Five Miles Out

by

Mike Oldfield

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Together with its successor,"Crises" from 1983, "Five Miles out" represents the typical format of Mike's albums in the 80's: one-side long track, here "Taurus 2", and an assortment of shorter musical pieces, which cover the other side. Mike has started this concept with "Platinum" and has kept it for almost twelve years. Being a strongly conceptual album, "Five Miles out" was one of the first Mike's studio albums I've purchased. It was inspired with Mike's adventure, soon after he had gained his piloting licence in 1979, when a plane, piloted by him, was caught in a heavy storm. I like to think of it as a background music on airports. Needles to say, this album wouldn't gain its high reputation (it was his most selling album after the debut "Tubular Bells") without act of Mike's new discovery which he found in Maggie Reilly, female singer.

"Taurus 2" is 25 minutes long, very coloured and dynamic instrumental track, which opens with a heavy guitar pattern, playing fil-rouge "Five Miles out" theme, introducing the whole album in first three minutes, soon to be followed by Paddy Moloney's pipes and Mike's guitar, briliantly merged in a kind of traditional tune. It slowly increases with more and more instruments added, then explodes in a blast and drowns toward the horizon... here, the most beautiful part of "Taurus 2" begins, when Maggie Reilly sings the heart of a track, "Deep deep sound" melody, like she was singing somewhere above the clouds. Then guitars start again, repeating the melody and fade into a second part of the track, which features female voices, used as an instrument, and "Five Miles out" theme again, this time in screaming, frenzy guitars. The track is softly closed with zither tune. "Family Man", one of the Oldfield's biggest pop-hits, opens the other side. It features Mike's characteristic guitar passages, often captured in his later successes as "Moonlight Shadow". The track ends in a big blow and turns into a picturesque preface to "Orabidoo" - this track is consisted of five very different parts, but Mike managed to combine them into a little master-piece. First, vocoder sings "Message from Kathmandu" tune, using all kind of voices from the pilot cabin, then turns into a furious guitar theme, already attached in "Taurus 2". In a few minutes, you'll get an impression like you're walking at the huge plane-runway, people communicating over radio-connections, before another guitar rush takes over. Maggie Reilly ends the track gently, singing a melody about Ireland. "Mt. Teide" is a short instrumental piece, built on a beautiful melody, slowly increasing toward the end... you can picture yourself watching this highest peak of Tenerife Island with its cone-shaped crater, covered with snow, rising from the clouds. The album is closed by "Five Miles out" track, which now sounds very familiar with its characteristic tune, accompanied by Maggie and Mike again - the sound of a diving plane finishes the album.

It's a pity this album doesn't include a single "Mistake" (first released in 1985 on "The Complete"), as it would complement this album perfectly. However, I'd recommend "Five miles out" for everyone who's about to purchase one of his 80's albums. Also, consider the option to purchase "Crises" album.

Mike Oldfield cautiously dips one foot into the early 80's synth-pop waters whilst still clinging to his prog-rock life raft in this interesting, if somewhat uneven offering. The inevitable 20 + minute opus is surrounded by some poppier, more conventionally structured songs. In fact, I'm sure there are millions of Hall & Oates fans blissfully unaware that the blue-eyed soul duo's top ten hit "Family Man" was penned by Mr. "Tubular Bells" himself! The title song bears more than a passing resemblance to M's seminal synthpop dance hit "Pop Muzik" (and may in turn have "inspired" 1984's "One Night In Bangkok".... Not a masterpiece, but a well-executed and mostly satisfying listen.