Mike Oldfield: Every Album, Every Song (On Track) Paperback – December 15, 2020

After reading the critical reviews of this book I 'um'ed and 'ah'ed, but in the end gave in and purchased. You know, I'm glad I did.I've been going through my MO albums with this book by my side, and apart from two proofreading errors/typos (in listing the wide range of influences on him growing up, the author mentions 'Cindi Lauper' on page 5 [it is, of course, Cyndi]) and also on page 92 (under the music score for TBII's opening) it's not 'Tubilar' but 'Tubular', as it is printed at top left of the same page. I'm not really whinging (I wish MY writings had such few errors/typos!) It's just to point them out for correction in the second edition...Anyway, the book has captivated me much more then I expected, and my MO albums are richer to listen to as a result (I have nearly all his studio albums in one format or another). Yes, the text is written from a slightly technical music viewpoint, but not really enough to upset a newcomer - plus there is a glossary of musical terms at the back, which is a great idea.This book covers up to, and includes, MO's last significant release (as far as I know, and at time of writing [July 2021] etc.) Return To Ommadawn, and I'm glad to add it to my collection of excellent On Track... books - including this one, that's now eight [see pic] (maybe I could claim a bulk buy discount?!).

This is a wonderful book full of insight. The author clearly loves the work of Mike Oldfield and this really comes across. You can read the book sat quietly and think about what the author is presenting to you, but start with Tubular Bells put on the vinyl, CD or whatever your personal listening choice and read as you listen, that is when this excellent book really comes to life. This track by track format really is a great idea. Remember though that the author may not always regard a favourite of yours with the same love, music is of course a very personal thing. Having more than one of this series, I must say that Ryan Yard's book gives more technical information than some of the other books, which I find interesting but some people may not. I personally highly recommend this excellent book.

Firstly, anything which has Ryan Yard's name on it is going to be thorough in its approach and this title is no exception. He's applied his extensive musical knowledge to Oldfield's back catalogue to give an informative read without it being a stuffy exercise in music theory and so top marks to Ryan for this aspect.So why should you buy it? The obvious answer for any Oldfield fan is that it's about Oldfield's music so the collection wouldn't be complete without it and I'm sure that for many who buy this, myself included, this was the primary driver in the buying decision.But does it tell us anything we don't already know, either from listening to the music or in the many articles and books that have been written over the years? On the one hand, probably not. Of course, it's nice to know that Oldfield used such and such a musical motif in this part of this album but will that knowledge really enhance the average fan's listening experience?But, on the other hand, it's an absolute gem. Ryan tells us, for example, that the guitar solo on the latter half of Incantations pt4 is perhaps his favourite of all of Oldfield's solos. Maybe you agree with that, maybe you don't (as far as I'm concerned, it's up there with the best!) but reading the book is the next best thing to sitting down with an Oldfield fan and debating the various merits of different pieces of music over a drink or two. And, of course, even if you're just an average fan and not a hardcore obsessive, you may spot tracks in there about which you were unaware and Ryan's helpful descriptions & opinions give you good pointers as to whether they're pieces worth pursuing.As to whether the title 'Mike Oldfield - every album, every song' is accurate, there do appear to be omissions which, I suppose, was almost inevitable but, for the most part, it's there and worth buying if you have more than just a passing interest in Oldfield's music.

This book is very well researched and well written by a musician and someone who knows Mike Oldfield`s work note by note. I bought Tubular Bells within a day or so of its release in 1973 and have loved Mike`s work ever since. My favourite album is probably Ommadawn. Mike is a musician who has a gift for melody and chord progressions and his work is on a different scale to most artists as he often plays all of the instruments himself. He had a successful band in the 1980s and had a worldwide hit with the beautiful Moonlight Shadow. Some of his later work met with less success but the author here analyses each individual track and had me playing all the albums through again. Highly recommended.

What can I say?? A good book, charts Mike Oldfield's career in terms of releases...good.