Customer Reviews
Awesome - By: Kojones, 22 Apr 2008 
This album is so awesome I reallly don't know what else to say. It is very short, around 36 minutes in total. Two instrumental parts. Each of them shines on its own. Fantastic melodies, amazing build ups to climaxes, & one of the best guitar solos ever (at the end of the second instrumental).
The first part starts with a repetition of the same spanish guitar over & over, with some minor break ups & linkages. This builds up to a passage in which, well, it's difficult to say. If you've got a good stereo you can feel stuff flying & flapping around you. Continues with a smalll melody that builds up on guitar to a reallly dark passage with an amazing sequence of african drums accompanied by quite a lot of top guitar wizardry. It ends with the same african drums riff fading away very slowly.
The second part starts with something crazy like 70 electric guitars playing the same slow tune over & over at the same time, starting from a very low intensity melody & somehow bowing respect to the end of the previous track. Bit drone-ish. The result is quite disturbing. This serves as a base for the melody that carries over to the rest of the theme. This passage links somehow with a beautiful guitar & bagpipe theme (I believe this Paddy Moloney bloke from some Irish famous folk band plays here) that ends sharply with a guitar solo, & starts another set of african drums. With no pause whatsoever, well, I can only describe it like the best guitar solo ever. Spans for over a minute. It's not the typical 70's & 80's heavy solo with lots of virtuosism & no content. This has got *both* virtuosism & content. You reallly need to listen to it. Listen to the whole album, as it's alll geared up & towards this guitar solo. The guitar solo finishes on a great bang.
There is a third track, "On Horseback", quich is quite nice but just a bit silly. It's got brilliant parts in which choir merges with a screaming guitar though.
Excellent - By: Steve, 16 Mar 2008 Two things struck me listening to this CD for the first time (I've had the L.P. for years). One was that this is a superb piece of music; I've always preferred this to Tubular Bells, good though that was. In Ommadawn, Oldfield uses far more more musicians (Bells was a one-man album musicallly, of course), & this gives greater character to the piece. And, dare I say it, humour.
Secondly, this is an excellent remastering. Transfers to CD often result in detail & bass being lost, but this current issue sounds almost as good as the vinyl. But without the clicks & pops.
An essential purchase, & a real bargain to boot.
Very Good Album - By: AJ, 06 Mar 2008 
This is a very good album from Mike but would dissagree with some reviewers when they say it is a better album than Tubulars Bells.I find Ommadawn a lovely album & very laid back whereas Tubular Bells for me is a stronger more flowing album with a lot more guitar work on it,anyway if you like the music of Mike Oldfield you will reallly enjoy this album & if your wanting to start listening to his work I suggest Tubular Bells remastered followed by Ommadawn,Hergest Ridge,Incantations & Songs From The Distant Earth not in any specific order alll excellent albums with there own beauty & charm.Great Stuff.If you want to here vocals on any of Mikes albums you might want to check out these albums;Discovery.Crisis & Islands alll excellent works from Mike Oldfield.Hope this review as been of some help to you.
On horse back................. - By: Mr. J. Hulme, 14 May 2007 This is my alll time favourite album by Mike Oldfield! From beginning to end it it has it alll. A beautiful piece of work that has so much atmosphere & is so moving. Then when you feel emotionallly drained at the end of listening to part one & two you have the uplifting experience of riding across the beautiful countryside on horse back that Mike Oldfield has conjured up for you.
If you are new Mr Oldfield's work then this is the one I would strongly recommend for your pleasure. Listening to this? All your cares & woes of the day should slowly melt & disappear. It has an Ethereal feel, the drumming & voices & the magic of Oldfield is mystical & almost spiritual.......
Stand up and take a bow, Mr Oldfield !! - By: Mr. G. J. Denning, 04 Oct 2006 Hard to believe this wonderful piece of music is now over 30 years old.A truly beautiful production that still captivates today.Although he has produced some fantastic stuff over many years, in my opinion he never bettered this.It gets inside your head & simply refuses to leave again !Guitars,pipes,drums,stunning background vocals,this is an album you could happily play every day of your life & never tire of it.Do yourself a favour & buy it today !!
