Customer Reviews

Platinum

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There is nothing left after Bombastic Instrumental works such as "Incantations" or "Ommadawn".Mike did his first short rock album without long suites and many complicated changes.It is much more catchier but some of emotions that were in his previous albums had gone with the change of style...but it doesn't mean that the music is bad...oh no - the music here is fresh and just wonderfull....

The main track is "Platinum" - about 20 miuntes long suite, but divided into 4 songs..."Platinum suite" sounds a bit mechanic but is a really impressive work - especially "Charleston" part with crazy trumpets,some ghost choir and great bass line - the other parts are interesting also and Mike proves here that almost everything that he tries to play turns into gold...And also we can hear him on backing vocals here...

"Sally" is a nice love song, typical seventies pop style,nothing special but listenable and fun - the interesting story is that "sally"...is not the original song - Real "sally" was kind of a joke and was too silly that right after the premiere of this album Virgin records forced mike to put something more representative for the album - so he did and recorded the song "Into wonderland" that became second "sally" -The new remastered edition" contains "Into wonderland" instead of amusing original mix...

"I got rhythm" (Cover of gershwin's track) is another nice and romantic pop ballad, but features very expressive guitar solo and more interesting lyrics about how MIke is happy after finding new way and being in peace with himself...

The most outstanding tracks "Woodhenge" and "Punkadiddle" - first one is very dark and has a bit nervous atmosphere.strange sounds,creepy guitar and scary loud sound of Tubular bells at the end...everytime when i listen to it i have visions of some old abandoned house in a dark forest,witches and stuff like that...creeeepppyyy. While "Woodhenge" has intensive atmosphere, "Punkadiddle" is fun and fast rocker with "OI!!!" screams and catchy guitars.Also some fake audience in some moments...nice fast rocker tune...it is kind of a joke from Punk music that went high on charts and eliminated more progressive and ambitious artists like Mike off the top...

"Platinum" is definitly not as full of emotions and sadness as previous albums - it's much more catchier,lighter and fun to listen - very impresive music, full of positive vibrations...it sounds different too - while before in almost every moment 7 instruments and more were playing, here sometimes it is only Bass,guitar,keyboard and drums - simple but effective rock instruments...Another impressive work from Mike Oldfield....

After my initiation into the Mike Oldfield Fan Convergence with the original release of both TUBULAR BELLS and HERGEST RIDGE, I became ravenous for all things Olfield. OMMADAWN only slaked my thirst temporarily, but it was finally quenched at last with the songs featured here, only as a "different animal." This was previously released here in a "special edition" vinyl LP (which I still own, thank G*d!) which was called AIRBORN. This album included the title track, plus "Platinum," "Charleston," "North Star/Finale," (co-written with Philip Glass,) "Into Wonderland," "Punkadiddle" and "I Got Rhythm." "Sally" and "Woodhenge" are the replacements for "Wonderland," I take it, which was a kind of lilting, silly, Mike-channeling-McCartney-at-his-loopiest sorta thing.

AIRBORN was a two-album set, (anybody remember those?) which also offered some 'preview' cuts of EXPOSED, with live-edit versions of "Incantations," "Tubular Bells" and "Guilty."

The editing on the U.S. version was so well-done, I now consider the first four songs as a suite (or sweet, just as apropos), that chronicles Mike's wonderful journey out of the weightier themes and concepts of his first three albums, into something a little more accessible for the casual listener as well as the die-hard Oldfield fans. A little more commercial than some would probably like, but the indelible Oldfield stamp is there, with enough razor-sharp guitar hooks and fills to keep it substantial.

I haven't heard this version yet, but I look forward to see how it compares to the "other" version.

This is a real mix. There's the typical Oldfield guitar/rock instrumental with backing synths on side one. But he then drops in splashes of brass and sax stabs on one piece to give it a real 30's 'Charleston' feel. Weird, but it works. There is a live piece on this album as well called 'punkadiddle' which is amusing.

'Platinum' is another example of Mike's diversity in his long musical journey. A mix of 'unfamiliar' and 'very familiar' sounds which somehow work. If you are a fan then this really is an essential purchase. Give it time.

Mike Oldfield released something very very different with 1979's Platinum. What we have here is a drastic departure from his previous four albums.

"Airborn" starts off with... a surfer rock riff of some sorts, before morphing into some kind of atmospheric carnival music. Very strange, and different from anything I've ever heard before so I can't complain. Mike Oldfield's trademark magic feels like it's wearing off though, I can definitely hear THAT much about it. I'm not so sure we can blame the disco movement either. I just don't feel the emotional connection in Oldfield's instrumental work this time around, and it's surprising. I still *like* the song though- I like it a lot, in fact, especially the middle section.

Alright, the title song definitely feels like it was influenced by the disco scene with the repetitive and basic beats that dominated so many disco songs at the time, and the guitar riff (along with the vocals near the end) is totally reminiscent of the Alan Parsons Project. It's a good song, but several minutes of hardly any changes whatsoever wears a little thin, no doubt. Plus it just screams of typically generic late 70's cheese metal even though it's probably not fair to refer to it as a heavy metal song since it's not *that* heavy. It is based around a repetitive riff though.

"Charleston" is darn there unlistenable in spots thanks mainly to the brass instruments combined with the cheesy disco beats. Wow this is seriously one mightily unimpressive way to begin a song, haha. Oh well. At least it gets better during the second half when some rockabilly style keyboards (or whatever they are) comes into play. I like that part. Alright I enjoy "North Star/Platinum Finale". "Airborn" is probably the best song on the album, but this... this is something special. The moody beats really work amazingly well, and I even feel some sadness in the guitar playing that builds and builds. Cool track, even though repeated listens makes it seem less impressive each time. Hey, this isn't exactly a classic Mike Oldfield album anyway so who cares?

