Magic Touch", which featured the incredible vocal talents of Max Bacon (best known at that time for his work with GTR). Well, I neglected to buy the album at that time, and by the time I got around to purchasing a copy ten years later, it had been re-released and someone had messed around with the tracks. "The Wind Chimes Part 1" and "Part 2" had been consolidated into a single track, the order of the vocal tracks had been changed, and "When the Night's on Fire", which sounded like a substandard early version of the title track, had been added. But the worst offense was the new vocal track on "Magic Touch". For some reason, Max Bacon's vocals were gone, and he'd been replaced by ... named Jim Price!

I would have given the original version of the album four stars or more, but the re-issued version, minus one of the two voices that made the album truly excellent (the other was Bonnie Tyler on the title track, which thankfully they didn't mess with) only makes me pine for the original.

This is one of Oldfield's best. The Wind Chimes is one of the most beautiful and uplifting pieces of music ever recorded. Its theme is instantly hummable and reappears in various interesting incarnations throughout the piece. The instrumentation is very dynamic and well-mixed. This is one of my all-time favorite pieces of music. You must buy this album for The Wind Chimes alone.

Although Bonnie Tyler is known more for her rock power ballads written by Jim Steinman (whose songs all sound the same), her voice is perfect for the closing and title track, "Islands." This song is hauntingly beautiful and gives me goose bumps every time I hear it.

Several of the other songs are good, but not necessarily great. Nevertheless, this album is a must-have.

The Wind Chimes (Parts 1 & 2) from the Islands album are one of the BEST Mike Olfield works. The Wind Chimes sounds Fresh and Full of Power and Happiness. Sure, Mike Oldfield has a lot of master pieces like Tubular Bells (I, II, III and Millenium), The Songs of a Distant Earth, Amarok, Crisis, QE2, and Five Miles Out. But, if you hear The Wind Chimes (Parts 1&2) carefully you will get looped inmediatly playing it and playing it all over again and again and again... It is too sad they (Parts 1&2) only lasts almost 22 minutes. At the end you keep thinking "Man, these tracks were really good to end too soon". You will agree with me this is a Master-Piece very well constructed and performed. It will refresh your mind and your soul. Its pure magic. Enjoy. (No comments for the last 5 tracks. Well, tack #5-"North Point" can be rated as good).

I do not understand how anyone can rate this album below 4 stars, I think this album is breathtaking, especially the beautiful instrumental piece "The wind chimes". The vocal songs are strong as well, "Islands", "North point", "Magic Touch", and "The time has come" are my favorites. I think this album equals Oldfield's Discovery, Tubular Bells, Amarok and Ommadawn, my favorite Oldfield albums. I would recommend this album to anyone. I'm a huge Oldfield fan, and yet again am not disappointed.

This is my feel-good music, one album of a select few I retreat to when things aren't going so well for me. "When the Night's on Fire" is perhaps my favourite track on the album for intensely personal reasons, with "Northpoint" and "the Time has Come" running a close second and third.

I don't particularly like Mike Oldfield's stuff, so unlike others I'm not qualified to say whether it's one of his best or not. But I like it, which is after all what matters.

For me, 1987's Islands cd was the first time I had heard Mike Oldfield. I bought it in February 1988, and at that time I had heard nothing like it. Then came Enya, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Enigma, Deep Forest, B-Tribe and others. 13 years later it sounds dated, but I still think it's a gem. It mixed the instrumentals Wind Chimes I and II with five pop songs. Think it's very well done, and I know I'll get some heat because I think it's good. What's interesting here is that Michael Cretu (man behind the band Enigma) produced a couple of tracks with Oldfield. Max Bacon and Bonnie Tyler add their vocals to a couple of tracks as well. Max Bacon had done vocal work with GTR in 1986. This is a must have for any rock collector, though Tubular Bells is THE cd to own.