Museum Musica

UK, 1975, progressive rock / new age

Mike Oldfield – Ommadawn: This is another of those albums of two sides, meaning each side is comprised of a single track, creating a sprawling, epic framework to the compositions in a genre that is all too happy to embrace such structure. The use of Northumbrian smallpipes and uillean pipes in the compositions is Oldfield’s attempt to explore Celtic influences on English music. It’s an impressive feat that he layered the sounds and played most of the instruments on this album. The vocal elements really bring home the soothing and uplifting feel of this work.