Now we enter side two... oh boy. Actually my only complaint about side two is that "Woodhenge" fails to do anything at all. It's all about atmosphere, and nothing else. What else *is* there to like about it? Perhaps it's a nice imitation of Pierre Moerlen's Gong, but there's nothing truly noteworthy about it besides that. "Sally" contains a really good female vocal melody, but it feels out of place on a Mike Oldfield album. I like the... synth solo? It's awesome actually. "Punkadiddle" has a REALLY cool instrumental section that doesn't really resemble anything I've ever heard before. The beat of the song reminds me of something whacky like uh... Devo maybe, but there's something incredibly bouncy and enjoyable about the instrumental work. This actually wouldn't be out of place on an old NES game, such as Star Tropics, Final Fantasy or who knows what else.

The final track "I Got Rhythm" ends the album on a rather quiet note with a somber vocal melody courtesy of... the female singer, hehe. I'm too darn lazy to look her name up, and there's nobody to blame for this but myself. For YEARS I've been saying "Whenever I get high speed internet, I will no longer be lazy" but oh man, I just got high speed last month and laziness just makes life so much easier, hehe. It's easier when other people do my job for me. Anyway, I like this song. It's a surprisingly normal way to end the album though.

Overall... alright guys. I WAS going to give Platinum a 3-star rating, but it eventually won me over enough to give it 4 stars. Plus there are a few interesting ideas here and there that make it stand out from most albums released in 1979.

I had the vinyl record when it originally came out. It was damaged over the years so I got it again on CD. If you like Mike Oldfield, and I have liked most his stuff since the 1970's and the Exorcist soundtrack, it's worth adding to the collection. To me some tracks are better than others but overall a good idea of the range of Mike Oldfield in the 1980's.

More outgoing and upbeat than Oldfield's previous works, more electric. Fairlight synthesizers add a rich glow to his signature, layered music.

Mike Oldfield started out very young...full of ideas and complex musical manipulations. Tublar bells is a seminal work at best...in fact if you listen close enough...he seems to try to hard...overlapping layers of sound and ideas. Platinum is a return to his more basic approaches...and yes...he pulls it off in spades.

The first side is rich with guitar riffs nice synths and percussion...it almost reminds me of Ommadawn gone rock. That it is now on cd now is a life saver to the vinyl copy I have had from Europe all these years....I can't remember how many times I fried some speakers during certain parts of this. Yeah...it's that good.

Side two is a little more subtle...until you hear Punkadiddle...it's somewhat a bit tongue in cheek at the music industry at the time. Nice thrashing chords on guitar but seemingly hidden only to those in the know.

In all this is a perfect gem from a man who can and does create music in his on way...very recommended hearing.

Platinum is by far the best light music provided by Mike. Although lots of people prefer Ommadawn or Amarok, they are quite different and Platinum is easier to listen to, especially if you want to cheer yourself up!

If most on each of his first four recordings, Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn, and Incantations, Mike Oldfield created rich musical banquets, then Platinum must be the dessert. The music is, for the most part, light and lilting, and these songs are not apt to stay with you like some of the themes from his earlier, and for that matter, later recordings.

Mr. Oldfield turns to shorter, more accessible songs on Platinum, perhaps a gambit either to gain radio airplay or to appease his record company. Or perhaps he wanted to simply try his hand at something different, less ostentatious (which is not really a bad thing after he may have overreached a bit on Incantations).

Of course, shorter is a relative term with Mr. Oldfield, and the four-part title track still clocks in at a bit more than 16 minutes. Each segment has its own strengths---my favorites are Airborne (Part I) and Charleston (Part III)---but at times his guitar work starts to grate a bit.

The cleverly named and conceived Woodhenge calms and soothes though the unusual percussion also unnerves one , as though you stumbled on a secret place and know that you are being watched.

Sally is a fun, upbeat ode to Mr. Oldfield's sister, and it exudes brightness and light.

What to make of Punkadiddle? A message to punk rockers, perhaps, who prefer destruction and deconstruction to building rafts of melodies that float through the songs?

Alas, the CD ends with the rather moribund take on I Got Rhythm, a remake that, in my opinion, never quite gels.

Platinum has an aura of sweetness, lightness, to the sound. It's perfect morning music for weeding one's perennial garden, painting watercolors, hanging out with the cats, or writing a chapter in a fantasy novel. But this recording is neither the best nor worst of Mr. Oldfield's discography.

Yep. This is the follow-up to the tremendous, long, and highly complex "Incantations". But it bears little in resemblance to that work, save for the continuing minimalist directions. The four-part title track is very fun, taking Oldfield's complex compositional ideas and tweaking them in a stripped-down and jazzy direction, hearkening back to a Roaring '20s feel in a couple of places (especially Part 3-"Charleston"). But there's a major tip-o-the-hat here also to then-labelmate and minimalist pioneer Philip Glass with Part 4, which is a 'cover' of Glass's "North Star". The second part starts interestingly enough with the quiet percussives of "Woodhenge", but then goes into..."Sally"? Odd, this, as my version of it shows "Into Wonderland" in the liner notes at this point. "Punkadiddle" is a goof, really, sort of a miscue. And the version of "I've Got Rhythm" just sort of plods along languidly and never seems to come quite together. So...get it for the title suite, one or two of the second half shorties, but this isn't one of the first things you'd get in Oldfield's oeuvre.