Music Monday: Ommadawn
I can’t say I’m a big Mike Oldfield fan, though I have a lot of respect for him as a musician and composer. Of all the work he’s done over the last 40+ years, however, my favorite album has to be his third, “Ommadawn.” Released in 1975, this to me is Oldfield at his creative finest. Why? Why not his first, and perhaps most celebrated album, “Tubular Bells”? “Tubular Bells” was certainly a landmark piece, and has some great and memorable moments. However, “Tubular Bells” is very much a stream-of-consciousness piece, at least that’s how it comes across to me. It starts in one place, goes to another, then to another, meandering down paths, exploring ideas for a while then leaving them to the side. That’s all well and good if you like that sort of thing. “Ommadawn,” on the other hand, has structure. In fact, I would go as far as to say it’s a lot more classical in its composition. While “Tubular Bells” sounds as if Oldfield sat down and improvised for half-an-hour, “Ommadawn” sounds composed. It has themes that reoccur. It seems to have purpose, direction, and a destination. Listening to “Ommadawn” I feel like I’m being led on a journey by a composer, not just exploring the landscape with a musician.
You would be forgiven for thinking Part 2 (side two of the original vinyl album) breaks the thematic unity, but there are two ways (at least) in which it very closely connects with Part 1. First, the basic structure: an introductory section, a wind section (part one had recorders, part two uses uilleann pipes), and a final rhythmic crescendo. Second, if you listen carefully, you’ll notice that Part 2 is actually somewhat of a play on the recorder section from Part 1 (from 6:57 to 8:16 on the clip below), and repeats parts of that section in places. Even the song at the end, “On Horseback,” where Oldfield gives us a rare vocal performance, connects back to Part 1. Pay careful attention to the guitar part under the verses–it’s an echo of the main theme you hear at the beginning of Part 1. Not to mention the female vocal that comes in after the first chorus, which sounds uncannily like the voice that joins Part 1 a little more than a minute in. This is what I find so satisfying about this album. There’s a compositional cohesion as well as a unity to the sound that permeates even those parts that seem otherwise disconnected.
I have to confess that part of my affection for this album also stems from my childhood, and the fact my Dad played it quite regularly. He owned both “Tubular Bells” and “Ommadawn” (and possibly a few other Oldfield albums), but “Ommadawn” was the Oldfield album of choice in our house ever since my Dad took my Mum to see “The Exorcist” in 1973. My Dad enjoyed the movie, but my Mum did not. At all. Now she can’t even listen to the beginning of “Tubular Bells” without recalling the worst moments from “The Exorcist.” (For those who don’t know, the first part of “Tubular Bells” was used as the theme for “The Exorcist.”) Naturally, my Dad didn’t want to put my Mum through that torment, so he wouldn’t play the album when she was around, preferring “Ommadawn” instead.
I’m not going to provide music or chords for this–it’s a 36-minute instrumental album, and it would take too long to write out. But I do encourage you to listen to it, perhaps while writing your novel (I imagine it’s great to listen to if fantasy is your chosen genre!), or doing the ironing. Listen carefully for the themes, how they reoccur throughout the entire piece. Get caught up in the awesome atmosphere Oldfield has created by his choice of instrumentation, and the way he carefully weaves voices and sounds together.
Someone posted the entire album on YouTube. I provide the link to promote the music in the hope that you purchase it if you like it:
My brother John found this remarkable arrangement of “Ommadawn, Part 1” for two pianos. I was very impressed with the way the composer managed to capture the essence of the piece. If you like piano music, you must check this out. Thanks for the tip, John!
