Incantations (album)
Encyclopedia
Incantations is the fourth record album by Mike Oldfield
, released in late 1978
on Virgin Records
.
The first Oldfield to be divided into more than two movements, it is the second longest work Oldfield has ever released. Originally released as a double album
, the current CD issue fits the entire album onto one disc.
, featuring melodic lines played by only a few instruments at a time.
The album as a whole is unusual in that it makes extensive use of the circle of fifths
as an accompaniment to many of the musical ideas. Since this musical structure requires that each idea be modulated
through twelve keys, before the next is introduced, more time is required to develop each idea, so that each section unfolds more slowly than is usual in Oldfield's work. A byproduct of this musical structure is that most of the album is not in any one key, but cycles continuously through them all.
Incantations was recorded at Througham, Mike Oldfield's home after he completed Ommadawn. It was his desire to create an album that would make use of a small orchestra, and some of his own statements indicate that he may have moved into his new house simply because it had room for one. He had used "extra-instrumental" ensembles previously, such as the brass
ensemble on Ommadawn
and the string/choir group on Hergest Ridge
before that, but they form a major part of Incantations.
It was during the creation of Incantations that Mike Oldfield underwent the assertiveness training course Exegesis
, and between the earlier parts and the later parts of the album there is a definite difference in style, possibly due to the course. The course may have had added effects to bolster his confidence, as it was almost immediately thereafter that Oldfield went on his first solo live tour around Europe with Incantations
.
The lyrics in "Part Two" are taken from Longfellow
's "The Song of Hiawatha
", though rearranged in places to conform more to the music.
The lyrics in "Part Four" are Ben Jonson
's "Ode to Cynthia" from Cynthia's Revels
, but adjusted again to match the music.
than the original LP artwork (which is shown at the top of the page). Early copies of the album came with a poster featuring a subtly different photograph from the one used on the cover.
The cover photograph used may have been altered
by Key. There have been some theories about why this may have been done, although the claim that Oldfield was not actually on the beach is easily contradicted by other photographs from the shoot. It is assumed that Key simply cut and pasted the image of Oldfield onto a slightly different background for artistic reasons.
With, alphabetically:
on 25 July 2011 as part of a deal in which Oldfield's Virgin
albums were transferred to Universal's label. Standard and Deluxe versions were available, as well as some signed vinyl copies from MikeOldfieldOfficial.com. The standard edition contained a remastered mix of the album, as well as "Guilty". The Deluxe edition contained the disc from the standard edition as well as a second disc containing singles and other smaller pieces, and a DVD
with 5.1 mixes
, promotional videos and a live version of the album.
Unlike the first three re-issues in the campaign, there was no surround mix of the album on the DVD, only of the five remixed edits on the 'bonus' CD. Oldfield explained during an interview for BBC Radio 6 that this was because the original multi-track tapes for the album had either badly deteriorated or been lost.
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
, released in late 1978
1978 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1978.-January–April:*January 14 – The Sex Pistols play their final show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom....
on Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
.
The first Oldfield to be divided into more than two movements, it is the second longest work Oldfield has ever released. Originally released as a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
, the current CD issue fits the entire album onto one disc.
Overview
Despite being the longest single work by Oldfield, much of the album can be described as being compositionally minimalistMinimalist music
Minimal music is a style of music associated with the work of American composers La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. It originated in the New York Downtown scene of the 1960s and was initially viewed as a form of experimental music called the New York Hypnotic School....
, featuring melodic lines played by only a few instruments at a time.
The album as a whole is unusual in that it makes extensive use of the circle of fifths
Circle of fifths
In music theory, the circle of fifths shows the relationships among the 12 tones of the chromatic scale, their corresponding key signatures, and the associated major and minor keys...
as an accompaniment to many of the musical ideas. Since this musical structure requires that each idea be modulated
Modulation (music)
In music, modulation is most commonly the act or process of changing from one key to another. This may or may not be accompanied by a change in key signature. Modulations articulate or create the structure or form of many pieces, as well as add interest...
through twelve keys, before the next is introduced, more time is required to develop each idea, so that each section unfolds more slowly than is usual in Oldfield's work. A byproduct of this musical structure is that most of the album is not in any one key, but cycles continuously through them all.
Incantations was recorded at Througham, Mike Oldfield's home after he completed Ommadawn. It was his desire to create an album that would make use of a small orchestra, and some of his own statements indicate that he may have moved into his new house simply because it had room for one. He had used "extra-instrumental" ensembles previously, such as the brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
ensemble on Ommadawn
Ommadawn
Ommadawn is the third record album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1975 on Virgin Records. The cover photograph was by David Bailey. It peaked at #4 on the UK Albums Chart. The album was reissued in June 2010 with additional content.- Album history :...
and the string/choir group on Hergest Ridge
Hergest Ridge (album)
Hergest Ridge is the second record album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1974 on Virgin Records.Oldfield was not comfortable with the public attention that had come from the success of Tubular Bells, and retreated to the English countryside to work on the follow-up...
before that, but they form a major part of Incantations.
