Review: Mike Oldfield – Exposed (1979)

Exposed is Mike Oldfield’s first live album.

With the release of Tubular Bells in 1973, Mike Oldfield became one of the most famous musicians in the world and his concerts would have been in high demand. However, despite pressure from his record company, Oldfield refused to perform live for more than the two London gigs promoting Tubular Bells. The reasons were, on the one hand, that Oldfield felt that his music could not be performed to a high enough standard in a concert setting by a normal rock band, but more importantly, Oldfield’s poor mental health. Suffering from panic disorders and anxiety, Oldfield was simply not mentally fit enough to perform. However, it is worth remembering that although Oldfield was estranged from the gigging scene, he was an experienced live musician, having played extensively with Kevin Ayers’ band prior to his Tubular Bells success.

However, Oldfield’s attitude changed radically in 1978 during the recording of Incantations. Oldfield attended an Exegesis seminar offering shock therapy which changed his personality completely. Empowered by the Exegesis seminar, Oldfield also decided to go on tour with his own music for the first time. Oldfield executed his tour with great panache, assembling a band of some fifty musicians who were an inspired mix of orchestral musicians, jazz men, folk musicians and rockers.

Finland’s own bass general Pekka Pohjola was also invited to join the band. Interestingly for Finns, the group also included jazz trumpeter Simo Salminen. Pohjola had met Oldfield through Virgin a few years earlier and Oldfield had produced and played guitar on Pohjola’s solo album Keesojen lehto (1977).

In addition to Pohjola and Oldfield himself, the touring ”rock band” included two guitarists, a drummer (Pierre Moerlen), three percussionists Benoit Moerlen, Mike Frye and David Bedford, a bodhran player, two keyboard players Tim Cross and Peter Lemer and vocalist Maddy Prior.

Read also: Review: Mike Oldfield – Crises (1983)

The tour, called Tour Of Europe, featured Incantations condensed into about 60 minutes, and of course the complete Tubular Bells. The Tour Of Europe was an artistic success, but a financial disaster. Although almost all the shows were sold out, touring with a big band was simply too expensive. Someone’s maths failed badly on the project, or Oldfield just didn’t care. In the end the loss was around a million pounds which was a pretty hefty amount of money in 1979. Even for the rich man of Tubular Bells.

Originally there were no plans to release a live album from the tour, but it was decided to make a record to pay for the tour’s losses. A deal was struck with Virgin whereby Oldfield would release a live album and the tour debts would be offset by royalties from that album. It took about ten years to pay off the debts. Exposed was originally released as a limited edition of 100,000 copies, but the album sold so quickly that it was eventually made a permanent part of Oldfield’s catalogue.

(The Exposed tour was also filmed and the footage was released on a concert DVD in 2005. The DVD is fascinating to watch even if the filming is not perfect. There is a lot to see in a great band, but unfortunately our Finnish national hero Pekka Pohjola only appears a few times. The star himself, Oldfield, in his white linen suit, is a very serious boy throughout the concert, concentrating on his own parts with a frown.)

The repertoire for the Tour Of Europe included music from Oldfield’s latest studio album Incantations and of course Tubular Bells. Also heard was a powerful interpretation of ”Guilty”, a song that deftly blends disco and prog, and clearly outshines its studio version. What a pity that nothing from Ommadawn or Hergest Ridge was included.

Incantations has been condensed on tour to 46 minutes (the original studio version is over 70 minutes) leading to some rather choppy transitions between sections. Otherwise, the Incantations arrangements are relatively faithful to the studio versions, although the final effect is more rocking and boisterous despite the presence of a symphony orchestra.

Tubular Bells is performed in its entirety, but with a bigger overhaul than Incantations. The version of Tubular Bells is really interesting. It manages to be more rocking than the original studio version on the one hand, but also more orchestral on the other, with moments of great ensemble power.

For the most part, Exposed’s interpretations are indeed orchestral, also in the sense that although the band has some very skilled musicians, their individual performances don’t really stand out from the whole. The exception of course is Oldfield’s electric guitar, which is the orchestra’s solo instrument. In the familiar style of his, Oldfield created a series of great solos that are sometimes faithful to the originals and sometimes something completely new. Musical they always are.

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Exposed is crowned with really successful sonics. The big band sounds lively, distinctive and dynamic.

There have been numerous experiments in progressive rock with combining a symphony orchestra and a rock band, but rarely have the two elements been combined as effectively as on Tour Of Europe by Mike Oldfield and David Bedford (who did the string arrangements). Exposed, which beautifully captures the tour, is true orchestral rock and also serves as an excellent summation of Mike Oldfield’s 70s. After Exposed, Oldfield pared down his live line-up to a more moderate 10 or so and also headed for musically lighter waters.

Best tracks: ”Tubular Bells (Part 1)” ja ”Tubular Bells (Part 2)”

Author: JANNE YLIRUUSI

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Read also: Review: Mike Oldfield – Earth Moving (1989)

Tracks

  1. ”Incantations (Parts 1 & 2)” (Mike Oldfield) – 26:30
  2. ”Incantations (Parts 3 & 4)” (Mike Oldfield) – 20:50
  3. ”Tubular Bells (Part 1)” (Mike Oldfield) – 28:36
  4. ”Tubular Bells (Part 2)” (Mike Oldfield, except ”The Sailor’s Hornpipe”) – 11:09
  5. ”Guilty” (Mike Oldfield) – 6:22

Musicians

Mike Oldfield: guitars Nico Ramsden: guitars Phil Beer: guitar, vocals Pekka Pohjola: bass guitar Pierre Moerlen: drums, percussion Mike Frye: percussion Benoit Moerlen: percussion David Bedford: percussion, string arrangements Ringo McDonough: bodhran Pete Lemer: keyboards Tim Cross: keyboards Maddy Prior: vocals Ray Gay: trumpets Ralph Izen: trumpets Simo Salminen: trumpets Colin Moore: trumpets Sebastian Bell: flutes Chris Nicholls: flutes Orchestra leader: Richard Studt: violin Benedict Cruft: violin Elizabeth Edwards: Jane Price: violin Nichola Hurton: violin Jonathan Kahan: violin Donald McVay: viola Pauline Mack: viola Danny Daggers: viola Melinda Daggers: viola Liz Butler: viola Ross Cohen: violins Nigel Warren-Green: cello Vanessa Park: cello David Bucknall: cello Jessica Ford: cello Nick Worters: bass Joe Kirby: bass Debra Bronstein: choir Marigo Acheson: choir Emma Freud: choir Diana Coulson: choir Mary Elliott: choir Mary Creed: choir Cecily Hazell: choir Wendy Lampitt: choir Clara Harris: choir Emma Smith: choir Catherine Loewe: choir

Producer: Mike Oldfield
Label: Virgin

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