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THE REVIEW
After long courting the simpler pop music with various singles published at the end of the '70s, Oldfield manages to climb the charts with "Moonlight Shadow" in 1983, and so why change direction? Indeed, "Discovery", which sees the light in 1984, resumes the easier side proposed by Oldfield in the previous "Crises" by dedicating a large part of the work to the song form, neglecting the purely instrumental part, relegated to the sole "The Lake".
Recorded on Lake Geneva, Oldfield employs the voices of Reilly and Barry Palmer and the percussion of Simon Phillips. The songs that come to life do not excite, they are Pop exercises that often plunder things already proposed by Mike; "To France" is practically the carbon copy of "Moonlight Shadow". Even "Crystal Gazing" with its monotonous flow reminds too much of the hit "Foreign Affair", "Poison Arrows" is pleasant and nothing more, "Tricks Of The Light" is awful Muzak, light years away from Oldfield's creative freshness. Maggie Reilly's voice in "Talk About Life" vaguely resembles that of Annie Haslam of the Renaissance, the song also starts very well, with an opening that refers exactly to the typical atmospheres of the Renaissance, a pity then that everything fades into a predictable melody, "Saved By The Bell" deals with Mike's passion for the stars but does not rise from the general mediocrity of the album. Thankfully, "The Lake" arrives to make the work less anonymous, a very beautiful and well-executed instrumental track, a balanced Oldfield, very linear in weaving the leading melody of keyboards and initial bass, also beautiful is the addition of percussion that leads to the main theme of guitar played masterfully by the usual Mike, this is the real wizard of tubular bells, not the author of the banal POP tracks heard previously.
This remains one of Oldfield's less interesting works; the subsequent "Islands" will offer better tracks like "North Point" and will be the album in which the balance between suites and songs will work better.
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Summary by Bot
Mike Oldfield's 1984 album Discovery leans heavily into pop, following the success of 'Moonlight Shadow.' While the album features catchy vocal tracks, many are seen as repetitive and uninspired. However, the instrumental piece 'The Lake' stands out as a highlight, showcasing Oldfield's true musical strengths. Overall, Discovery is considered one of his less remarkable works.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield is a British composer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist widely associated with progressive rock and long-form instrumental suites. He rose to major international fame with the 1973 album “Tubular Bells,” later exploring folk/Celtic, ambient, pop and orchestral/symphonic directions across a long discography.26 Reviews
