It can be difficult for an artist to have such overwhelming success so early into their career as Mike Oldfield did. To this day, his name is forever synonymous with his debut album Tubular Bells. Mike followed this album with three further long-form works in the 1970s, before venturing off along other musical paths. However, the 1980s saw further success both in the albums and singles charts, while recent years have seen a return to lengthier pieces, often via sequels to his most famous work, with his most recent album being Return To Ommadawn in 2017.
The music of Mike Oldfield touches his listeners in ways that can be hard to describe. It bridges the gap between many musical cultures, including pop, progressive rock, classical, world music and dance. In the meantime, Oldfield has always stayed alert to current technological trends. In this book, Ryan Yard looks at the entire catalogue of albums to uncover what it is that makes his music so astonishing. Every track from each album is critiqued, offering long term fans a different perspective while enticing new fans to explore such a remarkable catalogue of music. In doing so, this book provides an invaluable companion to this unique and hugely talented musician.
Ryan Yard is a Composer, Pianist and Teacher. He has recorded five studio albums drawing upon his love of progressive rock, electronica and classical music, working with artists such as Tom Newman, producer of Tubular Bells and Les Penning, who played recorder on Oldfield's UK hits 'Portsmouth' and 'In Dulci Jubilo'. Ryan teaches piano, music theory and composition and has established himself as a transcriptionist having worked on a large collection of Mike Oldfield music alongside works from other artists such as Yes and Vangelis. He lives and works in Shropshire.