It was during the creation of Incantations that Mike Oldfield underwent the assertiveness training course Exegesis
Exegesis (group)
Exegesis, an alternative therapy programme, operated in the United Kingdom in the later 1970s and early 1980s.Exegesis was founded by Robert D'Aubigny, a former actor, in 1976 as Infinity Training, offering "englightenment and personal transformation" through a course of paid seminars...
, and between the earlier parts and the later parts of the album there is a definite difference in style, possibly due to the course. The course may have had added effects to bolster his confidence, as it was almost immediately thereafter that Oldfield went on his first solo live tour around Europe with Incantations
Tour of Europe 1979
Tour of Europe 1979 was a concert tour by the British multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield.- Background :It was his first tour, 6 years after his debut album, Tubular Bells. It was used as promotion for the Incantations album. The tour spawned a record release, Exposed, and later a concert video,...
.
The lyrics in "Part Two" are taken from Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
's "The Song of Hiawatha
The Song of Hiawatha
The Song of Hiawatha is an 1855 epic poem, in trochaic tetrameter, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, featuring an Indian hero and loosely based on legends and ethnography of the Ojibwe and other Native American peoples contained in Algic Researches and additional writings of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft...
", though rearranged in places to conform more to the music.
The lyrics in "Part Four" are Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
's "Ode to Cynthia" from Cynthia's Revels
Cynthia's Revels
Cynthia's Revels, or The Fountain of Self-Love is a late Elizabethan stage play, a satire written by Ben Jonson, The play was one element in the so-called Poetomachia or War of the Theatres between Jonson and rival playrwights John Marston and Thomas Dekker.-Performance:The play was first performed...
, but adjusted again to match the music.
Artwork
The cover was once again done by Trevor Key. The beach in the cover photograph is Cala Pregonda, in Menorca. The current CD sleeve has a different typefaceTypeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
than the original LP artwork (which is shown at the top of the page). Early copies of the album came with a poster featuring a subtly different photograph from the one used on the cover.
The cover photograph used may have been altered
Photo manipulation
Photo manipulation is the application of image editing techniques to photographs in order to create an illusion or deception , through analog or digital means.- Types of digital photo manipulation :...
by Key. There have been some theories about why this may have been done, although the claim that Oldfield was not actually on the beach is easily contradicted by other photographs from the shoot. It is assumed that Key simply cut and pasted the image of Oldfield onto a slightly different background for artistic reasons.
Miscellanea
- Along with some other pieces of Oldfield's work, a different version of "Part Four" was used for the soundtrack of Tony Palmer's The Space MovieThe Space MovieThe Space Movie is a documentary film produced in 1979 by Tony Palmer at the request of NASA, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.The 78 minute film was released theatrically in 1980, on VHS in 1983 and on DVD in 2007...
; the lyrics there are from Kathleen RaineKathleen RaineKathleen Jessie Raine was a British poet, critic, and scholar writing in particular on William Blake, W. B. Yeats and Thomas Taylor. Known for her interest in various forms of spirituality, most prominently Platonism and Neoplatonism, she was a founder member of the Temenos Academy.-Life:Raine was...
's "A Spell for Creation". - When the CDCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
version was released, due to the shorter length of the format at the time (early redbook standards only allowed for a maximum playing time of 74:33), many early pressings unnecessarily have "Part Three" shortened from 16:59 down to 13:49 by cutting from the beginning. When 80-minute CDs became the norm and quality control was increased, the full cut of "Part Three" was restored. All modern pressings have the full version of the piece.
Charts
The album did not enter the top 10 in the United Kingdom, unlike Oldfield's previous studio albums of the 1970s, peaking at number 14. In 2011 the reissue charted at number 70 in the UK.| Chart (1978) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK album chart | 14 |
| Norwegian album chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
14 |
Personnel
- Mike OldfieldMike OldfieldMichael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
– acoustic and electric bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
s, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, electronically processed vocals
With, alphabetically:
- David BedfordDavid BedfordDavid Vickerman Bedford , was an English composer and musician. He wrote and played both popular and classical music....
– conductor for strings and choir - Sebastian Bell – fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s - JabulaJabulaJabula was a musical ensemble made of South African musicians "exiled" in England during the Apartheid Era.Under Apartheid, traditional African music was largely banned from radio and even private play, and groups who performed it were often forced into exile. The four members that became Jabula...
– African drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s - Mike Laird – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Pierre MoerlenPierre MoerlenPierre Moerlen was a French drummer and percussionist, best known for his work with Gong and Mike Oldfield.-Biography:...
– drums, vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
s on "Part 4" (credited "Pierre Moerlin" with a typo) - Sally OldfieldSally OldfieldSally Oldfield is a singer-songwriter, and the sister of the composers Mike Oldfield and Terry Oldfield.-Early life:...
– vocals - Terry OldfieldTerry OldfieldTerence "Terry" Oldfield is an English composer. He is brother to well-known music composers and performers Sally and Mike Oldfield.- Early life :...
– fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s - Maddy PriorMaddy PriorMaddy Prior is an English folk singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span.-Early life:...
– vocals on "The Song of Hiawatha" - The Queen's College Girls ChoirQueen's College, LondonQueen's College is an independent school for girls aged 11–18. It is located in central London at numbers 43-49, Harley Street. Founded in 1848 by F. D. Maurice, Professor of English Literature and History at King's College London along with a committee of patrons, the College was the first...
– vocals
2011 reissue
The album was re-released by Mercury RecordsMercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
on 25 July 2011 as part of a deal in which Oldfield's Virgin
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
albums were transferred to Universal's label. Standard and Deluxe versions were available, as well as some signed vinyl copies from MikeOldfieldOfficial.com. The standard edition contained a remastered mix of the album, as well as "Guilty". The Deluxe edition contained the disc from the standard edition as well as a second disc containing singles and other smaller pieces, and a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
with 5.1 mixes
5.1 surround sound
5.1 is the common name for six channel surround sound multichannel audio systems. 5.1 is now the most commonly used layout in both commercial cinemas and home theaters. It uses five full bandwidth channels and one low frequency enhancement channel . Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, and...
, promotional videos and a live version of the album.
Unlike the first three re-issues in the campaign, there was no surround mix of the album on the DVD, only of the five remixed edits on the 'bonus' CD. Oldfield explained during an interview for BBC Radio 6 that this was because the original multi-track tapes for the album had either badly deteriorated or been lost.
Disc 1
- "Incantations Part One" Remastered Stereo Mix
- "Incantations Part Two" Remastered Stereo Mix
- "Incantations Part Three" Remastered Stereo Mix
- "Incantations Part Four" Remastered Stereo Mix
- "Guilty" 7-inch Single Version
- The remastered mix of "Incantations Part Four" included, in the first pressing of the disc, a glitch consisting in the accidental omission of a percussive hit, causing a rhythmical irregularity. According to Universal MusicUniversal Music GroupUniversal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, it was due to an improperly remastered edit point in the original 1977 master tapes. This glitch occurred between 12:36 and 12:38 in the first pressing; in the second pressing, a smaller and less noticeable glitch occurs at 12:40, where both percussive hits are present, but the rhythm still shows a slight irregularity.
Disc 2
- "Diana" 2011 Stereo Mix
- "Northumbrian" 2011 Stereo Mix
- "Piano Improvisation" 2011 Stereo Mix
- "Hiawatha" 2011 Stereo Mix
- "Canon For Two Vibraphones" 2011 Stereo Mix
- "William Tell Overture"
- "Cuckoo Song"
- "Pipe Tune"
- "Wrekorder Wrondo"
- "Guilty" 2011 Stereo Mix
- "Diana - Desiderata" 2011 Stereo Mix
- "Diana", "Hiawatha" and "Canon for Two Vibraphones" are remixed versions of excerpts from the original album; "Northumbrian" and "Piano Improvisation" are out-takes from the album sessions (the latter previously used as part of the soundtrack for the documentary Reflection); "Guilty" is based on the original 12-inch mix of the song, but is presented here in a noticeably drier, stripped-off version, which omits all of the reverbReverberationReverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air...
on the original mix; finally, "Diana - Desiderata" is a remix of the "Diana" excerpt including, as the title suggests, quotations from Max Ehrmann's famous prose poem DesiderataDesiderataDesiderata is a 1927 prose poem by American writer Max Ehrmann...
.
Disc 3 (DVD)
- "Diana" 5.1 Surround Sound Version
- "Northumbrian" 5.1 Surround Sound Version
- "Piano Improvisation" 5.1 Surround Sound Version
- "Hiawatha" 5.1 Surround Sound Version
- "Canon For Two Vibraphones" 5.1 Surround Sound Version
- "Guilty" 5.1 Surround Sound Version
- "William Tell Overture" Promotional Video, 1977
- "Incantations Parts One & Two" Live at Wembley Conference CentreWembley Conference CentreWembley Conference Centre was a conference centre near Wembley Stadium, Wembley, in London, England.-History:Opened in 1977, it was the first purpose built Conference Centre in the UK. Events included conferences, corporate hospitality, annual general meetings, banquets and sports events including...
, 1979 - "Incantations Parts Three & Four" Live at Wembley Conference Centre, 1979
- "Guilty" Promotional Video, 1979
Disc 1
- "Incantations Part One" (Remastered Stereo Mix) - 19:11
- "Incantations Part Two" (Remastered Stereo Mix) - 19:34
Disc 2
- "Incantations Part Three" (Remastered Stereo Mix) - 16:58
- "Incantations Part Four" (Remastered Stereo Mix) - 16:57
- The glitch at 12:38 and the later one at 12:40 on "Part Four" on the CD are also featured on the vinyl, because of the same faulty remaster being used for both the CD and the vinyl release.
External links
- MikeOldfieldOfficial.com – The official Mike Oldfield website
- Mike Oldfield Discography - Incantations at Tubular.net
- Incantations lyrics at Tubular.net