English musician and composer Mike Oldfield has made a career for himself since the 70’s by blending progressive rock with world, folk, classical, electronic, ambient, and new-age music. He has just announced that he will be releasing a new album on January 20, 2017 via Virgin EMI. Titled Return To Ommadawn, the artist’s 26th LP marks a return to the music that made his name back in the early 70’s.
The title is a reference to Oldfield’s 1975 album Ommadawn, the third of a trinity of classic albums – Tubular Bells (1973), Hergest Ridge (1974) and Ommadawn – that overlapped rock and classical and, before the terms were even coined, new age and world music.
The album was written, played, recorded, mixed and produced all by Oldfield in his home studio in Nassau, and features a mostly acoustic string instrument-based album consisting of two pieces of music: “Return to Ommadawn (Part One)” and “Return to Ommadawn (Part Two).” Each of the 22 instruments in the album (including mandolin, guitars, acoustic bass, bodhran, African drums and tin whistle) is hand played by Oldfield.
“Looking on social media, the first three albums 40 years later are still everybody’s favourite, and Ommadawn more than Tubular Bells even,” said Oldfield. ” I think it’s because it’s a genuine piece of music rather than production: hands, fingers, fingernails. It didn’t have a goal; it was not trying to achieve anything nor please anybody. It was spontaneous music making, full of life. Doing Return To Ommadawn is like a return to my true self.”
Apparently the sleeve artwork for Return to Ommadawn was inspired by a binge-watching session of “Game of Thrones” of epic proportions.
Check out the album artwork and tracklist below.
Return to Ommadawn Tracklist
1. Return to Ommadawn (Part One)
2. Return to Ommadawn (Part Two)
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